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Garfield, NJ

Stalker Fresh Out Of Bergen County Jail Steals Car From Dealership Lot, Police Say Stalker Fresh Out Of Bergen County Jail Steals Car From Dealership Lot, Police Say
Stalker Fresh Out Of Bergen County Jail Steals Car From Dealership Lot, Police Say A 37-year-old man fresh out of jail for stalking was arrested just hours later in Bergen County, police said. Daniel MacTaggart, of Elmwood Park, was jailed on Sunday, Aug. 11 on charges of stalking as a repeat offender, driving on a suspended license/registration, and failure to possess driver's insurance card, court records show. ALSO SEE: Video Shows Officers Tackling Accused Stalker In Stolen Car Outside Teterboro Airport Hours after his release, MacTaggart walked into the service area of Park Avenue Acura on W. Passaic Street in Maywood around 8;30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15,…
Wanted Offender Nabbed By Off-Duty Hasbrouck Heights Detective, On-Duty Officer Wanted Offender Nabbed By Off-Duty Hasbrouck Heights Detective, On-Duty Officer
Wanted Offender Nabbed By Off-Duty Hasbrouck Heights Detective, On-Duty Officer A detective and police officer from Hasbrouck Heights teamed up to nab a wanted longtime repeat offender from Garfield. Detective Nicholas Brunetti was off duty when he saw Michael Villamizar, 53, leave the Walgreens on Boulevard and pedal off on a bicycle, Lt. John Behr said. Villamizar was wanted for a May 3 shoplifting at the same pharmacy, the lieutenant said. The detective flagged down Officer John Mullins, who stopped Villamazir on Raymond Street. Villamazir was stuffing items into his backpack just before Collins took him into custody with help from responding Officers Joseph Oliv…
HERO: Firefighter Seriously Injured Rescuing Guest Through Window In Elmwood Park Motel Blaze HERO: Firefighter Seriously Injured Rescuing Guest Through Window In Elmwood Park Motel Blaze
Hero: Firefighter Seriously Injured Rescuing Guest Through Window In Elmwood Park Motel Blaze 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An Elmwood Park firefighter was seriously injured rescuing a trapped guest through a second-floor window during an intense motel-room fire Wednesday. The firefighter and her colleagues had smashed the window to get to the victim during the late-morning June 12 blaze at the Townhouse Inn and Suites on eastbound Route 46, Elmwood Park Borough Administrator Michael Foligno said. In doing so, she sustained a serious cut to her arm, Foligno said. Piero Fasolo The guest was helped out the window and down a ladder, he said. Both were taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Cente…
SICK BURN: Spurned Woman Sets Fire To Ex-BF’s Garfield Apartment, Authorities Charge SICK BURN: Spurned Woman Sets Fire To Ex-BF’s Garfield Apartment, Authorities Charge
Sick Burn: Spurned Woman Sets Fire To Ex-BF’s Garfield Apartment, Authorities Charge 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A woman who vowed to torch her ex-boyfriend's Garfield apartment carried out the threat, said authorities who arrested her after reviewing surveillance video and other evidence. Allison G. Gutierrez-Tuesta, 25, had previously damaged the victim’s car and assaulted him when he ended their relationship, according to local investigators. Shortly after 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 28, she ignited two areas of his second-floor Passaic Street apartment near the Garfield train station, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. One was in his bedroom and the other in the hallway. Gutierrez-…
HERO: Civilian Rescues Woman From Serial Groper Who Tried To Drag Her Behind Garfield Church HERO: Civilian Rescues Woman From Serial Groper Who Tried To Drag Her Behind Garfield Church
Hero: Civilian Rescues Woman From Serial Groper Who Tried To Drag Her Behind Garfield Church UPDATE: A serial groper who was captured by a SWAT team after a civilian stopped him from dragging a woman behind a church in Garfield earlier this month had been stalking the victim at least since April, authorities said. Garfield police have surveillance video of Michael Hernandez, 25, following, running up and grabbing the woman outside Praise Assembly church at the corner of Main Street and Banta Avenue shortly after 12 noon May 8, investigators said. Grabbing her by her neck and backpack, Hernandez tries to drag the woman behind the church, they said. But a good Samaritan comes to her…
Macy's Opening New Format Store In North Jersey Macy's Opening New Format Store In North Jersey
Macy's Opening New Format Store In North Jersey A Macy's in North Jersey is getting a makeover.  Macy's will be celebrating the grand opening of its new format store at the Interstate Shopping Center in Ramsey on Saturday, May 25 at 9:45 a.m. The event will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony and giveaways for customers. The department store is promising an immersive shopping experience with its new format, offering convenience and discovery in an easy to navigate shopping center. Patrons will be able to enjoy a curated assortment of Macy's fragrances and the store plans on collaborating with local businesses to create pop-up shops an…
BREAK IN, RINSE, REPEAT: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns BREAK IN, RINSE, REPEAT: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns
Break IN, Rinse, Repeat: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns It never ends with some guys. Mark C. Todd, most recently of Hasbrouck Heights, just turned 50 amid what has been a three-decade-long string of burglaries, thefts and police pursuits in nearly a dozen Bergen County towns. It got to the point that detectives from Maywood, Carlstadt and Hasbrouck Heights all went together to arrest the ex-con at his home last Friday morning, April 12. He was charged with break-ins in Maywood, Carlstadt, Elmwood Park and Fair Lawn. Tood has remained held in the Bergen County Jail this past week based on the likelihood that he’ll be returned to prison. He sp…
Teen Trio Caught With Gun After Crashing Stolen Car During Pursuit: Lyndhurst PD Teen Trio Caught With Gun After Crashing Stolen Car During Pursuit: Lyndhurst PD
Teen Trio Caught With Gun After Crashing Stolen Car During Pursuit: Lyndhurst PD Three young teenagers who ran after one of them crashed a stolen car into a tree during a Lyndhurst police pursuit left a handgun in the vehicle, authorities said. It was around 11 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, when Officer Michael Clifford spotted the Kia Soul in the area of Page Avenue and Lewandowski Street, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. The subcompact had been reported stolen out of Clifton four days earlier, he said. Clifford tried to stop it but the 16-year-old driver from Passaic hit the gas and sped off on Page Avenue. The officer pursued the vehicle through Lyndhurst, along Schu…
UPDATE: Popular Garfield Restaurant Ravaged By Overnight Fire (w/PHOTOS) UPDATE: Popular Garfield Restaurant Ravaged By Overnight Fire (w/PHOTOS)
Update: Popular Garfield Restaurant Ravaged By Overnight Fire (w/Photos) A firefighter was taken to a local hospital and two civilians were tended to at the scene of an overnight blaze that destroyed a popular Garfield restaurant and severely damaged the apartments above it. A passerby alerted authorities to the fire that broke on the first floor of DP's Pub and Seafood Grill on River Drive shortly after 2:30 a.m. Friday, April 12, responders said. Firefighters found flames engulfing the bar and spreading quickly through the upper floors. Police Capt. Mario Pozo said two second-floor tenants were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene after responding Garfie…
Meet Trailblazing Builder Behind Brand-New $2.55M Paramus Property Meet Trailblazing Builder Behind Brand-New $2.55M Paramus Property
Meet Trailblazing Builder Behind Brand-New $2.55M Paramus Property Agnes Wanat was always a builder of sorts. The Paramus resident created a diverse series of businesses throughout North Jersey — until she turned 35, and discovered her passion for building homes far outweighed her desire to own another in a series of businesses that left her wanting more. On Thursday, April 11, Wanat debuted her latest home construction project: A 7,500 square-foot, L-shaped home at 228 Diane Pl. in Paramus. The 6-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom house hit the market at $2.55 million, with Tony Nabhan of Keller Williams City Views Realty as the listing agent (click her…
Car Thief Confronted By Wyckoff Homeowner Turns Out To Be 14-Year-Old Garfield Boy Car Thief Confronted By Wyckoff Homeowner Turns Out To Be 14-Year-Old Garfield Boy
Car Thief Confronted By Wyckoff Homeowner Turns Out To Be 14-Year-Old Garfield Boy A would-be car thief who fled a Wyckoff driveway after the new BMW X5’s owner confronted him turned out to be a 14-year-old boy from Garfield, authorities said. The teen hopped into a waiting Dodge Charger that was trailed by a Nissan Rogue, both of which sped from Atwood Place early one late-March morning, Wyckoff Police Lt. Joseph Soto said. Sgt. Ryan Noon tried stopping the Rogue but had to terminate the pursuit because of safety concerns, Soto said. Detective Sgt. Michael DeMaio took it from there, identifying the boy with help from Newark police who’d stopped the Charger, the lieutena…
Ex-Con Charged With Pointing Illegal Gun During Dispute In Garfield Ex-Con Charged With Pointing Illegal Gun During Dispute In Garfield
Ex-Con Charged With Pointing Illegal Gun During Dispute In Garfield Garfield police investigating a report of a man pointing a gun at a victim during a dispute seized an ex-con from Paterson. Officers responding to a John Street residence found a defaced .22-caliber handgun and a magazine loaded with 10 rounds that belonged to Kelvin Merello, 37, Garfield Police Capt. Mario Pozo said. They arrested Merello and charged him with aggravated assault, making terroristic threats and multiple weapons counts -- including illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Merello -- whose online bio lists him as a personal trainer -- has remained in the Bergen Co…
ICE Seizes Turkish National Charged With Sexually Assaulting Drive-Share Passenger In Fair Lawn ICE Seizes Turkish National Charged With Sexually Assaulting Drive-Share Passenger In Fair Lawn
ICE Seizes Turkish National Charged With Sexually Assaulting Drive-Share Passenger In Fair Lawn ICE agents took custody of a 33-year-old ride-share driver from Turkey after he was jailed on charges of sexually assaulting a female passenger in Fair Lawn. Ahmet Yusuf Aydemir sexually assaulted the woman “while she was a passenger in his vehicle” on Wednesday, April 3, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He didn’t specify which ride-share service, however. Aydemir, a Turkish national who's been living in Garfield, was arrested on Thursday and charged with sexual assault and criminal sexual contact charges, records show. He was sent to the Bergen County Jail -- but he didn’…
Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM
Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM A career criminal from Passaic County who's been busted dozens of times in North Jersey in just the past few years used an explosive device to damage an ATM, federal authorities charged. Nicolas Torres, 41, of Passaic, has amassed a lengthy rap sheet over much of his adult life, mostly involving business break-ins that local police and county prosecutors have dealt with. This time, though, the FBI's got him. Torres was captured on surveillance video igniting the device in front of the Chase Bank ATM on North 6th Street in Prospect Park in the early morning hours of July 5, 2022, U.S. Attor…
Police Car Struck, Vehicle Thieves Captured After Crash In Garfield: Authorities Police Car Struck, Vehicle Thieves Captured After Crash In Garfield: Authorities
Police Car Struck, Vehicle Thieves Captured After Crash In Garfield: Authorities A driver wanted for hitting a police cruiser with a stolen BMW was nabbed by Garfield police after he crashed into a pole, igniting a fire, and took off on foot, authorities said. Garfield police spotted the orange 2020 BMW M4 shortly before noon Wednesday, March 27, after colleagues from Newark who were tracking the vehicle via GPS pointed them to Prospect Street after one of their vehicles was hit, Capt. Mario Pozo said. Garfield Police Officer Noah Murphy tried stopping the sedan moments later, the captain said, but the driver threw it in reverse, hit the gas and accidentally slammed int…
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…
Newark Police Car Struck, Stolen Car Thieves Captured After Crash In Garfield Newark Police Car Struck, Stolen Car Thieves Captured After Crash In Garfield
Newark Police Car Struck, Stolen Car Thieves Captured After Crash In Garfield A driver wanted for hitting a police cruiser with a stolen BMW was nabbed by Garfield police after he crashed into a pole, igniting a fire, and took off on foot, authorities said. Garfield police spotted the orange 2020 BMW M4 shortly before noon Wednesday, March 27, after colleagues from Newark who were tracking the vehicle via GPS pointed them to Prospect Street after one of their vehicles was hit, Capt. Mario Pozo said. Garfield Police Officer Noah Murphy tried stopping the sedan moments later, the captain said, but the driver threw it in reverse, hit the gas and accidentally slammed int…
NJ Tri-County Takedown Nets 12,100 Heroin Folds, 9½ Ounces Of Crack, $107,089 Cash, Loaded Gun NJ Tri-County Takedown Nets 12,100 Heroin Folds, 9½ Ounces Of Crack, $107,089 Cash, Loaded Gun
NJ Tri-County Takedown Nets 12,100 Heroin Folds, 9½ Ounces Of Crack, $107,089 Cash, Loaded Gun A law enforcement supergroup seized 12,100 folds of heroin mixed with fentanyl, 9½ ounces of crack, $107,089 in suspected drug money and a loaded gun while busting a drug-dealing North Haledon couple, authorities said. Armed with search warrants, investigators hit 10 locations in Passaic, Bergen, and Sussex counties, leading to the arrests of Demoy Woolley and Qa’Lasia Williams. The couple became the focus of an investigation by Wayne police last November, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Wayne Police Department Chief Jack McNiff. Participating in the investigation…
Maywood House Fire Doused Maywood House Fire Doused
Maywood House Fire Doused Firefighters participating in a mutual aid drill in Paramus on Sunday rushed to Maywood to douse a genuine blaze. The fire had ignited in a 1½-story Cape Cod-style wood-frame home at 30 Grove Avenue -- around the corner from Maywood's fire HQ -- around 11:30 a.m. March 24.The first firefighters at the scene were met by heavy heat, smoke and flames on both floors. They had the fire under control within 90 minutes.  No injuries were reported. Mutual aid responders at the scene or in coverage included firefighters from Hackensack, Paramus, Rochelle Park, Lodi, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Saddl…
Bergen Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release Bergen Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release
Bergen Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release A Garfield ex-con was caught with a gun during a Little Ferry police stop just two days after he was released from prison, authorities said. Nazir R. Halloway, 26, spent a mandatory one year behind bars coincidentally after pleading guilty last year to unlawful possession of a handgun, records show. He was paroled on Monday, March 18, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Little Ferry Lt. John Andronaco was on patrol when he spotted a 2020 Acura ILX with darkly-tinted windows in the parking lot of the Stagecoach Motel just off westbound Route 46 shortly after midnight Wedn…
UPDATE: Owner Of Counseling Center In Paramus Admits $700,000 Health Care Fraud UPDATE: Owner Of Counseling Center In Paramus Admits $700,000 Health Care Fraud
Update: Owner Of Counseling Center In Paramus Admits $700,000 Health Care Fraud UPDATE: The owner of a counseling and mental health center in Paramus admitted Tuesday that she scammed private insurers out of $700,000 by billing for patients who either were out of the country, had stopped coming or were never there in the first place. Bergen Alliance Counseling Services served children, families, couples, and adults, but Maria P. Cosentino, 60, of Garfield admitted on March 19 in U.S. District Court in Newark that she also took care of herself. Cosentino (photo above) ran the health care fraud scam at Bergen Alliance for 5½ years by "making up visits for counseling and …
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…
Garfield Garage Blaze Doused Garfield Garage Blaze Doused
Garfield Garage Blaze Doused Garfield firefighters doused a Sunday morning garage blaze. It was going pretty good when they got to the March 10 fire, but they contained it to the one-story two-car garage behind a Market Street home. No injuries were reported. Mutual aid at the scene and in coverage was provided by fellow firefighters from Saddle Brook, Clifton, Elmwood Park, Lodi, Maywood, Passaic and Rochelle Park. Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE
Coach From Lyndhurst Charged With Sexually Assaulting Second Bergen Child Coach From Lyndhurst Charged With Sexually Assaulting Second Bergen Child
Coach From Lyndhurst Charged With Sexually Assaulting Second Bergen Child 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A North Jersey youth strength and conditioning coach who’s already awaiting trial first for a double-fatal car crash in Lodi and then for repeated sex assaults of a child is back in jail. Donald Kumar Davis, 33, of Lyndhurst was charged by detectives with sexually assaulting a second child, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on Monday, March, 4. Davis -- formerly of Nutley -- was previously accused of killing a retired Albanian police chief and a Garfield Walmart manager when he slammed his 2015 Dodge Charger into their car as the immigrant couple as they emerged from t…
Burn-Away Cakes Are Super Hot Right Now: Here's Where To Get One In North Jersey Burn-Away Cakes Are Super Hot Right Now: Here's Where To Get One In North Jersey
Burn-Away Cakes Are Super Hot Right Now: Here's Where To Get One In North Jersey Burn-away cakes could be the hottest cakes on the market — literally. While the technique isn't a new one, burn-away cakes started going viral on TikTok in early 2024, Eater reports. Justin Ellen, a 21-year-old Passaic baker who you may recognize from Netflix, was inspired to make his "Mean Girls" themed burn-away cake after seeing Denise Steward's New Year's cake go viral. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Everything Just Baked ! (@everythingjustbaked) "It seems intimidating, but it isn't," Ellen said. "It's super, super simple."…
UPDATE: Three Cats Die In Fierce Fair Lawn House Fire UPDATE: Three Cats Die In Fierce Fair Lawn House Fire
Update: Three Cats Die In Fierce Fair Lawn House Fire UPDATE: Three cats died in a fierce fire that all but destroyed a Fair Lawn home, officials said. The feline trio were the only ones home when the three-alarm blaze ignited at the front of the nearly 100-year-old wood-frame house on 5th Street off Morlot Avenue shortly before 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24. Fair Lawn native Nick Cornwell and his wife, Ashley, also lost all of their belongings. “We encountered heavy fire upon our arrival," Fair Lawn Fire Department Assistant Chief Ralph Rinaldo said. "The members did a great job knocking the fire down using deck guns before entering the b…
FAMILIAR FACE: Serial Porch Pirate Spotted By Lyndhurst Crossing Guard Dives Into Dumpster FAMILIAR FACE: Serial Porch Pirate Spotted By Lyndhurst Crossing Guard Dives Into Dumpster
Familiar Face: Serial Porch Pirate Spotted By Lyndhurst Crossing Guard Dives Into Dumpster A Lyndhurst porch pirate was spotted by a school crossing guard, pursued by the township police chief and captured after he dove into a Dumpster, authorities said. Jaquiece Shaddeer Smith, a 35-year-old longtime repeat offender from Garfield, made headlines just last month when he was identified snatching packages there while wearing both a distinctive jacket made of NFL team patches and with bright yellow sneakers. The Lyndhurst incident was no different. Smith -- this time cad in a colorful hoodie -- apparently didn't know the crossing guard had seen him snatch deliveries from a nearby h…
UPDATE: Man, 31, Stabbed To Death Outside Garfield Bar UPDATE: Man, 31, Stabbed To Death Outside Garfield Bar
Update: Man, 31, Stabbed To Death Outside Garfield Bar A man was stabbed and killed overnight Sunday outside a Garfield bar, authorities said. The 31-year-old victim was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center after being stabbed in the torso outside JoJo's Bar & Grill on Monroe Street shortly after 12:30 a.m. Feb. 4, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said in a release. He died in the emergency room with multiple stab wounds, law enforcement sources told Daily Voice. Musella didn't say whether anyone had been arrested or identified. He also didn't identify the victim. Detectives from his office and Garfield police are investigat…
Maywood House Fire Doused Maywood House Fire Doused
Maywood House Fire Doused Residents, responders and the family cats made it out OK as Maywood 's bravest doused a house fire. The blaze ignited in the rear of the 1½-story wood-frame house at the corner of Palmer and Coolidge avenues shortly before 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13. Rochelle Park's fire chief was the first on scene, immediately followed by his Maywood colleagues. Mutual aid was provided by firefighters from Hackensack, Rochelle Park and Saddle Brook at the scene and from Garfield, Lodi and Paramus in coverage. The fire was declared under control within a half hour. No injuries were reported to any respon…
FIREBALL (UPDATE): Gas Tanker Flips From One Side Of Route 17 To Other, Dealership Destroyed FIREBALL (UPDATE): Gas Tanker Flips From One Side Of Route 17 To Other, Dealership Destroyed
Fireball (Update): Gas Tanker Flips From One Side Of Route 17 To Other, Dealership Destroyed In nothing short of a miracle, no serious injuries were reported after a gas tanker truck exploded into a huge fireball on Route 17 Monday morning. A used car dealership and many of its two dozen or so vehicles were destroyed in the five-alarm blaze after the truck and a passenger vehicle collided near the U-turn at the White Castle on the highway's southbound side in Hasbrouck Heights at 5:43 a.m. Jan. 8. The force flipped the tanker over the divider into the northbound lanes, Fire Chief Mike Greco said at the scene. (Justin Derevyanik took the photo at the top of this story. See his vide…
Maintenance Man Poses As Complex Owner, Scams Apartment Seekers Out Of $14,000: Garfield PD Maintenance Man Poses As Complex Owner, Scams Apartment Seekers Out Of $14,000: Garfield PD
Maintenance Man Poses As Complex Owner, Scams Apartment Seekers Out Of $14,000: Garfield PD A maintenance man at a Garfield garden apartment complex scammed hopeful renters out of $14,000 by posting bogus listings on Facebook, showing them empty units he claimed he owned and then collecting deposits from them, authorities charged. John K. DelValle, a 48-year-old bodybuilder from Hackensack, made it all appear genuine by having the victims sign worthless rental agreements, police said. Then he handed them the master keys that he'd been given for work. DelValle also conned another unwitting victim out of $7,000 -- and a car -- by "selling" him a Tesla that he was renting, Garfield …