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Police & Fire
Bergen Man Charged With 2010 Pre-Teen Sex Assault Bergen Man Charged With 2010 Pre-Teen Sex Assault
Bergen Man Charged With 2010 Pre-Teen Sex Assault A Midland Park man was charged with sexually assaulting a pre-teen in Wyckoff in 2010. Donato Avolio, now 35, was in his early 20s when he sexually assaulted the youngster, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Wyckoff police notified his Special Victims Unit of the allegation on March 27, Musella said. An arrest warrant was drawn up the following day charging Avolio with second-degree sexual assault of a victim under 13, he said. A manhunt that lasted nearly three weeks ended with the single, Italian-born Avolio’s arrest in Clifton on Tuesday, April 16, the prosecutor said. He has…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Paramus Chick-fil-A Weeks Away From Opening, Mayor Says Paramus Chick-fil-A Weeks Away From Opening, Mayor Says
Paramus Chick-fil-A Weeks Away From Opening, Mayor Says The opening of the brand-new Paramus Chick-fil-A is imminent. According to Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza, the Chick-fil-A being built alongside the northbound side of Route 17 will open in the first week of May. The fast-casual chicken joint replaces The Fireplace, which closed in July 2021 after 65 years in business. "We’re excited to welcome Chick-fil-A to Route 17," DiPiazza said. "Our residents and visitors will now have the easy opportunity to enjoy the nationwide brand. Their presence continues to keep our commercial corridors vibrant and help our residential tax base." Complete…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
CRIME SPREE: Paramus Police Nab Thieving Trio With $12,800 Worth Of Loot At Garden State Plaza CRIME SPREE: Paramus Police Nab Thieving Trio With $12,800 Worth Of Loot At Garden State Plaza
Crime Spree: Paramus Police Nab Thieving Trio With $12,800 Worth Of Loot At Garden State Plaza A trio of thieving New Yorkers were in the middle of a big-ticket crime spree at the Garden State Plaza -- snatching nearly 200 items worth more than $12,800 in under an hour and a half -- when Paramus police nabbed them, authorities said. Police caught their break when the three stole a cellphone and a wallet from a pair of kiosk workers shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. Assisted by mall security, Paramus Detective Lt. Tom Schroeder and Detective Mark Pinajian quickly homed in on the trio, he said. Two of them -- Alexander Aria…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Waldwick Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Woman At Saddle River Home Where She Worked Waldwick Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Woman At Saddle River Home Where She Worked
Waldwick Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Woman At Saddle River Home Where She Worked A Pakistani national living in Waldwick was charged with sexually assaulting a woman who was working at a Saddle River home. Muhammad Yousuf, 54, was arrested late last week for a sexual assault that Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella alleged occurred this past Feb. 26. Yousuf was sent to the Bergen County Jail following his arrest in Saddle River on Thursday, April 4. A judge in Hackensack released him, with conditions, the next day, records show.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Young Teen Sexually Assaulted In New Milford By Elderly Man, Middle-Aged Companion: Prosecutor Young Teen Sexually Assaulted In New Milford By Elderly Man, Middle-Aged Companion: Prosecutor
Young Teen Sexually Assaulted In New Milford By Elderly Man, Middle-Aged Companion: Prosecutor An underage teen was sexually assaulted in New Milford by two men – one of them 67, the other 59 -- said authorities who reported finding one of them with a date rape drug. The older man, Eliezer Kopelowitz of Englewood, and Wayne Bambling of River Edge, were both arrested in New Milford late last week, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Monday, April 8. Kopelowitz was charged with second-degree sexual assault of the child, who the prosecutor said was between 13 and 17. He was also charged with child endangerment, criminal sexual contact and possession of both GHB and drug parap…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Hackensack Woman, 71, Suffers Severe Head Injury At Fair Lawn Venue Hackensack Woman, 71, Suffers Severe Head Injury At Fair Lawn Venue
Hackensack Woman, 71, Suffers Severe Head Injury At Fair Lawn Venue A 71-year-old Hackensack woman was hospitalized with a severe head injury after she took a bad fall at a Fair Lawn catering hall, authorities said. CPR was conducted on the unresponsive victim after she tripped and hit her head on a stool while dancing at the Craftsman shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday, April 6, Police Sgt. Eric Eleshewich said. She was taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson. Fair Lawn EMS and St. Joe's ALS responded along with borough police, who reviewed video of the accident.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
One Arrest Made During Gaza War Protest In Teaneck One Arrest Made During Gaza War Protest In Teaneck
One Arrest Made During Gaza War Protest In Teaneck FOLLOW UP: An Upper Manhattanite was the only person arrested at a large demonstration outside a Teaneck synagogue, authorities said. Pro-Palestinian protestors faced off against Jewish counter-demonstrators during a fundraiser on Monday, April 1, at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun on West Englewood Avenue. The private event featured a representative of ZAKA, a Jewish group that collects body parts and blood for burial at the scenes of accidents and terrorist attacks. After American Muslims for Palestine and Within Our Lifetime announced plans to picket the event, township authorities took the …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Hackensack Rapper Charged With Punching Security Guard At Teaneck Purim Celebration Hackensack Rapper Charged With Punching Security Guard At Teaneck Purim Celebration
Hackensack Rapper Charged With Punching Security Guard At Teaneck Purim Celebration A trespasser punched a security guard during a Purim celebration at a Jewish high school in Teaneck before he was subdued and turned over to police, authorities said. Nakieme Murphy – a 29-year-old aspiring rapper from Hackensack who goes by the name “Kieme Lynx” – entered Hiechal HaTorah High School on Sterling Place just after midnight Sunday, March 24, said Teaneck Police Chief Andrew McGurr. Murphy refused to leave and was being escorted to an exit when he punched the officer, the chief said. Security staff and event attendees subdued Murphy and held him for police. They charged M…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun
Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun A fugitive who'd just crashed a car off Route 17 shouted at pursuing Mahwah police to shoot him, then grabbed at an officer's gun and bit him while being handcuffed Thursday morning, authorities said. Officer Christopher Lupo tried to stop Miles Harris, 32, of Newark for several violations on the southbound highway around 10:45 a.m. March 28, Lt. Michael Blondin said. Officer Nick Williams joined Lupo as the sedan exited the highway and fled onto Myrtle Avenue in Ramsey, the lieutenant said. It slammed into a tree moments later. Harris bailed out and ran behind some area businesses, Blond…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco