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NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Cliff In Bergen County, Driver Escapes Through Window NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Cliff In Bergen County, Driver Escapes Through Window NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Cliff In Bergen County, Driver Escapes Through Window
NJ Transit Bus Nearly Plunges Off Cliff In Bergen County, Driver Escapes Through Window An NJ Transit bus nearly plunged over a steep, rocky embankment in Bergen County on Friday afternoon, Oct. 16, but a steel guardrail and several large boulders stopped it from going over the edge, incident photographer Boyd A. Loving reports. The out-of-service bus was traveling down a steep hill on Glenwood Road in Ridgewood, just above NJ Transit's Ho-Ho-Kus train station, when the incident occurred, Loving said. The driver, who was the only person aboard, managed to escape through an emergency window before firefighters arrived and was not injured. Out of an abundance of caution, NJ Tra…
Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures
Suspicious Packages Sent To 3 NJ Congress Members' Offices, Prompting Closures Suspicious packages sent to the New Jersey offices of three members of Congress prompted closures and emergency responses on Friday, Oct. 16, officials said. U.S. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and Frank Pallone were among the lawmakers whose district offices received suspicious packages, according to statements from the lawmakers and News 12 New Jersey. Watson Coleman announced that her district office would remain closed for the day. Menendez said his Jersey City office was also temporarily closed while local authorities responded to a suspicious package. "The substance w…
BODYCAM: NJ Firefighter Said He Needed His Oxygen Tank, Days Later, He Was Dead BODYCAM: NJ Firefighter Said He Needed His Oxygen Tank, Days Later, He Was Dead BODYCAM: NJ Firefighter Said He Needed His Oxygen Tank, Days Later, He Was Dead
Bodycam: NJ Firefighter Said He Needed His Oxygen Tank, Days Later, He Was Dead Newly released police bodycam footage, 911 audio and radio transmissions shed light on an encounter with police in New Jersey that left a former firefighter dead five days later (scroll for bodycam footage). Steven Fitzpatrick, 61, of Pittstown, suffered a medical emergency while three law enforcement officers were attempting to handcuff him in Franklin Township on Tuesday, March 10, according to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.  At 10:07 a.m.  a caller reported that Fitzpatrick had left a property on Locust Grove Road following a dispute and threatened to return wit…
Yale Cop Fired Shot Through Car Windows To Stop Man's Suicide Attempt: Police Yale Cop Fired Shot Through Car Windows To Stop Man's Suicide Attempt: Police Yale Cop Fired Shot Through Car Windows To Stop Man's Suicide Attempt: Police
Yale Cop Fired Shot Through Car Windows To Stop Man's Suicide Attempt: Police Investigators are releasing new details about a Yale University police officer who fired through a car’s windows as a man inside was attempting to kill himself with a knife.  Officer Ancil Farrier fired into a vehicle parked on Whitney Ave. in New Haven on Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to preliminary findings from Connecticut’s Office of Inspector General. He fired the second shot as other officers entered the car to remove the man. Jose Cubiz, 48, who was in the car, wasn't hit by the gunfire, investigators said. He remains at Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment of stab wounds …
Bergen County Woman Poisons Acquaintance's Tea During Meeting Over Missing Money: Prosecutor Bergen County Woman Poisons Acquaintance's Tea During Meeting Over Missing Money: Prosecutor Bergen County Woman Poisons Acquaintance's Tea During Meeting Over Missing Money: Prosecutor
Bergen County Woman Poisons Acquaintance's Tea During Meeting Over Missing Money: Prosecutor A New Jersey woman is accused of poisoning an acquaintance's tea during a meeting at a local restaurant to discuss suspicious activity in the victim's bank accounts, authorities said. Rohweniven Bacani, 52, of Hackensack, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 15, following a weeks-long investigation into the Sept. 8 incident, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The victim had agreed to meet Bacani at the restaurant to discuss unauthorized banking activity she had discovered in financial accounts to which Bacani had shared access, Musella said. When the victim arrived, Bacani was already ther…
Ex-NJ Coach Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Kids Arrested At HS Football Game: Police Ex-NJ Coach Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Kids Arrested At HS Football Game: Police Ex-NJ Coach Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Kids Arrested At HS Football Game: Police
Ex-NJ Coach Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Kids Arrested At HS Football Game: Police Robert Marino, a 76-year-old Bridgeton man was arrested after he violated a judicial order by attending a football game on Thursday, Oct. 15, authorities said. Marino is accused of sexually assaulting two teenagers he coached for for years. Officers spotted him sitting in the crowd at Bridgeton High School Stadium during a  football game, recognizing him from prior police contact, law enforcement said.  He is accused of sexually assaulted one victim between 1994 and 1998, when the victim was between ages 14 and 17, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said. He was also…
Bergen County Man Burned Woman, Left Her Stranded In Woods: Prosecutor Bergen County Man Burned Woman, Left Her Stranded In Woods: Prosecutor Bergen County Man Burned Woman, Left Her Stranded In Woods: Prosecutor
Bergen County Man Burned Woman, Left Her Stranded In Woods: Prosecutor A 36-year-old Saddle Brook man is charged with attempted murder after burning a woman in Plumstead Township Thursday, Oct. 15, authorities said.  At 1:36 p.m., Plumstead police responded to a wooded area near Hawkin Road and Success Road and found a woman in distress and suffering from burns, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. She was transported to a burn center in Philadelphia and is in stable condition, Billhimer said. An investigation revealed while in the woods, Justin Martin caused her to suffer burns and smoke inhalation, Billhimer said. Martin then fled the area in…
NJ Man, 80, Had 1,000+ Child Sex Abuse Files, Download Tracking Notes: Sheriff NJ Man, 80, Had 1,000+ Child Sex Abuse Files, Download Tracking Notes: Sheriff NJ Man, 80, Had 1,000+ Child Sex Abuse Files, Download Tracking Notes: Sheriff
NJ Man, 80, Had 1,000+ Child Sex Abuse Files, Download Tracking Notes: Sheriff An 80-year-old North Jersey man accused of possessing more than 1,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material allegedly kept a notepad to track his downloads and avoid saving duplicates, authorities said. Gerard J. Hampel Jr., of Ringwood, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 15, following a months-long investigation by the Passaic County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Sheriff Thomas Adamo said. The investigation began after detectives learned that an unidentified person had uploaded suspected child sexual abuse material to an image search engine in an apparen…
Man Charged In $20K Bergen County Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase Man Charged In $20K Bergen County Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase Man Charged In $20K Bergen County Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase
Man Charged In $20K Bergen County Check Fraud Scheme Years After Route 80 Police Chase A New Jersey man once arrested following a high-speed pursuit on Route 80 has been charged again, this time in a nearly $20,000 check fraud scheme, authorities said. Nicholas G. Didio-Slaaen, 27, of Garfield, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 15, following a two-year investigation by Tenafly Police Detective Michael Vecchiarelli, Deputy Chief Michael deMoncada said. The investigation began in August 2024, when a victim mailed a legitimate $2,500 check to a contractor for work performed, deMoncada said. The check was intercepted, altered to list Didio-Slaaen as the payee, and deposited into his p…
Ex-NJ Lt. Caught In Sexual Encounter By Husband Guilty Of Illegally Accessing Files: Prosecutor Ex-NJ Lt. Caught In Sexual Encounter By Husband Guilty Of Illegally Accessing Files: Prosecutor Ex-NJ Lt. Caught In Sexual Encounter By Husband Guilty Of Illegally Accessing Files: Prosecutor
Ex-NJ Lt. Caught In Sexual Encounter By Husband Guilty Of Illegally Accessing Files: Prosecutor A 46-year-old former Mantua police officer was convicted of official misconduct Friday, Oct. 16. In 2021, Butler, a lieutenant in the Internal Affairs department in Mantua, was involved in an off-duty sexual encounter when the woman's husband found the pair in their home, leading to a fight, Gloucester County Prosecutor Andrew Johns said. Rather than calling 911, Butler used the Mantua dispatch number, failing to identify himself as an officer, Johns said. He also refused to respond to questions from subordinate responding officers when asked about the events leading to the altercation, Joh…
NJ Middle School Teacher Held Man Down, Robbed Him In Hotel Room: Police NJ Middle School Teacher Held Man Down, Robbed Him In Hotel Room: Police NJ Middle School Teacher Held Man Down, Robbed Him In Hotel Room: Police
NJ Middle School Teacher Held Man Down, Robbed Him In Hotel Room: Police A man was robbed by two women he brought back to his hotel room in Atlantic City, authorities announced Friday, Oct. 16. At 1:31 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, officers responded to Harrah's Atlantic City after a man said he met two women, Veda Engel and Amanda Crafts, Atlantic City police said. He went to their hotel room where they held him down and took his cell phone, Atlantic City police said. They used the facial recognition feature to unlock his phone and transferred $1,250 from the victim’s Apple Pay account to Engel’s, police said. The man stated that the transactions were made without hi…
Online Sellers Robbed At Gunpoint But Paterson Teen, Stealing iPhone, Luxury Watch: Officials Online Sellers Robbed At Gunpoint But Paterson Teen, Stealing iPhone, Luxury Watch: Officials Online Sellers Robbed At Gunpoint But Paterson Teen, Stealing iPhone, Luxury Watch: Officials
Online Sellers Robbed At Gunpoint But Paterson Teen, Stealing iPhone, Luxury Watch: Officials Two people trying to sell an iPhone and an expensive watch through an online marketplace were robbed at gunpoint in Paterson, authorities said. The victims had arranged to meet a prospective buyer near Seventh Avenue and East 26th Street during daylight hours on Monday, Sept. 21, Paterson police said. In both incidents, the suspect allegedly pulled out a handgun and fled with the items the victims had brought to sell. An investigation by the Paterson Police Department's Juvenile Unit led detectives to identify a juvenile suspect, who was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 14, police said. The juven…