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North Jersey Drug Ring Leader Gets 6½ Years In Federal Prison For 55 Pounds Of Coke, More North Jersey Drug Ring Leader Gets 6½ Years In Federal Prison For 55 Pounds Of Coke, More
North Jersey Drug Ring Leader Gets 6½ Years In Federal Prison For 55 Pounds Of Coke, More UPDATE: A man caught with more than 44 pounds of cocaine and $322,000 in cash in his home must spend the next 6½ years in federal prison -- without parole -- for his role in running a major North Jersey drug ring. Victor Pimentel, 46, of Parsippany, was the last of three men to be sentenced in the case. He and the other two -- Narcisco Ramirez of Passaic and Kiuny Perez of Rockaway Township -- took deals from the government rather than face trial after authorities seized a combined 55 pounds of cocaine and more than $700,000 in drug cash. All three must serve out just about all of their se…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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‘Praying No One Was In There’: Fire Destroys Abandoned Passaic Home, Squatter Search Continues ‘Praying No One Was In There’: Fire Destroys Abandoned Passaic Home, Squatter Search Continues
‘Praying No One Was In There’: Fire Destroys Abandoned Passaic Home, Squatter Search Continues Authorities were hoping no squatters were inside a vacant Passaic home destroyed by fire on Wednesday. “The property was abandoned,” Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said after firefighters doused the blaze at Main Avenue and Temple Place. “However we are investigating and still searching to confirm whether it was empty. “I am praying no one was in there.” Flames were blowing through the roof of the dilapidated 2½-story home when firefighters arrived shortly after 7 a.m. They were forced into an exterior attack right from the jump, as the roof, floors and exterior sections began to fall in. Fir…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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GUILTY: Pair Convicted Of Murder In Passaic Drive-By Shooting After COVID-Delayed Case Resumes GUILTY: Pair Convicted Of Murder In Passaic Drive-By Shooting After COVID-Delayed Case Resumes
Guilty: Pair Convicted Of Murder In Passaic Drive-By Shooting After Covid-delayed Case Resumes Two Passaic men were convicted of murder, among other charges, for the drive-by shooting death of a 23-year-old city resident after a previous attempt at prosecuting them was derailed by COVID. Jurors in Paterson found Nelson Vargas, 29, and Christopher Reynoso, 22, guilty of attempted murder, as well, for the wounding of another man in the shooting. Both Vargas and Reynoso were also convicted of conspiracy and weapons offenses. Hansel Castillo was gunned down outside a home on Federal Street on May 15, 2017. Both he and Bryan Cabrera, 20, of Woodland Park, who was wounded in the shooting…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Former Paramus Student From Passaic Charged In Fake 911 Mall Shooter Call, Bogus School Threat Former Paramus Student From Passaic Charged In Fake 911 Mall Shooter Call, Bogus School Threat
Former Paramus Student From Passaic Charged In Fake 911 Mall Shooter Call, Bogus School Threat A recent graduate of a special needs high school in Paramus phoned in a pair of bogus reports -- one about an alleged threat at the school by a man with a knife and another that made it seem an active shooter was at the Garden State Plaza, authorities said. Alex Barrales, 18, of Passaic made both "swatting" calls on the same day -- May 13, Police Capt. Frank Scott said Monday. Barrales was arrested in Irvington late last week after Paramus Police Detective Joshua Capizzi identified him as the caller in both instances, the captain said. Barrales, who'd attended Windsor Preparatory High Sch…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Pain At The Pump: Gas Prices Spike To New Record High In New Jersey Pain At The Pump: Gas Prices Spike To New Record High In New Jersey
Pain At The Pump: Gas Prices Spike To New Record High In New Jersey Memorial Day travel and rising oil costs have caused the price of gas in New Jersey to rise to record levels with no relief in sight for motorists. On Wednesday, June 8, the cost of gas per gallon rose to an average of $5.03 statewide, the highest recorded price since AAA began tracking such figures, according to the organization. The price is up one cent overnight, 26 cents from a week ago, and 58 cents from a month ago as the demand for fuel has risen while tensions overseas have limited the available supply.  On June 8, 2021, motorists were paying an average of $3.06 per gallon in New …

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by Zak Failla
News
UPDATE: Body Of 15-Year-Old Drowning Victim Recovered In Passaic County Reservoir UPDATE: Body Of 15-Year-Old Drowning Victim Recovered In Passaic County Reservoir
Update: Body Of 15-Year-Old Drowning Victim Recovered In Passaic County Reservoir UPDATE: The body of a 15-year-old boy from Paterson who drowned in a Passaic County reservoir while swimming with friends was recovered Sunday morning, authorities said. "We've notified the family," Woodland Park Mayor Keith Kazmark said after members of the Passaic County sheriff's Search & Recovery SCUBA Team found the body shortly before 10:30 a.m. It was in the area of the Great Notch Reservoir off Old Rifle Camp Road on Garrett Mountain in Woodland Park where his friends had seen him go under -- about 15 to 20 feet from shore -- around 3:45 p.m. Saturday, the mayor said. Tempera…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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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
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
Firefighters Battle Blaze Next To Ukrainian Church, School In Passaic Firefighters Battle Blaze Next To Ukrainian Church, School In Passaic
Firefighters Battle Blaze Next To Ukrainian Church, School In Passaic UPDATE: Two firefighters were injured battling an afternoon house fire next to a Ukrainian church and elementary school in Passaic, authorities said. The four-alarm blaze broke out on the second floor of the 2½-story wood-frame home next to the St. Nicholas church and school on President Street shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, responders said. Power lines came down on one of the responding fire trucks, prompting an urgent request for a PSE&G crew, they said. The injuries to the two firefighters weren't considered life-threatening, according to responders at the scene. One invo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Bergen Dad Taking Kids To School Struck Head-On By Heroin User's Wrong-Way Sedan, Police Say Bergen Dad Taking Kids To School Struck Head-On By Heroin User's Wrong-Way Sedan, Police Say
Bergen Dad Taking Kids To School Struck Head-On By Heroin User's Wrong-Way Sedan, Police Say A heroin user from Passaic was behind the wheel of a sedan that crossed into oncoming traffic and slammed head-on into an SUV driven by an Upper Saddle River dad taking his two kids to school, authorities said. The father and children – 11 and 9 years old – were all taken to Hackensack University Medical Center following the crash on West Saddle River Road just south of Holly Drive at 7:44 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, USR Police Capt. Ed Kane said. Their injuries were believed to be minor, he said. Police found heroin in the four-door Chevrolet Cruze driven by former Piermont and Sparkill,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Swatting' Forces Passaic Grandma, 95, From Her Home As Tactical Units Respond To Bogus Call 'Swatting' Forces Passaic Grandma, 95, From Her Home As Tactical Units Respond To Bogus Call
'Swatting' Forces Passaic Grandma, 95, From Her Home As Tactical Units Respond To Bogus Call A 95-year-old grandmother and a woman in her 60s had to be temporarily removed from their Passaic home on a frigid night because of a bogus "swatting" call to police, authorities said. The call came in shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, from someone who "stated that he harmed his wife and child and had his neighbor hostage" at the Poplar Street home, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Police set up a perimeter and eventually escorted the two women to an ambulance to keep them warm, the mayor said. Neighbors also had to spend some time outside as members of the Emergency Respons…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Upper Saddle River Dad Driving Kids To School Hit Head-On By Heroin User, Police Say Upper Saddle River Dad Driving Kids To School Hit Head-On By Heroin User, Police Say
Upper Saddle River Dad Driving Kids To School Hit Head-On By Heroin User, Police Say A heroin user was behind the wheel of a sedan that crossed into oncoming traffic and slammed head-on into an SUV driven by an Upper Saddle River dad taking his two kids to school, authorities said. The father and children – 11 and 9 years old – were all taken to Hackensack University Medical Center following the crash on West Saddle River Road just south of Holly Drive at 7:44 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, USR Police Capt. Ed Kane said. Their injuries were believed to be minor, he said. Former Rockland resident Elisabeth Feddeck, 41, of Passaic, who was driving the four-door Chevrolet Cruze…

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by Jerry DeMarco