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Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes

Police & Fire
West Milford Councilman Charged With Inappropriately Touching Victim At Local Home: Prosecutor West Milford Councilman Charged With Inappropriately Touching Victim At Local Home: Prosecutor
West Milford Councilman Charged With Inappropriately Touching Victim At Local Home: Prosecutor A West Milford councilman is facing charges after authorities said he sexually assaulted an adult. Matthew P. Conlon "touched the intimate part of an adult victim in an unwelcome and inappropriate manner" at a house in the township on Sunday, Feb. 4, a release from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes' office said on Thursday, Feb. 15. He has been charged via complaint summons with Fourth Degree Criminal Sexual Contact and Harassment, a Petty Disorderly Persons Offense, following an investigation conducted by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the We…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
HARDCORE AT 21: Paterson Ex-Con Charged In Separate Shootings After Prison Release HARDCORE AT 21: Paterson Ex-Con Charged In Separate Shootings After Prison Release
Hardcore AT 21: Paterson Ex-Con Charged In Separate Shootings After Prison Release A 21-year-old ex-con from Paterson who’s already spent three years behind bars had been free all of four months when he shot someone, then shot someone else while police searched for him this week, authorities charged. A SWAT team led a raid that ended a brief standoff at an Essex Street apartment in Paterson with Memphis Morales on Friday, Jan. 12, they said. Morales was previously convicted of a 2020 shooting and was incarcerated for three years before being released from New Jersey State Prison last May. Three months later, Morales shot a 34-year-old Secaucus man during a Sept. 17 robbe…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Hawthorne Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend Hawthorne Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend
Hawthorne Ex-Con Convicted Of Fatally Beating Gunman Who Shot His Friend Jurors in Paterson convicted a 40-year-old ex-con from Hawthorne of beating a city man to death moments after the victim had shot a friend of his. “I f–ked him up,” authorities said Tyheem Jones told police after he and three companions chased down and jumped Nicolas Reyes, then kicked, punched and pistol-whipped him near the corner of Auburn Street and Godwin Avenue on Aug. 27, 2020. Reyes died of his injuries at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson the very next day. “Evidence of the assault was captured on surveillance camera which depicted the entirety of the incident, wh…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
14-Year-Old Shot In Paterson 14-Year-Old Shot In Paterson
14-Year-Old Shot In Paterson A 14-year-old was wounded in the first of two shootings in Paterson just hours apart, authorities said. Police found the shot teen near the corner of Halpine and North 2nd streets shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi said in a joint announcement on Sunday. He was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, they said. It was less than four hours later when a 25-year-old man was found shot in the chest at the corner of Belmont Avenue and North 8th Street less than a dozen…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
KIDNAPPING: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized KIDNAPPING: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized
Kidnapping: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized An 11-year-old New Jersey girl was returned home safely after she was kidnapped in Wayne and taken to Delaware, authorities said. Darius Matylewich, 27, of Bear, DE. was captured on Sept. 10 after he took the girl earlier in the day from an undisclosed location near the confluence of Routes 46, 80 and 23 without her parents’ knowledge, they said. Certain specific details are being withheld to protect the identity of the child, whom authorities said Matylewich met while playing an online video game. Some information was provided in a joint release from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. V…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim
Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim A now-former Palisades Interstate Parkway police officer used information from a law enforcement database to stalk an individual in Passaic County, authorities charged. Amir Sikder, 22, of Paterson was able to find the victim in Wayne after tapping into the database, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff and Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Chief Steven Shallop said in a joint announcement on Friday, Oct. 6. Sikder was arrested in Totowa on Thursday by members of Valdes’s Public Integrity Unit following a probe with detectives from McNiff’s Criminal…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Two Men From Paterson, One From Elmwood Park Wounded In Silk City Shooting Two Men From Paterson, One From Elmwood Park Wounded In Silk City Shooting
Two Men From Paterson, One From Elmwood Park Wounded In Silk City Shooting A Labor Day weekend shooting in Paterson sent three men to the hospital. Police found two victims – one 28 from Elmwood Park and the other 33 from Paterson – while responding to a 2:40 a.m. call Sunday, Sept. 3, at Kearney Street and Union Avenue. Both were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center with wounds that weren’t considered life-threatening. Another man, 29, from Paterson apparently was wounded by gunfire a block and change down on Kearney Street, responders said. He arrived at St. Joe’s in a private vehicle with an injury that also wasn’t fatal, Passaic County Prosecutor …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Judge Rejects Release Of Morris Man Charged With Abducting, Raping Bergen 13-Year-Old Judge Rejects Release Of Morris Man Charged With Abducting, Raping Bergen 13-Year-Old
Judge Rejects Release Of Morris Man Charged With Abducting, Raping Bergen 13-Year-Old A 25-year-old Morris County man raped a 13-year-old Elmwood Park child he held captive in his vehicle in Paterson, authorities charged. A judge in Paterson denied Luis Campos of Lincoln Park release, ordering that he remain held pending trial on two charges of first-degree aggravated assault and one of first-degree kidnapping, among other counts, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said on Thursday, July 6. Elmwood Park police referred the complaint to members of the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit on Jan. 7, the same day of the alleged incident, Valdes said. Her detectives inter…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
FACE OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison FACE OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison
Face OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison A 67-year-old Ecuadorian national living in Paterson was sentenced to 44 years in state prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in her home. Julio Largo-Veletanga was convicted by a jury in Paterson last November of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, child endangerment and hindering his arrest. Under the sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli earlier this month, he'd have to serve 25 years before he could be eligible for parole. Largo-Veletanga has remained in custody since city police arrested him in May 2020. Detectives from the Pas…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Paterson Pedophile Who Repeatedly Raped Girl Starting At 7 Gets Plea-Bargained 14-Year Sentence Paterson Pedophile Who Repeatedly Raped Girl Starting At 7 Gets Plea-Bargained 14-Year Sentence
Paterson Pedophile Who Repeatedly Raped Girl Starting At 7 Gets Plea-Bargained 14-Year Sentence UPDATE: A Paterson pedophile who admitted that he repeatedly raped an underage girl for three years beginning when she was only seven was sentenced to a plea-bargained 14 years in state prison, authorities said. The rapes and other sexual assaults by James Jackson, Jr., 39, began in September 2012 and continued for three years at residences in Paterson, the victim told city police two years ago. Detectives from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes’s Special Victims Unit interviewed the then-16-year-old girl, as well as several witnesses, before arresting Jackson in April 2021. They …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Paterson Man, 62, Critical After Second Multi-Victim City Shooting In A Little Over 24 Hours Paterson Man, 62, Critical After Second Multi-Victim City Shooting In A Little Over 24 Hours
Paterson Man, 62, Critical After Second Multi-Victim City Shooting In A Little Over 24 Hours A 62-year-old Paterson man was critically wounded and a 15-year-old juvenile injured in a broad-daylight shooting, authorities said. Officers who rushed to the area after hearing gunshots found both victims near the corner of 10th Avenue and East 23rd Street shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro said. They were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson. Valdes and Ribeiro didn’t say whether any suspects had been arrested or identified. The shooting came fast on the heels of gun…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Wheelchair-Bound Shooting Victim From Paterson Shot Again Wheelchair-Bound Shooting Victim From Paterson Shot Again
Wheelchair-Bound Shooting Victim From Paterson Shot Again A 35-year-old man confined to a wheelchair from a previous shooting was critically wounded by gunfire in Paterson, authorities confirmed. The victim was shot multiple times at the five corners where Park Avenue and East 22nd Street meet shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro said in a joint release. The victim was immediately rushed in a private vehicle to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, the brief release says. Valdes and Ribeiro didn’t characterize the severity of the wounds, but responders s…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire UPDATE: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire
Update: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire A 95-year-old woman and two fellow residents – 71 and 65 – were identified Saturday as the victims found dead in a Clifton house fire. Three firefighters, a Clifton police officer and a fourth resident also were injured in the blaze in a corner house on Ladwick Lane at Renaissance Drive near Van Houten Avenue in the city’s Athenia section on Nov. 18, authorities said. Firefighters found two of the deceased victims on the second floor and another in the basement after the blaze broke out in the multi-family home around 7:30 p.m. Killed were: Helen Popovich, 95; Elaine Warga, 71; Steven W…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Body camera video proves that a now-former Paterson police officer beat a defenseless suspect with a flashlight and kneed him in the face in an apartment hallway, a grand jury indictment charges. Spencer Finch, 45, of Mahwah filed an official report maintaining that he needed to use force against what he claimed was a combative suspect, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The video from a fellow officer’s bodycam tells a different story, Valdes added. Finch – who was with the department for nearly 18 years -- is charged with aggravated assault, official misconduct, perjury, t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
One Dead, Another Injured In Paterson Shooting One Dead, Another Injured In Paterson Shooting
One Dead, Another Injured In Paterson Shooting Authorities were searching for a minivan with tinted windows after a man was killed and another wounded in a shooting in Paterson. Responding officers found the victims at the corner of Clinton Avenue and North 6th Street around 8 p.m. Sunday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said in a brief joint statement. The younger man, 36, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center a short time later, they said. A 56-year-old man was reported in stable condition. Valdes and Baycoar didn’t say whether any suspects had been arrest…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Passaic County Man Threatens To Kill Police Captain With Traffic Stop Ambush: Authorities Passaic County Man Threatens To Kill Police Captain With Traffic Stop Ambush: Authorities
Passaic County Man Threatens To Kill Police Captain With Traffic Stop Ambush: Authorities A Passaic County man was charged with threatening to lure a local police captain into a traffic stop so he could shoot him and chop his head off, authorities said. Jante Bagh, 41, called the Prospect Park Police Department on Tuesday and said he would lure the captain into a stop, “pop one in his head” and then cut it off, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Bagh, who lives in Prospect Park, was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats and harassment. He remained held Thursday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Cour…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Judge Refuses To Release Newark Defendant Charged With Shooting Jersey Shore Man In Paterson Judge Refuses To Release Newark Defendant Charged With Shooting Jersey Shore Man In Paterson
Judge Refuses To Release Newark Defendant Charged With Shooting Jersey Shore Man In Paterson A state judge refused to release a defendant from Newark who was captured in New York City and charged with shooting a Jersey Shore man following a robbery in Paterson. The 27-year-old Sea Bright victim was shot near the corner of Putnam Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard on Jan. 8, 2021. He sought treatment at Riverside Medical Center in Red Bank without telling city police, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said in a joint release. Red Bank police who were alerted to the shooting immediately notified their Paterson colleagues, they said.&n…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Ex-Con Charged In Horrific SUV Crash That Killed One, Injured Others In Paterson UPDATE: Ex-Con Charged In Horrific SUV Crash That Killed One, Injured Others In Paterson
Update: Ex-Con Charged In Horrific SUV Crash That Killed One, Injured Others In Paterson A Florida ex-con with a massive criminal record was driving an SUV that killed one pedestrian and injured several others in a horrific crash in downtown Paterson, authorities revealed. Harold Rasbin, 31, already had grand theft auto convictions on his record – as well as a string of arrests for burglary, resisting arrest and assault dating back to when he was 15 – when a police officer responding to a call of an attempted break-in spotted him shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Rasbin took off on foot, hopped into a Honda that had been left running on Oliver Street and sped off…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Passaic Man Gets 37 Years In Prison For Repeatedly Sexually Abusing Child Passaic Man Gets 37 Years In Prison For Repeatedly Sexually Abusing Child
Passaic Man Gets 37 Years In Prison For Repeatedly Sexually Abusing Child A Passaic man was sentenced to 37 years in prison for sexually abusing a young child over the course of three years. Gabriel Sunuc, 31, had rejected a deal from prosecutors, opting instead for a jury trial. He lost. The case presented to jurors in Paterson by Assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Alyssa DiSturco last fall included live testimony from the victim, the victim’s friend, mother and brother, a New Jersey State Police forensic scientist a detective from her office’s Special Victims Unit. The jury, in turn, convicted Sunuc of several aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault ch…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Prosecutor: Speeding SUV Kills One, Injures Others, Hits Parked Police Car In Downtown Paterson Prosecutor: Speeding SUV Kills One, Injures Others, Hits Parked Police Car In Downtown Paterson
Prosecutor: Speeding SUV Kills One, Injures Others, Hits Parked Police Car In Downtown Paterson UPDATE:  A Florida ex-con with a massive criminal record was driving an SUV that killed one pedestrian and injured several others in a horrific crash in downtown Paterson, authorities revealed. Harold Rasbin, 31, already had grand theft auto convictions on his record – as well as a string of arrests for burglary, resisting arrest and assault dating back to when he was 15 – when a police officer responding to a call of an attempted break-in spotted him shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Rasbin took off on foot, hopped into a Honda that had been left running on Oliver Street and…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
One Dead, Others Injured: Police Vehicle Struck In Chain-Reaction Paterson Crash One Dead, Others Injured: Police Vehicle Struck In Chain-Reaction Paterson Crash
One Dead, Others Injured: Police Vehicle Struck In Chain-Reaction Paterson Crash UPDATE: A Florida ex-con with a massive criminal record was driving an SUV that killed one pedestrian and injured several others in a horrific crash in downtown Paterson, authorities revealed. Harold Rasbin, 31, already had grand theft auto convictions on his record – as well as a string of arrests for burglary, resisting arrest and assault dating back to when he was 15 – when a police officer responding to a call of an attempted break-in spotted him shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Rasbin took off on foot, hopped into a Honda that had been left running on Oliver Street …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Trio Nabbed In Passaic Home Invasion Shooting: Prosecutor Trio Nabbed In Passaic Home Invasion Shooting: Prosecutor
Trio Nabbed In Passaic Home Invasion Shooting: Prosecutor Three people have been arrested in connection with a home invasion shooting that injured a 28-year-old Passaic man earlier this month, authorities said. Farad Anthony and Sahad Burgos, both 31 of Passaic, assaulted the victim and fired a handgun in his direction during the incident at home on Market and Morris streets just before 8 a.m. May 4, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The victim was not struck and was taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in a private vehicle for treatment of non life-threatening injuries, Valdes said alongside local police. Car…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Police: Just-Released Convict From Passaic Nabbed With Gun, Heroin For Sale, Torches Cell Police: Just-Released Convict From Passaic Nabbed With Gun, Heroin For Sale, Torches Cell
Police: Just-Released Convict From Passaic Nabbed With Gun, Heroin For Sale, Torches Cell Adonis Reyes had been free all of six weeks after serving 2½ years in state prison for a gun conviction when Passaic police investigating a shooting caught him with a loaded handgun and 265 heroin folds this past weekend, authorities said. Not only that: Reyes, 28, set fire to the holding cell at Passaic police headquarters and assaulted a city officer and EMT who tried to help him, they said. Police responding to a report of shots fired in the area of Main Avenue and Washington Place found Reyes in the passenger seat of a nearby motor vehicle shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, April 24, investi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
WHO IS HE? Police Try To ID Man Found Shot Dead Behind Paterson Library WHO IS HE? Police Try To ID Man Found Shot Dead Behind Paterson Library
WHO IS HE? Police Try To ID Man Found Shot Dead Behind Paterson Library Authorities were trying to identify a man found shot dead in the street behind the Paterson public library. Responding officers found the body on Van Houten Avenue between the library and the Edward W. Kilpatrick School shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said. Investigators were seeking witnesses who could help identify the man and whoever shot him. They asked that anyone who might have seen something or has helpful information contact the prosecutor’s tips line at 1-…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Man Shot Multiple Times Outside Paterson Home Where Retired NY Giants Player Grew Up Man Shot Multiple Times Outside Paterson Home Where Retired NY Giants Player Grew Up
Man Shot Multiple Times Outside Paterson Home Where Retired NY Giants Player Grew Up A Paterson man was shot several times outside the former home of retired New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz, authorities said. Police found the unidentified 38-year-old victim shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday on the corner of East 18th Street and 11th Avenue, an intersection that also includes a cut-rate liquor store and check-cashing service. The Wrigley Park neighborhood has long been known for gangs and drugs. It isn’t far from the Eastside shooting less than 24 hours earlier of two city men – one 23, the other 18 – at Park Avenue and Carroll Street. Both got to St. Joe’s in private…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Fugitive Wanted In Paterson Stabbing Death Captured In Rhode Island, Extradited To NJ Fugitive Wanted In Paterson Stabbing Death Captured In Rhode Island, Extradited To NJ
Fugitive Wanted In Paterson Stabbing Death Captured In Rhode Island, Extradited To NJ A fugitive wanted for stabbing a fellow Paterson resident dead during a group brawl nearly a year ago was captured in Rhode Island last month, authorities announced on Monday. A warrant for his arrest had been obtained after investigators identified Roshane Latty, 22, as the prime suspect in the stabbing death of Luis Ramirez, 26, on Park Avenue off East 22nd Street late last January, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said in a brief announcement. Latty was extradited to New Jersey last Wednesday, they added. It wasn't immediately cl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Paterson Man Charged With Murder In Blunt-Force Death Of 2-Year-Old Child Paterson Man Charged With Murder In Blunt-Force Death Of 2-Year-Old Child
Paterson Man Charged With Murder In Blunt-Force Death Of 2-Year-Old Child A Paterson man was charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 2-year-old child. Ricardo Rivera, 30, remained held Thursday in the Passaic County Jail following his arrest the day before, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Her office was contacted by Paterson police after the child was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson at 6:44 a.m. Oct. 20, Valdes said.  An autopsy three days later found the youngster had died of blunt-force trauma, she said. “The subsequent investigation, including numerous witness statements, resulted in the …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
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
News
Wanaque Man Busted In Domestic Incident With Illegal Weapons, Explosives Wanaque Man Busted In Domestic Incident With Illegal Weapons, Explosives
Wanaque Man Busted In Domestic Incident With Illegal Weapons, Explosives A Wanaque man who damaged his sister’s cellphone as she recorded him threatening her had an illegal gun and explosives, among other contraband, in their home, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Some of the items that were seized from Michael Wierciszewski, 23, were also found in his car following a call to the Jackson Street home in Haskell on Nov. 24, they said. Neighbors said the Passaic County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad removed several items that were set out and inspected on a table set up in the driveway. Wierciszewski was charged with a host of offenses, Passaic County Prosecutor Cameli…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Wayne Man Strangles Roommate With Bare Hands, Authorities Say Wayne Man Strangles Roommate With Bare Hands, Authorities Say
Wayne Man Strangles Roommate With Bare Hands, Authorities Say A Wayne man strangled his older roommate with his bare hands during an argument in their condo, said authorities who charged him with murder. Frank Rance, 38, was arrested at the Hinchman Avenue condo off Ratzer Road by police who tried in vain to save Frank Majuri, 60, before he died shortly after midnight Saturday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff said in a joint announcement. Officers had gone to the home on a call of a domestic dispute shortly after 10:30 p.m. Friday, Valdes and McNiff said. The officers “were able to deescalate the matter …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
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