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North Caldwell Police Sergeant Hospitalized After Police Pursuit: Five Arrests Made by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com First Published 5am  NORTH CALDWELL, NJ - Early Wednesday morning, North Caldwell Police received a report of suspicious individuals running through a backyard on Mountain Avenue near White Oak Road. The incident led to a responding officer, North Caldwell Police Sergeant John Belotta, being hospitalized after reportedly being dragged by the driver of a stolen car. Multiple departments responded and ultimately five were arrested, while two cars which were reported stolen in Morris County were recovered. At about 4:51am this morning, North Caldwell Police responded to Mountain Avenue investigating the suspicious individuals and at the same time called in Caldwell Police Department and West Caldwell Police Department to assist with the investigation. Caldwell and West Caldwell officers patrolled Mountain Avenue while North Caldwell officers patrolled the side street areas. A few minutes later, at 4:54am, another call came into North Caldwell headquarters from a resident reporting that they could seeing individuals running on Mountain Avenue toward Knollwood Drive. At 4:57am, Cedar Grove Police were also dispatched to assist. While patrolling the area at 5:03am, Sergeant Belotta spotted two cars driving on Deer Trail Road headed to Brookside Terrace. Police later determined that the two cars were stolen last night out of Morris Plains and Maplewood:
"The driver of the stolen Jeep North Caldwell officers were able to apprehend two individuals on Brookside Terrace and placed them under arrest. Although injured, Belotta was able to report that the cars drove away towards Mountain Avenue and by 5:05am, Verona Police was also sent out to assist the investigation. At 5:26am, a Verona patrol officer on Smull Avenue saw the two wanted cars drive past him on Mountain Avenue headed towards Bloomfield Avenue. At 5:30am, another Verona patrol officer witnessed multiple persons bail out of a car at Ryerson Avenue near Grove Street in Caldwell. The officer followed after the suspects on foot and reported to the other responding units that they were running in the area of Fells Road and Devon Road, in Essex Fells. At 5:32am, Roseland Police were dispatched to assist after the suspects were seen behind Devon Road residences near Avon Drive. Soon after, Livingston Police were dispatched to assist at 5:36am. North Caldwell officers were on foot as they witnessed individuals running through the backyards of Devon Road going through the connecting Fells Road backyards. At the same time, at about 5:39am, Verona officers reported seeing suspects near a residence on Fells Road. By 5:49am, the Verona patrol office witnessed a suspect on Devon Road. Soon he was subdued, and the final arrest was made. Deuer reported that, in total, five arrests were made in Essex Fells and North Caldwell and 1 gun was recovered. The individuals arrested reside in Maplewood, Newark and Irvington. Within minutes, Caldwell Police reported they were with the two stolen cars which were located at the dead end of Grove Street, Caldwell. North Caldwell Chief Mark Deuer:  PHOTO: North Caldwell Police Department According to Deuer, by 9:45am, Essex County Sheriff's Department Crime Scene Unit, along with the Prosecutor's Office and officers from Maplewood and Morris Plains Police Departments responded to the scene and police headquarters to process the incidents.
This investigation is ongoing, and police request that anyone with video or information should contact them:
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 9:22pm Hover over Photos to see Locations and Photo Credit Click on Photo to Enlarge  Big Piece Road at Dell Court, Fairfield PHOTO: Mark Andrew Bilhuber  WEST ESSEX, NJ - Late Tuesday afternoon, West Essex was slammed with a storm so strong that many have questioned if we had a tornado come through the area. While some areas of New York did see tornados touch down, West Essex experienced a brief, but incredibly powerful, Squall with Whole Gale, Category 10, 66mph Winds, which was followed up by equally damaging Thunderstorms. The violently intense onset was reported by NOAA's Fairfield Weather Station as a Squall - which they define as a "sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm" - and it began in West Essex at 4:44pm, followed by Thunderstorms which continued until 6:01pm. In this very short period of time, the Winds, Lightning, and Rain caused a huge amount of damage around the West Essex area. What follows is a timeline of incidents chronicled as they were reported (not as they occured) to which Police, Fire and DPW crews responded and worked tirelessly to clean up for days: Tuesday, May 15 4:44pm
4:46pm
4:49pm
4:50pm
4:51pm
4:55pm
 Stewart Road, Essex Fells PHOTO: Carolyne Volpe Curley 5pm
5:02pm
5:04pm
 Grandview Avenue by Sunset Drive, North Caldwell PHOTO: Carolyne Volpe Curley 5:11pm
5:14pm
 Cedars Road near Washburn Place, Caldwell PHOTO: Chris Wysocki 5:16pm
 Campbell Road at Bodkin Road, Fairfield PHOTO: Bonnie Kamochi 5:18pm
5:24pm
 Passaic Avenue across from Essex County Airport, Fairfield PHOTO: Carolyne Volpe Curley  Passaic Avenue across from Essex County Airport, Fairfield PHOTO: Fiona Curley 5:27pm
5:31pm
 Williamsburg Drive, Roseland PHOTO: Michele Madia Valeriani 5:32pm
5:33pm
5:35pm
5:36pm
5:37pm
5:39pm
5:41pm
5:42pm
5:44pm
Police begin welfare checks of residences, including homes where children are on their own. 5:45pm
5:48pm
5:51pm
5:52pm
5:55pm
 Roseland Methodist Church, Eagle Rock Avenue PHOTO: Carolyne Volpe Curley  Roseland Methodist Church, Eagle Rock Avenue PHOTO: Carolyne Volpe Curley 5:59pm Roseland: Eagle Rock Avenue, Methodist Church
 Midvale Avenue near Esposito Drive, Fairfield PHOTO: Mark Andrew Bilhuber 6:04pm
6:08pm
6:12pm
6:14pm
6:16pm
6:20pm
 Hamilton Drive South by Woodland Place, North Caldwell PHOTO: Lisa Margolis Goldstein 6:22pm
6:25pm
 Alan Drive, Fairfield PHOTO: Lisa Pitera Pasternak 6:26pm
 Gazebo from lower deck landed upside down on upper deck, Lane Avenue, Caldwell PHOTO: Janna Smith 6:29pm
6:30pm
6:39pm
6:41pm
7:02pm
 Kennedy Drive, Fairfield PHOTO: Fairfield Police 7:06pm
7:23pm
7:31pm
7:55pm
8:04pm
8:12pm
8:18pm
By the end of the Storm, over 90 streets which included hundreds of residents, were without power:
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 5pm  CALDWELL, NJ - Late this afternoon, acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Caldwell Police Chief James H. Bongiorno announced that Jose Lazaro Gonzalez, 18, of Caldwell had been arrested for the murder of his cousin, Marvin Lazaro, 27, also of Caldwell.
According to the officials, Gonzalez has been charged with:
Reportedly, on Sunday, Feb. 26, at about 2:30pm, Lazaro was fatally stabbed in an apartment he shared with three other men in the 400 block of Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell. It is believed that the victim and his roommates, all cousins, are from Guatemala. Gonzalez fled to Missouri where he was arrested in a Greyhound Bus station in Kansas City. He is awaiting extradition. The homicide is being investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the Caldwell Police Department. by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 5:40pm  Photo: Carolyne Volpe Curley CALDWELL, NJ - Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Caldwell Police Chief James H. Bongiorno announced today that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the Caldwell Police Department are investigating a fatal stabbing.
On Sunday, Feb. 26, a young man was fatally stabbed in an apartment above a business he shared with other men in the 400 block of Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell. The name of the victim is not being released at this time because his identity has not been formally confirmed and next of kin have not been notified. It is believed that the victim is from Guatemala and was living and working in Caldwell. The incident occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. The preliminary investigation indicates this was not a stranger to stranger attack. The victim and the attacker are believed to have known one another. At this time no arrests have been made. The investigation is active and ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available. by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 6:50pm  Team Caldwell PD Credit: NJ Special Olympics CALDWELL, NJ - For the third year, the Caldwell Police Department will be participating in the Giant's Snow Bowl. The event, which features flag football teams and benefits the NJ Special Olympics, will take place the weekend of March 3 at MetLife Stadium. Coached by Co-Captains Officer Rob Adams and Officer Matt DeAngelo, the team has raised more than $10,000 over the course of two years. The official 6-on-6 flag football tournament with light blocking is played over three days:
"We're honored to participate in this event every year and Last year, Team Caldwell PD was able to raise $5,810 and were also honored with the NJ Special Olympics Touchdown Trophy for raising over $5,000 and being one of the event's top fundraisers. The team finished number #6 out of 147 teams that participated in the event for fundraising and have a team record of 8-2. This year, the team's goal is to raise $6,000.
 Team Caldwell PD Credit: NJ Special Olympics  Team Caldwell PD Credit: NJ Special Olympics Examples of where your money goes:
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 6:15pm  Credit: West Essex Now CALDWELL, NJ - At 8:50am Saturday morning, Caldwell Police were called to the area of 490 Bloomfield Avenue for reports of a serious two-car accident. The Caldwell Fire Department and West Essex First Aid Squad soon also responded for three persons, two of whom were entrapped. Due to the severity of injury, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office was alerted to investigate the accident. No information from police has been released at this time.
Published 6:10am  Credit: Carolyne Volpe Curley UPDATED: 6pm Wednesday CALDWELL, NJ - Monday night at 11:51pm, Caldwell Police, the West Essex First Aid Squad, and the Caldwell Fire Department responded to the scene of a car crash at Mountain Avenue near Hatfield Street in Caldwell. First Responders encountered an overturned vehicle with entrapment and two individuals were taken to the hospital while one other individual died at the scene. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office also responded at the time of the incident. According to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Caldwell Police Chief James H. Bongiorno, a driver and two passengers were traveling southbound on Mountain Avenue in a 2015 Ford Mustang when they crashed into a telephone pole and a tree at about 11:30pm. The front seat passenger, Theo Walsh, 23, of East Orange was pronounced dead at the scene. A North Caldwell Police Patrol Officer first noticed the high rate of speed the car was traveling at and while they were calling the information into dispatchers they then heard the crash and reported it immediately. At 3am Tuesday morning, the Fire Department returned to the scene to provide lighting for the investigation which continued until 8:30am; Mountain Avenue remained closed between Elm Road and Forest Avenue. The driver, Devon Smith, 22, of Newark, was taken to University Hospital where on Tuesday he succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the crash. Smith was in his third year at Kean University. The backseat passenger, 18, a college student also of Newark, sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized in critical condition. Their name is not being released at this time. The crash which is being investigated by the Caldwell Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force.
Published 7:20pm  CALDWELL, NJ - The Caldwell Police Department announced today that they are investigating an apartment burglary which took place at a Parkway East apartment
building during the daytime hours on Friday, June 26. The resident reported that a safe, along with personal items were missing. Description The image shows a composite sketch of a possible suspect:
Contact Anyone with information please contact the Caldwell Police Department Detective Bureau at 973-226-2600.
Published 10:55am  Updated - Monday 3:30pm
CALDWELL / WEST CALDWELL, NJ - On Monday morning, reports came into the Caldwell Police and West Caldwell Police of cars having been stolen overnight. In total, three cars were reported to have been taken from Crane Avenue and Brookside Avenues and the residents were not aware of the timeframe; the distance between the two roads is about a five minute car ride. Capt. Gerard Paris of West Caldwell Police confirmed that a Crane Avenue resident went out at about 7am to find that two of their vehicles had been stolen from their driveway:
Caldwell Police, however, upon closing the investigation determined that the Brookside Avenue car was NOT stolen. Officers from Essex Fells Police, Fairfield and North Caldwell Police stated that no cars were reported stolen in their districts.
Published 6:10pm  CALDWELL, NJ - On Friday afternoon, Caldwell Police Chief James H. Bongiorno announced that Detective Sergeant Brad Palatucci's investigation of a December 3, 2013 burglary led to the arrest of Anna Maurer, 53, of Cranford.
Mauer ended up being charged on Monday with the burglary of a residence on Jackson Place, Caldwell. In addition, Mauer was also charged with theft and criminal mischief for damage done to the residence. According to Palatucci, the crime was random. It appears Mauer gained entry to the home through a front window and she reportedly went on to steal cash and jewelry. The criminal mischief charges arose from damage which was done to furniture inside the home and to the window. Mauer had previously been arrested in Essex Fells for burglary. Maurer was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in the Essex County Superior Court. |
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