Editor’s note: This section is based on facts provided to Pascack Press weekly by neighborhood police departments. Due to pending court appearances and other variations, the following information should be read in “press time” context.
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PARK RIDGE
Trespassers found hiding in building — Two men, one from Park Ridge and the other from Montvale, were arrested on trespassing charges after police found them “hiding within garbage” at an abandoned building, 138 Kinderkamack Road.
The building’s property manager called police on Dec. 10 at 8:45 a.m. to complain of suspicious activity, likely trespassing, at the site.
The building was surrounded by metal fencing, boarded up, and padlocked, with the utilities turned off. Investigating police found where a board was missing from a window at the old dog grooming business, and there were footprints in the new snow.
In addition to local officers, police from Montvale and Woodcliff Lake responded.
The property owner unlocked the building and police investigated.
Noises drew them to the basement, where they found the two men hiding. No others were found in the building.
According to the police report, “There has definitely been activity in the building to include drinking,” defecation, and urination, and “clothes that appeared to have been abruptly left behind.”
The suspects were arrested, taken to headquarters, and read their Miranda rights and otherwise processed in their language, Spanish.
Summonses are answerable in Pascack Joint Municipal Court on Jan. 17, 2018.
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Tickets issued for parking illegally during concert — Police tried to make a public address to have illegally parked cars moved from the area of East Brook Elementary School but a concert in progress there made that impossible.
Prompted by a neighbor’s complaint, police wound up issuing summonses to three cars, ostensibly in the area because of the winter concert: parked in front of a driveway, parked within 50 feet of a stop sign, and no parking any time.
The police had been called to a Hall Court address to take a resident’s parking complaint Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
Though there were many places for cars to park legally in the area of Hall Court and Sibbald Drive, some did not. The officer reports he tried to reach the owners but the winter concert was in progress and he was unable to make the announcement.
When the officer told the resident the concert should be over shortly, she “became upset,” the police report notes, and said the parking issue happens whenever events are held at the school.
“It is unacceptable for people to park wherever they please,” the report quotes the resident as saying.
The complainant also said she had to move two cars out of her driveway so she could move a blocked vehicle, and was concerned for traffic safety.
The report adds, “She knows the offenders are Park Ridge residents and thinks it is not right that they do not get issued summonses even though they park where they are not permitted to do so.”
The summonses are answerable in Pascack Joint Municipal Court on Dec. 19.
Running the digger before 8 a.m. spurs complaint — The operator of an excavator doing work at the new condos told police he was unaware of an ordinance for construction work that forbids such work before 8 a.m.
A neighbor’s noise complaint said work had been commencing at 7:30 a.m. “for some time.”
The operator, the brother of the owner of the company, told police he had been starting at 7:30 a.m. for the past year and a half. He was not sure if the company had permission to start early.
Borough officials told police they never gave any permission for excavation to begin prior to 8 a.m.
The resident said he was satisfied.
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Evading police, speeding, among summonses — A Newark man ran afoul of the police in Park Ridge and Montvale in the early hours of Dec. 8, and was charged with eluding police with a motor vehicle (a crime of the third degree) and other moving violations.
The driver blew past Officer Hoffman, parked at Grand Avenue and Warren Road facing east, at 58 mph. Hoffman pursued with his emergency lights flashing.
After passing North Fifth Street Hoffman noted that his speed was approximately 84 mph and the car he was chasing, a newer white Nissan Sentra, was still opening the distance between them.
The Nissan slowed considerably approaching the bend between Lawn Street and Pascack Road, and Hoffman made out that the Nissan made a right onto Pascack without signaling. Then it began to speed away again.
Hoffman observed the Nissan make another turn without signaling, stopped to let a truck pass, and lost the Nissan after it sped down Mill Road.
“Once I got to the intersection of Grand and Kinderkamack I observed a Montvale police car traveling east on Grand Avenue near Fairview,” the report notes.
Shortly after, Hoffman heard Montvale Officer Zagaja call out a motor vehicle stop on Blue Hill Road in River Vale.
Hoffman arrived. It turned out to be the same car.
The driver did not deny that he was speeding “but stated that he did not see me and that was why he didn’t pull over. I informed [the driver] that once Officer Zagaja had completed his dealings with him that he was under arrest for eluding,” the report notes.
A check showed an outstanding traffic warrant out of Lyndhurst for $89. The driver said he could not post the bail.
His charge for eluding is answerable at Bergen County Superior Court on Dec. 18.
In addition, he has summonses for speeding, careless driving, reckless driving, failure to give proper signal, failure to pull over for emergency vehicle, failure to keep right, traffic on marked lanes, and unsafe lane change.
These summonses are answerable at Pascack Joint Municipal Court on Jan. 17, 2018.
MONTVALE
Snow plow damages property — On Sunday, Dec. 10 at 10:59 p.m., Officer John Guico responded to a property damage call on Grand Avenue West in Montvale.
Guico arrived at the scene to investigate. The resident who placed the call explained that the snow plows damaged his lawn. After further investigation, Guico observed that there was conspicuous damage done to the resident’s grass near the sidewalk in addition to his driveway.
The Department of Public Works was notified of the damage. There are consequences for violating one’s property. If someone damages your property, do not hesitate to contact your local police department.
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WESTWOOD
Driver arrested for marijuana after speeding — On Dec. 8 at 11:53 p.m., an officer on patrol was monitoring traffic on Old Hook Road and saw a green Ford traveling at an excessive rate of speed.
The officer followed the vehicle from Old Hook Road onto Broadway, and conducted a motor vehicle stop on Broadway. The officer approached the vehicle, and asked the driver for his credentials.
While speaking with the driver, a 57-year-old man from Hillsdale, the officer detected odor of marijuana in vehicle, and noticed the driver appeared nervous, was breathing heavy and sweating. Upon further investigation, the officer retrieved a metal one-hitter with what appeared to be marijuana residue from center console.
The driver was arrested, brought to police headquarters, and charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession of paraphernalia, failure to signal turn, failure to maintain lane, careless driving, possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. He was then released on his own recognizance, pending a court appearance.
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WOODCLIFF LAKE
Drug paraphernalia and a dagger found with man asleep at Acme lot — A 22-year-old South Boston, Va., man was arrested here in the early morning of Nov. 29 after police conducting store checks at the Acme found him slumped back in the rear driver’s side seat of a black Toyota Prius, all the windows rolled down.
The man was asleep. Police woke him and established that he was not having a medical emergency.
As the officer began explaining the violation of the borough’s ordinance on loitering, lounging, or sleeping in public spaces, he observed a marijuana grinder sitting in plain view on the front passenger seat.
Another officer arrived, and the occupant was escorted from the Prius.
A search turned up additional drug paraphernalia and a dagger.
The man had no identification on him. He was arrested and taken to headquarters, where it was found he had a suspended license, two active criminal warrants, and a traffic warrant.
Millburn police came to get him on the $2,500 criminal warrant at 5 a.m., and his car was impounded.
He was served with the following complaint summonses, answerable at Bergen County Superior Court: possessing a dagger and possessing drug paraphernalia.
He was also summonsed over motor vehicle violations: driving without a license, failure to possess a driver insurance card, failure to possess driver’s license or registration, driving after license/registration suspended or revoked.
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New York man arrested for DWI — Half past midnight on Dec. 3 police observed a car stopped, obstructing traffic, at the 300 Chestnut Ridge Road entrance to the BMW headquarters.
Police investigating said the driver of the car told them he was talking on his cell phone, and appeared confused.
An alcoholic beverage odor emanated from the car, and the driver admitted to having had three or four drinks in the past two hours.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” the driver, 63, from Spring Valley, N.Y. is quoted in the police report as saying. He had watery, bloodshot eyes and fumbled in his hand motions.
With another unit on the scene, police asked the driver where he was headed from. He replied “Washingtonville,” by which he meant, it turned out, the Township of Washington.
The driver was unable to complete field sobriety tests. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
At headquarters he apologized several times for his behavior and said he had at least 10 drinks.
He took breath tests here and at Park Ridge Police Headquarters, as the Woodcliff Lake machine was not working, and his blood alcohol level was found to be 0.22 percent.
He was cited for DWI and obstructing traffic. At 3 a.m. he was released to the custody of a relative.