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POLICE SHOOTOUT: Judge Orders Accused Paterson Gunman Held After Wild Pursuit POLICE SHOOTOUT: Judge Orders Accused Paterson Gunman Held After Wild Pursuit
Police Shootout: Judge Orders Accused Paterson Gunman Held After Wild Pursuit UPDATE: A judge has ordered that a Paterson ex-con accused of exchanging gunfire with police while fleeing a shooting remain held pending trial. Jabor Taylor, 39, was arrested after detectives found his smashed-up Buick with a bullet hole in the rear windshield in East Orange following the Labor Day weekend incident, authorities said. It began when a 22-year-old city man was shot several times near the corner of East 22nd Street and 12th Avenue around 1 a.m. Sept. 4. The victim was being taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center when an officer tried to stop a vehicle of interest drive…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Legendary Rockland Police Chief Who Captured Three Brinks Murderers Dies Legendary Rockland Police Chief Who Captured Three Brinks Murderers Dies
Legendary Rockland Police Chief Who Captured Three Brinks Murderers Dies TRIBUTE: When they consider true heroes, crimefighters in North Jersey invariably include a lawman from just across the state line who single-handedly captured a trio of self-proclaimed revolutionaries after they killed two police officers and a guard following a $1.6 million armored car robbery. Alan Colsey, who died Wednesday at 69, had an impressive law enforcement career. He helped Rockland law enforcement computerize police records, get mobile data terminals in patrol cars and establish a radio system for first responders. Yet it was the Nyack native’s heroism on Oct. 20, 1981 tha…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Authorities: Paterson Lawman Nabs Fleeing Armed Driver Authorities: Paterson Lawman Nabs Fleeing Armed Driver
Authorities: Paterson Lawman Nabs Fleeing Armed Driver A Paterson police detective nabbed a driver carrying a loaded stolen handgun, authorities said. Detective Sgt. Anthony Castronova stopped Octavius Bolds, 35, on Presidential Boulevard for recklessly driving a Jeep Cherokee with an expired registration in the area of Bridge and River streets around 2 a.m. Sunday, Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said. After Castronova approached the vehicle and asked for his license and registration, Bolds hit the gas and sped off, Speziale said. Castronova hopped back in his vehicle and pursued Bolds while requesting backup, the director said. As the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Habitual Offender From Lodi Charged With Pre-Dawn Break-In At Prospect Park Takeout Joint Habitual Offender From Lodi Charged With Pre-Dawn Break-In At Prospect Park Takeout Joint
Habitual Offender From Lodi Charged With Pre-Dawn Break-In At Prospect Park Takeout Joint A Lodi career criminal with a rap sheet more than 15 years long was arrested after burglarizing a Prospect Park takeout restaurant before dawn Saturday, authorities said. Ryan Patrick Morgan, 34, has been arrested dozens of times in North Jersey since his 18th birthday, records show. Over that time, the tattooed ex-con has been busted in no fewer than seven towns on charges that include robbery, resisting arrest and aggravated assault on a police officer, as well as a string of drug court and probation violations. During a two-week span in 2017, Garfield police said, Morgan swiped a purse …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Jersey Shore Woman Apparently Drove Herself To Atlanta Hospital Before Dying Of Gunshot Wounds Jersey Shore Woman Apparently Drove Herself To Atlanta Hospital Before Dying Of Gunshot Wounds
Jersey Shore Woman Apparently Drove Herself To Atlanta Hospital Before Dying Of Gunshot Wounds Justine Bernard of Matawan died after being shot in Atlanta last Wednesday.. She was 19 years old. Nyasia Reeves, 20, had been arguing with Justine in an apartment before she pulled out a gun and shot her, CBS46 reports. Justine apparently drove herself to the ambulance entrance at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta- Hughes Spalding Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries, the news outlet said. Reeves was being held in the Fulton County Jail on weapons and murder charges. Atlanta police have arrested a suspect in last week's fatal shooting of a 19-year-old woman from Monmouth County,…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Ex-Con Sent To Prison For Setting Fire To Paterson Home Ex-Con Sent To Prison For Setting Fire To Paterson Home
Ex-Con Sent To Prison For Setting Fire To Paterson Home UPDATE: An ex-con with a lengthy criminal record must spend at least 2½ years in prison before she’ll be eligible for parole after deliberately setting fire to a Paterson home occupied by squatters. Erin Micco, a Florida native who recently lived in Rutherford, was arrested soon after the two-alarm blaze destroyed the 2½-story Pearl Street home and damaged a neighboring residence last Nov. 17. None of the squatters were injured in the fire, which took nearly six hours to douse. Micco already had a criminal history that dates back to 2012. She served time for grand theft and trafficking in…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
FBI Charges Paterson Officers With Civil Rights Violations In Beating Of Arab-American Resident FBI Charges Paterson Officers With Civil Rights Violations In Beating Of Arab-American Resident
FBI Charges Paterson Officers With Civil Rights Violations In Beating Of Arab-American Resident Two Paterson police officers beat a 19-year-old Arab-American man and then lied about it, said federal authorities who charged them with violating the victim's civil rights. Officers Kevin Patino, 29, surrendered to federal agents Tuesday morning and was expected to be followed by Kendry Tineo-Restituyo, 28, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Both are charged with “depriving a victim of his Constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by law enforcement officers and with filing a false police report,” Honig said. ****** IN ADDITION: Passaic County’s prosecu…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ex-Con Admits Setting Fire To Squatter-Occupied Paterson Home Ex-Con Admits Setting Fire To Squatter-Occupied Paterson Home
Ex-Con Admits Setting Fire To Squatter-Occupied Paterson Home A 30-year-old ex-con with a lengthy criminal record admitted that she deliberately set fire to a Paterson home occupied by squatters. Erin Micco, a Florida native who recently lived in Rutherford, was arrested soon after the two-alarm blaze destroyed the 2½-story Pearl Street home and damaged a neighboring residence last Nov. 17. None of the squatters were injured in the fire, which took nearly six hours to douse. Micco, who turns 30 this Friday, has a criminal history that dates back to 2012. She served time for grand theft and trafficking in stolen property in Florida, among other offe…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Englewood Police Chief Lawrence Suffern Retires Englewood Police Chief Lawrence Suffern Retires
Englewood Police Chief Lawrence Suffern Retires Englewood Police Chief Lawrence Suffern retired on Wednesday.  Suffern, who’d been on vacation and was due to return Wednesday, was Bergen County's only Black police chief. He retired effective Thursday, city officials announced in a release. “Best chief ever to have served our great city,” Mayor Michael Wildes said following the announcement. “Respected in the county and serving since he was 18 years old for the last 33 years.” "What a sad day in Englewood this is!" wrote Rasheed J. Goins. "Thank you for your leadership and serving our community with such grace for all these yea…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police: Klepto Car Thief Strikes Twice At Bergen Dealerships Police: Klepto Car Thief Strikes Twice At Bergen Dealerships
Police: Klepto Car Thief Strikes Twice At Bergen Dealerships A serial car thief from the Bronx who's repeatedly victimized high-end dealerships in Bergen County was already being sought for a Rochelle Park theft when she did it again – using another stolen ride, authorities said. Nyaomi James, 19,  was spotted a short time before a 2019 Acura RDX was stolen earlier this year from the used car lot of Park Avenue Acura on Route 17 , Police Lt. James DePreta said. Detectives alerted area law enforcement agencies and obtained a warrant for James’s arrest, DePreta said Friday. Police in North Jersey are all-too familiar with James, who has…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Human Trafficker Gets 50 Years For Forcing Girl, 17, Into Prostitution NJ Human Trafficker Gets 50 Years For Forcing Girl, 17, Into Prostitution
NJ Human Trafficker Gets 50 Years For Forcing Girl, 17, Into Prostitution A Trenton woman who cruelly forced an underage girl into prostitution must spend at least 20 years in state prison before she’ll be eligible for parole. Superior Court Judge Darlene J. Pereksta on Thursday sentenced Ashley Gardener, 32, for a series of jury convictions for human trafficking, promoting prostitution and child endangerment, among other crimes. Pereksta sentenced Gardener to 50 years altogether, 40% of which she must serve before she can seek a parole hearing.  It marked the final chapter in what authorities said was a prime example of a crime that occurs “in the shadows,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Amie Harwick's Accused Killer Ex-Boyfriend Finally Has Preliminary Hearing Date Amie Harwick's Accused Killer Ex-Boyfriend Finally Has Preliminary Hearing Date
Amie Harwick's Accused Killer Ex-Boyfriend Finally Has Preliminary Hearing Date The alleged killer and ex-boyfriend of renowned Los Angeles sex therapist and North Penn High School graduate Amie Harwick has been granted a preliminary hearing date, NorthPennNow reports. Garret Pursehouse 41, is accused of strangling 38-year-old Harwick and throwing her over the third-floor balcony of her Hollywood Hills home -- the latter of which killed her on Feb. 15, 2020, the LA medical examiner said. Purehouse was arrested in February 2020 and posted on $2 million bond, then re-arrested in April 2020 after pleading not guilty to both charges of murder and robber…

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by Nicole Acosta