======================================================================== POLICE BLOTTER Fair Lawn: March - April 2005 ======================================================================== Bulletins from the Fair Lawn Police Department Sgt. Robert Boyle, Supervisor Community Policing and Traffic Unit 201-796-1400 rboyle@Fairlawnpd.com "Every citizen can be an extra pair of eyes and ears." I wish I could publicly recognize the residents whose calls led to these arrests, however we do not divulge their identities. However it is proof the alert residents who are aware of their surroundings can be instrumental in making their neighborhoods a safer place to live and reducing crime. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bernard Court home burglary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 25, 2005 Two additional attempted burglaries to report both of which were on Bernard Ct. which is off Fair Lawn Ave. across near Radburn Rd. On the morning of the 24th, two attempted burglaries were reported on neighboring houses. On both of these attempted burglaries, pry marks were found near the rear door, indicating that someone had tried to pry the doors open. There is no description of suspects at this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Congregation Shomrei Torah, Morlot Avenue vandalism ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 25, 2005 Last week, vandalism was reported to a playground at Shomrei Torah on Morlot Ave. There is currently no description of suspects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5th Street vandalism ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 25, 2005 Another incident of vandalism occurred on 5th St. when an unknown person threw a large avocado through the rear window of a residence on Sunday at about 7:30 p.m. There is currently no description of suspects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Broadway Business -and- swastikas Route 208 & 20th Street ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 20, 2005 Swastikas were drawn on a bridge abutment underneath Rt. 208 near 20th St. and on the sign of a business on Broadway. This is a crime under NJ law and apprehension and prosecution of people who do this are a top priority of the department. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kenneth Avenue car burglary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 20, 2005 A resident on Kenneth Ave. which is in the Lyncrest section of town reported seeing a man steal two xenon headlights from her Cadillac automobile. The man was described as a black male wearing a mask who was seen leaving the area in a white Jeep Cherokee. This occurred at approximately 11 a.m. during the day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12th Street car burglary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 20, 2005 A motorist reported that someone had stolen a wallet and cellphone from his parked van between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on 12th St. The van had been unlocked with the window rolled down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lyons Avenue car burglary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 20, 2005 Officer Paul Scott responded to a report of a car burglary in progress and arrested the suspect a short distance away from the scene of the crime on Lyons Ave.Officer Scott was able to apprehend the suspect quickly because a neighbor had called the police promptly upon realizing what was happening. Det. Ietto charged that same suspect with a burglary that had occurred on Lambert Rd. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maple Avenue drugs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 20, 2005 Six people were arrested for various drug offenses on Maple Ave. including two who were selling the drugs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ harassment and death threat ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Week of April 20, 2005 A fifteen year old juvenile from out of town was arrested for bias intimidation and harassment for telephoning a Jewish businessman on two occasions and making anti semetic remarks and threatening to kill the man. Detectives were able to trace the phone calls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fair Lawn High School student violence ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Record (Bergen), Saturday, April 2, 2005 By ERIC HSU, STAFF WRITER Concerns arose several weeks ago when [a 16-year old] teenager brought a stun gun to school. He was suspended from school last week and was arrested Thursday after police said they discovered a Web site the student created that showed him "threatening a massacre" at the high school. The student was charged Thursday with possessing a prohibited weapon and making terroristic threats. He had his first appearance Friday before a family court judge in Hackensack. He was sent to the Juvenile Detention Center in Paramus, said Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Denyse Coyle Galda. He is scheduled for another hearing Monday. Juvenile hearings are closed to the public, and the teen's identity is being withheld because of his age. The Web site the Fair Lawn student created has been taken down, but police gave the first glimpse of its contents Friday. The site quoted news accounts of things the two young shooters reportedly said during their spree in Columbine, Colo., in 1999, said police Sgt. Robert Boyle. Boyle said the student also listed groups of people that he disliked, including "teachers who talk for 45 minutes," overweight and gay people, and anyone who blocked his way in the hall. "He said he has a lot of rage and has to let it go," Boyle said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fair Lawn High School suspicious person ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3/10 A 14 year old boy reported that while he was on his way to the High School on Thursday morning, a woman in her 40’s or 50’s pulled up to him in a green sedan and asked him if he wanted a ride. He declined. The woman then pulled up to him a second time claiming to be a neighbor and again asked him for a ride, which he declined. At this time, the woman saw a police officer on patrol a few blocks away and fled the area. The boy stated he does not know the woman. The incident was reported to us until Friday night and is under investigation. The woman was described as white and heavy set with brown and gray hair. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ townwide fraudulent contractors ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 03/04 Recently the Fair Lawn Police Department made an arrest of a person who worked for a chimney sweep company who is charged with defrauding a resident. The suspect received over $1300 for work that was never done. It started as a telephone solicitation from a company offering to inspect the resident’s chimney for $40. The contractor came to the residence and then told the resident that the chimney was emitting dangerous fumes and that he needed a chimney liner put in for $1300. The contractor was charged after Detectives were able to prove that the work was never done. Although that person has been arrested, it is a quite common scam and there are probably others out there. Also with the coming of spring, there will probably be some other scam artists offering to resurface driveways. Although there are some legitimate chimney cleaning and driveway repair companies, it is important to protect yourself against fraud. Generally, be suspicious if you receive either unsolicited telephone solicitations or in person solicitations from contractors offering to do inspections in order to look for problems that the homeowner isn’t aware of. Generally if a homeowner needs work done, the homeowner contacts the contractor, not the other way around. When dealing with a contractor, who you haven’t done business with before, you should seek references and actually call those references to verify them, or seek recommendations from neighbors, friends or co-workers. There are many legitimate contractors out there who do good work for a fair price, but there is also a lot of fraud out there also. Many of the fraudulent contractors particularly target senior citizens or disabled people. Also those who solicit door to door within the Boro of Fair Lawn are required by Ordinance to first obtain a permit from the police department ( religious organizations and political candidates are exempt as per the U.S. Constitution). If a salesperson appears at your house without prior arrangement with you, ask to see his/her solicitor’s permit and call the police if they do not display it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Broadway, Shop Rite Liquors shoplifting ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 03/01 Valeriy Slesarev, age 53 of Elmwood Park was charged with shoplifting by P.O. James Krizek after a security officer at Shop Rite Liquors on Broadway allegedly observed him conceal two bottles of vodka and attempt to leave the store without paying for them. Slesarev was released on his own recognizance after processing pending an appearance in the Fair Lawn Municipal Court.