Snow Freezing Fog 24°
Tag:

Passaic County Jail, NJ

Police & Fire
NJ Politico Gets 24 Years, No Parole, For Hiring Hit Men Who Killed, Burned Longtime Associate NJ Politico Gets 24 Years, No Parole, For Hiring Hit Men Who Killed, Burned Longtime Associate
NJ Politico Gets 24 Years, No Parole, For Hiring Hit Men Who Killed, Burned Longtime Associate UPDATE: A New Jersey political consultant was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for hiring two hitmen to kill a longtime associate from Hudson County. Sean Caddle, 45, of Hamburg, will have to serve just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Caddle, a former aide to former State Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth), admitted last year that he paid the killers to whack Michael Galdieri, the son of former State Sen. James Galdieri (D-Jersey City) and a prominent figure in local Hudson County politics. Galdieri, 52, who'd worked for…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Aging Career Criminal Gets 16 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico UPDATE: Aging Career Criminal Gets 16 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico
Update: Aging Career Criminal Gets 16 Years In Bizarre Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico An aging Connecticut ex-con would have to turn 90 to taste freedom again after he was sentenced for stabbing a political consultant to death and then torching his Jersey City apartment in a murder-for-hire hit with a longtime crony from Philadelphia. The odds are stacked against George Bratsenis, 74, of Monroe, who reportedly has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. There's also no parole in the federal prison system. Unless he’s granted a compassionate release for health reasons, Bratsenis will have to serve just about all of the plea-bargained 16-year sentence approved by …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Not Just For Police: Bergen Sheriff Gets Bodycams For Corrections Officers At County Lockup Not Just For Police: Bergen Sheriff Gets Bodycams For Corrections Officers At County Lockup
Not Just For Police: Bergen Sheriff Gets Bodycams For Corrections Officers At County Lockup Aiming to provide better protection – and accountability – for both inmates and staff at his jail, Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton has bought dozens of body cameras. Although there currently is no mandate from New Jersey's attorney general to equip county jails with the devices, Cureton said the 80 cameras for his corrections officers reflect a “growing trend” in law enforcement toward transparency. On one hand, the sheriff said, bodycams protect against bogus allegations of assault and/or improper conduct against the officers. At the same time, they protect inmates from unjust treat…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Two-Time North Jersey Megan's Law Offender Busted Again: This Time It's Infant Porn Two-Time North Jersey Megan's Law Offender Busted Again: This Time It's Infant Porn
Two-Time North Jersey Megan's Law Offender Busted Again: This Time It's Infant Porn A 66-year-old two-time convicted sex offender who’d moved to Wayne without notifying local police was arrested this week on charges of harvesting pornographic images of children less than a year old, authorities said. George R. Moraino was living in Pompton Lakes when he was convicted of sexually assaultiing multiple boys between the ages of 9 and 15 in 2004, records show. He was still on probation when he was caught with child pornography two years later. State authorities designated Moraino a Tier 2 repetitive, compulsive sex offender, subject to all the requirements of Megan’s Law, acco…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
BIG BUST: Paterson Detectives Seize Kilo Of Coke, 50 Pounds Of Pot, Six Guns, 680 Ammo Rounds, BIG BUST: Paterson Detectives Seize Kilo Of Coke, 50 Pounds Of Pot, Six Guns, 680 Ammo Rounds,
BIG Bust: Paterson Detectives Seize Kilo Of Coke, 50 Pounds Of Pot, Six Guns, 680 Ammo Rounds, Paterson detectives crashed a major drug operation in a quiet residential neighborhood, seizing a kilo of cocaine, a half-dozen illegal guns, 680 rounds of ammunition and nearly 50 pounds of pot. Jonathan Leon, 30, kept a low profile while keeping an array of firearms and a sizable amount of drugs in the modest house on Grand Street off Reservoir Street near westbound Route 80, Police Director Jerry Speziale said. Leon was assisted by Christhopher Vasquez (correct spelling), 31, the director said. Undercover detectives used informants, kept an eye on the house and eventually secured a sear…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Wanaque Man Looking At 3½ Years For Having Assault Weapon, Explosives While Threatening Sister Wanaque Man Looking At 3½ Years For Having Assault Weapon, Explosives While Threatening Sister
Wanaque Man Looking At 3½ Years For Having Assault Weapon, Explosives While Threatening Sister A Wanaque man must serve at least 3½ years in state prison before he'll be eligible for parole after admitting in state court on Wednesday that he had an assault rifle and a pipe bomb when he attacked his sister in their home, authorities said. Michael Wierciszewski, 25, was arrested by borough police after the victim told them he lunged at her with a knife while trying to kill her at the family’s Jackson Street residence on Nov. 24, 2021. A search of the home turned up the improvised device, along with a Century Arms RAS 47 rifle that had been modified to remove the stock and accommodate a…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Where Did He Hide That Key? Ex-Con Had Loaded Gun In Locked Vehicle, Wayne Police Say Where Did He Hide That Key? Ex-Con Had Loaded Gun In Locked Vehicle, Wayne Police Say
Where Did He Hide That Key? Ex-Con Had Loaded Gun In Locked Vehicle, Wayne Police Say Wayne police who frisked a wanted ex-con after he surrendered at headquarters couldn't find the key they needed to search his vehicle for a gun they believed he was carrying. It wasn't in the convict's pockets, Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. It wasn't in the holding cell -- although police did find the key ring there, he said. Told they’d have to strip search him, Alphonzo C. Jackson, 27, of Wayne, admitted hiding it, the captain said. Authorities leave it to you to guess where. Police subsequently found a 9mm Glock 19 handgun with a loaded high-capacity magazine in the vehicle, Daly sa…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
RELEASED: NJ Rapper, Associate Plead Guilty In Passaic Shooting, Freed Pending Sentencings RELEASED: NJ Rapper, Associate Plead Guilty In Passaic Shooting, Freed Pending Sentencings
Released: NJ Rapper, Associate Plead Guilty In Passaic Shooting, Freed Pending Sentencings A former Jersey City rapper who beat a murder rap in 2014 walked out of jail after cutting a deal with prosecutors for his role in a shooting in Passaic two years ago. He could be headed back to the joint for another 18 months, however. Video captured a celebratory welcoming committee greeting Albert Robinson outside the Passaic County Jail in Paterson after he and co-defendant Darnell Reeves were released. Robinson  – known as “Albee Al The Gladiator” – and Reeves had been held since September 2019 following their arrests on attempted murder charges, among other offenses, in a non-fatal …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Drunk, Disorderly Man In Wayne Turns Out To Be Connecticut Escapee Drunk, Disorderly Man In Wayne Turns Out To Be Connecticut Escapee
Drunk, Disorderly Man In Wayne Turns Out To Be Connecticut Escapee A drunk and disorderly man stopped by Wayne police turned out to be a convicted purse snatcher who fled from custody in Connecticut, authorities said. Responding to a report of an inebriated man yelling at people near the busy intersection of Berdan Avenue and Hamburg Turnpike, Sgt. Doug Itjen and Officers Dennis Sagvay and Rob Feeney found Anthony Butler, 42, of Norwich, CT. “He was staggering, laughing and yelling out loud to passersby” while carrying three cans of beer and smelling of alcohol, Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. A computer background check returned a warrant out of Newark an…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Arrest Made In Gunpoint Robbery Of Facebook Marketplace Buyer Arrest Made In Gunpoint Robbery Of Facebook Marketplace Buyer
Arrest Made In Gunpoint Robbery Of Facebook Marketplace Buyer An armed North Jersey man and an accomplice robbed a victim they'd met through Facebook Marketplace of the cash that he'd been carrying for rent, his child's daycare and payment for cellphones that he thought they were selling him, Clifton police said. The 30-year-old victim from New York City told police that he'd gone to the area of Sanford Street and Clifton Boulevard expecting to buy the phones on May 28, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. He was robbed at gunpoint instead. The man said he handed over the money to the pair, who fled, Bracken said, adding that he wasn't injured. Detect…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ex-Con Threatens Woman With Loaded Gun, Disarmed By Family Members, Wayne Police Say Ex-Con Threatens Woman With Loaded Gun, Disarmed By Family Members, Wayne Police Say
Ex-Con Threatens Woman With Loaded Gun, Disarmed By Family Members, Wayne Police Say An ex-con who pointed a loaded gun at a woman during a domestic incident in Wayne was disarmed by family members, police said. Kenneth Marcano, 40, jumped out a window as police arrived -- but he didn't get far, they said. Wayne Police Officer Kristin Mikolaczyk was interviewing the victim and witnesses outside the home in the township's Mountain View section when she spotted Marcano running over the railroad tracks toward Lincoln Park, Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. She and Officer Erik Cueva chased him down and took the repeat offender into custody near the Lincoln Wayne Car Wash, assis…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
CAPTURED: Violent Jersey City Fugitive Wanted In Maryland Busted For Shoplifting In Wayne CAPTURED: Violent Jersey City Fugitive Wanted In Maryland Busted For Shoplifting In Wayne
Captured: Violent Jersey City Fugitive Wanted In Maryland Busted For Shoplifting In Wayne A violent fugitive from Jersey City who's wanted in Maryland remained held in the Passaic County Jail after he was busted for shoplifting, authorities said. Authorities in Anne Arundel County, MD are seeking the extradition of Jonathan D. Peralta, 37, to answer a theft charge there, Wayne Police Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. Officers also discovered outstanding warrants out of Hoboken, Paramus, East Brunswick and Lawrence Township after security at Macy’s in the Willowbrook Mall seized him, Daly said. Peralta has an extensive criminal history that includes an arrest for a gunpoint robber…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Robbery Goes Sideways: Repeat Offender Released Under Bail Reform Shot Dead By Pal, Police Say Robbery Goes Sideways: Repeat Offender Released Under Bail Reform Shot Dead By Pal, Police Say
Robbery Goes Sideways: Repeat Offender Released Under Bail Reform Shot Dead By Pal, Police Say A botched robbery in Paterson cost a repeat offender from Union County his life, although New Jersey’s bail reform law also had something to do with it. It was a week ago that Kyle Newton, 28, was arrested in Lyndhurst while he and another man were scoping out vehicles to steal, authorities said. Newton (inset in photo above), of Hillside, had a history of arrests in multiple counties over the past few years. Just as in the those cases, he was released from custody after last Monday’s arrest in Lyndhurst because of New Jersey’s bail reform law, records show. He ended up dead less tha…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
GOT EM! Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk GOT EM! Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk
GOT EM! Totowa Trio Charged With Killing Paterson Woman Found Stuffed In Car Trunk UPDATE: One of three people charged with the brutal murder of a Paterson woman told detectives that she saw her live-in boyfriend and his father carry a large box from their Totowa home to the victim's car the night she was believed killed, authorities said. The victim, Stephanie DeJesus, 38, had driven to the Gordon Avenue home where Justin Fisher and Joelle Martucci lived with their young son the night of Feb. 23, documents say security video shows. She'd driven there from a nearby pharmacy, according to an affidavit filed in Superior Court in Paterson. Martucci, 24, pulled up afterward…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Child Porn Probe: NY Bank Tech Busted By Passaic County Sheriff's Investigators Child Porn Probe: NY Bank Tech Busted By Passaic County Sheriff's Investigators
Child Porn Probe: NY Bank Tech Busted By Passaic County Sheriff's Investigators A West Milford man who works as a tech for a New York security company had a side pursuit, as well, authorities said. Steven F. Jackson, 44, was charged with being the leader of a child pornography network after investigators learned that he'd used a chat room to share videos and other images of child sexual abuse, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik said. The Internet Crime Against Children Task Force detectives seized several electronic devices as part of a five-month investigation leading to Jackson's arrest, the sheriff said. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office assisted, he said.…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Trio Charged With Murdering College-Bound Paterson Honor Student, 18 Trio Charged With Murdering College-Bound Paterson Honor Student, 18
Trio Charged With Murdering College-Bound Paterson Honor Student, 18 Three men were each charged with murder in a street shooting that killed an innocent college-bound honor student from Paterson as he carried in his grandmother’s groceries. Jaquin Williams and Jahed Jones, both 19 of Paterson, and Kahaz D. Heron, 18, of Clifton remained held in the Passaic County Jail following an intense and furious investigation into the slaying of 18-year-old Robert Cuadra. Cuadra was struck by a bullet that was among no fewer than 16 rounds that authorities said were fired on Godwin Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19. Responding officers found the mortally wounded teen o…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
BAIL REFORM: NJ Judge Frees Gun-Carrying Driver Who Rammed Police Cars With Stolen BMW, PD Says BAIL REFORM: NJ Judge Frees Gun-Carrying Driver Who Rammed Police Cars With Stolen BMW, PD Says
Bail Reform: NJ Judge Frees Gun-Carrying Driver Who Rammed Police Cars With Stolen BMW, PD Says A driver with no license, registration or insurance was carrying a gun when he rammed two Hawthorne police cars -- narrowly missing several officers -- with a BMW stolen from the Hamptons, authorities said. Troy Weeks, 27, was charged with five counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, possession of both a firearm and a stolen vehicle and several other offenses following the incident, Hawthorne Detective Lt. Matthew Hoogmoed said. Weeks has a criminal history, including arrests in Essex County dating back to 2017, records show. A Central Judicial Processing Court judge in Paterson …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Passaic County Sheriff: Drug Detectives Nab Pair Of Older Dealers Passaic County Sheriff: Drug Detectives Nab Pair Of Older Dealers
Passaic County Sheriff: Drug Detectives Nab Pair Of Older Dealers Passaic County sheriff's detectives grabbed one Paterson man with several ounces of crack and another as he tried to flush more drugs, authorities said. Narcotics Bureau investigators followed and arrested Eric Seegers, 62, after watching Shawn Nero, 48, conduct business outside Nero's Madison Street apartment, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said. Seegers was carrying 6½ ounces of crack and $1,400 in suspected drug proceeds, the sheriff said. The detectives then doubled back to Nero's. Seeing them at the door, he rushed back into the apartment and tried to destroy the remaining…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Traffic Stop Turns Up Loaded Gun, 200 Heroin Folds, Crack, $1,547 Cash, Haledon Police Say Traffic Stop Turns Up Loaded Gun, 200 Heroin Folds, Crack, $1,547 Cash, Haledon Police Say
Traffic Stop Turns Up Loaded Gun, 200 Heroin Folds, Crack, $1,547 Cash, Haledon Police Say A Haledon police officer found a 19-year-old Paterson man carrying a loaded gun, 200 heroin folds, a half-ounce of crack and $1,547 in proceeds during a traffic stop, authorities said. Officer Jeffrey Welsh stopped the Dodge Dart with Michigan license plates on Aberdeen Court after the driver failed to signal a turn shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, Capt. George Guzman said. The driver – who turned out to be unlicensed -- also wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, he said. Welsh approached from the passenger side and spotted a brick of heroin jutting out of the front-seat passenger’s jacket pocket, the …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
SEEN HIM? Dangerous Fugitive ID’d As Shooter Of Child, 4, Four Others At Passaic Party SEEN HIM? Dangerous Fugitive ID’d As Shooter Of Child, 4, Four Others At Passaic Party
Seen HIM? Dangerous Fugitive ID’d As Shooter Of Child, 4, Four Others At Passaic Party A Passaic man who was released following a New Year’s Day shooting earlier this year is being sought by authorities for another shooting last month that wounded a 4-year-old child and four other victims at a backyard party. It’s unclear under what circumstances Ernest Fuentes, 20, was freed after city detectives arrested him on Jan. 5 and sent to the Passaic County Jail in connection with a shooting four days earlier at Third and Mercer streets. No injuries were reported in that incident. Fast forward to Tuesday, when Fuentes was identified as one of two gunman who opened fire at a backyar…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco