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NJ Residents Are Spending Hours Waiting In COVID Testing Lines NJ Residents Are Spending Hours Waiting In COVID Testing Lines
NJ Residents Are Spending Hours Waiting In COVID Testing Lines COVID-19 tests are hottest items on the market right now, as New Jersey residents are spending chunks of their days waiting in lines -- some as many as nine hours. Jackelyne Matsuo hopped in line at the MedRite in Paramus Wednesday morning and received a PCR test after two hours.  She wanted a rapid test, though -- and MediRite was only offering one or the other -- so she headed to Newark's Lincoln Park and Broad Street drive-thru testing site. There, she spent another two hours waiting for the rapid test. Drive-thru test site in Newark, Dec. 22.Jackelyne Matsuo "The line was wrapping…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Original COVID-19 'Ground Zero' In NJ Approaches Virtual Lockdowns Again Original COVID-19 'Ground Zero' In NJ Approaches Virtual Lockdowns Again
Original Covid-19 'Ground Zero' In NJ Approaches Virtual Lockdowns Again An “alarming” spike in the number of new COVID-19 cases forced all township buildings closed to the public on Tuesday in Teaneck, which had been considered "ground zero" in New Jersey when the virus first exploded 21 months ago. “This action is just one measure that will be taken to help keep our community, workforce and families safe from the spread of the virus,” Township Manager Dean B. Kazinci said. Citizens can still conduct business and communicate with township authorities during normal business hours by making an appointment. Other resources include calls, emails, the township webs…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
These Popular Holiday Movies Have New Jersey Ties These Popular Holiday Movies Have New Jersey Ties
These Popular Holiday Movies Have New Jersey Ties The majority of holiday films are set in Chicago and New York City, but that doesn’t mean New Jersey is not represented in holiday films. Many seasonal movies are set in, filmed, or have a New Jersey connection that you might not expect. Grab you popcorn and some festive films with a special New Jersey tie-in listed in chronological order. Did we miss one? Email jpikora@dailyvoice.com. Die Hard (1988) Die Hard (1988) Trailer Movieclips Classic Trailers This disputed holiday film doesn’t take place in the Garden State but the main character John McClane is supposed to be from New Je…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
TikTok School-Shooting Threats Aren't Credible, Authorities Say TikTok School-Shooting Threats Aren't Credible, Authorities Say
TikTok School-Shooting Threats Aren't Credible, Authorities Say Several schools across the United States closed on Friday while others issued warnings and boosted security following what authorities said were unfounded threats on TikTok of a school shooting. The anonymous TikTok "challenges" -- which apparently originated in Arizona and didn't specify any school or area -- frightened parents from one end of the country to the other. Many said they were keeping their children home on Friday, despite assurances that they had nothing to worry about. Law enforcement agencies nonetheless boosted their presence at and around schools if for no other reason tha…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
SWAT STANDOFF: Hackensack Man Charged With Pursuing Victim With Machete, BB Gun Near FDU SWAT STANDOFF: Hackensack Man Charged With Pursuing Victim With Machete, BB Gun Near FDU
SWAT Standoff: Hackensack Man Charged With Pursuing Victim With Machete, BB Gun Near FDU UPDATE: A wanted man who was seized following a SWAT standoff at his Hackensack home had gone after another man with a handgun and a machete earlier in the day in Teaneck, prompting a lockdown of FDU and a local high school, authorities said Thursday. Andrew Deininger, 48, chased the other man through part of the Fairleigh Dickinson University campus following a dispute near the corner of Beverly and River roads around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Teaneck Police Chief Glenn O'Reilly said. "Although no specific threat to the campus community was known at the time, the FDU campus was placed into a lock…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Repeat Offender From Teaneck Crashes Stolen Car In Ridgewood Fleeing Route 17 Stop In Paramus Repeat Offender From Teaneck Crashes Stolen Car In Ridgewood Fleeing Route 17 Stop In Paramus
Repeat Offender From Teaneck Crashes Stolen Car In Ridgewood Fleeing Route 17 Stop In Paramus A 20-year-old Teaneck man who'd already been arrested and released twice in the past three months got banged up when he crashed a stolen car into a tree in Ridgewood after fleeing a Paramus police stop on Route 17, authorities said. Officer Michael Cleary was responding to an attempted car burglary call on Midland Avenue when he spotted the 2020 Honda Accord with three occupants shortly after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Paramus Police Kenneth Ehrenberg said. The license plate came back to a 2006 Infiniti, the chief said, so Cleary pulled the sedan over at Route 17. As he walked up to the vehicle,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Bail Reform Fuels Deal For Bergen County Jail To House Passaic County Inmates Bail Reform Fuels Deal For Bergen County Jail To House Passaic County Inmates
Bail Reform Fuels Deal For Bergen County Jail To House Passaic County Inmates UPDATE: Bail reform is one of the key reasons why the half-empty Passaic County Jail will close its doors for good and send all of its current and future inmates to Bergen County's lockup, officials said. Bergen County officials say they’ll receive a minimum $18.9 million the first year and somewhere in the neighborhood of $195.5 million over the course of the 10-year deal. Their counterparts in Passaic County say they won’t have to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on a new jail to replace the decrepit 164-year-old lockup on Marshall Street, which has remained half empty for some time now…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Hackensack SWAT Standoff Ends, Man Wanted In Earlier Teaneck Incident Arrested Hackensack SWAT Standoff Ends, Man Wanted In Earlier Teaneck Incident Arrested
Hackensack SWAT Standoff Ends, Man Wanted In Earlier Teaneck Incident Arrested UPDATE: A man who was seized following a SWAT standoff at his Hackensack home had gone after another man with a handgun and a machete earlier in the day in Teaneck, prompting a lockdown of FDU and a local high school, authorities said Thursday. Andrew Deininger, 48, chased the other man through part of the Fairleigh Dickinson University campus following a dispute near the corner of Beverly and River roads around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Teaneck Police Chief Glenn O'Reilly said. "Although no specific threat to the campus community was known at the time, the FDU campus was placed into a lockdown fo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds Charge Bergen Drug Company Owner With Embezzling $3.9M Feds Charge Bergen Drug Company Owner With Embezzling $3.9M
Feds Charge Bergen Drug Company Owner With Embezzling $3.9M Federal agents arrested the former chief executive officer and owner of a Bergen County pharmaceutical firm on Monday and charged him with embezzling millions of dollars from the company, authorities confirmed. John Klein, 75, transferred $3.9 million into an account that he tapped, in part, to pay credit cards charges for him and his wife, as well as for his kid's tuition, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Formerly of Alpine and currently living in Palisades Park, Klein has been sued in federal court by several people with whom he either worked or collected investment money from …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Teaneck Woman Assumes Dead Brother's ID To Get $20G In Social Security, Authorities Charge Teaneck Woman Assumes Dead Brother's ID To Get $20G In Social Security, Authorities Charge
Teaneck Woman Assumes Dead Brother's ID To Get $20G In Social Security, Authorities Charge A home health care worker from Teaneck assumed her dead brother’s identity to collect more than $20,000 in Social Security disability money, authorities charged. Wanda Lynn Sermon, 55, “failed to notify the Social Security Administration of her brother’s death and instead assumed control of his bank account,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Wednesday. For the next 16 months, Musella said, Sermon “continued to access Social Security disability benefit funds intended for [him],” pocketing $20,438 in the process. Detectives from his Financial Crimes Unit began investigating this su…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Motorcyclist Killed In Route 4 Crash With Deer Motorcyclist Killed In Route 4 Crash With Deer
Motorcyclist Killed In Route 4 Crash With Deer A motorcyclist from River Vale was killed when he struck a deer on Route 4 in Teaneck before dawn Monday. Albert Spechar, 58, was ejected and landed in the middle of the roadway of the eastbound highway after hitting a four-point buck shortly after 5:30 a.m., responders said. Spechar was later pronounced dead at the scene just past the Margaret Street overpass near Teaneck High School, they said. The motorcycle landed on its side near a bus shelter further on up the road. The eastbound highway remained closed through the morning rush, with backups through Paramus, as the Bergen County Pr…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Sports
Bergen County Poker Player Donates World Series Winnings To Charity Bergen County Poker Player Donates World Series Winnings To Charity
Bergen County Poker Player Donates World Series Winnings To Charity A former New Jersey resident and first-time World Series of Poker player is coming home empty handed. Gershon Distenfeld, who recently moved from Teaneck to Hollywood, FL -- will be donating his winnings from the $1,500 No-limit Hold’em Shootout to charity: All $204,063, PokerNews.com reports. Distenfeld was crowned champion after a more than three-hour back-and-forth heads-up battle against Johan Schumacher, the outlet said. Gershon DistenfeldDanny Maxwell for PokerNews.com Distenfeld works in the investment management industry and took up poker about a decade ago, he told Daily Voice…

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by Cecilia Levine