Category: Bergen County

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Prosecutor: Maywood suspect with BB gun in car shot by police on Route 17 in Rochelle Park

rochell park police

file photo of Rochelle Park Police  by Boyd Loving 

DECEMBER 14, 2015, 7:46 AM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2015, 2:06 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND RICHARD COWEN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Two Rochelle Park police officers shot a man who was armed with a BB gun outside the Bergen County Board of Social Services Monday morning, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said.

Police were called to the building at 218 Route 17 North in Rochelle Park by security after the man crashed his car and remained inside it, the prosecutor said on Twitter.

The officers’ shots hit the suspect in the lower part of his body and shattered the driver’s side rear window of his Toyota sedan, authorities said. Molinelli said the injuries were not life-threatening and did not appear to require surgery.

The prosecutor identified the suspect as Matthew S. Chaseman, 46, of 14 Marlboro Court in Maywood. Chaseman is being treated at Hackensack University Medical Center. The officers were not injured.

Molinelli said that it wasn’t immediately clear whether Chaseman had a real gun. The orange tip of the gun had been painted black, the prosecutor said. He said he did not know whether Chaseman pointed the gun at any of the officers.

About 11 a.m., half a dozen detectives from the offices of the Bergen County Prosecutor and Sheriff entered Chaseman’s apartment at Hammel Gardens and removed several bags of his belongings. The evidence included a bow and arrows.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/prosecutor-maywood-suspect-with-bb-gun-in-car-shot-by-police-on-route-17-in-rochelle-park-1.1473465

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Shops at Riverside mall in Hackensack reopens after bomb threat

Riverside Square Mall

DECEMBER 12, 2015, 2:12 PM    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015, 6:47 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

A false bomb threat led to the three-hour evacuation of The Shops at Riverside mall in Hackensack on the penultimate Saturday in the holiday shopping season.

As authorities investigated the threat — scrawled on a bathroom wall, graffiti-style — hundreds of jittery shoppers had to abandon their meals and purchases, and were forced out of the complex and into the parking lot, alongside mall workers.

Hackensack Police summoned the Bergen County bomb squad and ordered the evacuation after a security officer discovered the message written with a marker near a urinal in a lower-level men’s room at around 1 p.m., said Hackensack Police Capt. Timothy Lloyd.

Witnesses said several hundred customers and employees emptied out of the mall in an urgent but orderly fashion as both sound and light alarms went off.

A search by bomb-sniffing dogs and bomb-squad officers found no explosives and the mall — at the intersection of Route 4 and Hackensack Avenue — re-opened around 4 p.m., Lloyd said.

The evacuation also led police to divert traffic on Hackensack Avenue onto Route 4, said Anthony Cureton, a spokesman for the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.

Some two hours into the evacuation, most people had cleared out of the area. On the grass at the outskirts of the complex’s parking lot, though, small groups of employees lingered waiting for their stores and restaurants to reopen. And some shoppers also stayed behind, forced to wait because, they said, authorities wouldn’t allow them to retrieve their vehicles from the mall’s multi-tiered parking garage before the all-clear was given.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/shops-at-riverside-mall-in-hackensack-reopens-after-bomb-threat-1.1472899

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Study: credit card debt may reach alarming levels

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DECEMBER 10, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY MELANIE ANZIDEI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Consumers are expected to end the year with credit card debt that is close to levels experts consider unsustainable.

A study released Wednesday by the credit card comparison company CardHub found that consumers racked up $21.3 billion in new credit card debt in the third quarter, from July through September. That’s 34 percent more than the same period last year, and the most for the third quarter since 2009, the year the recession ended.

CardHub projects that credit card debt by Dec. 31 will surpass last year’s by $68.5 billion. At that pace, the average household will be ringing in the new year owing more than $8,000, the highest since the last recession.

“We consider an average [household] debt of $8,400 as being unsustainable — proved in 2008 when the crushing debt plunged us into the Great Recession,” Jill Gonzalez, a CardHub analyst, said in an email Tuesday afternoon.

She added that these rising levels of credit card debt should serve as a “wake-up call” to consumers, who should “rein in spending” in an effort to avoid reaching that tipping point.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/credit-card-debt-is-dangerously-high-experts-say-1.1471448

 

CardHub https://www.cardhub.com/edu/credit-card-debt-study/

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Valley’s Life-Saving Tourniquets Donated to Bergen County Rapid Deployment Force

Bergen County Rapid Deployment Force
file photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

Valley’s Life-Saving Tourniquets Donated to Bergen County Rapid Deployment Force
December 2, 2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , The Valley Hospital continues to show its dedication to protecting our community through the distribution of tourniquets to first responders. The most recent recipients of the tourniquets are the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), which is comprised of police officers from each municipality within Bergen County.  These officers respond to a variety of incidents including riots and active shooters. Each officer on the Bergen County RDF was issued two tourniquets.

Having access to a tourniquet can be critically important in a life or death situation. If a police officer is shot or injured in an extremity, they are able to apply the tourniquet to themselves. Similarly, if a member of the community is severely injured in an extremity, the tourniquet can be used to assist them. The presence of these tourniquets minimizes the chance that a wounded individual will bleed to death prior to help arriving.

In addition to the Bergen County RDF, Valley’s Department of Emergency Services has donated almost 1,000 tourniquets to approximately 500 police officers in 16 area towns. They have also given tourniquets to the New Jersey Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

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Local State and Transit Police Plus Bergen County Agencies Respond to Large Brawl at BOOM Burger in Rochelle park

BOOM Burger
photo Courtesy of Boyd Loving”s Facebook page

Local  State and Transit Police Plus Bergen County agencies Respond to Large Brawl at BOOM Burger in Rochelle park

December 7,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Rochelle Park NJ,  Police from more than a dozen Bergen County agencies plus NJ State and NJ Transit PD units responded to a large bar brawl at the Boom Burger restaurant, 375 West Passaic Street, Rochelle Park on Sunday evening, 12/06 at approximately 7:30 PM. An unknown number of restaurant patrons suffered minor injuries in the fracas. Two (2) ambulances were also called to the scene and at least two (2) patrons received treatment on site, but no one was transported to a hospital. No word on whether there were any arrests related to the incident, nor what precipitated the brawl. Jets ,Giants Bragging rights ,Football you bet!

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Bigger and longer N.J. bear hunt? Will cover more territory and could add days

dont-feed-the-bears

Councilmen Mike Sendon could not be reached for comment

DECEMBER 4, 2015, 2:48 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015, 11:38 PM
BY RICHARD COWEN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The expanded black bear hunt that begins on Monday will cover more ground than ever before with a greater focus on rooting out so-called urban bears that feed off trash cans in suburban areas.

But a battle of wills still rages between hunt advocates and opponents who say that nuisance bears can be managed more humanely with stricter enforcement of garbage-can laws and more public education.

This year, the will of the hunters has an edge, as the state Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of allowing the hunt to begin as planned.

Related:   Expanded bear hunt to begin next week, include parts of Wayne, Bloomingdale, Pequannock

The new bear hunt rules not only expand the terrain in which hunters can stalk bears, but also allow the state Division of Fish and Wildlife to extend the six-day hunt by four days if hunters don’t reduce the bear population by 20 percent.

The state’s newly adopted black bear management policy expanded the hunting area beyond the traditional boundaries of Route 287 and Route 78, in play since 2003. It opened up more densely populated suburban towns to bear hunting, including the west side of Wayne, Pompton Lakes, Wana­que, Oakland, Pequannock, Lincoln Park and Madison. The bear hunt is spread over eight counties and more than 1,000 square miles, touching as far south as Mercer County.

New Jersey has 3,500 black bears, according to state estimates. Bears have been spotted in all 21 counties.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/expanded-bear-hunt-to-begin-as-scheduled-after-supreme-court-challenge-falls-short-1.1467889

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Former Bergen Dems chairman Joseph Ferriero sentenced to three years in prison

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DECEMBER 4, 2015, 11:47 AM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015, 6:16 PM
BY PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Sobbing as he pleaded for mercy and insisted he did nothing wrong, Joseph A. Ferriero, the once powerful leader of the Bergen County Democratic Party, was sentenced Friday to nearly three years in prison for using his political clout to profit from a kickback scheme involving government contracts.

“I understand the court has to accept the verdict,” Ferriero said, adding, “Not for a nanosecond did I think I was doing anything wrong.”

In retrospect, he said, he should have done things differently, but he insisted he never solicited bribes or accepted kickbacks.

U.S. District Judge Esther B. Salas imposed a 35-month prison term on the 58-year-old Hackensack lawyer during a two-hour hearing in federal court in Newark. She said he can self-surrender to prison authorities within 60 days.

Ferriero, who earlier this week lost a bid to set aside his conviction, is planning an appeal.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/former-bergen-dems-chairman-joseph-ferriero-sentenced-to-three-years-in-prison-1.1467769

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Protest follows talk of demolishing Oradell mansion

Atwood-Blauvelt mansion

DECEMBER 4, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

ORADELL — A former owner of the Atwood-Blauvelt Mansion said Thursday that the property’s current owner has signaled that it intends to file for a permit to demolish the historic structure.

Jeffrey Wells, who owned the home until 2011, said that representatives of CareOne, one of the state’s largest nursing home operators, informed him this week that “they were looking to do a walk-through on the house because they were going to apply for a demo permit.” Supporters of efforts to preserve the mansion, which was built in the 1890s, responded by staging a small demonstration there on Thursday.

But Timothy Hodges, CareOne’s chief strategy officer, said Thursday that the fate of the building has not yet been decided.

“Ever since CareOne acquired the property at 699 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, it has continued to explore its development options for the property,” he said. “That process is still ongoing and no final decisions have been made.”

He added: “CareOne has not applied for a demolition permit from the Borough of Oradell.”

Borough Administrator Laura Graham confirmed that no such application had been filed as of Thursday afternoon.

Wells said the purpose for the walk-through would be to show CareOne’s construction professionals how the building receives utility services. The tour was scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, he said.

But when those professionals saw about a dozen people displaying a banner reading “SAVE the BLAUVELT” on the property’s front lawn, they canceled the appointment, Wells said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/talk-of-demolition-1.1467524

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5 Car Pile up in Front of Paramus Catholic Results in Minor Injuries

paramus nj car crash

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

December 2,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

 

Paramus NJ, A five (5) vehicle crash in front of Paramus Catholic High School, 425 Paramus Road, Paramus, resulted in minor injuries to at least two (2) drivers on Tuesday evening, 12/01. The collision occurred in the northbound lanes of Paramus Road, at the jug handle turn for Paramus Catholic. Two (2) vehicles were heavily damaged and were removed by tow trucks. Paramus EMS responded along with Paramus PD. All of the victims refused medical treatment beyond whatever first aid was provided at the scene. Paramus PD is investigating the incident, which was reported shortly after 7 PM. Heavy rain was falling at the time of the crash.

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Despite other shopping options, Black Friday thrives in North Jersey

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NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 8:30 AM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 11:33 PM
BY JOAN VERDON, MELANIE ANZIDEI AND KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITERS |
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chris Singleton of North Arlington was out shopping with his wife and children on Black Friday because the post-Thanksgiving activity is a holiday tradition.

“It’s not even the deals, it’s just the excitement,” said Singleton, a telecommunications engineer who was shopping at the Toys “R” Us on Route 17 in Paramus. “It gets you into the holiday spirit.”

For thousands of shoppers in North Jersey, the malls and stores still are the place to be on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But the Black Friday shopping frenzy that used to jam the highways near the malls and create long lines at the stores is not that big of a deal anymore.

The spending that used to be focused on a single “Super Bowl of Shopping” event now is spread out over multiple days, and divided by new ways to shop, such as online or with a smartphone, that don’t involve driving to the mall.
“Every year the season gets longer,” said Charlie O’Shea, vice president at Moody’s Investors Service, referring to earlier promotions. And this year, many of the top deals were available online, as well as in stores, unlike previous years. As a result, he said, it is more difficult to compare the strength of this Black Friday to previous years.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/black-friday-super-bowl-of-shopping-is-more-like-a-scrimmage-1.1463807

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Thanksgiving Accident on GSP backs up traffic for Miles

GSP
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
Thanksgiving Accident on GSP backs up traffic for Miles
November 26,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington Twp NJ, The driver, and possibly other occupant(s), of a red compact passenger vehicle could not be located following a crash on the Garden State Parkway (GSP) in Washington Township that was reported via a 911 telephone call at 10:19 AM on Thanksgiving Day. The vehicle left the roadway of the northbound GSP just south of Hillsdale Avenue and crashed into a wooded area within the highway’s center median. Washington Township, Hillsdale, HoHoKus, and Ridgewood PD units canvassed the nearby residential areas but were unable to find any victims as of 12 noon.

A canine unit, believed to be from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, was also deployed to assist in the search. The car is registered to an adult female from Danbury, Connecticut. The heavily damaged vehicle was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Northbound and southbound traffic was slowed on the GSP due to heavy rubbernecking near the scene. A trooper from the NJ State Police Parkway Patrol Bloomfield Barracks is conducting the investigation.

Save $25 Off $125 Dremel Ordersir?t=theridgewblog 20&l=pf4&o=1

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Wild Turkeys in New Jersey

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November 26,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Division’s Turkey Restoration Project represents one of the greatest wildlife management success stories in the history of the state. By the mid-1800s, turkeys had disappeared in New Jersey due to habitat changes and killing for food. Division biologists, in cooperation with the NJ Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, reintroduced wild turkeys in 1977 with the release of 22 birds. In 1979 biologists and technicians began to live-trap and re-locate birds to establish populations throughout the state. By 1981 the population was able to support a spring hunting season, and in December, 1997, a limited fall season was initiated.

There is now an abundance of wild turkeys throughout the state with turkeys found wherever there is suitable habitat. In South Jersey, where wild turkeys had been struggling just a few years ago, intensive restoration efforts have improved population numbers significantly. The statewide population is now estimated at 20,000 – 23,000 turkeys with an annual harvest of approximately 3,000 birds.

The birds can be pretty aggressive certain times of the year and groups of wild turkeys have been known to wreak havoc on a neighborhood. Do not under estimate their boldness.

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American Dream funding may be delayed by Poor Planning and Incompetence

Xanadu_main_theridgewoodblog

NOVEMBER 25, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JOHN BRENNAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The sale of $1 billion in government bonds — a key financing element to ensure there is sufficient funding to complete the American Dream Meadowlands shopping and entertainment complex — may not be issued until early next year, officials said.

Tony Armlin, vice president of development and construction for Triple Five, the Canada-based conglomerate that is building American Dream, had said in an interview in September that the bonds would be issued “in the next several weeks.” But Debbie Patire, a Triple Five spokeswoman, confirmed Tuesday a revised timeline for issuing the bonds that executives at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority first described last week.

That state agency is expected to issue about $350 million in bonds that will be repaid to institutional investors via the transfer of Triple Five’s annual tax savings through a state grant.

“We continue to work aggressively toward a sale of the bonds prior to the New Year — but, given the holidays, there is a potential that this could shift to after the new year,” Patire said.

Triple Five, which built and operates the Mall of America in Minnesota, was brought in to revive construction on the long-dormant American Dream project, then known as Meadowlands Xanadu, in mid-2011; company executives have projected as recently as September that it will open in the fall of 2017. It is unclear if that opening date will have to be pushed back in light of the revised timetable for issuing the bonds.

The sports authority agreed in August to replace the Bergen County Improvement Authority as the issuer of those bonds, with Armlin of Triple Five saying at the time that the sports authority was better positioned to issue them “within 30 to 60 days,” or by mid-October.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-state-news/american-dream-funding-delay-1.1462117

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Ridgewood Water to Conduct Fall Hydrant Flushing begining November 30th

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November 25,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water will be performing a water system flushing beginning November 30th in Glen Rock and Ridgewood .Hydrant Flushing will proceed late at night at velocities sufficient enough to remove naturally occurring minerals .Each hydrant will be flushed from 5 to 60 minutes . Residents may experience water discoloration . Work will begin at 9pm and finish by 430am the next day . Residents will be notified by reverse Robo call

Hydrant Flushing – Update

Hydrant flushing in Ridgewood was suspended this week and will continue starting on Monday, November 30th, weather permitting. Below is the revised Public Service Announcement : Click Here