A Few Clouds and Windy 48°
Police & Fire
Massive Christmas Morning Fire Destroys Mahwah Building Supply Company Massive Christmas Morning Fire Destroys Mahwah Building Supply Company
Massive Christmas Morning Fire Destroys Mahwah Building Supply Company UPDATE: Authorities reported no casualties in a massive pre-dawn Christmas fire that ripped through a commercial building in Mahwah and continued burning hours after it broke out. What became a five-alarm blaze broke out around 4:40 a.m. at Arzee Building Supply on Franklin Turnpike next to the Ramapo River. Members of all five Mahwah fire companies were assisted by nearly 20 others from surrounding Bergen and Rockland county towns, along with police and EMS units, Police Chief Stephen Jaffe said. Seven elevated streams were in operation in the building, which began to collapse within an …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
LAWSUIT: Leaked Shell Station Toxins Caused Cancer That Killed Northvale Girl LAWSUIT: Leaked Shell Station Toxins Caused Cancer That Killed Northvale Girl
Lawsuit: Leaked Shell Station Toxins Caused Cancer That Killed Northvale Girl The family of a late Northvale girl has filed a lawsuit alleging her deadly brain cancer was caused by a contaminant leak from a nearby gas station. Vivienne Knopp, 7, had been living at one of the homes in which toxic chemicals had seeped into the garden soil from an underground Shell station tank, NorthJersey.com reports. The lawsuit was filed last Thursday in Superior Court -- exactly two years after Vivienne's death - and names Shell Oil Co. and the station's owner, Tappan Realty. The Tappan Road gas station is one of the thousands of contaminated New Jersey sites on a list by the…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Fire Destroys Wayne Truck Repair Shop, Leaks Oil Into Ramapo River UPDATE: Fire Destroys Wayne Truck Repair Shop, Leaks Oil Into Ramapo River
Update: Fire Destroys Wayne Truck Repair Shop, Leaks Oil Into Ramapo River Flames ravaged a Wayne truck repair shop Monday night, responders said. Responders reported explosions at Vander Wiele Truck Service  in the Hamburg Turnpike shop between two self-storage facilities. “It appeared that the fire was ignited by sparks created during metal grinding work” in the shop, Wayne Police Detective Capt. Dan Daly said early Tuesday. The blaze quickly went to four alarms after breaking out shortly before 7 p.m., collapsing a roof and walls  The main body of the fire was knocked down in about a half hour, with a trio of aerial ladders being used to contin…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
TORTURE TRAP: Opossum Mutilated In Illegal Paterson Trap Recovers In Warren County, Man Charged TORTURE TRAP: Opossum Mutilated In Illegal Paterson Trap Recovers In Warren County, Man Charged
Torture TRAP: Opossum Mutilated In Illegal Paterson Trap Recovers In Warren County, Man Charged A female opossum freed by a rescuer from an illegal and painful leg hold trap in Paterson is on her way to recovery at a Warren County animal rescue center. Luna's foot was mutilated last month before a Good Samaritan rescued her and a cat from the illegal traps, officials at the Wild Baby Rescue Center in Blairstown said. Igor Bulic, 61, of New York City, was charged earlier this week with three counts of unauthorized use of leg hold traps and three counts of not having the traps properly labeled, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Caryn Shinske said. …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Small Amount Of Depleted Uranium Found At Springfield Synagogue Small Amount Of Depleted Uranium Found At Springfield Synagogue
Small Amount Of Depleted Uranium Found At Springfield Synagogue A small amount of uranium that was used as a teaching aid at a Springfield synagogue was safely removed Tuesday morning, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said.  The marble-sized fragment of depleted uranium was accidentally left behind by a local educator in a meeting room at Temple Sha'arey Shalom on South Springfield Avenue. Springfield police and fire were called to the temple shortly before 9 a.m. on a report of a potentially hazardous substance. The prosecutor's office and the county HazMat team soon joined them.  The uranium emitted an extremely low level of radiation, w…

SHARE

by Paul Milo
News
Company Wants To Try Out Flying Car In Jersey City: Report Company Wants To Try Out Flying Car In Jersey City: Report
Company Wants To Try Out Flying Car In Jersey City: Report Ferries, tunnels, a bridge, helicopters, kayaks, jet skis, swimming, walking (when it's been cold enough) -- all have been used to cross the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.  And now a California startup wants to add a retro-futurist option to the commuter menu: flying cars.  Jersey Digs reports that Kitty Hawk Corp. has sought permission to erect a test hangar and a dock somewhere along Hudson Street in Jersey City for its Flyer, a small fan-driven craft that zips along at a height of about 10 feet.  The company submitted an application with the state Departmen…

SHARE

by Paul Milo
News
Filters Handed Out By Newark Effective At Removing Lead, Officials Say Filters Handed Out By Newark Effective At Removing Lead, Officials Say
Filters Handed Out By Newark Effective At Removing Lead, Officials Say Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that an extensive round of preliminary testing revealed that water filters distributed by the city of Newark are at least 97 percent effective at bringing lead levels to below 10 parts per billion, well under the safe threshold of 15 parts per billion.  (Click here for more information on the city's water line replacement program.)  The filters approach 99 percent effectiveness when residents run their water for about five to 10 or minutes, especially first thing in the morning or other periods when the tap has not been used for several hours or m…

SHARE

by Paul Milo
News
UPDATE: City Gives Bottled Water To Newarkers Affected By Lead In Tap Water UPDATE: City Gives Bottled Water To Newarkers Affected By Lead In Tap Water
Update: City Gives Bottled Water To Newarkers Affected By Lead In Tap Water UPDATE, Aug. 12: The city has released the following information regarding ongoing water issues. The original story appears after the release from city officials:  Follow up test results provided on August 9, 2019 have shown that a small sample of water filters (2 of 3) provided to the City of Newark may not be removing lead to the low levels expected by city, state and federal officials. At this time, the City is aware of only two residences where water filters are not working as expected. Out of an abundance of caution, the City is notifying residents that some filters may not be work…

SHARE

by Paul Milo
News
DEP: Harmful Algae Bloom Shuts Lake Hopatcong, 30 Skin Rashes Reported DEP: Harmful Algae Bloom Shuts Lake Hopatcong, 30 Skin Rashes Reported
DEP: Harmful Algae Bloom Shuts Lake Hopatcong, 30 Skin Rashes Reported The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is urging people to stay away from the water at Lake Hopatcong due to a harmful algae bloom (HAB). The DEP has received more than 30 reports of HABs on Lake Hopatcong since June 17, including reports of people experiencing mild skin rashes after coming in contact with lake water. As a precaution, the DEP is recommending that local health authorities close all public swimming beaches along the lake due to the widespread nature of the bloom. Based on the widespread nature of the HAB, the recreational advisory may be in place for weeks, if…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
DEP Cracks Down On Idling Trucks In Newark, More Than 40 Ticketed DEP Cracks Down On Idling Trucks In Newark, More Than 40 Ticketed
DEP Cracks Down On Idling Trucks In Newark, More Than 40 Ticketed New Jersey has had a law against vehicle idling on the books for nearly 50 years, although many in the state may not realize it. Dozens of truckers in Newark were recently reminded of the law’s existence the hard way, courtesy of citations issued during a special two-day enforcement operation involving city police and the state Department of Environmental Protection. Also assisting were commercial vehicle inspection teams from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who together issued the citations May 20 and 21. The crackdown took place in the East Ward, where heavy truck traffic …

SHARE

by Paul Milo