Englewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Uber Driver Sexually Assaulted Female Fare In Alpine, Authorities Charge Uber Driver Sexually Assaulted Female Fare In Alpine, Authorities Charge
Uber Driver Sexually Assaulted Female Fare In Alpine, Authorities Charge Authorities armed with lab results arrested an Uber driver from Brooklyn who they said sexually assaulted a female fare in Alpine last year. Dearan Bennett, 36, remained held in the Bergen County Jail following his arrest Tuesday on sexual assault charges, records show. Alpine police responded to a 911 call of the assault last June 1, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Wednesday. Detectives from Calo’s Special Victims Unit and the Alpine Police Department investigated, leading to Bennett’s arrest. A judge on Wednesday ordered that Bennett remain held pending a detention hear…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Cresskill-Closter, NJ
Police & Fire
11 Hospitalized, Several Serious, After Van Slams Head-On Into Tree Near NJ/Rockland Border 11 Hospitalized, Several Serious, After Van Slams Head-On Into Tree Near NJ/Rockland Border
11 Hospitalized, Several Serious, After Van Slams Head-On Into Tree Near NJ/Rockland Border Several people were seriously injured when a passenger van headed toward Rockland County slammed head-on into a tree on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Alpine before dawn Sunday, sending 11 victims in all to the hospital, responders said. None of the injuries appeared life-threatening, however, PIP Police Officer-In-Charge Lt. Jock Watkins Jr. said. The 14-passenger Ford E350 passenger van was carrying a group of Hasidic adults and children when the veered off the roadway and hit the 24-inch tree dead center around 2:45 a.m. near Exit 3 of the northbound highway. Occupants told po…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Englewood, NJ
Real Estate
PHOTOS: Russian Hockey Star Lists Alpine Mansion For $18M PHOTOS: Russian Hockey Star Lists Alpine Mansion For $18M
Photos: Russian Hockey Star Lists Alpine Mansion For $18M A Russian hockey star who once played for the NJ Devils has listed his Alpine dream home for for a whopping $17.99 million, the real estate company announced. Ilya Kovalchuk bought the 2-acre lot on Frick Drive in 2010 for $4.5 million, property records show. He constructed his mansion on the property -- but left the NHL in 2013 and returned to Russia with his wife Nicole Andrazajtis.  Kovalchuk has returned to the U.S. playing for the LA Kings. The house is the last to go. From the outside, the 22,000-square-foot estate looks like something out of a fairytale.  Ilya KovalchukSIGNATUR…

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by Cecilia Levine
Hackensack, NJ
Real Estate
Luxury Listings: These Are The Priciest Homes On The Market In Bergen County Luxury Listings: These Are The Priciest Homes On The Market In Bergen County
Luxury Listings: These Are The Priciest Homes On The Market In Bergen County Got $30 million bucks lying around? If so, there are several Bergen County homes in your budget. Of the more than 850 local listings on Zillow, the most expensive are in Mahwah, Alpine and Saddle River. Here are the five priciest. 5. Mahwah, Farmstead Road: $16.74 million. Features: Views of Ramapo Mountains, hand-painted dome ceilings, two-story great room that opens to gourmet kitchen MahwahNJMLS MahwahNJMLS 4. Saddle River, Fox Hedge Road: $16.95 million. Features: Formerly owned by Russel Simmons, custom-built smart house, new slate roof, sauna/gym/pool. Saddle RiverNJMLS …

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by Cecilia Levine
Hackensack, NJ
Lifestyle
RANKING: Residential Property Tax Bills Spiked Highest In These North Jersey Towns RANKING: Residential Property Tax Bills Spiked Highest In These North Jersey Towns
Ranking: Residential Property Tax Bills Spiked Highest In These North Jersey Towns Residential property tax bills spiked across New Jersey -- again. A new report by NJ 101.5 found that the median residential tax increase among 565 municipalities in 2018 was 1.9 percent -- down from a 2.1 percent increase in 2017. Only three towns across Bergen and Passaic counties saw decreases in residential property taxes: East Rutherford, Alpine and West Milford. These area towns saw the highest residential property tax increase last year, according to the NJ101.5 report. Englewood Cliffs: $13,619: 5.98 percent increase Paterson: $8,088: 5.07 percent increase Rockleigh: $14,953…

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by Cecilia Levine
Northern Valley, NJ
Police & Fire
Missing Rockland Hikers Found, Firefighter Treated Missing Rockland Hikers Found, Firefighter Treated
Missing Rockland Hikers Found, Firefighter Treated A firefighter had to be treated for an undetermined injury after rescuers found four Rockland County hikers who’d become lost in the woods late Saturday night after crossing into New Jersey, responders said. One of the missing hikers was found near the Boy Scout camp in Alpine after they became lost in the Alpine-Rockleigh area, they said. Firefighters from Closter, Harrington Park, Old Tappan, Norwood and Northvale joined their colleagues from Orangetown in the search. The injured firefighter was taken to HUMC Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Pascack Valley, NJ
Police & Fire
Unlocked Vehicles Continue To Be Burglarized Or Stolen In Pascack Valley Unlocked Vehicles Continue To Be Burglarized Or Stolen In Pascack Valley
Unlocked Vehicles Continue To Be Burglarized Or Stolen In Pascack Valley Car burglaries and thefts continued to increase at a dizzying rate in Pascack Valley over the weekend. Several cars were ransacked on Ackerman Avenue, Repetti Street and Dogwood Road in Westwood, authorities said. Meanwhile, a 2018 Dodge Durango with Rhode Island license plates was stolen out of Emerson and late tracked on GPS to Newark. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification collected evidence. Meanwhile, police once again urged motorists to lock their cars and take their key fobs – and either remove all valuables or hide them. No windows are broken or locks jimmi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Englewood, NJ
Real Estate
Historic Alpine Church Designed By Metropolitan Opera House Architect Hits Market At $3.45M Historic Alpine Church Designed By Metropolitan Opera House Architect Hits Market At $3.45M
Historic Alpine Church Designed By Metropolitan Opera House Architect Hits Market At $3.45M Alpine's historic community church is on the market for $3.45 million. According to Zillow, two lots on Closter Dock and Old Dock roads totaling 3.19 acres are for sale: the 20,000-square-foot church and a two-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot home. The church had been on Zillow for 11 days as of Wednesday afternoon.  Founded in the 1840s, the church was designed by the same architect of the Metropolitan Opera House, J.C. Cady.  "Cady donated his time to the church after being drawn there while designing a home for Mr. and Mrs. Charles Nordhoff in 1865," the church website s…

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by Cecilia Levine
Hackensack, NJ
Lifestyle
REPORT: 2 North Jersey Zip Codes Among Most Expensive In America REPORT: 2 North Jersey Zip Codes Among Most Expensive In America
Report: 2 North Jersey Zip Codes Among Most Expensive In America Property Shark has released its annual report of the 100 priciest zip codes in the U.S. -- among them two in North Jersey. The website crunches numbers based on actual closed sale prices, and not asking prices to figure out which residential areas are the most exclusive in the country. "We consider this methodology to be the most accurate benchmark of the country’s most expensive areas, as it allows us to precisely rank highly competitive markets where bidding wars push the sale price far above the initial asking price," the site says. "At the same time, it also means that ultra-luxury lis…

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by Cecilia Levine
White Plains, NY
Politics
Ocasio-Cortez 'Medicare For All' Plan Anti-Senior, Anti-Choice, Says Kellyanne Conway Ocasio-Cortez 'Medicare For All' Plan Anti-Senior, Anti-Choice, Says Kellyanne Conway
Ocasio-Cortez 'Medicare For All' Plan Anti-Senior, Anti-Choice, Says Kellyanne Conway White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway recently slammed Democratic congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over her calls for “Medicare for all,” telling senior citizens not to be fooled by the health care dream. Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old graduate of Yorktown High School, was elected as the youngest-ever female member of Congress on Nov. 6. “Seniors don’t be fooled, it is anti-senior, anti-choice,” Conway said during a recent appearance on Fox and Friends. “You'll lose your doctor, it'll destroy Medicare Advantage, and I know Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez couldn't say what it would cost…

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by Jon Craig
Hackensack, NJ
Lifestyle
Bourdain, Donovan Among North Jersey Residents Nominated For NJ Hall Of Fame Bourdain, Donovan Among North Jersey Residents Nominated For NJ Hall Of Fame
Bourdain, Donovan Among North Jersey Residents Nominated For NJ Hall Of Fame Chris Rock, Anthony Bourdain and Anne Donovan are among the many North Jersey natives nominated for the New Jersey Hall of Fame's 11th class. The organization announced its list of 50 nominees Friday. Inductees will be announced in January 2019. The five categories are Arts & Letters, Enterprise, Performing Arts, Public Service and Sports. Here are the nominees from Bergen and Passaic counties: Stephen Crane, of Paterson (novelist) Joyce Kilmer, of Mahwah (poet/writer) Anne Morrow Lindbergh, of Englewood (author/aviator) Anthony Bourdain, of Leonia and Dwight-Englewood grad …

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by Cecilia Levine
Englewood, NJ
News
Diddy's Ex, Formerly Of Alpine, Dies At 47 Diddy's Ex, Formerly Of Alpine, Dies At 47
Diddy's Ex, Formerly Of Alpine, Dies At 47 Kimberly Porter -- the ex-girlfriend of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, who once bought her a mansion in Alpine – was found dead Thursday of what responders said appeared to be a heart attack in her Los Angeles-area home. The 47-year-old model and actress reportedly exhibited flu-like symptoms, and possibly suffered from pneumonia, for several weeks. The couple have three children together -- Christian, D’Lila Star and Jesse James Combs. They dated on and off for 13 years, finally calling it quits in 2007, but reportedly remained amicable, according to entertainment industry reports. Three yea…

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by Jerry DeMarco