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
Hackensack, NJ
Lifestyle
RANKINGS: Wealthiest Towns In North Jersey According To Census Data RANKINGS: Wealthiest Towns In North Jersey According To Census Data
Rankings: Wealthiest Towns In North Jersey According To Census Data The median household income in New Jersey is $76,475 -- so how do North Jersey towns factor in? According to data from the U.S. Census covering 2013 through 2017 released last month, several communities in Bergen and Passaic have some of the highest earners in the state. The median income in Bergen County was $91,572 and $63,339 in Passaic County. Median income is the amount that divides the income distribution into two equal groups: Half of the population has an income above that amount, and half are below it.  The wealthiest municipalities in Bergen County: Closter…

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by Cecilia Levine
Northern Valley, NJ
Police & Fire
INFERNO (VIDEO): Beloved Old Tappan Family With Infant Twins Displaced In Post-Christmas Fire INFERNO (VIDEO): Beloved Old Tappan Family With Infant Twins Displaced In Post-Christmas Fire
Inferno (Video): Beloved Old Tappan Family With Infant Twins Displaced In Post-Christmas Fire An Old Tappan family was displaced by an early-morning fire that destroyed their newly-renovated home the day after Christmas. Homeowner Angelo Mazza said he awoke Wednesday around 7 a.m. to the smell of smoke and quickly got his wife, sister-in-law, 1-year-old twin boys and their dog out of the house. The roof of the 2½-story Grant Avenue home collapsed during the blaze. No injuries were reported. Authorities were trying to determine the cause. All that was left.Ralph Affuso for DAILY VOICE PHOTO: Ralph Affuso for Daily Voice Mazza owns One Fitness in Northvale with Rob DeBrino. "T…

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by Cecilia Levine & Jerry DeMarco
Northern Valley, NJ
Police & Fire
Fort Lee Insurance Broker From Old Tappan Admits Role In $5.6M Health Insurance Scheme Fort Lee Insurance Broker From Old Tappan Admits Role In $5.6M Health Insurance Scheme
Fort Lee Insurance Broker From Old Tappan Admits Role In $5.6M Health Insurance Scheme A Fort Lee insurance broker who lives in Old Tappan admitted his role Friday in siphoning millions of dollars from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2326 Health Care Plan. Lawrence Ackerman, 54, conspired with the former Local 2326 president, Sergio Acosta, to defraud Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of $5.6 million by covering 700 to 800 ineligible participants through bogus – or “shell’ – companies, a federal indictment handed up last year charged. Acosta, formerly of Passaic, pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges in April. Ackerman, who acted as …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Northern Valley, NJ
Obituaries
Victoria Papalambros, 20 Of Old Tappan, Remembered For Her Smile, Compassion Victoria Papalambros, 20 Of Old Tappan, Remembered For Her Smile, Compassion
Victoria Papalambros, 20 Of Old Tappan, Remembered For Her Smile, Compassion Victoria "Vicky" Amanda Papalambros of Old Tappan died Saturday, Dec. 1. She was 20 years old. "Victoria’s smile illuminated a room. Her laugh echoed," her obituary says. "She was compassionate, loving and sympathetic to all people she encountered.  "She loved children and would take the time to play and read to them." Condolences poured in remembering Victoria for her warmth and fierce loyalty. "When life felt so wrong, you were always still right to me," her friend Stefanie wrote on her obituary.  "I will never forget how sweet and generous you were to the whole world. You wi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Pascack Valley, NJ
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Westwood Officer Fired Shot After Accused Old Tappan Burglar Refused To Drop Weapon Prosecutor: Westwood Officer Fired Shot After Accused Old Tappan Burglar Refused To Drop Weapon
Prosecutor: Westwood Officer Fired Shot After Accused Old Tappan Burglar Refused To Drop Weapon UPDATE: A Westwood police officer fired a single shot during an overnight confrontation with a man who refused to drop a weapon moments after he tried to break into an Old Tappan residence, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Monday. Dustin Van Riper, 22, fled the Old Tappan residence after borough police arrived there before dawn Friday, Calo said. Westwood police found him a short time later in a Mill Street backyard, he said. When officers from the Westwood Police Department approached Van Riper, "he disregarded their instructions to drop the weapon," the prosecutor said. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Pascack Valley, NJ
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Westwood Officer Fired Shot After Accused Old Tappan Burglar Refused To Drop Weapon Prosecutor: Westwood Officer Fired Shot After Accused Old Tappan Burglar Refused To Drop Weapon
Prosecutor: Westwood Officer Fired Shot After Accused Old Tappan Burglar Refused To Drop Weapon UPDATE: A Westwood police officer fired a single shot during an overnight confrontation with a man who refused to drop a weapon moments after he tried to break into an Old Tappan residence, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Monday. Dustin Van Riper, 22, fled the Old Tappan residence after borough police arrived there before dawn Friday, Calo said. Westwood police found him a short time later in a Mill Street backyard, he said. When officers from the Westwood Police Department approached Van Riper, "he disregarded their instructions to drop the weapon," the prosecutor said. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Hackensack, NJ
Schools
UPDATED: School Closures, Delays Friday In North Jersey UPDATED: School Closures, Delays Friday In North Jersey
Updated: School Closures, Delays Friday In North Jersey Many North Jersey districts that announced delays for Friday have since changed to closures. Here is the update as of 9:30 a.m. Be sure to check your district's website for further details. CLOSED: Bloomingdale Clifton CTC Academy (Fair Lawn/Oakland) Demarest DePaul Catholic HS Fair Lawn Fort Lee Franklin Lakes Glen Rock Hackensack Indian Hills HS Oakland Paterson Prospect Park Mahwah Midland Park Pompton Lakes Ramapo HS Ringwood River Edge Saddle River Sage Day (Mahwah/Rochelle Park) Totowa Wanaque Wayne Wyckoff DELAYED: Bergen Catholic Bergenfield Public Schools Closter Edgewater Engle…

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by Cecilia Levine
Hackensack, NJ
Schools
UPDATE: These North Jersey Schools Are Closed Friday UPDATE: These North Jersey Schools Are Closed Friday
Update: These North Jersey Schools Are Closed Friday Many districts that announced delays for Friday have since changed to closures.  CLICK HERE FOR CLOSURES. These schools will have delays: Bergen Catholic Bergenfield Public Schools Closter Edgewater Englewood Cliffs Public Schools Little Ferry Maywood Ave. Elementary, Maywood McKenzie School, East Rutherford New Milford Old Tappan Palisades Park Paramus Passaic Valley Regional Ridgefield Park Ridgefield  Ridgewood River Dell Regional River Edge  Teaneck  Tenafly

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by Cecilia Levine
Bergenfield, NJ
Schools
These North Jersey Public School Districts Have Highest Paid Teachers These North Jersey Public School Districts Have Highest Paid Teachers
These North Jersey Public School Districts Have Highest Paid Teachers New state data shows that North Jersey has some of the highest paid teachers in the state. The median salary for New Jersey teachers was $67,812 last year although teacher pay varied depending on skill set, location and experience, NJ.com says. The lowest paid teachers in the state were making less than $50,000 while the highest paid teachers were earning more than $100,000, the article says. These are the districts with the highest paid teachers in Bergen and Passaic counties named in the NJ.com article (number is median salary): 50. Ridgefield Park: $80,384 46. River Dell: $81,514 45. H…

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by Cecilia Levine
Northern Valley, NJ
Police & Fire
Old Tappan PD: Quartet Responsible For Rash Of Bergen Car Thefts Busted Old Tappan PD: Quartet Responsible For Rash Of Bergen Car Thefts Busted
Old Tappan PD: Quartet Responsible For Rash Of Bergen Car Thefts Busted Thanks to a resident’s home surveillance video, Old Tappan police helped nab a Newark quartet who they said committed a rash of vehicle thefts in Bergen County and other areas of New Jersey over the past several months. Old Tappan Detective Robert Wacht and Officer Eugene Wilkins joined members of the State Police Auto Theft Task Force Interstate Theft North Unit for a series of early morning raids in Newark on Aug. 1, Police Chief Thomas Shine said Wednesday. The quartet they arrested are part of a six-member crew “responsible for the thefts of expensive vehicles in affluent communities th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Hackensack, NJ
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Bond Gang Successor Tampers With Witness In Domestic Violence Case Prosecutor: Bond Gang Successor Tampers With Witness In Domestic Violence Case
Prosecutor: Bond Gang Successor Tampers With Witness In Domestic Violence Case One of the last successors of the infamous James Bond Gang burglary crew was charged with witness tampering after he tried to get a woman to drop domestic violence charges, authorities said. Aasim Boone, 35, had only just been released from state prison this past March after serving four years for an Old Tappan home break-in. He's been in the Bergen County Jail since July 16, when he was arrested and charged with breaking into homes in Englewood, Hackensack, Oradell, Paramus, Teaneck and Tenafly with three accomplices. "Shortly thereafter, an investigation ensued into Boone and his co…

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by Jerry DeMarco