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72-Year-Old Suspect Nabbed In Paterson Drug Bust, Detectives Find 2,700 Bags Worth Of Heroin 72-Year-Old Suspect Nabbed In Paterson Drug Bust, Detectives Find 2,700 Bags Worth Of Heroin
72-Year-Old Suspect Nabbed In Paterson Drug Bust, Detectives Find 2,700 Bags Worth Of Heroin What began as a couple of routine daylight drug busts led Paterson detectives to enough raw heroin to fill more than 2,700 bags, as well as the arrest of a 72-year-old accused buyer. It was around 11:30 a.m. when detectives saw Michael T. James, 50, emerge from a home on Oak Street, sell some drugs to a buyer, then head back inside, Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said. An arrest team quickly grabbed Calvin L. Wallace, 47, of Broadway near the corner of nearby Summer and Morton streets, Speziale said. He was carrying 62 heroin folds and seven small bags of crack, the director sai…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Husband Of Popular Jersey Shore Food Truck Owner, Haledon Man Killed In Head-On Wayne Crash Husband Of Popular Jersey Shore Food Truck Owner, Haledon Man Killed In Head-On Wayne Crash
Husband Of Popular Jersey Shore Food Truck Owner, Haledon Man Killed In Head-On Wayne Crash UPDATE: The husband of a popular Jersey Shore food truck owner and a driver from Passaic County both died in a head-on crash in North Jersey on Monday, authorities said in identifying them on Tuesday. Jason Montecalvo, 45, of Colts Neck was driving a Cadillac CTS that collided with a Lexus GS300 driven by David Pohl, 58, of Haledon on Hamburg Turnpike near the intersection of Armstrong Avenue shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, they said. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff said in a joint announcement. Montecalvo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Deaths Of Beloved Head School Custodian, Wife In Crash Devastates Haledon Community Deaths Of Beloved Head School Custodian, Wife In Crash Devastates Haledon Community
Deaths Of Beloved Head School Custodian, Wife In Crash Devastates Haledon Community Shock and sorrow spread through Haledon and beyond on Sunday with word that the school district’s beloved head custodian and his wife were killed in a horrific crash hours earlier. Responders tried in vain to revive Corrado LaRosa, the director of physical plant and custodial services, and his wife, Tina LaRosa, following the crash near the corner of Belmont Avenue and John Street minutes before midnight. Corrado LaRosa, 49, was driving a Fiat 500 Abarth that collided with a Nissan Murano driven by Anthony Crespo, 21, of Oakland. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:33 a.m. and his wi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Haledon PD: PA Pickup Passenger Caught With 550 Heroin Folds Down Pants Blames Driver Haledon PD: PA Pickup Passenger Caught With 550 Heroin Folds Down Pants Blames Driver
Haledon PD: PA Pickup Passenger Caught With 550 Heroin Folds Down Pants Blames Driver A passenger who had more than 550 heroin folds stuffed down his pants told Haledon police the driver had tossed the drugs to him before they were pulled over. Officer Michael Palmer said he and Special Class II Officer Omar Zadeh noticed the 2003 Dodge Ram when the driver, Travis Corter, 26, of Dingmans Fry, PA flicked ashes out his window on West Broadway. As they began to follow the pickup truck, it suddenly crossed the double-yellow line into oncoming traffic, Palmer reported. Palmer said he immediately activated his overhead lights and siren. Once Corter finally pulled over, the offic…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Schools
More Schools In Bergen, Passaic Go Remote Due To COVID-19 More Schools In Bergen, Passaic Go Remote Due To COVID-19
More Schools In Bergen, Passaic Go Remote Due To Covid-19 Several more schools in Bergen and Passaic counties have switched to remote learning due to COVID-19. ** UPDATE: Five COVID-19 cases including four students were reported in Wayne elementary schools, and a newly-reported case closed a Rutherford middle school ** Three Demarest schools -- Demarest Middle School, Luther Lee Emerson, and County Road -- were switched to virtual learning until Oct. 19 as a safety precaution, officials said on Facebook Saturday. Six new cases were reported in the borough as of Sunday morning. All youth recreation soccer events were cancelled until Oct. 16,…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: Fierce Fire Roars Through Three Passaic Homes, Displacing Dozens PHOTOS: Fierce Fire Roars Through Three Passaic Homes, Displacing Dozens
Photos: Fierce Fire Roars Through Three Passaic Homes, Displacing Dozens An off-duty firefighter alerted residents to a gas-fed blaze that ravaged three homes Saturday morning in Passaic, displacing nearly three dozen people. More than 120 firefighters responded to the fierce four-alarm blaze, which roared across the multi-family dwellings on Oak Street after breaking out shortly after 8 a.m., responders said. An off-duty firefighter helped get the buildings evacuated, Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost said "There was a tremendous amount of fire through [two of ] the buildings, with a partial collapse," Trentacost said. Definitely one (middle) and possibly two…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Haledon PD: Jersey Shore Ex-Con Flicking Cigarette Ashes From Car Caught With Loaded Gun Haledon PD: Jersey Shore Ex-Con Flicking Cigarette Ashes From Car Caught With Loaded Gun
Haledon PD: Jersey Shore Ex-Con Flicking Cigarette Ashes From Car Caught With Loaded Gun An ex-con who flicked cigarette ashes from a speeding car had a loaded gun hidden under the seat, Haledon police said. Officer Jeffrey Welsh smelled raw pot as he approached the 2005 Infiniti sedan during a stop on Pompton Road near Ailsa Avenue, Lt. George Guzman said. Joined by Special Police Sgt. John Jones and a William Paterson University police officer, Welsh found a .44-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun loaded with six bullets under the front passenger seat and a bag of marijuana in back, Guzman said. The driver got a speeding ticket and was released. Welsh arrested the passenger,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Paterson Councilman, Councilman-Elect, Two Others Charged With Election Fraud Paterson Councilman, Councilman-Elect, Two Others Charged With Election Fraud
Paterson Councilman, Councilman-Elect, Two Others Charged With Election Fraud State authorities on Thursday charged a sitting Paterson councilman, a councilman-elect and two other men with rigging a May 12 special election. Paterson City Councilman Michael Jackson and Councilman-Elect Alex Mendez conspired with Shelim Khalique of Wayne, and Abu Razyen of Prospect Park to play fast and loose with mail-in ballots made necessary for all voting in the special election due to the coronavirus pandemic, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. It began, he said, when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service alerted the Attorney General’s Office that hundreds of mail-in ballots wer…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wayne PD: Speedy Officers Nab Burglar Who Broke In While Elderly Resident Was Home Wayne PD: Speedy Officers Nab Burglar Who Broke In While Elderly Resident Was Home
Wayne PD: Speedy Officers Nab Burglar Who Broke In While Elderly Resident Was Home A homeless man broke in while an elderly Wayne woman was home and was about to burglarize another house when a resident there scared him off, authorities said. Responding Officers Adrian Sulejmani and Colin Bush nabbed Henry Smith III, who'd also burglarized a Haledon home, Wayne Detective Capt. Daniel Daly said Friday. The officers found Smith at a nearby bus stop after a Ratzer Road resident told them she’d scared him from her back deck when she caught him peeking into her windows shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday, Daly said. Smith at first gave police bogus information and was found carry…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Haledon PD: Passaic Driver Who Ran Light Had Three-Quarters Of Pound Of Pot, $6,167 Drug Cash Haledon PD: Passaic Driver Who Ran Light Had Three-Quarters Of Pound Of Pot, $6,167 Drug Cash
Haledon PD: Passaic Driver Who Ran Light Had Three-Quarters Of Pound Of Pot, $6,167 Drug Cash A Haledon police officer found a Passaic driver who ran a red light toting three-quarters of a pound of pot and $6,167 in suspected drug proceeds, authorities said Thursday. Oficer Jeffrey Welsh stopped the red Acura sedan, red in color with Pennsylvania license plates after the driver ran the light at the intersection of Burhans Avenue and West Broadway shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday, Lt. George Guzman said.  Welsh and backup Sgt. Timothy Lindberg noticed a strong odor of raw marijuana coming from the car, Guzman said. A search turned up 11.7 ounces of marijuana, packaging bag…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Wind-Whipped Paterson Fire On Eve Of Mother's Day Burns 59 Residents Out Of Their Homes UPDATE: Wind-Whipped Paterson Fire On Eve Of Mother's Day Burns 59 Residents Out Of Their Homes
Update: Wind-Whipped Paterson Fire On Eve Of Mother's Day Burns 59 Residents Out Of Their Homes High winds whipped a roaring fire that tore through a Paterson neighborhood Saturday night, destroying five houses, severely damaging a sixth and displacing 59 residents. No injuries were reported in the Beech Street blaze, city Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said. The Red Cross provided temporary shelter, food and clothing to the displaced. Fire officials who responded to the fire around 8:45 p.m. immediately called in a second alarm. What followed: In barely 10 minutes, three houses were involved and a third alarm was transmitted; A fourth alarm went out almost immediately afte…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJSP: Driver Clocked At 130 MPH On Route 80 Claims To Have Coronavirus Symptoms NJSP: Driver Clocked At 130 MPH On Route 80 Claims To Have Coronavirus Symptoms
Njsp: Driver Clocked At 130 MPH On Route 80 Claims To Have Coronavirus Symptoms A driver clocked at over 130 miles an hour on Route 80 sped off from State Police before surrendering at the Totowa barracks, telling them he was experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms, authorities said. Trooper who followed Christopher Ospina, 20, of Haledon off the westbound highway on Tuesday found him standing next to his BMW at a Lodi gas station, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Wednesday. When Ospina saw them, he got back into the car and drove recklessly back onto the highway until the BMW disappeared from sight, the attorney general said. Ospina turned himself in at To…

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by Jerry DeMarco