A Few Clouds 73°
Police & Fire
K9 Calendar Features Airport Bomb Dog Named For Ridgewood, NJ Woman Who Died In 9/11 Attack K9 Calendar Features Airport Bomb Dog Named For Ridgewood, NJ Woman Who Died In 9/11 Attack
K9 Calendar Features Airport Bomb Dog Named For Ridgewood, NJ Woman Who Died In 9/11 Attack A bomb dog named for a Bergen County woman who was among those slain at the World Trade Center in the 9/11 terror attacks is featured in the new 2024 monthly calendar produced by the federal Transportation Security Administration. Gina-Gina is a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois who works with her handler, Julie Guevara, at LaGuardia Airport. She was named after Gina Sztejnberg, 52, of Ridgewood, who worked as a database architect consultant for Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. on the 96th floor of the North Tower. Guevara has a special connection to that fateful day. She was among the New York F…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Izaak Medina, Bloomfield Native, Dies At 44 Izaak Medina, Bloomfield Native, Dies At 44
Izaak Medina, Bloomfield Native, Dies At 44 Izaak Medina died on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the age of 44 after battling diabetes, according to his obituary. Born and raised in Brooklyn before moving to Bloomfield, where he had a son, Izaak, Jr. with his partner, Lana, his obituary reads. He worked for Showcase Kitchen and Bath and also as a security guard before he opened his own computer technology company, his obituary reads. The love of my life, my best friend, my sons daddy Izaak Medina very peacefully passed away at 10:29pm last night. I... Posted by Lana Santimone on Saturday, November 11, 2023 Medina is survived by Lana and Iz…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say 2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say Life imitated art when a reputed Gambino crime family captain threatened to burn down a Jersey Shore restaurant, then went to a service station across the street and tried to buy and fill a plastic gas can, federal authorities said. In what could’ve been a scene from any number of modern-day mob movies, Joseph Lanni of Staten Island became a walking cliché, the Justice Department said in announcing an organized-crime takedown that stretched all the way to Sicily. Lanni and fellow Staten Islander Vincent “Vinny Slick” Minsquero “became belligerent” after being asked to leave Roxy’s Bar and G…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Real Latino Families Wanted For Paid Holiday Ad Filming In NYC Real Latino Families Wanted For Paid Holiday Ad Filming In NYC
Real Latino Families Wanted For Paid Holiday Ad Filming In NYC Are you a family that goes all out for Feliz Navidad? Situation Marketing is looking for a real family that is "fun, energetic and attractive" for a photo and video marketing campaign for a historic New York City landmark.  The family should be a mom, dad, a son and daughter, with the children being school age (middle and high school) and able to engage with exhibits at the location. "The family will be featured as a local family living in Brooklyn," according to the posting. "They’ve come into the city for a fun weekend together." All children must have valid work permits and famili…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
NPR Reporter Pens Tribute To 'Remarkable' Mom Killed By Pickup In North Jersey Town NPR Reporter Pens Tribute To 'Remarkable' Mom Killed By Pickup In North Jersey Town
NPR Reporter Pens Tribute To 'Remarkable' Mom Killed By Pickup In North Jersey Town Remarkable. Scholarly. Deeply caring. This is how Vivian Folkenflik is being remembered. The 83-year-old grandmother was in the crosswalk of a Montclair intersection when she was fatally struck by a pickup truck in broad daylight on Saturday, Oct. 28. Folkenflik's death leaves a hole in the heart of several different communities. Her son and NPR correspondent David Folkenflik, paid tribute to his mother on Facebook. "What made Vivian remarkable was not her shocking death but her life. She was marked by her incisive intellect, her profound caring for others, her drive to connect and her c…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Ex-Stockbroker Who Left Wife, Child To Become ISIS Sniper Sentenced To Life Plus 70 Years Ex-Stockbroker Who Left Wife, Child To Become ISIS Sniper Sentenced To Life Plus 70 Years
Ex-Stockbroker Who Left Wife, Child To Become ISIS Sniper Sentenced To Life Plus 70 Years UPDATE: A former stockbroker who abandoned Wall Street and his loved ones to become a sniper and instructor for ISIS was sentenced to life plus 70 years in federal prison on Tuesday, the government announced. Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, 47, reportedly grinned, stroked what is now a thick beard and flashed a thumbs-up sign during the sentencing in U.S. Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn on Oct. 17. There was no surprise there: To the end, Asainov proclaimed his pride in fighting with ISIS and teaching young student militants in Syria to kill for their beliefs. “He chose t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Sports
Seton Hall Basketball Star Safe After Hamas Attacks Seton Hall Basketball Star Safe After Hamas Attacks
Seton Hall Basketball Star Safe After Hamas Attacks Isaiah Whitehead, who played two seasons for the Seton Hall University Pirates, said he was safe following the Hamas attacks on Israel. Whitehead is overseas playing for Ironi Ness Ziona in the Israeli Basketball League. Made It Out Of Israel Safely! I Continue To Pray For Those Impacted By What’s Going 🙏🏾🇮🇱 — Isaiah Whitehead (@isaiahwhitehead) October 8, 2023 "This is crazy," Whitehead said during the attacks. "Prayers to Israel." Hamas, which controls Gaza, launched a surprise attack on Israel, wounding thousands and killing hundreds in the longtime conflict. “Citizens of Israel,"…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
BLOODY SUNDAY: Woman, 22, Becomes Third Paterson Weekend Gunshot Victim To Die BLOODY SUNDAY: Woman, 22, Becomes Third Paterson Weekend Gunshot Victim To Die
Bloody Sunday: Woman, 22, Becomes Third Paterson Weekend Gunshot Victim To Die UPDATE: A 22-year-old woman became the third victim to die from a daylong weekend shooting spree in Paterson, authorities confirmed. Two 19-year-old men also were gunned down in the series of shootings in three different Paterson neighborhoods. Mary Taylor was hospitalized in critical condition after responders said she was shot in the head during an apparent drive-by near the corner of Van Houten and Cianci Street outside Lou Costello Park shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. Police briefly chased the suspected vehicle – a burgundy Hyundai – before the pursuit was terminated out of s…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Man Sexually Assaulted Woman In Jersey City: Prosecutors Man Sexually Assaulted Woman In Jersey City: Prosecutors
Man Sexually Assaulted Woman In Jersey City: Prosecutors Raul Pena, a 31-year-old Brooklyn man was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a 29-year-old woman at a residence in Jersey City, authorities said. The sexual assault occurred on Sunday, Aug. 20, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The woman had met Pena through an acquaintance in the hours leading up to the assault, Suarez said.  Pena was charged with aggravated sexual assault in the first degree, Suarez said. He was arrested at his residence by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit and is being detained at Brooklyn Central Booking pending extrad…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Serial Burglar Wanted For 16 Lyndhurst Break-Ins Caught Stealing From Senior In PA: Police Serial Burglar Wanted For 16 Lyndhurst Break-Ins Caught Stealing From Senior In PA: Police
Serial Burglar Wanted For 16 Lyndhurst Break-Ins Caught Stealing From Senior In PA: Police A habitual offender who used credit cards in three states that were stolen during 16 vehicle burglaries in Lyndhurst in a single night was brought to New Jersey after being captured by Pennsylvania State Police, authorities said. At only 20 years old, Veelique Farrior-Harris already has a sizable rap sheet, mostly involving small-time burglaries and thefts, records show. Lyndhurst police began looking for him, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said, after 16 vehicles were burglarized – on Jay, Port, Link and Stuyvesant avenues – between 2:30-4 a.m. Aug. 5. Detective Nick Abruscato identified a …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Fugitive Arrested In Secaucus: Police Fugitive Arrested In Secaucus: Police
Fugitive Arrested In Secaucus: Police A 45-year-old Brooklyn resident was arrested on Friday, Sept. 15 in Secaucus after it was discovered there were multiple warrants out for his arrest, authorities said. At 5:25 p.m., during a motor vehicle stop, Kevin Dadaille was discovered to have a outstanding warrants out of Middlesex County, Pohatcong and in Connecticut, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Dadaille had been been charged with two counts of larceny in Enfield, Conn. in May. In 2019, Dadaille was wanted by New York State Police for stealing a wallet at a department store in Orange and making charges on a stolen credi…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
BRAVO! Fifth-Generation Police Officer From Mahwah Revives Stricken Opera Veteran BRAVO! Fifth-Generation Police Officer From Mahwah Revives Stricken Opera Veteran
Bravo! Fifth-Generation Police Officer From Mahwah Revives Stricken Opera Veteran LOCAL HERO: Veteran Metropolitan Opera singer Richard Bernstein was having chest pains when a fifth-generation police officer who’d only just hit the street in Mahwah responded to a call at his home. Then Bernstein stopped breathing. Turns out Officer Joseph Powderley got there just in time. The tenor of the situation became grave as the Grammy-winning father of three went into cardiac arrest, his face turning blue, in his master bedroom. Powderley placed Bernstein on the floor and began chest compressions, Mahwah Police Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. The officer then shocked him with a de…

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by Jerry DeMarco