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Police Chief Robert Kugler

Police & Fire
Gas Leak Temporarily Clears Neighboring Saddle Brook Homes Gas Leak Temporarily Clears Neighboring Saddle Brook Homes
Gas Leak Temporarily Clears Neighboring Saddle Brook Homes A gas leak in a vacant house forced the evacuation Thursday night of some neighboring homes in a Saddle Brook neighborhood. Residents were "advised it was safe to return to their homes" a short time after the leak was reported in the Colonial Avenue home near the Helen Smith school, Police Chief Robert Kugler said. Police secured the scene and were joined by firefighters and EMS workers, the chief said. A PSE&G crew tended to the leak once firefighters gained entry, he said.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Saddle Brook Man, 76, Severely Burned Saddle Brook Man, 76, Severely Burned
Saddle Brook Man, 76, Severely Burned A 76-year-old Saddle Brook man smoking a cigarette on his front porch Friday afternoon was severely burned after his flannel pants ignited, poilce said. “He didn’t realize what happened until it was too late,” Police Chief Robert Kugler told Daily Voice. AirMed One flew the Wilson Street victim to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston after he inadvertently dropped the cigarette in his lap, the chief said. He suffered third-degree burns on his leg, Kugler said.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: Saddle Brook Police Officer Rescues Cat From Smoky House Blaze PHOTOS: Saddle Brook Police Officer Rescues Cat From Smoky House Blaze
Photos: Saddle Brook Police Officer Rescues Cat From Smoky House Blaze UPDATE: A Saddle Brook police officer rescued a cat from a smoky fire that destroyed a local resident’s home Tuesday. Officer Matt Benus was the first responder at the two-alarm Hutter Street blaze. The 60-something woman got out safely, while her cat remained inside. Benus rushed in, found the feline in the living room and completed the rescue. The 7 a.m. fire -- the third residential blaze in the township in a week – broke out in the basement and quickly roared out the back of the 864-square-foot, wood-frame home, responders said. Firefighters had to open the roof to vent the fire whi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Explosions Rock Area In Saddle Brook Fire Explosions Rock Area In Saddle Brook Fire
Explosions Rock Area In Saddle Brook Fire Neighbors reported hearing explosions in a smoky Tuesday afternoon fire in a Saddle Brook home. The 64-year-old homeowner got safely out of the Lanza Avenue residence after the fire broke out shortly before 1:50 p.m., Police Chief Robert Kugler said. However, a half-dozen or so house cats of hers may or may not have made it, the chief said. The two-alarm blaze collapsed the rear of the home and tore through the rest, he said, adding that homes on either side were damaged by heat and flames. Saddle Brook firefighters were joined by their colleagues from Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn, Garfield, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Gas Instead Of Brake: Driver Topples Column Outside Saddle Brook Pizzeria Gas Instead Of Brake: Driver Topples Column Outside Saddle Brook Pizzeria
Gas Instead Of Brake: Driver Topples Column Outside Saddle Brook Pizzeria A runaway sedan slammed into a support column that kept it from plowing through the front of a pizzeria in a Saddle Brook shopping center on Tuesday. The 56-year-old township resident wasn’t injured Tuesday after she hit the gas instead of the brake and her 2015 Volvo crashed into the brick column outside Donna’s Pizza at the Terra Mini Mall on Market Street, Police Chief Robert Kugler said. A building inspector was on scene with the shopping center property manager to shore up the façade, Kugler said. It's the same shopping center where an out-of-control sedan driven by a 91-year-old…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Downed Tree Ignites Saddle Brook Blaze PHOTOS/VIDEO: Downed Tree Ignites Saddle Brook Blaze
Photos/Video: Downed Tree Ignites Saddle Brook Blaze A fallen tree dragged power lines onto a pickup truck parked in a Saddle Brook driveway Tuesday night, igniting a fire that destroyed the vehicle and a detached garage. Power to several customers was cut during the 9:35 p.m. two-alarm blaze at the corner of Saddle River Road and Riverview Place, which also slightly damaged the house, Police Chief Robert Kugler said. The tree fell on nearby Birk Street, bringing down the utility lines, Kugler said. Firefighters from Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Lodi, Paramus and Rochelle Park assisted their township colleagues. No injuries were repor…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: Saddle Brook Firefighters Rescue 3 Dogs From House Blaze PHOTOS: Saddle Brook Firefighters Rescue 3 Dogs From House Blaze
Photos: Saddle Brook Firefighters Rescue 3 Dogs From House Blaze SADDLE BROOK, N.J. -- Saddle Brook firefighters rescued three dogs from a fast-moving blaze that blew through the roof of their home Monday -- two blocks from the scene of another devastating fire this weekend. The rear of the two-story, wood-frame house on Spruce Street was engulfed when firefighters arrived just after 11:30 a.m.  Responders said they initially had trouble getting there because of a freight train. They had the bulk of the fire knocked down by noon. The roof had partially collapsed. "Due to the quick and heroic actions of the first responding Saddle Brook firefighter…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Saddle Brook Kessler Patients Moved After Water Leak Causes Odor Saddle Brook Kessler Patients Moved After Water Leak Causes Odor
Saddle Brook Kessler Patients Moved After Water Leak Causes Odor SADDLE BROOK, N.J. -- A busted water pipe released an odor that forced a partial evacuation of a Kessler rehab center Sunday night in Saddle Brook, authorities said. Firefighters found the break on the main and first floor of the Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation on Market Street following an 8:50 p.m. call after the odor made some people's eyes tear, Police Chief Robert Kugler said. "It was a water pipe that serves the heating system," Kugler said. "There was an additive in the water that caused the strange odor and was likely spread throughout the building through the HVA…

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by Jerry DeMarco