Fort Lee, NJ
News
'I Just Shot My Father': Bogus Swatting Call Draws Mass Response To Palisades Park Apartment 'I Just Shot My Father': Bogus Swatting Call Draws Mass Response To Palisades Park Apartment
'I Just Shot My Father': Bogus Swatting Call Draws Mass Response To Palisades Park Apartment A throng of police and tactical units descended on a Palisades Park garden apartment complex Friday night in response to what turned out to be a bogus 911 call of a man with a bomb strapped to his chest. The swatting incident forced the evacuation of the West Central Boulevard complex off Grand Avenue after a 911 caller told a dispatcher around 9 p.m. that "I just shot my father," Detective Alex Monteleone said. Units were rushing to the site when the swatter called again, saying he'd shot his dad a second time, he said. The third time, he said he had a pipe bomb strapped to his chest that…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
News
Prosecutor: Hudson Ex-Con Tries To Sexually Assault Woman On Fort Lee Street Prosecutor: Hudson Ex-Con Tries To Sexually Assault Woman On Fort Lee Street
Prosecutor: Hudson Ex-Con Tries To Sexually Assault Woman On Fort Lee Street A floral deliveryman with a criminal history grabbed a woman on a Fort Lee Street and tried to drag her into an alley while fondling her, authorities said. The victim told police that a man later identified as ex-con Randy Gallman, 36, of Jersey City grabbed her as she walked and “touched on her intimate parts,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She screamed and Gallman ran, she said. The woman told police she resumed walking toward Leonia when Gallman returned, grabbed her again and started dragging her toward an alley. She screamed once more, he ran off again and she dial…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
News
Feds Praise Leonia PD After Ringleader Of International Call-Center Phone Scam Gets 20 Years Feds Praise Leonia PD After Ringleader Of International Call-Center Phone Scam Gets 20 Years
Feds Praise Leonia PD After Ringleader Of International Call-Center Phone Scam Gets 20 Years A worldwide investigation that produced a 20-year federal prison sentence for an Indian national who ran call centers that defrauded Americans across the U.S. out of millions of dollars got a huge boost from police in Leonia. Leonia Detective Michael Jennings, in particular, did legwork that helped federal authorities eventually identify Hitesh Madhubhai Patel, 44, as the ringleader of the transnational scheme. For that reason, police in the Bergen County borough near the George Washington Bridge got a shout-out from the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday. It began in 2015 when Jennings …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Cliffside Park-Edgewater, NJ
News
PHOTOS: Fire Destroys Ridgefield Multi-Family Home PHOTOS: Fire Destroys Ridgefield Multi-Family Home
Photos: Fire Destroys Ridgefield Multi-Family Home Flames blew through the roof of a two-family Ridgefield home on Monday. All residents got out safely and no one was injured in the two-alarm noontime blaze, Fire Chief David Brierty said. Firefighters found the second floor and basement of the Walnut Street house fully involved, Brierty said. Part of the roof collapsed soon after. Brierty declared the blaze under control shortly before 2 p.m., the chief said. Firefighters continued to hit hot spots after that. The cause appeared accidental, Brierty said. An investigation was continuing. Mutual aid responders included firefighters from…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
News
Leonia Police Capture Trio In Separate Overnight Car Break-Ins Leonia Police Capture Trio In Separate Overnight Car Break-Ins
Leonia Police Capture Trio In Separate Overnight Car Break-Ins Leonia police responding to separate overnight car burglaries captured a trio of suspects. Responding to a call on Summit Avenue around 12:40 a.m., Sgt. Robert Kennedy and Officer Nolan Stendor nabbed Michael A. Cokley, 30, of Ridgefield, Acting Police Chief Scott Tamagny said. A judge ordered Cokley released shortly after police sent him to the Bergen County Jail on attempted burglary and possession of drugs and paraphernalia charges. Officer Sihoon Chung nabbed a pair of suspects after a similar call came in from Longview Avenue around 6:10 a.m. Manny L. Pinagarcia, 18, of Manhattan w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Hackensack, NJ
Police & Fire
Mailman Charged With Stealing, Cashing Checks From Hackensack, Maywood, Leonia Residents Mailman Charged With Stealing, Cashing Checks From Hackensack, Maywood, Leonia Residents
Mailman Charged With Stealing, Cashing Checks From Hackensack, Maywood, Leonia Residents A postal carrier from Hackensack stole and cashed checks sent to customers on his route in town, in Leonia and in Maywood, said federal authorities who arrested him Wednesday. Juan Torres, 27, deposited the money into a bank account he controlled, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Torres was scheduled for a first appearance via videoconference Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark. Special agents with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General have charged him with mail theft and bank fraud. Carpenito credited the agents and postal inspector…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Dealer Caught With 2½ Pounds Of Cocaine In Leonia Traffic Stop Prosecutor: Dealer Caught With 2½ Pounds Of Cocaine In Leonia Traffic Stop
Prosecutor: Dealer Caught With 2½ Pounds Of Cocaine In Leonia Traffic Stop Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives seized 2½ pounds of cocaine while busting an accused dealer from the Bronx during a traffic stop on Route 95 in Leonia, authorities said. Alexander Garces Brioso, 39, was “identified as a distributor of large quantities of narcotics within the New York City/North Jersey metropolitan area,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Brioso, who works for Optimum Wireless, was charged with possession with the intent to distribute the cocaine, which Musella said had a street value of $50,000. He was sent to the Bergen County Jail, only to have a Central…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
Police & Fire
Palisades Park Vehicle Owner Thrown From His Car Chases Thieves Palisades Park Vehicle Owner Thrown From His Car Chases Thieves
Palisades Park Vehicle Owner Thrown From His Car Chases Thieves A Palisades Park owner got thrown from his car as he tried to stop a trio of thieves in his driveway, authorities said. The Glen Avenue resident saw something going on in his driveway and ran out to find the thieves in his car, said Capt. Anthony Muccio, the department’s officer in charge. He hung on to the vehicle to try and stop them but fell off as they sped away, Muccio said. The resident, who’d sustained some scrapes and bruises, flagged down another motorist and together they chased the vehicle to dead-ended Fifth Street. The thieves tried pulling onto a grass median but hit a parke…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Ridgewood, NJ
Lifestyle
These Towns Were Ranked Best Places To Live In Bergen County These Towns Were Ranked Best Places To Live In Bergen County
These Towns Were Ranked Best Places To Live In Bergen County We've seen the best places to live in New Jersey, but what about Bergen County? According to a newly-released set of rankings by Niche.com, the top three spots in the area are Ridgewood, Glen Rock and Allendale. Bergen was also ranked as the healthiest county, third best county for young professionals and third best county for public schools in the Garden State. Here are the other top places to live in Bergen County, according to Niche.com. Crime, quality of schools, things to do, and cost of living were among the factors used in determining the rankings. 4. Ho-Ho-Kus 5. Fort Lee 6. Hawo…

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by Valerie Musson
Fort Lee, NJ
Police & Fire
Palisades Park Firefighters Battle Extreme Heat, Terrain To Douse House Blaze Palisades Park Firefighters Battle Extreme Heat, Terrain To Douse House Blaze
Palisades Park Firefighters Battle Extreme Heat, Terrain To Douse House Blaze It wasn’t the easiest job: The air was thick, with temperatures still in the high 80s, when a fire broke out in a home on a Palisades Park hill at the top of a private driveway. Borough firefighters lugging hoses and ground ladders doused the Monday night blaze -- saving the house -- with no serious injuries. An air conditioning unit in back of the Chateau Road home ignited, sending flames up the vinyl siding, then into a soffit and roof rafter, shortly before 8 p.m., Fire Chief John Mantone said. Mantone’s firefighters had help at the scene from their colleagues from Ridgefield and Leoni…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
Police & Fire
Shock, Sadness Follow Sudden Death Of Veteran Leonia Firefighter Shock, Sadness Follow Sudden Death Of Veteran Leonia Firefighter
Shock, Sadness Follow Sudden Death Of Veteran Leonia Firefighter TRIBUTE: Shock and sadness continued to spread with the news that veteran Leonia firefighter Jack Peters, a retired borough police officer, had died suddenly at 65. “It is with sadness and complete shock that we tell you that Jack Peters, husband, father, grandfather, father in law, and friend to many has passed away unexpectedly today,” daughter Kristen Richter wrote Tuesday night. “We know he touched many people in some way. He loved his town, the fire department, and his family -- especially his grandchildren, his “blessings”,” she added. Tributes continued to mount by the hundreds on W…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
Police & Fire
Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester
Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester A string of racist insults on Facebook against a young Asian-American protester has cost a volunteer of nearly 45 years his ranking positions with the Leonia Fire Department. It began with a post by a fellow firefighter of a photo taken during a protest in Leonia against the death of George Floyd. A young woman in the photo holds a sign that says “F(***) THE POLICE”. "To my Leonia people, who is this and how do you think this is peaceful?" a comment attached to the photo asked. A thread of nearly 300 comments followed -- many sharing the poster’s anger -- before the June 8 post was remove…

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by Jerry DeMarco