Daytime Burglaries, Chaos at the Courthouse and Bergenfield Weighs In On Hekemian

Catch up on the week in local news in New Milford

Residents advised to lock doors and windows and report any suspicious activity to New Milford Police New Milford man awaiting a hearing in drug court is caught on camera breaking water pipe flooding the courthouse and forcing its closure for the day.  Bergenfield speaks out to negative impact of United Water Property Development. Sanzari's New Bridge Inn is seeking a variance to expand and knock down two homes on the property. Teaneck residents say traffic and flooding will increase. Gospel Fellowship Church's site plan denied by the Planning Board in 2011 "substantially the same" as plan submitted by Riverview Racquetball Club and approved by Planning Board in 2008 for same site. At a county conference on Disaster Preparedness, Freeholder…

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Police: Fort Lee Home Burglars Caught in the Act

Three men wearing masks and carrying flashlights were caught after police surrounded the residence and found a pillowcase full of jewelry, authorities said.

Editor's Note: Leonia Police told Patch that in the past 24 hours, Leonia has had three burglaries. According to Leonia Police, the 3 suspects (two from Teaneck) arrested in Fort Lee, all with extensive records, were not cooperative. From what they can tell, it appears that the Leonia residential burglaries and the Fort Lee burglaries may be linked.  Police interrupted a burglary in progress Thursday night, finding three men and a pillowcase filled with jewelry, authorities said. Derek Edwards, 45, of Hackensack, Steve Saulter, 44, and Walter Southerland, 39 —both of Teaneck— were charged with burglary, theft and possession of burglary tools. Police described the men as “known career burglars throughout the county,”  Fort Lee police units …

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Smash And Grab Burglaries Mirror New Milford Crimes

Commercial burglaries in Leonia and Englewood similar to those that occurred in New Milford and Teaneck.

Five smash and grab commercial burglaries occurred in Leonia and three more in Englewood early Sunday morning. The burglaries are similar to ones that occurred in New Milford and Teaneck in January. The New Milford burglaries remain under investigation. According to Lt. Thomas Rowe of the Leonia Police Department, "The subject gained entry into all five stores by breaking the glass on the front door." Like the New Milford burglaries, the businesses did not have activated alarms.  Rowe said that there is a video of the alleged burglar. As the investigation continues, police hope to get additional footage from the various banks on Broad Avenue, he said. There were also three residential burglaries in Leonia that occurred Friday evening just …

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Suspected Members of Bergen County's James Bond Gang Plead Not Guilty to Burglary Charges

Former Bergen Catholic High School basketball star among those charged.

U.S. Senator in Ridgewood and Local Crime Investigations Top County Headlines

Each week Patch highlights top headlines from around Bergen County

In top county news this week: U.S. Senator Robert Menendez came to Ridgewood this week touting the impact a new federal bill would have for state commuters in clearing congestion and cutting red tape to initiate transit development while preserving and creating jobs. Former Bergen County Improvement Authority chairman Ronald J. O’Malley was sentenced to two years in prison for a mortgage fraud scheme that falsely claimed mortgage borrowers worked at the county’s public financing agency, according to a U.S. Attorney. Glen Rock police say a Paterson man eyed by authorities for allegedly committing a string of burglaries in Bergen, Passiac and Morris counties targeted the borough last month. Police continue to investigate two armed robberies …

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Chief Details Burglaries at Sunday Press Conference (Video)

Chief releases more details on burglaries; Patch gets statements from Mayor Subrizi and Detective Sergeant Ramaci who is leading investigation

New Milford Chief of Police Frank Papapietro held a press conference at Borough Hall Sunday afternoon to speak about the two burglaries and one attempted burglary that occurred on Main Street early Sunday morning. Papapietro confirmed that two commercial burglaries, and one attempt, occurred sometime during the early hours of Sunday morning along Main Street at the following restaurants: What's Cooking, Lieto Italia Ristorante and Lantern Chinese.  According to Papapietro, the owner of What's Cooking saw that the glass on the front door was shattered when he arrived to open Sunday morning and noticed that there appeared to be activity around the cash register. Upon responding to the scene, police noticed that glass on the front door of …

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2 Men Charged in Teaneck Burglaries

Burglar also faces weapons charges, police said

Police arrested two men in connection with a pair of burglaries in Teaneck Wednesday, leading investigators to recover stolen goods and three handguns, authorities said. Teaneck officers were called to a house on Hanover Street for a burglar alarm going off around 6 p.m., police said. Officers discovered a glass patio door had been smashed, and assorted jewelry stolen, Police Chief Robert Wilson said in a news release. While at the scene, officers learned another nearby house on the same street had been burglarized and found the bedroom ransacked. Township police immediately set up surveillance on the Cranford Place home of a man they said was suspected in a string of burglaries. Investigators saw the man, identified as 37-year-old Kali …

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Police Warn of Increase in Burglaries

Residents advised to take precautions

  Police are warning New Milford residents about an increase in burglaries in the borough during the last month, police said.  Burglars hit three homes and one commercial business since Dec. 1st, Chief Frank Papapietro said.  Several burglaries have also recently been reported throughout Bergen County, including Fair Lawn, Tenafly, Demarest, Englewood, Leonia and Fort Lee. Papapietro asks that everyone be extra vigilant and report any strange vehicles or activity to the police. He also advises residents to take the following precautions: Report any suspicious activity to the New Milford Police Department at 201-261-1400 or call 9-1-1 if you observe a crime in progress.

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Denise

11:55 am on Tuesday, December 20, 2011

For Ann-Yes, the economy, desperation etc......I think we are all desperate in one form or another. Perhaps the NMPD has an attitude since they are understaffed especially now during the holidays....Maybe I am one person, but I do have trust in the NMPD. It has been my experience that if I called them for any reason, a patrol car has been on the scene within 10 minutes.........   more ›