Fair 67°
Police & Fire
Neighbor Disarms Troubled Saddle Brook Man Whose Stray Gunshot Brought Massive Police Response Neighbor Disarms Troubled Saddle Brook Man Whose Stray Gunshot Brought Massive Police Response
Neighbor Disarms Troubled Saddle Brook Man Whose Stray Gunshot Brought Massive Police Response An intoxicated Saddle Brook man experiencing an emotional crisis fired a gunshot into the air in his backyard just below Route 80, bringing a squadron of local police and fellow officers from four neighboring towns. They were headed to the Sterling Place home around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 5, when a neighbor approached Riste Strezoski, 35, and convinced him to hand over the 9mm handgun, Police Capt. John A. Zotollo, Jr. said. Police from Saddle Brook, Paramus, Maywood, Rochelle Park and Fair Lawn converged on the dead-ended neighborhood just off Saddle River Road and took Strezoski into cust…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Firefighters Quickly Douse Rapidly Spreading Fair Lawn House Fire Firefighters Quickly Douse Rapidly Spreading Fair Lawn House Fire
Firefighters Quickly Douse Rapidly Spreading Fair Lawn House Fire 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Fair Lawn firefighters quickly doused a blaze that began in a basement and spread through a local home. “Basement fires can be extremely dangerous to our crews. There was a lot of smoke in the basement, making locating the fire very difficult,” Fair Lawn Fire Chief Pete Yuskaitis said after the 31st Street blaze was doused early Monday evening. “The crews did a great job fighting the heat to get to the fire and extinguish it,” the chief said. The call to the two-story home on 31st Street came in at 6:38 p.m. May 6, Yuskaitis said. The fire quickly escalated to a second alarm, brin…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
AGAIN? Another Alarm Malfunction Brings Massive Law Enforcement Response To Westwood HS AGAIN? Another Alarm Malfunction Brings Massive Law Enforcement Response To Westwood HS
Again? Another Alarm Malfunction Brings Massive Law Enforcement Response To Westwood HS The second alarm system malfunction at Westwood Regional High School in a little over two weeks created a confusing scene as parents and guardians were dropping off their children on Thursday. The system triggered a 7:43 a.m. May 2 lockdown, similar to what occurred on April 16, when the system malfunctioned twice, Westwood Regional Schools Supt. Jill Mortimer said. As before, a legion of tactical and other law enforcement officers converged on Washington Township -- among them, a Bergen County Regional SWAT team and police from the township, Westwood, Emerson, River Val…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Paramus School Bus Driver's Parole Possible At Anniversary Of Horrific Crash That Killed Two Paramus School Bus Driver's Parole Possible At Anniversary Of Horrific Crash That Killed Two
Paramus School Bus Driver's Parole Possible At Anniversary Of Horrific Crash That Killed Two A former Paramus school bus driver who caused a collision on Route 80 that killed a 10-year-old student and one of her teachers is up for parole in a few weeks -- just two days after the sixth anniversary of the horrific crash. Hudy Muldrow, now 83, was taking 40 East Brook Middle School fifth graders and a small group of adults on a field trip to Waterloo Village on May 17, 2018 when he got lost and tried to make an illegal U-turn on the busy interstate in Mount Olive. A dump truck slammed into the bus, killing young Miranda Vargas and teacher Jennifer M. Williamson, 51. Dozens more were…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Hobby Lobby Replacing Bed Bath & Beyond In Morris County Hobby Lobby Replacing Bed Bath & Beyond In Morris County
Hobby Lobby Replacing Bed Bath & Beyond In Morris County Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts store, is opening another location in New Jersey. The retailer, which is headquartered in Oklahoma, is set to open a location in Morris County at 180 NJ-10 in East Hanover, the site of a since shuttered Bed Bath & Beyond.  Hobby Lobby recently shared a job opening for retail co-manager at the 50,250 square foot store. According to the job description, the co-manager is asked to lead and guide the team with passion, execute the seasonal department's merchandising plans and be actively engaged in the store's processes and procedures to meet financial …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Hit-And-Run Driver Who Seriously Injured Route 4 Motorcyclist ID'd As Rochelle Park Man, 70 Hit-And-Run Driver Who Seriously Injured Route 4 Motorcyclist ID'd As Rochelle Park Man, 70
Hit-And-Run Driver Who Seriously Injured Route 4 Motorcyclist ID'd As Rochelle Park Man, 70 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 70-year-old Rochelle Park man was the driver who sped off after hitting and severely injuring a motorcyclist on Route 4 earlier this month, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti announced following the motorist's arrest on Thursday. The 2004 Honda was struck by a 2020 Ford Fusion exiting Arcadia Way on the eastbound highway shortly after 1:30 p.m. April 16, the chief said. The sedan's driver then fled the scene, he said. The 57-year-old victim from Wood-Ridge was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he remains with extensive injuries, Guidetti said. Meanwhile, Par…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In New Jersey Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In New Jersey
Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In New Jersey Finding a better life in the U.S. was not a guarantee for Edwing Hernandez when he immigrated with his wife from Venezuela in 2012. But it was a possibility. He had $3,000 in his pocket, and a simple dream. "For me at that moment, [my dream] was to be in a safe country with freedom of speech and be able to live and have my basic needs covered," said Hernandez, 34, of Union City. For years, Hernandez worked physically-demanding jobs and long hours, sometimes 14 a day, commuting two hours to and from work, for only $8 an hour. Life would get a whole lot harder before it would get easier fo…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff'
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' A SWAT team and other tactical units responded to a Mahwah home Tuesday afternoon after a resident expressed concern over suicidal comments she told police her husband had made, authorities confirmed. Fortunately, they weren't needed. The woman went to police headquarters early Tuesday afternoon, April 23, concerned over her husband's response when she said she was leaving him, responders said. A quick check determined that there are weapons in the home in the northeast section known as Cragmere near the Rockland County border. Out of "an overabundance of caution," Mahwah Police Chief Tim…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Paramus Chick-fil-A Weeks Away From Opening, Mayor Says Paramus Chick-fil-A Weeks Away From Opening, Mayor Says
Paramus Chick-fil-A Weeks Away From Opening, Mayor Says The opening of the brand-new Paramus Chick-fil-A is imminent. According to Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza, the Chick-fil-A being built alongside the northbound side of Route 17 will open in the first week of May. The fast-casual chicken joint replaces The Fireplace, which closed in July 2021 after 65 years in business. "We’re excited to welcome Chick-fil-A to Route 17," DiPiazza said. "Our residents and visitors will now have the easy opportunity to enjoy the nationwide brand. Their presence continues to keep our commercial corridors vibrant and help our residential tax base." Complete…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
SEE ANYTHING? Motorcyclist Severely Injured By Route 4 Hit-And-Run Driver SEE ANYTHING? Motorcyclist Severely Injured By Route 4 Hit-And-Run Driver
SEE Anything? Motorcyclist Severely Injured By Route 4 Hit-And-Run Driver A motorcyclist suffered severe injuries when he was struck on Route 4 in Paramus Tuesday afternoon by a driver who sped off, authorities said. The 57-year-old victim from Wood-Ridge was headed east in the highway's right lane when a dark sedan exiting Arcadia Way hit him shortly after 1:30 p.m. April 16, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. The motorcyclist was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with extensive injuries, the chief said. Police, meanwhile, issued a Be On the Lookout alert for the sedan, which responders said should have side damage. The motorcyclist, 57, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Fleeing Car Thief, 16, Captured By Paramus PD With Assist From Law Enforcement Partners GOTCHA! Fleeing Car Thief, 16, Captured By Paramus PD With Assist From Law Enforcement Partners
Gotcha! Fleeing Car Thief, 16, Captured By Paramus PD With Assist From Law Enforcement Partners Paramus police captured a 16-year-old Newark boy after he'd popped the ignition cylinder on an SUV parked in the owner's driveway. Officers Slavko Bajovic and Ryan Cottrell were responding to a call from the owner of the Bullard Road home when they saw the teen run from the 2017 Hyundai Tucson to a Sonata parked nearby shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday, April 14, Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. Guidetti's officers got help establishing a perimeter from a Bergen County Sheriff's K-9 unit and police from Bergenfield, River Edge and Rochelle Park police, Guidetti said. Bajovic found the Sonata …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Sports
Golfer, 27, Who Grew Up Swinging On Bergen County Courses Wins Second Masters Tournament Golfer, 27, Who Grew Up Swinging On Bergen County Courses Wins Second Masters Tournament
Golfer, 27, Who Grew Up Swinging On Bergen County Courses Wins Second Masters Tournament When it comes to golf, it's Scottie Scheffler's world and we're just living it. The Bergen County native won his second Masters Tournament on Sunday, April 14, continuing a dominant run that has seen him win three tournaments since March as he continues to be ranked #1 in the world. Scheffler, 27, got off to a blistering start at Augusta National, scoring a 66 in the first round and entering the final round on a path to victory. He clinched his victory on the last six holes, with three birdies, finishing with a 68. He won his second green jacket by four strokes, taking home $3.6 million in …

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by Sam Barron