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FINITO: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Over, Officials Say FINITO: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Over, Officials Say
Finito: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Over, Officials Say The worst is over: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. The blaze, which was beaten back at first but then grew steadily over the previous 48 hours, finally topped out at 972 acres on April 15 – and that was it, the service said. Fire officials also said this would be the last of the updates from the “Kanouse Wildfire," the largest blaze in North Jersey since 2010. Ten structures in all were threatened – half of which were evacuated – yet none were seriously damaged thanks to the supp…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Fire Severely Damages Woodland Park Home Fire Severely Damages Woodland Park Home
Fire Severely Damages Woodland Park Home Fire ravaged a home in Woodland Park. The intense blaze broke out in the 1½ -story home on Highview Drive and spread quickly shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 11. No serious injuries were reported. "All our residents are safe," Mayor Keith Kazmark said. The intense blaze spread quickly through the 1½ -story home on Highway Drive in Woodland Park shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 11.Mayor Keith Kazmark Members of the West Paterson Fire Department got mutual aid at the scene and in coverage from their fire-fighting colleagues from Little Falls, Totowa and Paterson at the scene and…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Polish Ex-Con Nabbed In Burglary Spree Bites Wallington Detective: Authorities Polish Ex-Con Nabbed In Burglary Spree Bites Wallington Detective: Authorities
Polish Ex-Con Nabbed In Burglary Spree Bites Wallington Detective: Authorities A drug-addicted Polish national with a lengthy rap sheet – including three arrests in barely a month’s time – bit the hand of a Wallington detective while resisting arrest for a series of vehicle break-ins. Detective Lt. Joseph Rock and Detective Simon Popek identified Adam Marek Jaworski through surveillance video during an investigation into a vehicle burglary shortly before 6 a.m. April 4, Police Chief Carmello J. Imbruglia said. Jaworski, 30, who most recently has been living in Clifton, is known to police. He has a history of drug-related arrests in several Bergen and Passaic county t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Two Men, Boy Seized On Attempted Murder Charges Following Passaic Drive-By Two Men, Boy Seized On Attempted Murder Charges Following Passaic Drive-By
Two Men, Boy Seized On Attempted Murder Charges Following Passaic Drive-By UPDATE: Two men and a teenage boy were seized by detectives on attempted murder charges for firing from a car into a crowd of people on a Passaic street last month, authorities said. Kenneth Garcia, 21, and ex-con Luis Ledesma, 22, both of Passaic, and the 16-year-old boy were taken into custody by city detectives earlier this week in connection with the March 26 drive-by shooting on Monroe Street near Myrtle Avenue, they said. No one was injured in the shooting, responders said at the time. Along with attempted murder, Garcia and Ledesma were charged with aggravated assault, employing a j…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Shot Fired In Attempted Passaic Drug Store Robbery Shot Fired In Attempted Passaic Drug Store Robbery
Shot Fired In Attempted Passaic Drug Store Robbery A gunman fired a shot while trying to rob a Passaic pharmacy, authorities said. An employee told police the bandit entered Passaic Community Pharmacy on Passaic Street off St. Francis Way shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, pointed a gun at her and demanded money from the cash register. Another employee said the robber fired a shot – which hit a filing cabinet – before running out the door. No one was injured, responders said. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman confirmed the incident but didn’t provide a description of the robber. Th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
20-Year-Old Passaic Shooter Wounded One, Missed Another, Authorities Say 20-Year-Old Passaic Shooter Wounded One, Missed Another, Authorities Say
20-Year-Old Passaic Shooter Wounded One, Missed Another, Authorities Say UPDATE: A 20-year-old Passaic resident was the shooter who wounded one young city man and missed hitting another nearly three weeks ago, authorities said. Elijah Ortiz opened fire on Martha Place between Monroe and Madison streets shortly after 10:30 p.m. March 12, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint statement on Tuesday, March 21. Four shell casings were recovered, responders said at the time. A 21-year-old city man was struck in the leg, they said. He was later released from nearby St. Joseph’s University Medical Center foll…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Stubborn Blaze At Former Fish-Farming Company In Clifton Doused (Twice) Stubborn Blaze At Former Fish-Farming Company In Clifton Doused (Twice)
Stubborn Blaze At Former Fish-Farming Company In Clifton Doused (Twice) Firefighters doused a stubborn warehouse blaze in Clifton, then extinguished it again on Saturday. Work was being done on the former site of Bakkafrost, one of the world's largest fish-farming companies, when the fire apparently broke out on the second floor and then shot through a roof vent shortly after 5 p.m. March 17, responders said. Firefighters were barely 20 minutes into the job when they were pulled from the softening roof and relied on ladder trucks. 610 Brighton Road, CliftonJeff Gumbman And just in time, as an inner ceiling collapsed. No injuries were reported. Clifton, P…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
MUM'S THE WORD: Particulars Of Passaic Holdup With Gunshots Withheld MUM'S THE WORD: Particulars Of Passaic Holdup With Gunshots Withheld
MUM'S THE Word: Particulars Of Passaic Holdup With Gunshots Withheld No number of robbers nor descriptions of them were disclosed by authorities following an early evening holdup of a Passaic pharmacy in which they said shots were fired. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman didn’t identify the business that was robbed shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, March 16. Responders said it was FAS Pharmacy on Van Houten Avenue off Main Street. Valdes and Guzman didn’t say how much money, drugs or other valuables, if any, were taken in a brief statement released around 4:30 p.m. Friday, nearly 24 hours after the incide…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Weather
Latest Forecast Calls For Up To 18 Inches Of Snow In Parts Of NJ As Noreaster Nears Latest Forecast Calls For Up To 18 Inches Of Snow In Parts Of NJ As Noreaster Nears
Latest Forecast Calls For Up To 18 Inches Of Snow In Parts Of NJ As Noreaster Nears A powerful Noreaster headed to the region will slam some parts of New Jersey with up to 18 inches of snow, while the rest of the state will see rain and gusty winds, forecasters say. ALSO SEE: These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Tuesday, March 14 Drizzly weather will change to snow late Monday night across Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Warren and Sussex Counties. Accuweather storm prediction.AccuWeather Sussex County is expected to get the most amount of snow: Between 12 and 18 inches, according to the NWS. Snow will change to a wintry mix around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14. Precipitation …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Passaic Man, 21, Shot In Leg Passaic Man, 21, Shot In Leg
Passaic Man, 21, Shot In Leg A 21-year-old Passaic man was shot in the city Sunday night, authorities confirmed. The victim was shot in the leg on Martha Place between Monroe and Madison streets shortly after 10:30 p.m. March 12, responders said, adding that four shell casings were recovered. The victim was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said. They didn’t say whether any suspects had been arrested or identified.

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
What Does Guilty Plea By Manager Of NJ Bus Company That Endangered Children Mean For Owner? What Does Guilty Plea By Manager Of NJ Bus Company That Endangered Children Mean For Owner?
What Does Guilty Plea By Manager Of NJ Bus Company That Endangered Children Mean For Owner? UPDATE: The prosecution of two Paterson-based school bus companies accused of risking children's safety by hiring criminals as drivers, operating unsafe buses and other violations has notched its first conviction. Will there be another? Henry Rhodes, 59, admitted in state Superior Court in Newark last week that he lied to school districts about the safety of buses and the credentials of drivers at both companies, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The goal, authorities said, was to keep lucrative busing contracts in Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties no matter the …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Stubborn Fire Clears New Passaic Shopping Development Stubborn Fire Clears New Passaic Shopping Development
Stubborn Fire Clears New Passaic Shopping Development Firefighters doused a stubborn blaze Thursday at the recently redeveloped Brook Haven Mall in Passaic. Although an investigation was continuing, a welder's torch appear responsible for igniting the fire in an unfinished area of the Terhune Avenue building's enormous basement shortly after 9 a.m. March 9, Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost said. Firefighters quickly gained control of the blaze, which extended to a loading dock, but had to keep searching for the source while contending with 60,000 feet of basement smoke, the chief said. It was a labor-intensive job, he said, adding that c…

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by Jerry DeMarco