the saff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, The Northern Trust, August 21-26, 2018 at Ridgewood Country Club. Tickets for The Northern Trust are now on sale! Get your tickets today at: www.thenortherntrust.com .
Continue reading The Northern Trust, August 21-26, 2018 at Ridgewood Country Club
Continue reading Valley Receives $35 Million in Gifts for New Hospital in Paramus
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
August 9,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Paramus Police, Paramus Fire Department , and Paramus Rescue Squad personnel responded to a structural collapse at a single family home located in the 300 block of Hickory Avenue on Wednesday morning, 08/08. A neighbor called 911 to report that the roof of an attached garage had collapsed into the structure. No injuries were reported in the incident. A sub code official from the Borough of Paramus’ Building Department was summoned to evaluate the home’s suitability for continued occupancy.
file photo by Boyd Loving
July 31,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ (DOB: 06/03/1973; married; and unemployed) of 24 Highland Street, Paterson, NJ on charges of Distribution Of A Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Cocaine; Possession Of Controlled Dangerous Substances, namely Cocaine and Oxycodone pills; and Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia. 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 Paramus Police Department under the direction of Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg.
In July 2018, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office received information that SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ was involved in the distribution of Cocaine. During the course of an investigation, Samuel RODRIGUEZ distributed Cocaine to an undercover detective on multiple occasions, including Thursday, July 26, 2018 when he was arrested in Paramus, NJ and charged with the following: one count of Distribution Of A Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Cocaine in a quantity of one-half ounce or more but less than five ounces, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(2), a crime of the 2nd degree; one count of Possession Of A Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Cocaine, in a quantity of one-half ounce or more but less than five ounces, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(2), a crime of the 2nd degree; one count of Possession Of A Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Oxycodone, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10A(1), a crime of the 3rd degree; and one count of Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:36-3, a disorderly persons offense. RODRIGUEZ was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.
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 like to thank the Paramus Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.
July 30,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, the Paramus Police Department has issued a TRAFFIC ALERT: Forest Ave in the area of the Bergen Town Center will be closed in both directions daily from 5am to 5pm from Monday July 30 through Wednesday August 1. Detours will be in place and posted. Anyone traveling in the area should plan an alternate route.
July 20,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, The Bergen County Zoo will open a new, interactive seasonal exhibit featuring Budgerigars, often called “budgies,” which are small docile birds that can be easily trained and feed on small seeds. The exhibit features 350 budgies in a 2,400 square feet screened enclosure. Guests can enter the enclosure with a feeding stick and budgies will flock to the sticks and allow for close interaction between the guests and the birds. Admission to this exhibit is $2 per person and is separate from the zoo’s general admission fee.
Where: The Bergen County Zoo at Van Saun County Park, Paramus
When: July 20, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Who: County Executive Jim Tedesco and other county officials
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
July 19,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, A Wednesday morning, 07/18, multi-vehicle chain reaction crash on Route 4 westbound at Paramus Road, Paramus resulted in one (1) driver being transported by ambulance to a local hospital. Paramus Police and Fair Lawn Police responded to the incident along with an ambulance from Hackensack University Medical Center’s main campus. A flatbed tow truck was summoned to remove the wrecked vehicles. Significant traffic back ups were reported on Route 4 westbound through the Paramus area.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook Page
July 18,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, A Tuesday morning, 07/17, motor vehicle collision involving two (2) vehicles at the intersection of Forest Avenue and Spring Valley Road, Paramus required the services of Paramus Rescue Squad’s “Jaws of Life” to free the driver of a 4-door sedan who was trapped in her vehicle post crash impact. Paramus Police and Paramus EMS also responded to the incident. Paramus EMS ambulances transported two (2) crash victims to Hackensack University Medical Center’s main campus. Both vehicles, the sedan and an SUV, were removed by flatbed tow trucks.
July 16,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Paramus Police Department has issued a crime alert for car break ins and burglaries and attempted theft.
CRIME ALERT: Over the last couple of nights several nearby communities have been struck by auto crime during the overnight hours. Please lock your cars, remove valuables and bring your key fobs inside. Don’t become a victim!!
River Vale Police Department
July 13 at 1:42 PM ·
Last night we had residents report 4 car burglaries and 1 attempted theft. Neighboring towns report similar events. Once again, in the vast majority of incidents the owners left keys and/or key fobs in the vehicle – making the car an easy target for thieves. Organized car thieves are believed to utilize technology that detects vehicles with key fobs inside.
Do not make yourself a victim by leaving your vehicle accessible to thieves. Residents are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to always REMOVE key fobs and keys from their vehicles – even when the cars are parked inside a garage. In addition, residents should be sure to REMOVE VALUABLES from their vehicles and remember to LOCK CAR DOORS and activate the alarms where applicable.
As always, residents are asked to remain alert and contact your local police promptly regarding suspicious persons or incidents.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
June 25,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ The uninjured driver of a white colored, BMW, 4-door sedan with NY license plates was taken into custody by Paramus Police after his vehicle crashed head on into a utility pole on Route 17 northbound near Powers Drive, Paramus on Sunday morning, 06/24. The right travel lane and right hand shoulder were closed following the crash to facilitate repairs to the damaged utility pole and electric/communications cables. The wrecked BMW was removed from the scene by flatbed tow truck.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
June 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, An unoccupied NJ Transit bus caught fire while parked at Bergen Community College’s Paramus campus on Wednesday afternoon, 06/20. Firefighters from Paramus FD Engine Company #1 and Engine Company #3 extinguished the conflagration. The bus, owned by Saddle River Tours, Inc. of Lodi, was completely destroyed in the blaze.
June 3,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor announced today that a Bergen County neurologist indicted last year on third-degree charges in connection with a statewide medical kickback scheme now faces additional charges of health care claims fraud, misconduct by a corporate official, and other second-degree offenses, as the result of a newly returned superseding indictment.
The superseding indictment alleges Dr. Terry Ramnanan, 65, who operates the Interventional Spine and Pain Treatment Center facility in Paramus, used his medical facility to fraudulently bill insurance carriers for more than 637 medical procedures totaling $682,000 related to patients involved in the kickback scheme. The 10-count superseding indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw in Mercer County yesterday.
“The deeper our investigators dig, the more dirt they uncover on doctors who conspired to buy and sell patients for profit in this statewide kickback scheme,” said Attorney General Grewal. “Upon further information and review, additional, upgraded charges against Dr. Ramnanan are appropriate, given his alleged role in this conspiracy to corrupt New Jersey’s health care industry.”
Ramnanan, who lives in Upper Saddle River, is one of dozens of health care practitioners charged in connection with an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Commercial Bribery Task Force (CBTF) that was formed in January 2016 to target commercial bribery in the health care industry. The task force includes deputy attorneys general and detectives from the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.
The CBTF investigation has uncovered a statewide criminal enterprise in which doctors received hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks in return for providing patient referrals worth millions of dollars to other doctors and medical service providers.
In August 2017, Ramnanan was indicted on one charge each of third-degree conspiracy, commercial bribery, and criminal use of runners for allegedly paying Totowa chiropractor Ronald Hayek in exchange for patient referrals.
Ramnanan is now accused of bribing another health care professional, identified only by the initials A.A, for patient referrals and then fraudulently submitting insurance claims for medical treatment performed on those patients.
“Dr. Ramnanan’s alleged crimes are greater in number and more serious in nature than we originally believed. The charges contained in the superseding indictment reflect the true nature of his involvement in this scheme,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy M. Thompson. “Our Commercial Bribery Task Force will continue to run down tips and follow leads to ensure that all those involved in this criminal enterprise are held fully accountable for their actions.”
In addition to the previous charges against Ramnanan, the superseding indictment contains additional charges of:
Misconduct by a Corporate Official (2nd degree)
Health Care Claims Fraud (two counts, 2nd degree)
Theft by Deception (2nd degree)
Commercial Bribery (3rd degree)
Criminal Use of Runners (3rd degree)
It also upgrades the previous count of Conspiracy from 3rd degree to 2nd degree.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
According to the superseding indictment, between January 2012 and April 2016, Ramnanan conspired with both “A.A.” and Hayek in a kickback scheme in which Ramnanan paid them for referring patients for treatment at his medical facility.Hayek was among dozens of doctors charged in two prior medical fraud investigations that led to the formation of the Commercial Bribery Task Force:
An investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau that led to guilty pleas in 2016 from Dr. Manoj Patharkar and his associate Mohammed Shamshair on charges that they hid and laundered approximately $3.6 million in income from the doctor’s pain management clinics to evade taxes, and “Operation Rayscam,” an investigation by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor that led to guilty pleas in May 2015 from Rehan Zuberi, his wife, and three other defendants in connection with commercial bribes that Zuberi paid to doctors in return for the referral of patients to his medical imaging centers.
In July 2016, Hayek pleaded guilty to two accusations. The first accusation, filed by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau, charged him with second-degree conspiracy, second-degree money laundering, six counts of commercial bribery, (four in the second degree, two in the third degree), and one count of third degree failure to pay taxes. The second accusation, filed by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, charged him with one count of third-degree conspiracy. He is awaiting sentencing.
In pleading guilty to the accusation filed by the Division of Criminal Justice, Hayek admitted he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from Shamshair, Patharkar, Ramnanan, and others, in exchange for referring patients to them and their related medical facilities. He also admitted paying commercial bribes to attorneys in exchange for the referral of clients to his practice. In pleading guilty to the accusation filed by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, Hayek admitted to receiving kickbacks in exchange for referring patients to diagnostic imaging facilities owned or controlled by Rehan Zuberi.
May 29,2018
the staff off the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, The Northern Trust (which was previously known as The Barclays), the first event of the Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, will be played August 21-26 at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, will not only have incredible views of the best players in the world in a truly thrilling competition, but will have the very best that New Jersey can offer in Fashion, Food and Do-or-Die Drama.
The Ridgewood Country Club is a twenty-seven-hole private golf course and clubhouse constructed in Paramus, New Jersey and opened on May 30th, 1929. The Norman Revival clubhouse, located at the north end of the property, is the core from which three nine-hole loops extend toward the southwest, south, and southeast. The golf course was designed by A.W. Tillinghast, and the clubhouse by Clifford Wendehack. Tillinghast and Wendehack, respectively, were among the foremost golf and clubhouse architects of the early twentieth century.
THE NORTHERN TRUST is the first of four events in the FedExCup Playoffs, the culmination of the season-long competition that is the centerpiece of the PGA TOUR Season. Played in the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area, THE NORTHERN TRUST features do-or-die drama as the top 125 players compete to advance, and for one in five, their season will end. With strong ties to the essential elements of New York culture, the event is a celebration of fashion, food and the best golfers on the planet. Many of the world’s top players have won THE NORTHERN TRUST including Adam Scott, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar and 2017 champion Dustin Johnson, who won the event for the second time in thrilling playoff over Jordan Spieth. Since the tournament’s inception in 1967, it has generated more than $46.2 million for New York/New Jersey Metropolitan-area charities, including $1.4 million in 2016.
Volunteer Registration Now Open . Experience a professional golf tournament from “inside the ropes” and enjoy unique behind-the-scenes experiences, plus daily access to the tournament grounds when not volunteering, volunteer uniform package that includes an official cap, shirt and volunteer pin, lunch on the days you work, invitation to the volunteer appreciation party and an additional weekly grounds ticket book for a guest.
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
May 28,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, A Paramus EMS ambulance and a paramedic team from The Valley Hospital were dispatched to aid the adult female driver of a 2-door coupe who lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a utility pole on Route 17 southbound near West Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus on Sunday morning, 05/27. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries. A flatbed tow truck removed the wrecked coupe from the scene. Paramus Police investigated the incident.
May 26,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, the Paramus Police Department have warned that Forest Ave in the area of the Bergen Town Center will be closed in both directions from 5:00 AM on 5/29 to 6/4. Detours will be in place and posted. Anyone traveling in the area should plan an alternate route.
