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Michael Pontillo

Police & Fire
'Dear Delusional': Westwood Man, 69, Harassed Local Citizens With Anonymous Letters, Police Say 'Dear Delusional': Westwood Man, 69, Harassed Local Citizens With Anonymous Letters, Police Say
'Dear Delusional': Westwood Man, 69, Harassed Local Citizens With Anonymous Letters, Police Say A 69-year-old Westwood man waged a harassment campaign against citizens who expressed their opinions about various causes in local newspapers, sending anonymous letters to their homes, authorities charged. Bruce Manning sent the "Dear Delusional" letters to citizens in town and in neighboring Washington Township, Westwood Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. "These unsolicited anonymous letters were delivered directly to the recipient victims' homes, which was of great concern to [them]," the chief said. Manning was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 25, and charged with harassment. He was then rel…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
SWAT Standoff In Westwood Ends With Arrest Of Shotgun-Toting Resident SWAT Standoff In Westwood Ends With Arrest Of Shotgun-Toting Resident
SWAT Standoff In Westwood Ends With Arrest Of Shotgun-Toting Resident A Westwood man was taken into custody after a brief standoff that began after police said he pointed a shotgun at someone on his street. The alleged victim told police that Brian McCarron had racked and pointed the weapon shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday, April 16, responders said. The reason was unclear. McCarron, in turn, told police that he was simply doing an armed "perimeter check" of his Fourth Avenue property, one responder said. Westwood Police Chief Michael Pontillo confirmed that responding officers surrounded the house after McCarron, 52, wouldn't answer the door. A Bergen County …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Suspicious Object Briefly Clears Westwood Shopping Plaza Suspicious Object Briefly Clears Westwood Shopping Plaza
Suspicious Object Briefly Clears Westwood Shopping Plaza What turned out to be a harmless homemade lighter cleared a Bergen County shopping plaza mid-Wednesday afternoon. The lighter, found in a clothing shipment at T.J. Maxx in Westwood, "may have accidentally been placed or fallen into the shipment at a warehouse prior to delivery," borough Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. The call came in at 2:51 p.m. Jan. 11. It brought Pontillo's officers, borough firefighters and the Bergen County Bomb Squad to the Westwood Plaza on Broadway, which includes a K-Mart, a a Wine Mart, a UPS store and an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, among other busines…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police: Quartet From NYC Charged In Vicious Westwood Robbery Police: Quartet From NYC Charged In Vicious Westwood Robbery
Police: Quartet From NYC Charged In Vicious Westwood Robbery Two men were viciously beaten and robbed in Westwood by four New York City men -- all for a cellphone and a six-pack of beer -- authorities charged. Both victims were hospitalized with facial injuries after being jumped and pummeled outside a Chinese restaurant on Washington Avenue across from 3rd Avenue around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. One of them suffered a possible broken eye socket, responders at the scene said. Police quickly stopped the suspects’ SUV and captured the quartet on nearby Irvington Street, the chief said. Hillsdale and Washington Townshi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police Boost Presence At Westwood Regional HS Amid Alleged Threats Police Boost Presence At Westwood Regional HS Amid Alleged Threats
Police Boost Presence At Westwood Regional HS Amid Alleged Threats Police beefed up their presence at Westwood Regional High School following what some considered a threat triggered by an incident between students. It began after an 18-year-old student allegedly stole a cellphone from a younger one, multiple sources confirmed. The alleged victim and a friend grabbed the older student and beat him in a school hallway after lunch this past Tuesday, the sources said. The incident was captured on school surveillance cameras and student cellphone video, they said. His assailants apparently didn't know that the older student had previously sustained a traumati…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
HERO: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool HERO: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool
Hero: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool UPDATE: A driver who was rescued by a Westwood police officer after her wagon crashed into a backyard swimming pool received a summons for careless driving, Police Chief Michael Pontillo said Thursday. The 32-year-old Emerson driver, whom he didn’t identify by name, was headed south on Lafayette Avenue when her 2021 Honda wagon crossed over the center line as it rounded the bend at Ridgewood Road around 3 a.m. Monday, Pontillo said. The Honda hit a curb, then crashed through a fence, a shed and another fence before barreling down a small retaining wall, onto the pool deck and into the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
HERO: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool HERO: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool
Hero: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool UPDATE: A driver who was rescued by a Westwood police officer after her wagon crashed into a backyard swimming pool received a summons for careless driving, Police Chief Michael Pontillo said Thursday. The 32-year-old Emerson driver, whom he didn’t identify by name, was headed south on Lafayette Avenue when her 2021 Honda wagon crossed over the center line as it rounded the bend at Ridgewood Road around 3 a.m. Monday, Pontillo said. The Honda hit a curb, then crashed through a fence, a shed and another fence before barreling down a small retaining wall, onto the pool deck and into the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
HEROES: Westwood Police, Good Sams Save Life Of Man Struck By Commuter Train HEROES: Westwood Police, Good Sams Save Life Of Man Struck By Commuter Train
Heroes: Westwood Police, Good Sams Save Life Of Man Struck By Commuter Train A 46-year-old Westwood man who responders said was drunk when he was whacked by a commuter train during an evening rainstorm owes his life to several heroes. Looking toward his second year as the borough’s top law enforcement officer, Chief Michael Pontillo says his own squad’s response to the incident "just shows the quality of officers we have in Westwood.” Praise also goes to a pair of good Samaritans who came to the man’s aid after he suffered a devastating pelvic injury around 8:15 p.m. Friday. Edson Zarte of Passaic, who witnessed the incident, tried using a belt as a tourniquet whil…

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by Jerry DeMarco