Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes, NJ
Obituaries
North Jersey Dad Who Died After Three-Week Cancer Fight Lived 'Rags To Riches' Tale North Jersey Dad Who Died After Three-Week Cancer Fight Lived 'Rags To Riches' Tale
North Jersey Dad Who Died After Three-Week Cancer Fight Lived 'Rags To Riches' Tale North Jersey father and businessman Talath Witharane died after a three-week battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, according to his obituary. He was 50 years old. Witharane, of Franklin Lakes, met his wife, Erin, 21 years ago on a blind date, and together they raised their two children Evyn, 15, and Harry, 12. According to his obituary, Witharane "led the quintessential American rags to riches story." He was born in Sri Lanka and later worked his way up from a Taco Bell employee to president of RK Environmental, a food safety company with more than 200 employees.  "One of t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Hackensack, NJ
News
Late-Night Hackensack Taco Bell Fire Doused Late-Night Hackensack Taco Bell Fire Doused
Late-Night Hackensack Taco Bell Fire Doused Hackensack firefighters doused a late-night blaze at a local Taco Bell. Companies opened an exterior wall and section of roof to extinguish the cockloft flames at the South River Street eatery shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday. They had the fire under control within 45 minutes. No injuries were reported. Hackensack firefighters had the blaze under control within 45 minutes.Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE The cause was being investigated. Mutual aid responders included firefighters from Englewood, Teaneck and Bogota. No injuries were reported in the Taco Bell fire on South River Street…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Poughkeepsie, NY
Business
Taco Bell Holds Grand Opening For New Hudson Valley Location Taco Bell Holds Grand Opening For New Hudson Valley Location
Taco Bell Holds Grand Opening For New Hudson Valley Location A brand-new Taco Bell location is serving customers in the Hudson Valley. Taco Bell hosted its grand opening ceremony for its new Dutchess County restaurant located in Poughkeepsie on Route 9, according to an announcement from representatives on Wednesday, June 29. Representatives said the eatery had a private ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, June 14, with attendees including Town of Poughkeepsie Supervisor Jon Jay Baisley and 6th Ward Councilperson Ann Shershin. The restaurant officially opened in April, and has seating for about 50 customers, along with a drive-thru. “Taco Bell is thrill…

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by Nicole Valinote
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Trio Sought In Lower Merion Armed Robbery Trio Sought In Lower Merion Armed Robbery
Trio Sought In Lower Merion Armed Robbery Police in Montgomery County are seeking the public's help in identifying a trio wanted in connection with an armed robbery. A man walked into a Taco Bell on West City Avenue in Bala Cynwyd and pretended to be a paying customer before signaling to two other men brandishing firearms around 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, Lower Merion police said. The trio was only able to run off with money from cash register after the employee told them that they didn't have access to the safe, police said. At one point, one of the masked men allegedly fired his gun at the ceiling. The men fled in…

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by Nicole Acosta
Mechanicsville, MD
Police & Fire
Woman Run Over, Killed By Her Own SUV Outside Maryland Taco Bell: Police Woman Run Over, Killed By Her Own SUV Outside Maryland Taco Bell: Police
Woman Run Over, Killed By Her Own SUV Outside Maryland Taco Bell: Police An 81-year-old woman was killed after accidentally being run over by her own SUV in St. Mary’s County, officials announced. Mechanicsville's Doris Marita Thompson was parked in front of Taco Bell on Triangle in Charlotte Hall when she got out of her 2013 Ford Escape, which began rolling backwards across the parking lot around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 6, officials in St. Mary's County said. She was run over and pronounced dead at the scene, according to Jason Babcock, the Public Information Officer for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff's Department. Operator error appears to be the c…

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by Zak Failla
Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
Woman Wanted After Stealing iPhone From East Meadow Taco Bell Counter Woman Wanted After Stealing iPhone From East Meadow Taco Bell Counter
Woman Wanted After Stealing iPhone From East Meadow Taco Bell Counter Recognize her? An alert was issued by law enforcement agencies on Long Island as they attempt to identify and locate a sticky-fingered suspect who was caught on camera stealing an iPhone that was left behind at an area Taco Bell counter. In East Meadow, Nassau County police detectives released a video and photos of a woman who is wanted after stealing from the Hempstead Turnpike fast food restaurant at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22. Police said that the woman approached the front counter, and the investigation determined that she proceeded to remove an iPhone from the count…

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by Zak Failla
West Milford, NJ
Real Estate
North Jersey Stop & Shop Shutters North Jersey Stop & Shop Shutters
North Jersey Stop & Shop Shutters A longtime North Jersey Stop & Shop store has shuttered, NorthJersey.com reports. The "difficult" decision to close the Route 17 store in Paramus was made from a financial perspective after a review of store performance, a Stop & Shop communications manager told the news outlet. The store was an Acme in the 1980s and a Grand Union in the 1990s, before Stop & Shop took over in the early 2000s, according to the Acme Style Blog.  The borough's Planning Board in 2019 approved a renovation project for the Stop & Shop store -- as well as the KMart store on the…

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by Cecilia Levine
Newark, NJ
Police & Fire
Drive-Thru Taco Bell Robbed At Gunpoint: Newark PD Drive-Thru Taco Bell Robbed At Gunpoint: Newark PD
Drive-Thru Taco Bell Robbed At Gunpoint: Newark PD A Taco Bell drive-thru restaurant in Newark was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight Tuesday, leading to the arrest of the 25-year-old perpetrator, authorities said. Deion Nance, of Newark, is accused of driving up to the drive-thru window at the Broad Street location before demanding cash and wielding a gun around 2:40 p.m., Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said Wednesday. Nance was driving a vehicle that was carjacked at gunpoint out of Harrison during the robbery, O’Hara said. The victim handed over $176 in cash before Nance fled east on Clay Street from Broad Street. …

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by Valerie Musson
Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
Car Crashes Into Long Island Taco Bell Car Crashes Into Long Island Taco Bell
Car Crashes Into Long Island Taco Bell Police are investigating after a driver fled when a car crashed into a Taco Bell on Long Island. The Islip Fire Department received a report at about 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21, that a car had crashed into the Taco Bell, located at 490 Main St., fire officials said.  Upon arrival, fire crews found a car had crashed through the west side wall and window of the building.  The fire department said the driver ran away from the scene prior to fire crews and police arriving.  The three employees who were inside the restaurant at the time were not injured, authorities said.…

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by Nicole Valinote
Brentwood, NY
News
Long Island Man Admits To Distributing Fentanyl That Caused 27-Year-Old's Death Long Island Man Admits To Distributing Fentanyl That Caused 27-Year-Old's Death
Long Island Man Admits To Distributing Fentanyl That Caused 27-Year-Old's Death A 33-year-old man has admitted to distributing fentanyl that caused the death of a 27-year-old Long Island resident. Ira Hall, of Glen Cove, was sentenced on Tuesday, Sept. 28, to 13 years in prison for distributing cocaine and unlawful use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, according to Jacquelyn Kasulis, acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The US Attorney's Office reported that when Hall pleaded guilty to the charges in June, he admitted to distributing the fentanyl that caused the death of the Glen Cove resident in 2017. “Today’s sentence en…

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by Nicole Valinote
North Hunterdon, NJ
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: Car Goes Up In Flames On Route 202 In Hunterdon County PHOTOS: Car Goes Up In Flames On Route 202 In Hunterdon County
Photos: Car Goes Up In Flames On Route 202 In Hunterdon County Emergency crews in Hunterdon County quickly doused a car that went up in flames on Route 202 overnight Thursday. The Raritan Township Fire Company responded to the fully involved vehicle fire near the parking lot of Taco Bell, the department said on Facebook. The company doused the blaze, cleared the scene within an hour and responded to another call regarding the heavy smoke that had drifted into a nearby neighborhood. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

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by Valerie Musson
Massapequa, NY
Business
Plan To Convert Long Island White Castle Location To Taco Bell Gets Approval Plan To Convert Long Island White Castle Location To Taco Bell Gets Approval
Plan To Convert Long Island White Castle Location To Taco Bell Gets Approval A former fast-food joint is going from burgers to tacos. The Town of Huntington Planning Board has approved plans to convert a White Castle restaurant on Walt Whitman Road in Melville into a new Taco Bell location. Officials said the plan is to demolish the White Castle restaurant to rebuild a new Taco Bell with a drive-through window. Moving forward, developers will have to put out building permits for the project. According to Loopnet, the White Castle location was built in 1999. The property features more than 200 feet of frontage on Route 110, and has parking for approximately 5…

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by Zak Failla