Tuesday, May 21, 2013
New York man stole a housekeeping master key and broke into several rooms at the hotel, according to Mahwah Police.
A Hillburn, NY, man was arrested late last week after Mahwah Police said he stole a hotel master key and broke into a number of rooms at a borough Super 8 Hotel. A guest staying at the hotel reported to police that someone had broken into his second floor room while he was away Saturday, according to police. “When he returned to his room shortly after 7 p.m. he noticed that his suitcases were unzipped” and someone had rifled through other personal items and dressers in the room, according to Police Chief James Batelli. The guest determined that someone had stolen two watches from his room, cops said. During their subsequent investigation police found another second floor resident who had a run in with someone trying to enter his room …
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 …
Friday, May 17, 2013
Through a joint statement, the mayor and council said Thursday ‘misunderstandings’ led to an approval that increased police overtime spending last year, and promised to work together more effectively in the future to avoid such misunderstandings.
Mahwah township officials have dropped a potential investigation into the approval increased police overtime last year, citing “multiple misunderstandings,” that led to the increase. Last month, the township council formed an ad hoc committee to investigate whether or not it would be feasible to fund an investigation to determine who approved a policy that allowed police officers to attend Tuesday night court proceedings in the township. The policy change led to an increase in police overtime spending, but the township prosecutor, police chief, and mayor all declined authorizing the new policy. At Thursday night’s council meeting, the council discussed the results of the ad hoc committee’s findings in closed session before reading a …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
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 …
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 …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Six people allegedly found in possession of various drugs including heroin, ecstasy and prescription drugs were arrested on new charges during the sweep, police said
Two dozen people were arrested in a large-scale warrant sweep targeting locals who either failed to appear in municipal court or did not pay outstanding fines, Mahwah police said Tuesday. In the course of the sweep, conducted over the weekend, six people were arrested on new narcotics charges and 38 outstanding warrants were cleared, police said. According to police, the warrants served also netted $13,344 in outstanding bail. “These outstanding warrants underscore the number of individuals who are arrested in our jurisdiction who either fail to appear in court when directed or fail to make partial payments of fines,” Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli said Tuesday. “In many cases these individuals had moved to other areas or lived transient…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Police used DNA swabbed from bottles of iced tea left in burglarized cars to identify a Mahwah man they said stole thousands of dollars from the parked cars last year
A DNA test has led to the arrest of a 21-year-old Mahwah man who allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of cash and merchandise from several cars parked around residential neighborhoods in the Cragmere section of Mahwah last Spring, police said Thursday. Last May, police investigated the reported burglaries of cash, GPS devices, purses, jewelry, wallets, sunglasses, phone charges, credit cards and drivers licenses from cars parked near Cragmere homes, Police Chief Jim Batelli said Thursday. The cars were parked both in the streets outside the homes and in driveways, and were likely left unlocked, police said. In two of the burglarized cars, police recovered glass bottles of iced tea that the car owners said did not belong to them, …
Event Saturday is part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
A federal drug take-back program that has yielded significant collections of unwanted medications in the township before is happening again this Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., locals can drop off “potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs” at the Mahwah Police Station as part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Saturday marks the fourth time Mahwah has participated in the take-back. According to Police Chief Jim Batelli, each time the PD participates, “the amount of prescription drugs turned in increases.” According to the DEA, the Take-Back Day last September collected 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 participating stations across the country. The agency’s …
Monday, April 22, 2013
One adult from NY and three teens from Mahwah will be charged as a result of the incident, police said.
Three Mahwah teenagers and an 18-year-old from New York were arrested in Mahwah after they allegedly broke into an empty condominium with marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and led cops on a foot chase through several township backyards Friday evening, police said Monday. According to Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli, Mahwah Officers William Hunt and David Vega responded to a vacant condo unit on Thoreau Court after neighbors reported possible drug use and smells coming from one of the units. According to police, the five teenagers in the unit fled when cops knocked on the door, and ran through nearby backyards, prompting 911 calls from several local residents. Mahwah cops called for backup from Bergen County and Ramsey police. After a foot …
Friday, April 19, 2013
The mayor and members of the township council exchanged emotional statements Thursday night after the council moved to formally investigate a question surrounding police overtime expenditures in 2012
Local politicians’ emotions were on high Thursday night as council members made moves to start a formal investigation to try to determine who approved a police overtime policy change that cost Mahwah $500K last year. At recent council meetings, members have questioned who approved a policy change in January 2012 that required police officers to attend court proceedings on Tuesday nights for the tickets they write out. At past meetings, Police Chief Jim Batelli, Municipal Prosecutor Dennis Harraka, and Mayor Bill Laforet all denied approving the policy switch. The questioning was prompted by an increase in police overtime costs in 2012. According to township officials, OT in 2011 cost the township $327,000, and $514,000 in 2012. After …
Leaking Ink
5:01 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
So how come the Super 8 was so negligent in making sure the master housekeeping key was secure? If maintenance saw the guest trying to get into someone else's room, why didn't that maintenance person immediately notify Super 8 administration instead of waiting to police to question them before saying anything? The motels in Mahwah appear to be going downhill fast, and the mall isn't even here yet… more ›