https://www.facebook.com/gerardjerrydemarco

Independent Online News, 166 Jefferson Avenue, Cresskill, NJ (2026)

04/20/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 ‘𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝘆’ 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

An Upper Saddle River community volunteer celebrated for selfless acts of charity has been harassing a former borough PTO member by “losing” keys in different towns with his phone number on them, authorities contend.

Angelica Stergiou Degenaars, 49, told investigators who charged her with harassment that she was simply aping a TikTok prank, Montvale Police Chief Douglas McDowell told Independent Online News.

The target – as well as police in Montvale, Allendale and Upper Saddle River -- don’t see it that way.

Following a “lost key” incident in their town, Allendale police contacted Degenaars in December and told her that she was a person of interest, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the various incidents told Independent Online News.

She reportedly denied any involvement at the time.

No other incidents were reported until noontime March 27, when an employee at Wegmans in Montvale called the victim and said his phone number was on the tag of a key found in the parking lot.

The man went straight to police headquarters.

The victim “told us that while he was on the PTA in Upper Saddle River, he learned that [Degenaars] was accessing his e-mails and search history on his cell phone,” said McDowell, the Montvale police chief.

A review of security video shows a white 2023 Mercedes GLC 300 entering the Wegmans lot from the Farm View/DePiero entrance, the chief said.

The vehicle parks briefly where the key was subsequently found and then heads out the same way less than three minutes later, he said.

No one got out of the vehicle at any point, he said.

A check of the vehicle with the National Crime Information Center database found it registered to Degenaars’s husband, Glenn.

Degenaars is a founder, managing director and senior portfolio manager of The Degenaars Babb Group, a high-profile, 6th Avenue-based wealth management team.

Angelica Degenaars voluntarily went to police headquarters, according to a police report obtained by Independent Online News.

According to the report, she admitted during an interview with Detective Sgt. Eric Robalino and Officer Russell Dilauri that she dropped labeled keys not just at Wegmans but also at the CVS on nearby Chestnut Ridge Road (which sources said was never found) and in Allendale.

Asked why she was doing this, the report says, Degenaars replied: "It was a TikTok trend."

The TikTok prank began about six years ago. A video contains step-by-step instructions on how to purchase pounds of miscellaneous keys online and plastic ID keychains.

The prankster is instructed to write phone numbers on the tags and scatter the keys at various locations: “Parks! Random Stores! Bars and Clubs! The Mall! Throw them out your car window while just driving around like you’re a newsboy delivering newspapers!!!”

The trend never really became popular, mostly because authorities in many areas have treated it the same as they do online harassment. They warn that it could also become a tool of scammers and predators.

What specifically sparked the beef between Degenaars and the former PTO member still isn’t clear.

Degenaars has been lauded for her leadership and dedication to a variety of causes. Besides previously serving as the local PTO co-president, she’s been actively involved with the Saddle River Valley Junior Woman's Club, the Upper Saddle River Garden Club and the USR Educational Foundation.

The foundation honored the class mom and lunch volunteer with its 2025 Award for Excellence, noting that Degenaars “worked passionately for our schools and students, countless individuals and families in need.

“One example that stands out is when she organized a baby essentials drive to help a single woman taking custody of her heroin-addicted newborn niece—an act of kindness and empathy that continues to this day,” a tribute to Degenaars notes.

“But perhaps Angelica’s greatest accomplishment,” the foundation wrote, “is the example she sets for her children. Together, as a family, they prepare food each month and create survival kits for Button Soup, an organization that serves at St. John’s Soup Kitchen in Newark.

"Through her actions, Angelica is instilling values of service, kindness, and compassion in the next generation.”

Montvale police issued Degenaars a harassment summons to be heard in Pascack Joint Municipal Court, which is in town.

04/20/2026

𝗚𝗢𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗔! 𝗘𝗹𝗺𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗿: 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗗 𝗡𝗮𝗯 𝗛𝗶𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗣𝗦 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: If you're going to steal a Lamborghini, a business that specializes in remote starters and other computer-related modifications isn't the best target.

A 21-year-old Newark man learned that the hard way, police in Paramus said.

Munir Muhammad and a companion sped off from Moe Modz on 1st Street in Elmwood Park in the purple 2021 Lamborghini Urus with California plates around 3:30 a.m. today (Mon., Apr. 20), law enforcement sources said.

What the pair didn't know was that the owner was tracking them.

They headed to Newark, then sped north after police there spotted the Lambo.

Shortly after 5 a.m., Paramus police were alerted that it was headed their way, Chief Robert M. Giudetti said.

Officer Julia Koenemund activated her lights and siren and tried to stop the vehicle as it sped southbound on Route 17, headed for the Garden State Parkway, the chief told Independent Online News.

Officers set up spike strips that the driver avoided before giving pursuers the slip.

But that was only temporary.

The driver invariably tried to get onto the Garden State Parkway but exited in Hillsdale after police picked up the chase, Guidetti said.

The Lambo then came to a stop as two occupants hopped out and ran, the chief said.

Muhammad was nabbed by Officer Slavko Bajovic, he said. The other one got away. An apparent trail vehicle also sped off.

Muhammad was charged with receiving stolen property and two counts of resisting arrest and sent to Bergen County's jail to await a first court appearance.

The high-performance Super Sport Utility Lambo -- which generally sells for between $180,000 and $220,000 today -- was returned to its owner.

04/20/2026

‘𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘’: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 '𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿' 𝗪𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗧 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗳𝗳 (𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘)

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella publicly confirmed today that a Lyndhurst man shot himself during a SWAT standoff that began when detectives went to his home to arrest him last week for killing a missing Union County woman.

Independent Online News reported last Thursday (Apr. 16th) that Union County homicide detectives went to the Lake Avenue home of Brendan Trivisonno, 38, armed with a warrant and accompanied by Lyndhurst police around 5 a.m.

Musella confirmed that Trivisonno barricaded himself inside and the Bergen County Regional SWAT team was summoned.

During attempted negotiations, two shots were heard, neighbors said.

Trivisonno’s body was found in an attic crawl space, law enforcement sources told Independent Online News.

A roofer by trade, Trivosonno was married when he took up with Janaina Freire Goncalves in an apartment on New Point Road in Elizabeth, friends and family said.

Goncalves, a 47-year-old Brazilian immigrant who came to the U.S. after COVID, worked part-time as an exotic dancer.

In a chilling twist, it turns out Trivisonno's mother had worked part-time as an exotic dancer -- and went missing in 1997 when he was just nine years old.

Goncalves had described Trivisonno to people as her husband, friends and family said. She even had a marriage certificate to prove it, they said last week.

Goncalves subsequently discovered that Trivisonno was essentially leading what law enforcement sources said was a double life with an actual wife and child in Lyndhurst.

Goncalves (𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴) was in the midst of a breakup with Trivisonno when she went missing over a year ago.

Her body still hasn’t been found. What evidence led to murder charges against Trivisonno hasn’t yet been shared by Union County authorities.

Their detectives obtained an arrest warrant at 4:30 a.m. Thursday formally accusing him of killing Goncalves on March 10, 2025, the day she was last reported seen.

Security camera footage allegedly shows Trivisonno and a co-worker leaving the building that night carrying black bags and a box.

Trivisonno reportedly claimed he’d moved back in with his wife and daughter after Goncalves discovered he was married and an argument ensued.

Detectives said he told them he didn’t know where she was. They got a DNA sample and temporarily seized his truck and phone as an investigation continued.

Coincidentally, Trivisonno's mother went missing in January 1997 and was never found.

The last anyone had seen Robin Trivisonno, she and an unidentified man were leaving Heartbreakers, a nightclub on Route 35 in Neptune Township where she worked as a dancer. She left behind her black 1994 Jeep Cherokee in a handicap spot, investigators said.

Four months later, Trivisonno's jacket, purse and wallet (still containing $500 in cash) were found in a wooded area behind another Route 35 nightspot, a go-go juice bar known as Delilah’s Den, 40 miles up the road in South Amboy.

She was subsequently presumed dead.

Trivisonno, a Philadelphia-born resident of Pine Hill, NJ, was separated from her husband at the time. He ended up raising Brendan and his two siblings.

The Columbus Elementary School had a delayed opening during last week’s standoff. Area residents between Orient Way and Summit Avenue were asked to shelter in place in their basements.

“As members of law enforcement attempted to negotiate with him from outside of the residence, Trivisonno, who was alone in the house, fired a gun and sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Musella said.

“The Bergen County Regional SWAT team made entry and located Trivisonno inside the residence.”

Paramedics from Hackensack University Medical Center tried to revive him, but Trivisonno was soon pronounced dead, the prosecutor said.

Investigators “confirmed that [he] sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”

04/20/2026

𝗝𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝗳 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺, 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 (𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘)

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 (𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘): A former Palisades Park police captain who retired in disgrace was arrested after investigators said he grabbed someone tied to a business associate of his by the neck, Independent Online News has learned.

ION broke the news yesterday (Sun., Apr. 19th) that detectives form the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office arrested Shawn M. Lee at his Closter home on aggravated assault charges on Friday.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella addressed the arrest today.

At 9:38 p.m. last Wednesday, he said, “the Palisades Park Police Department responded to a private residence to investigate a 9-1-1 hang-up call.

“Upon arrival, officers learned that an assault had taken place earlier that same day in Palisades Park,” the prosecutor said.

(𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: Although I know who the victim is, I avoid identifiers the best I can in domestic incidents.)

Musella's detectives obtained an arrest warrant on Thursday charging Lee with aggravated assault, as ION previously reported.

𝗦𝗘𝗘: 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 (𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧)

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18WXTQM13o/

Lee, a South Korean-born American citizen, has remained held in Bergen County’s jail since his arrest.

Lee quietly retired from the Palisades Park Police Department in November 2022 as part of a settlement agreement with the borough.

The deal capped a turbulent period for the borough while signaling a new beginning for its police department -- first with Capt. James Rotundo as temporary officer-in-charge and then under current Police Chief George Beck.

Lee, who had a year-long turn as officer-in-charge prior to his departure, left a number of controversies behind.

The most embarrassing, by some observers’ estimates, was after reputed MS-13 gang member Adilson Estrada-Garcia, a Guatemalan national living in Cliffside Park, escaped from headquarters.

Estrada-Garcia -- who already had a criminal history that included an arrest for aggravated assault with a weapon -- was arrested for threatening a witness on March 3, 2022.

He broke a handcuff bar at Palisades Park police headquarters a short time later and fled with a cuff still attached to his left hand.

Estrada-Garcia high-tailed it to Providence, R.I., where members of the US Marshals Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force captured him three days later.

ICE later took custody of him.

The county prosecutor’s office, meanwhile, investigated the escape and didn’t file any charges.

It wasn’t the only blemish on Lee’s tenure.

Two different officers accused him of harassing and retaliating against them in separate lawsuits against the borough.

One of them alleged that Lee assaulted him with chopsticks.

Lee was suspended without pay for five days and ordered to attend harassment and anger management training after an internal investigation.

Both officers eventually settled out of court, with one suit costing the borough $125,000 and the other $120,000.

04/20/2026

𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝟴𝟱, 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 (𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘)

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 (𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘): At 85 years old, longtime Bergen County milkman Raymond Stupienski was still active, neighbors in Woodcliff Lake said.

Then on Saturday, just after 11:30 a.m. (Apr. 18th), tragedy struck.

Stupienski was working on his truck in his driveway when it ignited, responders said.

Two police officers with fire extinguishers began dousing the flames and tending to Stupienski seconds before firefighters arrived at the Campbell Avenue residence.

Stupienski was taken by ambulance to a landing zone in Centennial Field and then picked up by an AirMed One chopper.

He was in critical condition when he was flown to Hackensack University Medical Center.

"The Medical Examiner's Office advised us at 8:51 p.m. on Saturday that he had passed away," Woodcliff Lake Police Capt. Chad Malloy said.

The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification forensics team deemed the cause of the fire as an accidental ignition.

They shared their findings with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Arson Squad and Woodcliff Lake police.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed those findings today (Mon., Apr. 20).

"The investigation revealed that the fire was not suspicious in nature," he said.

Mutual aid included (but wasn't limited to) firefighters from Westwood, Saddle River, Park Ridge and Hillsdale, as well as Triboro Ambulance, among others.

04/20/2026

𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗻

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: A senior accountant from Saddle Brook was charged with collecting child po*******hy, authorities confirmed.

Jakub Cielemecki, 39, a married Polish-born U.S. citizen with an infant child, was identified as part of an ongoing investigation, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said today (Mon., Apr. 20).

Members of the prosecutor’s Cyber Crimes Unit found that Cielemecki “viewed, saved, downloaded, and/or possessed items depicting n**e and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Musella said.

They arrested him last Thursday (Apr. 16) on third-degree possession charges and sent him to Bergen County’s jail.

Cielemecki spent the night before a Superior Court judge in Hackensack released him, pending further court action, around 9 p.m. Saturday.

04/20/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝟭𝟳𝟬 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸-𝗧𝗼-𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 (𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧)

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: A fleeing driver who triggered back-to-back crashes, one of which injured a New Milford police officer, is a repeat offender with a recent history of violating restraining orders – not to mention a driving record that defies belief.

Bernardo Quiroz, 38, of Garfield has racked up summonses for no fewer than 170 parking and moving violations in 34 New Jersey municipalities since 2011, according to state court records.

He has also been charged with stalking and with violating domestic violence orders in Dumont three times in less than four years -- including the other day.

It no doubt explains Quiroz "high-tailed it," as a ranking law enforcement officer put it, after spotting a Dumont police car around 6:30 a.m. Friday (Apr. 17).

Crossing into New Milford, Quiroz's 2014 Ford Escape collided with a BMW X6M at Boulevard and Madison Avenue.

A utility pole was toppled in the crash, bringing wires down with it (𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘻’𝘴 𝘚𝘜𝘝).

Quiroz – who’d somehow kept his driving privileges despite his history -- was taken into custody after police rolled up to the crash.

Moments later, a New Milford officer was involved in a crash at Boulevard and Myrtle Avenue while responding to assist.

The police car collided with a Dodge Ram 1500, then got knocked across a lawn and into a driveway, a witness told Independent Online News.

There it hit two other vehicles -- a Jeep Wrangler and a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

That made six damaged vehicles in all, requiring six responding tow trucks.

The officer was taken to a local hospital with moderate injuries, New Milford Police Chief Brian Clancy said. He was released soon after.

Two women who were in the BMW involved in the first crash were also hospitalized with injuries that weren't considered serious, the chief said.

Dumont police charged Quiroz with criminal offenses from that morning that include stalking, contempt of court, resisting arrest by eluding and obstruction.

They and their New Milford colleagues also issued nearly two dozen summonses combined for violations that include reckless driving, ignoring a traffic signal, unsafe operation, careless driving with property damage and driving across a sidewalk.

Quiroz spent Friday night in Bergen County's jail before the same pattern as in his previous contempt arrests played out:

A Superior Court judge in Hackensack released him, pending trial, shortly before 4:30 p.m. the next day.

********

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: Quiroz's criminal history includes alleged restraining order violations in Dumont in May 2022 and May 2024, as well as harassment in September 2024, according to state court records.

He's also been ticketed for motor vehicle violations in:

• Bergenfield, Bloomfield and Bogota;
• Elmwood Park, Emerson and Englewood;
• Garfield;
• Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, Haworth and Hillsdale;
• Lodi;
• Old Tappan and Oradell;
• Paramus, Park Ridge, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Paterson, Pequannock and Point Pleasant;
• Ridgewood, River Edge, Rochelle Park and Rutherford;
• Saddle Brook and Secaucus;
• Teaneck and Tenafly;
• Wayne, Washington Township, West New York and Westwood;

And, of course, New Milford and Dumont.

04/20/2026

𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗣𝗗: 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝘅-𝗖𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: A violent ex-con from Elmwood Park was jailed after police said he assaulted a domestic violence victim with a hammer in Englewood, Independent Online News has learned.

Malcolm Bush, 35, also punched the victim and hit the person's vehicle with the hammer, then fled with their cellphone, Englewood Police Capt. Renee LaRaia said.

Officers responding to a 911 call for help found the victim with minor arm and face injuries outside the Cross Creek Pointe townhouse complex off Broad Avenue shortly before midnight on Friday (Apr. 17th), Englewood Police Detective Capt. Renee LaRaia said.

Bush, who'd violated a protection order, fled, the captain said.

He surrendered at Englewood police headquarters around 3:30 p.m. and was charged with 1st-degree robbery, as well as aggravated assault, criminal mischief and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (the hammer).

Bush remained held in Bergen County's jail this morning (Mon., Apr. 20) following a court appearance.

Decades ago, the 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound repeat offender was a standout football player at Hackensack High School.

He played three games in two years at tight end for Rutgers before he transferred to the University of Delaware, saying he wasn't getting enough playing time. He played only two seasons there before leaving.

A criminal career followed, beginning with a simple assault charge in Englewood in 2013, followed by a burglary and assault arrest in the city in April 2014 and a domestic aggravated assault in October 2015, according to court records.

Bush -- who's listed as a U.S.-born American citizen -- also was charged with two counts of aggravated assault in Hackensack in January 2019, records show.

04/20/2026

𝗠𝗮𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗙 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗨𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

In a brush-filled area near a railroad trestle off Route 17 in Rochelle Park, just blocks from where she grew up, her boyfriend buried 17-year-old Tarah Michelle Galfo and her unborn child more than three decades ago.

Then he pretended she'd gone missing.

James Stuart of Maywood, who was convicted by a jury of Tarah’s Aug. 24, 1994 murder, comes up for parole again this June 3 – two weeks before his 50th birthday.

The last time, a vocal group of opponents succeeded in getting the state Parole Board to deny Stuart’s release two years ago.

They’re hoping to do so again.

“Did you know that violent offenders recidivate at a higher rate than non-violent offenders?” the group “Justice for Tarah Michelle Galfo” writes in a Change.org petition. “Over 60 percent (63.8%) of violent offenders recidivated by being rearrested for a new crime or for a violation of supervision conditions.

“This means James Stuart is most likely to reoffend,” the group write. “[W]e must stop his parole.”

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘’𝘀 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘.𝗢𝗥𝗚 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡 (𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗢 𝗦𝗢):

https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-tarah-michelle-galfo

Tarah was about to enter her senior year at Bergen Tech in Hackensack, which was Stuart's alma mater.

She was also due to give birth within days when she was slain.

The couple had been dating for roughly a year and a half and apparently withheld the pregnancy from both of their parents, prosecutors said. Tarah told only a few friends, they said.

The night of the murder, the 6-foot-4-inch, 255-pound Stuart picked up the 5-foot-4-inch, 110-pound teen from her part-time job at Kazimir's Pet Shop in Hackensack, investigators said.

The couple soon got into an argument.

Stuart said he got enraged when Tarah threatened to leave him. He grabbed her in a headlock, broke her neck and fractured her skull, and in doing so killed her full-term fetus, Brittany, prosecutors said.

He then left and got a shovel, dug a shallow grave about 100 yards from where he killed Tarah and buried her body under dirt and railroad ties.

Stuart, whose father was a retired Rochelle Park police officer, initially pretended Tarah had gone missing. He even helped publicize her disappearance by distributing missing persons fliers.

Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office weren’t convinced. They questioned Stuart relentlessly before he confessed, prosecutors said.

The baby was delivered after Tarah's body was found. They were both buried in the same coffin.

Jurors in Hackensack later needed all of 45 minutes to find Stuart guilty of murder.

The presiding judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 28 years.

Stuart remains held for now at Northern State Prison in Newark.

If he is paroled, the Change.org petition says, “he will pose a danger to women and children.

"James Stuart is a violent offender, manipulative, secretive, covered up a crime," it says. “We cannot allow [him] to be released on parole.”

04/20/2026

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗬 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗟𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: An ex-con wanted for violating parole following his release from a New York State prison was surrounded at a red light and arrested by Lyndhurst police in a stolen car, Independent Online News has learned.

John A. Pace, 66, of Towaco, has racked up charges in both states -- mostly for burglary and auto theft -- over the past 40 or so years, court records show.

Most of his priors from the late 1980s through the 1990s occurred in Montville, and later in Clifton, for offenses that included burglary, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief, according to New Jersey state court records. He was cited for violating DV restraining orders in Pequanock in 1995 and 2002.

Pace resurfaced in Sussex County in 2013, when he was charged with burglary, theft, criminal trespass and criminal attempt.

Burglary arrests in New York State followed in subsequent years, according to records there.

Pace skipped court following one of those arrests, in Sullivan County in 2018, records show.

Records in New Jersey show that he was charged with theft in Totowa in March 2025 after Wayne police said they caught him driving under the influence without a license.

Pace then ended up spending only two months in a New York State prison on an attempted burglary conviction out of Sullivan County.

Pace had received a five-year maximum sentence with no minimum and was to have been released sometime between this May 2 and March 2029, records show.

However, he was paroled last Oct. 1 under an early-release program that New York State officials said they implemented because of staffing issues.

Just 10 days later, North Bergen police said Pace was under the influence when they arrested him for driving a vehicle that he was accused of stealing in Totowa that same day.

In a totally unrelated development, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision subsequently issued a warrant for Pace’s arrest on Oct. 22 after declaring that he’d “absconded” just three weeks after his release.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m. today (Sun., Apr. 19), an automated license plate reader alerted Lyndhurst police to a stolen 2007 Toyota Tundra that was headed south on Stuyvesant Avenue, Deputy Chief Paul Haggerty said.

The keys were still in the ignition when the truck was stolen out of Paterson, the deputy chief said.

Officer Salvatore Wartel found the pickup stopped a light at the corner of Valley Brook and Stuyvesant avenues.

Within seconds, Officers Anthony Calabro and Anthony Giaquinto arrived from different angles, a tactic commonly used by police to potentially tragic motor vehicle pursuits, Haggerty said.

Once again, Pace was driving with a suspended license, records show.

He was seized without incident, charged with receiving a stolen vehicle and issued multiple summonses.

Pace was sent to Bergen County’s jail, where he was notified of a detainer placed on him by the NYDOCCS.

Extradition proceedings are expected to follow at some point.

“Officers Calabro, Wartel, and Giaquinto used technology to successfully execute an arrest without giving opportunity for a pursuit to begin,” Haggerty said. “This was another great example of technology-[led] policing coupled [with] highly trained officers.”

04/19/2026

𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: A former Palisades Park police captain who retired after a purported MS-13 gang member escaped from headquarters has remained jailed since being arrested Friday on aggravated assault charges.

Shawn M. Lee, 49, was taken into custody after detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office came to his Closter home armed with an arrest warrant on Friday (Apr. 17th), multiple law enforcement sources told Independent Online News.

He was booked into Bergen County’s jail and remained there this afternoon (Sunday), records show.

Prosecutor's detectives charged Lee with the domestic aggravated assault of someone connected to a business associate, multiple sources told Independent Online News.

(𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘:As a rule, I try to avoid identifiers best I can in domestic incidents.)

Lee quietly retired from the Palisades Park Police Department in November 2022 as part of a settlement agreement with the borough.

The deal capped a turbulent period for the borough while signaling a new beginning for its police department -- first with Capt. James Rotundo as temporary officer-in-charge and then under current Police Chief George Beck.

Lee, who had a year-long turn as officer-in-charge prior to his departure, left a number of controversies behind.

The most embarrassing, by some observers’ estimates, was after reputed gang member Adilson Estrada-Garcia, a Guatemalan national living in Cliffside Park, was arrested for threatening a witness on March 3, 2022.

Estrada-Garcia -- who already had a criminal history that included an arrest for aggravated assault with a weapon -- broke a handcuff bar at Palisades Park police headquarters and fled with a cuff still attached to his left hand.

He high-tailed it to Providence, R.I., where members of the US Marshals Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force captured him three days later.

ICE later took custody of him.

The county prosecutor’s office, meanwhile, investigated the escape and didn’t file any charges.

It wasn’t the only blemish on Lee’s tenure.

Two different officers accused him of harassing and retaliating against them in separate lawsuits against the borough.

One of them alleged that Lee assaulted him with chopsticks.

Lee was suspended without pay for five days and ordered to attend harassment and anger management training after an internal investigation.

Both officers eventually settled out of court, with one suit costing the borough $125,000 and the other $120,000.

********

𝗝𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝗳 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺, 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 (𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘)

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 (𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘): A former Palisades Park police captain who retired in disgrace was arrested after investigators said he grabbed someone tied to a business associate of his by the neck, Independent Online News has learned.

ION broke the news yesterday (Sun., Apr. 19th) that detectives form the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office arrested Shawn M. Lee at his Closter home on aggravated assault charges on Friday.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella addressed the arrest today.

At 9:38 p.m. last Wednesday, he said, “the Palisades Park Police Department responded to a private residence to investigate a 9-1-1 hang-up call.

“Upon arrival, officers learned that an assault had taken place earlier that same day in Palisades Park,” the prosecutor said.

(𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: Although I know who the victim is, I avoid identifiers the best I can in domestic incidents.)

Musella's detectives obtained an arrest warrant on Thursday charging Lee with aggravated assault, as ION previously reported.

𝗦𝗘𝗘: 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 (𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧)

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18WXTQM13o/

Lee, a South Korean-born American citizen, has remained held in Bergen County’s jail since his arrest.

Lee quietly retired from the Palisades Park Police Department in November 2022 as part of a settlement agreement with the borough.

The deal capped a turbulent period for the borough while signaling a new beginning for its police department -- first with Capt. James Rotundo as temporary officer-in-charge and then under current Police Chief George Beck.

Lee, who had a year-long turn as officer-in-charge prior to his departure, left a number of controversies behind.

The most embarrassing, by some observers’ estimates, was after reputed MS-13 gang member Adilson Estrada-Garcia, a Guatemalan national living in Cliffside Park, escaped from headquarters.

Estrada-Garcia -- who already had a criminal history that included an arrest for aggravated assault with a weapon -- was arrested for threatening a witness on March 3, 2022.

He broke a handcuff bar at Palisades Park police headquarters a short time later and fled with a cuff still attached to his left hand.

Estrada-Garcia high-tailed it to Providence, R.I., where members of the US Marshals Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force captured him three days later.

ICE later took custody of him.

The county prosecutor’s office, meanwhile, investigated the escape and didn’t file any charges.

It wasn’t the only blemish on Lee’s tenure.

Two different officers accused him of harassing and retaliating against them in separate lawsuits against the borough.

One of them alleged that Lee assaulted him with chopsticks.

Lee was suspended without pay for five days and ordered to attend harassment and anger management training after an internal investigation.

Both officers eventually settled out of court, with one suit costing the borough $125,000 and the other $120,000.

Independent Online News

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