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Police & Fire
UPDATE: Jurors Convict Bergen County Man Of Gunning Down Newly-Released Killer UPDATE: Jurors Convict Bergen County Man Of Gunning Down Newly-Released Killer
Update: Jurors Convict Bergen County Man Of Gunning Down Newly-Released Killer A 25-year-old South Hackensack man was convicted of gunning down a convicted killer who’d only just been released from prison after serving his time. Rather than accept a plea deal, Naszhere Marquette Jones took his chances with a jury – and lost – in connection with the March 2021 shooting death of ex-con Jaquan Harrison, 35, in Paterson. Jurors in Paterson found Jones guilty of reckless manslaughter and weapons offenses following a day and a half of deliberations, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said on Friday, Sept. 29. Harrison had spent more than four years in state prison…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square
Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square Two Peruvian nationals were nabbed by Paterson police right after they stabbed a 50-year-old city man downtown, authorities said. Bryan Canales-Arias, 29, and Ernesto Canales-Arias, 23, who also live in the city, were seized shortly after the victim was stabbed near the corner of Main and Market streets – in the area known as Peru Square -- shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 25. The victim was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center with what Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi described in a brief release as m…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Mahwah, Upper Saddle River PDs Nab Rockland Man In Commercial Burglary Spree GOTCHA! Mahwah, Upper Saddle River PDs Nab Rockland Man In Commercial Burglary Spree
Gotcha! Mahwah, Upper Saddle River PDs Nab Rockland Man In Commercial Burglary Spree Police from Mahwah and Upper Saddle River teamed up to nab a serial burglar from Rockland County who broke into several well-known area businesses – including a local mini mart that was victimized twice, authorities said. Carlos M. Martinez Amaya wasn't only charged with burglarizing the Mahwah Bar & Grill, Ernie’s Ice Cream and the Fardale Deli & Mini Mart (twice). He's also accused of commercial burglaries in Upper Saddle River and Franklin Township and with pointing a gun at someone. Minimal proceeds were taken during break-ins the same night, March 31, at Ernie’s on Franklin Tu…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Firearms, Ammo Seized From 18-Year-Old Man Charged With Attempted Murder In NJ Shooting Spree Firearms, Ammo Seized From 18-Year-Old Man Charged With Attempted Murder In NJ Shooting Spree
Firearms, Ammo Seized From 18-Year-Old Man Charged With Attempted Murder In NJ Shooting Spree Numerous firearms and ammunition were seized from the home of an 18-year-old man who police say fired shots into three Somerset County homes in early-September. Ryan Vandermeer, 18, of Hillsborough, is being held in the Somerset County Jail on charges of attempted murder and various weapons offenses in connection with the incidents on Sept. 3 and Sept. 5, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Vandermeer is believed to have fired shots into the rear sliding glass door of a Robin Road home on Sunday, Sept. 3, between 10:15 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., McDonald said alongside local po…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Charged With Pulling Gun On Lodi Landscaper Ex-Con Charged With Pulling Gun On Lodi Landscaper
Ex-Con Charged With Pulling Gun On Lodi Landscaper An ex-con who'd served time for killing a 17-year-old boy in a Jersey City park was arrested after Lodi police said he pulled a gun on a landscaper cutting grass near his home. Tashawn Lamar Holmes, 33, "brandished a firearm and advised the victim to leave the property" near his Lawrence Avenue residence, Sgt. Dominic Miller said. Officers secured the scene while detectives obtained a warrant and recovered the 9mm Springfield Armory handgun that was used in the incident, the sergeant said. There were no injuries, he said. Holmes remained held Thursday in the Bergen County Jail, charg…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
ATTEMPTED MURDER: Fort Lee Man Surrenders In Stabbing ATTEMPTED MURDER: Fort Lee Man Surrenders In Stabbing
Attempted Murder: Fort Lee Man Surrenders In Stabbing UPDATE: A 37-year-old Fort Lee resident was charged with attempted murder after he stabbed another man at a home across from a grammar school, authorities confirmed. The 35-year-old victim was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 with what responders at the time said were life-threatening injuries. The victim has been stabbed in the abdomen at a home on Gerome Avenue and Hoym Street across from Public School No. 1, they said. Freddy Pina surrendered at police headquarters, Deputy Police Chief Edward Young said. He was treated at a local …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Accused Shooter Of Bergenfield GF Extradited To NJ, Charged With Attempted Murder UPDATE: Accused Shooter Of Bergenfield GF Extradited To NJ, Charged With Attempted Murder
Update: Accused Shooter Of Bergenfield GF Extradited To NJ, Charged With Attempted Murder THE LATEST: A one-time fugitive from Bergenfield who authorities said shot his 20-year-old girlfriend three times during an argument in his bedroom is being held in the Bergen County Jail after being extradited from New York State. Aaron Sierra, 22, whom sources described as emotionally disturbed, was captured after a brief standoff with the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit in New York City on July 12, a month and a half after the shooting. An iPhone helped track him down, according to court papers on file in Hackensack. Sierra was initially hospitalized before being extradited to New Jerse…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Cross-Dressed Robber Whacks Lodi ATM Customer With Hammer, Caught Using Rita's Restroom Cross-Dressed Robber Whacks Lodi ATM Customer With Hammer, Caught Using Rita's Restroom
Cross-Dressed Robber Whacks Lodi ATM Customer With Hammer, Caught Using Rita's Restroom A cross-dressed robber from Ridgefield whacked a Lodi bank customer in the head with a hammer, then was captured after someone spotted him ducking into the women's bathroom at a Rita's Ice shop, authorities said. The 48-year-old borough victim was headed to the ATM at the Capital One Bank on Essex Street shortly before 7:30 p.m. July 11 when he was clobbered from behind by Nicholas GIordano, 27, Lodi Police Sgt. Dominic Miller said. Giordano " continued to chase the victim around the lot but eventually got fatigued and fled on foot" empty-handed after trying and failing to take the victim's…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Weeks-Long Manhunt Ends With Accused Shooter Of Bergenfield Woman In Custody GOTCHA! Weeks-Long Manhunt Ends With Accused Shooter Of Bergenfield Woman In Custody
Gotcha! Weeks-Long Manhunt Ends With Accused Shooter Of Bergenfield Woman In Custody UPDATE: A fugitive wanted for shooting his 20-year-old Bergenfield girlfriend several times in May is in custody, authorities announced Wednesday. Aaron Sierra, 22, whom sources described as emotionally disturbed, was captured after a brief standoff with the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit in the city on Monday, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on July 12.He was taken to a city hospital, where he's remained since, the prosecutor said. Once he's released, Sierra will likely be held on Rikers Island pending extradition to Bergen County, where he's charged with attempted murder, obst…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
July 4th Stabbing Leaves Man Critical In Quiet Morris County Town: Police July 4th Stabbing Leaves Man Critical In Quiet Morris County Town: Police
July 4th Stabbing Leaves Man Critical In Quiet Morris County Town: Police A 51-year-old man was hospitalized with critical injuries while another was arrested in a Fourth of July stabbing, authorities said. Brian Kozub, 39, of Chatham Township, was charged with second-degree aggravated assault and various weapons offenses after stabbing the man in the neck with a pocket knife at a residence on Buxton Road around 10:50 p.m. while celebrating July 4th, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said. The man was taken to Morristown Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition. Kozub was being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a de…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
SMH: Released Burglar Returns To Cliffside For His Stuff, Gets Busted For Gun, Drugs SMH: Released Burglar Returns To Cliffside For His Stuff, Gets Busted For Gun, Drugs
SMH: Released Burglar Returns To Cliffside For His Stuff, Gets Busted For Gun, Drugs Only under New Jersey’s bail reform law can an ex-con charged with a string of burglaries be released by a judge before police even have a chance to search his car. And maybe only in New Jersey will the just-released defendant go to police headquarters to retrieve his things and immediately be arrested. That’s because while ex-con Ralph Lloyd Wilson was passing through the revolving door of justice, Cliffside Park detectives were finding a gun and drugs in the rented vehicle. It began with Wilson’s arrest last week by police in neighboring Fort Lee. He'd burglarized a row of businesse…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Days-Long Argument Culminates In Summit Shooting: Police Days-Long Argument Culminates In Summit Shooting: Police
Days-Long Argument Culminates In Summit Shooting: Police A days-long argument ended in a shooting this weekend in one Union County town, authorities said. Jaime Tapia-Lobos, 33, of Irvington, had been arguing with his 35-year-old Vauxhall victim before the incident Saturday morning, June 24 in Summit, local police said. Tapia-Lobos and two other men were standing on the sidewalk around 8:35 a.m., at 130 Park Ave., in Summit when the victim drove up, got out of his vehicle, and approached the group, authorities said.  Authorities in a Union County town are on the hunt for a shooting suspect who left one victim wounded.Summit PD "The suspect a…

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by Cecilia Levine