WATER EMERGENCY IN LODI

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, January 30, 1991

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

The water flow slowed to a trickle for borough residents Tuesday morning after a predawn water main break, causing state environmental officials to issue a precautionary boil-water order and school to be canceled for the day.
Until further notice, Lodi’s 24,000 residents have been advised to boil water for about 5 minutes before drinking it, using it for cooking, or ingesting it any other way, said Lt. Edward Sturm, Bergen County deputy emergency management coordinator.
Wendell Inhoffer, Passaic Valley Water Authority superintendent and chief engineer, said a 24-inch cast-iron pipe near the Saddle River behind Felician College broke about 5 a.m., causing water pressure for the authority’s 5,000 customers in the borough, including households, apartment buildings, and businesses, to drop.
Much of the pressure was restored to all users by about 7 a.m., he said.
Inhoffer said it was unclear what caused the break but added that the age of the pipe, which was installed in 1942, was probably a factor.
After investigators found the break, water was diverted to other lines while workers repaired the main, Sturm said.
The Hackensack Water Co., for instance, opened a 12-inch interconnecting main that it has with the authority at Terhune Avenue for residents in the southern end of the borough, said Cindy Munley, a spokeswoman for the company. The pipe will be kept open until the Passaic Valley Water Authority is able to resume service, Munley said.
Phone calls concerning the pipe break lit up the police switchboard.
“I must have had 3,000 calls this morning from people complaining that they had no water,” Lodi Police Sgt. Richard Blachfield said. Many of the callers were upset because they couldn’t take a shower, Blachfield said.
“I told them we’d send over a case of Perrier water and they could take a bath,” Blachfield said.
Schools Superintendent Robert Polisse said that, on advice of Acting Police Chief John Pizzuro and out of concern for the health, safety, and welfare of the students, he ordered schools closed for the day.
The Record’s wire services contributed to this report.

Keywords: LODI; WATER; SUPPLY

Caption: 2 PHOTOS – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD 1 – Worker, top, damming water with sandbags after main break in Lodi early Tuesday. 2 – By 9 a.m., concerned residents had bought up nearly all the bottled water in an aisle at Main Street Acme, below.

Notes: 1 of 2 versions

ASSAULT PROBE LOOKS AT PAIR; ENGLEWOOD MAN, TEEN ARE SUSPECTS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, January 30, 1991

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

A 20-year-old city man and a 16-year-old accomplice who have been charged with robbery are being investigated in connection with 12 other assaults in the past two weeks, police said.
Malik McKinnon of 210 First St. was being held Tuesday on $10,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail. The juvenile, whom police declined to identify because of his age, was released to the custody of his parents.
A 20-year-old employee of Chicken Magician of Teaneck had just delivered food to a West Palisade Avenue residence when he was accosted by two males about 9:15 p.m. Sunday and robbed of about $100, Englewood Detective Capt. C. Kenneth Tinsley said.
Police arrested the juvenile later that night after the victim, who recognized the juvenile from a playground basketball game, gave police a description.
McKinnon turned himself in Monday, Tinsley said.
The money was returned to the victim, he said.
Starting with a Jan. 7 mugging of a 50-year-old man in the parking lot of a church, 13 people were assaulted in separate incidents, Tinsley said, and eight of them were robbed in dark and isolated areas in the 1st and 3rd wards.
“We haven’t confirmed it yet but we are checking to see if they [the two suspects] were involved with the other incidents,” Tinsley said.
He added that increased patrols in the 1st and 3rd wards would continue.

Keywords: ROBBERY; ASSAULT; PROBE; ENGLEWOOD; YOUTH

SHOPPERS SIGN UP TO SUPPORT TROOPS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, January 27, 1991

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

A constant question in letters written home by American servicemen and women in the Middle East is how the public is reacting to their being over there.
If the more than 3,000 signatures collected on banners at two Paramus shopping malls Saturday are any measure, then support for the men and women if not for the war itself is overwhelming, said family members who organized the banner-signing.
“Every signature that goes on there is one more support for our men and women, and they will know how the public really feels, that they really care and have pride in them,” said one of the organizers, Joan Piazza of Paramus. Her 21-year-old son, Lance Cpl. Steven Piazza, is on the front line in Saudi Arabia with the U.S. Marine Corps 81st Platoon.
The Bergen County chapter of the American Red Cross Military Family Support Group, formed shortly after the first deployment of servicemen and women in August, set up tables inside Paramus Park mall and Garden State Plaza at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The white nylon banners each had a yellow band with black lettering above and below reading “Support Our Troops, Come Home Soon. “
By mid-afternoon, people were searching for space in the cotton margins of the banners. Shopper after shopper walked up to the tables, many simply to sign their names, others to write such messages as “You are in our hearts and prayers. God Bless. “
Sandy Rosenberg, 54, of Paramus said she signed the banner because although she is against the war she wants the men and women serving in the Middle East to know that she supports them and wants them to come home safely.
Kevin Mendillo, 29, of Fort Lee commended the military family support group for its effort to boost the morale of the troops.
“These guys are putting their lives on the line, risking their lives to protect us,” Mendillo said.
The banners will hang atop the Bergen County Courthouse, Piazza said. When the war is over and the soldiers and sailors return, the banners will be presented to them at a “big party. “

Keywords: USA; IRAQ; KUWAIT; WARFARE; DEFENSE; SAUDI ARABIA; MIDDLE EAST; PARAMUS

Caption: COLOR – JOE GIARDELLI / THE RECORD – Nancy Monaco of Fort Lee signing a banner at Paramus Park mall. PHOTO – AL PAGLIONE / THE RECORD – Bergen County Executive William “Pat” Schuber, left, and Sheriff Jack Terhune at courthouse ceremony honoring U.S. troops.

HAWORTH MAN, TWO RELATIVES DROWN IN FLA.; HIS CAR PLUNGED INTO ROADSIDE CANAL

By Michael O. Allen and John Mooney, Record Staff Writers | Thursday, January 27, 1991

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

A 71-year-old Haworth man, his daughter, and his grandson drowned after their car veered off a Florida highway, tore through a fence, and plunged into a 35-foot-deep canal, police said.
Emanuel “Manny” Morgan of 854 Sunset Ave., Haworth; his 37-year-old daughter, Arlene Kepp of Naples, Fla.; and his 4-year-old grandson, Steven Kepp, were buried in Naples Wednesday, said a spokeswoman for the funeral home that handled the arrangements.
Autopsies by the Collier County Medical Examiner’s office revealed that all three drowned in the Monday accident, said a spokeswoman for the office.
Morgan owned Martin Furniture store in West New York for 42 years and was known for his charitable work there and in other communities. He was a Navy veteran of World War II.
His son Stewart Morgan said Friday that Morgan had donated lots of time and money to local synagogues.
“He did a lot of charity work that he never told anyone about,” said Morgan, who with his brother Neil also works at the furniture store.
“For 15 years on every single Christmas, my father gave out gifts to senior citizens in West New York. He just didn’t want anyone to be forgotten. “
The incident occurred while the elder Morgan was traveling from Miami Beach to Naples with his 63-year-old wife, Jeanette, and his daughter and grandson, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The Morgans had recently purchased a condominium in Miami Beach.
Jeanette Morgan was driving the 1989 Ford station wagon about 3:30 p.m. Monday and was westbound on Alligator Alley, or State Road 93, when the car veered onto the shoulder, a police spokeswoman said.
Police said Morgan panicked and grabbed the steering wheel, causing his wife to lose control of the car. The vehicle went through a 12-foot-high fence separating the road from the canal, plunging into the recently deepened waters.
Jeanette Morgan, who swam to safety, was treated at Naples Community Hospital for minor injuries and was released Tuesday, said hospital spokeswoman Debbie Curry.

Keywords: HAWORTH; FLORIDA; DEATH; VICTIM; ACCIDENT; MOTOR VEHICLE; RIVER

POLICE LAYOFFS MAY FOIL TETERBORO PLAN

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, January 24, 1991

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

County Executive William “Pat” Schuber’s proposal to lay off eight county police officers this year could derail Teterboro’s plan to have the department absorb four of its officers, officials say.
The proposal would have had the department, which has 95 officers, take on the four borough police officers in exchange for compensation.
But Jerrold Binney, Schuber’s chief of staff, said the proposed layoffs would imperil that plan. Bringing in the Teterboro officers whose experience ranges from seven to 18 years would create difficulties in assessing seniority levels, he said.
Borough Manager Michael W. Tedesco could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Peter Neillands, Bergen County police chief and director of public safety, was formally notified Wednesday that 21 employees from the county Division of Public Safety, including the eight police officers, would be laid off. Freeholders have not yet formally approved the layoffs.

Keywords: BERGEN COUNTY; GOVERNMENT; OFFICIAL; TETERBORO; POLICE; EMPLOYMENT

FDU STUDENT HURT IN FIGHT

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, January 20, 1991

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

An 18-year-old Fairleigh Dickinson University student who was kicked in the face and knocked down a flight of stairs during a fight in a Teaneck dormitory Saturday was in stable condition after an operation to remove blood on his brain, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Gerald P. Romano of Bristol, R.I., was unconscious when he arrived at Hackensack Medical Center at 12:30 a.m. following the fight in a dormitory hallway, Teaneck Police Officer Veronica Thornton reported.
Romano had a blood alcohol content of 0.21 percent, according to the report.
Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said his office wants to find out what caused the fight. But he said he does not expect anyone to be charged with a crime.
Witnesses told police that Ricardo Carter, 19, of East Orange kicked Romano in the face and knocked him down the stairs of the Linden 3B dormitory.
One of the witnesses, Candace Mitchell, 18, of Clearwater, Fla., said in an interview Saturday that Romano had been involved in a fight minutes earlier with Scott Barrett, 18, of Teaneck.

Keywords: TEANECK; COLLEGE; STUDENT; ASSAULT

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