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Passaic, NJ

Trio Stole $100K+ In Business Checks From Wall Township Mailboxes, Police Say Trio Stole $100K+ In Business Checks From Wall Township Mailboxes, Police Say
Trio Stole $100K+ In Business Checks From Wall Township Mailboxes, Police Say Two men and a woman from North Jersey were accused of stealing more than $100,000 in business checks from Wall Township mailboxes, authorities said. James Miller, 37, of Passaic; Kaleik Easton, 29, of Bloomfield; and Asia Harrell, 31, also from Bloomfield; were arrested, the Wall Township Police Department said in a news release. Investigators said businesses were defrauded out of more than $100,000 after checks were taken from their mailboxes. Police executed two search warrants at the suspects' homes and they were taken into custody on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Detectives …
Scorching Heat, Severe Storms: Your Forecast Leading Up To Labor Day In NJ, PA Scorching Heat, Severe Storms: Your Forecast Leading Up To Labor Day In NJ, PA
Scorching Heat, Severe Storms: Your Forecast Leading Up To Labor Day In NJ, PA The heat is going to ramp up before summer winds down in the Northeast. Heat advisories, warnings, and watches are in place this week across New Jersey and Pennsylvania as temperatures climb up to the high 90s, even feeling close to 100 degrees in some places, AccuWeather and the National Weather Service report. Tuesday, Aug. 27 is sunny with a high of 89 while Wednesday, Aug. 28 will be as hot as 97 degrees, the NWS said. According to AccuWeather, Real Feel temps could creep into the 90s on Tuesday, and up to 105 Wednesday. A heat advisory was in effect through 8 p.m. Wednesday for Bergen…
Flood Watch Issued In These NJ Counties Ahead Of Downpours Flood Watch Issued In These NJ Counties Ahead Of Downpours
Flood Watch Issued In These NJ Counties Ahead Of Downpours A flood watch has been issued by the National Weather Service across much of New Jersey ahead of drizzles expected to turn into downpours. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain is expected with both showers and thunderstorms producing heavy downpours Friday afternoon, July 12 through Saturday afternoon, July 13, the National Weather Service said. Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex Gloucester Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Union, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren, are all under a flood watch. 🌧⚠️ Not much change to the forecast with this morning's update. We …
Man Sent Child Porn To Undercover Central Jersey Detective, Prosecutors Say Man Sent Child Porn To Undercover Central Jersey Detective, Prosecutors Say
Man Sent Child Porn To Undercover Central Jersey Detective, Prosecutors Say A Passaic man was accused of sending child pornography to an undercover Monmouth County investigator through a social media app, authorities said. Joseph Velazquez, 25, was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child (distribution of child sexual abuse materials) and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child (possession of child sexual abuse materials). Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the charges in a news release on Friday, June 21. An undercover detective from the county prosecutor's office was monitoring a group chat on the messenger app…
Air Quality Alert Issued Across These NJ, PA Counties Air Quality Alert Issued Across These NJ, PA Counties
Air Quality Alert Issued Across These NJ, PA Counties An air quality alert has been issued for several areas across New Jersey and Pennsylvania  through late Friday, June 14. The most serious alert, an Air Quality Action Day, has been issued from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. across Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, and Union counties. An Air Quality Action Day means that Ground Level Ozone within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert Friday for North Central and Southwestern, NJ, along with Middlesex, Mercer, Camden, and G…
Storm Cuts Power To Thousands In NJ (UPDATE) Storm Cuts Power To Thousands In NJ (UPDATE)
Storm Cuts Power To Thousands In NJ (Update) Thousands of New Jersey residents were without power Thursday, April 4 following a nasty storm that brought gusty winds and heavy rain to the region on Wednesday, April 3. As of 8 a.m., 8,000 Monmouth County residents were without power mainly in Freehold, Highlands, and Middletown (4,000), according to JCP&L. In Bergen County, more than 2,000 PSE&G customers had no power mostly in Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, and Teaneck. In Essex County, 1,063 PSE&G customers were in the dark, the majority in Irvington. In Morris County, 3.000 customers were without power mostly in Jeff…
Ex-Con Involved In Undercover Shooting Charged With Drug-Induced Death Of Garfield Man Ex-Con Involved In Undercover Shooting Charged With Drug-Induced Death Of Garfield Man
Ex-Con Involved In Undercover Shooting Charged With Drug-Induced Death Of Garfield Man UPDATE: An ex-con from Garfield who served time for a botched drug deal that led to the shooting of an undercover police officer was arrested on Thursday and charged with causing the overdose death of a 30-year-old user late last summer. Melvin Guzman, 29, is charged with strict liability in the drug-induced death of Ivan Santiago of Passaic last Sept. 17, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on March 28. Santiago and another user were hospitalized after overdosing at a home on Lincoln Place, the prosecutor said. He was pronounced dead soon after. “A six-month investigation by t…
GOTCHA! Fugitive, 77, In 1997 Passaic Stabbing Captured After 26½ Years On Run GOTCHA! Fugitive, 77, In 1997 Passaic Stabbing Captured After 26½ Years On Run
Gotcha! Fugitive, 77, In 1997 Passaic Stabbing Captured After 26½ Years On Run Ramon Siri ducked authorities for 26½ years after they pegged him as the assailant who stabbed another man in a Passaic apartment in 1997. Then he slipped up. The city resident was arrested without incident late Tuesday afternoon, March 19, after authorities got a tip that he was back in town, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman announced Friday. Siri remained held in the Bergen County Jail, charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and illegal weapons possession. Witnesses at the time said the unidentified victim was stabbed below t…
Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar
Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar Authorities who’ve charged four men with the brutal murder of a man outside a Garfield bar last month turned to the public for help finding a fugitive gang member from Pennsylvania who sources said repeatedly stabbed the victim in the chest. Ricky “Angel” Vargas, 35, of East Stroudsburg, PA, and his four companions confronted Richard Franceschi, 31, of Hawthorne outside JoJo's Bar & Grill on Monroe Street before dawn this past Feb. 4, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Vargas had a knife and co-defendant Jayson William Rivera, 23, also of East Stroudsburg, had a handgun, the pr…
Two Trapped, Killed In Fierce Passaic Apartment Fire Two Trapped, Killed In Fierce Passaic Apartment Fire
Two Trapped, Killed In Fierce Passaic Apartment Fire Two people were killed in a ferocious garden apartment fire in Passaic on Sunday. The fire apparently broke out on the first floor in back of the two-story Spruce Street building and instantly spread to the second floor and a cockloft -- trapping the victims -- shortly before 9:30 a.m. March 3. A vehicle just outside the brick structure also caught fire. A battalion chief reported heavy fire and smoke right from the get-go. The adult victims' bodies were found soon after, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. They were pronounced dead at the scene. 16 Spruce Street, Passaic Damien …
WILD PURSUIT: Car Thief Pulled From Frigid Meadowlands Creek Is Violent Career Criminal WILD PURSUIT: Car Thief Pulled From Frigid Meadowlands Creek Is Violent Career Criminal
Wild Pursuit: Car Thief Pulled From Frigid Meadowlands Creek Is Violent Career Criminal UPDATE: A Union City man who jumped into a frigid Meadowlands creek during a dramatic police chase is an ex-con with nearly 50 arrests in no fewer than five North Jersey counties over the past 35 years. Career criminal Gregory Calvo, 53, is the very embodiment of the phrase “known to police.” He's been convicted nearly two dozen times in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Morris and Essex counties since 1989 – for offenses that include robbery, theft, burglary, drug dealing, domestic violence and aggravated assault -- and has been in and out of state prison and county jails since that time only to be…
SHOCKER: NJ Teacher Had Sex With Student Starting At 15 In School, Car, House: Authorities SHOCKER: NJ Teacher Had Sex With Student Starting At 15 In School, Car, House: Authorities
Shocker: NJ Teacher Had Sex With Student Starting At 15 In School, Car, House: Authorities A married teacher had intercourse as part of a years-long sexual relationship with a former Garfield Middle School student beginning when the youngster was 15, including several times in a car -- and even at the school, authorities charged. Amy Impero D'Ovidio, a 46-year-old Bergen County native, had worked for the Garfield Board of Education when the alleged encounters began, they said. She was 35 at the time. Locations included “within the Garfield Middle School, at a private residence in Cedar Grove, as well as within a vehicle at unknown locations in Bergen, Essex, and Passaic counties…
Suspended DUI Driver Slams Pickup Through Boardwalk In Jersey Shore Town: Police Suspended DUI Driver Slams Pickup Through Boardwalk In Jersey Shore Town: Police
Suspended DUI Driver Slams Pickup Through Boardwalk In Jersey Shore Town: Police A drunken and unlicensed driver, and the owner of the truck he was driving, have both been arrested following a boardwalk crash in one Jersey Shore town, authorities said. Julian Uribe Munoz, 39, of Spring Lake, was behind the wheel of 28-year-old's Marvin Cruz-Palma Ford pickup truck when he left the roadway and crashed it on an Ocean Avenue boardwalk around 12:20 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5, Spring Lake Police Chief Edward Kerr said. The disabled pickup truck was still lodged on the edge of the boardwalk after having crashed through multiple railings and an access ramp when police arrived, K…
CEO In Bergen Sold $35M Worth Of Banned Chinese Surveillance Cams To Police, Others In NJ: Feds CEO In Bergen Sold $35M Worth Of Banned Chinese Surveillance Cams To Police, Others In NJ: Feds
CEO In Bergen Sold $35M Worth Of Banned Chinese Surveillance Cams To Police, Others In NJ: Feds A Jersey Shore businessman conned state and local law enforcement agencies and others into buying nearly $35 million worth of surveillance cameras that were made in China and then illegally rebranded for sale by his Bergen County company, federal authorities charged. Tamer Zakhary, 49, of Toms River, modified license-plate readers and other cameras, then removed the original company’s logo, an FBI complaint says. He then told the police departments, prosecutor's offices and other buyers throughout the state that they were compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act, U.S. Atto…
Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (UPDATE) Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (UPDATE)
Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (Update) In his first extended public comment since claims of misconduct at the local police academy were revealed by Daily Voice last month, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed that an investigation by his office is underway. “We take all allegations of misconduct seriously, and we immediately began an investigation” into the allegations at the Bergen County Police Academy in Mahwah after being notified of the alleged improprieties. All of the academy’s instructors except one were relieved of their duties by the New Jersey Police Training Commission (PTC) amid the accusations, Daily Voi…
Midweek Downpours Expected To Bring 3 Inches Of Rain, Travel Delays To East Coast Midweek Downpours Expected To Bring 3 Inches Of Rain, Travel Delays To East Coast
Midweek Downpours Expected To Bring 3 Inches Of Rain, Travel Delays To East Coast A new storm system tracking along the East Coast is expected to drop several inches of rain on the region in the next two days, meteorologists say. Rainfall is expected to begin along the mid-Atlantic Tuesday night, Dec. 26, and make its way north through Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the New York City area on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 27. Flooding and travel delays are to be expected from Virginia to New England, the Passaic, Ramapo and Raritan rivers in New Jersey most likely to experience flooding, according to AccuWeather. This is not good news for municipalities across Passaic County w…
Thousands Without Power, Roads Flooded, Schools Delayed In North Jersey After Storm Thousands Without Power, Roads Flooded, Schools Delayed In North Jersey After Storm
Thousands Without Power, Roads Flooded, Schools Delayed In North Jersey After Storm Rain from a Sunday, Dec. 17 storm closed roads and delayed school openings across New Jersey on Monday, Dec. 18. Thousands of residents were without power as of 9 a.m. According to the PSE&G outage map, the following areas did not have power: Bergen: 3,764 (Most in New Milford, Elmwood Park, Garfield) Hudson: 4,095 (Most in Bayonne, North Bergen) Passaic: 2,718 (Most in Clifton, Passaic) Union: 660 Flooding is ongoing in several areas this morning with 2 to 5 inches of rain reported so far. DO NOT drive through... Posted by US National Weather Service Philadelphia/M…
EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Instructors At Bergen Police Academy Removed, New Recruit Class Suspended EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Instructors At Bergen Police Academy Removed, New Recruit Class Suspended
Exclusive Report: Instructors At Bergen Police Academy Removed, New Recruit Class Suspended The latest recruits to officially graduate from the Bergen County Police Academy on Friday night might be the last for some time, it appears. The 131st Bergen Academy class of graduates from various area departments were joined at their Dec. 15 commencement ceremony at Felician University by loved ones, colleagues and dignitaries -- but not by nearly all of their instructors. All except one of those instructors were relieved of their duties by the New Jersey Police Training Commission (PTC) amid accusations of impropriety, Daily Voice has learned. As a result, Academy Class #132, which was…
Social Security Recipient's Death Not Reported, Bank Worker From Passaic Pockets $100,000: Feds Social Security Recipient's Death Not Reported, Bank Worker From Passaic Pockets $100,000: Feds
Social Security Recipient's Death Not Reported, Bank Worker From Passaic Pockets $100,000: Feds A Passaic man who worked at a bank in Nutley stole more than $100,000 worth of Social Security benefits from the government in the name of a deceased customer, federal authorities charged. The Social Security Administration wasn’t notified of the beneficiary’s death and continued depositing benefits at the commercial bank for more than four years, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said on Wednesday, Dec. 13. Bank employee Jorge Nova, 35, issued debit cards to himself in the beneficiary’s name that he used to drain the account, Sellinger said. Nova also “registered new accounts with a money…
Hackensack CEO: My Passaic Firm Sold US Army Faulty Equipment Made In China Hackensack CEO: My Passaic Firm Sold US Army Faulty Equipment Made In China
Hackensack CEO: My Passaic Firm Sold US Army Faulty Equipment Made In China A Passaic company CEO from Hackensack admitted selling knockoff forklifts made in China to the US Army, federal authorities said. James Cai, 33, secured $247,000 in government contracts to supply two FD150 diesel forklifts to the Fort Cavazos military installation in Killeen, Texas, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said on Thursday, Dec. 7. The forklifts supplied by Toner Connect LLC had to be manufactured in America and required at least half of the components to also be of U.S. origin, the attorney general said. Cai ignored the requirements, Sellinger said. He bought the…
Tornado Possible, Flood Watch Issued Across 18 NJ Counties As Thunderstorms Loom Tornado Possible, Flood Watch Issued Across 18 NJ Counties As Thunderstorms Loom
Tornado Possible, Flood Watch Issued Across 18 NJ Counties As Thunderstorms Loom A flood watch is in effect across 18 of New Jersey's counties as thunderstorms with the possibility of a tornado moves in, the National Weather Service said. The flood watch is in effect until Wednesday evening, Sept. 13, in the following counties, according to the NWS: Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. The NWS said there is a "marginal risk" of an isolated tornado and damaging winds, however, no tornado watch or warning was issued. A flood watch is in effec…
REWARD INCREASED: Offer For Help Finding Missing Clifton Man Boosted To $2,000 REWARD INCREASED: Offer For Help Finding Missing Clifton Man Boosted To $2,000
Reward Increased: Offer For Help Finding Missing Clifton Man Boosted To $2,000 Family members said they last spoke with Edgar Pelaez of Clifton by phone on July 16, 2022. No one has seen nor heard from him since, police said. Authorities recharged the case on Wednesday, Aug. 30, increasing a reward for help finding the father of two to $2,000. Edgar, 39, was last known to be in the area of Hoover Avenue in Passaic, Clifton Police Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. He'd also frequented Botany Village (Clifton) and Parker Avenue in Passaic. “His family is concerned for his welfare due to existing medical issues,” Clifton police had said after he'd been reported missin…
'Y’All Never Gonna Find Me': NJ Feds Seize Ex-Con Who Taunted Cops After Dunkin Donuts Shooting 'Y’All Never Gonna Find Me': NJ Feds Seize Ex-Con Who Taunted Cops After Dunkin Donuts Shooting
'Y’All Never Gonna Find Me': NJ Feds Seize Ex-Con Who Taunted Cops After Dunkin Donuts Shooting A Clifton ex-con and former associate of rapper Fetty Wap who taunted police on Instagram following a shooting at a local Dunkin’ Donuts is now in federal custody. Surveillance video shows Justin Pope, 36, firing several shots at a woman who fled a Mercedes Benz during an argument in the parking lot of the Van Houten Avenue donut shop shortly after 9 p.m. July 12, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. He missed her, but a bullet crashed through the window of the Dunkin' Donuts. The bullet ended up "lodged in an electronic menu screen located above the cash registers of the…
UPDATE: Passaic Escapee In Clifton Parental Abduction Surrenders UPDATE: Passaic Escapee In Clifton Parental Abduction Surrenders
Update: Passaic Escapee In Clifton Parental Abduction Surrenders UPDATE: A young dad from Passaic who escaped after being charged with parental abduction ended a manhunt when he surrendered late Monday, authorities confirmed. Isaiah Felix, 20, of Passaic had been arrested by Clifton police and charged with unlawfully entering a residence in town and taking his young son without permission on Sunday, July 2. Felix was arrested without incident after police found him with the boy at a relative's home a short time later, law enforcement sources told Daily Voice. The child wasn't in any danger, they said. Officers who took Felix to the Passaic County Jail …
PRISONER ESCAPES: Passaic Dad, 20, Accused In Abduction Captured PRISONER ESCAPES: Passaic Dad, 20, Accused In Abduction Captured
Prisoner Escapes: Passaic Dad, 20, Accused In Abduction Captured UPDATE: A young dad from Passaic who escaped after being charged with parental abduction ended a manhunt when he surrendered late Monday, authorities confirmed. Isaiah Felix, 20, of Passaic had been arrested by Clifton police and charged with unlawfully entering a residence in town and taking his young son without permission on Sunday, July 2. Felix was arrested without incident after police found him with the boy at a relative's home a short time later, law enforcement sources told Daily Voice. The child wasn't in any danger, they said. Officers who took Felix to the Passaic County Jail h…
Garfield Shooting: Repeat Offender From Elmwood Park Charged With Attempted Murder Of JC Man Garfield Shooting: Repeat Offender From Elmwood Park Charged With Attempted Murder Of JC Man
Garfield Shooting: Repeat Offender From Elmwood Park Charged With Attempted Murder Of JC Man UPDATE: Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives seized a repeat offender from Elmwood Park who they said shot a 26-year-old Jersey City man several times in a Garfield shopping center parking lot this past weekend. Joshua Casiano, 29, was already wanted on warrants out of Passaic and Clifton, records show, when investigators said he shot the victim and left him behind the Citizens Bank branch at the Mill Shoppes of Garfield just off River Drive late Sunday, June 18. The victim survived the 11:45 p.m. shooting and was reported by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella to be in stable condition…
Hackensack Ex-Con Charged With ½ Pound Of Coke, $12G Sketchy Cash In Illegally Parked Corvette Hackensack Ex-Con Charged With ½ Pound Of Coke, $12G Sketchy Cash In Illegally Parked Corvette
Hackensack Ex-Con Charged With ½ Pound Of Coke, $12G Sketchy Cash In Illegally Parked Corvette A hardcore ex-con was charged with having nearly a half-pound of cocaine and $12,000 in suspect cash in a stolen car that he left idling in a fire lane outside a shopping mall in Hackensack. Jarrett Bruce, 39, was initially released at the Shops at Riverside just off westbound Route 4 after Lt. Sean Briggs ran a computer check, found a mismatched VIN and impounded the 2022 Chevy Corvette in early April, Hackensack Police Capt. Michael Antista said. Discovering that the ‘vette had been reported stolen, police had grounds to seek -- and obtain -- a search warrant. They found the drugs and cas…
NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING: Four Wounded In Clifton, Gunman At Large NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING: Four Wounded In Clifton, Gunman At Large
Nightclub Shooting: Four Wounded In Clifton, Gunman At Large UPDATE: Four people were wounded -- one seriously -- when gunfire erupted at a Clifton nightclub before dawn Friday, authorities confirmed. The gunman remained at large following the 2:47 a.m. June 16 shooting inside the Made In Miami Bar & Bistro on Harding Avenue, law enforcement sources told Daily Voice. Responding officers found a 32-year-old Clifton woman with a non-fatal gunshot wound. She was taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson. The woman was expected to survive, the same as three other victims who Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and…
GOTCHA! Boy, 15, Robbed Of Bicycle At Knifepoint Outside Walmart, Garfield PD Stings Suspect GOTCHA! Boy, 15, Robbed Of Bicycle At Knifepoint Outside Walmart, Garfield PD Stings Suspect
Gotcha! Boy, 15, Robbed Of Bicycle At Knifepoint Outside Walmart, Garfield PD Stings Suspect Garfield police pulled a clever sting to capture a Dominican national who they said pulled a knife on a 15-year-old boy and robbed him of a bicycle that the youngster had arranged to sell him through Facebook. Cristopher Rosario, 18, of Bloomfield, met the boy in the parking lot of the Walmart on Passaic Street, then threatened him with a silver knife before fleeing on the bicycle towards Passaic shortly after 8:30 p.m. last Thursday, June 1, Capt. Mario Pozo said. The youngster had gone there after Rosario agreed on Facebook Marketplace to buy the bike for $850, the captain said. Garfield…
CHOPPED: Passaic, Bergen Garages Doubled As Destinations For Stolen Vehicles, Authorities Say CHOPPED: Passaic, Bergen Garages Doubled As Destinations For Stolen Vehicles, Authorities Say
Chopped: Passaic, Bergen Garages Doubled As Destinations For Stolen Vehicles, Authorities Say A group of towing and mechanic business owners in Bergen and Passaic had a lucrative moonlighting operation going before New Jersey State Police shut them down, authorities said. Workers at the off-hour chop shops in Paterson, Passaic and Elmwood Park altered stolen vehicles for resale and disassembled others to be sold as parts, state authorities said on Friday, June 2. Fourteen people in all were arrested during quick-strike raids last week by the NJSP, assisted by the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, Paterson police and several other local, county and federal law enforcement agencies. R…
NJ Rapper Fetty Wap Sentenced To 6 Years For Running Drugs NJ Rapper Fetty Wap Sentenced To 6 Years For Running Drugs
NJ Rapper Fetty Wap Sentenced To 6 Years For Running Drugs Paterson rapper Fetty Wap caught something of a break on Wednesday. A federal judge sentenced the platinum-selling rapper – whose real name is William Junior Maxwell II – to six years in federal prison on May 24 for his role in a drug-trafficking ring that flooded part of New Jersey and Long Island with cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack. Maxwell had been charged with conspiring to transport more than 100 kilos of the drugs there from the West Coast. Rather than risk the potential consequences of a trial, he took a deal from the government, pleading guilty in U.S. Eastern District Court …