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James Walters

Police & Fire
What Happens When You Try To Rob Two Stores Across From Police HQ? Ask Little Ferry PD What Happens When You Try To Rob Two Stores Across From Police HQ? Ask Little Ferry PD
What Happens When You Try To Rob Two Stores Across From Police HQ? Ask Little Ferry PD "This is a robbery, give me all your Oxy pills and Percocet,” read the note a would-be robber handed to a female pharmacist at a CVS in Little Ferry. “Otherwise my boys are coming in.” The unarmed bandit might have succeeded had he not chosen a target DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET from police HQ. It was shortly before noon Wednesday, Feb. 21, when Santiago Munoz-Pelaez entered the Liberty Street CVS in a blue hoodie, batting gloves and a mask covering his nose and mouth, Little Ferry Police Chief James Walters said. The pharmacist backed up after reading the note and told Munoz-Pelaez, 25, of…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Brazen Looters Ram Stolen Truck Through Window Of Route 46 Thrift Store Brazen Looters Ram Stolen Truck Through Window Of Route 46 Thrift Store
Brazen Looters Ram Stolen Truck Through Window Of Route 46 Thrift Store A group of masked burglars looted a new thrift store off Route 46 in Little Ferry by ramming a pickup they’d just stolen through the front window before dawn Wednesday. The quartet hopped out wearing gloves and hoodies and quickly snatched up mostly handbags at Ron’s Buy Sell Trade after the crash bent a metal security gate around 2 a.m. Dec. 20, Little Ferry Police Chief James Walters said. The bandits then sped off east on the highway in a black Dodge Challenger, leaving behind the pickup stolen moments earlier from outside the Ridgefield Park home of an employee for a landscaping company…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Route 46 Jaywalker Nearly Hit By Patrol Unit Fights Little Ferry Police: Chief Route 46 Jaywalker Nearly Hit By Patrol Unit Fights Little Ferry Police: Chief
Route 46 Jaywalker Nearly Hit By Patrol Unit Fights Little Ferry Police: Chief A Clifton man who was nearly hit by a patrol car as he jaywalked along Route 46 overnight fought Little Ferry police before being subdued, authorities said. Officer James Serio had to quickly switch lanes to avoid hitting Mark Rodriguez, 35, at 1:45 a.m. Friday, Aug 4, Police Chief James Walters said.Lt. John Andronaco, who witnessed the incident, stopped Rodriguez for questioning  Rodriguez, who wasn't carrying identification, gave the name Victor Rivera and a different birth date than his, adding that he'd "been arrested in the past and should be in our system," Walter…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Blood-Soaked Remains Fished From Little Ferry Lake Not Human: Authorities Blood-Soaked Remains Fished From Little Ferry Lake Not Human: Authorities
Blood-Soaked Remains Fished From Little Ferry Lake Not Human: Authorities Remains found in a lake and trash can in Little Ferry on Friday weren't human, authorities said. A witness produced a video the afternoon of June 30 of a woman dressed all in black tossing a black bag into Indian Lake with blood dripping from it, Little Ferry Police Chief James Walters said. The woman -- who was described only as Middle Eastern -- then left, he said. A similar bag was retrieved from a nearby trash can, the chief said. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification examined the remains, took blood samples and declared them animal, not human, he said. What t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Little Ferry Ex-Con Charged With Pistol-Whipping, Robbing Teen Of $10G Cash, $18G Gold Chain Little Ferry Ex-Con Charged With Pistol-Whipping, Robbing Teen Of $10G Cash, $18G Gold Chain
Little Ferry Ex-Con Charged With Pistol-Whipping, Robbing Teen Of $10G Cash, $18G Gold Chain A Little Ferry ex-con was charged with pistol-whipping an Elmwood Park teenager and robbing him of what the victim said was a huge amount of cash and jewelry. The 19-year-old victim had gone to the Washington Avenue home of Anton Pettway, 44, to collect belongings that he'd left behind when his teenage friend -- Pettway's stepson -- was arrested earlier in the day, Police Chief James Walters said. The teen told responding Officers Dominick Verdi, Joseph Montemurro and Dean Steinhilber that Pettway hit him at least a half-dozen times with a gun, took his wallet -- which he claimed held $10,0…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Would-Be Robber, 14, Brandishes Handgun After Pickup Hits Dirt Bike Rider: Little Ferry PD Would-Be Robber, 14, Brandishes Handgun After Pickup Hits Dirt Bike Rider: Little Ferry PD
Would-Be Robber, 14, Brandishes Handgun After Pickup Hits Dirt Bike Rider: Little Ferry PD A 14-year-old boy pulled a gun in a failed attempt to rob a dirt bike in Little Ferry after his companion knocked the victim to the ground with his pickup truck, authorities said. Anthony Conyers, 19, was driving the pickup that struck the 20-year-old victim as he turned the dirt bike onto Rose Street from Mehrhof Road, Police Chief James Walters said. The young boy was wearing a ski mask and a hoodie when he got out of the truck, showed the victim a handgun in his waistband and snatched the bike, the chief said. The victim ran off and dialed 911 while the young robber unsuccessful tried t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Motel Guest Covered In Lotion Rescued From Knife-Wielding Woman At Little Ferry Motel: Police Motel Guest Covered In Lotion Rescued From Knife-Wielding Woman At Little Ferry Motel: Police
Motel Guest Covered In Lotion Rescued From Knife-Wielding Woman At Little Ferry Motel: Police Little Ferry police rescued a motel guest from Hackensack from a knife-wielding Englewood woman who covered him in lotion and held him against his will, authorities said. Responding officers two people arguing loudly on the other side of the room door when they arrived at the Capri Inn, Police Chief James Walters said. Desarey Victoria Hutchison, 31, who records show has a history of stalking arrests, initially refused to open the door, the chief said. She finally relented but was “extremely irate and screaming," he said. The officers found the 35-year-old victim covered head-to-toe in lo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Law & Odor: K9 Sniffs Out Crack, Loaded Gun During Route 46 Stop In Little Ferry Law & Odor: K9 Sniffs Out Crack, Loaded Gun During Route 46 Stop In Little Ferry
Law & Odor: K9 Sniffs Out Crack, Loaded Gun During Route 46 Stop In Little Ferry A motorist who refused to let a Little Ferry officer search his SUV following a stop on Route 46 was arrested, authorities said, after a police dog led his partner to crack and a loaded gun. Officer James Serio stopped the 2012 Honda CRV with dark-tinted windows after the registration came up suspended during a quick computer check shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, Police Chief James Walters said. The driver -- identified as Reynaldo Perez, 41, of North Bergen -- began "aimlessly looking through the same documents" when he was asked for and couldn't produce the necessary paperwork, Se…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Out-Of-State Driver Tases Owner Of Little Ferry Impound Lot, Police Charge Out-Of-State Driver Tases Owner Of Little Ferry Impound Lot, Police Charge
Out-Of-State Driver Tases Owner Of Little Ferry Impound Lot, Police Charge An out-of-state driver zapped the owner of a Little Ferry impound lot with a stun gun when he couldn't get his car back, authorities charged. Leon Henry, 29, of Wilmington, NC, had been stopped and issued summonses early Monday, Dec. 12, for, among other offenses, having fictitious plates and driving an unregistered vehicle, Little Ferry Police Chief James Walters said. The license plate on the 2018 Dodge Challenger had a blacked-out frame over it, Walters said. Officer Joseph Convery also immediately spotted a long knife on the passenger seat after stopping Henry on westbound Route 46, th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ex-Con With Violent History Jailed After Fighting Little Ferry Police At HQ Ex-Con With Violent History Jailed After Fighting Little Ferry Police At HQ
Ex-Con With Violent History Jailed After Fighting Little Ferry Police At HQ A violent ex-con from Carlstadt who spent several years in state prison for robbing a group of tourists at knifepoint assaulted Little Ferry police at their headquarters over the weekend, authorities said. Scott Recanati, 50, had gone there Saturday afternoon, Sept. 24, to complain about a victim whom he was under a court order not to contact, Police Chief James Walters said. What he may or may not have known was that the victim had just shown police text messages that he’d sent that same day, the chief said. When Officers Joseph Montemurro and Officer Max Katzner told Recanati they'd hav…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Driver Stopped For Tinted Glass, Phone Use Also Had Loaded Gun, Hollow Points: Little Ferry PD Driver Stopped For Tinted Glass, Phone Use Also Had Loaded Gun, Hollow Points: Little Ferry PD
Driver Stopped For Tinted Glass, Phone Use Also Had Loaded Gun, Hollow Points: Little Ferry PD An out-of-state motorist who was stopped for talking on his cellphone had a gun loaded with hollow-point bullets in a high-capacity magazine in his glove compartment, Little Ferry police said. Officer James Serio spotted the 2017 Acura sedan with tinted windows in the area of eastbound Route 46 and Bergen Turnpike shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday, Police Chief James Walters said. Serio activated his lights and siren, stopping the vehicle on the other side of the Hackensack River bridge in Ridgefield Park, he said. Jamir Budd, 21, of Virginia Beach, VA, had a driver's license on him and proo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Peeping Tom Strikes Again At Apartment Complex Along Hackensack River, Police Charge Peeping Tom Strikes Again At Apartment Complex Along Hackensack River, Police Charge
Peeping Tom Strikes Again At Apartment Complex Along Hackensack River, Police Charge A man who was banned from an apartment complex along the Hackensack River after he was caught peeking into windows was back at it, authorities charged. Joshua Purvis, 22, was arrested after Little Ferry police received a call of a peeping Tom at the Waterside Village Apartments beneath the Route 46 bridge shortly after midnight Tuesday, April 5, Chief James Walters said. Purvis, who lives on nearby Liberty Street, was previously banned from the property after surveillance footage showed him “peering through windows and attempting to open them to gain entry,” the chief said. Responding to t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Convicted Felon From Garfield Caught With Loaded Gun Hidden In Vehicle 'Trap': Little Ferry PD Convicted Felon From Garfield Caught With Loaded Gun Hidden In Vehicle 'Trap': Little Ferry PD
Convicted Felon From Garfield Caught With Loaded Gun Hidden In Vehicle 'Trap': Little Ferry PD A Little Ferry police lieutenant nabbed a convicted felon from Garfield with a loaded gun stashed in a hidden compartment of his vehicle, authorities said. Lt. John Andronaco spotted the 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee parked on Redneck Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday, March 12, Police Chief James Walters said. The driver -- Raul Leguen, 42 -- "appeared startled, quickly looking down," the chief said. The vehicle's rear license plate also was covered by snow, he said. Leguen pulled out, turned the vehicle around and passed Adronaco, who ran a computer check that showed the owner wanted on a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Homeless Burglar Caught In Closed Route 46 Business Assaults Police: Authorities Homeless Burglar Caught In Closed Route 46 Business Assaults Police: Authorities
Homeless Burglar Caught In Closed Route 46 Business Assaults Police: Authorities A homeless woman who'd broken into a closed business assaulted a Little Ferry police officer before being taken into custody, authorities said. The owner called police after surveillance cameras showed Quiana Williams, 45, inside the Route 46 building around 10 a.m. Thursday, Police Chief James Walters said. Responding officers found Williams on the second floor. She said she was looking for someone, Walters said. Officer Angelo Ratto and Lt. Michael Derwin told her she was under arrest, but she resisted, kicking Ratto and scratching his face with her fingernails, the chief said. The 5-fo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NOT THIS TIME: Would-Be Gas Station Robber Body-Slammed By Route 46 Attendant, Police Say NOT THIS TIME: Would-Be Gas Station Robber Body-Slammed By Route 46 Attendant, Police Say
NOT This Time: Would-Be Gas Station Robber Body-Slammed By Route 46 Attendant, Police Say A self-described crackhead got a surprise when he tried robbing a Route 46 gas station with a sharpened mop handle and instead got body-slammed by the attendant, authorities said. Two Good Samaritans helped hold down Dwayne Fain, 53, after the attendant at the Enrite station on the highway's eastbound side at Liberty Street blew up his plans, Little Ferry Police Chief James Walters said. Fain, an Ohio native who apparently had been staying at a nearby hotel in South Hackensack, spent eight days in the Bergen County Jail earlier this month following his arrest for a pair of armed burglaries…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Little Ferry Police K-9 Unit Turns Up 150 Heroin Folds During Route 46 Stop Little Ferry Police K-9 Unit Turns Up 150 Heroin Folds During Route 46 Stop
Little Ferry Police K-9 Unit Turns Up 150 Heroin Folds During Route 46 Stop A Ridgefield Park driver was busted by Little Ferry police with 150 folds of heroin after he was stopped for tailgating on Route 46, authorities said. Osman Hoti, 40, denied Officer Joseph Convery consent to search the 1999 Honda, so he alerted Lt. John Andronaco, who responded with K-9 Timmy, Police Chief James Walters said. Hoti "showed signs of extreme nervousness," the chief said. "His hand were shaking uncontrollably." He then told Convery that he'd gone food shopping in Paterson for his sick parents, Waters said, adding that the entire stop was recorded on the officer's body camera. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Fire Consumes Little Ferry Auto Body Shop Fire Consumes Little Ferry Auto Body Shop
Fire Consumes Little Ferry Auto Body Shop A worker was injured when a fierce fire blew through an auto body shop Saturday afternoon in Little Ferry, authorities said. The blaze broke out at Chizzy's Truck & Auto Repair on Bergen Turnpike off Route 46 around 2 p.m. It quickly went to two alarms. A worker sustained minor burns and was having trouble breathing, Police Chief James Walters said. Firefighters continued dousing flames.DAILY VOICE Several area departments provided mutual aid either at the scene or in coverage -- among them, Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Wallington, Moonachie and Ridge…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Sleeping Homeowner Woken By Burglar In Bedroom Holds Him For Police, Little Ferry PD Says Sleeping Homeowner Woken By Burglar In Bedroom Holds Him For Police, Little Ferry PD Says
Sleeping Homeowner Woken By Burglar In Bedroom Holds Him For Police, Little Ferry PD Says A Little Ferry homeowner who awoke to find a burglar in his bedroom seized the intruder and held him for police, authorities said. The 32-year-old victim told police he awoke around 6 a.m. Sunday to find Joshua Purvis, 21, in the bedroom of his Kaufman Avenue home, Police Chief James Walters said. He chased Purvis into the basement and seized him there while his wife dialed 911, the chief said. Officers Dominick Verdi and Chris Nepil took custody of Purvis, who was charged with burglary and theft. He was then released under New Jersey's 2017 bail reform law while awaiting a first appearan…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Authorities: PA Fugitive Nabbed With Bogus Docs At Little Ferry Bank Authorities: PA Fugitive Nabbed With Bogus Docs At Little Ferry Bank
Authorities: PA Fugitive Nabbed With Bogus Docs At Little Ferry Bank A Pennsylvania fugitive was carrying bank receipts in different names when Little Ferry police nabbed him at a local branch, authorities said. Police were called when Ian James, 37, of the Bronx tried to make a transaction -- which he said was to help pay child support -- Thursday afternoon at the TD Bank on Main Street, Chief James Walters said. James gave a bogus name, Social Security number and driver's license from Georgia when officers arrived, Walters said Friday. They fingerprinted him and and found an extraditable warrant out of Harrisburg, as well as another bogus driver's license…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Snow-Stuck Little Ferry Driver Burns To Death After Refusing To Let Off Gas Snow-Stuck Little Ferry Driver Burns To Death After Refusing To Let Off Gas
Snow-Stuck Little Ferry Driver Burns To Death After Refusing To Let Off Gas Police tried in vain to rescue a Little Ferry driver who was killed when his SUV went up in flames as he tried to drive out of a snowbank Wednesday morning. Responding to a call from a borough DPW worker, Little Ferry Police Officer Joseph Convery found a Mazda CX-5 that jumped a parking divider and got stuck in the snow near the soccer field off Mehrhof Road shortly after 9 a.m., Police Chief James Walters said. The 62-year-old borough driver was flooring the accelerator when Convery – who’s also a borough firefighter -- started banging on the window trying to get him to stop, Walters said…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
CAUGHT! Little Ferry Officer Dragged By Jeep, Fleeing Driver Captured With Armful Of THC Oil CAUGHT! Little Ferry Officer Dragged By Jeep, Fleeing Driver Captured With Armful Of THC Oil
Caught! Little Ferry Officer Dragged By Jeep, Fleeing Driver Captured With Armful Of THC Oil A Little Ferry driver who dragged a police officer with his Jeep while fleeing a traffic stop was found hiding in the basement laundry room of a garden apartment complex with dozens of vials of THC oil, authorities said. Eric Williams, 21, had 55 vials of the synthetic drug and a bag of pot in the Jeep when Officers James Serio and Joseph Convery pulled him over on Main Street for running a stop sign near his home Friday night, Police Chief James Walters said. After spotting the bundled canisters on the passenger-seat floor, the officers asked Williams to get out of the vehicle, Walters sai…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Little Ferry Police Stop Turns Up More Than Three Pounds Of Pot, Motel Packing Operation Little Ferry Police Stop Turns Up More Than Three Pounds Of Pot, Motel Packing Operation
Little Ferry Police Stop Turns Up More Than Three Pounds Of Pot, Motel Packing Operation A Little Ferry police sergeant turned up more than three pounds of pot after stopping a Paterson driver, authorities said. Sgt. John Andronaco stopped a 2002 Honda Civic driven by Jermal Hogan, 27, after he ignored a stop sign on Bergen Turnpike at Lakeview Avenue shortly before midnight Tuesday, Police Chief James Walters said. Adronaco -- who was joined by Officers Michael Lee and Joseph Convery -- noticed a strong odor of marijuana when he approached the car "despite the window only being partially open," Walters said. The odor got stronger when Hogan rolled the window down, he said. H…

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by Jerry DeMarco