Good Samaritan’s finding of missing Ridgewood toddler leads to charge of receiving stolen property
OCTOBER 28, 2014, 8:38 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2014, 8:46 PM BY JIM NORMAN STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD – Village police arrested a 27-year-old Paterson man and charged him with receiving stolen property after he and a coworker found a missing toddler walking on Maple Avenue and the two men stopped to make sure the child was safe, authorities said Tuesday.
Police said the chain of events started on Saturday, when police received a report of a 4-year-old boy walking without an adult nearby.
When patrol officers arrived at the scene, police said, they found the boy with two sanitation company employees, who then turned the child over to the officers.
Police said the officers determined that the child had left home without the knowledge of his caregiver, and they returned him back to his home safely.
Later that evening, police said, one of the two men, identified as Michael T. Jordan, returned to the child’s home looking for a reward. Jordan also returned the caregiver’s wallet to her, but items were missing, police said. The authorities did not say how Jordan had obtained the wallet.
Mercedes driver taken into custody after backing into retaining wall October 27, 2014 Boyd A. Loving 6:00 PM
Ridgewood NJ, The male driver of a 4-door Mercedes Benz sedan was taken into custody by several Ridgewood PD uniformed patrol officers late Monday afternoon after backing his vehicle into a retaining wall in front of the Kings Supermarket at 112 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. No one was injured in the crash, which occurred at 4:15 PM. A flatbed tow truck removed the vehicle from the scene. Traffic was slowed in both directions on North Maple Avenue while police & the tow truck driver worked. Police on location would not say why the driver was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car. However, the individual was observed staggering along the sidewalk after officers removed him from his vehicle.
Readers say Chief Ward deserves an Apology by Mayor Aronsohn, the Deputy Mayor and Councilwomen Gwenn
First I am glad that our new manager had the decency to announce that Chief Ward had been cleared of any wrong doing by the prosecutor. I am once again disappointed that the council sat in silence with no apology from Mayor Aronsohn, the deputy mayor and Gwenn. # 6 you are so correct, I watched the two council meetings and I am appalled by the conduct of the mayor and deputy mayor, not to mention our concerned citizen. The concerned citizen was clearly reading off a script, which seemed to mirror the deputy mayor and mayor’s inquisition. That left me with questions as to where our concern citizen got his information from Hmmmmm. It is also very interesting how the council and our concerned citizen did a complete reversal after the Chief requested an investigation by the prosecutor’s office.
Funny how some of the people most vocal about tolerance and respect are the ones repeatedly trashing others.
With the public trashing of their professional reputations and what has now been shown to be false accusations against Chief Ward and Heather Mailander, I would not be surprised if there is not another lawsuit against our fair Village thanks to the actions of certain council members.
County prosecutor clears Ridgewood police chief in hiring flap October 22,2014 Boyd A. Loving 12:14 AM
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police Chief John Ward was cleared by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office of any “criminality” in connection with the hiring of two new police recruits earlier this year. This according to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, who publicly announced the official findings during Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session.
During a heated Village Council meeting on January 29th, a meeting attendee who spoke during the public comment segment accused Chief Ward of manipulating civil service guidelines in order to hire the son of a current police officer, and the son of a retired police captain. Ward, who insisted that no rules were broken and that the two individuals hired met all civil service qualifications, requested that the Prosecutor’s Office fully investigate his actions.
One of the hired recruits, Keith Killion, was sworn in at a Village Council meeting earlier this month.
Overnight Milling Project at Garber Square October 21,2104 Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood NJ, Garber Square, Ridgewood was closed in both directions (eastbound and westbound) to all vehicular traffic from 2000 hours on Monday, 10/20/2014, through 0600 hours on Tuesday, 10/21/2014 to allow for milling of the road surface in preparation for paving. This work was performed in connection with a major streetscape project approved by the Ridgewood Village Council. In addition to paving, the project will include the addition of bike lanes in both directions, the reduction of traffic lanes from two lanes to one lane, and a median island.
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Minivan and pickup collide in Ridgewood October 15, 2014 Boyd A. Loving 6:03 PM
Ridgewood NJ, A Ford pickup truck collided with a Chrysler Town & Country minivan at the corner of Robinson Lane and Oak Street, Ridgewood at approximately 2:15 PM on Wednesday, 10/15. The minivan driver sustained a minor injury, but refused medical aid. The pickup truck driver was uninjured. A flatbed tow truck removed the minivan from the scene. The pickup truck drove off on its own power; damage to it was limited to a dented front bumper. The pickup truck driver told police that the minivan had run a stop sign. Police at the scene did not say if any summonses had been issued in connection with the crash. Ridgewood PD, EMS, and FD responded.
UPDATE: They found him. Turns out he is a RHS alumnus in town for a reunion. Just taping the schools he went to.
Man in white sedan with video camera wanted for questioning
Octobber 10th 2014
Boyd A. Loving
4:36 PM
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police Department Chief John Ward has stepped up the frequency of uniformed police patrols near Village schools following the receipt of telephone calls from two (2) schools reporting suspicious activity at times when children are leaving and entering school buildings.
photo By Boyd Loving
Administrators at both Willard and GW reported that a man driving a white sedan with out of state license plates and a video camera in hand was seen outside of both schools at start, lunch, and dismissal times.
If you or your child should spot this person, notify Ridgewood PD immediately
Parking lot crash in apartment complex damages 5 vehicles October 6th 2014 Boyd A. Loving 10:57 PM
Ridgewood NJ, A 17-year old male driver lost control of his 2005 4-door Honda Accord sedan while backing up in an apartment complex parking lot on Monday night (10/06) and crashed into four (4) parked vehicles. The incident occurred at 25 Heights Road in Ridgewood at approximately 10:00 PM. All of the damaged vehicles that were parked appeared driveable. The moving Honda Accord sustained heavy read end damage and can’t be driven out of the parking lot. The driver was not injured. Ridgewood PD is investigating the accident’s cause. One (1) summons was issued to the driver.
Pedestrian pinned under NJ Transit bus in Ridgewood October 6th 2014 Boyd A. Loving 8:23 PM
Ridgewood NJ , A NJ Transit bus struck a male pedestrian crossing Oak Street at the intersection of Franklin Avenue in Ridgewoodon Monday evening, 10/06 at approximately 7:15 PM. The victim was pinned under the driver’s side of the bus and remained there until freed by Ridgewood firefighters. The bus was operating on Route #752. The victim was conscious and alert as he was being placed on an ambulance stretcher. He was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center; injuries were reported to his leg and ankle. Oak Street between East Ridgewood and Franklin Avenues is closed while the accident investigation is being conducted. Franklin Avenue in the vicinity of Oak Street may be subject to closure as well. Ridgewood PD, EMS, FD, and Emergency Services personnel responded. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation Unit was requested, as were members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit. NJ Transit PD was also requested.
Ridgewood’s Valley Hospital sues over rejection of expansion project
OCTOBER 3, 2014, 11:53 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014, 11:56 PM BY MARY JO LAYTON STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
The Valley Hospital filed suit Friday against the Ridgewood Planning Board for rejecting its proposal to nearly double in size, arguing the board illegally sided with neighborhood opponents rather than permitting an upgrade for “an inherently beneficial regional hospital.”
For Valley, the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Hackensack is an attempt to end a protracted and costly stalemate with the village — its expansion plans have been defeated two times in the last four years.
Maintaining a safe community requires effort from all stakeholders
Maintaining a safe community requires effort from all stakeholders. Dedicated police professionals working in collaboration with vigilant and engaged citizens can truly make a significant difference in the overall safety and security of a community. We are fortunate to have both in our community. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of our law enforcement professionals our citizens for helping to keep our community safe.
While the current trends are positive, we must continue to take proactive steps to make our community less attractive to criminals. Each of us can take steps to ensure that individually we are less vulnerable to criminal activity as well as looking out for our neighbors. On our end the department will continue our proactive efforts to keep the community safe. We have several trained crime prevention officers ready to provide information and assistance to any resident and/or business owner wishing information on better securing their persons and/or property.
Ptl Ward and Sgt John Chuck of the Ridgewood Police Department make daring arrest in Warner Theater September 25,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On September 21, 2014 at 7:14 PM Ptl John Ward was flagged down at the end of the street fair on East Ridgewood Avenue. A juvenile male reported that a man had approached his friend attempting to get his phone and followed him into the movie theater.
Ptl Ward accompanied by Sgt John Chuck found a male party in the theater who had confronted the juvenile. Numerous witness confirmed the incident and the accused Darnell Dixon 30 of Paterson was arrested and charged with attempted robbery. The accused was remanded to the Bergen County Jail unable to post $75000.00 bail.
(information for the Ridgewood Police Blotter , All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.)
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Chevrolet Traverse vs. tree – tree wins
September 24,2014
Boyd A. Loving
12:05 PM
Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a silver colored Chevrolet Traverse escaped injury after crashing her vehicle into a tree at the intersection of Frederick Street and North Pleasant Avenue in Ridgewood on Wednesday morning, 09/24. The incident occurred shortly after 0915 hours. Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS all responded to the scene. The driver refused medical treatment. Ridgewood Police Department Lieutenant William Amoruso indicated via phone that the driver reached down to retrieve a soft drink and lost control of her vehicle. No summonses were issued in connection with the incident.
Ridgewood police: Bus driver transporting child with autism arrested on warrant
SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, 5:25 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, 5:31 PM BY CHRIS HARRIS STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The driver of a mini-van ferrying a child with autism to school was arrested on Monday on an outstanding warrant.
Hansel De Lo Santos, 25, of Clifton, was stopped by Ridgewood Police Monday morning after he allegedly failed to yield to a pedestrian.
De Lo Santos, the police would learn, has no license. He also had an active warrant out for his arrest, police said.
De Lo Santos was directed by police to drive the boy to the Mt. Carmel School as officers trailed him. They then arrested him in the school’s parking lot.
Free Community Traffic Safety Forum – Wednesday – October 1 – 7PM BFMS
Good News Ridgewood Parents!!
Wednesday, October 1 from 7-9pm at Benjamin Franklin Middle School our parenting co-pilot, Lenore Skenazy will teach us how to let go so our kids fly!
DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT!
Lenore will make us laugh out loud!
She will teach us valuable lessons about trusting ourselves and our children.
The woman known as “America’s Worst Mom” will be the keynote speaker at a community safety forum on Wednesday, Oct. 1 in Ridgewood. The free event is open to anyone concerned about neighborhood and school zone traffic safety, including parents, school personnel and HSA members, law enforcement, public works, businesses, neighborhood organizations – anyone concerned about neighborhood and school zone traffic safety.
Lenore Skenazy is a New York City newspaper columnist-turned-reality-TV show host who earned the moniker after she let her 9-year-old son take the subway – alone. In response to the media blowback, she founded the book and blog “Free-Range Kids” (freerangekids.com), which helped launch the anti-helicopter parenting movement.
Titled “Community Traffic Safety: It’s No Accident,” the event will also feature Tom Everson, founder of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, a non-profit group, in sponsorship with Teachers’ Insurance of New Jersey. The event, sponsored by the Ridgewood Citizens Safety Advisory Committee, will run from 7:00 to 9 p.m. at Ben Franklin Middle School, 335 N. Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood. Reservations are not necessary.
The purpose of the event is to educate and engage communities on how to implement a community-wide “Keep Kids Alive Drive 25” traffic safety education initiative (KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org). It will focus on speeding, stop-sign running, cell phone use, tailgating, and seat belt use. The first 50 participants will receive a Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 yard sign and five trash can decals. In addition Bookends will provide copies of Lenore Skenazy’s book Free Range Kids.
-Skenazy, a Yale University graduate, believes that children are safer and smarter than comtemporary culture gives them credit for, and her opinions have landed her on talk shows from Dr. Phil to The View. She lectures internationally and has written for everyone from The Washington Post to Mad Magazine (yes – she is funny too). Her reality show on Discovery/TLC International, “World’s Worst Mom,” airs in about a third of the world but not currently in the United States.
The goal of Free-Range Kids! is “fighting the belief that our children are in constant danger from creeps, kidnapping, germs, grades, flashers, frustration, failure, baby snatchers, bugs, bullies, men, sleepovers and/or the perils of a non-organic grape.”
For more information about the event, contact Jeanne Johnson 201-851-3262
