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Paterson, NJ

20 Indicted In Fentanyl, Heroin Ring That Fueled Drug Use Across North Jersey: AG 20 Indicted In Fentanyl, Heroin Ring That Fueled Drug Use Across North Jersey: AG
20 Indicted In Fentanyl, Heroin Ring That Fueled Drug Use Across North Jersey: AG Twenty people have been indicted in the sweeping takedown of opioid mills that fueled drug distribution across North Jersey, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday, March 5. ALSO SEE: 23 People Arrested In Another Massive NJ Drug Bust — Fentanyl, Guns, Seized, Prosecutor Says The indictment, handed down by a state grand jury, includes 53 charges ranging from racketeering and drug trafficking to weapons offenses and financial crimes. Authorities say the suspects were part of the Rodriguez, Sanchez, and Gutierrez Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), which operated from A…
Trump Administration Selling Off Three 'Non-Core' Federal Spaces In New Jersey Trump Administration Selling Off Three 'Non-Core' Federal Spaces In New Jersey
Trump Administration Selling Off Three 'Non-Core' Federal Spaces In New Jersey The Trump administration is putting some of the largest and most well-known federal buildings up for sale. The move is all in an effort to eliminate waste, slash maintenance costs, and reinvest in more efficient spaces, according to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Officials have identified hundreds of "non-core properties" totaling millions of square feet that no longer serve essential government functions and are now up for grabs. “Selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces,” federal officials said. “Disposing of the…
Body Found At Popular NJ Hiking Spot ID'd As Missing Man Body Found At Popular NJ Hiking Spot ID'd As Missing Man
Body Found At Popular NJ Hiking Spot ID'd As Missing Man The body found at Garrett Mountain Reservation has been identified as a missing man. Martin Mendoza, 20, of Paterson, was found deceased in the park Friday, Feb. 28 around 12:50 p.m., Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic County Sheriff Thomas Adamo said. Mendoza had been missing since Feb. 8, his family said. He was last seen leaving his home around 7:45 that morning and was captured on surveillance on Valley Road in Clifton, throwing away trash after eating at Dunkin, his family said. He was last seen walking out and crossing the street to the corner of Bogey’…
Northeast Cities Among Most Diverse In US: Here's What A New Study Says Northeast Cities Among Most Diverse In US: Here's What A New Study Says
Northeast Cities Among Most Diverse In US: Here's What A New Study Says The US population is rapidly diversifying, with cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic at the forefront, according to a new study. WalletHub released its 2025 ranking of the nation's Most Diverse Cities on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Three Maryland communities topped the list of 501 locations, which were evaluated based on socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, and religious diversity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 10.2 percent of Americans identified as multiracial in 2020, a sharp increase from just 2.9 percent in 2010. "The most diverse cities demonstrate diversity in many …
Massive North Jersey Drug Raid: Multiple Arrests, Guns, Cash Seized, Cops Say Massive North Jersey Drug Raid: Multiple Arrests, Guns, Cash Seized, Cops Say
Massive North Jersey Drug Raid: Multiple Arrests, Guns, Cash Seized, Cops Say A months-long investigation into an illegal drug distribution network led to coordinated police raids across North Jersey, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of weapons, drugs, and cash, authorities said. The Wayne Police Department and New Jersey State Police executed the raids on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, with assistance from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Clifton, Haledon, and Pompton Lakes Police Departments. Tactical units from the NJSP TEAMS Unit and Elmwood Park ERT helped officers enter several locations in Elmwood Park, Saddle Brook, Paterson, Bloomfield, and Mo…
Feds Crush NY-NJ iPhone Heist Ring That Hijacked Tracking Data, Bribed Employees Feds Crush NY-NJ iPhone Heist Ring That Hijacked Tracking Data, Bribed Employees
Feds Crush Ny-nj iPhone Heist Ring That Hijacked Tracking Data, Bribed Employees Thirteen members of an international crime ring that stole thousands of iPhones and electronics from FedEx and other carriers across the U.S. have been charged in New Jersey, authorities announced. The network, which operated from the Bronx to the Dominican Republic, used hacked tracking data, bribed store employees, and organized package theft to steal millions of dollars worth of devices, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said. The crew used computer scripts to scrape tracking data from FedEx and a major U.S. cellular provider, court documents say. Bribed retail employees (including some …
49 Displaced By Multi-Alarm Paterson Fire 49 Displaced By Multi-Alarm Paterson Fire
49 Displaced By Multi-Alarm Paterson Fire Nearly 50 people were displaced by a five-alarm fire Sunday, Feb. 23 in Paterson, officials said. The blaze erupted around 5 p.m. at multiple multi-family homes on Totowa Avenue. The American Red Cross was assisting 49 people from 13 different families.
Gunman In Valentine's Day Hotel Armed Robbery Sought By Cops In Bergen County Gunman In Valentine's Day Hotel Armed Robbery Sought By Cops In Bergen County
Gunman In Valentine's Day Hotel Armed Robbery Sought By Cops In Bergen County Authorities in Bergen County are searching for a 31-year-old man with Paterson, NJ and Wilkes-Barre, PA ties accused of an armed robbery in a hotel parking lot. Henry X. Rodriguez is wanted in connection to an incident that occurred on Friday, Feb. 14, at approximately 8:12 p.m., according to Detective Sergeant Eric Larsen of the Mahwah Police Department. Police say Rodriguez confronted a man and woman in the parking lot of a local hotel, brandished a handgun, and stole the woman’s purse before fleeing the scene. Rodriguez is known to have ties to both Paterson, NJ, and Wilkes-Barre, PA. A…
Final Ride: Paterson Motor Officer Laid To Rest, Honored With Special Sendoff Final Ride: Paterson Motor Officer Laid To Rest, Honored With Special Sendoff
Final Ride: Paterson Motor Officer Laid To Rest, Honored With Special Sendoff Former Paterson Police Officer Anthony DeSopo was honored with a heartfelt farewell on Thursday, Feb. 13, as colleagues and loved ones gathered to pay their final respects. The department shared powerful images of a solemn police procession, featuring DeSopo's former patrol bike—a touching tribute to his years of service. DeSopo, who retired in January 2024, tragically lost his life in a snowmobile accident in Pennsylvania on Friday, Feb. 7. He was 55 years old. Photos captured officers standing at attention, lining the city streets in salute as a black hearse, flanked by Paterson motor of…
Former NJ Firefighter Kills Wife, Takes Own Life In Mt. Pocono Murder-Suicide: Police Former NJ Firefighter Kills Wife, Takes Own Life In Mt. Pocono Murder-Suicide: Police
Former NJ Firefighter Kills Wife, Takes Own Life In Mt. Pocono Murder-Suicide: Police A New Jersey native killed his wife before taking his own life days before Christmas in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania, police announced on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Craig Zigarelli, 54, a former Rockaway Township, NJ, volunteer firefighter, fatally stabbed Joann Alberti, 47, inside their home on Brookville Terrace before turning a gun on himself, according to a Pocono Mountain Regional Police investigation and a Monroe County Coroner’s ruling. Officers discovered the couple’s bodies on Dec. 23, 2024, at 1:54 p.m., after being dispatched for a welfare check. A concerned family member had reported…
PA Parents Sold Heroin From NJ Out Of Filthy Home With Kids Inside: DA PA Parents Sold Heroin From NJ Out Of Filthy Home With Kids Inside: DA
PA Parents Sold Heroin From NJ Out Of Filthy Home With Kids Inside: DA Two parents in Stroud Township are accused of selling heroin and fentanyl from their home while their young children lived in dangerous, squalid conditions, authorities announced on Friday, Feb. 7. Jessica Walters, 35, and Robert Nochella, 35, were arrested after Monroe County detectives and Children and Youth Services discovered drug paraphernalia, scales, and packaging materials scattered throughout their home on Thursday, Feb. 6, officials said. Walters was reportedly withdrawing from fentanyl during the investigation, according to the criminal complaints. The home, where Walters and Noc…
DUI Pickup Driver Sentenced In Bergen County Crash That Killed Music Producer Set To Wed DUI Pickup Driver Sentenced In Bergen County Crash That Killed Music Producer Set To Wed
DUI Pickup Driver Sentenced In Bergen County Crash That Killed Music Producer Set To Wed A Hawthorne man has been sentenced to six years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide and DWI in a Fair Lawn crash that killed a 33-year-old music producer and entrepreneur. William M. Clark, who was 38 at the time of the crash, was sentenced on Thursday, Jan. 30, before Bergen County Superior Court Judge Kevin Purvin, in the crash that killed Harole Almonte, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.  Prosecutors had sought a seven-year sentence, but Clark ultimately received six years, subject to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA), mean…
Wayne SWAT Standoff: Semi-Conscious Suspect Found After Hours-Long Barricade, Police Say Wayne SWAT Standoff: Semi-Conscious Suspect Found After Hours-Long Barricade, Police Say
Wayne SWAT Standoff: Semi-Conscious Suspect Found After Hours-Long Barricade, Police Say Details have been released in a SWAT standoff that had Wayne residents barred from entering their apartments for hours on Thursday, Jan. 2. Trouble on Lancaster Court in the Wayne Village apartments began around 1:40 p.m. when a woman called police saying that she was not home, but a man later identified as Hisham N. Obaid, 38, broke in and sent her photos saying he was inside, Wayne Police Capt. Daniel Daly said. Police found Obaid's car parked outside and observed him through a window. While the apartment doors were locked, officers contacted the man by phone and set up a perimeter. …
Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban
Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban Former Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres pleaded guilty to criminal contempt for defying a 2017 court order permanently barring him from running for or holding public office, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced. Torres, 66, admitted during a hearing on Thursday, Dec. 19, in Passaic County Superior Court that his 2022 bid to reclaim the mayor’s seat violated the judicial order. The plea, to a fourth-degree criminal contempt charge, followed an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA)’s Corruption Bureau. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the St…
Robber With Twisted Nickname Learns Fate In Paterson, Jersey City Jewelry Store Heists Robber With Twisted Nickname Learns Fate In Paterson, Jersey City Jewelry Store Heists
Robber With Twisted Nickname Learns Fate In Paterson, Jersey City Jewelry Store Heists A Washington DC will spend nearly 20 years behind bars for his role in a violent string of armed robberies with very specific targets in multiple states, federal authorities announced. William Hunter, 28, also known as “Ill Will,” was sentenced this week to 228 months (19 years) in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release following a crime spree that saw him and others targeting South Asian jewelry stores in multiple states up and down the East Cost. The scheme - reportedly led by DC rapper Trevor Wright AKA "Taliban Glizzy -  landed the 15-member crew millions of do…
Undercover Prostitution Sting At NJ Spas Nets 4 Arrests, Nearly $9.5K Seized Undercover Prostitution Sting At NJ Spas Nets 4 Arrests, Nearly $9.5K Seized
Undercover Prostitution Sting At NJ Spas Nets 4 Arrests, Nearly $9.5K Seized Authorities dismantled a prostitution operation at two Passaic County spas, arresting four people and seizing nearly $9,500 in suspected proceeds, officials announced Wednesday, Dec. 5. The operation conducted on Tuesday, Dec. 3, began after concerned residents tipped off authorities about suspicious activities at the New Paterson Massage & Coco Healthy Spa on McBride Avenue in Paterson and the Eastern Cozy Spa on Overmount Avenue in Woodland Park, Sheriff Thomas Adamo said. Undercover detectives conducting surveillance at the locations reported being offered sexual acts, Adamo sai…
Dozen NJ Towns Serve As Backdrop For Movie 'Sweethearts' Out Thanksgiving Day Dozen NJ Towns Serve As Backdrop For Movie 'Sweethearts' Out Thanksgiving Day
Dozen NJ Towns Serve As Backdrop For Movie 'Sweethearts' Out Thanksgiving Day Nearly a dozen New Jersey towns serve as the backdrop for the Max Original film "Sweethearts," set to debut this Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28.  The romantic comedy starring Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga was filmed in Cranford, Jersey City, and Mahwah. Two cast members have Garden State ties: Jake Bonjiovi, son of NJ rocker Jon Bon Jovi, and former "Saturday Night Live" star Chloe Troast, of Ho-Ho-Kus, are featured actors in "Sweethearts." According to NJ Advance Media, "Sweethearts" filmed at local homes in Newark, Demarest, Kinnelon and Cranford; as well as at the Cr…
Popular Wedding Venue The Art Factory Heads To Auction After Filing For Bankruptcy Popular Wedding Venue The Art Factory Heads To Auction After Filing For Bankruptcy
Popular Wedding Venue The Art Factory Heads To Auction After Filing For Bankruptcy Paterson’s historic Art Factory, a popular venue for weddings, corporate events, and creative studios, is set to be auctioned off later this month. The Art Factory made headlines in September after canceling multiple weddings and filing for bankruptcy. Located in the Great Falls Historic District, the iconic 230,000-square-foot complex on 4.78 acres will welcome prospective buyers this month to preview the site before the auction on Nov. 22 by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The auction is being handled by Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Company. Originally built in the m…
Paterson Pair Were Trying To Kill 46-Year-Old Man In Morning Shooting: Prosecutor Paterson Pair Were Trying To Kill 46-Year-Old Man In Morning Shooting: Prosecutor
Paterson Pair Were Trying To Kill 46-Year-Old Man In Morning Shooting: Prosecutor The two people responsible for a shooting Monday morning, Nov. 4, were arrested less than two hours later, authorities said. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said only that Jose Ortiz, 31, and Yesenia Adorno, 43, both of Paterson, were responsible for the shooting of a 46-year-old man that happened at North Main and Arch streets around 8:30 a.m. The victim survived and was hospitalized with injuries. Ortiz and Adorno were identified as suspects and arrested around 10:15 a.m. at North Street and Clinton Street, Valdes said. Ortiz, who was found in possession of an illeg…
Grand Jury Declines To Indict Weehawken Officer Who Shot Paterson Man: Prosecutor Grand Jury Declines To Indict Weehawken Officer Who Shot Paterson Man: Prosecutor
Grand Jury Declines To Indict Weehawken Officer Who Shot Paterson Man: Prosecutor A Hudson County grand jury declined to indict a Weehawken police officer on Tuesday, Oct. 15  for shooting a Paterson man in August 2023, authorities said. Ricky Rivera, 20-year-old Paterson resident was shot by Sgt. Vincent Avoletta after hitting a police officer with a car on the early morning of Tuesday, August 1, authorities said. At 5 a.m. police were patrolling a neighborhood plagued by auto thefts, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. When police approached a suspicious vehicle parked in a driveway on Regency Place, Rivera fled the scene in the vehicle, striking an offic…
RHONJ Ex-Husband Sentenced For Hiring Mobster To Rough Up Wife’s New Man: Feds RHONJ Ex-Husband Sentenced For Hiring Mobster To Rough Up Wife’s New Man: Feds
Rhonj Ex-Husband Sentenced For Hiring Mobster To Rough Up Wife’s New Man: Feds It sounds like a juicy plotline from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Thomas Manzo, a Franklin Lakes resident and the ex-husband of Dina Manzo, one of the former cast members on the hit Bravo reality show, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday, Oct. 15, after being convicted of hiring a mobster to assault Dave Cantin, Dina's now current husband, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. In the spring of 2015, Manzo, 59 and a co-owner of The Brownstone, a Paterson catering hall, hired Lucchese Crime Family member John Perna to assault Cantin, Dina's then-boyfriend, paying for the …
'RHONJ' Star Joe Gorga To Perform Stand-Up Comedy Show In NY: Will You Go? (POLL) 'RHONJ' Star Joe Gorga To Perform Stand-Up Comedy Show In NY: Will You Go? (POLL)
'Rhonj' Star Joe Gorga To Perform Stand-Up Comedy Show In NY: Will You Go? (Poll) Real estate mogul. Husband. Reality star. Add stand-up comic to the list for Joe Gorga, a Paterson native who rose to fame on "Real Housewives of New Jersey."  Joe, whose sister is Teresa Giudice and who is married to Melissa Gorga, will be performing live in Westchester County at the White Plains Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 16. The event is called "An Evening of Stories and Comedy with Joe Gorga." Gorga understood early on that you “gotta have balls” in order to get ahead. From his first job selling papers to his first forays into business, he learned from his immi…
Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For PAPD's First Hispanic Female Police Captain Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For PAPD's First Hispanic Female Police Captain
Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For Papd's First Hispanic Female Police Captain His name is Bingo, and he's so much more than a toy puppy. The stuffed animal was gifted to Priscilla Sanchez when she was 10 by her older brother gifted her the stuffed toy as he prepared for deployment to Iraq. “I held onto that puppy every night," said Sanchez, 33, adding that the puppy became a symbol of her brother's sacrifice. “I knew I wanted to follow the same path.” This year, days before welcoming her third son, Sanchez was promoted to the Port Authority Police Department's first female captain of Hispanic heritage. And this time, Sanchez's sons wer…
NJ High School Wrestler Seriously Injured In ATV Crash Facing Long Road To Recovery: Campaign NJ High School Wrestler Seriously Injured In ATV Crash Facing Long Road To Recovery: Campaign
NJ High School Wrestler Seriously Injured In ATV Crash Facing Long Road To Recovery: Campaign A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for one of two West Milford teenage boys seriously injured in an ATV crash on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Brandon Mroziuk was identified as one of the two boys in a Polaris Sportsman 850 that crossed a center line on Highlander Drive and collided with a 2013 Chevy Malibu. Mroziuk and the other boy in the ATV were both airlifted to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson. The campaign says Brandon underwent surgery and faces a long road to recovery. " Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference and show Brandon and his f…
Two Teen ATV Riders Airlifted After Crossing Center Line In NJ Crash: Police Two Teen ATV Riders Airlifted After Crossing Center Line In NJ Crash: Police
Two Teen ATV Riders Airlifted After Crossing Center Line In NJ Crash: Police Two teenagers were airlifted with serious injuries in a North Jersey crash with an SUV on Tuesday, Oct. 8, police said. The 14-year-old and 15-year-old boys were in a Polaris Sportsman 850 heading north on Highlander Drive in West Milford, when they crossed the center line into the opposite lane of travel around 4 p.m., Lt. Eric Darnsteadt said. The ATV was struck by a 2013 Chevy Malibu, driven by an 18-year-old man, who was unable to avoid the vehicle, police said. Both vehicles left the roadway and the ATV riders were ejected from the ATV.  West Milford officers arriving o…
2 Motorcyclists Hospitalized With Serious Injuries In Route 80 Crash 2 Motorcyclists Hospitalized With Serious Injuries In Route 80 Crash
2 Motorcyclists Hospitalized With Serious Injuries In Route 80 Crash A pair of motorcyclists were hospitalized with serious injuries when one struck the other on Route 80 in Warren County on Saturday, Oct. 5. The Kawasaki and Aprilia motorcycle were traveling east on Route 80 when the 33-year-old Aprilla operator struck the rear of the Kawasaki around 6 p.m. at milepost 12.6 in Hope Township, New Jersey State Polie Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said. Both operators were thrown from their bikes and taken to the hospital, one by medevac and the other by ground, with serious injuries. The Kawasaki operator is age 27, from Paterson, and the Aprilla operator is age 33…
Dream Weddings Wrecked: Popular NJ Venue Files For Bankruptcy, Blames Lender Dream Weddings Wrecked: Popular NJ Venue Files For Bankruptcy, Blames Lender
Dream Weddings Wrecked: Popular NJ Venue Files For Bankruptcy, Blames Lender Erin Fowlie and Lindsey Nadolny fell in love with the Art Factory, to put it simply. The Matawan couple signed a contract back in March 2023 with owners David Garsia and his wife, Donata, and put down $14,000 upfront for their Oct. 18, 2024 wedding. "They said we had access to the premises at all times," said Fowlie, 33. "They said we were family, we were this, we were that." But earlier this month, the brides-to-be came across a news article saying that the popular Paterson wedding venue, located in a refurbished warehouse on Spruce Street, was going bankrupt. They showed Donata the…
Two Mega Millions Tickets Sold In North Jersey Win Big Two Mega Millions Tickets Sold In North Jersey Win Big
Two Mega Millions Tickets Sold In North Jersey Win Big It was a fabulous Friday for two Mega Millions players in North Jersey. A ticket sold in Bergen County and a ticket sold in Passaic County matched four of the five numbers in the Mega Millions drawing held on Friday, Aug. 30, winning $10,000. The tickets were sold at 7-Eleven in New Milford and Market Street Shell in Paterson. The winning numbers were 10, 17, 20, 24, 54, and the gold Megaball was 8.
Paramus Bank Burglar Torches Paterson DPW Building Hours After Release: Police Paramus Bank Burglar Torches Paterson DPW Building Hours After Release: Police
Paramus Bank Burglar Torches Paterson DPW Building Hours After Release: Police A 32-year-old New York man arrested for faking a slashing while burglarizing a Paramus bank set fire to a DPW building in Paterson hours after being released, Daily Voice has learned. Jonathan Gardner, of Canastota and Schenectady, was captured on video pouring gasoline on a structure behind the DPW building on 800 Broadway (Pennington Park) in Paterson just after 1 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 2, a spokesperson from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said.  He was found sitting near the scene and was lodged in the Bergen County Jail on charges of aggravated arson, burglary, a…
Teen Killed In Boating Accident Was Rising Rutgers Freshman Teen Killed In Boating Accident Was Rising Rutgers Freshman
Teen Killed In Boating Accident Was Rising Rutgers Freshman More information has come to light about the 18-year-old Wayne resident killed in a boating accident over the weekend in Harvey Cedars. Zeina Mahafzah was days away from beginning her freshman year at Rutgers University, as classes start on Tuesday, Sept. 2. According to university spokeswoman Dory Devlin, Zeina was enrolled in the School of Arts and Sciences–Newark. "The Rutgers-Newark community is devastated by the news of Zeina’s passing, and we are sending our support to the Mahafzah family during this incredibly difficult time," Devlin said. In a post shared to Faceboo…
'Sleep With One Eye Open:' Paterson Officer's Charges Detailed In Affidavit 'Sleep With One Eye Open:' Paterson Officer's Charges Detailed In Affidavit
'Sleep With One Eye Open:' Paterson Officer's Charges Detailed In Affidavit More information has come to light in the arrest of a 38-year-old Paterson police officer. Alberto Sanabria was indicted by a grand jury on one count of third-degree terroristic threats, one count of fourth-degree cyber harassment, and one count of fourth-degree stalking, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes announced on Monday, Aug. 12. The affidavit for probable cause obtained by Daily Voice says Sanabria sent the following message to his ex-girlfriend: “Hello remember me you got me fired from [redacted]. Just want to let you know I hope you sleep with one eye open from now o…