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Michael Foligno

Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Fort Lee Boy, 15, Charged With Attempted Murder In Elmwood Park Shooting GOTCHA! Fort Lee Boy, 15, Charged With Attempted Murder In Elmwood Park Shooting
Gotcha! Fort Lee Boy, 15, Charged With Attempted Murder In Elmwood Park Shooting Capping an intense investigation, Elmwood Park detectives charged a 15-year-old Fort Lee boy with attempted murder for shooting another teen earlier this month. Identifying and capturing the accused shooter was difficult "because there weren't many cooperating witnesses," Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno said on Saturday, July 22. This "brings a sense of relief to the residents of Elmwood Park, especially those in the Elmwood Village area of the community," the chief said. The victim was hospitalized after being shot in the thigh on Elmwood Terrace in the Elmwood Village develop…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Worker Wrestles Gun From Gas Station Convenience Store Robber On Route 46 Worker Wrestles Gun From Gas Station Convenience Store Robber On Route 46
Worker Wrestles Gun From Gas Station Convenience Store Robber On Route 46 A robber seemed desperate as she pointed a handgun and demanded money from a convenience store worker on the graveyard shift at a Route 46 gas station in Elmwood Park. The steel-nerved worker wasn’t rattled, though. The gun had no magazine. Gambling that there wasn't a bullet chambered, he snatched the weapon from her hands, then shouted to a colleague outside to call police. A male accomplice then rushed in and punched him in the head, freeing his partner. Elmwood Park police nabbed the Paterson couple moments later, Police Chief Michael Foligno said. Krystina Tracey-Vaughan, 30,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
HEROES: Ingenuity Helps Elmwood Park Officers Save OD Victim Trapped In Route 46 Hotel Bathroom HEROES: Ingenuity Helps Elmwood Park Officers Save OD Victim Trapped In Route 46 Hotel Bathroom
Heroes: Ingenuity Helps Elmwood Park Officers Save OD Victim Trapped In Route 46 Hotel Bathroom An overdosing heroin user was blacked out and gasping when Elmwood Park police were called to a Route 46 hotel. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old overdose victim was wedged between the bathroom door and toilet, making it impossible for them to get to him, Police Chief Michael Foligno said. Time, meanwhile, was ticking. The walls at the Red Carpet Inn are made of sheetrock, the chief said, so Lt. Robert Centkowski fetched some breaching tools. First he cut a hole in the wall big enough for Officer Anthony Ingraffia to reach in and administer two doses of Narcan, Foligno said. The lieutenant …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
HEROES: Hackensack Police Talk Down Teen Threatening To Jump From High-Rise Parking Deck HEROES: Hackensack Police Talk Down Teen Threatening To Jump From High-Rise Parking Deck
Heroes: Hackensack Police Talk Down Teen Threatening To Jump From High-Rise Parking Deck A troubled teen was perched on the ledge of a Hackensack high-rise parking deck when a group of city officers arrived and began talking with him. Sgt. Kley Peralta, Detective Chris Lara Nunez and Officers Frank Caneja and Matthew Debonis responded to the Excelsior II Apartments on Prospect Avenue around 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. Law enforcement officials call it "de-escalation," "crisis intervention" and other terms, but what the men in blue basically did was connect with the boy enough to get him off the ledge and keep him from hurting himself. He was then taken to a local hospital for an…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
HEART STOPPER: Suicidal Girl, 15, Loses Footing Atop North Jersey Bridge, Caught By Responders HEART STOPPER: Suicidal Girl, 15, Loses Footing Atop North Jersey Bridge, Caught By Responders
Heart Stopper: Suicidal Girl, 15, Loses Footing Atop North Jersey Bridge, Caught By Responders HEROES: Traffic whizzed below as a troubled 15-year-old lost her footing and appeared about to fall from a bridge between Elmwood Park and Paterson. The distraught girl had somehow wiggled past a chain-link fence, leaving nothing between her and Route 20 nearly 40 feet below, Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno said. What followed next around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, was “extremely nerve-racking,” the chief said. “We thought we were going to lose her.” (story continues below) ****** UPDATE: Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno is asking the state DOT to block access to the led…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Elmwood Park Man, 59, Found Dead Outside By Suicide With Gun Elmwood Park Man, 59, Found Dead Outside By Suicide With Gun
Elmwood Park Man, 59, Found Dead Outside By Suicide With Gun A 59-year-old Elmwood Park man died by suicide on a borough street Thursday morning, authorities confirmed. The man's body was found outside on Parkview Avenue near the intersection of Willow Street around 10:30 a.m. Oct. 27, Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno said. He was pronounced dead at the scene and turned over to the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office, the chief said. Police also recovered a .45-caliber handgun and were notifying next of kin. NOTE: Daily Voice is withholding the dead man's name. It's being reported here only because it occurred on a public street and no…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ex-Con Caught With Loaded Gun After Girlfriend Maces Him, Elmwood Park Police Say Ex-Con Caught With Loaded Gun After Girlfriend Maces Him, Elmwood Park Police Say
Ex-Con Caught With Loaded Gun After Girlfriend Maces Him, Elmwood Park Police Say An Elmwood Park woman Maced her ex-con boyfriend, dialed 911, then refused to cooperate after responding officers found him carrying a gun, authorities said. The Elmwood Terrace Apartments tenant summoned police shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 3, Police Chief Michael Foligno said. Responding officers stopped convicted felon Demetrius Balmer Jr., 24, as he left her apartment, Foligno said. "You're not searching me," Balmer told them. Then he ran, the chief said. Backup officers quickly caught Balmer, who was carrying a Walther Arms PK380 pistol in a fanny pack, Foligno said. His …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Bergen Sheriff's K-9 Saves The (Earth) Day In Elmwood Park After Key Set Is Lost Bergen Sheriff's K-9 Saves The (Earth) Day In Elmwood Park After Key Set Is Lost
Bergen Sheriff's K-9 Saves The (Earth) Day In Elmwood Park After Key Set Is Lost An ad hoc search party was having trouble finding an important set of keys lost during an Earth Day cleanup in Elmwood Park, so Police Chief Michael Foligno called on the experts. Borough police had organized the community cleanup involving their officers, DPW and Recreation Department workers and Foligno's administrative assistant, Angela Fava on Friday, April 22. They were about an hour into the job along the Susquehanna Railroad tracks when Fava lost the keys to her house and job in some thick brush along the tracks, said Foligno, who's also the borough administrator. "The crew switche…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Elmwood Park PD: Unknown Drug Sends High Schoolers, 17, 14, To Hospital, Prompts K9 Search Elmwood Park PD: Unknown Drug Sends High Schoolers, 17, 14, To Hospital, Prompts K9 Search
Elmwood Park PD: Unknown Drug Sends High Schoolers, 17, 14, To Hospital, Prompts K9 Search Two Elmwood Park High Schools students -- one 17 and the other 14 -- suffered what authorities believe were drug overdoses Friday, sending both to the hospital and bringing K9 units in for a search. Both the older boy and younger girl "had the exact same reactions in different parts of the school," Police Chief Michael Foligno said. "They passed out, vomited, were pale, not responsive but breathing and eventually came around and were hospitalized." The teens were OK after being taken to the hospital, the chief said. Meanwhile, students were sheltered in place so Bergen County Sheriff'…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Chief: Elmwood Park Officers Subdue Knife-Wielding Suspect Who Stabs Himself, Refuses To Relent Chief: Elmwood Park Officers Subdue Knife-Wielding Suspect Who Stabs Himself, Refuses To Relent
Chief: Elmwood Park Officers Subdue Knife-Wielding Suspect Who Stabs Himself, Refuses To Relent An incident that could have easily gone sideways ended successfully Monday when a pair of Elmwood Park police officers subdued a suspect who stabbed himself and then refused to relinquish the knife. Nasir Clark, 21, of Paterson had violated a court order by going to his ex-girlfriend's home off River Drive, Police Chief Michael Foligno said, noting that his department has "dealing with this with him the past couple of weeks now." Clark was charged earlier this year with punching and pistol-whipping the victim. SEE: Fugitive Wanted For Punching, Pistol-Whipping Woman Surrenders To Elmw…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Jingle Brawl: Elmwood Park Police Officer Throws Hat In Ring, Wins Charity Boxing Match Jingle Brawl: Elmwood Park Police Officer Throws Hat In Ring, Wins Charity Boxing Match
Jingle Brawl: Elmwood Park Police Officer Throws Hat In Ring, Wins Charity Boxing Match Elmwood Park Police Officer Mike Sammarone had a puncher's chance when he agreed to fill in at a boxing match with no experience. And he made the most of it. Sammarone had all of three weeks to prepare for the Brothers Before Others law enforcement charity event in Phillipsburg. So the six-year veteran went to Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno and UFC Bare Knuckles Boxer Jimmie Rivera, who operate a mandatory defensive tactics training program for borough officers. "We immediately began training him twice a day," Foligno said. "His hard work paid off." Dubbed "The Rhino," Sammaro…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
HEROES: Paterson's Bravest Deliver Elmwood Park Newborn In Back Of Ambulance HEROES: Paterson's Bravest Deliver Elmwood Park Newborn In Back Of Ambulance
Heroes: Paterson's Bravest Deliver Elmwood Park Newborn In Back Of Ambulance An Elmwood Park newborn wasn't waiting as two Paterson firefighters tried to rush her mom to the hospital. So they pulled over. Parked on the side of the road, Silk City's bravest delivered a healthy baby girl in the back of their ambulance. Firefighters Craig Puglise and Jeffrey Wanco responded to the mutual aid call at the Elmwood Village Apartment Homes on the other side of the Passaic River call just after 7:30 a.m. They found the 22-year-old mom-to-be lying in bed with her boyfriend nearby, Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said. Her contractions were three minutes apart…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Unsupervised Boy, 4, Struck By Sedan In Elmwood Park, Child Welfare Authorities Notified Unsupervised Boy, 4, Struck By Sedan In Elmwood Park, Child Welfare Authorities Notified
Unsupervised Boy, 4, Struck By Sedan In Elmwood Park, Child Welfare Authorities Notified A 4-year-old boy was hospitalized with a broken leg -- and child welfare authorities were notified -- after he dashed into an Elmwood Park street and was struck by a sedan Monday night, authorities said. Police notified the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency following the 6:45 p.m. accident, Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno said. The Paterson youngster was unsupervised by an adult when he ran out from between two parked cars on Mola Boulevard near Elmwood Terrace and was struck by a 2006 Nissan Altima, Foligno explained. The boy was taken to St. Joseph's Region…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Worker Falls 3 Floors Down Elevator Shaft At Bergen Apartments Site Overlooking Passaic River Worker Falls 3 Floors Down Elevator Shaft At Bergen Apartments Site Overlooking Passaic River
Worker Falls 3 Floors Down Elevator Shaft At Bergen Apartments Site Overlooking Passaic River A 23-year-old worker was critically injured Saturday when he fell three stories down an elevator shaft at an Elmwood Park construction site along the Passaic River, authorities said. Authorities weren't immediately sure how the 11 a.m. mishap at the latest phase of the Riverwalk development off River Drive occurred, Borough Administrator/Police Chief Michael Foligno said. The victim was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center in critical but stable condition, Foligno said. The job was shut down and OSHA responded Saturday afternoon to "investigate and determine the next step," he sai…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
WILD RIDE: Beaten, Bitten Uber Driver Pepper Sprays Carjacking Couple In Elmwood Park WILD RIDE: Beaten, Bitten Uber Driver Pepper Sprays Carjacking Couple In Elmwood Park
Wild Ride: Beaten, Bitten Uber Driver Pepper Sprays Carjacking Couple In Elmwood Park An Uber driver was beaten and bitten by a paroled armed robber he’d picked at a Route 46 motel but managed to pepper-spray the ex-con and his companion before they could carjack him, Elmwood Park police said. Dahmier Garvey, 23, and Johanna Bell, 19, got into his vehicle near the Red Carpet Motel on the eastbound highway early Sunday night, the 36-year-old victim from Wyckoff told responding officers. He told them that there was no smoking in the vehicle, he said, and that Uber company police required that both wear COVID masks, Police Chief Michael Foligno said. Bell, of Hawthorne wore …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
SWAT STANDOFF: Elmwood Park Man Tear-Gassed Out After Threatening Officers With Knives SWAT STANDOFF: Elmwood Park Man Tear-Gassed Out After Threatening Officers With Knives
SWAT Standoff: Elmwood Park Man Tear-Gassed Out After Threatening Officers With Knives A potential tragedy was averted after two Elmwood Park police officers came face-to-face Saturday with an agitated ex-con threatening them with a pair of knives, authorities said. "Get the f*** out of my house!" Brian Rodriguez, 33, shouted as he descended the stairs toward them inside his mother's Obal Avenue home, Police Chief Michael Foligno said. Coolly and calmly, the officers backed out, Foligno said. A 6½-hour standoff followed, with negotiators trying to talk Rodriguez out, before a SWAT team stormed the house and seized him without incident. Rodriguez was alone upstairs when of…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
HERO: Elmwood Park Police Chief Grabs Kayak, Rescues Woman, Child From Frigid Passaic River HERO: Elmwood Park Police Chief Grabs Kayak, Rescues Woman, Child From Frigid Passaic River
Hero: Elmwood Park Police Chief Grabs Kayak, Rescues Woman, Child From Frigid Passaic River Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno used a shovel and a borrowed kayak to pull a 2-year-old girl and her mother from the frigid Passaic River Thursday afternoon. Using the shovel to propel himself, Foligno pushed his way about 75 yards into the river, Detective Capt. Mark D'Amore said. Both the 37-year-old mother and her child were "were seconds away from going under" as he reached them, the captain said. The girl held tight to her mom and wouldn't let go, but Foligno managed to get her into the boat without it tipping, then wrapped her in his jacket and held her close to keep her w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
HERO: Elmwood Park Police Chief Rescues Woman, Child From Frigid Passaic River HERO: Elmwood Park Police Chief Rescues Woman, Child From Frigid Passaic River
Hero: Elmwood Park Police Chief Rescues Woman, Child From Frigid Passaic River Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno used a shovel and a borrowed kayak to pull a 2-year-old girl and her mother from the frigid Passaic River Thursday afternoon. Using the shovel to propel himself, Foligno pushed his way about 75 yards into the river, Detective Capt. Mark D'Amore said. Both the 37-year-old mother and her child were "were seconds away from going under" as he reached them, the captain said. The girl held tight to her mom and wouldn't let go, but Foligno managed to get her into the boat without it tipping, then wrapped her in his jacket and held her close to keep her w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Elmwood Park Police Seize Second Loaded Gun In 24 Hours, Third Of Week Elmwood Park Police Seize Second Loaded Gun In 24 Hours, Third Of Week
Elmwood Park Police Seize Second Loaded Gun In 24 Hours, Third Of Week Elmwood Park police seized a loaded gun during a traffic stop for the second time in less than 24 hours – and the third time in a week. And, once again, the firearm had its serial number removed in a clear attempt to avoid tracing. Passenger Isiah Griffith, 21, of Garfield was found carrying the fully-loaded .9mm handgun in his waistband after he got out of the car and was patted down by Officers Eliseo Medrano and Matt Auslander following the 9:15 p.m. stop Monday, Police Chief Michael Foligno said. The driver was released without incident or charges, Foligno said. “There are a lot o…

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by Jerry DeMarco