Category: Bergen County

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Police remove Molinelli foe from meeting of Bergen County freeholders

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2015, 11:57 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015, 12:01 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A frequent critic of Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli was removed from the county freeholder meeting late Wednesday night after attempting to play a video of a woman who claims authorities did not impose sufficient penalties on a Teaneck dermatologist who has been accused of sexual misconduct with patients.

Freeholder Chairwoman Joan Voss declared that the board would not allow the video to be played until the board’s lawyer has a chance to review the legality of showing it. The video was posted on YouTube earlier in the day.

That decision threw the room into tumult when Molinelli critic Bill Brennan attempted to play the video anyway.

“Mr. Brennan, I am going to have you removed if you do not stop, and I mean it,” Voss said shortly before two officers led him out of the freeholder chambers.

Brennan — a former firefighter who runs a Facebook page critical of the prosecutor — and several others attended the meeting to call on the Board of Freeholders to ask that it petition the state attorney general to take over Molinelli’s office.

Among them was Carlstadt Mayor William Roseman, who was accused by Molinelli’s office of allowing his ex-wife to continue to receive health benefits after their divorce.

The state Supreme Court ruled in June in a sharply worded decision that prosecutors had wrongly denied an application for Roseman and his ex-wife to enter the Pretrial Intervention program, which allows the accused to avoid prosecution by entering a rehabilitation program.

The court called the denial “a gross abuse of discretion.” And a Superior Court judge in Hackensack dismissed the indictment against Roseman and his ex-wife in July.

Molinelli could not immediately be reached for comment late Wednesday.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/police-remove-molinelli-foe-from-meeting-of-bergen-county-freeholders-1.1422085

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Father of fallen Waldwick Marine calls renaming of post office ‘a mixed blessing’

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SEPTEMBER 29, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015, 4:18 PM
BY RODRIGO TORREJON
STAFF WRITER |
WALDWICK SUBURBAN NEWS

Waldwick – As the community this week awaits the final step in a three-year effort to rename its post office in honor of fallen Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph D’Augustine, his father on Tuesday, Sept. 29, characterized it as “a mixed blessing.”

On Sept. 24, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to rename the post office at 1 Walter Hammond Place the “Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine Post Office Building.” The bill had already been approved in the Senate in an effort spearheaded by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th District) and co-sponsored by the entire New Jersey Congressional Delegation.

The bill now sits before the president, whose deadline to sign it into law is Monday, Oct. 5.

The post office would become the 16th in the sate to be dedicated to an individual, and the fourth in Bergen County.

The long wait has tempered excitement about the tribute, but has also engendered appreciation. D’Augustine’s father, Anthony, spoke to the bittersweet nature of the effort’s route to success.

“On the one hand, we still lost our son,” he said in an interview. “That’s a hole in your heart that can never be healed.”

But, he added, “It is nice to know that people recognize his sacrifice. He’ll be honored in that regard. That makes my family feel happy as far as it could be happy. We’re pleased that Joey is being recognized for his service and his sacrifice.”

D’Augustine, 29, was killed in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on his second tour of duty March 27, 2012. He had departed for boot camp at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the day after graduating from Waldwick High School. In addition to his father, D’Augustine is survived by his mother Patricia and sisters Nicole, Jennifer and Michelle.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nation/father-of-fallen-waldwick-marine-calls-renaming-of-post-office-a-mixed-blessing-1.1421181

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Will American Dream overshadow the malls of North Jersey?

xanadu

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015, 1:20 AM
BY JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Will American Dream Meadowlands be a nightmare for North Jersey malls?

With the recent news that the long-delayed shopping and entertainment complex had signed Hermes as a tenant and lured the luxury brand away from The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, American Dream is looking more like a reality.

But retail experts are betting the existing malls in Bergen and Passaic counties will be able to hold their own against the untested newcomer. While North Jersey shopping centers may have to evolve, they said, there is enough spending power in the region to withstand competition from a new project, even one that claims it will be unlike any other mall.

North Jersey shopping centers — particularly top performers Westfield Garden State Plaza and The Outlets at Bergen Town Center, both in Paramus, and Willowbrook Mall in Wayne — have an advantage as known revenue producers, unlike a project that was stalled for more than a decade.

The developers of American Dream have said since taking over in 2011 that their project — with an indoor water park, amusement rides, ice rink and concert hall — is so different that it won’t compete with, or steal tenants, from traditional North Jersey malls, and that it will draw visitors from all over the world, rather than just New Jersey. However, the news that Hermes is leaving Hackensack for the Meadowlands raises the question of whether the the area’s malls should be concerned.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/dream-rivalry-brewing-1.1419585

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Freeholder Candidate John Mitchell :Voting is at the heart of democracy. A vote sends a direct message to the government about how a citizen wants to be governed.

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September 26,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Woodcliff Lake  NJ,  Voting is at the heart of democracy. A vote sends a direct message to the government about how a citizen wants to be governed……..That direct message was sent to the commuters/voters by a group of us at the Woodcliff Lake train station early this morning. There is too much at stake not to vote this year and in fact every year. Election Day is November 3rd. The experts are predicting a very low voter turnout. Let’s defy the experts. PLEASE VOTE!

…Pictured with John Mitchell are Woodcliff Lake Council President and Mayoral Candidate Carlos A. Rendo, Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, Council Candidate Kristy Herrington, and my Freeholder running mate Daisy Ortiz Berger.

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Glen Rock cop accused of sexting teen girls arrested again

glen_rock_theridgewoodblog

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, 4:26 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, 5:35 PM
BY JOHN SEASLY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A Glen Rock sergeant who was out on bail while facing charges that he sent sexually explicit texts to two teenage girls has been arrested again, this time on charges that he tried to sell guns that had been surrendered to the Glen Rock Police Department.

Sgt. Eric Reamy, 51, is a 27-year veteran of the department and was the Evidence Officer in charge of the department’s Detective Bureau. He allegedly took custody of several handguns and rifles and tried to sell them at two gun stores “as though they were his own property,” Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said in a release.

A laptop and a pellet gun, which should have been secured in evidence, also were found at his previous residence during the execution of a search warrant on Aug. 5, Molinelli said.

Reamy faces seven counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of property received, all third-degree crimes.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/glen-rock-cop-accused-of-sexting-teen-girls-arrested-again-1.1418918

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Hackensack teen accused of making Internet threat against Obama

Faith in Government

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 4:24 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 9:40 PM
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

HACKENSACK — A 17-year-old city resident was arrested today on juvenile charges related to Internet threats he allegedly made against President Obama and the White House, saying he was going to be part of an attack at the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero in Manhattan and that he has friends in ISIS who are planning to attack New York City, authorities said in a news release.

The boy, who was not identified because he is being charged as a juvenile, is also a suspect in swatting incidents in New Albany, Ind., and an investigation into those incidents uncovered “threats being made from the suspect’s residence in Hackensack,” Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.

Authorities searched the suspect’s house on Tuesday morning after receiving a search warrant in court, Molinelli said, adding that “additional charges” could be filed after authorities examine “electronic devices that were seized.” The prosecutor said charges related to the incidents in Indiana “are expected to be filed shortly.”

Molinelli did not provide details about the alleged threats and did not immediately respond to requests for more information. He said in the release that the boy, identified only as J.C., allegedly “used the Internet to send threatening messages” toward the president of the United States and White House and also “made threatening references to being involved in an attack on the 9/11 Memorial and having ‘friends’ in ISIS who are planning an attack on New York City.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/hackensack-teen-accused-of-making-internet-threat-against-obama-1.1415577

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American Dream adding 10 more retailers

xanadu

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, 5:49 PM
BY JOHN BRENNAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Ten more retailers were announced for American Dream Meadowlands on Monday by developer Triple Five, which has set fall 2017 as the opening for the shopping and entertainment complex.

Familiar women’s clothing retailers Victoria’s Secret and Lulelemon are joined by venerable mall stores Banana Republic and The Gap; MAC cosmetics; and a Microsoft computer store. Also on the latest list are Aritzia, Uniqlo, Zara, and Pink.

Triple Five president Don Ghermezian called the latest round of announcements “just the beginning” of a rollout that he said would set a new standard for “the New York metropolitan market.” Ghermezian recently promised to make deals with “SoHo boutique-style” retailers that traditionally have not been found in malls.

The new signups follow last week’s announcement of Hermes as well as news earlier this month that a Saks Fifth OFF Fifth outlet store as well as 100,000-square-foot anchor tenants Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. Ghermezian said the latter two stores would be the largest at the site.

The 2.9-million-square-foot American Dream shopping and entertainment project is to include a 639,000-square-foot indoor water and amusement park currently under construction, as well as a 22-screen movie complex, an indoor snowdome, a 286-foot observation wheel, and other attractions.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/american-dream-adding-10-more-retailers-1.1415006

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Mahwah police have man in custody after school officials reported suspicious person

Ridgewood _police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, 12:58 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, 12:58 PM

BY STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

MAHWAH — Police have a man in custody Monday morning after school officials reported a suspicious person in the area.

The man, whose name has not been released, ran from an officer when police arrived on Ridge Road around 9:30 a.m., Chief James Batelli said. Officers chased him in and out of the woods nearby for a few minutes and caught him.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-police-have-man-in-custody-after-school-officials-reported-suspicious-person-1.1414834

 

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Freeholder Candidate John Mitchell Campaigns at Oradell Train Station

john mitchell oradell

Oradell Council President Donna Alonso and New Milford Council Candidate Matt Seymour chatting with one of the commuters. — with Matthew S Seymour in Oradell, New Jersey.

Freeholder Candidate John Mitchell Campaigns at Oradell Train Station
September 19,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Oradell NJ, Freeholder Candidate John Mitchell made a campaign stop at  Oradell Train Station and answered the $64,000 question, what is a Freeholder?…

…That was the operative question of the morning at the Oradell train station. When I explained that the The Board of Chosen Freeholders acts as the legislature for Bergen County and controls what county government can spend, things became a bit clearer…and certainly the commuters were happy to hear that my running mates and I have specific plans on how to reel in the ever burdensome property taxes hoisted on the backs of our hard working citizens.

…The Oradell train station also accommodates surrounding towns including the great town of New Milford. I was joined by New Milford Council Candidate Matt Seymour along with Oradell Council President Donna Alonso. Our tag teaming of commuters from the various towns was very productive indeed.

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4 Vehicle Crash in Paramus temporarily Closes Lanes on 17 North at Century Road

Paramus Crash
courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
4 Vehicle Crash in Paramus  temporarily Closes Lanes on 17 North at Century Road
September 19,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, Four (4) vehicles collided on Route 17 northbound between Century Road and the Garden State Parkway at approximately 7:00 PM on Thursday, 09/17. At least two (2) adult victims were transported by separate ambulances to Hackensack University Medical Center’s (HUMC) main campus.

Two (2) of the four (4) vehicles involved in the crash, a Toyota Prius and a Nissan Altima, were heavily damaged and removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. The right travel lane and right shoulder of the roadway were closed while crews worked at the scene removing debris and the vehicles. Paramus PD and EMS responded along with a paramedic unit from HUMC.
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Mayor loses ally at North Jersey Media

no_news_theridgewoodblog

September 18,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog .

Ridgewood NJ , we had heard rumors since early September that Chris Harris of North Jersey Media  reportedly he gave NJMG 2 weeks notice. Its said according to sources he was going to write for People Magazine . Its turned out to be true and his last day was yesterday .

Readers were already asking, ” Mayors Mouth Piece Leaves North Jersey Media Where is the Mayors Press Secretary Chris Harris to put the spin on this story?” and some questioned , “WOW what is our Mayor going to do? He lost the editor of the Patch a few years back and now this. Who will spin his stories now?”

 Chris was frequently criticized on this blog for being a little to enamored with our Mayor Paul Aronsohn , some readers referring to him as the Mayors PR department at North Jersey Media .

On his twitter page he says he is the “Unflinching true crime reporter for People Magazine” . We wish him the best of luck and we are sure the Mayor will develop a new mouth piece at North Jersey Media shortly .

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Police: Clifton man kidnapped victims from Paramus malls for money and Red Bull

Red_Bull_theridgewoodblog

SEPTEMBER 16, 2015, 9:43 AM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015, 12:24 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

PARAMUS — A 27-year-old Clifton man who has an apparent affinity for Red Bull drinks was arrested Tuesday by authorities on three counts of robbery and kidnapping, and two weapons charges.

According to police, Eddie J. Johnson is accused of brandishing a knife and forcing men and women into cars, where he instructed them to drive to  an ATM machine to withdraw cash for him or supermarkets to buy him energy drinks in bulk.

Paramus Police  said Johnson first approached a woman back in February in the parking lot of Blink Fitness at the Outlets at Bergen Town Center, asking her for money. When she refused his request, Johnson had the woman drive him in her vehicle to an ATM to take out money.

Police said the woman purposely entered the wrong pin number for her account, so Johnson forced her to take him to the Pathmark in Elmwood Park, where he instructed her to buy $70 worth of Red Bull with her credit card. He fled on foot, energy drinks in hand.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/police-clifton-man-kidnapped-victims-from-paramus-malls-for-money-and-red-bull-1.1410867

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Freeholder candidate John Mitchell visited Ridgewood Train Station this morning

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September 16,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Freeholder candidate John Mitchell visited Ridgewood Train Station this morning  after attending the GOP Candidates night in Hasbrouck Heights pushing a Tax Reduction and Strict Budgeting strategy .

It was a “Win-Win” at the Ridgewood train station this morning…

…It was a “win” that I was able to help a commuter understand the intricacies of the unfair school funding formula and how it impacts his ever rising property taxes. And it was also a “win” that I had a chance to meet hundreds of residents in this beautiful town.

John Mitchell , “There are 70 towns in Bergen County and it continues to amaze me how diverse we are but at the same time united in what we want for our children and grandchildren. A good education, the opportunity to work, lower property taxes and a safe environment are what I heard consistently during my recent travels”
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Animal Waste Spill closes Route 17 south

spill clean up route 17 paramus
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
September 15,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus Nj , NJDOT employees and members of the Paramus Fire Department work to clean up the remainder of a foul smelling spill on Route 17 southbound between A&S Drive and Midland Avenue in Paramus late Monday afternoon, 09/14.

The spill was created when a load fell from a tractor trailer hauling animal waste shortly after 3:00 PM. All lanes of Route 17 south in the area of the spill were subject to closure. Heavy rubbernecking delays were reported northbound in the area as well. Paramus PD was also on the scene.