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: ![]() 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 ![]() 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
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Police begin welfare checks of residences, including homes where children are on their own. 5:45pm
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![]() 5:59pm Roseland: Eagle Rock Avenue, Methodist Church
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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 9:25pm ESSEX FELLS, NJ - After 30 years of service, Essex Fells Police Chief Vincent A. Kulik, Jr. said a fond farewell to his department and fellow law enforcement officers during a walk-out in his honor yesterday afternoon. Escorted by the drone of a bagpipe, Kulik stepped out from the Roseland Avenue station into a double wall of saluting officers waiting to wish him well. On hand were many of the West Essex area police chiefs, along with Essex County officials. "Thank you, everyone, for being here Born in Jersey City, Kulik grew up in Livingston and graduated from Livingston High School in 1975. After graduating from Union County Technical Institute in 1977 he was employed as a technician for the RCA Service Company (which later became General Electric) where he was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1430 in New York City. In January 1987, Kulik began his law enforcement career as a chanceman with the Livingston Police Department and in May of that same year graduated from the Essex County Police Academy. Essex Fells recruited the future chief as a patrolman in July 1988, and then promoted him to Sergeant in January 1998. Kulik became Essex Fells Chief of Police on Oct. 6, 2009, leading a 12-person police force. During his time heading up the department, Kulik instituted a Motorcycle Unit, Narcotics Unit, and updated the rules and regulations to comply with NJSACOP accreditation. Kulik oversaw the remodeling of the Essex Fells police facility, added a Firearms Cleaning Unit, installed workstations for Department Supervisors, and enhanced security. Kulik is currently completing his Masters in Administrative Science at Fairleigh Dickenson University, where he also completed his undergraduate studies. Over the years, the retiring chief attended numerous police courses offered by Caldwell University, Essex County College, The Institute of Police Technology and Management, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Northwestern University, and Rutgers University. Kulik's certifications include:
Kulik served in 2015 and 2016 as the President of the Association of Chiefs of Police of Essex County and is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. He's also been a longtime member of the Livingston Fire Department for 42 years. His other associations include the Livingston Benevolent Paternal Order of Elks Lodge 1855, The New Jersey Policemen’s Benevolent Association (West Essex PBA Local 81), Essex County Emerald Society Chapter Number 1, and the Knights of Columbus #3533 of Livingston. Vincent and his wife, Judy have been married for 34 years and are the proud parents of Lianne, 27, a teacher of history at Long Branch High School and Michael, 23, a New Jersey State Trooper. Recently, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders honored Kulik with a Commendation in recognition of his 30 years of dedicated service. At yesterday's walk-out, the officers applauded as Kulik made a point of symbolically handing over the department's flag to his soon to be predecessor, Lieutenant William Theilacker, who has been with the township since 1990. "I'm happy to report that unlike the last time when I got made chief, this time everything is in order," Kulik chided. "So I can take this flag from our department and "I'm not a great one for making a lot of words As the bagpipe played again, the retiring chief made his way through the wall of his fellow officers while they wished him well. "Thank you all for being here it's been a great run." |
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