This section is based on data provided to Pascack Press weekly by neighborhood police departments. Due to pending court appearances and other variations, the following information shall be read in ‘press time’ context.
MONTVALE
Driver fled with gas attendant’s money––On Aug. 20 at 3:50 a.m., Officer Chris Hawken and Detective Andrew Fedick responded to On The Run on Chestnut Ridge Road for a report of a theft. Once on the scene, a gas attendant explained that a black vehicle with a Massachusetts registration pulled up to the gas pump and asked for a fill up. After $1.31, the car was full. The driver, a young [redacted] paid [redacted] in coins and than asked the attendant if he could make change for $100 for smaller bills. The attendant told the driver he did not have that much money to make change. The driver than asked if the attendant could make change of $40, two $20 bills. The attendant told the driver to go inside to the store for change. The driver stated that he was in a rush. The attendant agreed to make change. The driver extended his hand asking for the change, and the attendant handed the driver $40 (two $10 bills, two $5 bills, and 10 $1 bills). When the attendant asked for the two $20 bills, the driver took off and fled north on Chestnut Ridge Road. Fedick told complainant he would follow up with the owner of On The Run and obtain video footage of the incident to get the license plate number.
Driver – license plate obscured, nervous – had marijuana––On Aug. 16 at 11:20 a.m., Officer Ten Broeck was driving through the Exxon gas station on Chestnut Ridge Road and noticed a gray Acura RSX drive into the lot. The vehicle drove straight into the parking lot of the Tigermarket store on the property. As Ten Broeck was passing the Acura in its parking spot, he observed that it had a large bracket covering its rear license plate, partially obstructing the plate. Ten Broeck turned left to driver around the back of the building, at which point he saw the driver look up at my patrol car and appear to be startled. As he drove around the building, about 10-20 seconds, he observed the Acura had already left the parking space and was now crossing Summit Avenue into the Getty gas station. Ten Broeck drove into the gas station and pulled up next to the vehicle on its passenger side. He exited his vehicle and knocked on the passenger window, at which point he spoke to the driver. Upon informing him of the license plate violation, he immediately smelled marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Sgt. McNeice was requested to respond. The driver was asked to exit the vehicle once McNeice arrived. Outside of the vehicle, Ten Broeck observed that the driver clearly smelled of marijuana. Based on the odor, Ten Broeck searched the driver’s pockets, recovering a clear plastic bag containing raw marijuana in his left pocket. He was placed under arrest, handcuffed behind his back and Mirandized. His vehicle was then search, and a packet of rolling papers was recovered from the driver’s side door panel. The car was secured and the driver was taken to headquarters, fingerprinted, photographed and served with complaints before being released and getting a courtesy transport back to his vehicle. He’s charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle and unclear license plate.
PARK RIDGE
Underage males drunk in parking lot––On Aug. 22, Sgt. James Babcock was in the Montvale 7-Eleven parking lot when he saw a Coors Light can fall out the door of a parked gray Toyota that was also parked in the 7-Eleven lot. The beer can rolled to a back wheel of the car, and two male passengers got out to retrieve it. Babcock noted that one of the young males looked unsteady on his feet. The males were going to get the can, when they noticed Babcock and stopped. Babcock drove up to them, and told the boys that they had dropped something, so they retrieved the can. Babcock also noticed an assortment of beer cans in the back seat of the car. Babcock contacted the Montvale Police Department, and two officers arrived. All of the car’s occupants were underage, and one was a minor. The beer was found to belong to a passenger of the car, who was intoxicated. Two other occupants of the vehicle were believed to be intoxicated, but the driver of the vehicle did not consume any alcohol. The minor was turned over to his mother by Montvale Police. The two intoxicated passengers were driven home by police. The owner of the beer was given a summons for underage possession of alcohol.
Driver arrested for $750 in warrants––On Aug. 17 at 11:20 p.m., Police Officer Gerald Powers was traveling east on Park Avenue when he conducted a random plate check on a gray Mitsubishi with New Jersey registration. The plate check revealed a suspended registration. Powers initiated a stop on Prospect Avenue in front of Wooddale Park. During the stop, the driver, a 44-year-old male from Westwood, provided his license, insurance and registration. Powers ran the documents and received an InfoCop Alert for a suspended registration and license due to two warrants out of Westwood totaling $750. After backup arrived, the driver said he didn’t have the money to post for the warrants. The vehicle was towed, and Powers brought the driver to headquarters to let Westwood Police take over. Powers told the driver how to get his car released from tow, and Westwood Police took custody of the individual. On Aug. 21, the driver returned for the vehicle and after it was confirmed that his registration was valid, the car was released.
Building fire displaces residents to hotel––On Aug. 18 at 8:31 p.m., Sgt. John Szot responded to an activated fire alarm. The caller claimed to smell a burning odor. Upon arrival, Szot said the Park Ridge fire chief confirmed that it was a working fire. Szot saw smoke emanating from the roof of the building, and flames exiting from a building window. Szot requested backup from Park Ridge and Montvale. The officers went door-to-door evacuating residents from the building. The fire was determined to have originated from an apartment, the resident of which was not home at the time. The Park Ridge Fire Department requested the Arson Task Force to investigate. The Red Cross assisted in getting building residents in the Park Ridge Marriott, as the power for the building would be down for at least three days and residents who have to be relocated. The Park Ridge building inspector deemed the building uninhabitable. A Montvale fireman suffered heat exhaustion, and was transported to Valley Hospital. Police officers and firefighters helped building residents get items from their apartments when it was safe, and were brought to the hotel. Szot later went to the Marriott to speak with the receptionist and was assured that all went smoothly.
Westwood
All four vehicle occupants arrested after illegal U-turn ––On Aug. 19 at 2:50 a.m., an officer on patrol observed a black BMW stopped at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Broadway. The signal turned green and the vehicle at first did not move, then it made an improper U-turn and proceeded west on Washington Avenue. The officer initiated a motor vehicle stop near Third Avenue and approached the vehicle. The officer spoke to the female driver – a 22-year-old from Upper Saddle River – and requested her driving credentials. While speaking with the driver, the officer was able to detect the odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the vehicle. The officer also observed the driver’s eyes to be bloodshot and watery. There were three additional passengers in the vehicle. The officer requested backup, and the driver was asked to step out of the car to perform some standard field sobriety tests, which she failed to complete in a satisfactory manner. She was placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated. All the passengers were then asked to exit the vehicle. Officers were able to discover a plastic container inside the car with a white powdery substance in it believed to be cocaine. While speaking with the passengers, the two men displayed symptoms of being under the influence. The men, one 22 and one 23, both from Paramus, had dilated pupils and they also had white powder inside their nasal cavities. They were placed under arrest for being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance. While speaking to the female passenger, a 23 year old from Palisades Park, officers observed that she appeared nervous and was repeatedly glancing behind her at the curb. Officers looked on the curb and found a small black plastic container with green vegetative substance believed to be marijuana. All of the parties were placed under arrest and brought back to police headquarters. The car was impounded. The driver was given the Alco-test and both came back at 0.07 blood alcohol content, below the 0.08 threshold. Because no one would take ownership of the suspected cocaine, all four were charged with possession of cocaine. The driver was also charged with being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated in a school zone, possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle, careless driving and improper U-turn. The female passenger was charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana, being under the influence of being of a controlled dangerous substance, and hindering apprehension. Both male passengers were charged with being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of cocaine. They were all released to responsible parties, pending future court appearances.
WOODCLIFF LAKE
Driver, not wearing seat belt, arrested for marijuana––On Aug. 12, a Woodcliff Lake sergeant was driving east on Glen Road when he saw a driver in a gray van traveling in the other direction with no seat belt. The sergeant made a U-turn and began following the driver. The sergeant also observed that the van had a broken front windshield. At this time, the sergeant activated his lights and made a motor vehicle stop on Chestnut Ridge Road. As the sergeant asked the driver, a 28-year-old male from Paterson, for his motor vehicle credentials, the sergeant detected the odor of raw marijuana emanating from the van. The driver could not produce his registration or insurance, and the sergeant informed him of the smell. He asked the driver if there was more marijuana in the car. The man turned over a Mango cigar blunt wrapper containing a plastic bag, with what the sergeant believed to be marijuana inside. Backup arrived and a search was conducted. The driver was transported to police headquarters and charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to wear a seat belt, improper safety glass and possession of controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. He was given a courtesy ride back to his vehicle and released, pending a future day in court.