September 16 Morning News
A CHEVROLET CAR CAUGHT FIRE IN LOT 4 OF WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY APPROXIMATELY AT 10:54 AM TUESDAY MORNING. STUDENTS LEAVING CLASS REPORTED SEEING A PARKED CAR, IN WHICH CAMPUS POLICE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE, INSTRUCTING THE PASSENGERS TO LEAVE THE SMOKING VEHICLE. THE SITUATION BECAME EXPONENTIALLY WORSE, AS THE CAR BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES.
SPORTS MANAGEMENT MAJOR SEBASTIAN BOLANOS, WHOSE CAR WAS PARKED NEXT TO THE FIRE, EXPRESSES HIS OWN CONCERNS.
“NAH, WE WERE JUST WALKING FROM CLASS, BUT BY THAT POINT WE STARTED SEEING SMOKE. WE WERE JUST LIKE, WHAT DO WE DO? MY CAR IS RIGHT THERE. I HAVE TO GO TO WORK. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, IN FIVE MINUTES, FIRE JUST STARTED COMING OFF FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR, AND THE WHOLE THING WAS ON FIRE. IT STARTED TO EXPLODE, SMOKING EVEN MORE. I THINK THE FIRE DEPARTMENT JUST GOT HERE, NOT EVEN 5 MINUTES AGO.”
BUSINESS MAJOR DEON BENBOW-GONZALEZ EXPLAINS HIS OWN ACCOUNT.
“IT LOOKS LIKE THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND STARTED OFF SMALL, AND THEN IT JUST STARTED SPARKING UP IN THE AIR, AND THEN IT WAS SPARKS, IT WAS LIKE BOOM BOOM BOOM, GOING ON, IT WAS CRAZY. TWO CARS IN THE FRONT ARE DAMAGED, THE TWO WHITE CARS, THE BMW AND THAT WHITE CAR OVER THERE.
BENBOW-GONZALEZ EXPRESSES HIS OWN WORRIES ABOUT THE INCIDENT, CONCERNED ABOUT POLICE RESPONSE TIME.
“THE POLICE TOOK TOO LONG TO COME. WE WERE STANDING HERE FOR 20 MINUTES, AND THEY STILL DIDN’T COME YET, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THEM.”
BRAVE NEW RADIO ATTEMPTED TO GET A RESPONSE FROM CAMPUS POLICE WHILE REPORTING THE INCIDENT, BUT WERE DENIED TWICE. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
TAPINTO.NET REPORTED THAT A 29-YEAR-OLD PATERSON MAN WAS FOUND FATALLY SHOT NEAR 12TH AVENUE AND EAST 16TH STREET. ACCORDING TO A STATEMENT, THE PATERSON POLICE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO THE SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 7:30 A.M. ON SEPTEMBER 11TH. THE MAN WAS LATER PRONOUNCED DEAD. THERE HAS BEEN NO INFORMATION ABOUT A POSSIBLE SUSPECT AND WHAT LED TO THE SHOOTING. THE IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED BY AUTHORITIES. THE INVESTIGATION REMAINS ACTIVE AND ONGOING.
TAPINTO.NET REPORTED A PEDESTRIAN WAS KILLED IN PATERSON ON SUNDAY NIGHT AFTER BEING STRUCK BY AN SUV. ACCORDING TO THE STATEMENT, AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 PM ON SEPTEMBER 13, THE CRASH OCCURRED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 23RD AVENUE AND TRENTON AVENUE. THE PEDESTRIAN WAS TRANSPORTED TO ST. JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, WHERE HE WAS LATER PRONOUNCED DEAD. THE PEDESTRIAN HAS NOT YET BEEN IDENTIFIED. THE DRIVER OF THE RAV4 WAS IDENTIFIED AS 25-YEAR-OLD RONIEL ARIAS. ARIAS HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE IN A TOYOTA RAV4. AUTHORITIES DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RELEASE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING UP TO THE CRASH. THE INVESTIGATION REMAINS ACTIVE AND ONGOING.