Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood POlice report that on Monday August 24, 2015 a Heights Road resident reported that sometime between August 18, 2015 and August 24, 2015 someone had removed clothing valued at approximately $4000. from outside of his/her home where it had been delivered by a cleaning service.
Details such as sizes and or dress sizes , nor the gender of the clothing where not released by the Ridgewood Police
The matter is being investigated by the detective bureau.
Ridgewoood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Saturday August 22, 2015 police and fire units responded to the West Side Presbyterian Church on the report that a man had been electrocuted while working in the basement.
At the scene a worker was found unresponsive on the floor near an electrical box. He was transported to Hackensack Medical Center by the Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Squad.
It was later learned that the man had been attempting to connect a floor sander directly to the electrical box. This is not an accepted way of powering any type of equipment and electrical boxes and connections should only be handled by properly licensed technicians.
Ridgewood NJ, On August 27, 2015 at about 9:30am, the Ridgewood Police Department was called to a house on Olivia Street for a report of a potential burglary as there was a man in the house yelling.
Upon arrival, the residents of the home were evacuated and the house was searched, but no one was located. While checking the area, officers heard someone in the street yelling and observed a large naked man, later identified as Craig Andrews (age 48 from Ridgewood) walking quickly down the street towards the incident location while he was holding a glass bottle of beer in one hand and a small bag in the other.
Mr.Andrews did not listen to officers repeated commands to stop and proceeded to aggressively approach Officer A. Mormino and the residents from the initial call causing Officers to be very concerned for the safety of Officer Mormino and the safety of the residents. Mr. Andrews closed in on Officer A. Mormino even after being repeatedly commanded to stop forcing Officer A. Mormino to deploy the Conducted Energy Device.
Mr. Andrews was then safely taken into custody with the assistance of several Ridgewood Police officers. A short time after as the officers were speaking with Mr. Andrews, he suffered a medical emergency and was transported to the Valley Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Mr. Andrews was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, lewdness, possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession of controlled dangerous substance paraphernalia and obstruction of the administration of law. Mr. Andrews has been released on $40,000 bail pending his court appearance.
All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
AUGUST 28, 2015, 11:47 AM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015, 11:58 AM
BY STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — A 48-year-old village man wearing only a cowboy hat and brandishing a bottle was subdued by police with a stun gun and then appeared to suffer a seizure Thursday morning, Chief John Ward said.
Craig Andrews allegedly ignored repeated commands to stop and kept coming closer to the officers and the residents of a house he is accused of burglarizing, Ward said. Officers used a Taser to arrest him and a few minutes later, he appeared to suffer a seizure. Ward does not believe the seizure was caused by the stun gun.
“He was up and talking to us after the Taser, conversed with us, gave us his name and address and everything else,” Ward said.
Andrews was treated at Valley Hospital and released.
AUGUST 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015, 4:36 PM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Village police officers will be cracking down on drunk driving over the next two weeks.
The nationwide campaign, titled “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” will run through Sept. 7. It is aimed at reducing the amount of drunk-driving accidents that typically occur during hectic travel times.
Ridgewood is enforcing the initiative by putting extra patrols on the road focused solely on catching those drinking and driving.
“When an officer is only looking for DWIs, they can concentrate on that. That’s why we see an increase in DWIs during the campaign,” said Sgt. John Chuck of the Ridgewood Police Department.
Chief John Ward said patrol units also park close to the train station and bars to encourage people to take alternate transportation home. He said that police sometimes even call cabs to transport people home safely.
AUGUST 25, 2015, 8:00 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015, 10:46 PM
BY MARINA VILLENEUVE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Someone’s been stealing street signs around the village and authorities are warning: Surrender the plundered signs to police by Sept. 15, or risk criminal prosecution.
In an electronic missive to residents on Tuesday, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld promised the amnesty in exchange for the return of any of the 37 street signs gone missing from village roadways.
Street signs taken in the dead of night are not a new problem in Ridgewood. But Sonenfeld said it continues even after village employees have started using wiring and vandal-proof screws to make it harder to get signs off the eight-foot-tall poles. Now, she said, some thieves have taken to removing the entire pole to get to the sign.
No suspects have been identified, officials said. But in her electronic e-note, Sonenfeld noted “The occurrence seems to increase right before colleges begin.”
It’s become an issue of public safety and increased cost to the taxpayer, said Sonenfeld, who estimated it costs about $100 to replace a sign, including materials and labor.
“For emergency-services employees who are fairly new, it can hurt you in finding a street,” Sonenfeld said. “The thought was we would encourage people to bring their signs in and we wouldn’t ask any questions.”
Borough officials and police chiefs in nearby Glen Rock, Waldwick, Wyckoff, Hawthorne and Oakland all said, thankfully, that stolen street signs haven’t been a problem in their communities.
Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood Police report that on Wednesday, August 12, 2015 Patrolman Michael McDermott stopped a motor vehicle bearing Maryland registration on South Broad Street after observing several motor vehicle violations.
Subsequent to the stop the operator, Santos German Vasquez (37) of Ridgewood was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, 2C:39-5d as well as several motor vehicle summons. Mr. Vasquez was released on $2000 bail pending a court appearance.
All defendants are considered to be innocent until found guilty by a court of law.
Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood police, fire and EMS personnel at the scene of a Friday morning, 08/07, accident involving a pedestrian and motor vehicle. The incident occurred at the intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and North Irving Street shortly after 7:30 AM.
The pedestrian sustained very minor injuries and refused transport to a hospital. Police issued a summons to the driver for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Thursday July 30, 2015 a North West Central Bergen Dispatch received a box alarm of fire from the area of Lenox and Ackerman Avenues. Responding officers were unable to locate a fire and the actor who had pulled the alarm had left the scene. A short time later when North West Bergen Central Dispatch received a second alarm in the area of Melrose Place and Godwin Avenue.
Patrolman Jeffrey Kay observed a male actor running from the area. Nycheem P. Gatling (20) of Paterson was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of 2C:33-3a, causing a false public alarm. Mr. Gatling was released pending a first appearance before the Ridgewood Municipal Court.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Tuesday August 4, 2015 a West side resident reported discovering fraudulent charges had been made on one of his/her credit card accounts. Information concerning prevention/reporting identity theft is available at the Ridgewood Police Department. While reports of similar incidents continue to be on the rise it is prudent to closely monitor your credit history as well as incoming mail at your residence.
Earlier on Monday July 27, 2015 a resident reported that an unidentified actor had opened several credit cards accounts utilizing his/her personal information. The matter is being investigated by the detective bureau. Information concerning prevention/reporting identity theft is available at the Ridgewood Police Department. While reports of similar incidents continue to be on the rise it is prudent to closely monitor your credit history as well as incoming mail at your residence.
Identity Theft Protection Tips
Identity theft is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of personal identifying information (PII) such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers and uses them for their own personal gain. It can start with lost or stolen wallets, stolen mail, a data breach, computer virus, “phishing” scams, or paper documents thrown out by you or a business (dumpster ).
How can I minimize my risk of becoming an identity theft victim?
As consumers, you have little ability to stop or prevent identity theft. However, there are some positive steps to take which will decrease your risk.
Don’t give out your SSN unnecessarily (only for tax reasons, credit or verified employment.) Before providing personal identifiers, know how it will be used and if it will be shared.
Use a cross-cut shredder to dispose of documents with personal information. Also, use a specialized gel pen when writing out checks.
Place outgoing mail in collection boxes or the U.S. Post Office.
Know your billing cycles and contact creditors when bills fail to show up. Review bank and credit card statements carefully.
Password protect your financial accounts. A strong password should be more than eight characters in length, and contain both capital letters and at least one numeric or other non alphabetical character. Use of non-dictionary words is also recommended.
Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact.
Use firewall software to protect computer information. Keep virus and spyware software programs updated.
Reduce the number of preapproved credit card offers you receive: 888-5OPT-OUT
Order your free annual credit reports on-line at: www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228
You may also “freeze” your credit report. For more information on this, go to: State Resources
Fallen tree blocks busy through street in Ridgewood
August 03,2015
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood NJ, Tree crews from the Village of Ridgewood Parks Department work to remove a fallen tree that completely blocked Lincoln Avenue in Ridgewood on Monday morning, 08/03. The fallen tree was reported at approximately 8:15 AM and affected the roadway between Rock Road and Highland Avenue.
No injuries were reported, nor were there any reported disruptions to utility services in the area. The roadway was reopened for traffic at approximately 9:45 AM. Uniformed patrol officers from Ridgewood and Glen Rock provided traffic control while crews were busy at work.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Patrolman Shayne R James reports for duty on his last day of work. Shayne has been serving the Village since 1989 we wish him well in his retirement. Shayne! is also RHS class of 1985 .
Shayne had many well wishers for a happy retirement . He was very popular with Village residents and we wish him all the best !
Ridgewood NJ, A homeless man dubbed by police as the “bicycle bandit” is wanted in connection with a series of overnight break-ins in several New Jersey communities, including Ridgewood, Allendale, Closter, Norwood, and Ramsey.
On Monday July 20, 2015, a Ridgewood resident reported that sometime between 2:00 am and 6:00 am that date an unidentified actor entered his/her home removing cash from the kitchen counter and consuming some leftover food from the refrigerator. The matter is under investigation by the detective bureau. Ridgewood Police now believe the the actor as the “Bicycle Bandit”. The Police have identified the man, James Rainsford, 47, a homeless man authorities say lives in or near Paterson.
In Allendale home surveillance video from one of the burglaries captured the suspect, 47-year-old James Rainsford, calmly walking up to an Allendale home and trying one door after another. He bolts when an alarm sounds and runs across the lawn, and soon after, his bike reflectors are seen spinning away as he rides off.
Little Falls Police are also looking for Rainsford who they say is responsible for burglarizing multiple homes and taking food with him from the scenes.
Anyone with information or who may have seen Rainsford should either call 9-1-1 or the Ridgewood Police Department at 201-652-3900.
Ridgewood NJ, Despite the absence of heavy rains or high winds, large tree limbs continue to fall on almost a daily basis in Ridgewood, keeping police, fire, and PSE&G personnel on the the move. The most recent tree affected was located in the side yard of 353 Highland Avenue, at the corner of McKinley Place. The fallen limb took out electric, phone, and cable TV service to one (1) home, and blocked McKinley Place between Grandview Circle and Highland Avenue. Fire and police units responded to a call from a passing Bergen County Sheriff’s officer shortly after 7 AM on Sunday, 07/19, although a neighbor indicated that the limb actually fell at about 5 AM. No injuries were reported in the incident. PSE&G crews were expected to make the area safe, which would allow Ridgewood Parks & Tree Department crews to clear the blocked roadway. In addition to losing power & communications lines, a fence was also damaged at 353 Highland Avenue.
