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Bergen County Jail

Rockland Man Accused Of Setting Shopping Center Fires Rockland Man Accused Of Setting Shopping Center Fires
Rockland Man Accused Of Setting Shopping Center Fires Back-to-back fires behind two Ramsey shopping centers were deliberately set by an unemployed Rockland man, authorities charged. Nicholas Todaro, 37, of Orangeburg ignited the first one in a wooded area behind the Spring Street shopping center just off northbound Route 17 shortly after 6:30 p.m. Jan. 5, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Roughly 20 minutes later, he set a second fire in a wooded area behind the Interstate Shopping Center nearly a mile down the road on the highway’s southbound side, the prosecutor said. Ramsey firefighters quickly doused both blazes, Musella said. …
Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says
Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik died by his own hand on Tuesday in his hometown Clifton, in what the Garden State's attorney general called "an unfathomable loss for New Jersey." Emergency responders rushed to Toro's Turkish Restaurant on Hazel Street a few minutes after 3:30 p.m. Jan. 23. Berdnik had just taken his life in the men's room, the sudden gunshot through the heart startling staff and patrons alike, sources told Daily Voice. Not even 15 minutes earlier, the popular sheriff had posed for cellphone photos. Then he got a phone call with some very unsettling news, reliable so…
Rockland Man Caught On Camera Abusing Friend's Dog At Mall Rockland Man Caught On Camera Abusing Friend's Dog At Mall
Rockland Man Caught On Camera Abusing Friend's Dog At Mall A Rockland County man who was dog-sitting for a friend was caught on video punching, kicking, and otherwise abusing the baby pit bull at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, authorities said. Joseph Caraccia, 39, of West Haverstraw, was caught thanks to a good Samaritan who called police to the parking lot of the mall on Tuesday, Oct. 1, Paramus Police Chief Robert M. Guidetti said. The caller "observed the abuser punching, kicking, and throwing the dog into a vehicle," Guidetti said. It was later discovered that the dog -- named Stormy -- is only 8 months old, according to Guidetti. T…
Fugitive Former HS Basketball Player Apprehended In Rockland After Foot Chase Fugitive Former HS Basketball Player Apprehended In Rockland After Foot Chase
Fugitive Former HS Basketball Player Apprehended In Rockland After Foot Chase A former high school basketball player who tried to carjack a woman in Bergen County led police on a pursuit before being taken into custody in Rockland, authorities said. Officers apprehended Jordan Dufont, age 23, after a foot chase in the town of Stony Point, Park Ridge Police Chief Joseph Madden said on Thursday, Aug. 17. Dufont, who attended Paramus Catholic HS, had only just been released on Thursday, Aug. 3 after spending five weeks in the Bergen County Jail following another pursuit and a combative arrest off Route 17 in Paramus. Police in Park Ridge got a call this time shortly a…
Passenger Seriously Injured, Motorist From Rockland Jailed After DWI Crash, Prosecutor Says Passenger Seriously Injured, Motorist From Rockland Jailed After DWI Crash, Prosecutor Says
Passenger Seriously Injured, Motorist From Rockland Jailed After DWI Crash, Prosecutor Says A salesman at a Rockland County auto dealership was jailed after authorities said he crashed his vehicle at a Bergen County Park – seriously injuring his female passenger – while under the influence of alcohol. Alex Cruz, age 33, of Suffern, lost control of the motorcycle in Paramus at the Forest Avenue entrance to Van Saun Park shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Both he and his female passenger were ejected, the prosecutor said. She was taken to Hackensack University Hospital with serious bodily injuries, Musella said. Cruz was arrested at…
Underage NJ Teen Sexually Assaulted Multiple Times By Tarrytown Man, Age 27: Prosecutor Underage NJ Teen Sexually Assaulted Multiple Times By Tarrytown Man, Age 27: Prosecutor
Underage NJ Teen Sexually Assaulted Multiple Times By Tarrytown Man, Age 27: Prosecutor A tipster led authorities to a warehouse manager from Westchester County who they said traveled to New Jersey for sex with an underage teen he met online. Eric Palese, age 27, of Tarrytown, sexually assaulted the under-16-year-old child multiple times, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Thursday, April 6. Based on the charges, it was at least a half-dozen times during the second and third weeks of March. Authorities began investigating the 6-foot, 270-pound Palese after the tip came in on Monday, the prosecutor said. Musella said the tipster reported that Palese "contacted the …
Loaded Glock, Drugs Seized, Ex-Con From Tuxedo Park Nabbed By Police In Route 17 Stop Loaded Glock, Drugs Seized, Ex-Con From Tuxedo Park Nabbed By Police In Route 17 Stop
Loaded Glock, Drugs Seized, Ex-Con From Tuxedo Park Nabbed By Police In Route 17 Stop Officers found a loaded gun and a host of drugs for sale after an officer stopped an ex-con from Orange County for tailgating on Route 17 in Bergen County, police said. Ryan Larkin, age 35, of Tuxedo Park, told  Saddle River Officer Ryan Holdsworth that he needed the .40-caliber Glock 35 -- with a high-capacity magazine -- “for the purpose of protecting himself and his girlfriend from others,” Saddle River Police Chief Jason Cosgriff said following the noontime arrest on Friday, Sept. 9. Larkin apparently was taking his girlfriend to The Valley Hospital following an undetermined injury whe…
Armed Rockland Ex-Con Ditches Crashed Car On Resident's Lawn, Calls Mom For Ride, Police Say Armed Rockland Ex-Con Ditches Crashed Car On Resident's Lawn, Calls Mom For Ride, Police Say
Armed Rockland Ex-Con Ditches Crashed Car On Resident's Lawn, Calls Mom For Ride, Police Say A convicted robber from Rockland who was armed with a loaded gun crashed his car on a Bergen County resident's lawn, left it there, and was waiting for his mother to pick him up when a local police officer captured him, authorities said. Hakeem Gentles, age 26, of Spring Valley was intoxicated when his car struck another in a Montvale driveway over the weekend, according to a police report. Responding Police Officer Russell DiLauri found the heavily damaged vehicle unoccupied on the Magnolia Avenue victim's lawn. The resident pointed him toward to a gas station on North Kinderkamack Road, …
Rockland Driver, Passenger Caught With Meth, Smack, More, Police Say Rockland Driver, Passenger Caught With Meth, Smack, More, Police Say
Rockland Driver, Passenger Caught With Meth, Smack, More, Police Say Mahwah police found a Rockland driver and his passenger carrying meth, heroin, and more during an overnight traffic stop, authorities said. It was the second time in months that they arrested Yisroel Lieberman, age 24, of Spring Valley and Natalie Shein, age 30, of Brooklyn on drug charges. The first time, as with this week's bust, began with a motor vehicle equipment violation, police said. Detectives Timothy Letavish and Christopher Fasulo the couple in a vehicle in the parking lot of a Franklin Turnpike gas station around 1 a.m. Monday, Detective Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. They stopp…
Rockland Patron Assaults Old Tappan Restaurant Employee Over Request For Water, Police Say Rockland Patron Assaults Old Tappan Restaurant Employee Over Request For Water, Police Say
Rockland Patron Assaults Old Tappan Restaurant Employee Over Request For Water, Police Say A Rockland man surrendered to police who charged him with beating a worker at a Bergen County Italian restaurant, authorities said. Luca Saggio, 46, of Stony Point, asked the passing Bosfa Restaurant employee for water and didn’t like the response, witnesses told responding officers, Old Tappan Police Chief Joseph J. Tracy said. Saggio then “followed the employee into the kitchen of the restaurant and punched him in the head,” Tracy said. The employee suffered “a significant injury to his eye and head area,” the chief said. Responding officers rendered medical aid before an Old Tappan Amb…
Orange County Man Beat, Threatened Captive Victim In Hotel, Prosecutor Says Orange County Man Beat, Threatened Captive Victim In Hotel, Prosecutor Says
Orange County Man Beat, Threatened Captive Victim In Hotel, Prosecutor Says An Orange County man was jailed after surrendering to police for sexually allegedly assaulting, restraining, and threatening a victim at a Mahwah, New Jersey hotel, authorities said. Gustavo R. Gonzalez, age 24, of Middletown, committed an assault in his vehicle, then sexually assaulted and restrained the victim at the hotel while armed with an undisclosed weapon last Tuesday, May 25, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The victim escaped and dialed 911, but Gonzalez fled, Musella said. Mahwah police obtained warrants charging him with sexual assault, sexual contact, criminal …
Congers Man Provides Tip Leading To Charge In Fatal Hit-Run Crash Congers Man Provides Tip Leading To Charge In Fatal Hit-Run Crash
Congers Man Provides Tip Leading To Charge In Fatal Hit-Run Crash UPDATE: Sometimes sharing stories really does make a difference. A Daily Voice reader who saw a story shared in a Rockland Facebook group about the search for a hit-and-run vehicle that struck and killed a woman in Paramus provided the tip that led to the capture of the accused driver. The tipster said he suspected the damaged Ford brought into an auto body shop in Congers was the same one mentioned in a Daily Voice story about the search for the fleeing driver who killed the 58-year-old woman as she walked along a local road early Thursday. So he notified authorities. Detectives from the …
Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Make $40,000 Heroin Bust Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Make $40,000 Heroin Bust
Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Make $40,000 Heroin Bust Palisades Interstate Parkway police seized $40,000 worth of heroin and arrested two people – one of them from Orange County -- after stopping a minivan on the parkway, authorities said. PIP Police Officer Matthew Levine stopped the Honda Odyssey for a traffic violation in Alpine on Dec. 15, Lt. Jock H. Watkins, Jr. said Friday. A probable-cause search turned up 4,000 wax folds of heroin, Watkins said. Arrested, he said, were two passengers: Holly Anne Mead, 32, of Newburgh, who was charged with marijuana possession, and Gabriel Zurita-Bayron, 36, of Philadelphia, who was charged with havi…
Car Dealership Manager Abducted, Raped Incapacitated Woman In Ramapo, Prosecutor Says Car Dealership Manager Abducted, Raped Incapacitated Woman In Ramapo, Prosecutor Says
Car Dealership Manager Abducted, Raped Incapacitated Woman In Ramapo, Prosecutor Says The manager of a Paramus auto dealership abducted a drunken woman from a local restaurant and raped her in Bergen County and Ramapo, authorities charged Friday. Carlos Belaunde Jr., 25, who works at Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Paramus on Route 4, remained held in the Bergen County Jail, charged with aggravated assault and kidnapping, records show. Paramus police alerted Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella’s Special Victims Unit on Dec. 6 of an allegation that “an incapacitated female was taken by an unknown male from a restaurant” in town, Musella said. “The unknown male placed the victim in…
U-Haul Van Pursuit From Greene County Ends In NJ With Vehicles Struck, Philly Driver Caught U-Haul Van Pursuit From Greene County Ends In NJ With Vehicles Struck, Philly Driver Caught
U-Haul Van Pursuit From Greene County Ends In NJ With Vehicles Struck, Philly Driver Caught UPDATE: A multi-agency pursuit Thursday night that began in upstate New York ended 100 miles away in Paramus Thursday night after a Brooklyn man rammed two police cars with a U-Haul van that he was driving on two front rims and a rear flat tire, police said. Mark Simpson, 31, got out of the van shortly after crashing around 10:30 p.m., then hopped the highway divider and ran behind the Suburban Diner before police nabbed him moments later, authorities said. It began more than an hour and a half earlier with a theft from a Walmart in Catskill, NY, they said. New York State Police said troop…
Pearl River Ex-Con, Companion Had Heroin, Pellet Gun, Brass Knuckles, Police Say Pearl River Ex-Con, Companion Had Heroin, Pellet Gun, Brass Knuckles, Police Say
Pearl River Ex-Con, Companion Had Heroin, Pellet Gun, Brass Knuckles, Police Say A Rockland ex-con and his companion were carrying heroin, a pellet gun and brass knuckles when they were stopped by police in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, authorities said.  Wade Chindemi, 29, and passenger, Alyisa Em, 28, both of Pearl River, were sent to the Bergen County Jail after Officer Geovanny Buiton found the weapons in their car, along with heroin, pot and promethazine, Sgt. Brian Metzler said. “More heroin was found in both of their clothing during a search,” Metzler said. Police charged both Chindemi and Em with drug and weapons counts following the stop on Broadway at Tunbridge…
Spring Valley Stalker's Bogus 'Active Shooter' Call Brings SWAT Team, Prosecutor Says Spring Valley Stalker's Bogus 'Active Shooter' Call Brings SWAT Team, Prosecutor Says
Spring Valley Stalker's Bogus 'Active Shooter' Call Brings SWAT Team, Prosecutor Says An unemployed Spring Valley man called in a bogus report of an active shooter at a Bergen County home, bringing a SWAT team, among other responders, said authorities who took him into custody. Austin Parks, 48, was already in the Rockland County Jail in connection with another arrest when investigators identified him, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Wednesday. Parks used technology to block his number when he made the April 17 call, claiming there was an active shooter at a residence in Park Ridge, Calo said. Detectives from the prosecutor’s Cyber Crimes Unit and Park Ridg…
Spring Valley Security Guard In Traffic Stop Posed As Police Officer, Police In NJ Charge Spring Valley Security Guard In Traffic Stop Posed As Police Officer, Police In NJ Charge
Spring Valley Security Guard In Traffic Stop Posed As Police Officer, Police In NJ Charge A security guard from Spring Valley flashed a badge and identified himself as a cop after a police officer in a North Jersey town pulled his companion over, authorities said. He wasn’t -- and it got him arrested, they said. Leonard C. Miles, 47, was released after the 11:45 p.m. stop Monday, Wyckoff police said. Miles, who owned the Ford Mustang, had “identified himself as a law enforcement officer in the state of New York and displayed a badge,” Lt. Joseph Soto said. Miles, in fact, “was employed as a security officer for a NY state agency and was not a sworn law enforcement officer,” Sot…
Police: Rockland Man Beat Uber Driver, Tried To Choke Him With Seat Belt Police: Rockland Man Beat Uber Driver, Tried To Choke Him With Seat Belt
Police: Rockland Man Beat Uber Driver, Tried To Choke Him With Seat Belt A Rockland man beat and tried to choke an Uber driver, said Palisades Interstate Parkway police who arrested him. The 21-year-old driver from Haverstraw pulled over and alerted an officer who’d stopped another vehicle on the southbound PIP in Englewood Cliffs Friday night that he’d just been assaulted, Officer-in-Charge Lt. Jock Watkins Jr. said. Joseph P. Coyle, 44, of Stony Point had beaten him and tried to choke him with a seatbelt, the driver told the officer. Coyle was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a weapon, two counts of resisting arrest and tresp…
Wanted Rockland Woman Nabbed In New Jersey Wanted Rockland Woman Nabbed In New Jersey
Wanted Rockland Woman Nabbed In New Jersey A repeat offender wanted in Rockland was captured by authorities in New Jersey. Catherine Beltempo, 34, was wanted on charges that include larceny- and forgery-related offenses at the Suffern Walmart, Ramapo police said. Beltempo, who has had several recent addresses, including in Airmont, has a lengthy adult criminal history, records show. She was being held on a fugitive warrant Thursday in the Bergen County Jail pending an extradition hearing.
Mahwah Pump Jockey Took Pics Of Driver's Credit Cards, Bought $1,370 In Jewelry, Police Charge Mahwah Pump Jockey Took Pics Of Driver's Credit Cards, Bought $1,370 In Jewelry, Police Charge
Mahwah Pump Jockey Took Pics Of Driver's Credit Cards, Bought $1,370 In Jewelry, Police Charge CHECK YOUR STATEMENTS: It took several tries, but a Mahwah gas station attendant finally got an online store in Texas to accept a credit card number stolen from a motorist to pay for $1,370 worth of jewelry that he turned around and hocked, authorities charged. Mahwah Police Detective Lt. Bussinelli and Detective Sgt. Kevin Hebert watched on surveillance video as Bryan Collazzo, 23, of Mahwah completed a gas sale at the Pilot Travel Center on southbound Route 17, then requested the victim’s credit card a second time, Police Chief James N. Batelli said. Collazzo then “disappeared behind the …
Suspects Who Led Officer On Chase Resulting In Crash Tied To Thefts Across Three States: Police Suspects Who Led Officer On Chase Resulting In Crash Tied To Thefts Across Three States: Police
Suspects Who Led Officer On Chase Resulting In Crash Tied To Thefts Across Three States: Police A Philadelphia trio led Paramus police officers on a brief chase that resulted in a crash -- and then their arrests, authorities said. On Oct. 3, Paramus police officers responded to the Paramus Park Mall on a reports of three people pickpocketing and stealing, Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said. Officer Brian Doughty located Michael Grantham, Kachae Jackson and Danielle Taylor, all from Philadelphia, who fled on foot from the officer into a waiting vehicle, the chief said. Paramus Officer Michael Focarino attempted to stop the car using lights and sirens as it sped away from Paramus Park…
Man Had Pot, 'Suspicious' $140K In Cash Inside Jeep In Bergen, Police Say Man Had Pot, 'Suspicious' $140K In Cash Inside Jeep In Bergen, Police Say
Man Had Pot, 'Suspicious' $140K In Cash Inside Jeep In Bergen, Police Say Hackensack police officers seized more than $137,000 in cash and marijuana from a Philadelphia man during a motor vehicle stop, authorities said. On Friday, July 13, members of the Hackensack Police Narcotics Division pulled over Jose Diaz-Velez, 38, on Hudson Street, Captain Peter Busciglio said. The officers found marijuana and cash suspiciously packaged inside of his white Jeep Liberty, the captain said.  Diaz-Velez was charged him with one count of transporting or possessing property and possession of marijuana, and transported to the Bergen County Jail, Busciglio said.
Old Tappan PD: Rockland Burglar Chased Down, Charged With Attempted Murder In Beating Old Tappan PD: Rockland Burglar Chased Down, Charged With Attempted Murder In Beating
Old Tappan PD: Rockland Burglar Chased Down, Charged With Attempted Murder In Beating Police from several northeast Bergen towns working together nabbed a Rockland man shortly after authorities said he broke into an Old Tappan home and beat a resident. Garth C. Mackinnon, 26, of Piermont, threatened to kill the Orangeburg Road resident, who was found with head and neck injuries that required medical attention after chasing the intruder from his home, Police Chief Thomas M. Shine said. Police responding to the burglary call just before 2:30 a.m. Thursday got help from their colleagues from Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood and River Vale in setti…
Orange County Men Caught With 450 Heroin Bags In Route 287 Stop, Police Say Orange County Men Caught With 450 Heroin Bags In Route 287 Stop, Police Say
Orange County Men Caught With 450 Heroin Bags In Route 287 Stop, Police Say Three New York State men -- two of them from Port Jervis -- were arrested just across the New Jersey state line by police who said they found the trio carrying 450 bags of heroin during a stop on northbound Route 287. Officer Christopher Fasulo stopped the car, driven by Donovan Burton, 18, of Port Jervis for several motor vehicle violations, Mahwah Police Chief James N. Batelli said. Burton and his passengers gave conflicting stories about their travels, after which Fasulo obtained Burton’s consent to search the vehicle, the chief said. After finding nine bricks of heroin, he took passeng…
Greenwood Lake Man Busted After Tossing Heroin Syringe From Car, Police Say Greenwood Lake Man Busted After Tossing Heroin Syringe From Car, Police Say
Greenwood Lake Man Busted After Tossing Heroin Syringe From Car, Police Say A Greenwood Lake man was busted in Bergen County for throwing debris from the window of a moving car – a syringe used to shoot heroin – which led to a slew of other charges against him, authorities said. A Wyckoff police officer spotted the blue Nissan Sentra heading north on Route 208 with no rear license plate on May 21. The driver “appeared to have difficulty maintaining a lane of travel and was drifting over the center dotted line” as the officer pulled up behind, Lt. Joseph Soto said. As the officer pulled the car over, the syringe came flying out the window, he said. Enrique Moreno …
Mahwah PD: EMS Worker Fired Over KKK Incident Nabbed With Loaded Gun Mahwah PD: EMS Worker Fired Over KKK Incident Nabbed With Loaded Gun
Mahwah PD: EMS Worker Fired Over KKK Incident Nabbed With Loaded Gun A security guard at a Route 17 truck stop was carrying a loaded handgun and wearing clothing that suggested he was a police officer, said Mahwah police who arrested him. The defendant, 58-year-old Timothy M. Prahm of Secaucus, was one of three UMDNJ paramedics fired in 2008 after photos surfaced of them dressed as members of the KKK and holding a large wooden cross. In the recent Mahwah incident, Detective Eric Larsen responded to a concerned citizen's call from a highway truck stop and found Prahm “wearing a Jersey City Police Department tee-shirt, navy blue tactical pants and black police…
Judge Frees Ex-Con Accused Of Exposing Himself At Five Oakland Businesses Judge Frees Ex-Con Accused Of Exposing Himself At Five Oakland Businesses
Judge Frees Ex-Con Accused Of Exposing Himself At Five Oakland Businesses A 28-year-old ex-con with a lengthy criminal history was ordered released from jail this week after Oakland police charged him with exposing himself five different times in town the same day. Kassan Drakeford exposed himself in five different establishments -- including a nail salon and a Starbucks -- before being taken into custody on Monday, Oakland Police Lt. Christian Eldridge said. There were children under 13 at some of the establishments, he said. Despite Drakeford's history, the nature of the crimes and a drug arrest from earlier this year, records show that a judge freed him from …
Police Tandem Avoids Route 17 Tragedy In Low-Speed Heroin User Chase Police Tandem Avoids Route 17 Tragedy In Low-Speed Heroin User Chase
Police Tandem Avoids Route 17 Tragedy In Low-Speed Heroin User Chase Police from several Northwest Bergen towns thwarted a potentially dangerous incident Wednesday when they closed off a stretch of northbound Route 17 to stop a heroin-addled driver from Rockland whose car bounced off the center divider several times, authorities said. Upper Saddle River Police Officer Kevin McWilliams, responding to another motorist's call, got behind the car around 12:30 p.m., Detective Lt. Edward Kane said. "He kept hitting the center median at about 30 miles an hour," he said. "So the officer activated his lights and siren to try and stop him." The 25-year-old Orangeburg…
Judge Orders Dumont Store Clerk Released After Child Porn Arrest Judge Orders Dumont Store Clerk Released After Child Porn Arrest
Judge Orders Dumont Store Clerk Released After Child Porn Arrest DUMONT, N.J. -- A judge ordered a supermarket clerk from Dumont charged with collecting child porn released pending further court action. Christian Winner, 49, was arrested Friday following a raid on his Larch Avenue home. He was taken to the Bergen County Jail before a judge released him, with conditions, under New Jersey's bail reform law following a detention hearing on Saturday. The name of the judge isn't listed in jail records. Winner, who posted a photo of himself on Facebook playing Santa Claus, “used the Internet to view and possess digital files depicting nude or sexually explic…
Stop & Shop Clerk Collected Child Porn, Bergen Authorities Charge Stop & Shop Clerk Collected Child Porn, Bergen Authorities Charge
Stop & Shop Clerk Collected Child Porn, Bergen Authorities Charge DUMONT, N.J. – A supermarket clerk from Dumont collected child porn, said authorities who arrested him Friday. Christian Winner, 49, remained held in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing on possession of child pornography charges following a raid on his Larch Avenue home. Winner -- who'd worked at the Stop & Shop in Emerson and the K-Mart in Westwood -- “used the Internet to view and possess digital files depicting nude or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said. The prosecutor thanked Dumont police, as well…