5 ARRESTED IN COCAINE, GUN STING

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, February 15, 1991

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

Francisco Torres double-parked his white 1989 Porsche in front of a Hackensack house Wednesday, put a “Doctor On Call” sign on the dash, and, briefcase in hand, walked into a police narcotics sting.
The arrest of the 30-year-old Jersey City man and an accomplice culminated an investigation that yielded 2 1/2 pounds of cocaine and the arrests of three other men Tuesday night, city Police Chief William Iurato said Thursday.
Tuesday’s arrests came in “a volatile situation that was defused with no gunplay” when an officer disarmed a suspect who appeared ready to fire a machine gun, Iurato said.
Detective Sgt. Arthur Mento, who backed up narcotics officers posing as weapons and drug dealers, credited Detective Sgt. Michael Mordaga with saving his and other officers lives when he disarmed the suspect, who had trained the gun on Mento.
Police had decided to act as “middlemen” after they got wind of an operation in which people were trading guns for cash or cocaine, said Iurato, who gave the following account:
The first leg of the investigation was the purchase of the machine gun in the parking lot of a diner on Essex Street at about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Mordaga and Officer Al Guitierrez were at the open door of a truck negotiating the $2,300 asking price for the gun with Eduardo Gomez, 26, of Union City, and Jairo Gondolo, 32, of Weehawken.
The third suspect, Abel Maldonaldo, 29, of Paterson, who was standing watch, saw other undercover officers approaching and yelled, “It’s a rip. “
“They thought they were being ripped off,” Iurato said. “They didn’t realize we were police officers until after the arrest. “
Gondolo picked up the machine gun, which was at his feet in the back seat, and raised it.
Mordaga jumped into the truck, and jammed his thumb in the trigger housing of the machine gun, slightly injuring his thumb as he disarmed Gondolo.
“We were in a situation where we couldn’t shoot,” Mento said. “If Sgt. Mordaga had not done what he did, we would have been seriously hurt. “
The gun was loaded with 30 rounds of 9mm ammunition. A .45-caliber handgun was also seized.
Tuesday’s arrests led police to Torres and Domingo Acosta, 29, of Union City, who were to provide 2 1/2 pounds of cocaine at a price of $30,000, a figure less than the street value, Iurato said. Torres and Acosta agreed to reduce the price if the undercover officers would buy 5 pounds of cocaine a week.
Iurato declined to say how police connected the suspects in Tuesday’s arrests with Torres and Acosta.
Torres and Acosta, who were arrested without incident, were charged with possession of and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and possession of a semi-automatic handgun. Torres was freed on $25,000 bail and Acosta was released on $50,000 bail.
Gondolo, charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, weapons charges, and resisting arrest, was released on $50,000 bail.
Gomez was being held in the Bergen County Jail on $50,000 bail on weapons charges and a charge of resisting arrest. Maldonaldo was held on $26,000 bail on the same charges.
Police confiscated the Porsche and the 1988 Toyota truck.

Keywords: DRUG; JERSEY CITY; WEAPON; HACKENSACK; POLICE

MAN ACCUSED OF MAKING THREATS

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Thursday, February 14, 1991

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

Police charged a 33-year-old Carlstadt man with making terroristic threats after taking a butcher knife away from him and arresting him Tuesday at the home of a Center Avenue resident.
Fhahram Zarrabi of 612 Division Ave. threatened to kill two borough residents because they owed him $18,000 for work he did for them, said Fort Lee Police Chief John Orso. After his arrest, Zarrabi was released on $500 bail.

Keywords: FORT LEE; ASSAULT; WEAPON

POLICE SEEK SUSPECT IN GUARD’S STABBING

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Friday, December 21, 1990

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

Borough police are looking for a man who stabbed a department store security officer on the evening of Dec. 7.

The police are sending out a New Jersey State Police composite drawing of the man, described as in his mid-20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighing about 180 pounds.

A store detective at Marshall’s department store at 370 Kinderkamack Road saw the suspect conceal merchandise under his coat and leave the store shortly before 8 p.m. Dec. 7, said Emerson Police Lt. Brian C. Yehle. The security officer chased the man and, after turning a corner, was assaulted, he said.

Yehle said anyone with information regarding the suspect should contact the police at 262-2800.

Caption: PHOTO – Suspect in Dec. 7 stabbing.

FORT LEE HAS NIGHT OF WEAPON, DRUG ARRESTS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, December 7, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | One Star | NEWS | Page B03

Police on Wednesday night arrested eight people on drug charges in three separate incidents. Two others were arrested on weapons charges in a fourth incident, said Police Chief John Orso.

At 5:09 p.m., said Orso, Officer Roy Bortolus saw a car cut across three lanes as it traveled west on Route 4, near Bergen Boulevard.

When Bortolus stopped the vehicle, he found small amounts of cocaine and marijuana and $12,220 in cash, Orso said.

The driver, Danny Prince, 36, of Oklahoma City, and passengers Keith Prince, 32, and Steven Guest, 23, both of Jersey City, were charged with possession of drugs and of drug paraphernalia. Each was released on $1,000 bail.

Orso said Bortolus became suspicious when Danny Prince said the money was his life savings yet did not know the total amount, guessing it to be $10,000. “We confiscated that to find out where it came from,” the chief said.

The second arrest occurred at about 8:35 p.m. after Detective Gary Moleta, traveling west on Route 46 near the Plaza West shopping, saw a car weaving through traffic. Upon stopping the vehicle, Moleta found several bags containing a white powdery substance believed to heroin, Orso said.

Tywayne Williams and Arthur Hoffman, both 18 and of East Orange, were scheduled to be remanded in Bergen County Jail on Thursday. The two were charged with being under the influence of intoxicants. They were also charged with possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

At about 9:45 p.m., on Linwood Avenue, Officer Ken Porrino seized a 12-gauge shotgun from the back seat of a car driven by Thurston U. Allen, 25, of Rochester, N.Y.

Allen and his passenger, Martha Colas, 22, of Queens Village, N.Y., were arrested and charged with illegal possession of a weapon.

Orso said the pistol grip on the shotgun was illegal. The officer saw the weapon as he approached the car to check its registration, the police chief said.

At about 10:40 p.m., Officer Steve Choromanski stopped a car driven by Bruce Davis, 23, of Roanoke, Va., after watching the vehicle change lanes without signaling near the intersection of Routes 4 and 95, Orso said.

Choromanski seized drug paraphernalia, about $1,000 worth of crack, and $1,200 worth of marijuana from the car, Orso said. The officer then arrested Davis and his passengers, Bernice Crouse, 18, of Roanoke, and Robert Green, 20, of Martinsville, Va.

They were each charged with being in possession of cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, and possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

MAN SEEKING GUN PERMIT FIRES SHOT AT BOROUGH HALL

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, November 29, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B05

A 33-year-old former resident waiting for a gun permit from the borough was arrested late Tuesday night after he shot at Borough Hall, police said.

Robert M. Teter of 351 River Road, Little Ferry, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and with having a loaded semiautomatic rifle in his possession, Ridgefield Detective John Bogovich said.

Police Chief Lars N. Oyen said Teter had appeared “somewhat disoriented” when he came into into the police station earlier Tuesday to apply for a gun permit. He was told the police needed time to check his background before he could be given a permit, Oyen said. Teter had received a permit from the department several years earlier, the chief said.

“Interestingly enough, there was nothing in his background that would indicate a problem,” and a permit would have been issued on Wednesday, Oyen said. Bogovich said Teter moved to Little Ferry a week ago after seven years as a Ridgefield resident.

Bogovich said police received a call about a gunman who had shot at Borough Hall at about 10:40 Tuesday night. Police found Teter in his car near the railroad tracks on Edgewater Avenue, he said. Teter refused to put up his hands and keep them in plain view, and it took four officers to subdue him, Bogovich said.

The shot hit the front of building, to the north side of the front door, and missed a window near a police lieutenant’s desk, Oyen said. No one was in that office at the time, authorities said, but police were on duty in other offices in the building.

Teter had two bullets in the rifle’s magazine, one in the chamber, and 54 additional rounds of ammunition in his car, police said.

He was undergoing psychiatric evaluation at Bergen Pines County Hospital on Wednesday and was being held on $25,000 bail, Oyen said.

YOUTH WHO HAD GUN IN HIS LOCKER TO BE HELD

By Michael O. Allen and David Voreacos, Record Staff Writers | Wednesday, November 28, 1990

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

A 17-year-old Teaneck High School senior, arrested this week after officials found a loaded semiautomatic pistol in his locker, will be detained until a juvenile court hearing scheduled for Dec. 7, police said.

The student, whose identity was withheld by police, faces a juvenile delinquency charge of possession of a weapon within an educational institution, said Capt. Gary Fiedler.

He was arrested Monday morning and was being held Tuesday in the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center in Paramus.

The student also has been suspended from school, said Judy Distler, a school spokeswoman who said she had no further information on any disciplinary measures.

Authorities were alerted to the location of the gun by Principal James DeLaney, who called police at 9:15 a.m. Monday after receiving a confidential tip, said a report written by Detective Frank McCall of the Youth Bureau.

McCall went to the school and, with DeLaney and Assistant Principal Joseph White, removed a California-made .380 Kurtz semiautomatic pistol from a first-floor locker. The gun was loaded with four bullets in a magazine and one in the chamber, McCall said.

Police were attempting Tuesday to determine how the youth got the gun, Fiedler said.
He said the senior has a police record but he would not elaborate on it.

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

PARAMUS NABS TRIO ON DRUG, GUN CHARGES

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, September 16, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A09

Two men and a woman from Vermont were arrested Saturday after Paramus police stopped them for erratic driving on Route 17. The three were charged with possession of an automatic pistol, hollow-nose bullets, and 3 1/2 ounces of rock cocaine.

Dennis Dostie, 24; Raymond Wescott, 26, and Sheryl Mayville, 29, all from Milton, Vt., were stopped at about 2:30 a.m. at the intersection of Routes 4 and 17.

Police charged them with possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, possession of paraphernalia with intent to distribute, and illegal possession of the weapon and ammunition. They were being held in the county jail on $25,000 bail each.

Paramus Police Chief Joseph Delaney said the car did not have license plates and was weaving from lane to lane.

In addition to the drugs, police said they found a loaded Intertech-9, a 9mm automatic pistol with 36-round ammunition magazine, including 20 hollow-nose bullets.

“To see this weapon, it’s unbelievable,” Delaney said. “It’s an awesome weapon. A magazine carrying 36 rounds you can take down half a police force with that. It shows you what firepower these officers face on the streets. “

Police in New Jersey are not allowed to carry guns holding more than 15 rounds each, Delaney said.