Longtime West New York Police Officer Dies Weeks Before Retirement
David Martinez, who served West New York as a police officer for 25 years, died on Saturday, Aug. 16, the police department announced.
"Officer Martinez faithfully served the West New York community for 25 years with honor, dedication, and compassion," West New York police said.
Martinez died weeks away from his retirement, police said. Sources tell Daily Voice his death was sudden.
"His unwavering commitment to protecting and serving our residents will never be forgotten," police said.
The West New York P.B.A. Local 361 & 361A mourns the loss of our beloved brother, David Martine…
4 More Illegal Immigrant Child Predators Busted In NJ, ICE Says
Federal agents in New Jersey say that they have arrested four more illegally present immigrants convicted of sex crimes against children — bringing the total to eight arrests since late July.
The sweep, carried out by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Newark, targeted criminal non-citizens across Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Sussex counties, the Office of Homeland Security said in a news release.
The most recent arrest was Daniel Garcia Cruz, 35, of Mexico, who was convicted of criminal sexual contact in Hudson County and sentenced to …
They Pulled Guns On Kids In Edgewater, Officials Say: Now Four Are Facing Charges
Four men have been charged including one who remains at large following a year-long investigation into an armed robbery in Edgewater, authorities said.
The investigation stems from a robbery that occurred on Thursday, June 13, 2024, around 7:50 p.m., at a commercial parking lot on River Road, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday, Aug. 1.
Five victims, including two juveniles, had just parked when two masked men with firearms approached them, Musella said.
The suspects demanded the keys to the victim’s vehicle, patted down some of the victims, and threatened …
Three West New York Employees Among Six Charged In Cocaine Bust: Prosecutor
Six people, including three Town of West New York employees, are facing charges as part of a narcotics investigation in Hudson County, authorities announced Wednesday, July 30.
The investigation had led to the seizure of over four kilograms of suspected cocaine, two handguns, seven vehicles, and more than $70,000 in cash, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
Jorge Delgado, a 44-year-old, security guard with the Town of West New York, Johann Messina, a 57-year-old laborer with the Town of West New York and Carlos Begueria, a 49-year-old employee with the West New York Parking Authori…
Retired WNY Detective, Dispatcher, Corrections Officer Arrested In Drug Bust: Prosecutor
Three people who work in law enforcement were among seven people arrested following an investigation into the distribution of narcotics in Hudson County, authorities announced Monday, July 21.
An investigation led to the seizure of over four kilograms of suspected cocaine, two handguns, seven vehicles and more than $70,000 in cash after search warrants were executed at multiple locations in North Bergen, West New York and Union City, on Thursday, July 17, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
Thomas Mannion, 60, a retired West New York police detective, is charged with conspira…
WNY Man Torches American Flag, Smashes Glass Of Secaucus Hair Salon: Police
A 30-year-old West New York Man was arrested and charged on Tuesday, July 8 after he lit an American flag on fire in Secaucus, authorities said.
On Saturday, June 28, officers responded to Spotless Mind Hair Studio on Front Street after Joherik Urena threw a large rock through the glass front door, shattering it, Secaucus police said.
Later that morning, officers responded to a residence on Front Street after Urena set an American flag on fire, police said. The fire burned the flag, the pole and charred some of the siding on the residence, police said. The fire burned itself out, poli…
Loaded Gun, Drugs Found On Sleeping WNY Motorist In Front Of Guttenberg School: Cops
A man found asleep behind the wheel of a car near a Hudson County school was arrested after officers spotted a loaded handgun in plain view and later discovered cocaine, pills, and cash, authorities said.
The incident happened around 8:24 a.m. on Friday, May 16, on Hudson Avenue in Guttenberg, according to Police Chief Frank Pelaez.
Officers were alerted by a concerned passerby who reported a man passed out in a vehicle, police said. When officers arrived, they found the car in reverse and angled into the roadway, with the driver asleep and bleeding heavily from his finger.
The man, later …
North Bergen Man Seriously Injured In Three-Car Crash: Prosecutor
A 59-year-old North Bergen man remains hospitalized following a three-car crash on Monday, May 12, authorities said.
At 2 p.m., law enforcement responded to River Road and 74th Street and found three vehicles, a Nissan Altima, a BMW X3 and a Lexus GX460, involved in a crash, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
The driver of the Nissan, the North Bergen man, sustained serious injuries and is hospitalized at a nearby medical center, Suarez said. The driver of the BMW, a 28-year-old West New York woman, was treated for minor injuries at Palisades Medical Center, Suarez said.
Th…
Man Arrested In Stolen Car: Fairfield Police
A 29-year-old Brooklyn man was arrested while driving a stolen car in Fairfield on Thursday, March 20, authorities said.
At 8:30 p.m., officers were alerted via an Automated License Plate Reader that had a car had entered town after being reported stolen in West New York on Sunday, March 16, Fairfield police said.
The vehicle, a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, was located on Route 46 East. Davon Miller, the driver, was arrested, police said.
A further investigation revealed the vehicle was also reported stolen in January out of Suffolk County, NY, authorities said.
Miller was charged with rece…
Lawsuit Was Filed Against Bogota Driver Days Before He Died In Route 17 Crash, Records Show
A Bogota man killed in a Route 17 crash earlier this month was facing a civil lawsuit for an unrelated car accident that allegedly caused serious injuries, court records show.
Edwin B. Coreas, the 30-year-old driver killed in the Thursday, March 6, Hasbrouck Heights crash, was named in a civil action filed in Bergen County Superior Court just days before his death, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice. Coreas also has 10 pages of violations in the New Jersey court system, many of which are traffic offenses.
The lawsuit, filed by a Hawthorne resident, accuses Coreas and Wesca…
West New York Man Convicted Of Beating Mother To Death: Prosecutor
A 37-year-old West New York man was found guilty of murder in the first degree on Monday, Jan. 27 after beating his mother to death in 2021, authorities said.
On Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 at 1:30 p.m., West New York police responded to 439 66th St. and were met by Emmanuel Gonzalez. His mother, Irma Gonzalez, 62, was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma and manner to be homicide, Suarez said.
Gonzalez will be sentenced in April, Suare…
West New York Man Sexually Assaulted 14-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor
A 37-year-old West New York man was arrested and charged on Friday, Oct. 18 with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in March, authorities said.
The girl reported that in the early morning hours of Monday, March 11, she was approached by an unknown male, later identified as Christopher Ortiz, and she entered his vehicle, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The girl reported Ortiz later sexually assaulted her inside his residence, Suarez said.
Ortiz is charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact, Suarez said.
He was arre…
Former West New York Police Officer Johnny Lara Dies, 53
Johnny A. Lara, a former West New York resident and police officer, died on Wednesday, Sept. 4. He was 53 years old.
Lara was born in Colombia and grew up in West New York, having served as a police officer before retiring and moving to Houston TX, according to his obituary on the Barquin Funeral Home website.
He is survived by his wife, Cindy Valderramos Lara; their children Brandon, Bella and Jeremy Lara; his mother Emma J. Lara; and his siblings, Rosario Crabtree, Jimmy and Sammy Lara.
Lara was preceded in death by his father, Marcelino and his brother Henry Lara.
Servic…
Charges Upgraded For 20-Year-Old Man After Pedestrian Dies In WNY Hit-Run Crash
Charges were upgraded for two people arrested in a hit-and-run crash after the victim died over the weekend, authorities in Hudson County said.
Samuel Collazo, a 20-year-old Westfield resident, was identified as the driver of the motorcycle that struck Angel Guzman Morales, 54, of Union City, last Saturday, Aug. 17, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
Collazo was initially charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious bodily injury, endangering an injured victim, receiving stolen property, and unlawful taking, Suarez said.
After Morales died on Saturday,…
Two Charged In West New York Hit, Run Crash That Critically Injured Pedestrian: Prosecutor
Two people were arrested and charged on Wednesday, Aug. 21, following a hit-and-run motorcycle crash in West New York that critically injured a pedestrian last Saturday, Aug. 17, authorities said.
At 3:40 p.m., West New York police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a motorcycle on Bergenline Avenue and 57th Street and found the victim with life-threatening injuries, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The occupant of the motorcycle fled the scene on foot, Suarez said.
The victim, a 54-year-old Union City resident, is in critical condition in a nearby hospital, …
