Mall Thieves Set Off Firecrackers, Steal Watches, Police Say

Authorities responded to the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus after receiving numerous 911 calls of a loud bang or explosion.

Police are searching for three men they say created a diversion at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in order to steal high-end watches from a department store jewelry counter.    Police said three men walked into Nordstrom around 12:15 p.m. and split up into different parts of the store. As one of the men asked a sales associate to view Michael Kors watches, another man allegedly ignited a firecracker at the entrance, briefly creating pandemonium in the department store. The ruse allowed the man at the jewelry counter to steal six watches valued at $1,500, Detective Lt. Robert Guidetti said Thursday. Paramus Police received numerous 911 calls from shoppers in the Nordstrom section of the mall shortly after noon, reporting sounds of …

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Paramus Police: Elmwood Park Man Tried to Hit Officer After Mall Fight

An 18-year-old from Fair Lawn suffered minor injuries in the fight at Garden State Plaza on Thursday.

An Elmwood Park man tried to hit a Paramus Police officer Thursday after getting involved in a fight at Garden State Plaza, Paramus Police said. An 18-year-old from Fair Lawn suffered minor injuries in the fight, but refused medical attention at the scene. Police charged Aliu Ruzhdl, 33, with disorderly conduct in a public place and resisting arrest. Officers Michael Ditolla and Jack Cacamis responded to the fight in the mall food court. After interviewing witnesses, they learned that a man in his 20s had thrown a chair during the fight. Witnesses said he was with Ruzhdl during the fight, police said. When Ditolla tried to speak with Ruzhdl, he clenched his fists and flailed his arms at Ditolla, police said. Ruzhdl tried to leave but …

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Paramus Police: Fair Lawn Teen Attacked Officer

The 16-year-old was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

A Fair Lawn teen shoved a Paramus police officer Saturday at Garden State Plaza, Paramus police said. The 16-year-old was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. Officers Mark Pinajian, Dimitriy Mazur and Paul Siemon went to the mall food court at about 9:20 p.m. in response to complaints about an unruly group of teenagers. Police picked out the Fair Lawn teen as the main instigator and asked him to leave, reports said. The teen responded by screaming at the police and violently resisting arrest by shoving Pinajian, reports said. None of the arresting officers were hurt, police said. The teen was released to his mother.

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Beware Prepaid Card Fees, Senator Warns

Sen. Robert Menendez plans to reintroduce legislation regulating prepaid cards

Consumers should know what fees they face when they buy prepaid cards, Sen. Robert Menendez said at the Garden State Plaza Tuesday. Prepaid cards function like debit cards, but they don't draw on checking accounts. Instead, consumers deposit money in separate accounts linked to the cards. Standing in the crowded corridors of the mall just a few shopping days before Christmas, Menendez lifted a folded piece of paper covered in lines of text.  The document listed all the fees consumers face for using prepaid cards, he said. Charges can come upon activation of the card, ATM withdrawals, purchases, bill payments and for calling customer service, Menendez said. But consumers often aren't told up front about the fees. "You don't even get to …

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15-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted at Mall

Paterson man arrested Saturday

A Paterson man allegedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old Fair Lawn girl at Garden State Plaza on Saturday, Paramus Police Chief Christopher Brock said. The girl told police that she was near the smoking area in the parking garage on the west side of the mall when Elmir Timarky, 21, approached her and pinned her against a wall, touching her sexually with his hands and then his face, Brock said. Two witnesses shouted at Timarky and he ran into the mall, Brock said. Plaza security found him near Macy's, where officers Jeff Lattanzi, Robert Gleason and Chris Esposito questioned him, Brock said. The girl identified Timarky as the man who assaulted her, and police arrested him, Brock said. Timarky was charged with criminal sexual contact and …

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The Holiday Patch

MALL CRAWLER: Holiday Weekly Wrap-Up

See what you missed this week

As we come to a close on holiday shopping week one, we realize that we are only a mere three weeks away from Christmas. Below is the wrap-up of what you may have missed from this past week. On Monday, I will be back with a new week's worth of holiday insider information for all you shoppers out there. Westfield Garden State Plaza: Hours: Next week's hours are; 9 a.m. – 11 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. on Saturday. Just Opened: Affliction carries clothing for men and women. This is the first store for the state of New Jersey. Affliction is located on level 2 between Neiman Marcus and Macy's and across from Juicy Couture . Wet Seal which had its return to the mall with a grand opening on Black Friday, sells juniors …

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Dominick Nizza

4:16 pm on Saturday, December 4, 2010

Mike, all the malls have roaming singers to entertain us. I'll try to see if my favorite Holiday Quartet can arrive here soon (photo coming) International Champions "Four Under Par" my photo. They will be recognized by many of our local singers.   more ›

The Holiday Patch

MALL CRAWLER: This Week at Westfield Garden State Plaza

This week includes a chance to win $100,000 from when you Purchase a Westfield Gift Card.

Hello and Happy Monday! I hope you had a relaxing Sunday after hitting the malls on Friday and Saturday. I know I did. Starting this week and continuing until Christmas, I will be bringing you mall coverage six-days-a-week (in keeping with Bergen County tradition).  Mondays are Garden State Plaza day, Tuesdays feature Paramus Park, Wednesday belong to Bergen Town Center, and Thursdays step inside The Shops at Riverside. On Fridays, I'll be focusing on smaller shopping centers. Then, every Saturday, look for a retail round-up from the week in case you missed something. Of course, if I missed something please let me know at TheMallCrawler@gmail.com. And please subscribe to my Twitter feed @TheMallCrawler.   Hours: Hours for this week are 9 …

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