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Rutherford, NJ

Police & Fire
27-Year-Old Dies Day After Lyndhurst House Fire (UPDATE) 27-Year-Old Dies Day After Lyndhurst House Fire (UPDATE)
27-Year-Old Dies Day After Lyndhurst House Fire (Update) A 27-year-old man has died one day after he was found by firefighters outside of his bedroom as a fire ripped through his Lyndhurst home, authorities said. The two-alarm blaze that killed Ahmed Abidar broke out just before 5:34 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at a multi-family home on Jay Avenue, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Lyndhurst police and firefighters, with mutual aid from surrounding departments, responded to find flames engulfing the residence, officials said. During fire suppression efforts, first responders evacuated Abidar from the third floor of the home. He was unrespons…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Mugshot Released, Services Set For Popular Cook After Deadly Bergen County Hit-Run Mugshot Released, Services Set For Popular Cook After Deadly Bergen County Hit-Run
Mugshot Released, Services Set For Popular Cook After Deadly Bergen County Hit-Run The mugshot of the 29-year-old Kearny charged in the deadly hit-and-run that killed a cook at a popular Route 17 restaurant last week in Lyndhurst has been released. Steven G. Novillo-Cabrera was behind the wheel of a 2020 Honda Civic when he struck George Arnold, 57, as he was trying to cross Ridge Road at Milton Avenue around 9:50 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Novillo-Cabrera also tried to repair the vehicle to hide his involvement in the crash, police said. He was lodged in the Bergen County Jail pending an appearance in Bergen County Superior C…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
SUV Spins Out, Hits Concrete Barrier In Sunday Morning Route 3 Crash: Police SUV Spins Out, Hits Concrete Barrier In Sunday Morning Route 3 Crash: Police
SUV Spins Out, Hits Concrete Barrier In Sunday Morning Route 3 Crash: Police A child was injured in a crash early Sunday morning, Oct. 6 on Route 3 in Rutherford, police said. A Honda CRV occupied by a family of four, two adults and two children, spun out and struck the concrete barrier during the crash with a 2022 Mercedes Benz operated by a 33-year-old woman, Rutherford Police Lt. Craig Capoano said. The crash happened just before 8:30 a.m. in the local westbound lanes right at the Clifton border. The child suffered a minor injury and the parents told police they'd take their child to their own doctor or local hospital for medical care. The lane was briefly …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Racing BMW Driver, 20, Crashes, Injures Young Family On Route 3: Police Racing BMW Driver, 20, Crashes, Injures Young Family On Route 3: Police
Racing BMW Driver, 20, Crashes, Injures Young Family On Route 3: Police A BMW driver is facing multiple charges after crashing and injuring a family of four on Route 3 on Thursday, Oct. 3, authorities said. Hamza M. Abdelaziz, 20, of Clifton, was racing in a 2023 black BMW 540 when he struck the Fair Lawn family's vehicle on the Berry’s Creek Bridge in the eastbound lanes in Rutherford, just prior to the East Rutherford border around 1:10 p.m., Rutherford Police Chief John Russo said. A 35-year-old man, 35-year-old woman, 5-year-old girl, and 3-year-old girl all reported injuries following the crash, Russo said. Abdelaziz was charged with assault by auto and i…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Cops ID U-Turning DUI Driver In Route 3 Wreck That Left 3 People Injured Cops ID U-Turning DUI Driver In Route 3 Wreck That Left 3 People Injured
Cops ID U-Turning DUI Driver In Route 3 Wreck That Left 3 People Injured Police have identified the suspected DUI driver who left three people injured while trying to make a U-turn before a crash early Sunday, Sept. 15 on Route 3. Justin R. Latorre, of Newark, has been charged with assault by auto by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office after his 2022 Ford Ranger collided with a 2018 Honda HRV in the westbound lanes around 5:10 a.m., Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Latorre was arrested at the scene near Route 17 after the crash in Rutherford, Musella said. "Members of the Fatal Accident Investigation Unit responded to the scene and a joint inv…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Driver Cutting Across All Lanes Of Route 3 Sends Two To Hospital, Police Say (UPDATE) Driver Cutting Across All Lanes Of Route 3 Sends Two To Hospital, Police Say (UPDATE)
Driver Cutting Across All Lanes Of Route 3 Sends Two To Hospital, Police Say (Update) Police in Rutherford are investigating a Route 3 crash that they say was likely caused by a driver in the express lanes trying to cut across to the local lanes Sunday, Aug. 11. A 51-year-old man from Sussex was in a Honda Fit was in the left lane of the westbound express lanes when he tried to cut across the roadway to get to the local exits near Park Avenue when he clipped a Toyota Highlander around 4:20 p.m., Rutherford Police Chief John Russo said. The Highlander rolled over several times, injuring the 24-year-old driver and 22-year-old passenger, both women from New York, Russo sai…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Town's Police Chief Refuses To Leave Residents Behind In Assuming Statewide Leadership Role NJ Town's Police Chief Refuses To Leave Residents Behind In Assuming Statewide Leadership Role
NJ Town's Police Chief Refuses To Leave Residents Behind In Assuming Statewide Leadership Role John Russo never intended on becoming a police chief. He was going for an FBI agent, but while growing up in Rutherford and meeting his friends' parents and coaches who were police officers, he decided to switch gears. Twenty-six years into his law enforcement career, and 11 years in his role as Rutherford Police Chief, Russo has been sworn in to a one-year term as the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police's 109th president. The ceremony happened during the association's 112th annual training Training Conference & Police/Security Expo in Atlantic City last month. …

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop
Storied Disappearing Dumont Donkey Is Hero Mascot At Builder's New Ice Cream Shop It was 2017 and Matt Dagistanli was in the process of building the structure that stands today at 65 W. Madison Avenue in Dumont, when his donkey went missing. He wasn't a real donkey, of course, but a statue that Dagistanli and his former business partner had affectionately called Dumbo. Dagistanli grew quite fond of Dumbo, and wasn't ready to get rid of him at the turn of his career change. "I didn’t want to sell it or throw it away, so I took it home," said Dagistanli, 63, of Rutherford. "My wife said, 'You need to take this away.'" Dagistanli had nowhere to keep Dumbo except for …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Late-Night Drunken Assault Near Meadowlands Sends One Man To Hospital, Other To Jail Late-Night Drunken Assault Near Meadowlands Sends One Man To Hospital, Other To Jail
Late-Night Drunken Assault Near Meadowlands Sends One Man To Hospital, Other To Jail A drunken man was hospitalized and another jailed for assaulting him at a private industrial garage in Rutherford, authorities said. The 40-year-old victim from Cranford approached an East Rutherford police officer who was fueling his patrol vehicle at the Rutherford DPW garage on Highland Cross -- just off northbound Route 17 near the Meadowlands -- around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8, Police Chief John Russo said.  He was bleeding from a head wound, the chief said. "It was determined he was assaulted by an acquaintance at a private industrial garage where both were at that eveni…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
COP & CIRCUMSTANCE: Stolen Long Island Motorcycle Chase Gets NJ High School Senior 21 Tickets COP & CIRCUMSTANCE: Stolen Long Island Motorcycle Chase Gets NJ High School Senior 21 Tickets
COP & Circumstance: Stolen Long Island Motorcycle Chase Gets NJ High School Senior 21 Tickets A Lyndhurst High School senior who tried to elude a township police officer on a stolen motorcycle received 21 summonses -- and was charged criminally -- after he finally stopped, authorities said. Rozario Ymeraj, 18, was charged with eluding and receiving stolen property following the broad daylight chase into Rutherford last week. Lyndhurst Police Officer Michael LeStrange was directing traffic at Ridge Road and New York Avenue when he saw the motorcycle blow by several vehicles stopped at a light around 1 p.m. last Thursday, May 23, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Driving without a l…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
John Zisa, Legendary North Jersey Football Coach, Dies At 61 John Zisa, Legendary North Jersey Football Coach, Dies At 61
John Zisa, Legendary North Jersey Football Coach, Dies At 61 John Zisa, a football coach throughout North Jersey, died on Sunday May 19, at the age of 61, according to his obituary. Zisa was born and raised in Paterson and moved to Fair Lawn in 1974, his obituary reads. He coached for more than 26 years at Paterson Catholic, Paramus Catholic, Rutherford and Westwood, according to his coaching biography. R.I.P. John Zisa words can’t express how much you will be missed. No single person has had a more profound impact on my... Posted by Nick Campanile on Monday, May 20, 2024 In 1980, before his senior year of high school, Zisa dove into a pool,…

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by Sam Barron