ENGLEWOOD MAN HELD IN DRIVING DEATH

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, January 9, 1991

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

A 32-year-old Englewood man is to be arraigned today on charges of driving the car that fatally injured a Hackensack man shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve, officials said.
Jose Jaramillo of Howland Avenue was arrested in Teaneck about 10:30 p.m. Monday and charged with causing death by auto, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident, said Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy.
Jaramillo, who was in the Bergen County Jail Tuesday on $25,000 bail, was arrested in connection with the Dec. 31 hit-and-run death of Jarvis Stephenson, 39, of 194 Krone Place.
On the night of his death, Stephenson was working at American Legion Post 58 in Englewood, where he was a member. At about 11:40 p.m., he told friends at the club he was going home to check on his ill wife and that he would be back.
The victim was struck as he crossed Forest Avenue in front of the club. Stephenson died less than two hours later in Englewood Hospital.
Fahy commended the Englewood Police Department for its work in tracking down Jaramillo. But neither Capt. C. Kenneth Tinsely, commander of the city detective bureau, nor Lt. Charles Dillon, head of the traffic bureau, would reveal any information about the investigation.
The fatal-accident unit of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office had been investigating the accident with the Englewood police and on Monday released a description of the car they said killed Stephenson: a 1977 silver-gray Caprice Classic.
Before the arrest, Englewood police told Teaneck police that they had seen the car at a Chestnut Street address in Teaneck and had prepared a search warrant for the vehicle, said Teaneck Capt. Gary S. Fiedler.
If convicted on the charges, Jaramillo faces up to five years in prison and fines totaling $9,000, Fahy said.
Staff Writer David Voreacos contributed to this report.

Keywords: ENGLEWOOD; MOTOR VEHICLE; ACCIDENT; DEATH

HACKENSACK MAN FACES CHARGES IN OUTBREAK OF CITY BURGLARIES

By Michael O. Allen and Tom Topousis, Record Staff Writers | Tuesday, January 8, 1991

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

A 34-year-old city man, arrested after he allegedly broke into the Woolworth’s store on Main Street and stole a display stand full of watches, also was charged with six other burglaries in the city, police said.
Michael Griffin of 113 Sussex St. was arraigned in Hackensack City Court on Monday, charged with seven counts of burglary, one count of strong-arm robbery, and one count of theft from a person, said Police Chief William Iurato.
Griffin was arrested shortly after 5:10 a.m. Sunday when police responded to the Woolworth’s store at 149 Main St., where a burglar alarm had been triggered, Iurato said.
Detective Sgt. Edward Plunkett and Officer William Novak found the front door of the store broken and shortly afterward found Griffin hiding under some plywood in an alley south of the store, Iurato said.
“He apparently feels that in spite of the burglar alarm, he was going through anyway,” Iurato said, adding that several watches from Woolworth’s were recovered.
Under questioning by Lt. Anthony Leggieri and Detective Sgt. Fred Puglisi, Griffin confessed to six other burglaries, including twice breaking into Victor’s Jewelers at 141 Main St. and stealing several watches and jewelry, Iurato said.
Griffin also is charged with the strong-arm robbery of a man on Union Street on Dec. 3 after following the victim home from a bank. Iurato said Griffin punched and pushed the man to the ground before stealing his wallet.
On Nov. 17, Griffin allegedly stole a wallet from another pedestrian in the Union Street neighborhood, prompting a charge of theft from a person, Iurato said.
The other burglaries were at businesses along the south end of Main, Hudson, and State streets, Iurato said, adding that Griffin did not work alone.
Iurato said police believe Griffin and his accomplices were responsible for similar burglaries in Paramus, Hasbrouck Heights, and other communities in the area.

Keywords: HACKENSACK; BURGLARY

WATER MAIN BREAK FLOODS 2 LODI STREETS

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Sunday, January 6, 1991

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

A break in a 20-inch Hackensack Water Co. main Saturday morning sent a virtual cascade down Terhune Avenue and South Main Street and lowered water pressure in neighboring Wallington.
Joseph M. Natoli, Lodi business administrator, said the break occurred sometime before 1 a.m., but that water pressure in his borough was not affected.
Wallington, however, experienced low water pressure all day, said Bob Siery, borough superintendent of water and public works.
Martha Green, Hackensack Water Co. spokeswoman, said a break occurred on Terhune Avenue, near where her company’s water line connects with the Passaic Valley Water Commission system.
The connection serves Wallington, which buys its water wholesale from Hackensack Water, and resells it to about 2,400 homes and 500 apartment buildings and businesses.

Keywords: WATER; ACCIDENT; UTILITY; LODI; FLOOD

RIVER EDGE COPS SEEK HELP ON THEFTS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, January 6, 1991

To combat a recent wave of residential burglaries about 20 in the past six weeks borough police have turned to residents for help, asking them to be cautious and to watch for suspicious activities in their neighborhoods.
Police Lt. Ron Starace said most of the burglaries, like the one on the 100 block of Kenwood Avenue about 10 p.m. Friday, occurred at night.
Starace said many of the break-ins occurred when the victims were home, but that no one had seen the burglars.
“We have to believe that there is more than one group working here, but we have very little information,” Starace said. “It’s a little difficult when you don’t know what you are looking for. “
He urged residents to call the department with any possible clues.
“Give us something to work with; give us extra eyes,” he said. “If you answer your door and you find nobody there, that’s suspicious; call us. Someone asking for directions to the home of a person unknown to you but who’s supposed to live on your block, or a delivery being made to a home where you know the neighbors are not there they are suspicious; call us. “
About five homes have been burglarized since the arrest of one suspect on Dec. 28. Starace said that on Jan. 1, a burglar ran when a resident at the 800 block of Bogen Road woke up about 11:45 p.m. and heard noises. There was another attempt at a home across the street the same night, he said.
On Dec. 28, a resident on the 100 block of Valley Road reported suspicious activities about 7 p.m. Police arrived minutes later, followed fresh footprints in the snow, and eventually arrested Marvin Jones, 25, of Englewood two blocks down the road.
Jones has been in the Bergen County Jail on $30,000 bail since his Dec. 29 arraignment on burglary and theft charges filed in River Edge and Englewood Cliffs.
Starace outlined steps that residents can take to protect their property and help police.
He said residents should take advantage of a residential sticker program to help police determine which cars belong in what neighborhoods. Residents also are advised to become familiar with cars in their neighborhoods. When they leave their homes, whether to go for a walk or on a long trip, they should ask their neighbors to watch their homes, he said.

Keywords: RIVER EDGE; POLICE; THEFT

BUS FIRM CITED FOR POLLUTING RIVER

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, January 5, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A04

The state has cited a borough bus company for polluting the Saddle River after state police Thursday found motor oil draining from the company’s parking lot into the river, officials said.
The civil citations against Saddle River Tours Ltd. at 119 Graham Lane were filed by state police and the state Department of Environmental Protection, spokesmen for both agencies said Friday.
A unit of the state police Marine Investigation Bureau, while on routine patrol of the Saddle River about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, found a large amount of oil running into a drainpipe along the parking lot that emptied into the river, state police spokesman Capt. Thomas Gallagher said.
While checking for the source of the oil, the marine police unit also found oil running through a hookup from the parking lot into the borough sewer system, officials said.
Sgt. Kevin J. Harnett of the Bergen County Police Emergency Management Unit, who also responded to the scene, said the environmental crime unit of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating possible criminal violations by the company.
Gallagher said the state police contacted the Lodi Police and Fire departments and the Prosecutor’s Office because of the hookup into the sewer line.
County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said he could not comment on the matter.
Representatives of Saddle River Tours could not be reached for comment Friday.
Bruce Doyle, an emergency response specialist with the DEP, said the department’s division of hazardous waste management will oversee the cleanup and remedial measures to be taken by Saddle River Tours.

Keywords: LODI; BUS; BUSINESS; RIVER; OIL; CRIME; ENVIRONMENT

PRIOR TESTS AT HOSPITAL FOUND AIR OK

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, January 5, 1991

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

Prior to an incident this week that sickened six employees, federal inspectors tested the air at The Valley Hospital twice in recent years after worker complaints about fumes. Each time they found that the gases they tested for were within acceptable limits.
Efraim Zoldan, area director for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said samples taken from the hospital in August 1988 and August 1989, after complaints by employees, found the levels of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the hospital met acceptable federal guidelines for the workplace.
The hospital’s operating-room staff was reassigned and all non-emergency operations were suspended Thursday after six employees were treated for illness from an odor. Two operating rooms for emergency surgery remain open.
Workers in the hospital’s operating rooms became ill from fumes on occasion in recent years, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.
Ilene Lumpkin, who had said Thursday that no illnesses were reported in past incidents, acknowledged Friday that there were illnesses reported.
“Occasionally one or two employees have gone to the emergency room after they had become sick,” Lumpkin said.
She said she did not know over what period of time the fumes were detected, how many times, or how many employees became sick from inhaling fumes.
Lumpkin said steps were taken to alleviate the condition after the 1988 and 1989 OSHA inspections, but said she did not know what the steps were.
A spokeswoman for OSHA said Thursday that the agency would not investigate the latest incident because the employees were treated and released, not hospitalized.
The hospital this week hired Atlantic Environmental Inc. of Dover and Chet Vogel, an engineer from New York City, to test the air and review the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system in the north wing, where the operating room is located. Results are expected early next week.
Lumpkin said the hospital will also install an air-monitoring system to test the air over time to see if the problem continues.

Keywords: RIDGEWOOD; HOSPITAL; HEALTH; HAZARD; TEST

DIVINING PASTOR NABS OFFERTORY THIEF IN ACT

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, January 4, 1991

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

A Fort Lee pastor said he sensed about midday Tuesday would be a convenient time for someone, if they were so inclined, to try to steal money from his church’s offering box. So he sneaked into the church and caught a man in the act.
The Rev. James Sullivan of Holy Trinity R. C. Church of Fort Lee said he had repaired the box six days earlier after someone stole between $10 to $35 from it. He said he noticed a few days later that someone had tampered with the box again.
Entering the church from a side door, Sullivan said he “could hear the box being tampered with. “
Fort Lee police arrested Carl Crawford, 34, of Bond Street, Freehold, a few minutes after Sullivan called 911 and reported a thief in the church.
Crawford had in his possession a tool for prying open boxes, six single dollar bills, and a check for $10 written to the Blessed Sacrament Church in Margate, said Fort Lee Police Chief John Orso. Crawford was charged with burglary, theft, and possession of burglary tools, and was being held in the Bergen County Jail Thursday on $2,500 bail.
Sullivan said Crawford, who is not a parishioner of the church, had been hanging in and around the church at “odd hours” for the past week, striking up conversations with church members.

Keywords: FORT LEE; RELIGION; BUILDING; THEFT

HOSPITAL WORKERS ILL FROM FUMES; OPERATING ROOMS TEMPORARILY SHUT

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, January 4, 1991

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

The Valley Hospital operating-room staff was reassigned and all non-emergency operations were suspended Thursday after six employees were treated for illness from an unknown odor, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The employees, including nurses and technicians, smelled the odor while they were in a lounge for the operating-room staff, said Eileen Lumpkin, director of marketing and public relations for the Ridgewood hospital.
Lumpkin declined to identify the employees who became ill, but said they suffered headaches, itchy eyes, and nausea.
About 50 patients will be rescheduled because of the suspension of non-emergency operations, she said. The suspensions will remain in effect today to allow for analysis of the air in the area and inspection of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, Lumpkin said.
Two of the hospital’s six operating rooms will continue to be used for emergency operations, she said.
Lumpkin said workers in areas adjacent to the operating rooms, which are served by the same heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, were told of the problem, but no illness was reported in those areas.
Some employees complained Wednesday about fumes in the lounge, but the smell became “dominant” Thursday, she said, adding that fumes were noticed in the past but they weren’t strong enough to cause sickness.
Lumpkin said Michael W. Azzara, president of Valley Hospital, met with the hospital staff Thursday morning to assure them that the hospital is doing all it can to find the source of the fumes.
Richard Van Hassle, hospital vice president, said: “We don’t know what it was, and that is what we are trying to find out. What we have done is called in this environmental company to test the air and a professional engineer to review the air-handling equipment to determine the cause of the problem. “
Atlantic Environmental Inc. of Dover and Chet Vogel, an engineer from New York City, were hired by the hospital to do the work, Lumpkin said.
The hospital also is investigating whether the fumes came from trucks at a construction site near the operating rooms, she said.
Lisa Levy, industrial-hygiene supervisor for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said the agency was notified of the incident but did not investigate because the employees were treated and released.

Keywords: RIDGEWOOD; HOSPITAL; EMPLOYMENT; HEALTH; PROBE; AIR

HIT-RUN VICTIM WAS TO SEE TO ILL WIFE; `FAMILY MAN SAID HE’D REJOIN FRIENDS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, January 3, 1991

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

Minutes before the new year was ushered in, Jarvis Stephenson told friends at the American Legion post that he was going home to check on his ill wife and that he would be back an hour later.
Stephenson, 39, would do neither.
A hit-and-run driver struck and fatally injured him as he crossed Forest Avenue outside the post, police said. He was pronounced dead at Englewood Hospital at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Lt. Charles Dillon, commander of the Englewood Police Traffic Bureau, said Wednesday that the search for the driver of the car was continuing but declined to say whether investigators had a suspect in mind or a make on the car.
In another incident in which a car hit a pedestrian, Eric Foreman, 17, of Millen, Ga., was more fortunate. Foreman’s legs were fractured when he was struck by a northbound car as he attempted to cross Route 17 in Ramsey on Tuesday, police said.
He was in stable condition at University Hospital in Newark on Wednesday, a hospital spokesman said.
The motorist, Daniel E. Melehan, 53, of Baldwin Road, Saddle River, was not charged, police said.
Janice Rochester, a bartender at American Legion Post 58 in Englewood, said she had known Stephenson, an NJ Transit bus driver, for about 17 years. Stephenson had been helping her wash cocktail glasses and serve drinks, but was not drinking, Rochester said.
“Jarvis was in very good spirits; he was as happy as he could be,” Rochester said. “He talked about his daughter a lot. That was his heart. That was his love. He was very much a family man. His wife and his daughter were very special to him.”
Rochester, 43, of Hackensack, said Stephenson told her that his wife, Josie, was ill and that he was going to check on her.

Keywords: ENGLEWOOD; MOTOR VEHICLE; ACCIDENT; VICTIM; DEATH

2 HELD IN ARMED ROBBERY IN HACKENSACK

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Sunday, December 30, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A04

Two men were being held in the Bergen County Jail on Saturday on $20,000 bail each after their arrest in a city apartment building following a report of an armed robbery outside a convenience store, police said.
Bryan Miller, 26, of Ridgewood and Troy Jones, 30, of Englewood, who police say were staying at 370 Park St., were charged with armed robbery, Police Chief William Iurato said in a news release.
Iurato said that at 11 p.m. Friday, Miller held a gun to three men coming out of Simon Sez, a convenience store at 281 State St., while Jones emptied the men’s pockets and took about $40 and cigarettes. Miller and Jones then ran from the scene in opposite directions, Iurato said.
One of the victims stopped a passing police car, reported the robbery, and described the men, the chief said.
An investigation led to the arrest of the men at 370 Park St., Iurato said.

Keywords: ROBBERY; HACKENSACK; BERGEN COUNTY; PRISON; STORE