Pedestrian Struck This Afternoon

Passaic Park– A pedestrian crossing the street, was struck by an auto at 6:40 PM tonight. The pedestrian was at the the intersection of  Van Houten Ave and Waverly Place. Passaic police department, E.M.S, the Fire department, as well as Hatzolah EMS were all on scene. The patient was transported to the hospital by Passaic Fire EMS in stable condition.

Morning misery on Route 21

PASSAIC — A three-car accident Thursday morning caused a tractor-trailer to jackknife and shut down Route 21 south and sent one man to the hospital, police said.

The crash took place around 6:30 a.m. just past Exit 10B to River Drive.

Passaic police Detective Andy White described the accident this way: Rafael Perez, 49, of Clifton was driving a Honda Pilot in the middle lane of the highway when he entered the left lane, where Hawthorne resident Michael Alberta, 26, was driving a Ford Explorer.

The Honda caused Alberta to lose control of his car, White said, which led Perez to swerve and hit the guardrail. Perez’s Honda then spun out into the right lane of the highway, where Melesio Garcia, 39, of Clifton was driving a tractor-trailer.

Garcia swerved to avoid hitting the Honda, and in doing so lost control of the vehicle. The tractor-trailer spun into the left lane and jackknifed on the median.

Perez was taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Paterson with non-life-threatening injuries, White said.

Passaic police shut down parts of Route 21 south for nearly three hours and diverted all traffic on the northbound side of the highway off at the Passaic Park exit.

Police reopened the highway around 9:30 a.m. Myheraldnews.com

Passaic Mayor indicted

Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera was indicted on two counts of corruption today, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Rivera, 61, was arrested along with 10 other public officials in the FBI’s September 6th corruption bust. He is charged with accepting a $5,000 bribe in exchange for influencing local government contracts. The indictment states that Rivera intended to later be paid $50,000 for further help in peddling influence to make an undercover company the broker of record for city insurance services.

According to the indictment, Rivera told a cooperating witness that he could get them the necessary number of votes on the city council.

“I can get four votes easy, easy, easy,” the indictment quotes him as saying.

The indictment also alleges that when the insurance company’s presentation was questioned by a Passaic employee, Rivera responded “I make the [expletive] decision. And the council. And believe me, I’ve got the four [expletive] votes on the Council. So let’s stop [expletive] here and let’s get this thing rolling.”

If convicted, Rivera could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for the attempted extortion charge and 10 years for the bribery charge.  politickernj.com

You Can Save A Life ; Just take a fiew minutes and wipe the Ice/Snow off your car

 

Above is a picture of a car that was smashed from falling ice. Please be considerate for your fellow freinds. Please take the extra fiew minutes to clear snow or ice off your car. Please use caution when driving leave extra time.

It was unseasonably warm last week, but it didn’t keep me from encountering people who sympathized — just barely — with this column’s call to ban the kind of road hazard that we call the Snow and Ice That Fall Twice.

That’s the kind of white junk that leaves the other guy’s car or truck, hits your windshield and makes your whole life flash in front of you. You know the kind:

* The Route 17 kind that killed Ridgewood’s Michael Eastman nearly 12 years ago.

* The Route 287 kind that caused Hawthorne’s Bob and Mary Mahon to chase after the car whose icy load smashed their windshield last year.

* The Route 80 kind that ran Kinnelon’s Tara Varner and her 2-year-old off the road last month.

Shouldn’t New Jersey fine drivers whose vehicles carry snow? Currently, statute 39:4-77.1 makes it illegal only when it causes damage or injury.

Cathy Eastman understands this because the vehicle whose icy load crushed her husband’s skull was long gone by the time police arrived. Tara, Bob, Mary and most of the 2,000 readers who sent me petitions early this year also get it.

But not some folks I’ve encountered. “There are thousands of SUVs, many driven by women,” said Pequannock’s E.L. Quigley. “They can’t clean ice off the tops of their vehicles.”

Ray R. also sympathizes, but:

“Do you have suggestions for clearing … snow from an SUV that’s been out overnight WITHOUT damaging the hood, roof rack or moon roof?” asked the Fair Lawn man. “Pushing snow off is easy, but after past storms, thick solid ice and packed snow didn’t budge after the car’s heater was on for 20 minutes.”

* Run a garden hose over the car with the heater running, but do this for short periods to avoid cracking the windshield.

* Put old cardboard, canvas or a rug over the vehicle before it snows, and yank it off after the storm.

* Run the engine for an hour, long enough to free frozen snow, or at least to help clear it.

Some consider all this unnecessary. One woman, 72, said: “If I can clean my SUV, so can anybody.” Cathy Eastman, who’s 5 feet 1, says she does it. NorthJersey.com And Passaic News.

Car Plunges off Route 21 and falls to the ground upside down;

Passaic New Jersey —Three people escaped death early Sunday morning after the car they were riding in plunged off rt 21 onto a local street , police and fire officials said.The male driver and the two passengers were able to escape from the vehicle before Police and E.M.S arrived.

The accident happened on Rt 21 but the car fell about 15 feet to the ground upside down  near Columbia and Passaic street. According to police, the driver of the car lost control of the vehicle around 1 a.m. The car struck the guard rail, flipped over and took a  tree down and fell to the ground. The rear window of the car popped out, allowing an escape route. Police said the driver and passengers were taken by Hatzolah Of North Jersey And Passaic E.M.S as well as Paramedics from the scene. Their conditions are not known at this time but they were transported to Saint Joes Trauma Center

Passaic New Jersey House Fire

Passaic New Jersey Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire which heavily damaged a 2 story house in the Passaic Park section of Passaic. Police said the two-story house on Main Ave at Rutgers caught fire about 11.45pm (AEST) on Saturday.Residents either side of the home were evacuated and firefighters were able to establish no one was inside the home before extinguishing the fire.

However, the home was heavily damaged.

Several Departments helped out including Wallington and Carlstadt Fire Dept. Also Hatzolah Of North Jersey was on stand by.

Woman injured in crash on GSP

CLIFTON — A driver was left with serious leg injuries and traffic was snarled for two hours following a crash on the Garden State Parkway this morning, police said. At about 8:30 Monday morning, Diane Nachbaur, 49, of Woodcliff Lake slammed her car into the guardrail on the northbound Garden State Parkway just before the Exit 155P ramp to Route 19, according to Sgt. Stephen Jones of the state police. He said no other vehicles were involved and that Nachbaur may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Nachbaur was airlifted to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, where she was undergoing surgery, police said. One witness, who didn’t want to be named, said she saw a woman with a mangled leg lying face down in a pool of blood on the highway. “It looked like her leg was torn off,” the witness said. “It was horrifying.” A man and a young girl stood by watching, but it was unclear if they were related to the driver. northjersey.com

Gary Schaer Helps Orthodox Jews From Signing Papers On Shabbos In NEW JERSEY

Shabbat-observant Jews who find themselves hospitalized on Saturdays will now be able to keep the Sabbath and fill out admission paperwork after sunset, thanks to a new bill signed into law last week.

Gov. Corzine signed two religious-themed bills that were part of a seven-bill package pushed by North Jersey legislators to promote religious diversity in the state. The bills are meant to provide accommodations and protections for religious observance across the private and public sectors, according to the package’s sponsors.

Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-dist. 36) authored the bills in the Assembly in the spring, and Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-dist. 37) introduced them in the Senate soon after. The new laws are an important step forward for New Jersey, Schaer said.

The first bill guarantees alternate testing dates for applicants seeking a state-issued license when the test date conflicts with a religious observance. The second bill provides religious accommodation to patients when entering a licensed health-care facility.

“The governor supported and signed this bill because it responsibly addresses situations where religious observance may prevent a person from signing hospital admission papers on a particular date,” said Gloria Montealegre, spokesperson for Gov. Corzine.

Although life-threatening situations can override Shabbat observance, not all hospital visits are immediately life-threatening, Schaer said. This bill allows the patient to avoid making a decision to break the Sabbath.

“It simply makes it easier for people, and I think that’s a positive thing,” Schaer said. “It’s one less decision that one has to make in a difficult and trying situation.”

Asked how often these cases came up to require legislation, Schaer answered, “If it’s once, it’s enough.”

“Clearly there are many faith communities which have certain needs,” he said. “Those needs have not been met. New Jersey prides itself — and rightfully so — on its diversity. This is one more way New Jersey can reaffirm the importance of diversity in the state, not only racially and ethnically, but religiously as well.”

Schaer hopes that the lame-duck legislature will pass one more bill from the package before the end of the session. The bill in question would require employers to accommodate employees who choose not to work on their holy days. For example, if a Shabbat-observant retail store employee was asked to work on a Friday night or Saturday and refused on religious grounds, the employer would be required to provide an alternate date for that employee to work.

For Linda and Stanley Rutta of Englewood, this bill is long overdue.

Stanley Rutta works for a Netherlands-based computer company that services the retail industry. Two weeks ago he received a memo about vacation time in 2008. The company defined the start of the retail season in October, and accordingly no requests for vacations between Oct. 15 and Dec. 14 would be approved. Sukkot begins on Oct. 14 and is followed by Shemini Atzeret.

Three vacation days would be offered to employees before Oct. 15 or after Dec. 14, according to the memo. If Schaer and Weinberg’s bill becomes law, Rutta’s company would have to allow him to take off on the holidays.

“This legislation is very significant and long overdue,” said Linda Rutta. “They’re planning the retail season in October. Because of that stretch it’s affecting us more.”

More companies require weekend hours now than they did 30 years ago, when her husband began working, Rutta said. This requirement has kept her husband from advancement because he won’t work on Saturdays or Friday afternoons, while recruiters ignore applications from people who say they won’t be available on weekends, she said.

“You have to go begging to get your holidays off,” Rutta said. “It has become onerous. and we need federal protection for the wage-earners.”

New Jersey has not been as accommodating to religious needs as it should be, Weinberg said.

Her interest in the legal protection of religious observance was sparked as a result of the Torah Academy of Bergen County Mock Trial Club. In 2005 the team found itself unable to compete in a national competition because it conflicted with Shabbat. In the end, the National High School Mock Trial Championship board of directors made special arrangements so TABC could compete but then said the board would not make any future accommodations. To protest that decision, the New Jersey Bar Association and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers created a separate competition that did not conflict with weekend religious observance.

“Our environment was so unaccommodating,” Weinberg said of the incident. “It was those kinds of issues that we’re attempting to call attention to in this legislation, to remind people that they have to be accommodating.”

Other measures in the package would require New Jersey colleges and universities to accommodate students whose religious obligations prevent participation in testing that falls on holidays.

Schaer was hopeful that this bill would pass within the first two quarters of next year.

The package includes two other bills that would affect the state’s health-care governance. One ensures nursing home residents the right to receive food in line with their religious dietary laws, such as kosher or halal. The second bill ensures that doctors make their medical decisions — end of life issues, for example — in accordance with the patient’s religious beliefs.

Those bills still require work before they pass out of the legislature, Schaer said. The assemblyman was hopeful that they would all pass by the end of 2008, though.

“It’s an important recognition of the role all faith communities play in our state,” he said. “We’re excited by the bills and very gratified.”Jewish Standard

Passaic New Jersey Motor Vehicle Accident. Both Cars Everyone Wearing Seat Belts only minor injuries

Passaic New Jersey–Last night at about 6:00 there was a two car accident at the corner of Aycrigg And Pennington. The accident happened after one of the cars ran the stop sign. Hatzolah Of North Jersey transported one patient to Hackensack University Medical Center and the other two Patients refused medical care. One of the cars were totalled. Editor’s Note: Please make sure to wear your seat belt.

Five Car Accident brings out 15 Volunteers from Hatzolah E.M.S.

Passaic New Jersey Five car motor vehicle accident. on the corner of Brook Ave and Passaic Ave in the heart of the Jewish Community. The accident occurred at approximately  1 am early this morning. Hatzolah Of North Jersey E.M.S. was first on scene at the accident. Hatzolah E.M.S. requested Paramedics as well as Fire Department for one aided in the back seat that was trapped in one of the cars. Hatzolah E.M.S transported four patients with paramedics aboard and Passaic E.M.S. transported one patient. All of the 5 patients were transported to Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson. One of the drivers of one of the cars was under 18. Passaic Police and Passaic County Sherrif also on scene. One resident who heard the crash said he heard the accident and he was amazed by the 15 Hatzolah Volunteer’s that responded so quickly. He said, “It’s truly amazing to have such a reliable organization”.

Fire Chief says Fire is suspicous

PASSAIC — Police and fire officials are investigating a two-alarm blaze on Oak Street Friday morning as possibly suspicious, fire Chief Patrick Trentacost said.

The fire was discovered at 9:35 a.m. by a passer-by who saw smoke billowing from 402 Oak St., which left the building’s only residents, a father, who was not identified, and his 12-year-old son, homeless, Trentacost said.

No one was at home at the time of the blaze, which firefighters brought under control at 10:15 a.m., Trentacost said.

Investigators said the fire, which erupted in the rear of the basement and rapidly spread throughout the house, may be suspicious because the blaze started in an uninhabited area. Also there appears to be a dispute about ownership of the building, Trentacost said.

No further information about the alleged dispute was available, nor was the cause of the fire immediately determined, Trentacost said.

Fighting the blaze, however, proved physically demanding, Trentacost said. “You have to open up ceilings and walls,” he said. “It’s a very labor-intensive fire.”

Firefighters called the second alarm almost immediately after they arrived at the house on Oak Street, and were assisted by fire companies from neighboring towns.

But the morning was still difficult as two firefighters were treated at the scene for exhaustion, while another was treated for debris that flew into his eyes, Trentacost said.

The worst from the fire was the thought that the Christmas holiday was probably ruined for the 12-year-old youngster who lost his home.

“It’s a sad thing to do when you’re pulling kids’ toys out,” Trentacost said. Northjersey

Teen in hospital after stabbing on Paulison Ave.

PASSAIC — A 17-year-old boy was reported in “life-threatening” condition Monday night after receiving a lung-piercing stab wound from a group of bandana-wearing thugs, police said.

Police had no immediate suspects and were exploring the possibility that a street gang was behind the attack, said Capt. Ross Capuana of the Passaic Police Department.

At about 3:45 p.m., the teenage victim was walking with a friend along Paulison Avenue near School 11 when they were attacked.

About 15 young men, believed to be between the ages of 16 and 21, assaulted them, according to eyewitnesses. The attackers covered their faces with bandanas and scarves and tried to rob the two young males of their coats. They ended up roughing them up instead, police said.

The 17-year-old, who Capuana said might be a Passaic High School student and did not appear to have a troubled history, fell to the ground as his attackers scattered. It could not be confirmed if he attended Passaic High School.

But the juvenile did not realize he had been seriously stabbed until he tried to take off his coat and found it torn and soaked in blood, Capuana said. The friend was not seriously injured in the attack, he said.

The teenager was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital and later transferred to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was to undergo surgery Monday night, Capuana said.

Capuana said that while the 17-year-old was conscious, alert and able to speak, doctors considered his condition “life-threatening” until he emerged from surgery. His condition was not known Monday night.

Clifton Police Officer Was Injured When Route 19 Turns Into A Car Skating Rank

Clifton New Jersey- – Clifton Police got several reports at about 6:45 Pm of several cars spinning out of control near the Broad Street exit on Rt 19. The Clifton officers got on scene and advised their dispatcher that they should call the State to come salt the Highway due to the Highway being like an Ice Skating Rank. Moments after the officer advised the dispatcher of the condition of the Highway another passenger car skid right in to one of the Police cruisers. The police officers car was pushed about 30 feet forward all-though their was very little damage to the vehicles. The Officer was taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Passaic by Clifton Fire Dept E.M.S. No one else was reported to have any injuries. The Route 19 Highway was closed down by the Passaic County Sherrifs Dept. untill the salt trucks come to salt the Highway and is safe.P.C.J.N was the first to report this story.

Men’s mikvaot pose health hazard

Dozens of men’s mikvaot (ritual baths) across the nation are a potential health hazard due to poor accessibility, United Hatzalah of Israel, the haredi rapid-response first aid organization, has warned “If, God forbid, there is a major crisis in a mikve, such as a gas explosion, poisoned water or a collapsed roof, I don’t want to think of the consequences,” Hatzalah spokesman Yerach Toker said on Wednesday. Hatzalah volunteers, he said, had routinely run into serious obstacles that slow down first aid crews when responding to emergencies that take place inside men’s mikvaot. The most common emergencies are heart attacks, drownings and slipping accidents, Toker said. Also, the steamy, humid environment occasionally causes dizziness and even a temporary loss of consciousness. Hatzalah crews complain that after arriving on the scene they are often delayed many minutes at the entrance to the mikve by barriers that prevent non-members from getting inside. The most common obstacles are pay-activated or card-activated turnstiles and doors. “Just a few weeks ago a Hatzalah crew was called to evacuate a man from a mikve who complained of chest pains,” Toker said. “But the volunteers were held up close to half an hour. Fearing that he had suffered a heart attack, the man was prevented from walking. But since the only available exit was via a turnstile, it was impossible to remove the man. “An emergency door was blocked by a closet filled with towels and clothes. But even after the things blocking the door were moved, it was impossible to open the locked door. It took another 10 minutes until someone with a key showed up.” Rabbi Menachem Blumenthal, head of the Jerusalem Religious Council’s mikvaot division, who is responsible for 27 men’s mikvaot, said the problems facing first aid organizations were not new. “We are aware of the difficulties in getting in and out of mikvaot that are governed by electronic turnstiles,” he said. “But an adequate solution is provided as long as there is a caretaker with a key to the emergency door on the premises during opening hours.” Blumenthal said while it was commonly believed that hassidim and Sephardim are the primary users of men’s mikvaot, more Lithuanian haredi men have begun using them. Immersing oneself in a mikve before Shaharit (morning prayers) is considered an act of added sanctity and preparation. Streams of Judaism more aware of Kabbala (the mystical, esoteric aspects of Judaism) emphasize the purification process undergone by immersing in a mikve. Jpost.com

Not very smart but true

 Tonight at 500 Broadway their was a report of fire at a Delta Gas station on the corner of Broadway and Brook. The call came over as a gas fire coming out of the ground from the gas lines. It turns out yes their was a fire on top of the snow multiple Police And Fire Trucks pulled up. The Chief who was first on scene after Police,went over to the fire and realize it was a Fire on top of the snow .The Fire Dept Quickly hosed it out and the fire was put out. After a small investigation they found out that the Gas attendant took Gasoline and poured it on the snow to melt the snow. Which is extremely dangerous. Well now the Gas Station has to deal with the arson Squad as well as several other agencies and fines.

Passaic Firefighters commended

PASSAIC — Three residents might have died in last week’s three-alarm fire on Passaic Street had it not been for three city firefighters who risked their lives in entering a burning apartment building, fire officials said Tuesday

Firefighter Jack LaPlaca, Lt. Bruce Rusconi and Lt. John Brutosky were commended in the fire chief’s report regarding the Dec. 5 blaze, which engulfed 150 Passaic St., and eventually spread next door to 152 Passaic St. The report, released on Tuesday, provided new details on how the fire began and rescues.

The fire began in a lightshaft, or thin alleyway that separates the two buildings and where debris and rubbish collect, Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost said. A second-floor resident of 150 Passaic St. told fire inspectors that she discovered the fire outside her window and tried to extinguish it with water. But the fire continued to eat its way up the side of the building and eventually to the second floor, Trentacost said.

Just before 6:30 p.m., LaPlaca was headed to a nearby gym when he noticed black smoke pouring from the building. The firefighter, who was off-duty at the time and not wearing his fire-resistant uniform, rushed into the smoke-filled building and past evacuating residents. On the second floor, LaPlaca picked up a wheelchair-bound man and carried him and his wheelchair outdoors.

Rusconi and Brutosky, whose rescue of two residents were reported last week, arrived on separate fire rigs shortly afterward. Because of the fire, 17 apartments were evacuated but the number of residents displaced remained unknown.

Fire officials estimated that between 50 and 100 people were evacuated.

The building appeared to be a rooming house and the owners of the property could face fines and criminal charges if inspectors determine there were fire code violations, officials said.

The two residents rescued from the building by Rusconi and Brutosky were treated and released from St. Mary’s Hospital, Trentacost said. NorthJersey.com

Passaic woman found dead in apartment

ED BEESON
HERALD NEWS

PASSAIC — The body of Kimberly Santos, 21, was discovered Sunday at about 5:30 p.m., inside her apartment at 87 Broadway, Detective Sgt. Hershel Rawls said. Santos’ roommate discovered her body, he said.

The police have no suspects and, citing the ongoing investigation, they refused to disclose how Santos was killed. But Rawls said Santos probably knew her murderer because there was no sign of forced entry into the apartment.

She was the fourth homicide victim this year in Passaic, police said. The Paramedics had pronounced her dead on scene with Passaic E.M.S on scene

Reyes, who based on the preliminary investigation was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene

CLIFTON — Police have identified the man killed in a head-on collision on Route 46 early Sunday morning as a 19-year-old Passaic resident.

Carlos Reyes of Passaic was in the front passenger seat of a black Acura traveling westbound on Route 46 a little after 4 a.m. Sunday, when the car collided with a beige Nissan Altima that was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane, Lt. John Link of the Clifton Police Department said Monday.

Reyes, who based on the preliminary investigation was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene, Link said.

It is unclear why the driver of the Nissan Altima, whom police identify as Leighton Alarcon, 21, of Prospect Park, was traveling in the wrong direction, Link said.

Alarcon, who was also not wearing a seat belt, and the driver of the Acura in which Reyes was a passenger, Lenyn Munoz-Paredes, 24, were both taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson with major head injuries. Munoz-Paredes was wearing a seat belt, Link said.

“We are still investigating aspects such as the cause, where they were going, where they were coming from,” Link said.

Clifton New Jersey Another life is taken on Rt-21

Clifton New Jersey There was a fatal accident this morning at about 4:05 am on Rt-21 South by Rt-46 and Rt-20 when a car was driving down Rt-21 a 3 lane 55 mph highway the wrong way and hit a oncoming car at high speeds. The crash had 2 people in 1 car and 1 in the other the accident took the life of 1 left 1 in likely to expire condition 1 in critical condition. At the time of the accident Clifton F.D. had no Ambulances available so they sent 4 fire trucks all of Clifton’s Fire Fighter’s are E.M.T. Garfield E.M.S. Passaic E.M.S. Nutley E.M.S and Hatzolah E.M.S. all were on scene 2 Pt were xported to Saint Joes Trauma Center in Paterson with Paramedics aboard. The Highway is expected to be closed for most of the day for the investigation.

You heard this story first on Passainews.wordpress.com

Passaic cops defend use of force

PASSAIC — The Passaic County prosecutor said the police shooting of an unarmed city woman “appears to be justified” after she used her car to ram police vehicles and strike an officer during a low-speed chase.

Michele M. Moleti, 34, who was hit by six of the estimated 20 bullets that police fired into her mother’s 1999 Nissan Altima, remained under armed guard Thursday at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson. Her condition was listed as “guarded,” less dire than “serious,” police said.

It was unclear Thursday precisely why Moleti, a former Clifton High School softball star who has had recent run-ins with the law, led police on a slow pursuit through Clifton and into Passaic. That pursuit ended in what was the third shooting involving Clifton police this year.

Residents of the neighborhood near Clifton’s Weasel Brook Park said that they had noticed an unfamiliar car parked in front a fire hydrant on Clinton Avenue as early as 4 p.m. Wednesday. Shortly after 9:20 p.m., Clifton police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked in front of 204 Clinton Ave.

Two patrol cars approached and boxed in the car with Moleti in it. Officers got out and saw Moleti asleep at the wheel, said Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano in a news conference Thursday. The officers attempted to wake her. When she did not respond, they tried opening her door with a Slim Jim, a police-issued lock-picking device.

Moleti stirred and locked the door. The officers tried to unlock the door again, but Moleti pushed the button down again.

At some point, she started her car and tried to pull out, smacking the patrol cars behind and in front of her. Police said one of the officers was hit as she was trying to get out. Neighbors on Clinton Avenue said they watched Moleti barely miss hitting an officer as she struck the car and tried to drive off.

The police jumped in their cruisers and started to follow her. One pulled in front of Moleti after she turned on Westervelt Avenue, but she kept driving. They proceeded to make two circuits around a wedge-shaped block bounded by Clinton, Westervelt and De Mott avenues.

“It was like Keystone Kops,” said Michael David, a 64-year-old resident, who ran outside after hearing the commotion on his quiet street.

Meanwhile, neighbors said, a firetruck and an off-duty probation officer living on Clinton Avenue joined the chase. They sped after Moleti after she took off on De Mott Avenue.

The chase continued through local roads and then onto the southbound lanes of Route 21, Avigliano said. Moleti exited in Passaic, where a pair of Clifton narcotics detectives stationed themselves to join the pursuit. The officers notified Passaic police and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, who left the pursuit in Clifton’s hands, Clifton police Capt. Robert Rowan said.

Police used their vehicles to box Moleti in at the intersection of Gregory and Main avenues.

The officers stepped out of their cars and approached Moleti. But she allegedly rammed one of the vehicles and hit one of the narcotics detectives. The officers drew their service weapons and fired into the car. Avigliano said as many as 20 shots were fired at Moleti.

Six bullets pierced her neck, chest and arm. But she did not stop. Police followed her as she drove away. She drove to Lafayette Avenue, turned into a driveway and came to a stop. Police wrestled her out of the vehicle.

Twenty minutes after it started, the chase ended about one block away from the apartment on Boulevard that Moleti shares with her mother.

“I’m just as baffled as everybody else right now that this happened, and I haven’t gotten any answers from the police yet,” her mother, Rose Moleti, told WABC-TV in New York.

Avigliano, whose office is leading the investigation of the shooting, would not release the names of the four Clifton police officers involved. They remain on duty, said Chief Robert Ferreri. Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said all four men are veterans of the force. Two of the officers were treated and released from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center on Wednesday night, one for a hand injury and one for a leg injury, authorities said.

Avigliano would not comment when asked if Moleti was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the pursuit.

He said at minimum, she’ll be charged with eluding police, attempt to commit aggravated assault or homicide and resisting arrest.

“Police cannot use deadly force unless their life is in danger,” Avigliano said.

The prosecutor said his shooting unit will investigate to determine whether police acted justifiably. In June, Clifton police shot Garfield resident John Kubasta six times after he drove away from a traffic stop and led police on a chase. In April, police shot Aleksander Malek after he wielded a machete and a pipe. Both men survived the shootings.

Terence Persaud, an emergency medical technician who lives at the Lafayette Avenue home where Moleti stopped, said he awoke to find his yard full of uniformed and plainclothes police officers. He saw Moleti on the ground, her hair shaking wildly as police circled her.

“She was yelling and screaming with the cops,” said Persaud, 40. “They were trying to calm her down.”

His neighbors described hearing the pops of gunfire shortly before Moleti’s car and the police behind her descended on the avenue. On Thursday afternoon, evidence of the struggle remained, with shattered glass lying in Persaud’s driveway. Surgeon’s gloves and a dozen alcohol packets littered Lafayette Avenue.

Jeffrey Meano, who said he and Moleti dated for seven years, said family tragedies have haunted her. Her father, Ronald, died during her junior year of high school. Her brother, Mark, died last year at age 35. Illnesses took other family members and her own dreams of becoming a teacher were frequently frustrated.

“She wasn’t a dangerous person. She was a person who was depressed,” Meano said. “Every time she turned around, she was getting hit.”

Moleti was once a standout high school softball player. Meano said she went to Rutgers on an athletic scholarship before transferring to Montclair State. Recently, she found herself in trouble with police, getting arrested three times in a year and a half.

Edgewater police arrested her in June 2006 on charges of cocaine possession. In December of last year, Cliffside Park police charged her with theft after she was allegedly caught on surveillance video stealing $280 in cash from The Club House Cafe, where she worked as a bartender, Capt. Michael Russo said.

Earlier this year, Nutley police arrested her for making a terroristic threat, a charge that was later downgraded to harassment, said Paul Loriquet, spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

All three cases are pending.

“She was no crazy person, no convict,” Meano said. “Just a normal kid who has had some bad turns and was in a cloudy place.”

–Staff writers Heather Haddon, Suzanne Travers and the Associated Press, NorthJersey.com

Passaic N.J. Car accident

Their was a car accident at about 6:20 Pm tonight on the corner of Main Ave and Brook Hatzolah, Police and Fire  all on scene.Air bags had deployed but no major injuries reported.

Major Fire in Downtown Passaic

 Passaic New Jersey A serious fire a 3rd alarm fire at 150 Passaic street in the downtown section of Passaic . Passaic P.D.Passaic County Sheriff.Passaic E.M.S. Paterson E.M.S. Hatzolah Passaic E.M.S. Passaic,Clifton,Paterson.Wallington.Carlstadt,Little Falls Fire Dept all on scene several people were taken out of the building and transported for smoke inhalation to Saint Mary’s .Fire started at about 6:30 fire burnt for around 3 hours un
till the Fire fighters were able to knock it down. Passaic Police Arson Squad is on the scene doing there investigation.There are about 50 people homeless some were being brought to the Howard Johnson on route 3 for the night.

Woman shot in Passaic after police chase by Clifton Police

PASSAIC-Clifton police shot an unidentified woman last night in Passaic after she led them on a chase and tried to run down officers, authorities said.

Details were sketchy, but the woman was shot on Lafayette Avenue in the city of Passaic at about 9:30 p.m., according to Lt. Paul Haertel of the Clifton police. He said police do not know the woman’s name, age or address.

The woman was alert and conscious when she was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, the lieutenant said. Her condition was not immediately known.

The incident began in the 200 block of Clinton Avenue when Clifton police officers approached the woman, who appeared to be crying and slumped over the wheel of a car, the lieutenant said. But the woman sped off.

Officers gave chase, and the pursuit ended in Passaic when, Haertel said, the woman tried to run over several officers and police fired upon her.

It was not immediately clear which officers were involved or how many shots were fired.

The woman did not fire, and the car she was in was not stolen, the lieutenant said. Nj.com

Brooklyn N.Y. Hatzolah Ambulance Involved In A Motor Vehicle Crash

Brooklyn N.Y. A Hatzolah ambulance while responding to a Cardiac Arrest was just involved in a Motor Vehicle Crash in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn,on 14th Avenue . There are injuries reported at this time. Multiple Hatzolah  Ambulances and multiple units  are responding to the scene at this time .

Mother of choking baby thanks officer who rode to the rescue

Tiffany Blake’s knight arrived in a police uniform instead of shining armor and came on a brown police horse named Bandit instead of a white stallion. But like any true rescuer, Trenton Officer John Harbourt arrived just in time to save her 11-month-old daughter’s life.

Harbourt successfully performed a back blow on Nevaeh Croweli last Wednesday afternoon when the infant was choking on a carrot during a Thanksgiving party inside Capital Child Care Center, where Blake was volunteering.

After several people tried unsuccessfully to clear Nevaeh’s airway, Harbourt was the calm, reassuring presence who took the limp girl from her mother’s grasp and, in one swift back blow, had the little girl breathing again.

“He is my knight, my hero,” Blake said yesterday outside Trenton Police Headquarters, where the mom and Harbourt were reunited.

“I feel like saying ‘Thank you’ isn’t enough,” Blake, a Morrisville, Pa., resident, said after Harbourt arrived at the media event much like he did last Wednesday, on Bandit.

“She looks a lot better than the last time I saw her,” Harbourt said as Nevaeh played with television reporters’ microphones and her mother told of the harrowing incident, something she said she never wants any parent to go through.

Blake said she was not right next to her daughter when the baby started choking on a hard carrot after swiping it from another child’s plate at the center on West Front Street downtown.

When Blake rushed to Nevaeh — heaven spelled backward — her daughter was silent, her eyes were rolling back in her head and her arms dropped by her side, said Blake. “It’s every parent’s nightmare and your instinct is to panic,” she said.

But Blake was concentrating on her daughter, trying herself to dislodge the obstruction. Someone dialed 911 and when Trenton dispatchers sent the call to police officers, Harbourt was about a block and a half away.

Harbourt rushed to the call — in horse terms, he cantered Bandit, — and tied up his partner outside. He was there in 30 seconds, he estimated

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77 police officers hurt in Paris riots

AP VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France – Rampaging youths rioted overnight in Paris’ suburbs, hurling Molotov cocktails and setting fire to dozens of cars. At least 77 officers were injured and officers were fired at, a senior police union official said Tuesday.The violence was more intense than during three weeks of rioting in 2005, said the official, Patrice Ribeiro. Police were shot at and are facing “genuine urban guerillas with conventional weapons and hunting weapons,” Ribeiro said.

Some officers were hit by shotgun pellets, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said. She said there were six serious injuries, “people who notably were struck in the face and close to the eyes.”

The riots were triggered by the deaths of two teens killed in a crash with a police patrol car on Sunday in Villiers-le-Bel, a town of public housing blocks home to a mix of Arab, black and white residents in Paris’ northern suburbs.

Residents claimed that officers left the crash scene without helping the teens, whose motorbike collided with the car. Officials cast doubt on the claim, but the internal police oversight agency was investigating.

Youths first rioted Sunday and again overnight Monday to Tuesday, when the violence apparently got worse.

Police barricades were set on fire and youths threw stones and Molotov cocktails at officers, who retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets. In Villiers-le-Bel and surrounding areas, youths set fire to 36 vehicles, the area’s prefecture said.

Youths were seen firing buckshot at police and reporters. A police union official said a round from a hunting rifle pierced the body armor of one officer who suffered a serious shoulder wound.

Among the buildings targeted by the youths was a library, which was set afire.

In Sunday’s violence, eight people were arrested and 20 police officers were injured — including the town’s police chief, who was attacked in the face when he tried to negotiate with the rioters, police said. One firefighter also was injured.

Residents drew parallels to the 2005 riots, which were prompted by the deaths of two teens electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police in a suburb northeast of Paris.

A recent study by the state auditor’s office indicated that money poured into poor French suburbs in recent decades had done little to solve problems vividly exposed by the 2005 riots, including discrimination, unemployment and alienation from mainstream society.

___

N.J.S.P. targets drunken driving and seatbelts

Starting Wednesday, New Jersey State Police troopers will begin their days with shift briefings that include personal stories from representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving to inspire the troopers in their effort to combat drunken driving.

“Many of these Troopers have experienced the horror of DWI as part of their duties, but when the scene is cleared and the reports are written, the tragedy of the incident is truly just beginning for someone somewhere,” said Maj. Matthew Walker, Commander of Troop D on the New Jersey Turnpike. “These family members volunteering with MADD are the faces that our troopers never get to see — the victims that suffer the rest of their lives from a senseless loss.”

Targeted seatbelt enforcement is another very important job that troopers will perform on the state’s highways throughout the whole holiday season. According to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) 31,415 passenger vehicle occupants died in crashes across the nation in 2005, and more than half of them were not wearing seat belts.

During the 2005 and 2006 Thanksgiving holidays, there were an unbelievable 16 fatal crashes each year resulting in 41 total deaths. Previous years averaged less than half that amount. About 50 percent of those deaths resulted from accidents involving alcohol.

Throughout the state, extra troopers will strictly enforce hazardous violations, including the failure of vehicle occupants to wear seatbelts. Sober driving and regular seat belt use are two of the most effective ways to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Research has shown that when lap/shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury is reduced by 50 percent.

Tougher enforcement could prevent teen crashes, officials say

 Teen drivers routinely ignore restrictions imposed on provisional licenses, tougher enforcement of existing laws would save many lives, members of the Governor’s Teen Driver Study Commission were told tonight.

About 200 people attended the commission’s hearing at Colts Neck High School in Monmouth County, the first of three to be held this fall.

Commission chairwoman Pam Fischer said the state was not seeking to raise the age at which it licenses teenaged drivers. “There’s been a lot of rumor out there that the commission is going to raise the age to 18,” she said. “It’s not on the table.”

Rather, the commission is studying ways to improve the state’s safety record, she said. That could mean changing current methods of driver education, mandating stricter enforcement of the existing graduated driver’s license program, or requiring new drivers to put stickers or placards on their cars.

Nearly seven years ago, New Jersey joined dozens of other states in adopting a “graduated driver’s license” law. The law grants driving privileges to teens in phases.

At 16, a teen with a permit can drive only if accompanied by an adult. At 17, a teen with a provisional license can drive without an adult but cannot drive late at night or with more than one passenger. Not until 18 can a teen get full driving privileges under the GDL.

Between 2001 and 2006, more than 400 New Jersey teenagers were killed in motor vehicle accidents, according to Fischer, who is also director of the state’s Highway Traffic Safety Division.

Passaic N.J. Flipped over car Main and Brook with no one around

Passaic N.J.  At 2:57AM Their was a flipped over car on Main Ave and Brook Ave with no one around. Passaic Fire,Police and Hatzolah E.M.S all on scene and no one in the area driver fled away. The driver must have crawled out the window that was a half a block away.Car was towed to Police head quarters for investigation.

Passaic N.J. Fire in Food Basics

At 9:20 their was a fire in Food Basics on Van Houten Ave near the Clifton border. Passaic Police,Fire,Hatzolah,and,Paramedics were all on scene. Fire was knocked down quickly and fire was out within 20 minutes several people were in the store at the time they were treated and released. The Chief Fire Inspector was on scene and said it appeared to be an Electric Heater where the fire started from.