Monday, May 20, 2013
The checkpoint was set up on a busy township roadway late Friday night, police said.
Ten local drivers were charged with DWI and drug possession charges during a four-hour DWI checkpoint set up on Franklin Turnpike Friday night into Saturday morning, police announced over the weekend. During the checkpoint, a driver from Wanaque, two from Suffern, and one from Ramsey were charged with DWIs, police said. In addition, an 18-year-old Mahwah woman was charged with underage alcohol and drug paraphernalia possession, a 19-year-old and a minor were charged with underage consumption of alcohol, and three drivers – from Montague, and Nyack and Suffern, NY – were arrested on marijuana possession charges, police said. According to Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli, the results of the “detail sadly demonstrate that intoxicated drivers …
Proceeds from the annual raffle, which boasts a one in 699 chance of winning, will benefit MMA programs.
If you’re still feeling bummed about missing the Powerball jackpot, a raffle in Mahwah with much better odds of winning might ease the blow. A brand new 2013 Audi Q5 is up for grabs, and Mahwah residents have a one in 699 chance of winning it in this year’s Mahwah Municipal Alliance car raffle. The annual raffle raises money for the MMA and its programming. The non-profit organization is made up of volunteer police officers, business owners, and community members, and runs programming for students in the township, like DARE, the Junior Police Academy, and the Youth Leadership Academy. The MMA also runs special programming throughout the year, like parents seminars on drugs, teen drinking, cyberbullying, and more. In order to support its …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 34, charged with killing Joseph Galfy of Clark.
Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, dubbed "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker," was arrested Thursday evening at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Philadelphia by members of the Philadelphia Police Department, Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said. McGillvary has been charged with the murder of Joseph Galfy, Jr., 73, which allegedly occurred in Clark on May 12. McGillvary will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days. His bail was previously set at $3 million, and he will be lodged in the Union County Jail in Elizabeth, Romankow said. "I am grateful for the overwhelming response and dedicated effort by the public and law enforcement that led to this arrest," Romankow said. "I believe that everyone is a …
This take-back has yielded more than any before it, Mahwah police say.
During a four-hour period one Saturday morning in April, Mahwah police officers say dozens of area residents went to the police station to turn in old prescriptions and unused medications. According to the MPD, this spring’s “Operation Take-Back” netted 70 pounds of prescription drugs. The Operation, part of a national effort orchestrated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, asks residents to drop off unused prescription pills, no questions asked. “We filled four garbage bags with the pills we collected,” Police Chief Jim Batelli said. “It’s good, we encourage people to drop off the pills. Though there is nothing illegal about these drugs, the amount we collect shows the availability of these drugs. Turning them in gets rid of the …
The 2010 killings of two women, in Teaneck and Palisades Park, remain unsolved. Authorities have not said the two deaths are connected.
The family of a 69-year-old Palisades Park woman found stabbed to death in her burning home has offered a $25,000 reward to help solve the more than three year old slaying, authorities said this week. Emergency crews found Dolores Alliotts dead after they responded to a fire at her home early April 28, 2010, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. Investigators determined the house was set ablaze to cover up the killing. "Detectives believe, based on available statistics and evidence, that the killer may have had some prior interaction with Alliotts," Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said in a statement. "This may have been a brief interaction that would not normally raise suspicion, such as a deliveryman, maintenance personnel, …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Police found a homeless man from Hackensack hiding underneath a bed in a Mahwah home Wednesday morning, authorities said.
An astute neighbor may have prevented what cops are calling a would-be burglary near Franklin Turnpike Wednesday morning. A Winter Terrace resident called police Wednesday morning to report a suspicious person wandering around the neighborhood and snapped a photo of the man on her smart phone, according to police. Responding officers used the photo while searching the neighborhood for the man, Police Chief Jim Batelli said. Police eventually located Joseph Lisanti, a 27-year-old homeless man, hiding under the bed of a second floor bedroom in a nearby Winter Terrace home that had an unlocked back door, Batelli said. According to cops, Lisanti, who is living in a homeless shelter in Hackensack, took a train from Hackensack to Mahwah …
Registration for a seminar Thursday is now open.
Local high schoolers can get an introduction to self-defense from some area experts at a clinic happening in Mahwah this week. The Bergen County Police Department announced Tuesday it is offering a Personal Safety Training seminar for teens this week. The course will have two parts, a lecture, and a hands-on demonstration from Bergen County Police Officers who are certified in martial arts. The class, the BCPO release said, is meant to “empower high school students by building their knowledge, awareness and confidence. The “safeguards” and tips conveyed during this class will give students the tools to protect themselves and make informed decisions.” The class will be offered at two locations: Required permission slips are available at …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reducing the limit. Some say it would save lives. Others say it's unreasonable.
One drink could be the standard for drunken driving – at least for some people if the National Transportation Safety Board has its way. On Tuesday, the NTSB recommended states lower the blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. What do you think? Is this a reasonable proposal? According to a 2011 Mothers Against Drunk Driving report, the latest available data shows New Jersey ranked 31st out of 51 states (including the District of Columbia) in drunken driving injuries and deaths. That year, there were 193 DUI fatalities, MADD said. About 10,000 deaths nationwide a year are related to drunken driving. The NTSB says the lower limit would save 500 to 800 lives a year. Officials at the American …
Monday, May 6, 2013
Truck that sparked a 1,000-square foot brush fire had been abandoned in the woods for about two months, police say
The Mahwah Police Department is continuing to investigate how and why a Ford truck that sparked a 1,000-square foot brush fire this weekend was left deep in a wooded area off of Route 202, police said Monday afternoon. The truck “had been abandoned there for approximately two months, but never reported to our agency,” Police Chief Jim Batelli said Monday. Police learned the truck’s timeline after interviewing witnesses who walk through the wooded area, Batelli said. Police are currently trying to locate the owner using the truck’s Vehicle Identification Number, Batelli said. According to authorities, the truck caught on fire Friday night for unknown reasons. The blaze spread to the nearby wooded area, and took crews from the New Jersey …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The hard-to-reach fire in the woods took crews over five hours to fight, authorities said
The Mahwah Fire Department and crews from several surrounding towns spent over five hours Friday night fighting a truck fire that spread to a wooded area between Stag Hill and the boy scout camp off Route 202, fire officials said over the weekend. According to Fire Chief Ed Garza, a truck that had likely gone off-roading and was left in the “middle of the two mountains,” started burning Friday night sometime before 5 p.m. Neighbors in the area and workers currently working on the Tennessee Gas Pipeline expansion project in the area reported smoke, but because of the location of the fire, it took firefighters about half an hour to find, and get to, the fire, he said. “It was pretty bad, difficult to get to,” Garza said. Firefighters and …
Jessica Mazzola
12:05 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
Hey Amanda -- You can go to www.mahwahalliance.org, and click on "Car Raffle tickets on sale now, click here to order." I added the link to the article, too. Thanks! more ›