Phony-baloney: Allendale Resident’s Tale Of Tangling With Home Invader Not True, Police Charge

An Allendale resident who told police he fought off an intruder who forced his way into his condo apparently made it all up, authorities said.

A Bergen County sheriff’s K-9 unit was among the sizabel law enforcement contingent that converged on Trotters Lane and West Orchard Street in Allendale.
Photo Credit: *GoogleMaps Street View / Boyd A. Loving (file photo)*

Jerry DeMarco

08/17/2023 9:00 p.m.

Police from surrounding towns and a Bergen County sheriff’s K-9 unit converged on Trotters Lane and West Orchard Street after Deryck Smith, a 31-year-old graphic designer, reported the alleged home invasion around 10 a.m. this past Monday, Chief Michael T. Dillon said.

They conducted a primary search throughout the neighborhood and along the nearby railroad tracks, residents said.

Mahwah police even sent up a drone.

Smith allegedly described the purported assailant as 5-foot-9 and wearing all black and said the intruder suffered a facial injury during a scuffle.

Not true, the chief said.

Smith was charged with filing a false police report and issued a summons to appear in court following an investigation by Dillon’s detectives, assisted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

What his motivation might’ve been wasn’t clear.

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