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Prominent North Jersey Jazz Musician Danny Bacher Dies At 48
Danny Bacher, a renowned jazz musician and Cliffside Park resident, died at the age of 48, the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook announced. The cause was a heart attack, the Jazz Loft said.
A native of Wayne, Bacher was a singer, saxophonist, dancer and composer, who was also an author- having recently published a book about his collection of Laurel and Hardy merchandise, the Jazz Loft said.
A graduate of Wayne Hills High School, Bacher attended New Jersey City University, according to his Facebook. At the time of his death, he was working on a project about Harry Nilsson, the Jazz Loft said. …
Teacher's Aide Taped Boy To Desk For 50 Minutes, Teacher Did Nothing In Passaic County: Cops
A teacher and a teacher's aide are facing charges in Passaic County for taping a child to a desk for nearly one hour, authorities said.
Todd Lewis, 57, of Wayne, a teacher's aide placed masking tape around the back of the 9-year-old boy's neck and secured it to the desk, where the child remained for approximately 40 to 50 minutes, while Sallyann Scala, 67, of Pompton Lakes, continued teaching at Lenox Elementary School on Oct. 31, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said.
Scala reportedly failed to intervene, according to the child’s statement. On Dec. 11, 2024, based…
Dad's Route 80 Death Spreads Shock, Sadness
Shock and sadness spread following the sudden death of a 41-year-old dad on Route 80 this week.
Troopers responded to the crash in the westbound lanes of the highway in Wayne at approximately 10:51 a.m., New Jersey State Police Sgt. Charles Marchan said.
A Ford Econoline van, driven by Namon Melvin, 41, of Orange, had rear-ended a Honda passenger car near milepost 53.7, Marchan said.
The van then veered off the road, went down an embankment, and struck a tree. Melvin died in the crash while the driver of the Honda was not reported injured, Marchan said.
Melvin's death left loved ones in s…
NJ Ranks Among Top States For Hospital Safety In Fall 2024, Leapfrog Report Finds
New Jersey hospitals are among the safest in the nation, according to the fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grade report from The Leapfrog Group.
The Garden State ranks in the top 10 states for the highest percentage of "A" hospitals, joining states like Utah, Virginia, and Connecticut. The grades, which are updated twice a year, assess nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country on their effectiveness at preventing medical errors, accidents, and infections.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 30 performance measures to assign grades ranging from "A" to "F," offering patients and fami…
Wayne Woman, 72, Made Bomb Threat That Locked Down Holy Name Medical Center: Prosecutor
A 72-year-old woman has been charged with calling in a bomb threat to Holy Name Medical in August, authorities said.
Adele Ulrich, of Wayne, called the hospital on Aug. 17 saying that several bombs were going to detonate in the hospital, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said following a months-long investigation.
The hospital was placed on divert, and a shelter-in-place order was implemented, bringing police officers, firefighters, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad to the scene.
Ultimately, first responders determined that the call was a hoax, and no act…
Driver, 31, Arrested At Airport After Fleeing To Turkey In Deadly Route 46 Crash: Prosecutor
A 31-year-old Wayne man was identified as the driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in Parsippany before fleeing the scene and then trying to flee the country last month, authorities said.
Davut Batca was behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV4 when he struck Jelson Cabrera, 35, of Trenton, on Route 46 West near Sandra Drive just before 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.
Cabrera was taken to Morristown Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. Meanwhile, Batca fled the scene and then left the United States for Turkey, the pros…
18 Pounds Of Pot Seized From Consignment Shop Drug Ring Bloomingdale, Butler Trio: Police
Three people have been arrested after authorities uncovered a massive drug ring being run out of a North Jersey thrift store.
Search warrants executed at businesses, storage units, and vehicles in Bloomingdale, Newton, and Wayne turned up 18 pounds of marijuana and 1.13 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, Bloomingdale police said.
Jesse A Baron, 43, of Bloomingdale, and Ryan T Smith, 36, of Butler, and Daniel F. Valerio, 39, of Bloomingdale, were slapped with various drug possession and distribution charges for running the scheme out of Thrifty Hippie Consignments on Main Street in Bloomin…
Gerald 'Jerry' McMinn, Owner Of NJ Ice Cream Institution, Longtime EMT Dies At 93
Gerald "Jerry" McMinn, a man credited for saving countless lives over more than 65 years volunteering as an EMT, and bringing joy to thousands of North Jersey residents through his iconic Milk Barn, has died at 93 years old.
An Army Veteran widely known across North Jersey as the owner of the Old Barn Milk Bar in Wayne, died on Wednesday, Aug. 7, according to his obituary on the Scanlan Funeral Home website.
Jerry graduated from Butler High School and later served in the U.S. Army. While volunteering at the St. Joseph's Hospital emergency room in Paterson, he met his wife, "the l…
Search For Suicidal Arsonist, 40, With Roommate's Gun Ends In Arrest, Wayne Police Say
The search for a 40-year-old man who set fire to a neighbor's home after leaving behind a suicide note ended in his arrest over the weekend in Wayne, police said.
Hector Lobo has been charged on a warrant with aggravated arson, unlawful possession of a weapon, theft, and criminal mischief early Saturday, July 6, Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff said.
Police were called to reports of flames coming from the back of a Totowa Road home around 1 a.m., where Officer Adrian Valentin knocked on the door of the home and made contact with the homeowner.
Valentin evacuated the home, found a fire e…
Belligerent Man At Popular Wayne Brewery Tried Fighting Arresting Officers, Cops Say
A 50-year-old man who had been wanted for a DNA sample was arrested after police said he was screaming profanities and making profane gestures at a popular brewery in Wayne earlier this month.
Unruly behavior exhibited by Anthony Walker, 50, of West Milford, brought Wayne police officers to Seven Tribesmen Brewery just before 8 p.m. Monday, July 1, Wayne Police Capt. Dan Daly said.
Upon the officers’ arrival, they found Walker arguing with the bartender.
Officers tried to calm Walker down and said they'd help find him a ride home, however, Walker's aggressive behavior only continued, Daly …
60K NJ Residents Without Power Following Stormy Night
Thousands of New Jersey residents remain without power following thunderstorms that swept through the region Wednesday, June 26.
As of Thursday morning, June 27, JCP&L was reporting 54,000 outages across North Jersey. The most widespread were reported in:
More than 1,800 in Ringwood; several hundred. in Wayne; Nearly 3,000 in Boonton Township; 660 in Mine Hill; 1,200 in Mount Arlington; nearly 700 in Vernon; 700 in Stockholm; 1,400 in Great Meadows; 880 in Buttzville.
PSE&G was reporting just over 5,000 residents without power, most in Bergen County (1,600 with 223 in Fort Lee, 243…
Longtime Saddle Brook UPS Employee Frank Chiavetta Of Wayne Dies, 58: 'We Lost A Great Legend'
Lifelong Passaic County resident Frank Chiavetta died on June 17, 2024, at 58 years old with his family by his side, according to his obituary on the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home website.
A Clifton native, Frank spent 40 years working UPS, having started with truck-loading and retiring as a customer counter representative in Saddle Brook, in 2023, according to his obituary. He lived in Wayne with his wife of 31 years, Anna Marie Chiavetta.
News of the veteran driver's death was shared to Union Local 177's Facebook page, where former colleagues remembered him as a "great dude" with…
Austin Behrens, NJ Motocross Racer, Instructor Killed In Practice Crash, 28
Austin Behrens, a Wayne resident who ran a motocross instructing school, was killed while riding on Sunday, June 2. He was 28 years old.
Details about Behrens crash, including where and how it occurred, have not been made publicly available.
REST IN PEACE – AUSTIN BEHRENS
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Austin Behrens during... Posted by NJ Motocross on Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Behrens was the operator of A7 Training Motocross Enhancement, a motocross school based in Wayne serving New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A7 offers a variety of cou…