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Wednesday, dec 18
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Mahwah Police Department
Police & Fire
NY Drug Dealer Tries Swallowing Cocaine During Hotel Bust In Bergen County, Police Say
Two New York men were arrested in Bergen County on Monday evening, Nov. 25, after police caught them trying to hide cocaine during a suspected drug deal, authorities said. Mahwah police were conducting surveillance at a local hotel at approximately 6:30 p.m., following reports of possible illegal drug activity, Chief Timothy O’Hara said. Officers observed two individuals, later identified as Kervin Plasencia, 35, of Queens, and Christian Rivera, 33, of New York, NY, being dropped off by a rideshare vehicle at the hotel entrance. As officers approached the vehicle, Plasencia tried to swallow…
News
Lawsuit: Hunters' False Report Triggered Harrowing Swatting Incident At Mahwah Man's Home
A Mahwah resident has filed a civil lawsuit claiming that a false police report led to a SWAT response at his home, causing severe emotional distress and placing his family in harm’s way. The complaint, filed by Christopher Toskos, alleges that on Nov. 12, 2022, hunters falsely told Mahwah police that he was armed and had fired a weapon in a wooded area behind fire company 3. The area is authorized for bow hunting, the lawsuit notes. According to the complaint, the defendants claimed Toskos was dressed in a "ghillie suit," a type of camouflage, and alleged he fired a .22 caliber firearm in …
Police & Fire
Video
: Officers Rescue Driver Seconds Before SUV Erupts In Flames On Route 287
Two police officers' quick actions likely saved an unconscious 29-year-old New York driver from a wrecked car on Route 287, just seconds before it burst into flames. The Chevrolet SUV was heading south when he struck a Peterbilt tractor-trailer parked on the right shoulder at 4:20 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Charles Marchan said. "While Mahwah units were responding, dispatch updated that they were receiving additional 9-1-1 calls that the driver was still inside the burning vehicle and that witnesses were unable to extricate the driver," Mahwah Police Capt. Guido…
Police & Fire
Man Accused Of Shattering Windshields Of Moving Vehicles On Mahwah Streets Has Prior Arrests
Mahwah police have announced the arrest of a man who threw a rock at multiple moving vehicles, shattering and cracking windshields this week. John Yager III, 50, allegedly threw the rock at moving vehicles along Franklin Turnpike, East Ramapo Avenue, and Island Road over the past several months, Mahwah Police Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. Several of the drivers had reported that the damage to their vehicles consisted of shattered and cracked windshields. Yager was identified as a suspect and was found in possession of a large rock at the time of his arrest Monday, Oct. 28, Bussinelli said. …
Police & Fire
Update
: Mahwah Motorcyclist Rendered Amputee, Wrong-Way DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto
A 67-year-old Florida man was intoxicated when his SUV crossed the double yellow line on a Mahwah road and hit a motorcyclist last weekend, costing the victim his foot and ankle, authorities said. Terence J. Cotter of Delray Beach was headed south on East Crescent Lane when his 2022 Volkswagen Taos crossed into the northbound lane and collided head-on with the motorcycle shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 2, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The rider, 58-year-old Paul Granados of Mahwah, was airlifted to Hackensack University Medical Center after being struck between Apple Ri…
Police & Fire
Mahwah PD Nabs Stolen Car Driver After Owner's BF Follows Him From NYC
A man whose girlfriend's car was stolen in New York City tracked it to Suffern and then followed the driver into New Jersey, where Mahwah police made an arrest. The 2019 Mercedes 300 coupe was valet-parked at a Manhattan restaurant when it was stolen Tuesday night, May 28, Mahwah Police Lt. Michael Blondin said. Township police got a call at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday from the boyfriend, who the lieutenant said "was now behind it getting onto Route 287 south entering Mahwah" more than 25 miles from the city. Officer Ryan Berger was completing a traffic stop on Route 287 when both vehicles passed …
Police & Fire
Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun
A fugitive who'd just crashed a car off Route 17 shouted at pursuing Mahwah police to shoot him, then grabbed at an officer's gun and bit him while being handcuffed Thursday morning, authorities said. Officer Christopher Lupo tried to stop Miles Harris, 32, of Newark for several violations on the southbound highway around 10:45 a.m. March 28, Lt. Michael Blondin said. Officer Nick Williams joined Lupo as the sedan exited the highway and fled onto Myrtle Avenue in Ramsey, the lieutenant said. It slammed into a tree moments later. Harris bailed out and ran behind some area businesses, Blond…
News
Gotcha
: Ex-BF Accused Of Swindling $71K From Local Realtor Lodged In Bergen County Jail
Christina LaBarbiera says four months is way too long — but it's something. Last November, she filed a lawsuit accusing Robert D. Harris of swindling more than $71,000 from her in the months after they matched on the dating app Hinge. On Monday, March 18, LaBarbiera says she got the call from police she has been waiting for: Harris surrendered, she said. Records show 30-year-old Harris was lodged in the Bergen County Jail on March 18, and is facing two counts of credit card theft and one count of theft by unlawful taking/disposition moveable property. "I'm just looking forward to the just…
Police & Fire
Recognize
Them
? Women Enter Hindu Priest's Mahwah Home While Young Daughter Is There
Authorities were searching for two uninvited strangers who reportedly entered the home of a Hindu priest in Mahwah but were scared off. Pandit Devendra Shukla was at the Samaj Temple and his wife and daughter at their West Ramapo Avenue home nearby when a black SUV parked out front this past weekend. A Ring doorbell camera shows a woman in a COVID mask walking up to the front door, knocking hard twice, then peering into a window. The woman then heads back to the car and returns with a second woman. The second one, also wearing a mask with a large scarf wrapped around her head and neck, pu…
News
Ex-BF Swindled Bergen County Realtor Out Of $71K: Lawsuit
Christina LaBarbiera remembers watching the hit Netflix show "Tinder Swindler" and thinking what happened to those women could never happen to her. Until it did, she says. The show follows a group of women who say they met a man on the popular dating app Tinder, who swindled them out of millions of dollars collectively. And they want justice. LaBarbiera, a 35-year-old realtor with Christie's International from Bergen County, says her story isn't all that different. UPDATE: Robert Harris was lodged in the Bergen County Jail on Monday, March 18, records show. Last November, she …
Police & Fire
Dad, Sons Busted By Mahwah PD For Selling THC Products To Minors At Route 17 Gas Station
A business owner and his two sons were busted by Mahwah police who said they found them selling THC products to underage teens at their Route 17 gas station. Undercover buys led to the discovery in plain view of 360 THC products during a raid at the BP station on the southbound highway just past the Route 202 interchange, Mahwah Police Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. Police arrested the owners -- Murat Ozen, 54, of Paramus, and his sons, Selim Devia, 32, of East Rutherford and Muhammed Ozen, 24 of Paramus -- he said. All three were charged with multiple counts of possession with intent to dis…
Police & Fire
Mahwah Detectives, Patrol Nab Paterson Pair In 23 Car Burglaries, 11 Attempts In Single Night
Two dozen or so car burglaries and nearly a dozen other attempts in a single overnight were solved by Mahwah detectives with the arrests of two Paterson men, authorities said. Calls flooded the dispatch center in the early morning hours of Sept. 23rd, Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. Detective Lt. Kevin Hebert quickly collected surveillance video from several victims, as well as from a local business where Bussinelli said the pair had used credit cards that they’d stolen from residents’ vehicles. “Once suspects were identified, members of the Mahwah Police Department's investigation and patrol…
Police & Fire
Shoplifting-Turned-Robbery: Home Depot Pair Charged By Mahwah PD
It might've seemed simple at the start. But that changed quickly. A repeat offender from Midland Park turned a five-finger discount into a robbery when he assaulted a security guard while fleeing the Home Depot on Route 17 in Mahwah, authorities said. Mark Savino, 41, was exiting the store with $1,500 worth of stolen merchandise when he pushed a guard who tried to stop him on Tuesday, Oct. 10, Mahwah Police Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. Savino got into a waiting vehicle that sped off, the captain said. Descriptions were quickly broadcast and Fairfield police soon had the pair in custo…
Police & Fire
Teen Thieves In Stolen Car Bail Out On Garden State Parkway, Nabbed By Mahwah, Paramus Police
A trio of teenagers bailed out of a stolen car on the Garden State Parkway during an overnight chase and were quickly captured by police from Mahwah and Paramus. Mahwah Police Officer Brian Doolittle was on pro-active patrol in the township’s Scotch Hills area when he spotted the 2023 Honda Civic moving slowly along McIntosh Drive shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. An instant license plate check showed the Civic had been reported stolen out of Orange on Sept. 29, Bussinelli said. Doolittle called for backups and activated his vehicle’s overhead lights, the …
Police & Fire
Bravo
! Fifth-Generation Police Officer From Mahwah Revives Stricken Opera Veteran
LOCAL HERO: Veteran Metropolitan Opera singer Richard Bernstein was having chest pains when a fifth-generation police officer who’d only just hit the street in Mahwah responded to a call at his home. Then Bernstein stopped breathing. Turns out Officer Joseph Powderley got there just in time. The tenor of the situation became grave as the Grammy-winning father of three went into cardiac arrest, his face turning blue, in his master bedroom. Powderley placed Bernstein on the floor and began chest compressions, Mahwah Police Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. The officer then shocked him with a de…
Traffic
Messy Tractor Trailer Crash Shuts All Lanes Of Route 17 In Mahwah (
Photos
,
Video
)
A tractor-trailer hauling garbage tipped over a median on Route 17 Friday morning at what police and commuters say has become an all-too-frequent site for such crashes near the New York State border. The driver was initially entrapped but climbed out on his own after his northbound rig went over the divider near the Route 202 exit at Mountainside Avenue at 8:43 a.m. Sept. 8, Mahwah Police Chief Timothy O'Hara said. He had minor injuries and refused medical attention, the chief said. Traffic quickly thickened on both sides of Route 17. All lanes were very briefly closed while the first re…
Police & Fire
Tense
Moment
: Route 17 Driver Reaches For Console With Loaded Gun It It, Mahwah PD Says
A tense moment during a late-night traffic stop on Route 17 in Mahwah ended in the arrest of an out-of-state driver who had a loaded gun and two high-capacity magazines in the console of his minivan, authorities said. Ronnie S. Edmondson, 36, of Cambridge, MD, opened the lid of his 2022 Chrysler Voyager’s console, presumably to retrieve his cellphone, after Officer Michael Silano stopped him for speeding on the southbound highway just prior to the West Ramapo Avenue exit late last week, Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. Spotting the 9mm Taurus handgun, Silano immediately pulled out his service w…
Police & Fire
Tractor-Trailer Slams Into Signpost, Spills Wood Across Route 17 Near State Line In Mahwah
A tractor-trailer driver escaped injury when a load of wood shifted and his rig slammed into a signpost on northbound Route 17 near the state line in Mahwah. Mahwah police temporarily closed the highway in both directions following the crash where Route 17 meets Route 287 at the Mountainside Avenue overpass around 12:30 a.m. July 25. The collision with the metal signpost "opened nearly the entire side of the trailer and sent debris across all lanes, both north and south," Mahwah Police Chief Timothy O'Hara said. "The driver was initially trapped but freed himself and walked away unscathed…
Police & Fire
Mahwah Swears In New Police Chief Touted For Professionalism, Communication, Dedication
A highly decorated and widely respected law enforcement veteran was sworn to office as Mahwah’s 9th police chief in the township’s nearly 80-year history. Timothy O'Hara was sworn in Thursday night, July 20, by Mahwah Municipal Court Judge Richard Brady, who also happens to be a retired chief of police from Waldwick. Mayor Jim Wysocki's nomination of O'Hara was unanimously approved by the Township Council last month. Wysocki, who’s a former Mahwah police officer, cited O’Hara’s professionalism, among other strengths. The new chief understands the value of communicating with the community…
Police & Fire
Fleeing Driver Nabbed After Crashing Off Route 17: Saddle River PD
A driver from Rockland County who sped off from a Route 17 stop and crashed moments later was captured on foot miles away, Saddle River police said. John N. Papain, 37, of Suffern, was pulled over on the northbound highway shortly after 1:30 a.m. Monday, July 17, Saddle River Police Chief Jason Cosgriff said. Papain was speaking with the officers on the side of the road when he suddenly hit the gas of his 2009 Ford Escape and sped off, the chief said. Rather than pursue him, the officers watched as Papain turned onto Plesant Avenue, then followed him, Cosgriff said. Moments later they fou…
Police & Fire
Unanimous Choice For New Mahwah Police Chief Respected For His Professionalism, Expertise
A highly decorated and widely respected law enforcement veteran was unanimously approved as Mahwah's new police chief Monday night. Timothy O'Hara was chosen by Mayor Jim Wysocki as the 9th police chief in Mahwah's nearly 80-year-history. The Township Council approved the appointment of O'Hara at the June 19 public meeting to succeed four-year Police Chief Stephen Jaffe, whose retirement becomes effective July 1. The vote was 7-0. Wysocki said O'Hara is an excellent choice because of his professionalism, among other strengths. The mayor should know -- he's a retired police township polic…
News
One-Man Crime Wave: Arrest Made In Armed Gas Station, 7-Eleven Robberies In Four Bergen Towns
Authorities charged an Essex County man with robbing three gas stations and two convenience stores in Bergen County at gunpoint – four of them in one night. Thomas Johnson, 30, of East Orange brandished a handgun while holding up two gas stations in Mahwah, another in Paramus and a 7-Eleven in Fair Lawn of several thousand dollars in less than half an hour late last month, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Johnson did it again three nights later, robbing a 7-Eleven in Elmwood Park of $650 as two employees locked themselves in the bathroom and called police, the prosecutor said. T…
News
Car Thieves Ram Police Vehicle While Fleeing Mahwah Neighborhood
A Mahwah police vehicle was struck overnight by car thieves fleeing a private community on the wrong side of the road. Township police responding to a stolen vehicle report had converged on Rio Vista when a gray Chrysler suddenly roared up Seminary Drive on the wrong side of the tree-lined median shortly before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 2. The Chrysler hit the parked patrol car with its front driver's side as it reached Ramapo Valley Road (Route 202) and kept going. Police pursued the vehicle on Route 202 toward Oakland, then lost sight of it near Navajo Way. No serious injuries were reporte…
News
Tipster Leads Mahwah PD To Meth, GHB Operation
An anonymous tip led to the arrest of a Mahwah man and the seizure of meth, the date-rape drug GHB and packaging materials from his condo, authorities said. Detectives confirmed the information, established probable cause and obtained a warrant executed with members of the department's Patrol Services Unit at the Indian Ridge condo off Hilltop Road early Friday afternoon following a months-long investigation, Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. Douglas Panessa, 46, who lives there alone, was arrested and charged with several drug possession counts, in addition to possession of drug parapherna…
News
Busted
Again
: Rockland Driver, Passenger Caught With Meth, Smack, More, Mahwah PD Says
Mahwah police found a Rockland driver and his passenger carrying meth, heroin and more during an overnight traffic stop, authorities said. It was the second time in months that they arrested Yisroel Lieberman, 24, of Spring Valley and Natalie Shein, 30, of Brooklyn on drug charges. The first time, as with this week's bust, began with a motor vehicle equipment violation, police said. Detectives Timothy Letavish and Christopher Fasulo the couple in a vehicle in the parking lot of a Franklin Turnpike gas station around 1 a.m. Monday, Detective Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. They stopped Lieber…
News
Mahwah Driver Identified In Fatal Franklin Lakes Crash
UPDATE: A 63-year-old driver was two turns away from his Mahwah home when he was killed in a rollover crash Sunday afternoon in Franklin Lakes, authorities confirmed. James Renke was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on a treacherous stretch of Pullis Avenue at Woodside Avenue shortly before 4:30 p.m., Franklin Lakes Police Capt. Robert Lyon said. Responders said Renke, who lived in the nearby Bogerts Ranch Estates, was ejected from his the 2002 Toyota, which hit a tree. Franklin Lakes and Mahwah police and firefighters were among the responders, as well as Mahwah EMS, the captain …
News
Mahwah PD: Route 17 Tailgater Had Assault Rifle, Handgun, Ammo, No License
A Mahwah police sergeant who stopped a tailgating driver on Route 17 found him carrying an assault rifle, a loaded handgun and several high-capacity magazines, authorities said. Joseph Cogoni, 51, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina also was driving on a suspended license, Police Chief Stephen Jaffe said. Sgt. David Vega stopped Cogoni’s 2018 Toyota on the southbound highway around 5:30 p.m. last Wednesday, Jaffe said Monday. With him, Cogoni had a Glock handgun loaded with hollow-point ammunition, the assault rifle and “numerous 5.56 high capacity magazines utilized with assault rifles,” the …
News
Diverse Group Of Immigrants, Scholastic Athletes, Transfers Among New Paramus Police Officers
Three immigrants and several former scholastic athletes are among 10 men who officially became Paramus police officers this week. Here’s a little bit about them: Born in New York City, Jamie Takahashi is a longtime borough resident who was graduated from Paramus High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics from Syracuse University. Takahashi, who speaks both Korean and Japanese, was then was commissioned into the New York Army National Guard as a transportation officer and is a first lieutenant and executive officer with the 719th Composite Truck Company in Manhat…
News
Njsp
: CT Man Points Gun At Troopers During Route 287 Chase, Four Firearms Recovered
A Connecticut passenger pointed a handgun at a New Jersey State Police trooper during a pursuit on Route 287, authorities said Monday. The pursuit, which began in Boonton, ended in a Mahwah park with the gunman and driver in custody and four weapons seized, NJSP Trooper Charles Marchan said. A trooper tried to stop the Jeep Cherokee for a traffic violation on northbound Route 287 in Boonton Township shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday, Marchan said. The driver, identified as ex-con Theron Brown, 22, of Bridgeport, CT, hit the gas instead and sped off, he said. At one point during the subsequent …
News
Njsp
: CT Man Points Gun At Troopers During Route 287 Chase, Four Firearms Recovered
A Connecticut passenger pointed a handgun at a New Jersey State Police trooper during a pursuit on Route 287, authorities said Monday. The pursuit, which began in Boonton, ended in a Mahwah park with the gunman and driver in custody and four weapons seized, NJSP Trooper Charles Marchan said. A trooper tried to stop the Jeep Cherokee for a traffic violation on northbound Route 287 in Boonton Township shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday, Marchan said. The driver, identified as ex-con Theron Brown, 22, of Bridgeport, CT, hit the gas instead and sped off, he said. At one point during the subsequent …
Police & Fire
Mahwah PD: Officers Converge On Neighborhood, Capture Rockland Burglar Amid Crime Spree
A group of Mahwah police officers quickly converged on a neighborhood during a string of burglaries and captured a Rockland County man. Jorge Lopez, 18, of Spring Valley lost his Nike slides breaking into a home and stole a pair of footwear to try and make his getaway, Police Chief Stephen Jaffe said. He was riding away on a stolen bicycle when township officers grabbed Lopez and found him carrying stolen jewelry and other items, the chief said. Responding to several 911 calls, Officers Michael Cleary, Joe Alvarez, Martin Kilroy, Timothy Letavish, Chris Lupo, John Rodriguez and Sgt. Stacy …
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