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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 5:40pm  FAIRFIELD, NJ - Brandon Cardella, 19, of West Caldwell has been charged by Fairfield Police with using a baseball bat to attack a 22-year-old male North Caldwell resident. Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna is asking anyone who may have witnessed the alleged attack by Cardella, who is believed to have been accompanied by other men armed with baseball bats, to please contact police. According to Manna, as Thatcher McGhees was closing in the early hours of Saturday, Jan. 20, the victim, his brother and two friends were inside the pub while at the same time Cardella and some of his friends were also gathered at the bar. At one point, the victim’s brother was outside smoking a cigarette and allegedly overheard Cardella talking to his friends about an incident that occurred at Thatchers a few weeks earlier in which Cardella was banned from the bar. It was assessed that Cardella blamed the victim for his being banned. Reportedly, the victim began receiving calls from Cardella who was allegedly trying to get the victim to meet up and fight in the parking lot. The victim ignored this request. At about 1:30am, the victim and the others in his party After the attack, the victim was driven to St. Barnabas Hospital by his brother for treatment and it is alleged that the victim sustained a concussion. On the following day Fairfield police were notified and detectives were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Cardella who was charged with:
I am encouraging these individuals Anyone with information regarding this incident are encouraged to contact the Fairfield Police Department’s Investigative Division:
973-227-1400 All information will be kept confidential. by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 12:15pm  Credit: Fairfield Police FAIRFIELD, NJ - Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna announced that earlier today a Totowa woman, 60, was struck by a car and pinned to the wall of Hair Core Salon in Fairfield. Neither the 81-year old Fairfield driver nor the 60-year old Totowa woman have been identified by police yet. According to Manna, Fairfield Police received a call at about 10am today that a vehicle had driven into the Hair Core Salon.When First Responders arrived they discovered that the vehicle had also struck a pedestrian and had pinned her between the vehicle and the building. The Salon is located in a strip mall at 390 Fairfield Road. Fairfield officers, with assistance from Atlantic Ambulance EMS, were able to extricate the pedestrian and she was eventually transported to an area hospital. The victim, whose identity is being withheld pending notification to her family, suffered injuries to her lower extremities. Her full condition was not known. Preliminary investigation revealed that the pedestrian had just exited the salon and was in front of the store when she was struck by a 2015 Volkswagon operated by an  Credit: Fairfield Police The driver was checked by medical personnel at the scene and refused any treatment; It does not appear that the driver suffered any medical condition at the time of the crash. The vehicle was impounded pending an examination to determine if there were any mechanical issues. Sign up for Daily and Breaking News Emails
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 11:15am  Credit: Fairfield Police Fairfield, NJ - In the early morning hours of New Years Eve, Fairfield Police Officer Jayson Sickles pulled over a speeding Toyota on Route 46 East which turned out to be driven by a convicted felon - Vincent Weaver, 23, of Fort Wayne, IN - who was wanted in that state and considered to be armed and dangerous. Additionally, the car contained five other persons - including one male in the trunk - along with a stolen handgun loaded with hollow point bullets, cash, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.  Vincent Weaver Credit: Fairfield Police According to Fairfield Police Chief, at about 2:07am early Sunday morning, Sickles was patrolling Route 46 East when he observed a 2017 Toyota with North Carolina plates allegedly traveling 17mph over the speed limit of 50mph. After stopping the car, operated by Weaver, Sickles reported that he "immediately detected a pungent odor of raw marijuana coming from within the vehicle." Sickles also observed one of the passengers holding an open Coors beer can. Weaver was asked to exit the vehicle Fairfield Officers Sergeant Christopher Niemiec, Stacy Chiarolanza and Steven Ptaszynski all arrived on the scene. After conducting a computer check, the officers determined that Weaver was wanted in the state of Indiana and because he was known to be in position of a handgun, was deemed armed and dangerous. As officers had the four remaining individuals exit the Toyota, they then discovered a fifth male who was hiding in the car's trunk. As the officers continued to investigate they allegedly recovered:
The handgun was later found to have been stolen in Sept. 2017 in Indiana. Weaver allegedly told the officers that the gun, the marijuana and the contraband items all belonged to him. He was arrested, taken to headquarters, and the car was impounded. The other occupants of the car were also taken in for questioning but officers determined that they had no connection to the gun or drugs and were released without charge. Weaver allegedly told the officers that he and the passengers of the car were on their way to Times Square in New York City and that his purpose of having the gun was to Weaver was charged with:
Weaver was transported to the Essex County Jail in Newark and his case will be heard in the County's Superior Court. In a related incident, on Tuesday, Dec. 26, Officer Sickles was patrolling Route 80 and stopped a 2007 Honda for a motor vehicle violation. The driver, Francisco Porras of Texas, was also found to be in possession of a handgun loaded with hollow point bullets. This is the second handgun that Officer Sickles by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 12:15pm  Larry Brooks Credit: Fairfield Police FAIRFIELD, NJ - Yesterday afternoon, Garda Cash Security contacted Fairfield Police after discovering that an employee had stolen $100,000 cash from their business this week.
Fairfield Detectives Jeffrey Didyk and Ian Rasmussen responded to the Fairfield Avenue business and, after investigating, charged Larry Brooks , 19, of Elizabeth with second degree theft. Police believe that on Monday night, Brooks - who had only been employed with the company for that day - allegedly stole $100,000 in cash from the business. Brooks' actions were apparently captured on the Garda's surveillance video system. Before contacting the police, Garda officers were able to recover $85,900 from a vehicle parked in Elizabeth. The matter was then forwarded to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for prosecution. by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 3:10pm  Henry Adamson Credit: Fairfield Police FAIRFIELD, NJ - Late in the afternoon of Wednesday, July 12, a homeowner came home to encounter a burglar in her Horseneck Road home. By the next day, Fairfield Police announced that they had identified the suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest. Today, Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna announced that Henry Adamson, 51, of Paterson has been placed under arrest in connection with the crime. According to Manna, at about 5:03pm, a woman returned to her Horseneck Road home to find a grey 2004 Acura MDX, with the engine idling, parked in her driveway. Apparently, she then entered her home and found Adamson inside of it. The woman related to police that, having been found out, Adamson immediately ran out of the house carrying a black case; he jumped in his car and began to drive away. Undaunted, the woman followed behind him - taking photos of the car as it was driving away - and managed to photograph the license plate. Fairfield Police soon responded to her home and the resident was able to describe the suspect as a black male, bald, wearing a blue shirt. Police believe that Adamson forced open the front door of the home and escaped with some jewelry he found inside. The Fairfield investigative team, led by Detective Lieutenant Charles Zampino and Detective Ian Rasmussen, determined that the car was registered in Paterson. Later that evening the team, working with the Paterson Police Department, were able to locate the car at the owner's home, and determined that Adamson had been driving the car that afternoon at the time of the crime. Because Adamson was not at his home, Fairfield Police issued a warrant for his arrest. Manna reported that Fairfield detectives along with officers from the United States Marshal’s Service were able to locate Adamson today in a location where he had been hiding at 91B Bridge Street in Paterson.
Adamson was arrested on Burglary and Theft charges, brought to Fairfield Police headquarters for processing, and eventually transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 8:30pm  Credit: Carolyne Volpe Curley FAIRFIELD, NJ - What started at 7:22pm tonight with a call out from Wayne Police asking Fairfield Police for mutual assistance, continued with a high speed chase through both sides of Route 46 in Fairfield, and ended ten minutes later with arrests and drugs strewn all over the highway near Monster Golf.
According to Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna: 7:22pm
7:27pm
7:28pm
7:29pm
7:30pm
7:31pm
7:32pm
7:36pm
7:37pm
7:45pm
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 8:10am  Credit: Fairfield Police FAIRFIELD, NJ - On Wednesday afternoon, John Catania, 27, of Montville was arrested by Fairfield Police after driving his 2017 BMW into the Little Falls Road side of the Target store in Fairfield. According to Fairfield Chief Anthony Manna, at about 3:07pm, the BMW crashed through a large cinder block portion of the exterior wall. Officer Brian Holzmann responded to the scene and found Catania unconscious behind the wheel. Atlantic Ambulance and the Fairfield Fire Department also responded and EMS administered NARCAN which is believed to have assisted with Catania’s recovery. Police then accompanied him to Chilton Hospital for further evaluation. "Catania allegedly consumed a quantity of heroin  Credit: Fairfield Police "Surveillance video shows the BMW stopping for about five minutes in the parking lot of the nursery school just before the vehicle is seen accelerating across Little Falls Road, nearly striking two passing vehicles." "I was in the store when it happened,"
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 10am  CREDIT: Carolyne Volpe Curley FAIRFIELD, NJ - On Thursday afternoon, Fairfield Police Officers Jeffrey Dean and Steven D’Argenio charged Michael Toth, 35, of Dingmans Ferry, PA, and William Braxton, 28, of Lake Ariel, PA, with:
At about 2:27pm, the officers observed a 2000 Jeep that reportedly had an unclear rear license plate. They stopped the car, which was driven by Toth accompanied with D'Argenio as a passenger, and spoke with the two men separately. Apparently, both men gave conflicting accounts as to where they were coming from and who they had met when at that location. To the officers, they seemed "extremely nervous." The officers asked Toth to give them permission to search his Jeep and he refused. The police then requested the Essex County Sheriff’s Department to assist and they responded with an officer and Narcotic K-9 dog. The K-9 gave positive indications for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.  The Jeep was towed until a search warrant was obtained. Once authorized, the investigation continued and officers reportedly found 300 glassine envelopes containing suspected Heroin stashed in the car's center console. “This was a very nice seizure of heroin Both Toth and Braxton were arrested, charged and transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark.
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 6:10am  FAIRFIELD, NJ - Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna announced that William Renfro, 51, of Hoboken, was arrested for possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of heroin within a school zone on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Renfro is believed to have advertised heroin sales on Craig’s List with ads entitled “Super Fire Dogfood Dope-$60." He allegedly agreed to meet undercover detectives on Wednesday in Fairfield to sell 50 glassine envelopes containing heroin. At about 11:30am on Wednesday, Renfro reportedly arrived in his 2011 Honda at Target store, at which time, officers converged on his location. Further investigation by Fairfield Police, assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s HIDTA Task Force, revealed 61 glassine envelopes containing suspected heroin and approximately $385 in cash. Police seized the suspected contraband, currency and the suspect’s vehicle while Renfro was arrested and processed. He was eventually released on his own recognizance pending an appearance in the Superior Court in Newark. |
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