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3 Adults, 2 Kids Hospitalized As Fire Roars Through Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Mayor Says 3 Adults, 2 Kids Hospitalized As Fire Roars Through Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Mayor Says
3 Adults, 2 Kids Hospitalized As Fire Roars Through Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Mayor Says UPDATE: Three adults and two children were hospitalized as a fierce fire roared through the upper floors of a mixed-use building in Passaic late Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Flames blew out the second-floor windows in the middle of three brick buildings that each house street-level businesses off the corner of Main and Harrison avenues. Being treated at St. Mary's Hospital for smoke inhalation were five victims, Lora said: A 65-year-old woman, another woman in her 40s, a 19-year-old man and two children.  Firefighters contained the blaze to the single building, the …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Lodi Firefighter, 48, Dies On Vacation Lodi Firefighter, 48, Dies On Vacation
Lodi Firefighter, 48, Dies On Vacation What began as a holiday trip ended tragically for a beloved Lodi firefighter, his fellow first responders and loved ones. Antonio Mercado III died in a Texas hospital on Monday after being admitted several days earlier, friends and fellow firefighters said. Mercado, who'd suffered from heart trouble, had been with Lodi Rescue Truck Co. 1. Before that, he rode with Hose Co. 1.  A father and grandfather, he was 48. Visiting is this Sunday, Jan. 30, at Funeraria Alvarez, 66 Passaic Avenue in Passaic: (973) 815-0080. Time frames will be strict, according to his daughter, Antonia Mercado…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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UPDATE: Massive Passaic Warehouse Blaze Stopped From Reaching 50 Tons Of Chlorine UPDATE: Massive Passaic Warehouse Blaze Stopped From Reaching 50 Tons Of Chlorine
Update: Massive Passaic Warehouse Blaze Stopped From Reaching 50 Tons Of Chlorine UPDATE: Authorities on Saturday said they'd finally gotten a massive industrial complex fire in Passaic under control nearly a dozen hours after it broke out. More than 200 firefighters fought the 11-alarm blaze, which forced evacuations of nearby homes, sent potentially dangerous smoke into the air and prompted officials to urge residents to keep their windows closed. The smoke reportedly was spotted on weather radar. Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora called the fire “the worst that I’ve ever seen.” Fortunately, he said, firefighters were able to keep the flames from releasing toxic fume…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Winning Powerball Ticket Worth $1M Sold On Jersey Shore Winning Powerball Ticket Worth $1M Sold On Jersey Shore
Winning Powerball Ticket Worth $1M Sold On Jersey Shore There was a million-dollar Powerball winner in New Jersey on Wednesday, state Lottery officials said. One California and One Wisconsin player split the $632.6 Million Powerball jackpot which was the seventh-largest in the history of the game.  One New Jersey Lottery ticket matched all five of the five white balls to win a $1 million second-tier prize.  That winning ticket was sold at Robin’s Convenience Store Deli & Grill, 1200 River Ave., Lakewood in Ocean County. Moreover, four New Jersey Lottery tickets matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball drawn winning …

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by Jon Craig
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Fire Ravages One Multi-Family Home, Damages Another In Passaic Fire Ravages One Multi-Family Home, Damages Another In Passaic
Fire Ravages One Multi-Family Home, Damages Another In Passaic A vicious fire raced through one multi-family home and damaged another in Passaic early Wednesday evening. The blaze began in the basement, then ran up the walls and blew through the roof of one Harrison Street home shortly after 5 p.m. An estimated 80 or so firefighters from Passaic and Bergen counties flocked to the scene as the blaze continued to burn past 7:30 p.m. It was declared under control shortly before 8 p.m. No serious injuries were reported. A total of 15 people in five families were affected, said Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora, who was at the scene. The city will do al…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Post-Christmas Passaic Fire Ravages One Home, Damages Others Post-Christmas Passaic Fire Ravages One Home, Damages Others
Post-Christmas Passaic Fire Ravages One Home, Damages Others A Sunday fire ripped through one Passaic home and extended to others on either side. The heavily-involved blaze on Harrison Street near Myrtle Avenue began as two alarms at around 9:15 a.m. Heavy fire in the rear of the building eventually began consuming the rest of the 2½-family house -- eventually blowing through the roof -- while spreading to two others. Flames blew through the roof of the Harrison Street home in Passaic.Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE The blaze appeared knocked down a couple of times before eventually being declared under control around 11 a.m. A firefighter sustain…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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One Confirmed Dead As Smoky Fire Consumes Passaic Restaurant One Confirmed Dead As Smoky Fire Consumes Passaic Restaurant
One Confirmed Dead As Smoky Fire Consumes Passaic Restaurant A woman was confirmed dead in a fire Wednesday afternoon that devoured a Dominican restaurant in Passaic. She was 58 years old and lived in a two-bedroom rear apartment of Santo Domingo Invita on Passaic Street where the fire originated, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Flames blew through the roof of the 1½ -story brick building after the fire ignited shortly before 3:30 p.m. Firefighters had the main body of the blaze knocked down in under an hour but continued battling flame pockets. It was then that they discovered the victim's remains amid the debris. "The medical examiner responded t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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NJ Residents Are Spending Hours Waiting In COVID Testing Lines NJ Residents Are Spending Hours Waiting In COVID Testing Lines
NJ Residents Are Spending Hours Waiting In COVID Testing Lines COVID-19 tests are hottest items on the market right now, as New Jersey residents are spending chunks of their days waiting in lines -- some as many as nine hours. Jackelyne Matsuo hopped in line at the MedRite in Paramus Wednesday morning and received a PCR test after two hours.  She wanted a rapid test, though -- and MediRite was only offering one or the other -- so she headed to Newark's Lincoln Park and Broad Street drive-thru testing site. There, she spent another two hours waiting for the rapid test. Drive-thru test site in Newark, Dec. 22.Jackelyne Matsuo "The line was wrapping…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Passaic Fugitive, Juvenile Charged With Shooting Child, 4, Four Others At Backyard Bash Passaic Fugitive, Juvenile Charged With Shooting Child, 4, Four Others At Backyard Bash
Passaic Fugitive, Juvenile Charged With Shooting Child, 4, Four Others At Backyard Bash GOTCHA! Passaic police captured a fugitive wanted for shooting a 4-year-old child and four other victims at a backyard party last month. Ernest Fuentes, 19, was arrested following a brief car and foot chase vehicle in the area of Liberty Street and Oak Street in Passaic shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. They also revealed for the first time that they’d arrested a second shooter -- a 17-year-old city boy – on Nov. 23, just two days after two gunman opened fire at a backyard party near the corner of Lafayette and Howe avenues shortly before 1 a.m. City police who respond…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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20 Years Later, Detectives Still Pursue Cold-Blooded Christmastime Killing Of Clifton Grandma 20 Years Later, Detectives Still Pursue Cold-Blooded Christmastime Killing Of Clifton Grandma
20 Years Later, Detectives Still Pursue Cold-Blooded Christmastime Killing Of Clifton Grandma Before the explosion of social media and cold-case TV shows and streams, a beloved grandmother was stabbed dead in her Clifton home. Known for her generous volunteer work, Gertrude Bizarro, 72, was the matriarch of her family and the de facto grandmother of her Dutch Hill neighborhood, a row of two-story homes near the Passaic border. She was "all-around great woman loved by many," recalled Clifton Police Detective Lt. Robert Bracken, who knew her. Twenty years ago this Saturday, Bizarro's husband took their youngest daughter to a hair appointment in anticipation of a Christmas gathering i…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Local Detectives Secretly Follow Porch Pirate On His 'Rounds,' Bust Him Selling Stolen Sneakers Local Detectives Secretly Follow Porch Pirate On His 'Rounds,' Bust Him Selling Stolen Sneakers
Local Detectives Secretly Follow Porch Pirate On His 'Rounds,' Bust Him Selling Stolen Sneakers A porch pirate from Passaic snatched a pair of Nikes from a home, then headed to a local thrift shop to sell them -- and was promptly busted by Wallington police detectives who'd been watching him the entire time, authorities said. 'Tis the season for package thefts, as well as for undercover police operations aimed at stopping them. In Wallington, detectives investigating an "uptick" in porch piracy identified a narrow time frame and area, along with a description of a suspect and the vehicle he was driving, Capt. Shawn Kudlacik said Tuesday. Detectives Joseph Rock, Simon Popek and Brian …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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SEEN HIM? Dangerous Fugitive ID’d As Shooter Of Child, 4, Four Others At Passaic Party SEEN HIM? Dangerous Fugitive ID’d As Shooter Of Child, 4, Four Others At Passaic Party
Seen HIM? Dangerous Fugitive ID’d As Shooter Of Child, 4, Four Others At Passaic Party A Passaic man who was released following a New Year’s Day shooting earlier this year is being sought by authorities for another shooting last month that wounded a 4-year-old child and four other victims at a backyard party. It’s unclear under what circumstances Ernest Fuentes, 20, was freed after city detectives arrested him on Jan. 5 and sent to the Passaic County Jail in connection with a shooting four days earlier at Third and Mercer streets. No injuries were reported in that incident. Fast forward to Tuesday, when Fuentes was identified as one of two gunman who opened fire at a backyar…

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by Jerry DeMarco