Aftermath OF IDA: Passaic Passenger, 70, Drowns In Floodwaters, North Jersey Begins Cleanup
A 70-year-old passenger drowned in the overflowed Passaic River, despite furious efforts to save him, authorities said, as North Jersey took stock Thursday of the damage from Tropical Storm Ida.
Firefighters and police rescued other members of his victim’s family, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said, as the region surveyed the aftermath in the sun-drenched light of day.
“I believe just like every other municipality in the state as a whole and the tri-state area, we were caught by surprise,” Lora said. “No one could have predicted the storm would have taken such a turn for the worst.”
Th…
SWAT: Armed Ridgefield Park Man, 58, Takes Own Life
A distraught Ridgefield Park man shot himself dead after barricading himself in his home Thursday night, authorities confirmed.
Scott DeGraw, 58, had recently lost a close friend and was “going through a tough situation,” one responder said.
A woman sustained minor injuries after trying to take a knife from him when police were called around 7:30 p.m., he said.
The area around the Main Street home near Grand Avenue was cordoned off and a SWAT team responded, along with borough, Bogota, Little Ferry and Ridgefield police, Lt. Arthur Jensen said.
Everyone else got out of the home safely.
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