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Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes

West Milford Councilman Charged With Inappropriately Touching Victim At Local Home: Prosecutor West Milford Councilman Charged With Inappropriately Touching Victim At Local Home: Prosecutor
West Milford Councilman Charged With Inappropriately Touching Victim At Local Home: Prosecutor A West Milford councilman is facing charges after authorities said he sexually assaulted an adult. Matthew P. Conlon "touched the intimate part of an adult victim in an unwelcome and inappropriate manner" at a house in the township on Sunday, Feb. 4, a release from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes' office said on Thursday, Feb. 15. He has been charged via complaint summons with Fourth Degree Criminal Sexual Contact and Harassment, a Petty Disorderly Persons Offense, following an investigation conducted by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the We…
UPDATE: Man Charged In Paterson Stabbing Surrenders To City PD UPDATE: Man Charged In Paterson Stabbing Surrenders To City PD
Update: Man Charged In Paterson Stabbing Surrenders To City PD A man wanted for stabbing a fellow Paterson resident earlier this month surrendered to city police, authorities said. Stanley Londono, 40, was charged with attempted murder, among other counts, in connection with the Jan. 9 stabbing of a 39-year-old city man on Sherman Avenue near Henry Street shortly after 7 p.m., they said. The victim survived his wounds. Londono, meanwhile, turned himself in on Monday, Jan. 22, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-in-Charge Isa Abbassi said in confirming the noontime surrender. They didn’t address the suspe…
HARDCORE AT 21: Paterson Ex-Con Charged In Separate Shootings After Prison Release HARDCORE AT 21: Paterson Ex-Con Charged In Separate Shootings After Prison Release
Hardcore AT 21: Paterson Ex-Con Charged In Separate Shootings After Prison Release A 21-year-old ex-con from Paterson who’s already spent three years behind bars had been free all of four months when he shot someone, then shot someone else while police searched for him this week, authorities charged. A SWAT team led a raid that ended a brief standoff at an Essex Street apartment in Paterson with Memphis Morales on Friday, Jan. 12, they said. Morales was previously convicted of a 2020 shooting and was incarcerated for three years before being released from New Jersey State Prison last May. Three months later, Morales shot a 34-year-old Secaucus man during a Sept. 17 robbe…
Route 3 Pedestrian Killed On Christmas Route 3 Pedestrian Killed On Christmas
Route 3 Pedestrian Killed On Christmas Investigators were trying to determine what a 31-year-old Passaic man who was struck and killed on Route 3 on Christmas Day was doing on the highway. Randy Rafael Reyes Duran was struck by a Tesla near Passaic Avenue shortly before 6:30 p.m. Monday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Clifton Police Chief Thomas Rinaldi said in a brief announcement on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at the scene, they said, adding that the driver remained there. "At this point there's no idea why he was on the highway," one investigator said. "It wasn't suicide or anything like that." ANY…
Hawthorne Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend Hawthorne Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend
Hawthorne Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend Jurors in Paterson convicted a 40-year-old ex-con from Hawthorne of beating a city man to death moments after the victim had shot a friend of his. “I f–ked him up,” authorities said Tyheem Jones told police after he and three companions chased down and jumped Nicolas Reyes, then kicked, punched and pistol-whipped him near the corner of Auburn Street and Godwin Avenue on Aug. 27, 2020. Reyes died of his injuries at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson the very next day. “Evidence of the assault was captured on surveillance camera which depicted the entirety of the incident, wh…
GOTCHA! Accused Shooter ID'd, Murder Charges Filed In Paterson Drive-By GOTCHA! Accused Shooter ID'd, Murder Charges Filed In Paterson Drive-By
Gotcha! Accused Shooter ID'd, Murder Charges Filed In Paterson Drive-By UPDATE: The cold-blooded drive-by killing of a 26-year-old Paterson man nine months ago was cracked with the arrest of a city resident, authorities announced Tuesday. The victim, Marvin Lavezarri, was with two other people in a car parked near the corner of Berkshire and Chamberlain avenues shortly before 9 p.m. Jan. 23 when another vehicle pulled up and a gunman opened fire, they said. Lavezarri was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi said in a…
Haledon Shooting: Central Jersey Man, 27, Wounded Over Weekend Haledon Shooting: Central Jersey Man, 27, Wounded Over Weekend
Haledon Shooting: Central Jersey Man, 27, Wounded Over Weekend A 27-year-old Middlesex County man was shot in Haledon over the weekend, authorities confirmed. Police found the wounded victim from South Brunswick in the 20 block of Ida Street near Bridgeway Community Church and the border of Prospect Park shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. “Immediate first aid was administered, and the victim was quickly transported to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson by Paterson EMS,” Haledon Deputy Police Chief George Guzman, Jr. said. Neither he nor Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes would say whether a suspect had been seized or identi…
14-Year-Old Shot In Paterson 14-Year-Old Shot In Paterson
14-Year-Old Shot In Paterson A 14-year-old was wounded in the first of two shootings in Paterson just hours apart, authorities said. Police found the shot teen near the corner of Halpine and North 2nd streets shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi said in a joint announcement on Sunday. He was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, they said. It was less than four hours later when a 25-year-old man was found shot in the chest at the corner of Belmont Avenue and North 8th Street less than a dozen…
Paterson Ex-Con Awaiting Trial For Assaulting Police, Drugs Charged With Murder Of City Dad Paterson Ex-Con Awaiting Trial For Assaulting Police, Drugs Charged With Murder Of City Dad
Paterson Ex-Con Awaiting Trial For Assaulting Police, Drugs Charged With Murder Of City Dad One of the first people to see Adalberto Roman dead in the middle of a Paterson street was his mother. The 47-year-old murder victim, who had a young daughter, had been shot in the head. Authorities announced on Wednesday, Oct. 24 that they’ve charged an ex-con named Jaleel Rashawn State, 29, of Paterson with Roman’s murder. State already had a conviction in his history when authorities said he assaulted two city police officers during an arrest for selling heroin, cocaine and pot this past January, according to jail records. State spent five months behind before a judge released him on J…
KIDNAPPING: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized KIDNAPPING: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized
Kidnapping: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized An 11-year-old New Jersey girl was returned home safely after she was kidnapped in Wayne and taken to Delaware, authorities said. Darius Matylewich, 27, of Bear, DE. was captured on Sept. 10 after he took the girl earlier in the day from an undisclosed location near the confluence of Routes 46, 80 and 23 without her parents’ knowledge, they said. Certain specific details are being withheld to protect the identity of the child, whom authorities said Matylewich met while playing an online video game. Some information was provided in a joint release from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. V…
Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim
Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim A now-former Palisades Interstate Parkway police officer used information from a law enforcement database to stalk an individual in Passaic County, authorities charged. Amir Sikder, 22, of Paterson was able to find the victim in Wayne after tapping into the database, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff and Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Chief Steven Shallop said in a joint announcement on Friday, Oct. 6. Sikder was arrested in Totowa on Thursday by members of Valdes’s Public Integrity Unit following a probe with detectives from McNiff’s Criminal…
Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed Woman, Injured Man, 83, In Paterson Charged With Death By Auto Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed Woman, Injured Man, 83, In Paterson Charged With Death By Auto
Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed Woman, Injured Man, 83, In Paterson Charged With Death By Auto A speeding hit-and-run driver who authorities said killed a woman and injured an 83-year-old man when his van jumped the curb on a busy Paterson street was charged with vehicular homicide, among other counts. City resident Jose Tremols-Acosta, 62, swerved across double-yellow lines before his van mounted the sidewalk near the corner of Broadway and Rosa Parks Boulevard and struck the victims shortly after noon Thursday, Oct. 5, multiple witnesses told police. Tremols-Acosta bailed out and tried to run but was quickly captured by city officers, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and…
Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square
Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square Two Peruvian nationals were nabbed by Paterson police right after they stabbed a 50-year-old city man downtown, authorities said. Bryan Canales-Arias, 29, and Ernesto Canales-Arias, 23, who also live in the city, were seized shortly after the victim was stabbed near the corner of Main and Market streets – in the area known as Peru Square -- shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 25. The victim was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center with what Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi described in a brief release as m…
Two Men From Paterson, One From Elmwood Park Wounded In Silk City Shooting Two Men From Paterson, One From Elmwood Park Wounded In Silk City Shooting
Two Men From Paterson, One From Elmwood Park Wounded In Silk City Shooting A Labor Day weekend shooting in Paterson sent three men to the hospital. Police found two victims – one 28 from Elmwood Park and the other 33 from Paterson – while responding to a 2:40 a.m. call Sunday, Sept. 3, at Kearney Street and Union Avenue. Both were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center with wounds that weren’t considered life-threatening. Another man, 29, from Paterson apparently was wounded by gunfire a block and change down on Kearney Street, responders said. He arrived at St. Joe’s in a private vehicle with an injury that also wasn’t fatal, Passaic County Prosecutor …
Judge Rejects Release Of Morris Man Charged With Abducting, Raping Bergen 13-Year-Old Judge Rejects Release Of Morris Man Charged With Abducting, Raping Bergen 13-Year-Old
Judge Rejects Release Of Morris Man Charged With Abducting, Raping Bergen 13-Year-Old A 25-year-old Morris County man raped a 13-year-old Elmwood Park child he held captive in his vehicle in Paterson, authorities charged. A judge in Paterson denied Luis Campos of Lincoln Park release, ordering that he remain held pending trial on two charges of first-degree aggravated assault and one of first-degree kidnapping, among other counts, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said on Thursday, July 6. Elmwood Park police referred the complaint to members of the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit on Jan. 7, the same day of the alleged incident, Valdes said. Her detectives inter…
Guatemalan National Living In Paterson Admits Sexually Abusing Pre-Teen In Passaic For 3 Years Guatemalan National Living In Paterson Admits Sexually Abusing Pre-Teen In Passaic For 3 Years
Guatemalan National Living In Paterson Admits Sexually Abusing Pre-Teen In Passaic For 3 Years A 48-year-old Guatemalan national living in Paterson admitted sexually assaulting a City of Passaic pre-teen multiple times over a period of more than three years, authorities said. Jose Elmer Enriquez will be sentenced to a plea-bargained 12 years in state prison, more than 10 years of which he must serve before he’ll be eligible for parole. Enriquez has remained jailed since he was arrested in July 2020 following an investigation by Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes’s Special Victims Unit. Alerted by Paterson police, the unit investigators interviewed the child and various wit…
FACE OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison FACE OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison
Face OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison A 67-year-old Ecuadorian national living in Paterson was sentenced to 44 years in state prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in her home. Julio Largo-Veletanga was convicted by a jury in Paterson last November of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, child endangerment and hindering his arrest. Under the sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli earlier this month, he'd have to serve 25 years before he could be eligible for parole. Largo-Veletanga has remained in custody since city police arrested him in May 2020. Detectives from the Pas…
Woman, 18, Shot In Passaic, Arrest Quickly Made Woman, 18, Shot In Passaic, Arrest Quickly Made
Woman, 18, Shot In Passaic, Arrest Quickly Made A Passaic police officer seized a city man who authorities said was carrying a loaded handgun after an 18-year-old woman was shot during a large fight over the weekend. Roger Palacios, 25, was taken into custody following the brawl, which involved weapons, off the corner of Bergen and Fourth streets shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18, they said. Aid was immediately rendered to the victim, who was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson with a wound that wasn’t considered life-threatening, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and City of Passaic Police Chief L…
Paterson Pedophile Who Repeatedly Raped Girl Starting At 7 Gets Plea-Bargained 14-Year Sentence Paterson Pedophile Who Repeatedly Raped Girl Starting At 7 Gets Plea-Bargained 14-Year Sentence
Paterson Pedophile Who Repeatedly Raped Girl Starting At 7 Gets Plea-Bargained 14-Year Sentence UPDATE: A Paterson pedophile who admitted that he repeatedly raped an underage girl for three years beginning when she was only seven was sentenced to a plea-bargained 14 years in state prison, authorities said. The rapes and other sexual assaults by James Jackson, Jr., 39, began in September 2012 and continued for three years at residences in Paterson, the victim told city police two years ago. Detectives from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes’s Special Victims Unit interviewed the then-16-year-old girl, as well as several witnesses, before arresting Jackson in April 2021. They …
Two Men Shot Dead, Two Wounded At Opposite Ends Of Paterson Two Men Shot Dead, Two Wounded At Opposite Ends Of Paterson
Two Men Shot Dead, Two Wounded At Opposite Ends Of Paterson Two men were shot dead at opposite ends of Paterson within six hours of one another under different circumstances, authorities confirmed. It was shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday, May 21, when police responding to a shooting on River Street near East 13th Street found a mortally wounded 22-year-old city man. He was pronounced dead a short time later at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, according to a statement issued by Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Officer In Charge Isa Abbassi. Two other city men who were wounded in the shooting – one 24, the other …
Cash Seized, Passaic County Massage Parlor Pair Charged In Multi-Agency Raid Cash Seized, Passaic County Massage Parlor Pair Charged In Multi-Agency Raid
Cash Seized, Passaic County Massage Parlor Pair Charged In Multi-Agency Raid Two women were arrested and $11,652 in alleged profits seized in a multi-agency raid on a Woodland Park massage parlor that authorities said was really a cathouse. Detectives from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit, police from Woodland Park and federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations teamed up for the bust late last week at Tokyo Foot Spa on Great Notch Road right off Route 46. The agencies had “received information that [the spa] was offering commercial sexual services while operating under the pretense of being a massage therapy business,” Passaic County Pr…
Two Men, Boy Seized On Attempted Murder Charges Following Passaic Drive-By Two Men, Boy Seized On Attempted Murder Charges Following Passaic Drive-By
Two Men, Boy Seized On Attempted Murder Charges Following Passaic Drive-By UPDATE: Two men and a teenage boy were seized by detectives on attempted murder charges for firing from a car into a crowd of people on a Passaic street last month, authorities said. Kenneth Garcia, 21, and ex-con Luis Ledesma, 22, both of Passaic, and the 16-year-old boy were taken into custody by city detectives earlier this week in connection with the March 26 drive-by shooting on Monroe Street near Myrtle Avenue, they said. No one was injured in the shooting, responders said at the time. Along with attempted murder, Garcia and Ledesma were charged with aggravated assault, employing a j…
Tattooed Paterson Gunman Faces Attempted Murder Charge Tattooed Paterson Gunman Faces Attempted Murder Charge
Tattooed Paterson Gunman Faces Attempted Murder Charge A 24-year-old man was arrested and charged for a shooting that occurred in Paterson last month. Rashane Lewis, of Paterson, was charged with first-degree attempted murder for shooting a 20-year-old man at 12th Avenue and William Street on Friday, March 10 around 9 p.m., Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The victim's injuries were not fatal. Police apprehended Lewis on Tuesday, April 4, following an investigation, Valdes said. Lews was charged with attempted murder, various weapons offenses, and terroristic threats, and was issued a disorderly persons offense.
Paterson Man, 62, Critical After Second Multi-Victim City Shooting In A Little Over 24 Hours Paterson Man, 62, Critical After Second Multi-Victim City Shooting In A Little Over 24 Hours
Paterson Man, 62, Critical After Second Multi-Victim City Shooting In A Little Over 24 Hours A 62-year-old Paterson man was critically wounded and a 15-year-old juvenile injured in a broad-daylight shooting, authorities said. Officers who rushed to the area after hearing gunshots found both victims near the corner of 10th Avenue and East 23rd Street shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro said. They were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson. Valdes and Ribeiro didn’t say whether any suspects had been arrested or identified. The shooting came fast on the heels of gun…
Wheelchair-Bound Shooting Victim From Paterson Shot Again Wheelchair-Bound Shooting Victim From Paterson Shot Again
Wheelchair-Bound Shooting Victim From Paterson Shot Again A 35-year-old man confined to a wheelchair from a previous shooting was critically wounded by gunfire in Paterson, authorities confirmed. The victim was shot multiple times at the five corners where Park Avenue and East 22nd Street meet shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro said in a joint release. The victim was immediately rushed in a private vehicle to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, the brief release says. Valdes and Ribeiro didn’t characterize the severity of the wounds, but responders s…
'A Kind Woman': Beloved Member Of Tight-Knit North Jersey Community Killed In Weekend Crash 'A Kind Woman': Beloved Member Of Tight-Knit North Jersey Community Killed In Weekend Crash
'A Kind Woman': Beloved Member Of Tight-Knit North Jersey Community Killed In Weekend Crash Members of a private lakeside community in West Milford are mourning the sudden loss of a beloved homeowner who was killed in a single-vehicle crash over the weekend. Cindi Romano, 65, was behind the wheel of her Jeep Wrangler when it struck a mailbox and then a utility pole on Otter Hole Road between Westbrook Road and Highview Drive near her home at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, authorities said. Romano was pronounced dead at the scene, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and West Milford Police Chief James DeVore said in a brief release on Monday. No other vehicles were involved, …
'Go Back Where You Came From': Clifton Man, 71, Accused Of Bias Intimidation Against Neighbor 'Go Back Where You Came From': Clifton Man, 71, Accused Of Bias Intimidation Against Neighbor
'Go Back Where You Came From': Clifton Man, 71, Accused Of Bias Intimidation Against Neighbor Authorities on Wednesday charged a 71-year-old Clifton man with bias intimidation for allegedly using racial slurs against a female neighbor. Antonio Delevante also was charged with harassment in connection with what authorities said was an Aug. 24 incident in the area of Graham Place and Atkins Court in Clifton. The 51-year-old victim told responding officers that a male neighbor “approached her in a harassing manner using racial slurs and told her to go back from where she came from,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Clifton Police Chief Thomas Rinaldi said in a joint relea…
UPDATE: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire UPDATE: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire
Update: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire A 95-year-old woman and two fellow residents – 71 and 65 – were identified Saturday as the victims found dead in a Clifton house fire. Three firefighters, a Clifton police officer and a fourth resident also were injured in the blaze in a corner house on Ladwick Lane at Renaissance Drive near Van Houten Avenue in the city’s Athenia section on Nov. 18, authorities said. Firefighters found two of the deceased victims on the second floor and another in the basement after the blaze broke out in the multi-family home around 7:30 p.m. Killed were: Helen Popovich, 95; Elaine Warga, 71; Steven W…
BANG BANG: Three Wounded In Sudden Series Of Paterson Shootings BANG BANG: Three Wounded In Sudden Series Of Paterson Shootings
BANG BANG: Three Wounded In Sudden Series Of Paterson Shootings Three men were wounded in separate shootings in Paterson less than 18 hours apart, authorities confirmed. A 27-year-old city man was shot in the leg near the corner of Carroll and Fulton streets shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro said. He was taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Center, they said. Barely 15 minutes and a half-mile north of that shooting, a 24-year-old Paterson man was wounded at Rosa Parks Boulevard and Putnam Street. He, too, was taken to St. Joe's. Police responding to …
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Body camera video proves that a now-former Paterson police officer beat a defenseless suspect with a flashlight and kneed him in the face in an apartment hallway, a grand jury indictment charges. Spencer Finch, 45, of Mahwah filed an official report maintaining that he needed to use force against what he claimed was a combative suspect, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The video from a fellow officer’s bodycam tells a different story, Valdes added. Finch – who was with the department for nearly 18 years -- is charged with aggravated assault, official misconduct, perjury, t…
PASSAIC SHOOTINGS: Two Caught, One Sought PASSAIC SHOOTINGS: Two Caught, One Sought
Passaic Shootings: Two Caught, One Sought Two men were being held and a third was being sought in connection with a pair of shootings less than an hour apart in Passaic, authorities said. Brandon Morales, 18, was charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses – including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm – in connection with the shooting of a 19-year-old man in the area of Passaic Street and 8th Street around 9 p.m. last Thursday. Morales, who was arrested in the area of Passaic and State streets on Sunday, remained held this Thursday, July 28, in the Passaic County Jail. The shooting for which he’s charged …