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 …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
A man whom Fair Lawn police stopped for allegedly fleeing an accident scene in Paterson Thursday was found to be responsible for a burglary at Rivara's the night before, police said.
Officers investigating an overnight burglary at Rivara’s Thursday recognized the suspect as a man they had seen only moments earlier in an unrelated motor vehicle stop in Glen Rock and quickly returned to that scene to arrest him, police said. Sgt. James Krizek and Officer Sean Nagle, who were called away from the motor vehicle stop to investigate the nearby burglary, returned after identifying the man who had been pulled over in Glen Rock as the burglar in the restaurant’s surveillance footage, Sgt. Brian Metzler said. “They had seen him on the [motor vehicle] stop and they ran back to the stop and locked him up for the burglary,” Metzler said. The suspect, identified as former Rivara’s employee Robert Cochrane, of Elmwood Park, faces …
Friday, February 8, 2013
A Teaneck woman is accused of attempting to use a Fair Lawn resident's credit card that had been taken during a home burglary last year, police said.
A Teaneck woman was arrested and charged Monday with attempting to use a Fair Lawn resident's stolen credit card, police said. Barbara Morrison, 42, was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card and criminal attempt after she tried to use a credit card stolen from a Sandford Road residence in late December, police said. In the burglary, committed Dec. 23, 2012, a Sandford Road resident returned home from running errands to find his place ransacked, according to police reports. The resident's wallet, credit cards, cash and several pieces of jewelry were stolen, police said. Sgt. Richard Schultz said Morrison denied having any knowledge of the burglary and told police she received the stolen credit card from a third party. For now …
A Plaza Road resident allegedly stole from his roommate on multiple occasions and then adopted his roommate's identity to make credit card purchases, police said.
A Fair Lawn man was arrested this week after he allegedly broke into his roommate's secured bedroom, stole his roommate's credit cards and identification, and used them to make fraudulent purchases, police said. Sean Riffel, 25, is charged with two counts of burglary and single counts of theft of movable property, fraudulent use of a credit card, identity theft and criminal attempt. Riffel is accused of stealing from his roommate on two separate occasions within a 10-day period. In the first instance, on Jan. 20, he allegedly made off with his roommate's wallet, driver's license, credit cards and personal checks, police said. Sgt. Richard Schultz said Riffel impersonated his roommate to make fraudulent credit card purchases in town and …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
A burglar broke into E-Z- Ship & Shop on Maple Avenue over the weekend and made off with thousands of dollars in cigarettes, cigars and lighters.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Zak Koeske
-
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The manager of the E-Z Ship & Shop convenience store on Maple Avenue is running out of patience. Over the weekend -- for the third time this year -- a burglar smashed in the store's front door and ransacked its supply of smoking-related products in the middle of the night. When the store's manager received a call from the alarm company informing him of the break-in around 1 a.m. Saturday, he said he told them to tell the police that he wasn't even coming to the scene. "I'm very upset, very frustrated," said E-Z Ship & Shop's manager, who asked to be identified only as Abe. "This is costing us so much money and causing us so much heartache." He said it's reached the point that the business is considering leaving Fair Lawn. "Either we're …
Friday, October 19, 2012
A Fair Lawn Park Estates apartment on Chandler Drive was burglarized Wednesday afternoon or early evening while the tenant was at work.
Police are investigating a break-in that occurred Wednesday at an apartment on Chandler Drive. The perpetrator pried open the front door of an unoccupied Fair Lawn Park Estates apartment in the afternoon or early evening while the tenant was at work and ransacked the master bedroom, police said. Electronic devices were reported taken. Detective Lt. Michael Uttel called the burglary "very unusual," because apartment break-ins are rare in Fair Lawn. For that reason, police aren't ruling out that the victim may have been acquainted with the perpetrator. Wednesday's burglary was Fair Lawn's second residential burglary in less than a week. An Elliott Terrace home was broken into last Saturday, Uttel said. Neither of the recent break-ins show …
Monday, October 8, 2012
The E-Z Ship & Shop convenience store on Maple Avenue near the Glen Rock border suffered a burglary overnight Saturday.
A Maple Avenue convenience store was burglarized overnight Saturday for the second time since February, police said, making it the latest victim in a line of strip mall smash-and-grabs this year. Just before 2 a.m. Sunday, Fair Lawn police responded to a burglar alarm at the E-Z Ship & Shop, located only steps from the Glen Rock border, to find the store's front glass door smashed and items scattered about the check-out counter. With help from the county's K-9 unit, officers established a perimeter around the area but were unable to locate the perp, police said. The store's manager, who said the burglar made off with between 15 and 20 packs of cigarettes and a few electric cigarettes, estimated the loss at $300. He said the convenience …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The number of commercial burglaries plummeted over the summer, according to police department records.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Zak Koeske
-
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Burglaries, which had been occurring at unprecedented rates earlier this year, slowed significantly over the summer. Following a three-month rash of commercial burglaries this spring -- 24 non-residential break-ins occurred from March through May -- commercial burglaries have dropped off dramatically. There were only three over the summer, 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. On the year, burglaries — up 13 percent — and larcenies — up 16 percent — are elevated compared to last year, but total index crimes are almost exactly in line with 2011. The…
Monday, September 10, 2012
Verler McEachin, 50, of Paterson, has been arrested and charged in connection with three thefts in Fair Lawn.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Zak Koeske
-
Monday, September 10, 2012
A man spotted lugging two large bags away from Montone Construction on Wagaraw Road Sunday afternoon has been arrested and charged in multiple area burglaries, police said. In addition to burglary and theft charges for Sunday's incident, Verler M. McEachin, 50, of Paterson, faces burglary and theft charges for an earlier theft from Montone Construction as well as an August theft from Dell Landscaping on Wagaraw Road. The security officer at the Fair Lawn Industrial Park, whose security booth faces Montone Construction, called police around 4 p.m. Sunday to report a theft after observing the suspect walking away from Montone Construction carrying two large bags, police said. As the suspect continued walking north with the bags on Wagaraw, …
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Mr. Mort's Cleaners, a Fair Lawn dry cleaning store, was broken into overnight Sunday.
A burglar made off with the cash register from Broadway-based dry cleaners Mr. Mort's Cleaners sometime after midnight Sunday, the store owner said. Police confirmed the burglary and said it was under investigation, but were unavailable for comment. The store's owner, David Suh, said the burglar entered through the rear of the store by prying open the double doors that are accessible from the parking lot behind the cleaners. Suh said the break-in activated the store's alarm and that police arrived promptly, but not before the burglar dashed off with the cash register in tow. He said the register contained about $150 in cash. The building is equipped with surveillance cameras in both the front and back, and Suh said he believed police had …
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 ›