BOGUS WATER WORKERS SOUGHT IN THEFT

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 10, 1991

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

An elderly couple were robbed of $1,500 cash and assorted jewelry by two men who came to their home Monday and claimed to work for the “water company,” police said.
The couple whom police said were 79 and 81 years old but declined to identify further allowed the men into their house around noon, Capt. C. Kenneth Tinsley said.
The men, clad in matching dark-colored uniforms, said they were checking water theft in the area, Tinsley said. One suspect took the couple upstairs into their kitchen, distracting them while the other man went into a bedroom and took the money and jewelry, Tinsley said.
Cindy Munley, a Hackensack Water Co. spokeswoman, said the men did not work for the water company.
“We ask customers to carefully check the identification of anyone claiming to be from the Hackensack Water Co.,” Munley said. “Anytime that the customer has doubt, they should feel free to call the water company before admitting anyone to the premises.”
Tinsley said anyone with a similar experience should call police. The Hackensack Water Co.’s toll-free telephone number is 1-800-422-5987.

Keywords: ENGLEWOOD; WATER; UTILITY; THEFT; FRAUD

WOMAN’S ASHES WASHED ASHORE; REMAINS FOUND IN CAN AT RESERVOIR

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, February 21, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B02

Woodcliff Lake police are waiting for relatives to reclaim a canister containing the ashen remains of a Westwood resident.
A Hackensack Water Co. maintenance crew found the canister on the bank of the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir.
It was the wish of the deceased, whom police declined to identify, that her remains be scattered over the reservoir, said Woodcliff Lake Police Capt. Richard Poliey.
“They just didn’t use the proper procedure or contact the water company for permission,” Poliey said.
Martha Green, a Hackensack Water Co. spokeswoman, said that, much as the water company respects a person’s last wish, this was one she thought the company could not grant.
“This comes somewhat as a surprise to me that that is how it got there. I haven’t seen a formal request, and I don’t think that is something that we could or would grant a request for. “
Poliey said he didn’t know how long the canister had been in the water or when it washed ashore.
The canister was sealed and the ashes did not get into the water, Green said. Workers found the canister while cleaning the bank of the reservoir Friday.
Woodcliff Lake is a storage reservoir that feeds the larger Oradell Reservoir, where the Hackensack Water Co. draws water for treatment and purification, before piping it to customers in 60 towns in Bergen and Hudson counties.

Keywords: WESTWOOD; WOMAN; DEATH; WOODCLIFF LAKE; LAKE; WATER; SUPPLY; UTILITY

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

ELECTRICAL EXPLOSIONS ROCK AREA IN DUMONT

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, November 7, 1990

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

Two underground electrical explosions shook downtown Dumont Tuesday, injuring a 46-year-old borough woman, cutting off power to more than 1,000 residents, and shutting down several businesses for the day.

Public Service Electric and Gas Co. officials and technicians did not know the cause of the first explosion, which occurred shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, said Walter Kyle, a PSE & G division operations supervisor. Kyle said he believed the second was caused by current released by the first.

“We know, essentially, that something blew up in the hole here,” Kyle said. “Exactly what, we don’t know. “

Except for the Madison Avenue business district, electricity was restored to much of the affected area about two hours after the explosion, Kyle said.

Amelia Garcia, who was standing behind the Frontier Restaurant and Bar at Park and Madison avenues when the second explosion occurred, was hit by flying debris. She was treated for cuts on both legs at Englewood Hospital and released.

Dumont Police Chief William Groesbeck said there was a similar explosion at the intersection of Madison and Washington avenues two months earlier.

Groesbeck said he urged PSE & G officials to work through the night to correct the problem. Madison Avenue was blocked off between Washington and Railroad avenues to allow the technicians to identify the problem and correct it, he said.

The explosion caused severe traffic delays along Washington Avenue and roads intersecting it.

Caption: (Photo ran alone in 3p) COLOR PHOTO – LINDA RADIN / THE RECORD – Utility workers inspecting the scene of one of two underground explosions that shook downtown Dumont Tuesday, leaving one woman injured and cutting off power to more than 1,000 residents. The blasts also caused traffic tie-ups.