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Police & Fire
Fearless Bergen Burglars Continue Rash Of Brazen Break-Ins Fearless Bergen Burglars Continue Rash Of Brazen Break-Ins
Fearless Bergen Burglars Continue Rash Of Brazen Break-Ins Local police departments in Bergen County have been comparing notes amid a rising wave of brazen home burglaries. A string of Thanksgiving weekend break-ins included one in which a Glen Rock resident who wasn't home called police after an app showed him two burglars entering his Dunham Place residence shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. Responding officers found a door smashed in and rooms ransacked, Lt. Frank Riggio said. Police from Ridgewood and Hawthorne, along with a Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, converged on the area but didn't find anyone, he said. Another burglary appar…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SEE ANYTHING? Business Owner Reports Armed Robbery Attempt Outside His River Edge Home SEE ANYTHING? Business Owner Reports Armed Robbery Attempt Outside His River Edge Home
SEE Anything? Business Owner Reports Armed Robbery Attempt Outside His River Edge Home A business owner told River Edge police that he was returning home at the end of the day when a would-be robber approached and pointed a gun at him outside his house, authorities said. He'd just parked his car and was walking to his front door, the Howland Avenue resident told the responding officers, when the stranger cut across his lawn, pointed a weapon and mumbled something shortly before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18. "He only saw the barrel," Police Chief Michael Walker said, "but from the description it sounds like a revolver." The resident told police he ducked behind a parked…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
HOME INVASION: Seven Captured, Charged With Posing As NYPD To Tie Up And Rob Fair Lawn Resident HOME INVASION: Seven Captured, Charged With Posing As NYPD To Tie Up And Rob Fair Lawn Resident
Home Invasion: Seven Captured, Charged With Posing As Nypd To Tie Up And Rob Fair Lawn Resident UPDATE: Two men accused of posing as law enforcement officers to rob a Fair Lawn resident at gunpoint during a home invasion last fall have been brought to Bergen County after being arrested out of state. Whether local or federal authorities will be prosecuting them and four alleged accomplices -- three of whom have already been released -- remains an open question, at least publicly. All seven were arrested in New York State last month and charged in a Nov. 17, 2022 home invasion in which residents were zip-tied and an undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry was stolen. The two main defend…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Mahwah Woman Charged With Shooting Up Former Waldwick Neighbor's SUV UPDATE: Mahwah Woman Charged With Shooting Up Former Waldwick Neighbor's SUV
Update: Mahwah Woman Charged With Shooting Up Former Waldwick Neighbor's SUV UPDATE: A 40-year-old Mahwah woman was charged with shooting up an SUV parked in the driveway of a former neighbor in Waldwick. Megan Dzugay spent the night in jail after being seized in Mahwah by Waldwick detectives, assisted by Mahwah police and a Bergen County Regional SWAT team, Wednesday evening, Nov. 30, Waldwick Police Lt. Troy E. Seifert said. She's charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and criminal mischief resulting in property damage in connection with the 3:35 a.m. shooting on Grove Street in Waldwick. The 5-foot-4-inch g…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
GONE IN 60 SECONDS: Catalytic Converter Thieves Caught On Video GONE IN 60 SECONDS: Catalytic Converter Thieves Caught On Video
Gone IN 60 Seconds: Catalytic Converter Thieves Caught On Video WATCH: Two thieves needed barely a minute to swipe a catalytic converter from a vehicle parked in a Bergen County resident's driveway, home security video shows. It begins when an Infiniti sedan pulls up to a home on East Passaic Street in Rochelle Park. Two passengers emerge wearing ski masks, hoodies and gloves. One of them has on a Reebok top and striped pants. The other carries what looks like a reciprocating saw with a light on the end. As his companion keeps a lookout, the tool wielder climbs under the front of the parked SUV, then reaches beneath the side. He emerges with the part…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
ALERT: Spike In Home Burglaries Of Asian-American Business Owners Triggers FBI Warning ALERT: Spike In Home Burglaries Of Asian-American Business Owners Triggers FBI Warning
ALERT: Spike In Home Burglaries Of Asian-American Business Owners Triggers FBI Warning Burglary rings are casing businesses owned by New Jersey Asian Americans and then breaking into their homes, the FBI warned in a special public alert. “The burglars will sometimes enter the business owner’s car while the victim is working in order to learn where they live,” the bureau’s Newark Field Office reported in the alert distributed on Tuesday, June 28. “Other times, the burglars will follow a business owner home. “While the victim is at work running the business, the burglars return to the victim’s home, break in, and steal cash and valuables.” The victims are being targeted, in pa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'We Were All Home': Brazen Bandits Steal Distinctive SUV From Bergen Family's Locked Garage 'We Were All Home': Brazen Bandits Steal Distinctive SUV From Bergen Family's Locked Garage
'We Were All Home': Brazen Bandits Steal Distinctive SUV From Bergen Family's Locked Garage An Old Tappan resident was in his backyard with one of their dogs and his wife and two daughters were inside with the other when thieves broke into their garage and stole their distinctive orange SUV. “The garage was closed and the side door was locked,” the wife said after the 7:30 p.m. theft Saturday. “Not only was it broad daylight -- we were all home,” she said. “They literally had to pick a lock to get into the garage, then had to do a five-point turn to get the car out.” A thief dressed all in black with a “1977” logo on his clothing emerged from an all-black BMW that pulled up to th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
WATCH: Paramus Residents Home As Brazen Bandit Enters, Takes Keys, Flees With Hi-End Sedan WATCH: Paramus Residents Home As Brazen Bandit Enters, Takes Keys, Flees With Hi-End Sedan
Watch: Paramus Residents Home As Brazen Bandit Enters, Takes Keys, Flees With Hi-End Sedan A brazen thief entered a Paramus home at night while the owners were upstairs, took the keys to their BMW and drove off with it, authorities said. It was at least the third time in the past several months in Paramus that a brazen burglar has gone into someone's home to snatch keys to high-end vehicles, said Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg, who released home security video of the theft from various angles. An undetermined number of bandits pulled up to the Bruce Drive home off Oradell Avenue in a white SUV around 10:30 p.m. Monday, June 20, Ehrenberg said Wednesday. One of them got out, fou…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
CRIME WAVE: Unprecedented Epidemic Of Vehicle Thefts, Burglaries Grows Alarming In North Jersey CRIME WAVE: Unprecedented Epidemic Of Vehicle Thefts, Burglaries Grows Alarming In North Jersey
Crime Wave: Unprecedented Epidemic Of Vehicle Thefts, Burglaries Grows Alarming In North Jersey Thieves are prowling North Jersey streets in unprecedented numbers, stealing unlocked vehicles or items left inside of them, authorities say. And police alone can't stem the tide. Local and county law enforcement are devoting more resources to stopping the bandits, who are often from out of the area. But they can’t be everywhere at once.  More owners need to lock their vehicles and take their key fobs, they say, or things will only get worse. Think of it this way: Imagine your unlocked vehicle is stolen, is involved in a pursuit and slams into another car. Imagine someone is killed in the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Fort Lee Police Nab Accused Overnight Vehicle Prowler, Urge Owners To Lock Cars, Take Keys Fort Lee Police Nab Accused Overnight Vehicle Prowler, Urge Owners To Lock Cars, Take Keys
Fort Lee Police Nab Accused Overnight Vehicle Prowler, Urge Owners To Lock Cars, Take Keys A bandit seen on home security video burglarizing cars overnight was nabbed by Fort Lee police, authorities said. Officers responding to a resident’s call on Arcadian Way found Anthony Lewis, 31, of Springfield, MA walking along Palisade Avenue near Route 5, Capt. Edward Young said. They quickly confirmed not only that he was the bandit captured on video, Young said: Lewis had committed or tried to commit several other vehicle burglaries. He was charged with two counts each of burglary and criminal attempt and was released pending court action under New Jersey’s bail reform law of 2017. Y…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
GOTCHA! Porch Pirate Pinched After Pilfering Pile Of Packages, Wayne Police Say GOTCHA! Porch Pirate Pinched After Pilfering Pile Of Packages, Wayne Police Say
Gotcha! Porch Pirate Pinched After Pilfering Pile Of Packages, Wayne Police Say At least eight victims had packages snatched from their porches just before Christmas by a woman who tore them open, kept the items inside and tossed the empties into a Dumpster, police in Wayne said. Stephanie Ortiz, 20, of Totowa had just swiped a package from a home on Cecelia Drive when officers responding to that call got another from someone at a commercial building on Riverview Drive, Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. Ortiz had been “observed un-packaging items and discarding the packages and boxes in their dumpster" there, Daly said. Sgt. Luis Oliveira and Patrol Officers Angelo Giam…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Glen Rock Burglaries Raise Question: How Secure Is Your Home? Glen Rock Burglaries Raise Question: How Secure Is Your Home?
Glen Rock Burglaries Raise Question: How Secure Is Your Home? WORTH CONSIDERING: Glen Rock police are joining other local law enforcement agencies in reminding residents to keep their homes as secure as they can amid a series of recent burglaries in northwest Bergen County. One of the most recent occurred around 8 p.m. Monday on Berry Place, where someone forced their way in through a rear door and fled with cash and jewelry, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. An unlocked rear door made it wasy for another burglar or burgars in the 500 block of Maple Avenue near Central School sometime during the afternoon last week, the chief said. “Second-floor bed…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Protect Your Home This Holiday Season with a Pro Security Camera System for Just $60 Protect Your Home This Holiday Season with a Pro Security Camera System for Just $60
Protect Your Home This Holiday Season with a Pro Security Camera System for Just $60 There's no such thing as being "too secure," especially when it comes to safeguarding your home. The blurams Outdoor Pro Security Camera Outdoor System will help add a layer of protection to your home during the holiday season, when package theft tends to rise, and beyond. Initially priced at $89, this security camera is currently 33% off at $59.99. Home security cameras are critical for a plethora of reasons. Besides the fact that you'll have an extra eye on your property, it can help deter potential crimes against your home or even your neighbor's if their house is in the view of your camer…

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by Daily Voice Shop
Police & Fire
Judge Releases Monmouth University Baseball Player After Home Burglary Judge Releases Monmouth University Baseball Player After Home Burglary
Judge Releases Monmouth University Baseball Player After Home Burglary A New Jersey homeowner was able to detain a burglar later identified as a 19-year-old Monmouth University varsity baseball player in an overnight break-in, police said. Surveillance tapes show Marlboro's Anthony Brienza entering the Old Farm Road home in Ocean Township through an unlocked door, then disabling the home security system around 4:50 a.m., Sept. 13, Detective Sgt. Paul Flammia said. Brienza was confronted by the homeowner while taking several items from the master bedroom, Flammia said. A brief struggle ensued when Brienza tried fleeing, police said. Brienza was arrested …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Ho-Ho-Kus Home Burglarized Ho-Ho-Kus Home Burglarized
Ho-Ho-Kus Home Burglarized A homeowner in Ho-Ho-Kus was tallying the value of what was taken while police investigated a burglary.  Whoever broke in came in through the front door of the West Saddle River home and ransacked the place sometime before 6 p.m. Monday, Police Chief Christopher Minchin said. A Bergen County K-9 was brought in and checked the home for intruders. No suspects were found in the area, Minchin said. Detectives were investigating. Minchin asked that anyone in the area who might have seen something or have home surveillance video of possible suspects or vehicles contact Ho-Ho-Kus PD: (201) …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Ridgewood Burglar Finds Resident Home, Flees Ridgewood Burglar Finds Resident Home, Flees
Ridgewood Burglar Finds Resident Home, Flees A Ridgewood resident scared off a burglar who'd just forced open a rear door on Thursday, authorities said. Police established a perimeter and summoned a Bergen County Sheriff’s K9 Unit in a fruitless search for the fleeing intruder, Police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke said. Moments earlier, she said, the would-be burglar knocked on front door of the Linwood Avenue home near Henrietta Court, then walked around to the back. After forcing open the rear door, he saw the resident and ran, the chief said. The sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification collected evidence. Anyone who might ha…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Dog Took A Bite Out Of Burglar In Ramsey: Report Dog Took A Bite Out Of Burglar In Ramsey: Report
Dog Took A Bite Out Of Burglar In Ramsey: Report A 114-lb. dog scared off and appears to have bitten an intruder trying to enter a man's home in Ramsey, WABC 7 News reports.  "Enzo," a Neapolitan Mastiff, is normally a mellow pooch but apparently was roused to action when someone tried to enter Mark Slepian's apartment through a window.  That's when Enzo likely bit him, Slepian said.  "He pulled it up, knocked out the screen and then climbed in that way,"  Slepian told the station. "What they think happened was the guy was trying to get in, he bit his hand and started shaking like this, cause that's what caused the bl…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Bayonne Police Investigating Brutal Attack On Dog In Owner’s Home Bayonne Police Investigating Brutal Attack On Dog In Owner’s Home
Bayonne Police Investigating Brutal Attack On Dog In Owner’s Home Iris Charles of Bayonne came home from work March 27 to a nightmare. That’s when she discovered that her beloved dog “Biggy,” a cocker spaniel she’s had for about a decade, had been “beaten very badly.” After rushing him to the vet, she learned the sickening extent of his injuries: a concussion, liver trauma, a black eye and other damage that left the normally friendly canine withdrawn and fearful. The injuries, Charles was told, could only have come from being struck or kicked. “He’s almost back to being himself, a big goofy dog, he totally looks like Alf,” she said, referring to th…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Area Spree: Car Thief Crashes Unlocked Car, Key Inside, Backing Out Of Unlocked Tenafly Garage Area Spree: Car Thief Crashes Unlocked Car, Key Inside, Backing Out Of Unlocked Tenafly Garage
Area Spree: Car Thief Crashes Unlocked Car, Key Inside, Backing Out Of Unlocked Tenafly Garage A thief trying to back a Tenafly resident’s car out of a garage after finding it unlocked with the key inside overnight slammed into a row of bushes and left it there, police said. Another car left unlocked in the same Depeyster Avenue garage – also not locked -- had valuables taken from inside around 3:15 a.m. Tuesday, Capt. Michael deMoncada said. Responding officers found the 2005 Honda Civic with the engine running and the driver’s side door open partially wedged in some bushes in-between two neighboring properties, he said. “It appears the [bandit] was able to start the car and back i…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Glen Rock Homeowner Lets Phony Utility Worker In, Almost Pays For It, Police Say Glen Rock Homeowner Lets Phony Utility Worker In, Almost Pays For It, Police Say
Glen Rock Homeowner Lets Phony Utility Worker In, Almost Pays For It, Police Say A Glen Rock resident narrowly avoided becoming a victim when she let a man who said he was a utility worker into her home, authorities said. After claiming that he needed to check the water pressure, the stranger offered the Rodney Street woman a $50 cash rebate – then asked if she had two fifties to break a $100 bill, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said Monday. “The man was also speaking with an unknown person on his cellphone during their interaction,” the chief added. When the woman began to call a neighbor, the stranger bolted in a dark-colored GMC pick-up truck, Ackermann said. The resi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'Tis the Season For Porch Piracy, So Don't Be A Victim 'Tis the Season For Porch Piracy, So Don't Be A Victim
'Tis the Season For Porch Piracy, So Don't Be A Victim Porch piracy has become more rampant than ever, now that more than half of holiday season shoppers buy online. Not only that: Tens of millions of people each year have holiday decorations stolen. Yes, there are organized crews who follow delivery drivers and others who case specific neighborhoods, police say. But "it is most often a crime of convenience," Monica Eaton-Cardone, co-founder and COO of the risk-mitigation firm Chargebacks911, told InsuranceQuotes.com. "The thief sees a package sitting unattended and simply grabs it.” Nearly 26 million Americans had a holiday pac…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SEEN HIM? Washington Township Police Seek Would-Be Burglary Suspect SEEN HIM? Washington Township Police Seek Would-Be Burglary Suspect
Seen HIM? Washington Township Police Seek Would-Be Burglary Suspect Washington Township police sought the public's help finding a man who they said tried to break into a local residence. In a Ring video released by police, the suspect is seen walking up to the front door of a Hampshire Road road home wearing black gloves. After peeking inside, he leaves. Anyone who sees or recognizes him is asked to contact Detective Heather Castronova: (201) 664-1140. Castronova, meanwhile, urged "residents to be diligent this holiday season by locking their homes, setting alarms, and leaving lights on both inside and outside of their homes." She asked that residents al…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Homeless Thief Spends Night In Vacationing Cresskill Family's Home, Flees In Their SUV Homeless Thief Spends Night In Vacationing Cresskill Family's Home, Flees In Their SUV
Homeless Thief Spends Night In Vacationing Cresskill Family's Home, Flees In Their SUV A homeless burglar who spent the night in a Cresskill family’s home was caught driving their SUV in East Rutherford, authorities said. The arrest of 29-year-old Dirk McCalla underscores the relentless string of vehicle thefts in Bergen County, police said. McCalla was driving the Honda Pilot stolen out of southeast Cresskill when East Rutherford police caught him going door-to-door searching for targets, authorities said. Cresskill police charged him with burglary and theft, Detective Sgt. Jason Lanzilotti said. Police in East Rutherford and the Monmouth County town of Rumson brought simi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Duh! Wallington Thief Caught By Home Security Camera He Stole, Police Say Duh! Wallington Thief Caught By Home Security Camera He Stole, Police Say
Duh! Wallington Thief Caught By Home Security Camera He Stole, Police Say One thing a thief probably shouldn't steal is a home security camera, as Wallington police demonstrated. For one thing, its very purpose is to identify anyone who doesn't belong on your property, which police said included Yimy Garcia-Medina, 38, of Fairview. The owner received cellphone alerts that someone was trying to dismantle the camera, set 10 feet up a tree in front of the Tulip Place house, Detective Capt. Shawn Kudlacik said. The owner took screenshots of Garcia-Medina -- who ended up using his own phone to try and access the camera, the captain said. Made things pretty easy for …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SEEN HIM? Out-Of-Country Victim Scares Off Cliffside Park Burglar Through Security Video Chat SEEN HIM? Out-Of-Country Victim Scares Off Cliffside Park Burglar Through Security Video Chat
Seen HIM? Out-Of-Country Victim Scares Off Cliffside Park Burglar Through Security Video Chat SEEN HIM? Cliffside Park police are asking the public to help identify a burglar who was scared off when the victim spoke to him via security video chat. The man in the photo used a screwdriver to break into an apartment at 307 Gorge Road – at the corner of Walker Street – this past summer, Lt. Vincent Capano said. The victim was out of the country but has a surveillance camera that allowed him to talk to the intruder after he broke in just after 2 p.m. Aug. 23, Capano said. When he said he was calling the police, the burglar bolted, he said. The lieutenant asked that anyone who knows or …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Hasbrouck Heights Woman: 'Mother God' Door-Knocker Fought Me To Get Inside Hasbrouck Heights Woman: 'Mother God' Door-Knocker Fought Me To Get Inside
Hasbrouck Heights Woman: 'Mother God' Door-Knocker Fought Me To Get Inside Kerry DeAngelo of Hasbrouck Heights was home alone with her two dogs on the Fourth of July when she heard a knock on the front door of her Henry Street home. When she opened it, a woman who appeared to be in her late 20s with dyed blonde hair said she wanted to talk to her about "Mother God," she said. DeAngelo, 21, explained she was busy -- but the woman persisted. "She kept trying to talk and ask me questions -- she kept getting closer and closer," DeAngelo recalled. "My dog started growling, and it's weird because he never does that." The turning point was…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Northern Valley: Three Vehicles Stolen With Fobs Inside, 4 Others Spared Northern Valley: Three Vehicles Stolen With Fobs Inside, 4 Others Spared
Northern Valley: Three Vehicles Stolen With Fobs Inside, 4 Others Spared HARRINGTON PARK, N.J. – Three vehicles that were stolen from separate driveways in Harrington Park this weekend all had the key fobs inside -- the apparent work of an organized crew that's been victimizing the Northern Valley, authorities said. Five other vehicles in Harrington Park were broken into, Police Chief Albert Maalouf said. “However, due to the unavailability of key fobs [in those four], the vehicles were not stolen,” he said. The incidents all occurred within several blocks of Lafayette Road bordered in the map above. The chief asked that homeowners with security cameras within…

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by Jerry DeMarco