BERGENFIELD FIRE ROUTS TENANTS

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Sunday, March 3, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A05

Borough fire officials are investigating a predawn fire Saturday that started in a basement apartment and shot flames into the top floors of a home housing three tenants.
The tenant of the basement apartment at 7 Foster St. was not at home when the fire started about 4:15 a.m., said Bergenfield Deputy Fire Chief Edward Kneisler. Smoke alarms awakened the two other tenants in the building and they were not injured.
Police confiscated two cases of ammunition that firefighters discovered in a fenced-off lot adjacent to the burning house, Kneisler said. The ammunition was not near the flames, he said. No details were immediately available.
Bergenfield firefighters received assistance from Closter firefighters, while the Dumont department was on standby and Teaneck provided support services.

Keywords: BERGENFIELD; FIRE

Caption: PHOTO – WARREN GOLDBERG / SPECIAL TO THE RECORD – Firefighters extending lengths of hose used to battle a predawn fire in a house on Foster Street in Bergenfield on Saturday. Two residents escaped the home without injury after a smoke alarm sounded.

DAD SAYS MIX-UP LED TO ARREST

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, March 3, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A03

A Bronx man whose 16-month-old son was found alone and crying in a van at a shopping mall last week says he did not intend to leave the infant there but police arrived before he could take the child with him.
“Right when I dropped my tools off and I came back to get my kid, the cops were already there,” Godwin Chow said Saturday at the Bergen County Jail Annex, where he was being held on $75,000 bail.
Chow, 39, said that when he saw city police Sgt. Frank Lomia and Officer John Carroll next to his van at Riverside Square mall, he panicked, and decided to wait until they left before bringing the boy into the restaurant where he was to repair equipment Wednesday night.
But police and mall security officers said the infant, David Chow, had been in the van in front of Au Bon Pain restaurant at the mall for at least two hours when Lomia and Carroll found him about 9:50 p.m.
Mall security officers, dispatched to look for the van’s owner in nearby businesses because the boy was crying, returned with Chow as Lomia and Carroll were about to smash the window to get to the child, police said.
When he took the boy out of the van, Lomia said, the child appeared to be in good health but was cold, his clothing was in poor condition, and his diaper had not been changed in some time.
Chow was charged with endangering the life of a child and disorderly conduct.
A spokeswoman for Hackensack Medical Center said Saturday that the infant, who did not require treatment, had been released Friday night to the custody of the New York City Child Welfare Administration. An attorney for the agency said he could not comment on any case it might be involved in.
Chow said he usually had a baby sitter look after his son when he went to work but did not do so Wednesday because he was going to be with the infant and did not plan on working long. In the past when he went to work at the restaurant, Chow said, he brought the boy in with him.
Ray and Raphie Gutierrez, brothers who are managers at the restaurant, said Chow often brought a baby in when he came to repair stoves.
“I really cannot tell you how many times he brought the baby to work here, but I remember I’ve seen the kid a couple of times,” Ray Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said Chow arrived at the restaurant about 9 p.m. Wednesday to repair the steamer on an oven.
“I don’t know what was going on outside,” Gutierrez said. “The only thing I know is that every five minutes he was going outside.”
Chow said he had known the child’s mother only briefly, and did not learn she was pregnant until she came to him seven months after they met while experiencing complications with her pregnancy. He said he took her to a hospital, where she gave birth, and then she abandoned the child.
Chow said he had not seen a lawyer since his arrest.
“The jail is overcrowded. Right now, I’m sleeping on a cold plastic mat. There is no pillowcase, no towel, no nothing. The only thing I have is this,” Chow said, tugging contemptuously at the collar of his jail uniform.
The officers involved in the arrest and Police Chief William C. Iurato could be reached Saturday for further comment on the case.

Keywords: HACKENSACK; NEW YORK CITY; CHILD; MOTOR VEHICLE; STORE

MAN DIES AFTER FIRE LINKED TO SMOKING FOUND IN BURNING ENGLEWOOD HOUSE

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, March 2, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | One Star | NEWS | Page A03

A 66-year-old man died of smoke inhalation about 45 minutes after firefighters had pulled him out of his burning home on Thursday, officials said.
It appeared that Claude Harvey of 71 Spring Lane had been smoking in bed, although an investigation continues, Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said in a statement on Friday.
Englewood Fire Chief Douglas Baker said firefighters found Harvey unconscious at about 9:20 p.m. in a bathroom on the second floor of the three-story home. Police called in the fire at 9:14 p.m., but it appeared to have been burning for some time, he said.
“The bedroom in the second floor was fully involved when we got there,” Baker said. “It’s a large structure with many rooms, which made it difficult for search and rescue. “
Harvey was taken to Englewood Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:04 p.m.
About 35 firefighters from Englewood and Tenafly battled the blaze and had it under control in about 25 minutes. The fire was so intense it burned through the floor of the second-floor bedroom, with a mattress being found in the first-floor living room, Baker said.
Englewood Patrolman John P. Morgan found the burning house by following smoke he had seen on the horizon as he traveled north on Engle Street while on patrol, said Capt. C. Kenneth Tinsley. Morgan arrived to find smoke coming out of the second-floor window and the roof, Tinsley said.

Keywords: ENGLEWOOD; TOBACCO; DEATH; VICTIM

DAD HELD AFTER COPS FIND CHILD IN MALL LOT

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, March 1, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B01

A 39-year-old Bronx man was charged Thursday with endangering the life of a child after two Hackensack youth officers found his 16-month-old son alone and crying in a van parked at the Riverside Square Mall.
Goodwin Chow, also charged with disorderly conduct, was being held in the Bergen County Jail on $75,000 bail.
The toddler had been in the van for at least two hours when Sgt. Frank Lomia and Police Officer John Carroll found him at about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, Hackensack Police Chief William C. Iurato said.
“When I took him out of the van, he appeared in general good health, but he was cold,” Lomia said. “His clothing was really poor, and his diapers hadn’t been changed in a while. “
The child was taken by ambulance to the Hackensack Medical Center, where he was treated before being released to the custody of the state Division of Youth and Family Services, police said.
A DYFS spokeswoman said she was prohibited by law from acknowledging any investigation that the agency might be involved in.
Lomia said the officers were on patrol when Carroll noticed the white 1973 Ford van bearing New York license plates and covered with graffiti.
“We checked it out because it looked so out of place sitting in front of the restaurant,” Lomia said. “Then, when we checked further, we found the boy. “
Raphie Gutierrez, a manager at Au Bon Pain restaurant, where Chow arrived about 8 p.m. to repair an oven, said the last time Chow came to work at the restaurant, about a month ago, he brought the boy in with him. The boy was awake and stayed with employees in the back of the restaurant, he said.
On Wednesday, Chow “was going back and forth [to the parking lot] every five minutes,” Gutierrez said. “We didn’t know why until later. “
The boy, wrapped in a grease-stained jacket and in the front passenger seat, began crying when Carroll and Lomia arrived at the van, Iurato said. Mall security officers, dispatched to look for the van’s owner in nearby businesses, arrived with Chow as the officers were about to smash in the window to get to the child, Iurato said. He said Chow became defensive and was uncooperative with the officers.
“He refused to open the van or give us the key. The key had to be forcibly taken from him,” Lomia said.
Chow told police that the boy has a mother but no other relative. Police were searching for her Thursday, Lomia said.

Keywords: NEW YORK CITY; BABY; HACKENSACK; MOTOR VEHICLE; ABUSE

BRIDGE CHIEF TAKES WING; TOP COP AT AIR HUBS IN NATION’S CAPITAL

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, February 27, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | Section: SOUTHEAST/YOUR TOWN RECORD | Page 3

The retired commander of the George Washington Bridge took down the awards and plaques adorning his office with a pang of sadness, but a few weeks later, he was hanging them up at his new job as police chief for Washington’s airports.
Capt. Joseph Hurtuk went from overseeing one of the world’s busiest bridges to monitoring the airports that ferry some of the nation’s top lawmakers. In January, Hurtuk became police chief and chief of operations for Washington’s National and Dulles International airports.
“Being a Jersey kid all my life, it’s a big move. I’m not frightened of it though,” said Hurtuk, 45.
During his 23 years with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police, Hurtuk held several positions, including head of the Port Authority Police Academy and commander of the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station for the last 3 1/2 years.
Hurtuk’s most important task as bridge commander was keeping the traffic moving on the Hudson River crossing. With 300,000 motorists using the bridge each day, even a minor accident can snarl traffic for hours.
Over the years, Hurtuk’s job became increasingly difficult due to the growing volume of motorists, as well as the drug traffic that used the bridge.
Hurtuk, who retired as bridge commander in December, drew words of praise from Port Authority Police Chief Charles Newman and Ken Philmus, manager of the bridge.
“Joe had a tremendous impact on deciding which roadways to close and which ones to keep open,” said Philmus.
Added Newman, “We never gave him an assignment that he didn’t do to the best of his ability and in a superior manner. “
Hurtuk, who lives in Hillsborough, displayed the same devotion to volunteer work for retarded children and adults, becoming the director of New Jersey’s Law Enforcement Torch Run in 1984. New Jersey police officers have raised thousands of dollars for the Special Olympics, and the tally exceeded $300,000 in 1989.
“It’s just a way of giving back to people who are less fortunate than I am,” Hurtuk said. “Special Olympians try to do their best, and we in law enforcement have a certain synergism with them because we are trying to do our best, too.”

Keywords: FORT LEE; BRIDGE; POLICE; OFFICIAL; RETIREMENT; WASHINGTON, DC; AVIATION; JOSEPH HURTUK

FIRE GUTS PARKWAY RESTAURANTS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, February 24, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A03

A predawn fire destroyed the two restaurants at the Garden State Parkway’s Montvale service area Saturday and forced the closure of the southbound lanes for five hours as firefighters ran a hose across the road.
Only the walls of the building that housed the Roy Rogers and Bob’s Big Boy restaurants remained standing.
Trooper Peter Kempe said water pressure in the fire hydrants at the service area was so low that state police had to close the southbound lanes so a fire hose could be run across the roadway to a hydrant at an office building.
But Montvale Fire Chief Jerry Dellabella said the hose was run because “with the number of equipment operating, we needed more water. “
About 80 firefighters from Montvale, Park Ridge, and Woodcliff Lake, with support services from the Teaneck Fire Department, combined to combat the fire, Dellabella said. The first call came into the station at 1:29 a.m., about 25 minutes after the restaurants manager first saw smoke, he said.
“We had no difficulty getting to the fire,” Dellabella said. “The biggest thing that hampered us was the high winds. It just fans the fire. It just blew the fire right through the building. . . . When the call came through, the fire [had] already broken through the roof. The building was totally involved. “
Investigators ruled that the fire was accidental and that the cause was probably electrical, Dellabella said.
State Trooper John Soto, in his report on the fire, said Fritzner Demoin, the restaurants night manager, noticed smoke inside Roy Rogers about 1 a.m. A customer informed Demoin about the same time that smoke was coming from the roof. Demoin checked, then ordered all customers out of both the restaurants, Soto said.
It was unknown how many patrons were evacuated.

Keywords: FIRE; RESTAURANT; MONTVALE

Caption: 3 PHOTOS – JOHN DECKER / THE RECORD 1, 2 & 3 – Above and at left, firefighters attacking a blaze that was fanned by high winds early Saturday at the Garden State Parkway’s Montvale service area. Two restaurants were destroyed by the fire.

WRONG GUY PICKS UP CAR FROM REPAIR SHOP

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, February 23, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A05

When Richard Petrocelli called a car dealership Thursday evening to see if the transmission on his 1987 Corvette had been repaired, he was told that he had already picked it up.
A service manager at the dealership, Malcolm Konner Chevrolet Geo in Paramus, had released the car earlier that day to a man impersonating Petrocelli, said Lt. Donald McNair of the Paramus Police Department.
Petrocelli said the manager told him the impersonator displayed a police badge or wallet card and said he needed the car immediately for an investigation, even though the repairs had not been completed.
“I still can’t believe this is happening to me,” Petrocelli said. “All you have to do is say the car is yours, and they turn the keys over to you? “
R. J. Konner, vice president of the dealership, called the situation “odd. “
Konner said Petrocelli knew the car was not going to be ready Thursday because the service department had received the needed parts only that day.
Petrocelli said he was told the work would be completed and the car ready on Thursday.
Petrocelli said his car is worth $30,000 equipped with a $3,000 compact disc player, a $1,000 cellular telephone, and special aluminium wheel rims that cost $750 each.
McNair, who said he has been investigating automobile thefts since 1972, agreed that the incident was “very unusual. “

Keywords: MOTOR VEHICLE; THEFT; PARAMUS; REPAIR

MAN FIGHTS OFF GUNMEN WHO TIED UP, ROBBED WIFE

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, February 23, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS| Page A02

A 32-year-old building superintendent Friday fought off three armed robbers after they forced their way into his apartment, tied up his wife, stole money and jewelry, and then shot an elderly woman as they fled, said Police Chief John Orso.
A woman walking her dog outside the robbery scene, at 293 Elsmere Place, was slightly injured by a bullet fired by one of the fleeing robbers. The woman, who was not identified, was in good condition at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, where she was being treated for a wound in her right arm.
The robbers, pursued by Fort Lee, Port Authority, and New York City police, escaped in a red Mercedes-Benz over the George Washington Bridge into New York City, Orso said.
The incident began about 1:30 p.m. when the trio, pretending they were to check a gas leak, pushed past Faviola Rodrigues, 30, tied her up, and stole $800 and jewelry, Orso said.
Her husband, Gabriel Rodrigues, was working outside the building when he saw one of the men in his apartment. He ran to the front door and confronted the three as they ran out. One man saw Rodrigues carrying a portable radio and told a partner to shoot, Orso said.
“They thought he was a police officer,” he said. “Gabriel grabbed the guy with the gun and he was wrestling the guy. The guy shot off two or three rounds. “
With Rodrigues in pursuit, the robbers ran two blocks and joined a fourth man waiting in the car. Rodrigues jumped on the trunk of the car as it pulled away and put his right fist through the rear windshield. He fell off the car and was treated at the scene for cuts and abrasions, Orso said.

Keywords: ROBBERY; FORT LEE; SHOOTING

3 MEN ARE ARRESTED IN EQUIPMENT THEFTS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, February 22, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS| Page B04

The FBI, with help from borough police, on Wednesday arrested three Long Island men who authorities believe are connected to a ring that stole heavy equipment in New York and then resold it.
John T. Sieber, 29, of Mastic Beach; Julio Santo, 24, of Selden; and Carlos Chavere, 22, of Huntington Station were confronted by three FBI agents and four Mahwah officers at the International Motor Plaza on Route 17 in Mahwah.
Special Agent Gary L. Penrith said the men arrived at the plaza about 2:30 a.m. with a stolen John Deere backhoe. They tried to flee on foot, but Santo and Chavere were apprehended. Meanwhile, Sieber ran north on Route 17, jumped a fence, and ran along a railroad line into New York before he was arrested by Ramapo, N.Y., and Suffern, N.Y., police.
Elliot Peters, an assistant U.S. attorney, said the arrests were the result of an investigation into the theft of farm-type tractors and trucks. Seven other suspects have been arrested, and some of them have pleaded guilty, he said.
Ring members scratched out vehicle identification numbers, stamped the vehicles with new numbers to make it difficult to identify them as stolen, and then sold them in New Jersey and New York State, Peters said.
The three are charged with transportation of a stolen motor vehicle, and may face other charges. Santo was released on $25,000 bail Wednesday. Sieber was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on $10,000 bail. Chavere was also transferred to the center and held on $25,000 bail.

Keywords: MAHWAH; THEFT; EQUIPMENT; CONSTRUCTION

FIRE EMPTIES SCHOOL

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Friday, February 22, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page A03

Twice-a-month fire drills at Harry L. Bain Elementary School paid off Thursday when an early morning fire in a storage room forced the evacuation of more than 800 students from the K-8 school at Broadway and 62nd Street.
No one was injured in the fire, and it was brought under control in about 15 minutes, said Principal Donald Rocker.
Much to the delight of the students, classes were disrupted for about two hours. During that time, the children played in the West New York Community Center on Hudson Street, two blocks from the school.
The cause of the fire, which destroyed desks as well as the walls of the storage room, is under investigation, said Deputy Fire Chief John Gannon.

Keywords: WEST NEW YORK; SCHOOL; FIRE

Caption: 2 PHOTOS – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD 1 – The West New York Community Center, above, where students were bused after a fire broke out at the Harry L. Bain School early Thursday. 2 – A sign on the school door, below, explained where the children were.