Midland Park NJ, A three (3) vehicle Wednesday afternoon, 02/28, collision at the intersection of Franklin and Vreeland Avenues in Midland Park sent a 4-door passenger sedan careening out of the intersection into a single family home on Vreeland Avenue. All three (3) vehicles had to be towed from the scene. Midland Park EMS personnel attended to at least two (2) of the vehicles’ drivers. Damage to the home that was struck appeared to have been minimal. Midland Park Police , Fire Department , and EMS units responded. Ridgewood Police provided traffic control assistance.
Wyckoff NJ, the Wyckoff Police Department has issued a scam alert , from time to time, residents receive calls from people claiming to be the Wyckoff Police Department or other various Law Enforcement organizations requesting donations. Please note that the Wyckoff Police Department / Wyckoff PBA, will never contact you via the telephone and will only do so through the US Postal mail. You can always request the information be mailed to you should you fear the organization calling appears to not be legit. If you need any further assistance with the organizations validity, please feel free to call our department for assistance.
Paramus NJ, The adult male driver of a 4-door passenger sedan sustained a minor arm injury during a crash in which his vehicle collided with another and veered off of Route 4 westbound near Spring Valley Road in Paramus before slamming into a retail establishment (The Vitamin Shoppe). No injuries were reported by the store’s occupants nor by the adult male driver of the other vehicle. The injured driver refused ambulance transportation to a local hospital. A building inspector was called to determine whether the store, located at 134 Route 4 West, Paramus, could be reoccupied prior to repairs being made. The passenger sedan was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Paramus Police, EMS, and Paramus Rescue Squad’s Chief responded to the incident.
Dumont NJ, a high school student was taken into custody on Monday after a reported social media threat prompted a lockdown and a Bergen County SWAT team response.
Dumont police say that the threat was made by a 15-year-old Dumont High School sophomore and the school was then placed on lockdown. The Bergen County SWAT team responded to the school along with police from Dumont and surrounding towns.
The lockdown happened around lunchtime yesterday. They said that they first thought that it was a drill. They hid under desks and inside classrooms. Photographs and videos posted on social media show large groups of students inside the gym and out on the athletic fields.
Police taking no chances ,the lockdown comes nearly two weeks after a deadly mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
According to Dumont Police Chief Michael Conner a gun was recovered at the student’s home. It wasn’t clear whether the weapon belonged to the student. No weapons were found at the school
The Dumont Public Schools sent a message to parents saying the student was taken into custody at about 1:15 p.m. and the lockdown was lifted.The student’s name has not been released due to his age.Classes are expected to resume normally Tuesday.
Montvale NJ, yesterday Montvale Police Department reported a suspicious incident in Montvale yesterday. Vehicle described as a black Volkswagen occupied by two males (race unknown) offering candy to two juveniles. Incident under investigation
The suspicious incident was later solved. It was a couple of High School kids making an inappropriate joke. Not an actual luring. But the grade schoolers who were targeted did not know that. They did an excellent job staying away and notifying a parent.
Paramus NJ, Every Tuesday at 9 a.m., Thrive’s Walking Club meets at Westfield Garden State Plaza. Last Tuesday, we had a special event at Sur La Table! Each walker was given a beautiful dish towel compliments of the Thrive program, plus sample expressos, cappuccinos and an instant pot demo by the store manager! March 27th will be the final day of indoor exercise for the Walking Club. If you would like to join us, please call 1-800-825-5391 to register. You may also go to www.valleyhealth.com/thrive for more information.
Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of TIMOTHY SMITH (DOB: 4/16/1975; divorced; and employed as deli counter help) of 360 Main Street, Apt 333, Hackensack, New Jersey on six counts each of Sexual Assault by Contact and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, and the Hackensack Police Department under the direction of Officer-in-Charge, Captain Francesco Aquila.
On Friday, February 16, 2018, the Hackensack Police Department was contacted via 911 that children at an indoor public pool in Hackensack, NJ had been touched on their intimate parts by Timothy Smith during a public swim program. The Hackensack Police Department responded. An investigation was initiated by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Hackensack Police Department.
As a result of the investigation, Timothy SMITH was arrested on February 23, 2018 in Hackensack, NJ and charged with six counts each of Sexual Assault by Contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2B, a crime of the 2nd degree; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24A(1), a crime of the 3rd degree. Timothy SMITH is scheduled for a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing in Hackensack, New Jersey on February 24, 2018 at 9:00 A.M.
Acting Prosecutor Calo states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and would also like to thank the Hackensack Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
Ridgewood NJ,Car thieves use laptops to hack and steal vehicles.According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an industry group, thefts like this are a growing trend. Someone gets in a late-model car and fiddles with an electronic device, then drives away.
The last few years Car thefts, have been made easier because owners have left keys in the vehicle. The Ridgewood blog reported a significant number of vehicle thefts in North Jersey and now with the aid of a laptop it could get worse.
Hackensack NJ , The Lonegan for Congress campaign is questioning if Democrats have infiltrated the ranks of the Republican Party in the 5th District now that a prominent New Jersey family with ties to Democrat Josh Gottheimer is publicly supporting John Mcann in the Congressional race.
Harry Shortway is the Mayor of Vernon Township, in Sussex County. His father, also named Harry Shortway, is the Mayor of Midland Park, in Bergen County.
Harry Shortway of Vernon was the most prominent Republican in Sussex County to endorse liberal Democrat Josh Gottheimer for Congress. His father, who held a patronage position with the Democrat Sheriff of Bergen County, recently told GOP officials that he too was supporting Democrat Gottheimer.
On Sunday, February 25th, the Shortways will be hosting a campaign event for John McCann’s congressional campaign committee. The event will be held at the family business: Shortway’s Barn, in Hawthorne. McCann claims to be a loyal Republican, but why are two Republican supporters of the Democrat incumbent supporting him?
McCann was also in the employ of the Bergen County Democrat Sheriff Michael Saudino until announcing his run for Congress last September.
Are the Democrats attempting to pick the winner of the Republican primary for Congress in the 5th District?
FACEBOOK LINK: McCann-Shortway Meet & Greet see photo
Westwood NJ, according to the Westwood Police a 79-year-old woman was struck and injured crossing Kinderkamack Road and Irvington Street Wednesday afternoon.
Westwood Police were summed to the scene at 12:08 p.m. The victim began crossing Kinderkamack Road when Patricia Shaw, 76, of Midland Park turned left from Irvington Street onto Kinderkamack Road. Westwood Police were assisted by Hillsdale Police , Westwood Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and Micron Advanced Life Support .
According to police the victim was walking in southbound lane when the driver failed to yield and hit her with the front driver’s-side part of the vehicle.
The woman was knocked to the ground and injured on the lower part of her body. She was stabilized at the scene and rushed to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. The extent of her injuries is unknown.
The 76 year old driver failed to yield the right of way to a pedestrian and was charged with failure to stop/yield at an intersection, making an improper turn, failure to maintain a lane and failure to yield to a pedestrian.
Westwood Police will also submit a re-evaluation to the state Division of Motor Vehicles regarding Shaw to determine if she is fit to operate a motor vehicle.
The Westwood Police Department is asking for the public’s cooperation in reducing the number of accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles in the borough.
Hillsdale NJ, On February 21, 2018, the Hillsdale Police Department was made aware of a suspicious incident that took place on Bedford Road, near the Ann Blanche Smith School. The incident involved a nine-year-old student of the school that was walking home after school was dismissed. As the student approached Bedford Road a vehicle that was being driven by a middle-aged, white man with a crew cut said: “hey, come here”. The student described the vehicle as a smaller, black, four-door vehicle.
Despite our efforts, our follow-up investigation did not reveal any further details other than those provided by the student.
Please take this incident as an opportunity to discuss stranger safety with your children and remind them of the following:
• An adult does not need help from a child — not to find a puppy, not for anything. If an adult is asking you for help, that’s a warning sign;
• Don’t walk away with anyone other than a parent, or the person who was already arranged to take care of you that day;
• Always stay at least an arms distance away from any strangers or strange vehicles;
• Avoid walking places alone, use the buddy system;
• Point out places children can go for help when walking places like school and the park;
Washington DC, according to Attorney General Jeff Sessions , “Each year, an estimated $3 billion are stolen or defrauded from millions of American seniors. Through “grandparent scams,” fake prizes or even threats, criminals prey on some of the most vulnerable Americans to steal their hard-earned savings and their peace of mind.”
Upscale towns like Ridgewood, Glen Rock etc are often the prime targets of these scams . The Ridgewood blog has reported over and over again senior scams , phone scams , internet scams and identity theft .
And this threat is only growing. The Senate Aging Committee’s Fraud Hotline received twice as many reports in 2016 as it received in 2015. The rise of new technologies has made it easier for criminals to coordinate their efforts and perpetrate their crimes.
The Trump Administration is taking action. We will not let this crime continue to rise.
Last month, the Department ordered all 94 of our U.S. Attorneys’ offices to each designate an elder justice coordinator, who will customize our strategy to protect seniors in their district. This will ensure even greater cooperation between the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners.
The Trump administration is forming unprecedented law enforcement partnerships around the country and, indeed, around the world. These partnerships are already bearing fruit.
Today, the Department of Justice is announcing the largest elder fraud enforcement action in American history.
With the help of our partners at all levels of government and in the private sector, we have charged more than 200 defendants for committing elder fraud schemes and brought civil actions against dozens more.
These defendants allegedly robbed more than one million Americans of more than half a billion dollars.
In the past month alone, the Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have filed cases against more than 40 defendants. These 40 defendants are responsible for a majority of those 1 million victims I mentioned, and they include charges against the transnational criminal organization highlighted on the map we have displayed.
Just yesterday the Postal Inspection Service executed 14 search warrants across America. The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch and our U.S. Attorneys are working closely with the postal inspectors on these investigations.
And as we speak, our partners with the Vancouver, Canada Police Department are executing dozens of search warrants as part of this enforcement action. These warrants are being carried out against members of transnational criminal organizations that have allegedly defrauded tens of thousands of Americans and people all over the world.
And so I want to thank the Postal Inspection Service, the FTC and its Consumer Sentinel database, the FBI and its Los Angeles field office, the Vancouver Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of Iowa, our elder justice coordinators, and all of our state, local, and international partners who helped make this historic achievement possible.
Thank you to Derek Schmidt, Kansas Attorney General and President of the National Association of Attorneys General for participating in this action and representing our state Attorneys General, who play a vital role in this effort.
And thank you to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, especially to my good friends Senators Grassley and Collins. They have a real passion for this issue and they have helped raise awareness about it.
I also want to thank Deborah Cox-Rausch, director of Senior Corps, a federal agency that coordinates the work of hundreds of thousands of senior citizen volunteers across the country. Senior Corps has helped get the word out about the threat of fraud schemes to our seniors, and I believe that helps prevent crime.
That’s why I hope that no victim of fraud feels ashamed. This can happen to anyone. Several members of my staff have told me about their grandparents being targeted by fraudsters. In fact, just this past week, one of my senior staffers was in a meeting with me when she got a call from her grandmother, who had just received a phone call from a fraudster.
We need to spread the word about this. So, please, if you or someone you know was victimized by an elder fraud scheme, please report it to the FTC. It might just give us the tip we need to put criminals in jail—and to protect other seniors.
We are joined here today by several Americans who have had the courage to step forward and share their stories of being victimized by fraudsters. They’ve come a long way to be here—and I want to thank them for that and for sharing their experiences and insights.
Woodcliff Lake NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of JEFFREY PALISH (DOB: 2/23/1953; married; and unemployed) of 22 Oakwood Drive, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey on a charge of Theft by Deception. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti.
In November of 2017, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office received information that Jeffrey PALISH, a Bergen County based financial advisor, had failed to make payments on a $100,000 loan that he had received from two elderly clients; a loan which he had failed to disclose to the financial institution at which he was employed. An investigation revealed that, during a four-year period, Mr. PALISH had received in excess of $600,000 from the clients. The funds were obtained through the conversion of the clients’ stock holdings. The stocks were sold and the monies were transferred to a second bank where the monies were remitted to Mr. PALISH through checks written by one of the clients. Further investigation revealed that, during the same time period, Mr. PALISH initiated approximately forty unauthorized wire transfers from the clients’ bank account to make payments to his personal credit card account. The unauthorized credit card payments totaled in excess of $300,000. As a result of the investigation, it was determined that Mr. PALISH utilized all of the monies for his own personal benefit and has not repaid or returned any monies to the victims.
As a result of the investigation, JEFFREY PALISH was arrested on February 21, 2018 in Paramus, NJ and charged with one count of Theft by Deception, with the amount involved being greater than $75,000 in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4a, a crime of the 2nd degree. Mr. PALISH is scheduled for a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 9:00 a.m.
Acting Prosecutor Calo states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Typical customer to save almost $75 for winter gas usage
February 22,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, announced today that customers will continue to save money on their gas heating bills through March. The company is extending its January and February bill credits for residential customers an additional month, saving customers an additional $25 on their March bills or nearly $75 this winter.
Bill credits during January and February have saved the typical residential gas heating customer about $50 for both months, a savings of about 17 percent. Extending the credit for March usage will bring total savings to nearly $75 for the three winter months.
A typical residential customer using a total of 495 therms from January 1 through March 31 would normally pay about $440. This customer’s bill for the three winter months will be about $365 with the bill credit.
Since January 2009, annual bills for PSE&G’s typical residential gas heating customers are 49 percent — or $825 — lower due to supply rate reductions.
“We continue to be in a position to pass along gas price savings to our residential customers,” said Jorge Cardenas, PSE&G vice president of asset management and centralized services. “Low natural gas prices, our transportation and storage capabilities, and the way we manage our contracts have enabled us to pay less for natural gas. And our customers benefit.”
PSE&G makes no profit on the sale of natural gas, and passes along what it pays to customers.
Moonachie NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrests of BRANDON BIALEK (DOB: 05/18/1985; single; lab aide) of 16 John Street, Apartment 1, Lodi, New Jersey on charges of Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision and Hindering Apprehension; and BRIAN BIALEK (DOB: 05/18/1985; single; maintenance worker) of 270 Lawrence Avenue, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey on a charge of Hindering Apprehension. The arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, members of the Moonachie Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard Behrens, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Michael Saudino.
At approximately 5:50 A.M. on Friday, January 5, 2018, the Moonachie Police Department received a report of a pedestrian lying in the roadway on Route 46 East near the intersection with Industrial Avenue. Upon arrival at the scene, officers observed a deceased male victim lying in the roadway. The victim’s injuries were consistent with being struck by a motor vehicle. The victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was later identified as 28-year-old Brian P. Rossi.
Evidence at the scene indicated that the striking vehicle was a black Ford Focus, sedan or hatchback, model year range 2012 to 2015. The striking vehicle fled the scene traveling eastbound on Route 46, before parking in the rear of a business establishment. A Mitsubishi Lancer arrived shortly thereafter, and both vehicles left together traveling east on Route 46, then north on Liberty Avenue towards Hackensack.
As a result of the investigation that followed, Brandon BIALEK was charged with one count of Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5.1, a 2nd degree crime, and one count of Hindering Apprehension in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-3, a 3rd degree crime. Brian BIALEK was charged with one count of Hindering Apprehension in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-3, a 3rd degree crime. Brandon BIALEK was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing on Friday, February 23, 2018 at 9:00 A.M. Brian BIALEK is scheduled for a first appearance in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court on Monday, March 4, 2018 at 8:30 A.M.
Acting Prosecutor Calo states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would also like to thank the Moonachie Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
