BANDITS HIT LOTTERY FOR $2,000 IN TEANECK LIQUOR STORE HOLDUP

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Sunday, October 7, 1990

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

Three armed men allegedly stole about $5,000, including about $2,000 in New Jersey Lottery money, from a Teaneck wine and liquor store Friday as the store owner and his brother locked up for the night, Teaneck police say.

Pannabhai D. Grohel, owner of the Jersey Wine and Liquor store at 166 W. Englewood Ave., said he thought the robbers had watched his routine for some time before Friday’s robbery.

After the store closes at 10 p.m., Grohel, 52, said, he and his brother Dhamji, 46, usually spend about 30 minutes stocking the shelves for the next day’s business. The robbers, two of them armed with automatic handguns, entered the store from a side door on Queen Anne Road as the Grohel brothers emerged at 10:35 p.m. on Friday, he said.

“As soon as we opened the door, they pushed the door and they came in,” Grohel said.

The Teaneck police report of the incident, filed by Patrolman Robert Croonquist, said Dhamji Grohel was hit on the head and face with a gun and that the men were taken to Holy Name Hospital for treatment.

SECAUCUS MAN, 22, HIT BY POLICE CAR IN HACKENSACK

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, October 7, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A08

A 22-year-old man suffered what hospital officials called multiple trauma after he was struck by a Hackensack police car as he crossed Essex Street in the city early Saturday.

Jaime Fajardo, who Hackensack police said is from Secaucus, was listed in good condition in the surgical intensive care unit of Hackensack Medical Center on Saturday.

The accident occurred about 1:10 a.m. at 370 Essex St., said Patrolman Dennis Parente of the Hackensack Police Department’s traffic division.

“A marked police vehicle was traveling west on Essex Street when, for no apparent reason, a pedestrian ran across the street into the path of the police vehicle, according to a number of witnesses,” Parente said.

Parente said police investigators have talked to six witnesses who supported police conclusions on what occurred.

He said he had been instructed nonetheless not to identify the officer who was driving the patrol car that hit Fajardo.

Parente said the accident report indicated the officer was driving 25 miles per hour when his car struck the pedestrian. The posted speed limit on that section of Essex Street is 30 miles per hour.

On Saturday afternoon, a patron at O’Neil’s Summit Bar & Grill said he was at the bar when the accident occurred, and that Fajardo had not been among the customers.

Cars were parked in front of O’Neil’s Bar, at 362 Essex St., and along the street at the time of the accident, said the man, who declined to identify himself. A few people were walking along Essex Street at the time, but the area wasn’t crowded, he said.

WRONG WAY ON RTE. 46

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, October 6, 1990

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

Later saying he had been fleeing an attacker, the driver of a pickup truck drove the wrong way on Route 46 in Little Ferry and struck a South Hackensack police car that was answering an emergency call, authorities said.

Matt Bialorucki of Passaic told police that he was driving along Main Street in Little Ferry on Thursday night when a man he knew jumped on the back of his truck, hitting the doors and windows several times with a chain.

While attempting to flee, he said, he made a wrong turn onto Route 46, driving his truck west in the eastbound lane.

The truck then collided with a cruiser driven by South Hackensack Patrolman Nicholas Ulliana.

The officer was treated at Hackensack Medical Center for a slight back sprain and released.

Bialorucki and his passenger, John Ohagen, were not injured.

Police said the two men later signed complaints of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against Robert Jackson of 33 Aspen Place, Passaic.

Jackson had jumped off the truck before the crash and fled in another vehicle, police said.

No charges were filed by police against Bialorucki.

STABBED TEANECK YOUTH IS STILL LISTED AS CRITICAL

By Michael O. Allen and David Voreacos, Record Staff Writers | Friday, October 5, 1990

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

A township teenager who was stabbed near Teaneck High School on Wednesday remained in critical condition Thursday, while his alleged assailant was ordered held on $50,000 bail.

Christopher Rose, 18, was recovering from surgery to repair a thumb-size hole in his heart, but his vital signs were unstable, said a spokeswoman for Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck.

His alleged attacker, Kurt Crosdale, 18, of Hackensack was arraigned Thursday in Teaneck Municipal Court on charges of aggravated assault and assault with a deadly weapon. He was being held in the Bergen County Jail.

Teaneck police said Crosdale stabbed Rose about 3 p.m. because of a feud between the youths.

“It’s unclear whether the assailant came specifically looking for Rose,” said Teaneck Detective Sgt. William Oriol.

Dr. Mahmud Bangash, a cardiovascular surgeon at the hospital, said he repaired a hole in Rose’s heart left by the knife. Bangash said Rose’s heart stopped beating four times and had to be electrically stimulated.

“He’s not out of the danger yet, but every day of improvement will be in his favor,” said Bangash.

Oriol gave the following account: Rose and a friend were walking in the middle of Margaret Street toward the school when Crosdale drove by, saw Rose, and stopped. Crosdale was clutching a large knife when he emerged from the car and exchanged words with Rose. He then stabbed Rose in the chest.

Crosdale told police that he believed Rose was reaching for his rear pocket as if for a weapon, but police found none.

Crosdale told police that Rose had thrown him out of a party in Teaneck about two weeks ago, Oriol said.

The detective said Wednesday that Crosdale told him he had been stabbed in a fight in Englewood several weeks ago. Crosdale believed that one of Rose’s friends had committed the stabbing, Oriol said, adding that Englewood police have no record of the incident.

Although Wednesday’s incident was the latest in the rivalry among Teaneck, Hackensack, and Englewood youths, Oriol said it is unlikely the stabbing would spur more violence.

“I don’t think there is going to be any retaliation because we made an arrest right away,” Oriol said. “He’s in jail. There’s nobody to go after.”

Rose graduated from Teaneck High School in June, and Crosdale is a senior at Hackensack High School.

Caption: PHOTO – CHRISTOPHER ROSE, In 1990 yearbook photo

OAKLAND MAN KILLED AS FIRE ENGULFS HOME

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, October 5, 1990

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

A predawn fire Thursday killed an Oakland man and destroyed a home he shared with a companion, who neighbors said was away on business.

Preliminary findings indicated the fire that killed John Casey, 59, and engulfed the house at 18 Mohawk Ave. was accidental, Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said.

Fahy said the fire apparently started in the first-floor living room of the 1 1/2-story house. Casey was found dead in the foyer near the front door, Fahy said.

“Our theory is that he fell asleep in a chair while smoking, and the chair caught fire,” Fahy said. “The whole living room of the house collapsed into the basement. We believe that he tried to get out of the house, but was overcome by smoke and collapsed.”

Fahy said neighbors reported the fire at about 5:34 a.m.

Ann Chiusano of 16 Mohawk Ave. said she woke to a loud popping sound and looked out and saw the fire next door. Chiusano said Ruth Natale, who owns the home, was in Florida and is due back Saturday.

Cornelius Klepper, whose home at 19 Mohawk Ave. is directly across the street, said he heard his dog barking.

“I looked out of my bedroom window, and I saw the flames shooting up 30, 40 feet in the air,” he said.

Klepper said he saw Casey on Monday when he came into the Oakland Wine and Liquor Store, which Klepper owns, and gave him the lottery numbers he wanted for Monday and Thursday.

“It was the last time I saw him,” Klepper said. “It’s a funny thing, because I didn’t even think he was home. I thought he was with her. I think Ruthie works for a travel agency, and she was gone quite a bit. See, John, he won’t fly. So if Ruthie flies, he won’t go.”

Caption: COLOR PHOTO – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD – Firefighters removing the body of John Casey, who died in a fire that destroyed a home on Mohawk Avenue in Oakland early Thursday morning. Neighbors said that the owner of the house was away on a business trip.

THREATS ON JUDGE PROMPT ARREST

By Michael O. Allen and Caroline Herzfeld, Record Staff Writers | Thursday, October 4, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | One Star | NEWS | Page B04

State police have charged a 43-year-old Cliffside Park woman with making terroristic threats against an appellate court judge who is handling the appeal of her divorce case.

State police spokesman Danny Cosgrove said Judge James J. Petrella received two phone calls from Susan V. Waldman in his chamber in the Appellate Division of Superior Court in Hackensack Friday, threatening him with bodily harm.

Waldman was arrested at 10 p.m. Tuesday at her home at 250 Gorge St. She was released from the Bergen County Jail Wednesday after posting 10 percent of her $25,000 bail.

Waldman could be sentenced to five years in prison and fined up to $7,500 if she is convicted.

Waldman’s appeal of a Morris County Superior Court ruling in her divorce from Morristown dentist Herman Waldman was filed Oct. 24, 1989, and came before a three-judge panel headed by Petrella.

She said in phone calls to The Record this week that she filed charges of judicial misconduct against Petrella with John Sweeney, Governor Florio’s counsel. She claimed Petrella has been rubber-stamping all of her husband’s motions in the ongoing case while ignoring hers, and that Petrella was harassing her because of her charges against him.

Her former husband is a personal friend of Petrella and the two other judges hearing the case, Mrs. Waldman said in her calls to The Record.

Petrella and Herman Waldman could not be reached for comment.

COPS CHASE KEARNY MEN DOWN ROUTE 95

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, October 4, 1990

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

Two Kearny men led police on a high-speed chase along Route 95 and the New Jersey Turnpike before giving up after a foot chase and struggle. One of them suffered a superficial gunshot wound.

Donald V. Teixeira, 18, of 91 Beach St. and Richard T. Nice, 19, of 576 Forest St. were each charged with cocaine possession, assault on a police officer, and the receipt of stolen property, said Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy. They were in the Bergen County Jail Wednesday under $100,000 bail each.

Lt. Richard Touw, a state police spokesman, said Trooper Keith Nelson inflicted a superficial wound on Teixeira’s back during a scuffle for the trooper’s gun.

Touw said police gave chase after seeing the car a red 1983 Camaro being driven by Teixeira and reported stolen from Morris Plains on Monday traveling south on Route 95 in Fort Lee Tuesday night with no lights on.

During the pursuit, police saw Nice throwing from the car items they later determined were vials of crack, Touw said.

The Camaro careened out of control in Lyndhurst and struck a guardrail, he said. Bergen County and state police officers surrounded the car, but it began moving again, striking two patrol cars and causing minor damage.

The two suspects then fled on foot, Touw said, with three officers after them.

Touw said Teixeira hid in tall grass by the roadside, then grabbed Nelson’s gun when the trooper closed in on him. Touw said the gun accidentally discharged and grazed the suspect in the back.

Nice suffered face and head bruises in the car accident. Both suspects were treated at University Hospital in Newark and released into police custody.

Nelson was treated for cuts and bruises to the legs and left hand as a result of the struggle with Teixeira, Touw said.

DRIVER PULLED FROM WRECK, THEN CHARGED

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, September 30, 1990

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

A 33-year-old borough woman whose car hit a parked car early Saturday morning and burst into flames was pulled from the wreck by a policeman and a firefighter, authorities said.

Sandra L. Slockett of Center Avenue was rescued at about 1:30 a.m. by firefighter Albert Van Houten Jr. and Patrolman Michael Smith.

“When we got to the car, it was totally involved, and the driver was trapped in the vehicle,” said Midland Park Fire Chief Albert Van Houten Sr.

“Another 30 seconds, and it would have been too late. “

Van Houten said his son and Smith grabbed the door of the car, forced it open, and rescued Slockett, whom the chief described as semiconscious.

He said the accident occurred at 66 Bank St., a few doors from his home.

Slockett had been driving west on the street when the accident occurred, the chief said. He and his son left their house and headed down the street when they heard the fire alarm.

Police charged Slockett with careless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and driving with a suspended license.

A police spokesman said Slockett, who refused medical treatment when she was taken to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood after the accident, told police she would return to the hospital later Saturday for treatment.

DENTIST FACES DRUG CHARGE

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Thursday, September 27, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B06

A Wyckoff dentist is facing charges of illegally obtaining 180 tablets of a prescription painkiller.

Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said Dr. Steven Hutt was arrested in a Bergen County Narcotics Task Force investigation on Tuesday and charged with fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance. Hutt, 43, allegedly obtained the drug Fiorinal for personal use.

Hutt was arraigned on the charge Wednesday and was released on his own recognizance.

Fahy said Hutt phoned in the improper prescriptions to a pharmacy on at least six occasions between Dec. 15, 1987, and March 28, 1988.

Fahy said someone brought the alleged violations to the attention of task force investigators in the past month.

“This is a serious offense, given his position in the community,” Fahy said.

Hutt, reached at home on Wednesday, declined to comment. He referred questions to his lawyer, Andrew Baron of Cranford. Baron could not be reached by telephone on Wednesday.

Hutt could face 30 years in prison and fines of up to $45,000 if convicted.

PROSECUTOR WILL PROBE COP’S KILLING OF DOG

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, September 27, 1990

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

Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said Wednesday that he will investigate a state trooper’s killing of a stray dog at a turnpike rest stop.

But New Jersey State Police said the trooper took the right action.

“Fearing he [the dog] was going to run into the road and cause an accident, the dog was destroyed,” said Sgt. David Duleba of the state police barracks in Newark. “As far as we can determine, everything was justified.”

Tim Sullivan, chief of the Bergen County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, had asked Fahy to look into the shooting.

State Police had called the county animal shelter after the dog, a rare blue Doberman, was spotted about 5 p.m. Tuesday at the New Jersey Turnpike rest stop in Ridgefield Park. After trying to catch it for 1 1/2 hours, warden Gary Kayser left to radio for help. Trooper Anthony DiPaula then shot the dog, authorities said.

“At that point, I started getting telephone calls [from witnesses],” Sullivan said. “I’ve never seen anything like this by a law-enforcement officer who is supposed to be a professional. They should have turned the scene over to the animal shelter and let them worry about catching the dog.”

The dog’s owner had not been located by Wednesday night. DiPaula could not be reached for comment.