The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
June 20,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, Hawthorne Police and Fire department personnel responded to a reported “tree into a house” at 43 Kingston Avenue, Hawthorne during a series of violent thunderstorms on Monday afternoon, 06/19. No injuries were reported in the incident.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
June 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, for the second time this week ,a black bear that’s been wandering around a Hawthorne neighborhood for the past few days was treed again, this time in the rear yard of a home located within the 800 Block of Lafayette Avenue Extension, Hawthorne, on Tuesday evening, 06/13. Several Hawthorne PD units responded to residents’ telephone calls of a bear running through back yards. However, based upon an advisory from NJDEP Fish & Game officials via telephone, no attempt was made to capture the bear due to the approach of darkness. Police advised residents to stay indoors until the bear came down from the tree and left the area. One police officer on the scene indicated that the bear appeared to be injured.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
June 13,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, A black bear likely to have been the same one seen early Monday morning, 06/12, roaming around outside of the Jefferson Middle School in Hawthorne, was spotted perched (and eating) in a tree of a Goffle Hill Road, Hawthorne home late Monday afternoon, 06/12. Hawthorne PD units along with a representative of Tyco Animal Control Services responded to assess the situation. It was determined that the bear presented no immediate danger to residents of the home, who were asked to stay inside in the hopes that the animal would come down from the tree and wander off if it did not feel threatened by the presence of a human.
photos courtesy of Boyd Lovings Faces book page
March 10,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The adult female driver of a white colored 4-door sedan was taken into custody by Ridgewood PD officers when she failed a field sobriety test, which was administered after her vehicle was hit by a freight train shortly before 1:00 AM on Friday, 03/10. The incident occurred near the intersection of Goffle Road and Lake Street. The driver had fled the crash scene on foot and was apprehended a short distance away by Hawthorne PD. There were no other occupants in the vehicle when it was hit and the driver was uninjured. The vehicle was removed from the scene by a hydraulic lift tow truck. The freight train was not damaged.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
January 13,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, A hit and run collision at the intersection of Goffle Road and Goffle Hill Road in Hawthorne resulted in a traffic light stanchion being knocked into the Goffle Brook on Thursday afternoon, 01/17. A Hawthorne PD supervisor caught the fleeing vehicle, a tractor trailer, minutes later on Route 208 northbound in Franklin Lakes. No injuries were reported in the mishap and an electrician from the Borough of Hawthorne was summoned to begin removing the damaged equipment and installing replacements. No word from police on the scene as to whether any summonses were issued to the truck driver.
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
December 31,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, The adult female driver of a 4-door Chevrolet sedan escaped injury after driving her vehicle onto the New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad’s tracks off of Diamond Bridge Avenue in Hawthorne on Friday evening, 12/30. The vehicle was able to be driven away on its own power after being removed from the tracks by a flatbed tow truck. Hawthorne PD responded to the incident.
Ridgewood NJ, Four 18th Street gang members from Bergen County, New Jersey, and Rockland County, New York, were charged today with various offenses arising from their armed robbery of a Hawthorne, New Jersey, bar and the violent carjacking of a taxi that took place shortly afterwards, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Wilbur Jonathan Barahona, 20, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, Guillermo Carillo-Iraheta, 19, of Suffern New York, Juan Chiliseo-Vega, 19, of Suffern, and Jostin Reyes, 21, of Waldwick, New Jersey, were charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, carjacking, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and kidnapping. All four appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court.
Balmore Carillo-Iraheta, 19, of Suffern, and Oscar Avalos-Cortez, 22, of New City, New York, are also charged in the same complaint with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. They had their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk on Nov. 1, 2016 and U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark on Nov. 10, 2016, respectively. All six defendants, with the exception of Avalos-Cortez, have been detained. Avalos-Cortez was released on a $150,000 unsecured bond.
According to the complaint:
On Dec. 25, 2016, Barahona, Guillermo Carillo-Iraheta, Chiliseo-Vega, Reyes, Balmore Carillo-Iraheta, and Avalos-Cortez robbed a bar at gunpoint in Hawthorne, New Jersey, while Avalos-Cortez operated the getaway vehicle.
Later that evening, Barahona, Guillermo Carillo-Iraheta, Chiliseo-Vega, and Reyes robbed a taxicab driver at gunpoint, hit the taxicab driver in the head with a beer bottle, and sliced his throat with a knife before leaving him on the side of the New York State Thruway near Woodbury, New York. The taxicab driver survived.
The kidnapping charge carries a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment. The carjacking charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 25 years in prison. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The charge of brandishing a weapon in connection with the carjacking offense carries a mandatory penalty of seven years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, as well as the Ridgewood and Hawthorne Police Departments, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen D. Stringer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
October 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, Hawthorne PD units responded to a telephone call reporting a large buck (deer) wedged under an SUV parked at 1107 Goffle Road, Hawthorne on Friday morning, 10/28. It was not clear how the buck became entrapped under the vehicle. An agent of Tyco Animal Control Services was called to assist in freeing the animal, however, the seemingly uninjured buck freed himself and ran into a nearby wooded area prior to the agent’s arrival.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
April 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A Glen Rock Police Department uniformed patrol officer administered Narcan to the adult male driver of a Toyota Corolla following a head on collision between the Toyota and a Village of Ridgewood sanitation truck in front of 522 Lincoln Avenue, Hawthorne late Friday morning, 04/15. The Toyota driver, who was headed northbound on Lincoln Avenue, reportedly overdosed on an unknown substance just prior to the crash. An adult female driver of a BMW sedan stopped at the scene to assist the victim prior to the arrival of police officers. The occupant(s) of the sanitation truck, which was headed southbound on Lincoln to dump a load in Paterson, were not injured in the crash. The Toyota was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Damage to the sanitation truck was minimal. The overdose victim, otherwise uninjured, was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital. Hawthorne PD is investigating the incident.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
Home Renovation Severs Gas Line in Hawthorne
December 31,2015
the staff of the Rmidgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, A late afternoon interior gas main break at a home under renovation, located at 275 Warburton Avenue, Hawthorne, forced the evacuation of eight (8) nearby homes as workers from PSE&G struggled to shut off gas to the affected residence. No injuries were reported in the incident, which drew response from Hawthorne PD & FD personnel. The gas line was reportedly severed by workers performing renovations on the home.
PSEG reminds us that If you smell gas, open a window, leave the building and call 1-800-880-7734 (PSEG) to report the problem.
Natural gas is a colorless, odorless hydrocarbon that’s nearly 100% combustible. A distinctive odor, like rotten eggs, is added to natural gas to help assist in the detection of leaks, though it should not be solely relied upon to provide warning.
If you smell gas in your home:
Put out all open flames. No smoking. Do not attempt to light any appliances.
Don’t touch electric switches, thermostats, appliance controls or electric panel breakers. These items may cause sparks that could lead to an ignition.
Do not use an automatic garage door opener.
Do not start your car if it is in the garage or close proximity to the house.
Open windows and outside doors for ventilation.
If the odor is strong, don’t use your telephone or cell phone inside the house.
Leave the premises on foot and call 1-800-436-7734 (PSEG) from a neighbor’s home and remain outside until PSE&G arrives. PSE&G provides 24-hour emergency service every day of the year. PSE&G technicians are expected to respond to leak emergencies within 60 minutes.
Do not assume someone else will report the condition.
PSE&G does not charge customers for responding to gas leak emergencies.
Underground Gas Leak – Warning Signs:
You smell natural gas outside. Natural gas smells like rotten eggs.
You hear a hissing sound coming from the ground.
You see dirt blowing from a hole in the ground.
You see water bubbling in a puddle or around a valve box.
You see a ring or circle of dead grass or vegetation in a lawn area.
Hawthorne NJ, At approximately 7:30 PM on Friday, 12/25, Hawthorne PD responded to a reported armed robbery of the R.D. Benders bar located at 589 Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne. Five (5) Hispanic males under the age of 25 reportedly entered the bar and robbed the owner of $185 and a cell phone. Police said that two (2)black handguns were shown along with one (1) knife.
