Tag: crime

Posted on

Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office warns of “diversion burglaries “

17758482 674194916099878 5468265401284820757 o

file photo by Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office warns of “diversion burglaries ” .A diversion burglary is a specific type of theft that involves one or more suspects portraying themselves as public utility workers, inspectors, or officials of some kind who need to enter your home under the pretense that they are there to help.

They aren’t there to help. In fact, they are hoping you won’t ask too many questions or verify their identity. They are hoping you’ll simply allow these strangers into your home so they can distract you a while.

As one of the bogus utility workers keeps you busy in one room or on the front steps of your home, the other will wander off to steal jewelry, money, or other valuables inside.

Don’t fall for these con artists. Always be wary of strangers dropping by.

Ask for identification and keep them waiting outside while you call your local police to verify. Don’t permit unknown visitors into your home. Keep in mind the diversion style burglary method next time your doorbell rings.

Posted on

Man Who Robbed Paramus Hotel and 13 Others at Gun Point Sentenced

burnett tvmobo1

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 252 months in prison for robbing 14 hotels in New Jersey and New York, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Tremone Burnett, 46, of Orange, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court on Sept. 12, 2018, to two counts of an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit robbery and threaten physical violence, and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Judge Hayden imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From April 24, 2014, through June 19, 2014, Burnett robbed 12 New Jersey hotels and two New York hotels at gunpoint. The New Jersey hotels were located in Carteret, Lebanon, Newark, Rockaway, Secaucus, Avenel, Parsippany, Paramus, Weehawken, and Edison; the New York hotels were located in Airmont and Nanuet. In each robbery, Burnett wielded a handgun and, in some instances, tied the victim’s hands and feet. During one of the robberies, Burnett discharged his firearm.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Hayden sentenced Burnett to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; and the Newark Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Carteret, Edison, Lebanon, Rockaway, Parsippany, Weehawken and Woodbridge Township police departments in New Jersey; the Clarkstown and Ramapo police departments in New York; the N.J. State Police; and the Bergen County, Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, and Morris County prosecutors’ offices for their work on this case.

Posted on

Reader says ,” it reminds me of Yugoslavia under Tito”

IMG 6328 e1544313024934

photo courtesy of RH

Hey Village council – – you are really doing a nice job maintaining the charm of the Village.
Between the wild construction, parking garages built to satisfy the whims of developers, restaurant owners and other oligarchs, the concrete slabs, VIP’s who are more equal than others, and now, the guard towers, it reminds me of Yugoslavia under Tito. Where are we putting the barbed wire?
Bravo!

Posted on

RECENT BURGLARIES IN THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD

IMG 6331 e1544230639447

the staff of the Ridgewood blog 

Ridgewood NJ, Since turning back the clocks, there have been some home burglaries in the Village.  These typically haveoccurred during the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., when it is dark and no one is home.  There have also been burglaries from vehicles parked indriveways. 

Please be aware that Public Safety is the Village of Ridgewood’s #1 priority, and our Police Department is giving their full attention touncover every detail and piece of information, so that they can identify those involved in the burglaries.  In addition, there are extra Policepatrols on the streets.  If you are aware of a burglary which has occurred near your home, and have home security cameras or a Ring doorbellcamera, please contact the Ridgewood Police Department, at 201-652-3900, and let them know.  The videos obtained from these cameras will assistthe Ridgewood Police Department in their investigation.

Here are some helpful tips to be used to protect your home and vehicles from burglaries:

  1. Lock doors and windows (house and cars).  Remove your fobs from your cars and bring them into your house.
  2. Routinely check that home security/safety systems are working properly. 
  3. Promptly clear property/driveway of newspapers. 
  4. Promptly empty mailbox, clear delivered packages and register for delivery notifications. 
  5. DO NOT post real-time information on Facebook/Instagram/social media including:
    • a. Real-time photos and/or livestream from vacation, parties, concerts, theater, sports events, dining out and food images, etc. DOING SO PUBLICLY BROADCASTS THAT YOU’RE NOT HOME!
    • b. Real-time Information about work commute, work location, shopping, etc.  
  6. CAUTION: do not accept Facebook/social media friend requests without confirming the authenticity of the individual making the request – LOOK, THINK & RESEARCH before accepting. 
  7. NOTE:  Many members of local Ridgewood Facebook groups are not from Ridgewood
  8. NEVER HESITATE: IMMEDIATELY report suspicious vehicles, persons, and activity to the RIDGEWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT – remember for an emergency dial 911 and always have the RPD non-emergency number handy 201-652-3900
Posted on

Burglary Prevention Tips from the Township of Washington Police Department

Screenshot 2018 11 23 at 8.10.19 AM e1542978712536

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

TWP of Washington NJ, The Township of Washington Police Department are urging all residents to be diligent this holiday season by locking their homes, setting alarms, and leaving lights on both inside and outside of their homes. According to the FBI, nearly 400,000 burglaries occur in the U.S. during November and December each year. Burglars don’t have time to break into heavily secured homes. This is because most burglars do not want to get caught. Chances are that they will target your home if they know it’s not well secured and that you are not home. Burglars are opportunists, eliminate opportunities for them by locking all doors/windows/gates. Also, secure your vehicles as burglars will attempt to gain entry into them as well.

Continue reading Burglary Prevention Tips from the Township of Washington Police Department

Posted on

Readers Debate Crime Wave at Bergen County Wild Duck Pond in Ridgewood

43571550 971327159719984 6479391231863422976 o

file photo by Boyd Loving

I am SHOCKED. This is depressing. I never knew this can happen in Ridgewood. These things do not happen in the Bronx in the middle of the day let alone a small, cozy town in Bergen County. If this has been happening on a regular basis why is no one arrested? Why can’t there be hidden cameras in these places? If there is no punishment things will get worse.
And I am sorry but continually advising people to not leave stuff in their cars is insulting. It is suggesting we have to accept crime as a normal thing and accept that we have no power over criminals.

Continue reading Readers Debate Crime Wave at Bergen County Wild Duck Pond in Ridgewood

Posted on

1 Out of 4 Americans Have Canceled a Vacation Due to Home Security Concerns

ridgewood police

August 2,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, recent surveys reveal that 58% of Americans have been burgled, yet only 32% own home security systems.

Ooma Home [https://www.ooma.com/home-security/]— an innovative home security and monitoring platform, and creators of the Ooma Butterfleye security camera [https://www.ooma.com/home-security/butterfleye-security-camera/] — surveyed 1,000 Americans about their home security successes, woes, and desires.

Here’s what their response revealed:
24/7 live-streaming is America’s #1 most-wanted smart security feature at 58%: When asked what smart security features they desire most, 45% of those surveyed said advanced facial recognition features, while another 42% said automatic arming and disarming of the system as family members leave and come home.
25% of Americans have canceled a vacation due to home security concerns: 61% of respondents said they worry most about their residence being burgled whenever they are away rather than when they’re at home, and 38% said they worry about their pets being left alone.
33% of Americans who own home security systems have been burgled: When asked what could have put their house at risk, 55% said human error (e.g., their system doesn’t arm automatically). A smaller 33% say that their security camera didn’t notify them of the intrusion—inhibiting them from responding quickly.
The Ooma Butterfleye security camera provides 24/7 HD live-streaming, allowing owners to check-in on their homes from anywhere in their world from their mobile devices. It boasts numerous smart features, including facial recognition, offline recording during outages, and automatic arming and disarming.

Posted on

FDU Poll 39% believe the state is on solid footing with Murphy at the helm ?

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

January 31,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, FDU’s Public Mind released a poll showing Governor Phil Murphy garnering a 35% approval rating in his first two weeks in office, with 21% disapproving and 40% who don’t know yet. His predecessors fared better in their first weeks in office: Governor Christie had a 48-31%, while Governor Corzine had 47-16%.

One bright spot for Murphy, is according to the poll, there is optimism among the respondents in the direction of the state: 39% believe the state is on solid footing with Murphy at the helm, compared to 18% in October when Christie was still in office. President Trump has a 31-60% favorable/unfavorable rating, according to the same poll.

Posted on

Christie is a believer in the ‘Ferguson effect’

Chris Christie

Maddie Hanna, Inquirer Trenton Bureau

Last updated: Monday, November 9, 2015, 11:59 PM

The FBI director has been seen as giving it credence. So has the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. And Gov. Christie made his views clear last week, saying in a Fox News interview that “I absolutely believe it’s real.”

The subject of debate: the “Ferguson effect,” a theory that officers are responding to backlash by pulling back from proactive policing, potentially resulting in increased crime.

Christie, making a pro-law enforcement pitch in his Republican presidential campaign, has endorsed the theory, which detractors – including President Obama – say isn’t grounded in evidence.

Obama’s “rhetoric has not been supportive at all of the men and women in uniform around this country,” Christie said Monday at Camden County Police Headquarters. “And it’s his own FBI director who has said this type of conduct has made a chill wind go through law enforcement across this country.

Read more at https://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20151109_Considering_Ferguson_s_impact.html#8dlVKgbaZIrT8LvM.99

Posted on

North Jersey ringleader convicted in $3.4M multistate burglary spree

crime-scene

Called,  “a menace to the residents of North Jersey”

NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 7:13 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 8:55 PM
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Print

The reputed head of a North Jersey burglary ring that targeted affluent homes and a New York City accomplice were found guilty Monday of multiple counts of transporting stolen property across state lines related to dozens of burglaries that netted millions of dollars in cash and other items, federal prosecutors said in a news release.

Daniel “Tokyo” Gatson, 43, of North Bergen, and Anthony “Big Country” Hanks, 36, of Brooklyn, and their gang took part in 27 burglaries in six states, stealing $3.4 million in cash and property, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

Law enforcement authorities have called Gatson, who previously lived in Teaneck and Cliffside Park, one of Bergen County’s most prolific burglars.

In 1999, he famously scored $300,000 in jewelry, luxury cars and other items from the Englewood Cliffs home of former New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing.

State Superior Court Judge William Meehan once called Gatson  and someone who had been committing burglaries since he was 18 years old and “has no intention of stopping.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-ringleader-convicted-in-3-4m-multistate-burglary-spree-1.1447041

Posted on

Court reverses N.J. child-abuse law; kids left alone in car not necessarily a crime

kids locked in a trunk

AUGUST 20, 2015, 1:18 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015, 11:08 PM
BY SALVADOR RIZZO
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD

On a cloudy day in 2009, a mother of four left her youngest child, a 19-month-old girl, sleeping in a locked car and went into a Dollar Tree store in South Plainfield.

By the time she returned to her vehicle, security guards had called the police. The mother was arrested. And what started as a five- to 10-minute stop to buy party supplies on a 55-degree day turned into a legal battle that has not yet ended six years later.

The state Supreme Court took the mother’s side in a unanimous decision issued Thursday. Leaving a young child unattended in a car is legal in some cases if the parent or caretaker takes precautionary measures, the court indicated.

As a result, the mother will get a chance to clear her record at a fact-finding hearing she has sought for years. The decision extends to other parents and guardians as well, ending the state’s ability to enroll them automatically in its registry of child abusers for leaving children in unattended vehicles. If those children are unharmed, the state must let their guardians plead their case at a hearing, the court said.

The mother has been granted anonymity by the courts, and is referenced only by her initials, E.D.-O.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ruling-that-made-leaving-kids-in-car-child-abuse-no-matter-how-briefly-overturned-by-nj-supreme-court-1.1395764

Posted on

The New Nationwide Crime Wave

ED-AT691_HMACDO_J_20150528181400

The consequences of the ‘Ferguson effect’ are already appearing. The main victims of growing violence will be the inner-city poor.

By HEATHER MAC DONALD
May 29, 2015 6:27 p.m. ET

The nation’s two-decades-long crime decline may be over. Gun violence in particular is spiraling upward in cities across America. In Baltimore, the most pressing question every morning is how many people were shot the previous night. Gun violence is up more than 60% compared with this time last year, according to Baltimore police, with 32 shootings over Memorial Day weekend. May has been the most violent month the city has seen in 15 years.

In Milwaukee, homicides were up 180% by May 17 over the same period the previous year. Through April, shootings in St. Louis were up 39%, robberies 43%, and homicides 25%. “Crime is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said St. Louis Alderman Joe Vacarro at a May 7 City Hall hearing.

Murders in Atlanta were up 32% as of mid-May. Shootings in Chicago had increased 24% and homicides 17%. Shootings and other violent felonies in Los Angeles had spiked by 25%; in New York, murder was up nearly 13%, and gun violence 7%.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-nationwide-crime-wave-1432938425

Posted on

Ridgewood Police Report Motorcycle thief raced off with elderly woman’s groceries, purse

Ridgewood-_supervisor_close_theridgewoodblog.net_4-12

Ridgewood Police Report Motorcycle thief raced off with elderly woman’s groceries, purse

June 10,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Police are reporting an elderly woman had both her groceries and purse stolen this weekend right outside her apartment building along South Maple Avenue, in Ridgewood .

Ridgewood police sources say the purse thief was a man in his 20s or 30s and fled on a black motorcycle.The incident happened just after 2 p.m. on Saturday, as the 83-year-old woman was returning home from food shopping.

The woman told police that when she arrived home, she noticed the man was in the driveway, working on his bike. As she reached the door, the man allegedly ran up and ripped the shopping bags and the purse from her hands, then fled.

Residents reported seeing a suspicious person on Woodside Avenue, rifling through the bags he was carrying while police were investigating .

Anyone with information about this crime or who may have witnessed the incident can contact the Ridgewood Detective Bureau at (201) 251-4537.

Father's Day Gifts! Save 15% on Truly Original Gifts at 1800flowers.com! Use Promo Code: FTHR14 (Offer Ends 06/15)show?id=mjvuF8ceKoQ&bids=216823

Posted on

Christie-backed constitutional amendment to allow NJ judges to deny bail advances

1387379253000-AFP-FILES-ENTERTAINMENT-US-FILM-PEOPLE-LOHAN-JAIL

Christie-backed constitutional amendment to allow NJ judges to deny bail advances

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to make major changes to the state’s bail system — first proposed more than two years ago — is finally gaining steam in the state Legislature.

The state Senate budget committee today advanced a measure that would ask voters to amend the state constitution so judges would be allowed to deny bail to defendants who pose a risk to public safety or may flee.

New Jersey used to deny bail only to defendants charged with offenses punishable by the death penalty. But when the state eliminated capital punishment in 2007, all defendants became eligible for bail.

“You constantly see prosecutors arguing a defendant is a risk to the public,” said state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), a sponsor, who is also a municipal prosecutor. “There’s a big need. I’ve had a lot of meetings with criminal judges as well. They all agree it’s time we need to make a change.”

Christie first proposed the amendment in 2012, when he also called for expanding the drug court program with the aim of avoiding jail time for all first-time drug offenders. Although the Legislature quickly took up the drug court bill, the bail resolution stalled until this year. (Friedman/Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/05/christie-backed_constitutional_amendment_to_allow_nj_judges_to_deny_bail_advances.html#incart_river