TEEN AWAITING HEARING ON BANK HEIST AT MALL

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, January 19, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Two Star B | NEWS | Page A07

A 15-year-old Bronx boy faces a hearing in juvenile court on charges he robbed a Bergen Mall bank, police said.
The juvenile was holding a torn bag containing $1,600 of the $8,772 taken from Midland Bank on the mall’s lower level when two police officers arrested him outside the bank shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday, Police Chief Joseph Delaney said.
Police charged him with bank robbery and threatening to kill people at the bank.
“Give me all the money large bills, no singles or I’ll kill everyone. I have a gun,” Delaney said the youth told the teller as he slid a note to her. The youth did not have a weapon, he said.
The youth tore the bag when he pulled it through the teller’s window, and he was picking up money that was falling from the bag as he fled, Delaney said.
Bergen County Police Officer Charles Banks and Paramus Officer James Gormley arrested the youth in the bank parking lot shortly after the robbery.
A hearing on the charges against the youth, who is being held in the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center in Paramus, will probably be next week.

Keywords: PARAMUS; BANK; ROBBERY

TEANECK SHOOTING IS PROBED

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, January 19, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Two Star B | NEWS | Page A07

Police are investigating the circumstances under which a 20-year-old township woman was shot in the toe Friday, police said.
Paula Slade of 555 Wyndham Road was admitted to Holy Name Hospital shortly after 1 a.m. and was in good condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Slade and her boyfriend, William Reynolds of the Bronx, initially told police that an unknown motorist shot her in the foot as they walked along Cedar Lane, Police Sgt. Robert Adomilli said.
However, during questioning, Adomilli said, Reynolds told police that he found a gun in New York and was showing it to Slade, who he said had never seen or held a gun before.
Reynolds told police that Slade took the gun from him and ran away, cocking the .22-caliber revolver by mistake. The gun went off and struck the fourth toe of her left foot when Reynolds reached out to take it, Adomilli said.

Keywords: TEANECK; SHOOTING; PROBE

OIL SPILL SHUTS STREET, FORCES OUT WORKERS

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Saturday, January 19, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A07

Three employees of a drug store were evacuated and a block-long section of Essex Street’s eastbound lanes were shut to traffic for about two hours Friday as the city police and fire departments investigated the cause of an oil spill and fumes at the back of the pharmacy.
Lt. Ken B. Morosco of the Fire Department said officials took the steps because of fumes from the oil-flooded basement and the parking lot behind First Fidelity Bank, Total Woman Beauty Salon, and Rite Aid Pharmacy at 443 to 455 Essex St.
A truck driver for Dowling Fuel Co. of Ridgefield Park mistakenly pumped 500 gallons of heating fuel into the basement of the Rite Aid Pharmacy on Thursday, thinking he was pumping the oil into a tank at Total Woman Beauty Salon, Morosco said.
Morosco said a sump pump in the basement of the drug store pumped some oil into the parking lot. Much of it was recovered, and the oil company was cleaning up the basement Friday, he said.

Keywords: HACKENSACK; OIL; ACCIDENT; ROAD; CLOSING

Caption: PHOTO – BOB BRUSH / THE RECORD – Workers from Dowling Fuel Co. cleaning up fuel oil behind stores on Essex Street on Saturday.

POLICE WARNING OF SCAM `CHIMNEY SWEEPS SOLICIT IN TEANECK

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, January 18, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page B05

Daniel Stewart said the deal to clean his chimney sounded good on the telephone, and the woman making the offer even gave him an additional $10 discount.
But when the deal later ballooned from $58 to about $1,000, Stewart, 36, of Birch Street, threatened to call police, and the workmen quickly left his home.
“They use high-pressure tactics,” Stewart said. “They try to scare you into making repairs. “
Teaneck Police Detective William Grace said township residents, especially the elderly, should be aware that this is just another variety of an old scam.
Grace, who sent a bulletin to police departments in the area when he heard of the scam, said police have no leads on who the con men were.
Stewart said he received a phone call about two weeks ago. A woman said American Chimney Experts was cleaning chimneys on Birch Street and offered to clean Stewart’s at a $25 discount from the $90 going rate.
“She asked me if I was a veteran and I told her no. She said too bad, because if I had been a veteran, that would have been an additional $10 discount,” Stewart said. She offered the $10 discount anyway, bringing the bill to $55 plus tax.
Three workmen arrived at his home about 45 minutes earlier than the appointed time, when he wasn’t home, he said. One man climbed to the top of the chimney, one went to the basement, and one sat down to play the piano as he negotiated with Stewart’s wife.
The man on the chimney started throwing objects down the shaft. Another said he felt something “furry” in the furnace flue. They said there was a carbon-monoxide buildup inside the chimney and that, because of state regulations, they had to turn the furnace off. They offered to do the work for $1,000.
“My wife told them they were crazy,” Stewart said.
The men disappeared when Stewart returned home about 30 minutes later and said he was going to call police.
A spokesman at the Bergen County Division of Consumer Affairs said he had never heard of American Chimney Experts.
Linda Enslow, secretary of the New Jersey Chimney Sweep Guild, said consumers should be wary of such offers. The guild can be reached at 761-1054, and it will refer people who need work done to professional sweeps in their community.

Keywords: TEANECK; FRAUD; CRIME

HACKENSACK SHOOTING VICTIM HELD; POLICE SAY HE RAN COCAINE RING

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, January 12, 1991

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

A 28-year-old city resident who was paralyzed last month in what New York police called a drug-related shootout was arrested Friday on drug and weapon charges as he came out of a hospital.
Juan Cuevas, now wheelchair-bound, had just attended a physical-therapy session at Hackensack Medical Center when police arrested him at noon, Police Chief William Iurato said.
Cuevas was charged with possession of a firearm, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia as a result of a police raid on his home last month. He was released after his wife paid 10 percent of $5,000 bail.
Iurato said police will move to seize Cuevas single-family, Colonial-style house at 385 Summit Ave. because he operated a large-scale cocaine ring there. Cuevas purchased the house for $275,000 in August, the chief said.
“At this point we don’t know how sophisticated the operation was, but the home was protected by a sophisticated surveillance and burglar-alarm system,” Iurato said.
New York City police found the bullet-riddled bodies of four men, including Cuevas, at 620 S. 147th St. in Manhattan on Dec. 16. Two of the men were dead. Cuevas, who had been shot in the chest and lungs, and the fourth man were hospitalized.
Acting on a tip from an anonymous caller on Dec. 18, the Hackensack Police Narcotics Unit arrested his wife, Elizabeth Cuevas, 23, his brother, Jose Cuevas, 24, and Anselmo Pineda, 37, at the house. During the arrest, Hackensack police found a .45-caliber handgun, scales used to weigh drugs, burglar alarms, signaling devices, and surveillance cameras in and outside the house, including one in a birdhouse.

Keywords: HACKENSACK; SHOOTING; VICTIM; DRUG; CRIME

TEANECK HIT BY FOUR BURGLARIES

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, January 11, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B03

Burglars broke into four township homes this week, making off with cash, jewelry, and cameras.
Police say they don’t know whether any of the incidents, which occurred between dusk on Monday and dawn on Wednesday, are related.
Early Tuesday evening, a 33-year-old deaf woman reported that she was at her West Englewood Avenue home when a man wearing a ski mask broke in and stole a jewelry box containing more than $1,000 worth of jewelry, police said. The burglar left quickly, leading police to believe he either saw the woman or heard a burglar alarm activated in the home. The woman ran to a neighbor’s house to summon police.
Late Tuesday, an Elmer Place resident told police he came home to find someone had kicked in his rear door, rifled through drawers in his bedroom, and stole about $200, small pieces of jewelry, and other items.
A Fairview Avenue home was burglarized late Monday or early Tuesday, police said. The owner came home from work about 2 a.m. Tuesday to find a desk ransacked and numerous items stolen, including $500, jewelry, a camera, a television, and a video camera.
In the fourth incident, early Wednesday, burglars failed to make off with any belongings. A Glenwood Avenue homeowner told police that two men kicked in her door and searched dressers and closets while she hid. The two burglars ran out when they heard noise, she told police.
Sgt. Robert Adomilli said anyone with information about any of the crimes should call the Teaneck Police Detective Bureau at 837-2565 or Crimestoppers at 833-4222.

Keywords: TEANECK; THEFT

TRIO ARRESTED IN BREAK-IN AT RAMSEY WAREHOUSE

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Thursday, January 10, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B07

Two Jersey City men and a juvenile were arrested in Paramus on burglary charges early Wednesday, minutes after they allegedly broke into a warehouse belonging to a retail store on Route 17.
The suspects Nathan Leonard, 18, Carmelo Valdes, 20, and a 17-year-old male whom police declined to identify because of his age were charged with burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary after breaking into the Rolling Tone’s warehouse on Route 17 south in Ramsey, police said.
Leonard and Valdes were being held in the Bergen County Jail on bail of $7,500 apiece, and the juvenile was being held in the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center.
Police said they entered the warehouse shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday and stole $3,500 worth of stereo equipment and electronic items. They then fled in a rented car, heading south on Route 17, police said.
Paramus Police Officer Brian Nyland stopped the car and arrested the men.

Keywords: RAMSEY; THEFT

DISTRAUGHT VET JAILED AFTER STANDOFF IN FAIRVIEW

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, January 10, 1991

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

A 38-year-old borough man who may have been distraught over losing his job was arrested and jailed Wednesday after he barricaded himself in his apartment and threatened to kill anyone who came near, police said.
Zachary E. Mohrmann of Walker Street surrendered 2 1/2 hours after the standoff began late Tuesday, said Detective Richard Petruzzelli.
He was being held on $5,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail on charges of resisting arrest and making terroristic threats. Petruzzelli said other charges may be filed.
Mohrmann had an argument with his wife shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday and began to destroy things in his apartment, Petruzzelli said. When police arrived to calm him, his wife fled with their child to a friend’s house.
Meanwhile, Mohrmann informed police that he was a Vietnam veteran with extensive combat experience, saying he was armed and would kill anyone who came near, Petruzzelli said. His wife told police that her husband did three tours of duty in the Southeast Asian country.
“It was an extremely ticklish situation,” Petruzzelli said. “At the time, you had to take his word as gospel because we didn’t know. Thank God nobody was hurt and it wound up the right way. “
Fairview police called up the Bergen County SWAT team and asked for additional backup from Cliffside Park police, he said.
But after several hostile pronouncements, Petruzzelli said, Mohrmann broke open a front window, stuck his head out and screamed: “I’m coming out! I’m coming out! “
He threw out a toy rifle and emerged. The suspect scuffled briefly with Petruzzelli, Lt. John Schmidig of the SWAT team, and Fairview Sgt. John Pinzone before they subdued him and placed him under arrest.
Mohrmann complained of chest pains but refused treatment after being taken to Palisades General Hospital, Petruzzelli said.

Keywords: FAIRVIEW; MENTAL; HEALTH; VETERAN

POLICE SEEKING MORE SUSPECTS IN RASH OF BURGLARIES

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, January 10, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B03

Police in Bergen and Passaic counties continue to investigate links between a string of burglaries in the two counties and a 20-year-old man in custody on charges of burglarizing his parents house in Oradell and intending to kill them and his brother if they were home.
Allen M. Essner was being held in the Bergen County Jail on Wednesday on $60,000 bail. He was being held on several charges, including attempted murder, burglary, and unlawful possession of a loaded weapon.
Oradell Detective Scott Bonsper said police believe Essner was working with other people, including 20-year-old Dennis Pereira, who was arrested with him on Dec. 26, in a series of burglaries in the area.
“We are dealing with quite a few people here,” Bonsper said. “That is what makes it so difficult. . . . We know of at least two weapons that we have not been able to recover or account for. There is a strong possibility that arrest warrants will be issued for other suspects. “
When Essner burglarized his parents home on Dec. 17, he went with a loaded gun and murderous intent, Bonsper said.
“Fortunately enough, the parents were not around, and his brother, although he was off work that day, was somewhere else,” he said.
Bonsper said police found out about the alleged plan to murder the family members from talking to people some of whom are being investigated for their link to the burglaries with whom Essner had conversations.
Working with North Haledon Police Detective Alan Swartz, Bonsper said, he and other Oradell police officers went to residences in Lodi, East Rutherford, and other communities before arresting Essner in Wallington on Dec. 26. They recovered a gun and also arrested Pereira a short time later, he said.

Keywords: PC; BC; HOUSING; THEFT; PROBE

TRAFFIC HITS THE SKIDS ON ICY ROADS; FREEZING RAIN BLAMED FOR SPATE OF ACCIDENTS

By Ruth Padawer and Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writers | Thursday, January 10, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page B01

Daylong freezing rain caused dozens of traffic accidents throughout North Jersey on Wednesday, sending cars into guardrails, utility poles, and creeks.
Meteorologists predicted that today would bring some relief.
Sunny weather was expected, with highs reaching the low 40s, but those higher temperatures may cause flooding as Wednesday’s slush melts, said Walter Zamorski of the National Weather Service at Newark International Airport.
In other words, it should be another good day for towing companies.
“A lot of cars are going off the road,” Dave Schick, a driver for Texas Towing in Paramus, said Wednesday. “They have to be winched off the guardrails, hauled out of the woods or off the shoulders and grass medians. When you have slippery weather like this, that’s basically what you get. “
By midday, Schick said, his company had towed 10 cars along the northern end of the Garden State Parkway and replaced blown tires on another seven tires that popped after cars slid into curbs.
The bad driving conditions prompted the Bergen County District for Special Education, which has schools throughout the county, to cancel classes Wednesday, but the Bergen County superintendent of schools, Ray Kelly, said his office knew of no other cancellations or late openings. In Passaic County, Wayne opened its schools late.
Most of the traffic accidents in North Jersey were minor, but in Montville, a 23-year-old Kinnelon man was critically injured when his car slid sideways into an oncoming United Parcel Service truck.
Rescue workers used the Jaws of Life to pry an unconscious Anthony B. Gazzillo out of his black 1984 Chrysler, which was wrecked in the 9 a.m. accident on Boonton Avenue, said Officer Joseph Pitek.
Officials at St. Clares-Riverside Medical Center in Denville listed Gazzillo in critical condition late Wednesday with injuries to his face, neck, and internal organs. The UPS driver, Brian S. Rieger, 32, of Florham Park, was treated and released.
At about 7 a.m., an NJ Transit bus on its way to Westwood from Manhattan slid on Main Street in Ridgefield Park and struck two utility poles, uprooting one of them at Main and Brewster streets. The 15 passengers and the driver all escaped injury, said Jeff Lamb, an NJT spokesman. Another bus picked up the passengers.
An hour and a half later, Francesca Delgado, 37, of Fairview lost control of her car when it slid off Route 46 east in Ridgefield Park. After smashing into a truck driven by Michael Kosenko, 56, of Clifton, Delgado’s car flew over a concrete divider and landed in Overpeck Creek.
Delgado was taken to Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, where she was treated and released.
The state Department of Transportation arrived at the scene to spread salt and sand, clearing the road by 10:30 a.m. and alleviating minor traffic delays.
In Ridgefield, police weren’t sure whether to blame the weather or engine trouble for the explosion of a DOT snowplow truck, which burst into flames while spreading sand on southbound Route 5. Driver Ella Brown, 35, of Jersey City jumped clear of the truck after she saw fire coming from under the hood and couldn’t get the vehicle to stop, said Ridgefield police Sgt. William Kelly.
The truck careened into the Peek Realty building at 835 Route 5, burning shingles on the outside of the building.
Wayne, which is crisscrossed by major thoroughfares such as Routes 80, 23, and 46, reported an unusually low tally of just five minor accidents by late afternoon.
“We were out there ready for the worst, but fortunately it turned out pretty good,” said police Capt. Walter Suhaka. “One thing that helped us was that public schools and most Catholic schools had delayed openings. That kept traffic off the roadways at rush hour. “
Scattered accidents were reported in other Passaic County communities, including 18 fender benders in Clifton from 5:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Record Staff Writer David Gibson contributed to this article.

Keywords: WEATHER; MOTOR VEHICLE; ACCIDENT

Caption: 1 – COLOR PHOTO – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD – Clifton police checking an accident Wednesday on the Ackerman Avenue bridge. The bridge was closed because of severe icing. 2 – PHOTO – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD – A Paterson man using a box to shield himself from icy rain while shoveling snow on Wednesday.