Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff
Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff A stolen handgun, dozens of vials of crack, more than 125 heroin folds and more were seized by Passaic County sheriff’s detectives and Haledon police during a joint operation. Members of the strike force hit a pair of apartments, one on Mangold Street near Belmont Avenue in Haledon and the other at the corner of Garrison and Marion streets in Paterson, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said Wednesday, Sept. 27. Detectives from the sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics and the borough seized a 2018 Ford Fusion along with the drugs, the gun and more than $25,000 in cash following a month-long…
Teen Killed Walking Home In Somerset County Was Voracious Reader With Gentle Soul Teen Killed Walking Home In Somerset County Was Voracious Reader With Gentle Soul
Teen Killed Walking Home In Somerset County Was Voracious Reader With Gentle Soul Police have identified the 18-year-old man killed while walking home in Somerset County last week. William Richardson was struck by a vehicle that veered off Route 202 (Main Street) and onto the sidewalk around 6:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 in Bedminster, local police said. William was pronounced dead at the hospital, and the 35-year-old driver of the Nissan Altima that struck him was hospitalized. The crash is being investigated by local police and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. According to his obituary, William had graduated from Bernards High School last Spring. His true educa…
Wrongly Sent Bomb Threat Over Canadian Transgender Teacher Brings Tactical Teams To NJ District Wrongly Sent Bomb Threat Over Canadian Transgender Teacher Brings Tactical Teams To NJ District
Wrongly Sent Bomb Threat Over Canadian Transgender Teacher Brings Tactical Teams To NJ District A misdirected bomb threat intended for a school more than 600 miles away brought the bomb squad, K-9 unit and SWAT team to Glen Rock on Tuesday. A Central School in Hamilton, Ontario, apparently was the intended target of an email directed to the school of the same name in Glen Rock, borough Police Chief Dean Ackermann said on Sept. 26. No fewer than six schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth district in Ontario reported receiving an unrelenting string of threats that began late last week. Their Central School wasn’t one of them, however. Not taking any chances, the Glen Rock police chief summ…
'Distressing': Chess Club Teacher Sexually Assaulted North Jersey Student, Authorities Say 'Distressing': Chess Club Teacher Sexually Assaulted North Jersey Student, Authorities Say
'Distressing': Chess Club Teacher Sexually Assaulted North Jersey Student, Authorities Say Matthew Swajkowski, a 36-year-old Verona resident and teacher, was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a student, prosecutors said. Swajkowski oversaw the chess club at Verona High School and the victim was a member of the club, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said. Police began investigating Swajkowski in July  and determined he engaged in sexual conduct with the minor and also gave them alcohol, Stephens said. Swajkowski was arrested on Friday, Sept. 22, Stephens said. Prosecutors did not say how old the victim is, but noted  "while the ag…
NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration
NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration A South Jersey man who was caught with more than 27,000 mostly horrific images of child porn -- including a toddler “engaged in fellatio” with a dog and penetration of months-old babies -- must spend the next 6½ years in federal prison. Bruce Makley, 68, of Voorhees, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Makley’s wife and stepson were home when U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents raided their Dutchtown Road home in August 2020, according to a complaint. Agen…
Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Pickup Outside NJ Wendy's: Cops Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Pickup Outside NJ Wendy's: Cops
Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Pickup Outside NJ Wendy's: Cops A 67-year-old Florida resident was hospitalized in critical condition after being struck by a pickup truck in Hackettstown last week, authorities said. The Wildwood, FL man was crossing the access road near Wendy's on Mountain Avenue when he was struck by a 59-year-old Oxford Township man in a Chevy pickup truck around 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, Hackettstown police said. The pedestrian suffered serious injuries and was flown to Morristown Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition. The driver of the pickup was not injured.  Assisting at the scene was the Independen…
Ex-CT Police Officer Being Held As Fugitive In Burglary Spree In NJ: Police Ex-CT Police Officer Being Held As Fugitive In Burglary Spree In NJ: Police
Ex-CT Police Officer Being Held As Fugitive In Burglary Spree In NJ: Police A former police officer in Connecticut was being held as a fugitive in New Jersey, in connection with a string of burglaries, authorities said. Connecticut State Police said only that Patrick Hemingway was being held in Essex County, and that the arrest warrant had not yet been served.  Hemingway is a former officer with the Glastonbury Police Department, who last week said only that one of their former officers is a person of interest in a burglary investigation spanning multiple jurisdictions. Hemingway, 37, was identified as the officer by CT Insider. Glastonbury Police Lt. Kevin …
Man Pinned Beneath Huge Rock In Northeast Bergen Brook Rescued By Firefighters Man Pinned Beneath Huge Rock In Northeast Bergen Brook Rescued By Firefighters
Man Pinned Beneath Huge Rock In Northeast Bergen Brook Rescued By Firefighters Firefighters rescued a man trapped under a large rock in a stream in Demarest. The 49-year-old victim was walking along the Cresskill Brook behind Academy Lane just south of the Alpine Country Club when a 200-pound rock gave way Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23, Demarest Police Chief Anthony Dimitriadis said. The boulder pinned the man, whose head and chest were above the water, the chief said. Joining Demarest firefighters were their colleagues from Haworth and Closter, as well as Hackensack members of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and both Demarest and Alpine police, Dimitriadis …
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…
Hawthorne Bicyclist, 48, Struck By Fair Lawn Driver, 81, Summons Issued: Glen Rock PD Hawthorne Bicyclist, 48, Struck By Fair Lawn Driver, 81, Summons Issued: Glen Rock PD
Hawthorne Bicyclist, 48, Struck By Fair Lawn Driver, 81, Summons Issued: Glen Rock PD An 81-year-old driver from Fair Lawn received a summons after he knocked down a 48-year-old bicyclist from Hawthorne in Glen Rock, authorities said. The victim, meanwhile, was taken by ambulance to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood with injuries that Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said weren’t considered life-threatening. The motorist made a left from Pomona Avenue in Fair Lawn onto westbound Harristown Road on the Glen Rock side when his 2007 Volvo struck the bicyclist shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19, the chief said. The bicyclist was riding on the side of the road past the Herit…
Of All Places For A DWI Crash: South Hackensack Police Nab Driver Outside HQ Of All Places For A DWI Crash: South Hackensack Police Nab Driver Outside HQ
Of All Places For A DWI Crash: South Hackensack Police Nab Driver Outside HQ South Hackensack police didn’t have far to bring a suspected drunk driver following a mid-afternoon rollover crash. Surveillance cameras outside their headquarters captured video of Linus P. Rodrigues, 48, of the Bronx swinging a 2009 Toyota RAV 4 onto Franklin Street at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, Detective Sgt. James Donatello said. The Toyota hit a parked 1998 Buick Century, then rolled onto its side and slid about 20 feet, the sergeant said. South Hackensack firefighters extricated Rodrigues and turned him over to the Little Ferry First Aid Corps, Donatello said. Rodrigues – who had n…
Bergen Sheriff's Officer Helping Motorist On Route 4 Nearly Struck By OD'ing Driver Bergen Sheriff's Officer Helping Motorist On Route 4 Nearly Struck By OD'ing Driver
Bergen Sheriff's Officer Helping Motorist On Route 4 Nearly Struck By OD'ing Driver A Bergen County sheriff's officer escaped severe injury or worse when an overdosing driver sideswiped her cruiser as she helped another motorist who'd broken down on Route 4, authorities said. Christopher A. Hanna, a 42-year-old Parlin resident with an extensive criminal record, was headed west on the highway in a 2008 Infiniti G35 when the crash occurred near Madison Avenue in Teaneck shortly before 3 p.m. Sept. 20, local police records show. The sheriff's officer told Teaneck police she was out of her 2021 Ford Explorer with its lights on when she spotted the Infiniti swerving in and out …
Back-To-Back Tractor-Trailer Crashes Jam Route 80 Back-To-Back Tractor-Trailer Crashes Jam Route 80
Back-To-Back Tractor-Trailer Crashes Jam Route 80 Westbound Route 80 near the border of Bergen and Passaic counties had two tractor-trailer crashes on Monday. No serious injuries were reported in either, although the driver in the second rig had to be extricated. The first occurred near Exit 58 B in Paterson around 9 a.m. Sept. 25. A witness driving to work on the eastbound side reported seeing the rig in the center lane begin to fishtail to the left. The driver overcorrected and the rig slammed into the concrete median, the witness said. It then slid on its side and landed right-side-up, knocking out chunks of the median, he said. "Th…
Former Employees Forged Over $65K In Checks From Somerset County Contracting Firm: Prosecutor Former Employees Forged Over $65K In Checks From Somerset County Contracting Firm: Prosecutor
Former Employees Forged Over $65K In Checks From Somerset County Contracting Firm: Prosecutor Two former workers at a contracting firm in Somerset County were arrested for allegedly forging checks from their employer and making more than $65,000 in unauthorized purchases. Carlos R. Escobar, 38, of Jefferson Avenue in North Plainfield, and Ciro A. Saenz-Puentes, 44, of Remson Avenue in New Brunswick, were each charged with theft by deception, forgery, and uttering a false document, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said in a release on Monday, Sept. 25. Escobar and Saenz-Puentes became the center of an investigation when the owner of the contracting company they were former…
NY Dental Hygienist Who Traveled To Bergen To Meet Child For Sex Could Be Freed Next Summer NY Dental Hygienist Who Traveled To Bergen To Meet Child For Sex Could Be Freed Next Summer
NY Dental Hygienist Who Traveled To Bergen To Meet Child For Sex Could Be Freed Next Summer UPDATE: A dental hygienist who was arrested in Bergen County after coming from Rockland to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl was sent to state prison for what could be less than a year. Dariush Ghamarnezhad, 42, of Pomona was among 16 men from Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Westchester counties who were busted by authorities during a five-day 2019 sting operation dubbed “Operation Home Alone." Various law enforcement agencies united to nab men who they said tried to lure youngsters into sex through social media. Just about all of them were arrested when they showed up at a residen…
Pedestrian, 18, Killed As Nissan Crosses Double Yellow Lines On Rt. 202, Veers Onto Sidewalk Pedestrian, 18, Killed As Nissan Crosses Double Yellow Lines On Rt. 202, Veers Onto Sidewalk
Pedestrian, 18, Killed As Nissan Crosses Double Yellow Lines On Rt. 202, Veers Onto Sidewalk An 18-year-old was walking on the sidewalk of Route 202 when he was struck and killed by a Nissan that veered off the roadway over the weekend, authorities said. Bedminster Township Police responded to the crash on Route 202 near Elm Street in Bedminster around 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, the department said. Investigators say a 35-year-old Flemington man was heading westbound in a 2017 Nissan Maxima when the vehicle strayed from its lane, crossed the double-yellow line, and veered off the roadway before hitting William Richardson, a pedestrian on the sidewalk. Richardson, 18, of Bedm…
Pedestrian, 67, Critically Hurt In Hackettstown Pickup Truck Crash Pedestrian, 67, Critically Hurt In Hackettstown Pickup Truck Crash
Pedestrian, 67, Critically Hurt In Hackettstown Pickup Truck Crash A 67-year-old man remains in critical condition after being struck by a pickup truck in Hackettstown, police said. Hackettstown Police were called to the access road near Wendy’s on Mountain Avenue around 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, the department said. Investigators say a 59-year-old Oxford Township man was behind the wheel of a Chevy pickup making a left turn onto the access road from the Wendy’s parking lot when he struck the victim, who was crossing the road. The pedestrian, of Wildwood, Florida, suffered serious injuries and was flown to Morristown Medical Center, where he r…
Lyndhurst Police Lieutenant Busts Pair In MV Stop Lyndhurst Police Lieutenant Busts Pair In MV Stop
Lyndhurst Police Lieutenant Busts Pair In MV Stop A Lyndhurst police lieutenant out on patrol found an unlicensed driver wanted on multiple warrants and a passenger carrying Ecstasy, authorities said. Lt. Paul Haggerty stopped their 1997 Ford Explorer – which had a cracked windshield and no front license plate -- at the corner of Ridge Road and Page Avenue, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Officers James Colacci and Brian Kapp arrived soon after, he said. The driver, Kevin Martinez, 25, of Newark, had outstanding warrants out of Toms River and Newark, the lieutenant said. His passenger, Sarah Hicks, 24, was caught with Ecstasy, Auteri …
Rt. 80 Crash Involving Tractor-Trailer, 5 Passenger Vehicles Sends 2 To Hospital: State Police Rt. 80 Crash Involving Tractor-Trailer, 5 Passenger Vehicles Sends 2 To Hospital: State Police
Rt. 80 Crash Involving Tractor-Trailer, 5 Passenger Vehicles Sends 2 To Hospital: State Police A Route 80 crash involving a tractor-trailer and five passenger vehicles sent two people to the hospital over the weekend, state police said. The six vehicles collided on the westbound side near milepost 20.5 in Allamuchy Township around 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, NJSP Detective I Jeffrey Lebron told Daily Voice. Two occupants were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries, the detective added. The crash remains under investigation.
Body Recovered From Point Pleasant Beach Body Recovered From Point Pleasant Beach
Body Recovered From Point Pleasant Beach A body washed up on a New Jersey beach this weekend, officials said. The recovery was made around 3:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at Channel Drive in Point Pleasant Beach, a spokesman for New Jersey State Police said. It was not immediately clear if the body was that of Derek Narby, the 21-year-old boater from Brick who went missing last week in the Manasquan Inlet.
Garden State Parkway Crash Kills Englewood Driver, Injures Woodcliff Lake Passenger, Both 20 Garden State Parkway Crash Kills Englewood Driver, Injures Woodcliff Lake Passenger, Both 20
Garden State Parkway Crash Kills Englewood Driver, Injures Woodcliff Lake Passenger, Both 20 A 20-year-old Englewood man was killed and a 20-year-old Woodcliff Lake companion seriously injured in a horrific overnight crash Sunday on the Garden State Parkway, authorities confirmed. Their Nissan was headed south when it ran off the roadway to the right, crashed through a guardrail and barreled down an embankment, slamming into trees and overturning near Exit 160 in Paramus at 2:45 a.m. Sept. 24, New Jersey State Police Detective 1 Jeffrey Lebron said. One of the occupants was ejected and the other pinned beneath the vehicle, responders said. The driver, Jadon Johnson, was kill…
Second Of Back-To-Back Overnight Bergen Break-Ins Becomes Home Invasion Second Of Back-To-Back Overnight Bergen Break-Ins Becomes Home Invasion
Second Of Back-To-Back Overnight Bergen Break-Ins Becomes Home Invasion The second of back-to-back overnight residential burglaries in Cresskill turned into a home invasion when a group of intruders entered while people living there slept, authorities said. The first break-in was reported around 3:45 a.m. on Park Avenue near County Road, Cresskill Police Capt. Jason Lanzilotti said. Fifteen minutes later, he said, burglars entered a Florence Avenue home near Knickerbocker Road. A resident said four intruders entered bedrooms and stole valuables, then fled with one of the victims' vehicles, a 2020 BMW. They were last seen fleeing south on Knickerbocker Road in …
Jersey City Man Shot By Police Charged At Them Wielding Large Knife, Videos Show Jersey City Man Shot By Police Charged At Them Wielding Large Knife, Videos Show
Jersey City Man Shot By Police Charged At Them Wielding Large Knife, Videos Show UPDATE: Less than a month after Jersey City police shot and killed a disturbed resident, state authorities publicly released videos that show him charging at tactical officers with a knife. Family members, friends and others have spent the time since the Aug. 27 incident calling city police murderers, accusing authorities of withholding information and demanding what they say is accountability for Andrew Washington’s death. During a protest outside City Hall on Wednesday, Sept.,20, they claimed that they were deliberately being kept in the dark. What some may not have known is that an inve…
NJ House Explosion: Search-And-Rescue Operation Saves Family Members, Friends (UPDATE) NJ House Explosion: Search-And-Rescue Operation Saves Family Members, Friends (UPDATE)
NJ House Explosion: Search-And-Rescue Operation Saves Family Members, Friends (Update) HEROES: Everyone feared the worst. Yet if there’s a silver lining to be found in a devastating house explosion in West Milford on Friday, it’s that rescuers got those involved out alive. That includes a victim who was trapped for nearly an hour as firefighters tunneled their way into the leveled single-story ranch house. Five of those injured were airlifted to area hospitals following the dramatic search and rescue operation. A sixth declined further medical attention at the scene. Investigations continued combing through the wreckage well past daybreak as they try to determine what caused…
Moped Driver Killed, Passenger Injured In Paterson Collision While Fleeing Totowa PD: State AG Moped Driver Killed, Passenger Injured In Paterson Collision While Fleeing Totowa PD: State AG
Moped Driver Killed, Passenger Injured In Paterson Collision While Fleeing Totowa PD: State AG UPDATE: A moped driver was killed and a passenger injured when the scooter collided with a sedan at a Paterson intersection during a Totowa police chase, authorities said. Totowa police in marked vehicles followed the gas-powered scooter into Paterson, apparently over the 31st Street Bridge over the Passaic River. The moped then collided with a Lexus at the intersection of McBride and Murray avenues shortly before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, according to a release issued Friday by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.The scooter driver was thrown against the windshield, smashin…
Killer Sentenced To Life For Shooting Rapper, Then Dumping Burned Body In Paramus Killer Sentenced To Life For Shooting Rapper, Then Dumping Burned Body In Paramus
Killer Sentenced To Life For Shooting Rapper, Then Dumping Burned Body In Paramus UPDATE: An ex-con convicted a second time of shooting an aspiring rapper in a vacant home in Englewood, then burning the body and dumping it on a quiet Paramus cul-de-sac was sentenced to life in prison, authorities said. "There is nothing more cowardly than shooting someone in the back," Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Gary Donatello said before Randy Manning was sentenced in Superior Court in Hackensack for killing Rhian “Kampane” Stoute in 2011. Manning was originally convicted for the same crime and sent to state prison for life in 2014, but he got the conviction overturned in 2020 a…
Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of Garfield Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of Garfield Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl
Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of Garfield Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl A habitual offender killed a fellow Garfield resident by giving him bogus oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, authorities charged. Juhaan Justice Hammond, 30, is charged with strict liability for the drug-induced death this past Sunday of Ivan Santiago in Garfield, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on Friday, Sept. 22. Santiago and an unidentified second person were hospitalized after overdosing on Lincoln Place shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Musella said. Narcan was administered, the prosecutor said, adding that Santiago was pronounced dead at the hospital. Detectiv…
Alert Issued For Missing Sussex County Man With Dementia Alert Issued For Missing Sussex County Man With Dementia
Alert Issued For Missing Sussex County Man With Dementia State Police have issued an alert for a missing Sussex County man who suffers from dementia. Ronald Aveta, 85, of Wantage Township, left his home in a silver 2013 Hyundai Elantra with New Jersey license plate VHS84G on Route 284 in Wantage between 9:30 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22, state police said. He was last seen at the Sunoco gas station at 311 Erie St. in Honesdale, PA just before 7 a.m. Ronald suffers from dementia, state police said. He stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds and has gray/white hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a navy sweatshirt, navy sw…
Budd Lake Fire Chief Locks Eyes With Woman While Masturbating In Sparta ShopRite Lot: Police Budd Lake Fire Chief Locks Eyes With Woman While Masturbating In Sparta ShopRite Lot: Police
Budd Lake Fire Chief Locks Eyes With Woman While Masturbating In Sparta ShopRite Lot: Police A North Jersey fire chief was arrested for masturbating in a vehicle parked in a ShopRite parking lot, authorities said. Budd Lake Fire Chief Joe Compano was arrested and charged with lewdness following the Tuesday, Sept. 19 incident in the parking lot of the Sparta ShopRite store on North Village Boulevard, Sparta police Detective Lt. Tom Snyder said. It began around 11:50 p.m., when a woman loading groceries into her car called police to say that the man in a maroon Ford Explorer next to her was masturbating with his penis exposed, Snyder said. He masturbated more aggressively and tried h…
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez Indicted On Federal Bribery Charges Democratic Senator Bob Menendez Indicted On Federal Bribery Charges
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez Indicted On Federal Bribery Charges Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey was indicted Friday on federal corruption charges that include allegations of him secretly supporting the government of Egypt and trying to influence U.S. prosecutors' case against Bergen County real estate magnate Fred Daibes. Mendendez, 69, who's chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made several moves in exchange for bribes, some of which were passed to his wife, Nadine Arsianian, a sweeping indictment unsealed on Sept. 22 alleges. A staggering array of charges were brought by the grand jurors in the Southern District of Ne…
HOOKED: 16 Busted, $35K Seized In Passaic Sheriff’s Countywide Prostitution Raids HOOKED: 16 Busted, $35K Seized In Passaic Sheriff’s Countywide Prostitution Raids
Hooked: 16 Busted, $35K Seized In Passaic Sheriff’s Countywide Prostitution Raids Sixteen arrests were made and $35,840 in alleged profits seized by Passaic County sheriff's detectives during a two-day series of prostitution raids at massage parlors and hotels countywide, authorities said. Key “pay-to-play” locations for illegal sex were pinpointed in Clifton, Paterson, Passaic, Wayne, and Woodland Park, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik said. Nearly all were chosen for the quality-of-life operations following citizens’ complaints, the sheriff said. Various units from his department supplied the detectives, Berdnik said. These included his Bureau of Narcotics, Int…