September 24 Evening News
NJ.COM REPORTED THAT 18 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED TUESDAY NIGHT FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING ROLLS OF ASTROTURF FROM A VACANT PROPERTY IN BERGEN COUNTY. SERGEANT ERIK ELESHEWICH, COMMUNITY POLICING SUPERVISOR, SAID THAT THE ARTIFICIAL GRASS WAS TAKEN AROUND 10:15 PM FROM A PROPERTY ON RIVER ROAD AT HOPPER AVENUE IN FAIR LAWN. THOSE ARRESTED WERE BETWEEN 18 AND 43 YEARS OLD AND WERE CHARGED WITH THIRD-DEGREE THEFT OF MOBILE PROPERTY. ELESHEWICH DID NOT SAY HOW MUCH OF THE ARTIFICIAL TURF WAS TAKEN, WHY, OR WHICH BUILDING IT WAS STOLEN FROM. HE SHARED THAT WHY THE ASTROTURF WAS OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
NJ.COM REPORTED THAT A MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED TUESDAY FOR ALLEGEDLY SELLING A RENTED EXCAVATOR ON FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE. THE FAIRFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT IN ESSEX COUNTY SAID IN A WEDNESDAY STATEMENT THAT A MAN FROM MILLVILLE, WHO WAS NOT IDENTIFIED, WAS CHARGED WITH RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY AND FENCING. THE INVESTIGATION STARTED ON JULY 15, WHEN POLICE RECEIVED A REPORT OF A STOLEN KUBOTA U17 EXCAVATOR THAT WAS TRACKED TO THE AREA WITH GPS MONITORING. THE DEPARTMENT SAID THE EXCAVATOR WAS RENTED FROM A HOME DEPOT IN NEWARK, DELAWARE, AND WAS NEVER RETURNED. THE GPS INFORMATION LED OFFICERS TO A HOME ON PLOG ROAD IN FAIRFIELD, WHERE THE RESIDENT LATER TOLD THEM THAT HE BOUGHT THE EXCAVATOR ON FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE AND PROVIDED THEM THE SELLER’S INFORMATION. LATER, INVESTIGATORS REVIEWED PHOTOS, ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSACTION INFORMATION AND VIDEO FOOTAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SALE. AUTHORITIES SAID WHEN POLICE SHOWED THE PURCHASER A PHOTO LINEUP, HE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THE PERSON WHO SOLD HIM THE EXCAVATOR. POLICE DID NOT SAY WHETHER THE DEFENDANT IS STILL IN CUSTODY. HE IS SCHEDULED FOR A FIRST APPEARANCE IN ESSEX COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT.
NEWS 12 REPORTED A WATER MAIN IN NEWARK BROKE WEDNESDAY, SENDING A MASSIVE GUSH OF WATER INTO THE AIR. THE 36-INCH WATER MAIN RUPTURED NEAR SOUTH 6TH STREET AND 11TH AVENUE WEDNESDAY, SENDING WATER INTO THE AIR AND FLOODING THE AREA. CREWS RESPONDED AND BEGAN REPAIR EFFORTS, BUT OFFICIALS SAID WORK ON A BREAK OF THAT SIZE TAKES TIME. RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN THE AREA HAVE EXPERIENCED DISCOLORED WATER, LOW WATER PRESSURE, OR A LOSS OF WATER WHILE REPAIRS CONTINUE. STREET CLOSURES REMAIN IN PLACE AROUND THE WORK ZONE, AND OFFICIALS HAVE NOT SAID WHEN WORK WILL BE COMPLETED.
NEWS 12 REPORTED A FIRE IN A BELLEVILLE HOME ON BRIGHTON AVENUE THAT OCCURRED WEDNESDAY EVENING. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL AND MUTUAL AID UNITS RESPONDED TO A HOUSE FIRE. BELLEVILLE FIRE UNITS, POLICE, AND EMS RESPONDED TO THE SCENE ALONG WITH MUTUAL FIRE COMPANIES FROM SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. LOCAL OFFICIALS, INCLUDING MAYOR FRANK VELEZ, WERE AT THE SCENE AS FIREFIGHTERS WORKED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. VÉLEZ SAID IN A STATEMENT, “THANK YOU TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE OFFICERS, EMS PERSONNEL AND ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS FROM NEIGHBORING TOWNS WHO RESPONDED ... FOR THEIR SWIFT RESPONSE AND DEDICATION TO KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.” THE CAUSE AND EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY RELEASED, AND IT WAS NOT CLEAR IF ANYBODY WAS INJURED.