The Press Group - Northern Valley Press

Have you seen him? Closter Police hoping to locate individual in connection with shoplifting investigation

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 16:03:35 GMT

STAFF REPORT
NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS

CLOSTER – The Closter Police are trying to locate an individual in connection with a shoplifting investigation at Harmon in Closter Plaza.

The suspect returned to Harmon on March 15 and was "acting suspicious," Detective Sgt. Vincent Aiello told the Northern Valley Press in an email. He did not appear to take anything from the store at that time, Aiello said.

After exiting Harmon on March 15, the suspect walked south in the plaza past Bare Burger, according to Aiello.

The Closter Police Department requests that anyone who can identify the individual or who has any information that may assist in the investigation to call the Closter Detective Bureau at (201) 768-7144.

Pictured below is the individual in question with the Closter Police Department's investigation.

Photo courtesy Closter Police Department

Closter Police seek public's help identifying individuals

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 20:50:24 GMT

STAFF REPORT
NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS

CLOSTER – The Closter Police Department has requested the public's help identifying individuals wanted for questioning after a car was burglarized in the borough.

The motor vehicle burglary occurred to at CGI Fitness on Homans Avenue on March 10 , Detective Sgt. Vincent Aiello told Northern Valley Press in an email.

The victim's credit card was used later that evening at a Walmart in Teteboro, Aiello said.

Anyone who can identify the parties is asked to contact the Closter Detective Bureau at (201) 768-7144.

Man arrested for eight threats against Jewish institutions

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:43:39 GMT

BY SHANNON McLAUGHLIN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS

NORTHERN VALLEY – Days after Jewish institutions nationwide again received bomb threats, federal authorities on March 3 arrested a man in connection to eight of the incidents.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that fights anti-Semitism, said that a total of 122 bomb threats against Jewish institutions have been made since the beginning of 2017. Three of these threats targeted the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, according to the Tenafly Police Department. The most recent threat came on Feb. 27, when the Tenafly facility was searched and no explosives were found, Tenafly Police Capt. Michael deMoncada said.

Juan Thompson, a former journalist who once worked for The Intercept, was arrested on March 3 in Missouri, according the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the complaint against the defendant in U.S. v. Thompson, the defendant is responsible for at least eight of the anti-Semitic threats made nationwide “as part of his campaign of harassment” against a former romantic partner, identified as Victim-1.

It is currently unknown whether or not Thompson is responsible for the threats made close to home.

As news of Thompson’s arrest broke, New Jersey lawmakers including Gov. Chris Christie and local law enforcement were holding a rally at the Kaplen JCC to denounce the rise in anti-Semitism.

“As members of the New Jersey delegation, we are deeply concerned about the recent rash of heinous violence targeting Jewish cemeteries, educational institutions, and community centers across the state,” 11 members of New Jersey’s federal delegation – including Sen. Bob Menendez, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Bill Pascrell, and Rep. Josh Gottheimer – wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.

The lawmakers called for increased funding for the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and federal law enforcement agencies to provide support, preparedness planning and resources to address the situation.

The case against Thompson states he began harassing his ex-partner shortly after their romantic relationship ended and sent defamatory emails and faxes to Victim-1’s employer, false reports of criminal activity made by the victim and anti-Semitic threats in the victim’s name, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Thompson is accused of threatening the ADL’s Manhattan office, according to the complaint. In an emailed threat to the ADL, Thompson wrote that his ex-partner is “behind the bomb threats against Jews. She lives in nyc and is making more bomb threats tomorrow,” the complaint said.

The ADL received a telephonic bomb threat the following day. The caller stated that there was explosive material in the office that would be “detonated within one hour,” the complaint read.

Thompson also made threats to various Jewish institutions in his own name in an effort to claim that the female was trying to frame him, according to the Department of Justice. These emailed threats often referenced Thompson creating a "Jewish" Ne-

Thompson. Photo courtesy Twitter

wtown,” a reference to the December 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the complaint stated.

Thompson also defamed the victim on his Twitter account, according to the Department of Justice.

The complaint read that Thompson posted a tweet saying that he was being tormented by an anti-Semite, Victim-1, who sent a bomb threat in his name.

Another tweet called Victim-1 a “filthy anti-Semite,” according to the complaint.

An ADL press release on Thompson’s arrest said the defendant “was on the radar of ADL’s Center for Extremism, which had followed his past activities.”

The ADL said that Thompson previously created “deceptive and at times false reports for a news website about Dylann Roof, the perpetrator of the church shooting in Charleston, S.C.”
Thompson also announced last year that he was running for mayor of St. Louis to “fight back against Trumpian fascism and socio-economic terrorism,” according to the release.

The Intercept, Thompson’s former employer, issued a statement on his arrest, which said Thompson was fired last year for fabricating sources and quotes in his articles.

Thompson was charged with one count of cyberstalking, according to the press release. Cyberstalking usually carries a maximum sentence of five years. The Department of Justice said that Thompson’s maximum potential sentence will be prescribed by Congress.

#IStandWithTheJCC because now is the time to stand up for the safety of our children and families.

We stand with you, Tenafly JCC! pic.twitter.com/STcgilyCug
— Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) March 3, 2017

Anti-Semitism is not dead, but dormant. And it is all-too-easily awoken. #IStandWithTheJCC https://t.co/zamYRrIUhA
— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) March 3, 2017

More bomb threats target Jewish centers nationwide

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 19:45:12 GMT

BY SHANNON McLAUGHLIN
OF PASCACK PRESS

NORTHERN VALLEY - Anti-Semitism is being addressed at the presidential level after 11 Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) reported phoned-in bomb threats on Monday, Feb. 20, creating the fourth wave of similar threats to reach JCCs this year.

JCCs previously reported threats on Jan. 9, Jan. 18 and Jan. 31, according to a JCC Association of North America press release.

These threats, which have occurred on an international scale, have also taken place closer to home. In Tenafly, the Kaplen Jewish Community Center on the Palisades reported receiving bomb threats on Jan. 9 and Jan. 31. Local police did not report any threat during the Feb. 20 incidents.

In total, 68 incidents have been reported at 53 JCCs in 26 states and one Canada province, according to the JCC Association of North America. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that fights anti-Semitism, received a bomb threat on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at its national headquarters in New York City and was evacuated, according to a statement made by the organization’s CEO.

The incidents have thrust anti-Semitism issues into the national spotlight, with activists calling on the president for action. During a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 16, a Jewish journalist asked President Trump about the bomb threats targeting JCCs.

The reporter started off by saying he was not accusing the president or anyone on his staff of being anti-Semitic, citing that the president has a Jewish daughter and grandchildren.

“What we are concerned about and what we haven’t really heard being addressed is an uptick in anti-Semitism and how the government is planning to take care of it,” said the reporter, Jake Turx of Ami, a news magazine with an Orthodox Jewish audience.

Trump responded by calling himself the “least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life” and the “least racist person.”

After the president finished speaking, Ami stood up to argue over the president’s lack of a clear response on the issue.

Trump readdressed the JCC bomb threats following a recent visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. The museum is “devoted exclusively to the documentation of African-American life, history and culture,” according to its website and details historic figures including Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks and students involved in the Greensboro sit-ins, a milestone of the Civil Rights Movement.

After his visit, Trump said, “Today and every day of my presidency, I pledge to do everything I can to continue that promise of freedom for African-Americans and for every American. So important – nothing more important.”

His speech then touched on hatred against the Jewish community.

“This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms,” the president said. “The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.”

The executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, Steven Goldstein, responded to the president’s statement, calling it a “band-aid on the cancer of anti-Semitism.”

“[Trump’s] statement today is a pathetic asterisk of condescension after weeks in which he and his staff have committed grotesque acts and omissions reflecting anti-Semitism, yet day after day have refused to apologize and correct the record.”

Vice President Mike Pence also answered the issue with a visit to Missouri, where according to the vice president, close to 200 headstones were toppled at a Jewish cemetery.

“There’s no place in America for hatred or acts of prejudice or violence or anti-Semitism,” the vice president said. He also joined in the cemetery’s clean up efforts.

Goldstein made another statement after this, thanking Pence and calling him the “ultimate mensch.”

“We have been critical of President Trump for his gross insensitivity to anti-Semitism... But through the vice president’s visit to St. Louis today, this administration finally showed America the kind of response our nation was waiting for all along – a response filled with proactive heart,” Goldstein’s statement read.

According to JCC Association of North America, all bomb threats this year “proved to be hoaxes.”

“While we are relieved that all such threats have proven to be hoaxes and that not a single person was harmed, we are concerned about the anti-Semitism behind these threats, and the repetition of threats intended to interfere with day-to-day life,” David Posner, director of strategic performance at JCC Association of North America, said in a statement.

Posner said the organization is in “regular communication with the FBI, which is investigating these threats” and they “hope to hear updates from the FBI on progress very soon.”

Some continue to call for Hickory Lane speeding controls in Closter

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 14:46:50 GMT

BY PAUL HUMMEL
CORRESPONDENT
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 20, 2017 North edition of Northern Valley Press.

CLOSTER – An idea was offered that Closter’s Hickory Lane should be changed into a one-way street to satisfy the concerns of residents who live on that thoroughfare and have stated numerous times over the last year that excessive speeding on the road, combined with increased traffic from Metropolitan Farms, is jeopardizing their safety and compromising their quality of life.

That was just one of the suggestions brought up at a discussion of the traffic problem on the historic thoroughfare at the Feb. 8 Closter Mayor and Council meeting.

During the meeting, council members approved possible improvements to Hickory Lane by adding it to a bid on the Vervalen Street Project. Officials stated that such a maneuver is more effective as it would lessen the cost of work done on Hickory Lane in 2017 if the borough decides to move forward on any projects to reduce traffic speed on that thoroughfare.

Resident Steve Isaacson, who lives on Columbus Avenue but is a regular participant during the public speaking portion of the council meetings, suggested that Hickory Lane be changed into a one-way street, going east and uphill. This, after discussion by council members and other residents was heard regarding how to reduce the speed of vehicles travelling west and downhill with a speed table on the pavement along the lane’s midway point.

“You get rid of the speed table and make it one-way going uphill,” he said. “That way you don’t have to worry about riding without your brakes at 65 mph before you hit the bottom of the hill.

“It’s an experiment,” Isaacson added. “It would cost you a couple of bucks to make the signs. It’s something to think about – just thinking outside the box.”

Hickory Lane resident Anthony Tristani addressed the council in support of a speed table, which is typically 22 feet in the direction of travel with six-foot ramps on each end, a 10-foot flat section in the middle and a height of three to four inches above the pavement.

“I know this has been an on-going discussion among plenty of residents of Hickory Lane, including myself,” he said. “The police department, the DPW have had their opinion, but, as a father of four boys on the block, I’ve seen traffic has increased, how the people come down the block. I really feel it’s necessary to have a speed table or some sort of mechanism that is approved by the engineer and the county just to preserve the safety of families on the block.”

Tristani was referring to a borough traffic study last year handled by the police department that found the average speed of vehicles on Hickory Lane was 29 mph, which is 4 miles per hour over the speed limit. In addition, officials from the DPW had previously stated that a speed table on Hickory Lane would make snow plowing more difficult along with the possibility that a vehicle travelling extremely fast might jump the speed table and catapult upwards thereby causing an accident.

The traffic study also looked to place a stop sign at the intersection of Bradley Place and Hickory Lane to curb speeding but the number of vehicles measured travelling past that area per hour was too small to warrant a stop sign according to New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJ DOT) regulations.

Tristani contended that if the traffic study was conducted near the bottom of Hickory Lane, about 500 feet before Piermont Road, the average speed of vehicles “would be 40 mph.”

Council President Victoria Amitai, who previously stated at other council meetings that she supports a speed table on Hickory Lane, suggested that council members walk along the road and see if they felt safe with traffic only a few feet away.

“If anyone has walked on Hickory Lane, and I have numerous times, on the south side of the street you have a grassy knoll before the sidewalk begins, which is very narrow, and it’s dangerous,” she said. “So, I’m all for a speed table.”

Councilman David Barad cited the last year’s traffic study with 142 radar details by the police department that found no excessive speeding on Hickory Lane.

“I don’t hear any evidence that they’re speeding so I don’t see a [need for a] speed table,” he said. “I’m not worried about the cost. I’m just worried about accomplishing our goal of making it safer for people.”

After hearing Barad’s comments, Tristani said the results of the speed study were deceptive.

“The cops do a great job and when they’re there everybody slows down,” he said of the radar details. “When they’re not, the cars fly down the street.”

Councilwoman Jannie Chung suggested that sidewalks should be installed on Hickory Lane, which would be more aesthetic and practical than a speed table.

“The speed table is not going to give you a safe place above the speed table and below the speed table,” she said, while endorsing the idea of sidewalks on the thoroughfare. “I’d rather give you a solution, in the long term, and give you a better quality of life.”

Officials cautioned that more discussion is needed about what needs to be done on Hickory Lane even though funding has been earmarked for possible improvements.

“It doesn’t mean we’re going to go ahead with a speed table yet,” Mayor John Glidden said a few days after the council meeting. “We still need more discussion and more information on the speed table before we go ahead with it until everyone is comfortable that it is going to work.”

The mayor also mentioned Isaacson’s idea of making Hickory Lane a one-way street.

“It’s the first time it came up,” Glidden said. “We asked our engineer to take a look at it and the [police] chief to take a look at it to give their feedback on it. Obviously, it’s something that we should consider.”

Back in time: A tragedy in Haworth

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 21:01:36 GMT

NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 20, 2017 North edition of Northern Valley Press.

HAWORTH – This week in history: On Feb. 24, 1917, The New York Times reported a tragedy on the tracks in Haworth.

In an article titled “West Shore Train Kills Woman,” the newspaper reported the following: “The body of Alice M. Bock, 27 years old, of Meriden, Conn., was found under a West Shore Railroad train at Haworth last night. It is supposed that she tried to board the train as it stopped, slipped, and was run over. No one saw her go under the wheels. She spent the day visiting her sister, Mrs. James W. Gadley of Haworth.”

The tragedy took place 100 years ago this week.

Back in time: A snowy day in Tenafly

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 20:57:28 GMT

NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 20, 2017 South edition of Northern Valley Press.

TENAFLY – It was a messy, snowy day in Tenafly when this photo was taken back in 1920. The man with the cart is standing at the corner of Washington Street and Railroad Avenue. Notice the horse pulling a sleigh on Washington Street.

The building at the corner was constructed in 1911 and is still standing today. In 2017, this man would be at the front door of Mint boutique.

Visible above the cart is a white, rectangular sign for a Washington Street business. It reads “Bakery & Lunch Room.” This was Charlie Wenger’s bakery and luncheonette. In summer months it was a favorite ice cream spot, but at this time of year the warm baked goods were what drew customers. Today there’s a three-story brick apartment building in that spot.

Photo courtesy Images of America: Tenafly

Prosecutor: Accountant stole $160K from Harrington Park business

Wed, 22 Feb 2017 19:48:43 GMT

BY TOM CLANCEY
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 20, 2017 North edition of Northern Valley Press.

HARRINGTON PARK – An accountant and controller with an unnamed Harrington Park company is accused of diverting and stealing more than $160,000 from the business, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement.

Jennifer A. Smith, 32, of Teaneck was charged with computer related theft and theft by deception after an investigation that included county and Harrington Park police, Grewal said.

The company contacted borough police on Feb. 8 to file a complaint of embezzlement, alleging that Smith diverted and stole funds, Grewal said.

Investigators found that between Sept. 1, 2016, and Jan. 31, 2017, Smith used her role as controller, which gave her access to the company’s computerized payroll system, to disperse herself unauthorized payments in excess of $40,000, Grewal said. In January of this year, Smith diverted payments of about $120,000 to her personal bank account, Grewal said.

The charges against Smith are second degree crimes, which can include potential prison terms of 10 to 20 years. She was arrested in Paramus on Feb. 14 and is due in county court on March 1.

New parking plan enacted to solve congestion in Harrington Park

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 20:51:16 GMT

BY PAUL HUMMEL
CORRESPONDENT
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 20, 2017 North edition of Northern Valley Press.

HARRINGTON PARK – In response to numerous complaints from residents about mass vehicular congestion near the Harrington Park School at 191 Harriot Ave. on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., school officials recently implemented part of a comprehensive new plan designed to have school staff park their vehicles in certain sections of a neighboring church’s parking lot to lessen the traffic volume on the streets surrounding the school.

In addition, the school is looking forward to redesigning some of its access areas in 2018 with a state grant to further relieve traffic tie-ups near its entrance, especially when parents drop off and pick up their children in the morning and afternoon.

Prior to the implementation of the parking plan, there was serious thought on the part of the Harrington Park Mayor and Council to pass an ordinance limiting parking on streets surrounding the school to no more than two hours in order to prevent school staff from leaving their vehicles there for the entire school day.

Residents had complained that congestion was so heavy at times it would prevent access by emergency vehicles from the fire department and ambulance corps responding to calls along those thoroughfares.

Superintendent Adam Fried recently spoke about the idea of school staff parking their cars in a church lot.

“It’s all settled down and working very well at this point,” he said. “We’ve reached out to some local churches and they’ve been very agreeable and helpful and [they’ve] allowed our staff to park in portions of their parking lot and other members of our staff have found other spots throughout the community.”

Fried stated that an agreement is in place with The Community Church of Harrington Park at 1 Spring St. and he has been in contact with St. Andrew’s Church and Our Lady of Victories Church to discuss a similar plan.

“Rev. Steve Sayer [of The Community Church] has been amazing,” he said. “They’ve been very gracious and we’re blessed to have great people like that in our community.”

Still to be worked out is the cost to the school for renting out the portion of the church’s parking lot.

Fried was very enthusiastic about the second part of his parking plan in order to solve a problem that has plagued the school for over four decades. In fact, Fried says he found an engineering plan from 1973 that indicates parking was already a problem back then.

“What we’ve really done is create a long-term fix using a grant application for a state school,” Fried added.

“We’re applying not this summer but next summer for quite a substantial grant in conjunction with the municipality and it’s our hope that next summer we will be able to create a safer access to the school for everyone and have more parking available, better flow through the front of the building and a basic redesign of our western parking lot.”

Just married: Northvale’s Hogan a wedding expert in role as Bergen County clerk

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 20:45:34 GMT

BY SHANNON McLAUGHLIN
OF PASCACK PRESS

HACKENSACK – One could view John S. Hogan as a wedding expert. As Bergen County clerk, Hogan has performed hundreds of weddings since taking office more than five years ago.

In 2016 alone, 639 weddings swept through the clerk’s office. It was their busiest year to date, since Hogan decided to open up the office daily for wedding ceremonies.

Previously, Hogan said, the office was only open for weddings once a week.

On Valentine’s Day, Bergen County Clerk John Hogan helped several couples tie the knot, including bride Erhan Alansu and Zeynep Yilmaz of Cliffside Park. For Hogan, it was just another day on the job.

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, Hogan was especially busy, as the office had eight ceremonies throughout the day. But even after officiating hundreds of ceremonies, Hogan said the delight of officiating isn’t lost on him.

“It’s people’s special day, so I try to give it all I can,” he said.

That’s not to say every wedding goes as planned. According to Hogan, one couple had cancelled their wedding twice and arrived for their third appointment. However, the couple got cold feet and left the office without saying their “I Do’s.”

A distinctly memorable ceremony for Hogan was when he said he traveled to a hospital for a wedding. The elderly couple had been together for years and the groom was dying. Going against their religion, the couple wed before the husband passed.

Before serving as the county clerk, Hogan served as Northvale’s mayor for two terms. He called performing weddings “one of the highlights” of the job.

With hundreds of ceremonies under his belt, Hogan was able to tackle the bustle of Valentine’s Day. One Spanish-speaking couple was getting married, but the officiant for Spanish ceremonies was not present. Hogan worked with a bilingual member of their wedding party, who translated alongside Hogan during the ceremony.

“Bergen’s a very diverse county,” Hogan said. According to the clerk, the staff speaks a total of nine languages, so typically, wedding translation is an easily solved problem.

Luz Galo and Lucas Aguilar got married in a ceremony performed by Hogan on Valentine’s Day.

Another couple who celebrated their wedding on Valentine’s Day was Erhan Alansu and Zeynep Yilmaz of Cliffside Park. The bride and room entered the ceremony room, which was crowded with family and friends eager to take photos of the couple.

An enthusiastic Hogan led the couple through their ceremony, the young couple smiling ear to ear. It was their “special day,” as Hogan referred to it, but for him, it was just another day in the office.

Photos by Shannon McLaughlin