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Richard H. Berdnik

Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff
Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff A stolen handgun, dozens of vials of crack, more than 125 heroin folds and more were seized by Passaic County sheriff’s detectives and Haledon police during a joint operation. Members of the strike force hit a pair of apartments, one on Mangold Street near Belmont Avenue in Haledon and the other at the corner of Garrison and Marion streets in Paterson, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said Wednesday, Sept. 27. Detectives from the sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics and the borough seized a 2018 Ford Fusion along with the drugs, the gun and more than $25,000 in cash following a month-long…
Passaic Man, 43, Charged With Using Google, Whats App To Collect 450 Child Porn Videos Passaic Man, 43, Charged With Using Google, Whats App To Collect 450 Child Porn Videos
Passaic Man, 43, Charged With Using Google, Whats App To Collect 450 Child Porn Videos A 43-year-old Passaic man apparently thought he could traffic more than 450 child pornography videos on Google and WhatsApp without being caught, authorities said. Jorge Avilavelez was arrested earlier this week following an investigation by the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crime Against Children Task Force in tandem with the county prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit. He's remained held in the Bergen County Jail, charged with three various counts of child endangerment and two counts of obstruction. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik jointl…
Passaic Sheriff's Deputies Seize Pound Of Pure Coke, Ghost Gun, More Passaic Sheriff's Deputies Seize Pound Of Pure Coke, Ghost Gun, More
Passaic Sheriff's Deputies Seize Pound Of Pure Coke, Ghost Gun, More Passaic County sheriff’s detectives seized nearly a pound of pure cocaine, a ghost gun and more than $21,000 in alleged drug proceeds while arresting a Little Falls resident, authorities said. Victor M. Miranda, 48, ran a drug mill from his Newark Pompton Turnpike apartment while running coke with his car, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Working with Little Falls police, the sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics detectives followed Miranda from his home to Paterson, where he sold cocaine to a local resident on Thursday, May 25, the sheriff said. That man, Ramon Rivera, 53, was arre…
13-Year-Old Paterson Drug Dealer Caught Packing A Pistol, Passaic County Sheriff Says 13-Year-Old Paterson Drug Dealer Caught Packing A Pistol, Passaic County Sheriff Says
13-Year-Old Paterson Drug Dealer Caught Packing A Pistol, Passaic County Sheriff Says A 13-year-old Paterson drug dealer was carrying a loaded gun when Passaic County sheriff's officers busted him and a customer from Bergen County on a city street corner, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Adam Sanchez, 27, of East Rutherford, had just pulled up in a Volkwagen when Passaic County Sheriff's Officer Peter Pelle and Ashraf Aburoumi approached them at the corner of Summer Street and Van Houten Avenue, the sheriff said. The juvenile admitted having the weapon, which turned out to be a 9mm Ruger P65DC loaded with eight rounds of ball-point ammo, he said. The gun…
Passaic Sheriff's Detectives Searching For Fugitives Make Drug Bust Passaic Sheriff's Detectives Searching For Fugitives Make Drug Bust
Passaic Sheriff's Detectives Searching For Fugitives Make Drug Bust Two Paterson men were busted by Passaic County sheriff’s detectives near one of the city’s most notorious drug corners. Detectives Chaz Gonzalez and Luis Pagan of the Fugitive Warrant Division moved in after seeing Tavon Greene, 26, and Nicholas Soto, 33, make a drug deal in the doorway of Dylan Mini Market at the corner of Carroll and Governor streets, Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Greene had 93 heroin folds and Soto had 15 – all stamped “Malibu,” the sheriff said. Greene also had $843 in suspected proceeds in small bills, he said. Both were charged with drug-related counts and sent t…
Prosecutors Seek To Keep $50G Seized From Woman Charged With 19,000 Oxy Pills, Meth, More Prosecutors Seek To Keep $50G Seized From Woman Charged With 19,000 Oxy Pills, Meth, More
Prosecutors Seek To Keep $50G Seized From Woman Charged With 19,000 Oxy Pills, Meth, More Prosecutors in Passaic County have asked a judge to let them keep nearly $50,000 seized from a woman charged with having more than 19,000 Oxycodone pills and 10 pounds of meth, among other drugs. Passaic County sheriff's detectives reported finding Lina Munoz-Cubillos of Paterson carrying 4,990 Oxy pills in her backpack during a permitted search after they stopped a taxi she was riding in on May 11. Munoz-Cubillos had been identified as a suspect "as part of an ongoing investigation" by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Before they…
Four Nabbed With 200 Heroin Folds, Crack, Two Handguns, Passaic Sheriff Says Four Nabbed With 200 Heroin Folds, Crack, Two Handguns, Passaic Sheriff Says
Four Nabbed With 200 Heroin Folds, Crack, Two Handguns, Passaic Sheriff Says Sheriff's officers arrested four men and seized more than 200 heroin folds, 44 bags of crack and two handguns after watching a drug deal go down in Paterson, authorities said. The arrests and seizures come amid an announcement by Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik that his Quality of Life squad will furnish four officers a day from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. seven days a week to answer public calls in Paterson. Narcotics detectives using undercover vehicles were watching the area of East 19th Street between 17th Avenue and Market Street when a white Sprinter van driven by Julio Dela-Cruz, 44, …
GOTCHA! Fugitive Accused Of Trying To Run Down Clifton Police Officer Captured In Belleville GOTCHA! Fugitive Accused Of Trying To Run Down Clifton Police Officer Captured In Belleville
Gotcha! Fugitive Accused Of Trying To Run Down Clifton Police Officer Captured In Belleville A fugitive wanted for hitting a Clifton police officer with his car was captured in Belleville by a Passaic County sheriff's detective and U.S. Marshals. Alberto Maymi-Sepulveda, 42, of Clifton, was exiting the Bank of America on Washington Street when Detective Luis Pagan and his federal companions snatched him up on Wednesday, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Maymi-Sepulveda had eluded a manhunt for just over a month. Officers were responding to a June 18 report of a possible crime in progress on Valley Road near Gillies Street, Clifton Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said la…
40 Newly-Minted Sheriff's Officers To Hit Passaic County's Streets, Sheriff Says 40 Newly-Minted Sheriff's Officers To Hit Passaic County's Streets, Sheriff Says
40 Newly-Minted Sheriff's Officers To Hit Passaic County's Streets, Sheriff Says Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik is instantly adding 40 officers to the streets amid the closing of the county jail to new inmates. The group is made of corrections officers who otherwise would have been laid off, said Berdnik, who’d promised there’d be no job losses once the jail is closed. The sheriff plans to swear them to their new positions at his Wayne headquarters on Thursday, March 31. The move “expands the number of officers deployed throughout Passaic County,” he said. The officers will be on foot, in parks and in vehicles, targeting crime-prone “hot spots” in the count…
Passaic Sheriff: Ex-Con From PA Caught Carrying Loaded Gun In Crack Bust Passaic Sheriff: Ex-Con From PA Caught Carrying Loaded Gun In Crack Bust
Passaic Sheriff: Ex-Con From PA Caught Carrying Loaded Gun In Crack Bust An ex-con from Pennsylvania was carrying a loaded gun when Passaic County sheriff's detectives arrested him and a Paterson crack dealer, authorities said. Suprena Whitaker, 54, had an ounce of the drug with her when she was busted along with Dante Day, 39, of Steelton, PA, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Investigators also seized $382 in drug money, the sheriff said. Whitaker was charged with various drug offenses and Day with weapons counts, including having hollow-point ammo and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, he said. Both were sent to the Passaic County Jail…
Passaic County Sheriff: Drug Detectives Nab Pair Of Older Dealers Passaic County Sheriff: Drug Detectives Nab Pair Of Older Dealers
Passaic County Sheriff: Drug Detectives Nab Pair Of Older Dealers Passaic County sheriff's detectives grabbed one Paterson man with several ounces of crack and another as he tried to flush more drugs, authorities said. Narcotics Bureau investigators followed and arrested Eric Seegers, 62, after watching Shawn Nero, 48, conduct business outside Nero's Madison Street apartment, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Seegers was carrying 6½ ounces of crack and $1,400 in suspected drug proceeds, the sheriff said. The detectives then doubled back to Nero's. Seeing them at the door, he rushed back into the apartment and tried to destroy the remaining…
GOTCHA! Fugitive Nabbed Outside Travel Agency Had 500 Heroin Bags, Passaic County Sheriff Says GOTCHA! Fugitive Nabbed Outside Travel Agency Had 500 Heroin Bags, Passaic County Sheriff Says
Gotcha! Fugitive Nabbed Outside Travel Agency Had 500 Heroin Bags, Passaic County Sheriff Says A fugitive was carrying more than 500 heroin folds when he was captured by Passaic County sheriff's detectives, authorities said. Mark D. Johnson, 38, of Paterson was wanted on drug charges when members of his Fugitive Warrant Squad nabbed him in front of a Main Street travel agency, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. They found Johnson carrying a black plastic bag filled with the folds -- worth about $3,000 on the street -- in his front sweatshirt pocket, the sheriff said. Johnson was sent to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing C…
Three Caught, One Sought: Passaic Sheriff's Detectives Seize More Than 16,000 Heroin Folds Three Caught, One Sought: Passaic Sheriff's Detectives Seize More Than 16,000 Heroin Folds
Three Caught, One Sought: Passaic Sheriff's Detectives Seize More Than 16,000 Heroin Folds A manhunt was underway for a 20-year-old drug defendant from Paterson who nearly struck a Passaic County sheriff’s detective with his vehicle and then tossed bricks of heroin out the window as he fled before crashing in Hawthorne, authorities said. The wanted man, Jahmahli Carnegie, was one of three defendants who bought heroin for distribution from Kasheem Smith, 28, near his North 7th Street home, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. In Carnegie's car police found some more heroin, $1,231 in proceeds and his NJ Motor Vehicle Commission ID card, the sheriff said. A search of S…
Passaic Sheriff: Man Caught Throwing Block Through Forensics Office Window Passaic Sheriff: Man Caught Throwing Block Through Forensics Office Window
Passaic Sheriff: Man Caught Throwing Block Through Forensics Office Window A repeat offender with a lengthy criminal history was arrested Thursday after he threw a concrete block through the front windows of the Passaic County Sheriff's forensic investigations unit, authorities said. A witness pointed officers to Carl Belton, 50, after the window at the Bureau of Criminal Identification near the Passaic County Jail at Marshall and Grand street was smashed, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Surveillance video confirmed that it was him, the sheriff said. Belton had outstanding warrants from Bloomfield (drinking in public), Trenton (the same, plus diso…
Sheriff: OD In Wayne Leads Detectives 1,360 Heroin Folds, Stolen Gun, Arrest Of Paterson Man Sheriff: OD In Wayne Leads Detectives 1,360 Heroin Folds, Stolen Gun, Arrest Of Paterson Man
Sheriff: OD In Wayne Leads Detectives 1,360 Heroin Folds, Stolen Gun, Arrest Of Paterson Man A non-fatal overdose in Wayne led Passaic County sheriff’s detectives to a basement apartment in Paterson where they said they seized 1,360 heroin folds, a stolen gun and the man who lives there. Sheriff’s detectives working with their Wayne colleagues watched Kirk Douglas Jr., 23, sell to buyers over the course of two months before raiding the Pearl Street apartment with a warrant on Wednesday, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. They found the heroin along with a loaded Kel-Tec .380-caliber handgun that was reported stolen from Weatherly, PA, the sheriff said. The estimated …
Passaic Sheriff's Officers Thwart Escape Attempt By Reputed Gang Member Passaic Sheriff's Officers Thwart Escape Attempt By Reputed Gang Member
Passaic Sheriff's Officers Thwart Escape Attempt By Reputed Gang Member A member of a violent gang blamed for flooding the streets with lethal heroin escaped from custody but was captured by Passaic County sheriff's officers, authorities said. It was shortly before 7:30 a.m. when reputed Crips member Andre White, 44, made a break for it while being treated for an undisclosed injury at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. White was in custody awaiting trial following a major takedown by city and state authorities last fall of leaders, members and associates of the "42-50" subset of the Crips street gang in Paterson. The crew is…
Sheriff: Paterson Man, 22, Caught Dealing Child Sex Abuse Videos Sheriff: Paterson Man, 22, Caught Dealing Child Sex Abuse Videos
Sheriff: Paterson Man, 22, Caught Dealing Child Sex Abuse Videos A 22-year-old Paterson man was caught selling child sex-abuse videos and images that he’d stored on several clouds, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Detectives this week raided the home of Yzaiah D. Gimenez following a nine-month investigation, Berdnik said. They arrested Gimenez and seized several cellphones that were being forensically examined, the sheriff said. Giminez, who’s unemployed, was sent to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson on two counts each of two counts each of maintaining and distributing chi…
GOTCHA! Passaic Sheriff's Officer Captures Armed Attempted Murder Fugitive GOTCHA! Passaic Sheriff's Officer Captures Armed Attempted Murder Fugitive
Gotcha! Passaic Sheriff's Officer Captures Armed Attempted Murder Fugitive A Paterson fugitive wanted on an attempted murder charge in Perth Amboy was carrying a handgun when he was captured by a Passaic County sheriff’s officer, authorities said. Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Fajardo found Samuel A. Zarzuela, 20, behind the wheel of a Honda Accord illegally parked near a stop sign on Redwood Avenue, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. While speaking with him and Alberto R. Rosario-DeJesus, 19, the sergeant smelled raw marijuana, Berdnik said. A search of the car turned up a Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm handgun. Also found was a small amount of pot, along with a digital s…
Sheriff: Church Bell Ringer Who Played On Celine Dion CD Caught With Child Porn Sheriff: Church Bell Ringer Who Played On Celine Dion CD Caught With Child Porn
Sheriff: Church Bell Ringer Who Played On Celine Dion CD Caught With Child Porn A Passaic County sheriff’s security guard who’s also been a church handbell ringer for more than a quarter of a century was charged with having dozens of child porn images on his computer. Brian Tricoli, 49, of Hawthorne “self-reported a computer issue that he believed was related to possible child pornography that was stored on his computer,” Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Tricoli "turned over his computer and phone to detectives at that time and was suspended with pay on June 12 while detectives continued the investigation,” Berdnik said. “Detectives using several tools available to l…
Convicted Child Porn Trafficker From Paterson Busted Again Convicted Child Porn Trafficker From Paterson Busted Again
Convicted Child Porn Trafficker From Paterson Busted Again A Paterson man who spent three years in state custody for trafficking child porn was arrested by Passaic County sheriff’s officers on similar charges Thursday. Raul O. Alarcon, 32, had 150 or so child porn images on his phone when detectives raided his residence, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Members of Berdnik’s Internet Crime Against Children Task Force began investigating after receiving a tip in February that Alarcon had sent an illegal image via instant message, the sheriff said. Detectives seized both his phone and digital camera, Berdnik said, adding that they wil…
Authorities: West Milford Man, Underage Boy Exchanged Sexual Images Of Each Other Authorities: West Milford Man, Underage Boy Exchanged Sexual Images Of Each Other
Authorities: West Milford Man, Underage Boy Exchanged Sexual Images Of Each Other A West Milford man sent sexually explicit images to an underage boy and had him do the same, authorities said. New York State Police alerted authorities in Passaic County to Tekanand V. Singh, 28, who they said began messaging the boy after meeting him online. Singh “sent the victim photographs of himself” and “requested the victim engage in sexual acts [that] he instructed should be recorded and sent to him,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said in a joint release. “All images were obtained by law enforcement,” they added. Si…
Passaic County Sheriff's Officer Defuses Standoff When Suspect Reaches Into Waistband Passaic County Sheriff's Officer Defuses Standoff When Suspect Reaches Into Waistband
Passaic County Sheriff's Officer Defuses Standoff When Suspect Reaches Into Waistband A standoff was avoided after a suspect approached by a Passaic County sheriff’s officer in a notorious Paterson drug neighborhood before dawn reached into his waistband, authorities said. Tremain Murphy, 37, was standing in a Carroll Street doorway near Governor Street when Officer Angelo Calabro approached him shortly after 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Murphy reached into his waistband and refused several of the officer’s orders to remove his hands, Berdnik said. After grabbing Murphy, Calabro patted him down, found him carrying 47 vials of crack and nine heroin fo…
Passaic Sheriff’s Officers Nab Paterson Pair With Loaded Guns In Predawn Pullover Passaic Sheriff’s Officers Nab Paterson Pair With Loaded Guns In Predawn Pullover
Passaic Sheriff’s Officers Nab Paterson Pair With Loaded Guns In Predawn Pullover Passaic County sheriff’s officers found two men -- one of them an ex-con -- carrying loaded guns during a traffic stop overnight in Paterson, authorities said. Officers Angelo Calabro and Mathew Baskinger stopped a silver Mercedes Benz E-Class with an obstructed windshield at Washington Avenue and Ellison Street shortly after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Rear passenger Mark Jackson, 27, who was holding an open bottle of Hennessey cognac made a “quick hand movement near his pants pocket,” Berdnik said. Suspecting he might be armed, Calabro ordered Jackson out of the…
Sheriff: 'Screenshot Of Indirect Threat' Boosts Police Presence At Passaic County Tech Sheriff: 'Screenshot Of Indirect Threat' Boosts Police Presence At Passaic County Tech
Sheriff: 'Screenshot Of Indirect Threat' Boosts Police Presence At Passaic County Tech An incident that a law enforcement official is calling a "screenshot of an indirect threat" at Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne was deemed not credible. Thursday's PCIT threat -- which resulted in an increased police presence Friday -- was separate from another at Morris County School of Technology in Denville. The Morris County campus was in lockdown for nearly two hours Friday morning causing a domino effect of precautionary measures in surrounding districts. "Out of an abundance of caution, we increased patrols in and around the school and are closely monitoring the situation,…
Passaic Sheriff: Video Helps Nail Burglar Who Smashed Car Windows, Took Purse, Other Valuables Passaic Sheriff: Video Helps Nail Burglar Who Smashed Car Windows, Took Purse, Other Valuables
Passaic Sheriff: Video Helps Nail Burglar Who Smashed Car Windows, Took Purse, Other Valuables Surveillance video from nearby businesses helped Passaic County sheriff's detectives identify and charge an ex-con who they said smashed the windows of two separate vehicles and stole a purse and other valuables. The first break-in occurred overnight in January on Market Street, Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said, after 40-year-old Jose L. Rosario of Paterson smashed a car window with a brick and swiped the purse, containing a wallet with several credit cards and personal documents. One video showed Rosario smashing the window and hiding the purse under his coat, while another showed him atte…