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Weather
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…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Grinch Steals From Santa In North Jersey Holiday Crime Spree (VIDEO) Grinch Steals From Santa In North Jersey Holiday Crime Spree (VIDEO)
Grinch Steals From Santa In North Jersey Holiday Crime Spree (Video) The Grinch is continuing to run afoul of the law in North Jersey. After being busted in Paramus and Clifton, the green creature set his sights on North Bergen.  A video posted by police shows the man whose heart is two sizes too small stealing a red bin from Santa Claus, only to be immediately busted by officers riding in on motorcycles. The Grinch stood no chance against the North Bergen PD! 🎅🏻 Posted by North Bergen Police Department on Friday, December 15, 2023 The Grinch is led away by an officer in an elf costume, but not before he exchanges thumbs down with Santa. …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
TENSE STOP: Clifton Police Find Gun, Extended Mag In Passenger's Waistband, 2nd Firearm In Car TENSE STOP: Clifton Police Find Gun, Extended Mag In Passenger's Waistband, 2nd Firearm In Car
Tense Stop: Clifton Police Find Gun, Extended Mag In Passenger's Waistband, 2nd Firearm In Car A passenger who struggled with Clifton police during a tense overnight traffic stop had a semiautomatic handgun with an extended 27-round magazine tucked into his waistband, authorities said. Officers arrested him and two companions while also seizing a second gun with a magazine that held 33 rounds of mixed standard and hollow-point bullets, Clifton Police Lt. Robert Anderson said. Both 9mm Polymer80 handguns had their serial numbers removed, the lieutenant said. Officer Nicholas Garruto stopped the purple 2013 Dodge Charger on Main Avenue just over the city line in Passaic after witnessi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
STASH HOUSE RAID: Raw Coke, 150 Pills, $22,775 Seized, Three Arrested: Passaic County Sheriff STASH HOUSE RAID: Raw Coke, 150 Pills, $22,775 Seized, Three Arrested: Passaic County Sheriff
Stash House Raid: Raw Coke, 150 Pills, $22,775 Seized, Three Arrested: Passaic County Sheriff Officers in tactical gear safely locked an attack dog into a bathroom as Passaic County detectives raided a Paterson stash house during an operation that netted a third of a pound of raw cocaine, more than 150 illegal pills and $22,775 in cash, authorities said. They also took a BMW and a Hyundai for forfeiture while arresting a second-floor tenant, a fellow city resident and a man from Rockland County, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik said. Complaints of drug dealing focused the attention of the sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics detectives on the home at the corner of Knickerbocker and G…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Resident Tackles Drunk Driver From NY Who Bailed After Sedan Hit Clifton Home: Police Resident Tackles Drunk Driver From NY Who Bailed After Sedan Hit Clifton Home: Police
Resident Tackles Drunk Driver From NY Who Bailed After Sedan Hit Clifton Home: Police The serenity of a sleeping family was shattered when a sedan slammed into a Clifton home near the Garden State Parkway and the driver bailed, authorities said. The driver -- a 37-year-old New York man from Yonkers -- ran following the loud crash on Hazel Street off Madeline Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, Clifton Police Lt. Robert Anderson said. A resident chased him down and held onto him, however, Anderson said. Clifton police and firefighters converged on the scene along with Passaic County sheriff officers. A sheriff's officer found the driver, Anthony Deleon, being det…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Pickup Crash Kills Bergen Minivan Driver, 33, Parked Across Darkened Garden State Parkway: NJSP Pickup Crash Kills Bergen Minivan Driver, 33, Parked Across Darkened Garden State Parkway: NJSP
Pickup Crash Kills Bergen Minivan Driver, 33, Parked Across Darkened Garden State Parkway: Njsp A 33-year-old driver from Englewood whose van was parked across the right lane and shoulder of the northbound Garden State Parkway in Clifton was killed when it was rammed by a pickup truck before dawn, State Police said. Andres Valencia-Castano, 33, of Englewood was behind the wheel of a Dodge minivan that was parked across the right lane and shoulder when it was struck at 3:47 a.m. just south of Exit 154 on Sunday, Dec. 3, NJSP Trooper Troy McNair said. Valencia-Castano was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in the area of milepost 155.7, the trooper said. It wasn't imme…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Clifton Musician, 29, Stabbed Dead In Philadelphia Clifton Musician, 29, Stabbed Dead In Philadelphia
Clifton Musician, 29, Stabbed Dead In Philadelphia A 29-year-old musician from Clifton, NJ died in a Philadelphia stabbing last month. Carl James "CJ" Mueller III was found unresponsive on the 1400 block of Snyder Avenue around 3:15 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, Philadelphia police said. Sadly enough, the most painful goodbyes are the ones that are left unsaid and never explained. The sorrow we feel when... Posted by Ginger Kelly on Monday, November 27, 2023 CJ, who was reported missing, was pronounced dead just before 3:30 a.m. A postmortem exam performed by a doctor with a detective present and a single stab wound was found in the ce…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Sweet Homecoming: Best Friends Of 20 Years Expand Passaic County Bakeshop Sweet Homecoming: Best Friends Of 20 Years Expand Passaic County Bakeshop
Sweet Homecoming: Best Friends Of 20 Years Expand Passaic County Bakeshop It's a homecoming for Elizabeth Rivera and Stefany Ardila The Clifton residents, who have been best friends since elementary school, recently opened Sweet n' Cake at 457 Clifton Ave. It is the second location for the duo, who opened their first storefront in Paterson earlier this year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sweet N’ Cake (@sweet_cakesforever) Rivera and Ardila's journey as business partners began in February 2020, when they started making smaller treats like chocolate covered strawberries.  A month later, the pandemic…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
SEE ANYTHING? Clifton Car Burglar Pulls Knife On Victim Trying To Stop Him SEE ANYTHING? Clifton Car Burglar Pulls Knife On Victim Trying To Stop Him
SEE Anything? Clifton Car Burglar Pulls Knife On Victim Trying To Stop Him A thief who broke into a Clifton resident's locked vehicle pulled a knife on him before fleeing with his power tools, authorities said. It was shortly before 5 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3, when the blare of a vehicle alarm awoke the owner, Police Lt. Robert Anderson said. The owner, who lives near the corner of Center and Holden streets, ran outside to find the car burglar fleeing with a high-end power tool, Anderson said. The victim chased after the thief, who tossed the tool into a waiting car, then turned and brandished a large knife, the lieutenant said. He then got into the vehicle, which dr…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Car Burglar Trying To Hotfoot It Tackled After Assaulting Officer: Clifton PD Car Burglar Trying To Hotfoot It Tackled After Assaulting Officer: Clifton PD
Car Burglar Trying To Hotfoot It Tackled After Assaulting Officer: Clifton PD One of a group of sophisticated car thieves assaulted a Clifton police officer before being subdued following an overnight foot chase, authorities said. Francis Jose-Suarez, 20, of the Bronx was among a group trying to get into vehicles in the area of East 8th Street and Trenton Avenue shortly before 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, Lt. Robert Anderson said. Alerted by a resident, responding officers spotted an unoccupied Dodge Charger with the motor running, the lieutenant said. Turns out it had been stolen out of Saddle Brook earlier that night, he said. A neighbor pointed police toward…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Legal
Wrongful Death Suit: $5M Received By Family For North Jersey Electrician's Fatal Fall Wrongful Death Suit: $5M Received By Family For North Jersey Electrician's Fatal Fall
Wrongful Death Suit: $5M Received By Family For North Jersey Electrician's Fatal Fall The estate of an electrician who died from a 30-foot fall at a food manufacturing plant in Saddle Brook has reportedly received a $5 million settlement. Joseph Roscitt, who worked for the Modern Electric Company in Clifton, was atop a scissor lift changing light bulbs when an employee at Chefler Foods accidentally backed a forklift into the aerial platform on Dec. 1, 2021, authorities said Roscitt, who was a member of IBEW Local 164 in Paramus, suffered brain bleeding and other critical injuries when his head slammed against the concrete floor, they said. A portion of his skull was removed…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Armed With Loaded Handgun Fights, Bites Clifton, Passaic Police: Authorities Ex-Con Armed With Loaded Handgun Fights, Bites Clifton, Passaic Police: Authorities
Ex-Con Armed With Loaded Handgun Fights, Bites Clifton, Passaic Police: Authorities A 23-year-old ex-con was carrying a loaded gun when he bit and punched Clifton police who caught him driving an SUV stolen out of Passaic, authorities said. Pedro Martinez of Passaic hit the gas of the Nissan Rogue when Officer Nicholas Garruto tried to stop him near the intersection of Highland and Lexington avenues shortly before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, Lt. Robert Anderson said. Garruto followed the SUV into Passaic and through various streets before Martinez abruptly stopped in the Shop Rite parking lot on Paulison, got out and tried to run, the lieutenant said. The officer grabbe…

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by Jerry DeMarco