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Paterson Police Department

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Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Body camera video proves that a now-former Paterson police officer beat a defenseless suspect with a flashlight and kneed him in the face in an apartment hallway, a grand jury indictment charges. Spencer Finch, 45, of Mahwah filed an official report maintaining that he needed to use force against what he claimed was a combative suspect, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The video from a fellow officer’s bodycam tells a different story, Valdes added. Finch – who was with the department for nearly 18 years -- is charged with aggravated assault, official misconduct, perjury, t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Federal Jurors Convict Ex-Paterson Police Sergeant Of Civil Rights Violations Federal Jurors Convict Ex-Paterson Police Sergeant Of Civil Rights Violations
Federal Jurors Convict Ex-Paterson Police Sergeant Of Civil Rights Violations UPDATE: A federal jury convicted a now-former Paterson police sergeant of stealing money from a suspect, then lying on reports to protect himself and his department accomplices. The guilty verdicts against Michael Cheff, 51, of Oakland on Thursday followed a five-day trial in U.S. District Court in Newark. They also prompted a statement from Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh: "Michael Cheff was fired [Thursday]. His trial revealed sickening and horrific acts committed by former officers who violated their oath to protect and serve. Paterson has taken significant steps to root out such conduct an…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Stray Bullet Kills Paterson Teen Carrying In His Grandmother's Groceries Stray Bullet Kills Paterson Teen Carrying In His Grandmother's Groceries
Stray Bullet Kills Paterson Teen Carrying In His Grandmother's Groceries UPDATE: A college-bound Paterson teen was carrying in his grandmother's groceries when he was struck and killed by a stray bullet outside the family's home, loved ones said.  Robert Cuadra, 18, was hit when someone fired no fewer than 16 rounds on Godwin Avenue between Carroll Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said. Responding officers found the mortally wounded teen on the sidewalk in front of his house, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said in a joint announcement. An ambulance took Cuadra to St. Josep…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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AG: 9MM Handgun, Spent Casings Found Near Paterson Man Shot, Killed By City Detective AG: 9MM Handgun, Spent Casings Found Near Paterson Man Shot, Killed By City Detective
AG: 9MM Handgun, Spent Casings Found Near Paterson Man Shot, Killed By City Detective A Facebook video recorded by a civilian was included in recordings released Wednesday by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office as part of a required investigation into the fatal shooting last month of a Paterson man by a city police detective. A 9mm handgun was recovered -- along with nine 9mm shell casings -- near the body of Thelonious McKnight, 25, in a backyard alleyway off East Main Street shortly before 9 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2021, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. It all happened in an instant. Storefront and city surveillance cameras shows a group of men hanging out and…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Authorities: Paterson Tenant Kills Roommate With Rock Authorities: Paterson Tenant Kills Roommate With Rock
Authorities: Paterson Tenant Kills Roommate With Rock A Paterson man bashed his roommate in the head with a rock, killing him, authorities said Tuesday. The victim – initially identified only by the initial M.B. – was found face down on the living room floor of the 12th Avenue apartment he shared with Raymond Menafield, 40, at 6:20 a.m. Sunday. He had a large gash in the back of his head, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said in a joint announcement. The victim was pronounced dead 20 minutes later, they said. Menafield killed him during some type of dispute, Valdes and Baycora said. He w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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3rd Suspect Charged In Cold-Blooded Killing Of Paterson Man Gunned Down In Front Of His Mom 3rd Suspect Charged In Cold-Blooded Killing Of Paterson Man Gunned Down In Front Of His Mom
3rd Suspect Charged In Cold-Blooded Killing Of Paterson Man Gunned Down In Front Of His Mom A third arrest was made nearly two weeks ago in the cold-blooded ambush killing a 22-year-old Paterson man in front of his mother last Fourth of July weekend, authorities announced Monday. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora didn’t explain why they waited nearly two weeks to announce the arrest of Dashawn A. Rhoden, 22, in the shooting death of Juan Garcia, 28 last July 3. They'd done the same earlier Monday when they announced the capture of a suspect in another murder case,  Garcia was gunned down in front of his mother in a targeted…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Hookup Turns To Robbery After Leonia Man Is Drugged By Online 'Date' Hookup Turns To Robbery After Leonia Man Is Drugged By Online 'Date'
Hookup Turns To Robbery After Leonia Man Is Drugged By Online 'Date' A Leonia man was set up by a woman who met him online, drugged him at his home and then robbed him with help from two other men, authorities said. Katherine Berg, 32, of Paterson went to the victim’s Grand Avenue home in the early morning hours of June 26 and slipped him a drug that knocked him out, Police Chief Scott Tamagny said. A medical call brought police around 11 a.m. the next day, the chief said. A family member had found the 30-something victim with “numerous injuries and no memory of what had occurred,” Tamagny said. More than 24 hours had passed and the victim was immediately…

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by Jerry DeMarco