Monday, April 29, 2013
An interactive map of burglaries and robberies committed in Fair Lawn from January 2012 to early April 2013, provided by the Fair Lawn Police Department.
Burglaries in Fair Lawn, which have reached decade highs the past two years, continue to occur most often in the area west and south of the Route 208 highway that splits the borough, according to police department data. There have been 84 burglaries in Fair Lawn over the past 16 months, spread evenly between residential and non-residential break-ins. Burglars — or in some cases, a single burglar — hit the borough's merchants hard last spring, but in recent months the vast majority of burglary reports have been at homes. More than twice the residential burglaries and nearly all of the commercial burglaries in the past 16 months have occurred west of Route 208. Businesses on River Road, in particular, have dealt with a significant uptick in …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Fair Lawn experienced only four burglaries in October and November combined, the lowest number recorded over consecutive months in the past two years.
Following a rampage of burglaries this spring, it looked for months like Fair Lawn would surpass last year's burglary total and record a decade-high number of break-ins in 2012. But for the first time since February, burglaries in Fair Lawn are down over last year as the summer's burglary swoon has carried forward into fall. The months of October and November, traditionally considered "burglary season" by local police because break-ins tend to jump, were unusually quiet this year. Fair Lawn registered three burglaries in October and just one in November -- the fewest number of break-ins recorded over consecutive months in the past two years. "I knew we were doing well, but I don’t necessarily watch every number every day," Police Chief …
Friday, November 30, 2012
The prosecutor's office has formed a task force to stop a serial burglar suspected in some 150 commercial break-ins in more than a dozen New Jersey towns, including Fair Lawn.
West Orange Police have released surveillance footage of a serial burglar who's been terrorizing small commercial business owners and frustrating local police forces for the past three years. In the video, the bearded burglar -- who is suspected in about 150 commercial break-ins across four New Jersey counties since 2009 -- is seen kicking out the glass door of a Chinese restaurant, crawling through the fractured opening, prying free a cash box and then snaking back out the way he entered. Fair Lawn Detective Lt. Michael Uttel said the video depicts the same man who's been burglarizing Chinese restaurants, nail salons and pizza shops in Fair Lawn for the past few years. Uttel attributes a number of the commercial jobs committed this March …
Monday, August 13, 2012
Even with commercial burglaries down dramatically since May, the number of burglaries and larcenies committed in Fair Lawn this year still surpasses last year's pace.
Over the past two months, Fair Lawn's rash of commercial burglaries -- 24 within the three-month period from March through May -- have halted as abruptly and dramatically as they appeared. During June and July, non-residential burglaries -- which accounted for more than 70 percent of the 33 burglaries from March through May -- have all but vanished, according to Uniform Crime Reports provided by the police department. Residential break-ins, on the other hand, have remained mostly steady, with between two-and-five home burglaries registered during any given month since February. Burglaries -- up 20 percent -- and larcenies -- up 15 percent -- are still elevated compared to last year, but total index crimes are almost exactly in line with …
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
There were eight recorded burglaries in Fair Lawn in May, according to crime reports provided by the police department.
Fair Lawn residents, business owners and police got a minor respite in May from the burglary bug that has swept through town over the past few months. Although burglaries were down from March and April of this year, last month's eight burglaries -- two residential, six non-residential -- are still more than the number of recorded burglaries in all but one month in 2011, according to Uniform Crime Report data provided by the police department. Over the past three months, Fair Lawn has experienced just one fewer burglary than it did in all of 2009. On the year, burglaries are elevated nearly 40 percent and larcenies are up more than 30 percent from last year. Total index crimes have risen by about 6 percent since 2011. Stores and restaurants…
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Missed any of this week's news? It's all right here
Monday, May 14 The Fair Lawn High School Boys Tennis team responded with a bounce back season this year thanks to the strong play of some younger players. Democratic council members Lisa Swain and Kurt Peluso, who recently called for the resignation of both the mayor and deputy mayor due to an alleged conflict of interest, won't be taking legal action to have the allegedly conflicted council members' votes thrown out. Natalie Lacatena will replace interim assistant superintendent Judith Moran on July 1. Head Lines Salon on Fair Lawn Avenue and The Hallmark Shop on River Road were the two latest businesses to fall victim to overnight burglaries. Tuesday, May 15 The Fair Lawn High School girls lacrosse team's state playoff loss Tuesday …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
April surpassed March as the month with the most burglaries in recent history.
Fair Lawn's burglary rampage showed no signs of slowing in April, according to Uniform Crime Report data provided by the Fair Lawn Police Department. In fact, while other index crimes slipped in April, burglaries reached a level not seen in Fair Lawn in recent history. The borough's 13 April burglaries topped the previous recent high of 12, set in March. Over the past three months, Fair Lawn has experienced just four fewer burglaries than it did in all of 2009. Stores and restaurants have been the hardest hit in recent months, with non-residences (i.e. stores, offices, etc.) accounting for more than 70 percent of the 25 burglaries in March and April. Police attribute a number of the recent commercial jobs, including the five businesses hit…
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
America's Pastime on Broadway is the latest in a string over overnight commercial burglaries to hit Fair Lawn businesses.
Correction: A prior version of this story incorrectly stated that the burglary occurred at JJ's Pub. The confusion arose because it was a JJ's Pub bartender who called in the burglary to police. The businesses are neighbors. The Fair Lawn burglary bug hit a sports card and memorabilia shop on Broadway early Tuesday morning, in what police are calling a smash-and-grab break in. Rich Budnick, the owner of America's Pastime, said burglars kicked down his front door and smashed a front showcase, making off with about $2,000 in silver coins. They fled through the store's back door, which leads into a parking lot used by neighboring JJ's Pub, he said. A JJ's Pub bartender, who was outside cleaning up for the night, phoned police after hearing …
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Police are investigating five commercial "smash and grab" burglaries that occurred overnight from Saturday into Sunday.
Five businesses were broken into overnight Saturday in a string of "smash and grab" burglaries, police said. In all five of the burglaries, which police believe are connected, the glass front door of each business was broken to gain entry and cash was taken from the register. The burglaries were concentrated in the Radburn Shopping Center area and a commercial strip along Saddle River Road. The businesses hit include Man Hing Chinese Restaurant and Mei Sushi in Radburn, and Ness Pizza, Benny's Luncheonette and the New French Nails on Saddle River Road. "It's crazy," sighed Benny's co-owner Diana Stella, who said the burglars made off with only petty cash from her restaurant's register. New French Nails manager Stacy Kim said she no longer …
Missed any of this week's news? It's all right here.
Monday, April 16 Burglaries Concentrated Along Fair Lawn's Western, Southern Border [Interactive Map] Burglaries in Fair Lawn are up dramatically in the past few years. Here's where they were occurring in 2011. Tuesday, April 17 ADA Committee Co-Chair Honored for Her Special Needs Advocacy Marianne Pettineo has been awarded the Elizabeth Boggs Family Advocate Award by the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. Surprise Request for Cuts Prolongs Municipal Budget Debate Councilman Kurt Peluso proposed making substantial cuts to this year's budget in an attempt to lessen the burden on taxpayers. Police Arrest Second Suspect in Last Week's Home Burglary Police have now apprehended both suspects wanted in a home burglary on Elaine …
why didn't I think of that
6:59 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013
There are several options. The cops can stop writing tickets and concentrate on patrolling homes which would reduce the towns revenue or higher more cops which would increase taxes. more ›