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Questions Emerge After Trio Is Charged With Stabbing In Passaic Questions Emerge After Trio Is Charged With Stabbing In Passaic
Questions Emerge After Trio Is Charged With Stabbing In Passaic Two Passaic residents and one from Wayne were charged with stabbing one of two city men during what authorities said was a planned attack. Being held in the Passaic County Jail pending initial court appearances this Wednesday in Superior Court in Paterson are Sergio Xochiulacuamatzi, 26, Christian Martinez, 21, both from Passaic, and Richard Arriaga, 25, of Wayne. All are accused of stabbing a 29-year-old Passaic man on Van Buren Street off Lexington Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint releas…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Two Stabbed In Passaic Two Stabbed In Passaic
Two Stabbed In Passaic Two men were stabbed in an overnight fight in the city of Passaic, authorities confirmed. Police found one victim, 29, at the scene of the call on Van Buren Street off Lexington Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint release. The other victim, 28, arrived at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic via private vehicle a short time later and was transferred to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, they said. Both victims were expected to survive their injuries, Valdes and Guzman said. The prosecu…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Child, 4, Among Five Shot At Backyard Party In Passaic Child, 4, Among Five Shot At Backyard Party In Passaic
Child, 4, Among Five Shot At Backyard Party In Passaic A 4-year-old child was one of five people wounded when two men started shooting at an overnight backyard party in Passaic, authorities said. City police responding shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday reported finding the child, along with two women – one 21 from Passaic, the other 25 from Newark – and a 29-year-old Newark man all wounded by gunfire. They been struck at a home near the corner of Lafayette and Howe avenues “when two unknown gunmen opened fire,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint release. All four were taken to St. Jos…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Fetty Wap Trafficked 100 Kilos Of Opioids Across US, Federal Officials Say Fetty Wap Trafficked 100 Kilos Of Opioids Across US, Federal Officials Say
Fetty Wap Trafficked 100 Kilos Of Opioids Across US, Federal Officials Say New Jersey rapper Fetty Wap was among six men charged with running an elaborate cross-country drug distribution ring out of Long Island, authorities announced Friday. The rapper, whose real name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, was arrested Thursday by FBI agents at Citi Field. An indictment was unsealed in Central Islip federal court Friday, Oct. 29, charging six men with conspiring to distribute and possess controlled substances, including five of them also charged for using weapons in connection to drug trafficking. The six men distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fe…

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by Zak Failla
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Passaic Prosecutor: Duo Tried To Bribe Child Sex Assault Victim, Witness With Cash, Car, More Passaic Prosecutor: Duo Tried To Bribe Child Sex Assault Victim, Witness With Cash, Car, More
Passaic Prosecutor: Duo Tried To Bribe Child Sex Assault Victim, Witness With Cash, Car, More A Passaic County man and a companion tried to bribe a child sex assault victim and a witness with cash, tuition assistance – even a car -- to change their stories, authorities said. Sergio Bernal, 33, of Passaic was originally charged with sex assaults on the underage victim at various residences in Passaic from October 2013 to August 2020, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said Thursday. A judge ordered that he remained held in the Passaic County Jail pending trial. Both Bernal and Maricella Gonzalez, 52, of Garfield then tried to get the victim and witness to recant their state…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Off-Duty Passaic Police Officer Says He Was Shot At In Clifton Off-Duty Passaic Police Officer Says He Was Shot At In Clifton
Off-Duty Passaic Police Officer Says He Was Shot At In Clifton An off-duty City of Passaic police officer reported being shot at in Clifton on the way home from work earlier this week, authorities from both cities confirmed. The officer told Clifton police that a Jeep Cherokee with heavy front-end damage was following him when someone in it opened fire at Main and Clifton avenues near the Walgreens around 11 p.m. Monday, they said. The officer wasn't injured but went to St. Joseph's Regional Hospital in Paterson for an evaluation, they added. Clifton police were investigating. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office was notified. Neither local police …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Feds: Passaic County Duo Admits Laundering $4 Million For International Drug Cartels Feds: Passaic County Duo Admits Laundering $4 Million For International Drug Cartels
Feds: Passaic County Duo Admits Laundering $4 Million For International Drug Cartels Two Passaic County men admitted in federal court that they laundered nearly $4 million in drug cash for international cartels operating in New Jersey and New York, authorities announced. Erickson Checo-Almonte, 31 of Passaic, and Jordano Abreu-Diaz, 24 of Clifton, were among six defendants charged in the operation. Morristown police helped the DEA and IRS crack the case, in which those involved converted cash from drug sales in the two states to more than 1,000 cashier’s checks, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael Honig said. The checks were then sent to brokers “acting on behalf o…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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MANHUNT: Clifton Prisoner Escapes From Passaic Hospital, Tracked Down By Sheriff's K-9 MANHUNT: Clifton Prisoner Escapes From Passaic Hospital, Tracked Down By Sheriff's K-9
Manhunt: Clifton Prisoner Escapes From Passaic Hospital, Tracked Down By Sheriff's K-9 A fugitive who escaped from police custody on Friday was tracked down two hours later by a Passaic County Sheriff's K-9, authorities confirmed. The 30-something prisoner from Essex County had been involved in a minor motor vehicle crash on Brighton Road in Clifton around 11:30 a.m., responders told Daily Voice. He complained of back pain and was taken to St. Mary's General Hospital in Passaic, in custody, after officers found a warrant for his arrest, they said. The prisoner escaped, running out into the street, after going to the rest room around 2:30 p.m., one responder said. Law enforc…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Accused Accomplice Charged In Shooting Outside Mother's In Wayne Accused Accomplice Charged In Shooting Outside Mother's In Wayne
Accused Accomplice Charged In Shooting Outside Mother's In Wayne A parolee accused of firing a gun at three people outside Mother’s Ale House in Wayne last month had help, authorities said. Ex-con Errol Heber, 36, of Passaic “was identified as an accomplice to the shooting,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said in a joint announcement Wednesday with Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff and East Rutherford Police Chief Dennis M. Rivelli. The trio didn’t elaborate on Heber’s alleged role. They did shed some light, however, on how the accused gunman, 33-year-old parolee Robert Jackson of South Hackensack, was charged. No one was struck when gunf…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Attention Centers On Accused Mastermind Of 84 Brazen Burglaries In Nine NJ Counties, Rockland Attention Centers On Accused Mastermind Of 84 Brazen Burglaries In Nine NJ Counties, Rockland
Attention Centers On Accused Mastermind Of 84 Brazen Burglaries In Nine NJ Counties, Rockland A Teaneck ex-con accused of leading a band of brazen burglars who committed no fewer than 84 broad-daylight break-ins throughout New Jersey and Rockland County could find two of them testifying against him if he goes to trial. Porsche Brown, 29, of Lodi, and Kay Brown, 23, of Paterson (no relation) took guilty pleas rather than take their chances with a jury. The likelihood that either or both could testify against him in exchange for leniency at sentencing could determine the course that Keith Perry, 38, takes in his defense. A grand jury this week indicted Perry on a host of charges, inc…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Fire Keeps Ski Slope At American Dream Mega Mall In Meadowlands Closed For Now Fire Keeps Ski Slope At American Dream Mega Mall In Meadowlands Closed For Now
Fire Keeps Ski Slope At American Dream Mega Mall In Meadowlands Closed For Now UPDATE: The indoor ski slope at the American Dream mega malls in the Meadowlands will remain closed until at least the end of this coming week following a fire that drew nearly 20 companies before dawn Saturday. "We can promise you that Big SNOW will be back and better than ever, just as soon as we can safely do so," an Instagram post by the company read. "At this point, we are uncertain of how long that will take." Firefighters doused the electrical blaze, which caused severe fire damage to the roof and ceiling and smoke damage elsewhere in the East Rutherford attraction after breaking ou…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Woman Escapes Violent New Milford Sex Abuser Who Threatened To Kill Her, Prosecutor Says Woman Escapes Violent New Milford Sex Abuser Who Threatened To Kill Her, Prosecutor Says
Woman Escapes Violent New Milford Sex Abuser Who Threatened To Kill Her, Prosecutor Says A violent New Milford ex-con sexually and physically assaulted a woman -- holding her against her will and threatening to kill her -- before she managed to escape, authorities said. Matthew Harries, 29, remained held Saturday in the Bergen County Jail awaiting a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack following his arrest by borough police, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He’s charged with sexual assault, aggravated assault, criminal restraint and making terroristic threats, as well as simple assault and disorderly conduct, the prosecutor said. Harri…

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by Jerry DeMarco