Police have asked for the public's help in identifying anyone involved in a July assault that led to 39-year-old man's death.

Artis Felton, 39  (Paterson Police)

PATERSON -- Police have asked for the public's help in identifying anyone involved in a July assault that led to a 39-year-old man's death.

Artis Felton had just moved to a home on North 9th Street from Toms River, Paterson Detective Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez said.

A temp agency on Cianci Street had hired Felton to work in a cookie factory in Pennsylvania. Felton had to be at Cianci street at 4:45 a.m. to board a van to Cianci Street.

Felton was making the walk from his home to Cianci Street for the second time on the morning of July 23. On the way, he was assaulted and left unconscious on Jefferson Street, Rodriguez said.

A passerby found Felton at 4:50 a.m. Felton was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in critical condition, Rodriguez said. He was unconscious with bruises to the face.

Felton went into a coma and died July 27. His organs went to three people, according to his obituary.

Police are offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of whomever is responsible for killing Felton. Anyone with a tip should call (973) 321-1120, (973) 523-TIPS or by text at patersonpd.com. All information is confidential.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The Moro brothers were arrested in March 2014 in connection with the Vernon robbery.

Aldo Moro (pictured) and his brother, Michael Moro, pleaded guilty to robbing two gas stations in 2014. 

NEWTON -- Two brothers who wore make-up and disguises while holding up two businesses last year pleaded guilty to robbery on Wednesday, authorities said.

Michael Moro, 19, of Highland Lakes, and Aldo Moro, 26, of Union, each pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree robbery, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release Thursday. The pair admitted to robbing Market Place Deli in Vernon on Feb. 25, 2014 and the Shell Gas Station in Wayne on Feb. 23, 2014.

The Moro brothers were arrested in March 2014 in connection with the Vernon robbery--when Michael Moro was 17 years old.

The owner of the business told police he was threatened with a handgun during the robbery. The gun was fired after the brothers entered the business, but no one was struck when the gun was discharged, police said.

Police have said the duo wore "elaborate makeup and disguises" and did "extensive planning" before committing the robbery.

As previously reported by New Jersey Herald, Aldo Moro robbed a teenager using a starter pistol in May 2007. Aldo Moro, who spent nearly four years in state prison on a robbery conviction, was released in Sept. 2011, NJ.com previously reported based on Department of Corrections records.

The brothers will be sentenced on Nov. 6.

Reporting by Jeff Goldman was used in this article.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The Clifton-based group held "Muslims for Peace and Loyalty" at The Villa in Mountain Lakes.

MOUNTAIN LAKES--The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of North Jersey met on Thursday night to speak out against misconceptions about Islam. 

The Clifton-based group held "Muslims for Peace and Loyalty" at The Villa in Mountain Lakes to counteract "fanatics and fringe Muslim groups" who commit acts of violence in the name of Islam, the organization said in a release. 

The event, which took place the night before the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, stressed the importance of distinguishing radicalization from actual Islam.  

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook

State agency's drought indicators wrongfully indicated no water issues in northeastern New Jersey, when it was clear there was a growing problem.

Everyone except the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection seemed to know that mounting precipitation deficits were becoming a problem for New Jersey's most populous region.  

By several measures of the National Weather Service and the New Jersey State Climatologist, precipitation deficits in northeastern New Jersey, prior to Thursday's rains, were operating between four and six inches below normal. The U.S. Drought Monitor, a national collective of academics, placed northeastern New Jersey in a "moderate drought" designation. United Water, which provides water to more than 800,000, called for voluntarily water restrictions after its reservoirs fell to about 45 percent of capacity, following a scorching and dry August. 

But visit the DEP's drought monitoring site, and a different story is being told: 

The DEP's measures incorrectly state that there are few water issues facing northeastern New Jersey. NJ DEP 

The agency's drought monitoring site has stated that precipitation, reservoir and ground water levels all remain near or above normal. The only problem is, there's no data available from any local, state or federal agency, that supports this claim.

For an undetermined amount of time, an analytical error has led the state agency to use and publish erroneous information about the state's water situation, a topic that affects virtually every facet of life in New Jersey, from farming to day-to-day residential water usage.  

After initially rejecting an NJ Advance Media inquiry about the seemingly faulty information, the DEP acknowledged that a recent conversion from one National Weather Service product to another had led to an inaccurate processing of information.  

"The problem with the precipitation indicators on the web site is being fixed," said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the agency. "We did not realize that there was a problem when we shifted from the (Mid-Atlantic River Forecast Center) data collection system to the more precise Advanced Hydrologic Prediction System."

Hajna said accurate information would begin appearing Monday, when the site is next scheduled to be updated.

The DEP's reservoir level data also conflicts with the company, United Water, that manages it in much of northeastern New Jersey.  While United Water said their reservoirs had fallen below 50 percent capacity last week, on the same day, the DEP published figures that state United's reservoirs were well about 60 percent. 

Steve Goudsmith, director of communications for the company, said the DEP likely includes a water source, Lake Deforest in New York, which the company has some but not considerable access to as a primary water source.  

"We have a limited allocation that comes out of Lake Deforest, so we do not use it when measuring our reservoir capacity," Goudsmith said. "Drought can begin at any moment but you don't know you're in one until you have been for some time. One rainstorm isn't going to fix this. We're not out of the woods yet." 

New Jersey is not on the precipice of a water emergency yet, and Thursday's rains certainly will help a region that has barely seen a drop of water in three weeks.  But the flubbed data raises questions about how the state agency tasked with overseeing the state's water supply operates, seemingly ignoring a chorus of information that runs counter to their own analysis. 

RELATED: More than five inches of rain falls in South Jersey, causing flooding.

"It doesn't matter how you look at it, that part of New Jersey has been dry," said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University when initially confronted with the anomaly Wednesday. "I'm sort of left scratching my head. They have their own criteria, but I'm not sure what they're using to come up with their figures ... We're talking about an area that's seen, over the last two months, 30 to 40 percent of their normal rainfall. That's the story."

Even after Thursday's rains, parts of New Jersey still have 90-day precipitation deficits of two to five inches. National Weather Service 

It's unclear if use of the correct information would have changed decision making at the DEP. In 2010, the agency issued a drought watch in northeastern New Jersey when reservoir levels were markedly higher, though the watch was issued in August, a month earlier in peak water usage season.

Hajna said the DEP will continue to monitor the drier than average conditions and said it has become increasingly concerned with the situation in northeastern New Jersey. About one to two inches of rain fell across much of the state Tuesday, according to data from the National Weather Service. 

"It was a substantial rain. We're still dry, but it helps," Robinson said. 

Already, farmers around the state are reporting that a very dry August is having a significant impact on fall crops, like pumpkins and corn.  

But the DEP, Goudsmith and Robinson all said the concern isn't so much for the coming fall and winter, but the spring and summer that follow. 

"You don't want to be in a hole heading into the growing season," Robinson said. "This is typically the time of year that the reservoirs replenish themselves. If you don't go into the spring and summer with a nice cushion, you can find yourself in trouble very quick."

Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @sstirling. Find him on Facebook.

 

Two people were injured in a four-car crash Friday afternoon on East 24th Street in Paterson, police said.

Two people were injured in a four-car crash on Friday, police said. 

PATERSON -- Two people were injured in a four-car crash Friday afternoon on East  24th Street, police said.

The crash occurred at about 1 p.m. between Fourth and Fifth avenues when a man struck two parked cars with his vehicle and then another car occupied by a female motorist, Paterson police director Jerry Speziale said.

The man, whose name was not released, was able to escape from the vehicle before it burst into flames, Speziale said. The blaze was extinguished by firefighters and the driver was taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center for a serious compound leg fracture, Speziale said.

The female motorist had to be extricated from her vehicle by first responders after she was trapped in the vehicle, Speziale said.

After the woman was removed from the car, she was also taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center but the extent of her injuries was unclear, he said.

The crash remains under investigation, he said.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett and other members of the House Freedom Caucus said they would not support a government spending bill that included funding for Planned Parenthood

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett and other members of the conservative Freedom Caucus said Friday that they would not vote for a spending bill that includes funding for Planned Parenthood, a position that could lead to the second federal government shutdown in three years.

Garrett (R-5th Dist.) is a founding member of the caucus of House Republicans and opposed the re-election of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

"Given the appalling revelations surrounding Planned Parenthood, we cannot in good moral conscience vote to send taxpayer money to this organization while still fulfilling our duty to represent our constituents," the caucus said in a statement. "We must therefore oppose any spending measure that contains funding for Planned Parenthood."

The lawmakers were responding to videos released by an anti-abortion group that allegedly showed the women's health care provider violating federal law by selling parts from aborted fetuses for medical research. The group is allowed to receive reimbursement for the costs of handing and shipping fetal tissue.

RELATED: Charges that Planned Parenthood sold fetal tissue 'unsubstantiated,' Pallone says

Garrett spokesman Chris Carofine did not respond to a request for comment.

An investigation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee has found no evidence so far to support the charges, according to the panel's ranking member, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th Dist.).

The probe is continuing and a hearing is scheduled next week, said John Byers, a spokesman for Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.), another member of the committee.

The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1 and Congress must pass a spending bill by then or else government again will have to close for lack of funding.

House Republicans do not have the clout to enact legislation that ends federal funding for Planned Parenthood. While Republicans could pass such a bill in their chamber, they do not have the votes in the Senate to overcome Democratic opposition nor enough strength in either chamber to override an expected presidential veto.

A similar stance against funding the Affordable Care Act led to a 16-day partial federal government shutdown in 2013. House Republicans at the time refused to pass any spending bill that included funding for the law, which has provided health coverage to millions of Americans, including 170,000 in New Jersey.

Planned Parenthood clinics in New Jersey received $5.2 million in federal funds last year. They offer health and contraceptive services in 14 of the state's 21 counties.

Garrett became the most vulnerable New Jersey incumbent, according to ratings by two Washington publications that follow congressional races, following published reports that he told other Republicans that he would not contribute to House GOP's fundraising arm because it supported gay candidates.

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

PATERSON — A former volunteer firefighter who caused a fatal crash while responding to a fire call on Dec. 23, 2010 was sentenced on Friday to 18 months probation, The Record reported. Daniel Lane, now 26, was also ordered to make no contact with the family of Eugene Harkins, 63, of West Milford, who died a week later from injuries...

A former volunteer firefighter who caused a fatal crash while responding to a fire call on Dec. 23, 2010 was sentenced on Friday to 18 months probation, The Record reported.File photo 

PATERSON -- A former volunteer firefighter who caused a fatal crash while responding to a fire call on Dec. 23, 2010 was sentenced on Friday to 18 months probation, The Record reported.

Daniel Lane, now 26, was also ordered to make no contact with the family of Eugene Harkins, 63, of West Milford, who died a week later from injuries sustained in the crash, the newspaper reported. He must also serve 25 hours of community service, according to the newspaper.

Lane's attorney, Miles Feinstein, told the newspaper his client had no "malice" when he responded to the fire call. Lane, he said, began rushing to the scene because he believed people might have been trapped in a house fire.

This past July, Lane avoided jail time by pleading guilty to aggravated assault, The Record previously reported. He was initially charged with vehicular homicide, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Authorities are investigating the possible connection between an early Saturday morning shooting on East 39th Street in which three people were shot and an officer-involved shooting on North 3rd Street a short time later.

Paterson policeFile photo 

PATERSON -- Authorities are investigating the possible connection between an early Saturday morning shooting on East 39th Street in which three people were shot and an officer-involved shooting on North 3rd Street a short time later.

Paterson police director Jerry Speziale said three males had been shot at about 5:30 a.m. on East 39th Street but their injuries were not life-threatening. The trio was treated for their injuries at St. Joseph's Medical Center, he said. As of 11:20 a.m., one individual has been released from the hospital, another was admitted and the third was in surgery, he said.

In the second incident, a female Paterson police officer discharged her gun during an altercation on North 3rd Street a short time after the triple shooting, Speziale said. The officer was injured during the altercation but her injuries were not life-threatening, he said.

"Our officer is an extremely brave officer and is being treated at St Joseph's Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries," he said. "She is in our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery."

Speziale said investigators were "exploring all possibilities of a connection between the two incidents" and that he expected to release more information later in the day.

As required by the state Attorney General's Office guidelines, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office is handling the officer-involved shooting, Speziale said. The Paterson Police Detective Bureau and the Ceasefire Unit are investigating the triple shooting, he said.

"I have the utmost confidence in the investigators involved in these investigations and I am confident these matters will be closed," Speziale said.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Authorities are investigating a body that was discovered on the NJ Transit tracks in Paterson Saturday morning.

A body was found near the NJ Transit train tracks in Paterson Saturday morning, authorities said.Star-Ledger file photo 

PATERSON -- Authorities are investigating a body that was discovered on the NJ Transit tracks in Paterson Saturday morning.

The body was discovered at about 10:50 a.m. in the right of way on the Main Line just past the Route 80 overpass, NJ Transit spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson said.

Nelson said it does not appear that the individual was struck by a train.

Service was suspended for about an hour while authorities investigated the incident.

Earlier this morning, a woman was struck and killed by a Waldwick-bound train on the Main Line in Glen Rock.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Three high-powered weapons were recovered in Paterson late Friday night into early Saturday morning, resulting in the arrest of three city men, police said.

Police recovered three dangerous weapons in the span of a few hours in Paterson. (File photo) 

PATERSON -- Three high-powered weapons have been recovered in Paterson, resulting in the arrest of three city men, police said.

A handgun, a Sig Sauer .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol reported stolen, and a SWD, Inc. M11 9mm semi-automatic gun with a large magazine capacity were recovered from three men by police in the span of a couple hours from Friday night into early Saturday morning.

The men, Karlton Kibler, 21; Quincy Franklin, 18; and Kadeem Coleman, 22, were arrested and charged with various firearm offenses. Kibler, who was also found with suspected heroin, was also charged with drug offenses, police said.

RELATED: Teen arrested with 'high-powered' handgun, Paterson police say

"The three weapons recovered and the arrest of these individuals known by our detectives, is a major accomplishment in reducing violence and placing those in jail that continue the cycle of violence," said police spokesman Jerry Speziale in a statement. "The detectives assigned to our Ceasefire and Narcotics Units are to be commended for their professionalism, ability to work side by side, and dedication to make a safer city."

"We will continue our fight and remove one gun at a time to make our city safer," he said.

Kibler was apprehended on Friday at approximately 10:30 p.m., at Route 20 South and 5th Avenue, after he saw the police and fled on foot, removing a handgun from his waist and discarding it, police said. Police said they had received a tip that a man matching Kibler's description had a handgun.

Franklin was arrested early Saturday morning, after detectives observed a group of men at the North Main Street and Jefferson Street intersection at 12:34 a.m. A man in the group, Franklin, began running north on Jefferson Street when police walked toward the group, police said, and at one point during a police pursuit, he removed a large firearm from his waist and threw it over a fence. 

Franklin was apprehended, and his firearm was recovered with "a live round in the chamber," a police release stated.

At 1:10 a.m., police heard at least two gunshots fired from the Jefferson Street area, police said. Upon investigation, they learned a possible involved vehicle, a black Dodge sedan driven by Coleman, was in at Rosa Parks Blvd. and Harrison Street area, authorities said. The vehicle was stopped and Coleman was found in possession of a .45 caliber semi-auto pistol.

The investigation was conducted by the department's ceasefire and narcotics units and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, a release said.

Kibler was charged with resisting arrest by flight, illegal possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm during a controlled dangerous substance offense, certain persons not to have weapons, possession of 10 glassines suspected heroin, possession with intent to distribute, and being within 500 feet of the Riverside Housing Complex.

Quincy was charged with possession of an assault firearm, and Coleman was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, certain persons not to have weapons, and possession of stolen property. 

The Paterson police department efforts, has removed five firearms from the streets "this week alone," Speziale said.

Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Meet Ted Levine, a Paterson businessman who spent a semester in the 1960s as Donald Trump's roommate at the New York Military Academy Watch video

PATERSON -- Anyone seeking to understand the psyche of Donald Trump might want to visit a nearly century-old packaging company just off Route 19 in Paterson. 

There sits Levine Industries, an operation owned by three generations of the same family -- most recently by Ted Levine, a 68-year-old businessman who has a few similarities to the billionaire real estate mogul who is now the frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. 

He doesn't look like Trump. But his personality?

"We are going to have the best product that ever existed," Levine exclaimed Friday while discussing an innovative alternative to the hazardous chemical styrene that his company is developing.

The Trump-ness of the comment isn't surprising. As a teenager in the early 1960s, Levine spent a semester as Trump's roommate at the New York Military Academy, an expensive boarding school along the Hudson River. 

And Levine is quick to explain that both his and Trump's attitudes were molded there.

"The school taught you how to be a leader," the lifelong Paterson resident said. "It taught you: Show me a sore loser, and I'll show you a loser."

That's why, Levine said, he fully understands Trump's mindset -- a mix of grandiose confidence and bulldogish aggression that has upended the crowded GOP race and helped Trump grab an unexpected lead in the polls. 

"I understand it more than you can ever perceive," Levine said. "He is so mentally strong."

MORE: Trump says he always 'felt that I was in the military'

Trump's time at the military school just north of New York City became a topic of discussion last week when the New York Times published a report about a new biography about the former Atlantic City casino tycoon and reality television star.

According to the report, Trump told the book's author that even though he never served in the armed forces and used draft deferments to avoid the Vietnam War, he always "felt that I was in the military" because he attended the academy. The school, Trump said, gave him "more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military."

But if the remarks offended veterans, they didn't bother Levine. He, in fact, agreed with Trump.

"I think it was harder basic training than the Marines," Levine said of his time at the school. "It was stronger -- more disciplined and more focused." 

Even though the school's students weren't required to march into battle?

"You have to kill someone to be in the military and understand structure?" Levine said. "Most military leaders in the Pentagon have never stepped out of the Pentagon."

Officials at the New York Military Academy did not return a message seeking comment. 

In the biography, "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success" -- due out Sept. 22 -- author Michael D'Antonio, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who once worked for Newsday, describes Trump's upbringing in Jamaica, Queens, as the son of millionaire New York real estate developer Fred Trump. 

Trump is quoted as saying his father "expected greatness" out of him. But when Trump's teachers spoke of his bad behavior at Kew-Forest, a prep school in Queens, his parents sent him to the military academy. He attended from eighth grade in 1959 until high school graduation in 1964.

There, Levine said, cadets wore uniforms, learned how to use a rifle, and were taught discipline. 

"To be part of a unit," he said.

Levine, the son of former Paterson Police Commissioner Stanley Levine, was one of the smallest students at the academy when he arrived -- about 4-foot-11 and 120 pounds. 

Trump, meanwhile, was 6-foot-2 -- his current height -- and 180 pounds. 

One thing Levine didn't notice at the time was the trademark brashness for which Trump would come to be known.

"He fell in with the normal, run-of-the-mill cadet," Levine remembered. "There were a lot of people who were brasher and who had more money. He was part of the brigade. He was part of the group."

But Trump did excel at athletics -- especially as a pitcher in baseball. In Trump's third year at the school, a newspaper headline read: "Trump Wins Game For NYMA."

"It felt good seeing my name in print," the businessman is quoted as saying in the new book. "How many people are in print? Nobody's in print."

Later, the book said, Trump called himself "the best baseball player in New York" and that he would have turned pro except "there's no real money in it." The average salary for a Major League Baseball player in 1964 was about $14,800 -- which, considering inflation, would be about $113,000 today. 

Levine was Trump's catcher -- but only for a short while. 

"He left my hand black and blue every day," he recalled. "I learned I had to go into wrestling."

Levine said he wouldn't have been surprised if Trump became a pro ballplayer -- nor is he surprised that he ended up one of the most famous men in the world, and now a contender for the White House.

"He could have done anything he wanted to," Levine said. "He didn't have any limits."

Then again, Levine noted, that was the way most cadets at the academy saw the world.

"That was our goal in life: to lead America," he said. "It wasn't unique to rise to the top."

Levine became a top wrestler at Colorado State and Fairleigh Dickinson universities and was later an assistant wrestling coach at Montclair State. Both he and Trump are inductees into the New York Military Academy Sports Hall of Fame.

And just as Trump took over his father's real estate empire, Levine and his brother took over the family packaging business years ago. The road the company sits on in Paterson is called Levine Street.

Levine's office is a shrine to men he calls "game-changers." The walls are lined with autographs of famous athletes he's met through the years: Muhammad Ali, Pele, Mickey Mantle. There's a photo of him with legendary Olympic wrestler Aleksandr Medved and a bat given to the family by baseball Hall of Famer -- and Paterson native -- Larry Doby.

Behind his desk are a Trump bobblehead figurine and a talking Trump doll.

"Never give up," the doll said in Trump's famous accent when Levine squeezed it. "Enjoy what you're doing."

"Donald -- I focus on (him) to give me strength and courage to be a game-changer," Levine said.

The last time he saw Trump was 20 years ago at a New Jersey Devils hockey game.

"I yelled, 'Hey, Trump!'" Levine recalled. "He yelled, 'Hey, Levine!'"

As for whether he'll vote for his former roommate? 

"I don't know," Levine said. "I'm waiting for more information. I haven't seen anybody emerge that I consider a better leader than him.

"But that doesn't mean someone won't emerge."

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Police raided an Auburn Street home used by alleged heroin dealers Friday after receiving a tip via text message, officials said.

Two Paterson residents allegedly sold drugs out of an Auburn Street home, police said. (File Photo) 

PATERSON -- Police raided an Auburn Street home used by alleged heroin dealers Friday after receiving a tip via text message, officials said.

The Paterson Police narcotics division raided the home at 5:20 p.m., Police Director Jerry Speziale said.

Police arrested Paterson residents Trayvon Sparks, 24, and Jean Lewis, 55. Lewis lives on the same block as the raided house and Sparks resides a few blocks west.

Sparks and Lewis had 252 glassine envelopes of heroin, 103 baggies of crack and 40 baggies of marijuana, Speziale said. Police confiscated $818 of alleged drug proceeds from Sparks.

They were charged with possession of the drugs, possession with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute near a school and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Paterson Police received information about the house via the department's "Text for Tips" system, Speziale said.

"Thanks to community collaboration, we were able to infiltrate and arrest those responsible for the distribution of heroin," he said.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The man found dead Saturday near NJ Transit tracks in Paterson likely overdosed on drugs, officials said.

A body was found near the NJ Transit train tracks in Paterson Saturday morning, authorities said. (File Photo) 

PATERSON -- The man found dead Saturday near NJ Transit tracks in Paterson likely overdosed on drugs, officials said.

That's the initial finding of an investigation into the death of Joel Miszur, 30, said Jennifer Nelson, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit.

Miszur, a Colorado resident, was found at about 10:50 a.m. in the right of way of the Main Line just past the Route 80 overpass, Nelson said. He does not appear to have been struck by a train.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Ameer S. Elkaryoney, 20, was charged after fleeing in a car and then dragging an officer. The officer suffered injuries that were not life threatening.

PATERSON -- A 20-year-old Paterson man was charged with assault and eluding police after authorities say he dragged a police officer down the street while trying to flee in a car. 

Ameer S. Elkaryoney was arrested Saturday night after the incident early that morning near Jefferson Street and North Third Street, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. 

Authorities previously said the officer discharged her gun during the incident. No injuries were reported from the gunfire, Valdes said. Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale previously said police were investigating a link to an earlier triple-shooting that left three injured.  

RELATED: Authorities probe link to triple shooting, cop-involved shooting

The officer was treated for her injuries, which were not considered life threatening, authorities said. 

Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The Totowa home features a luxurious master bedroom and bathroom with views for miles

This modern hilltop home in Totowa might just be the house for you ... depending on your view of neighborhood pickup football games and accidental discharges of firearms.

It's in the same neighborhood as Plaxico Burress, the former Giant and Jet with a history of legal and financial troubles. (Burress, who served prison time for illegal carrying of a handgun after accidentally shooting himself in the leg in 2008, was charged earlier this year with one count of issuing a bad check or electronic funds transfer, and one count of willful failure to pay state tax, though his pad doesn't seem to be in jeopardy.) 

This four-bedroom home on nearly two acres, with expansive views all the way to Manhattan, was built in 2002. The master bedroom including a tiled bathing nook with an infinity-edge bathtub that fills from the ceiling. The landscaped rear yard features a pool and hot tub.

Taxes on the 4,157-square-foot house are $19,972 a year; it is represented by Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty. 

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

The arrests were part of a crime suppression detail conducted by the Paterson police's ceasefire and narcotics units and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.

Paterson police arrested three city men on Friday and Saturday for allegedly having "high power weapons" in their possession.  

PATERSON--As part of efforts to rid city streets of dangerous weapons, police arrested three Paterson men for allegedly having "high power weapons."

Quincy Franklin, 18, allegedly had a large semi-automatic gun when police chased him on Saturday. When detectives had approached a group of men at North Main and Jefferson Streets, Franklin ran off and ignored the officers' commands to stop, police said. He grabbed a large gun tucked into his waistband and threw it over a fence on North First Street, police said. The detectives caught up with Franklin at North First and Arch streets and took him into custody. 

The gun Franklin threw was a SWD M11 9mm pistol with a large magazine capacity and a live round in the chamber, police said. He was charged with possession of an assault firearm.

Kadeem Coleman, 22, allegedly had a .45-caliber semi-auto pistol when police stopped him near Rosa Parks Boulevard and Harrison Street on Saturday. Coleman was a passenger in a black Dodge sedan that was believed to be involved in two shots being fired near Jefferson Street, police said. He was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm, certain persons not to have weapons and possession of stolen property, since the gun was allegedly stolen from its owner in Morris County.

On Friday, police arrested 21-year-old Karlton Kibler after received a report that a man in the area of 18 Alois Place had a handgun, according to police reports. Kibler allegedly ran from police and tossed a handgun that he'd had hidden in his waistband. Police apprehended him near Route 20 South and Fifth Avenue. He allegedly also had suspected heroin on him at the time. He faces charges of resisting arrest by flight, illegal possession of a firearm, certain persons not to have weapons, possession of 10 glassine folds of heroin, possession with the intent to distribute, drug possession within 500 feet of a housing complex and 

The arrests were part of a crime suppression detail conducted by the Paterson police's ceasefire and narcotics units and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.

"The three weapons recovered and the arrest of these individuals known by our detectives is a major accomplishment in reducing violence and placing those in jail that continue the cycle of violence," police Director Jerry Speziale said in a statement. "We will continue our fight and remove one gun at a time to make our city safer."

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook

 

Firefighters quickly evacuated the building and shut down Parker Avenue at Ackerman Avenue at 12:45 p.m.

CLIFTON--Firefighters are battling a blaze that broke out at the Parker Inn on Monday afternoon, police said.

Officials believe the fire started in a third-floor apartment at the inn, which is located at the intersection of Parker Avenue and Exchange Place, Sgt. Robert Bracken told NJ Advance Media.

Firefighters quickly evacuated the building and shut down Parker Avenue at Ackerman Avenue at 12:45 p.m., he said.

It's not yet clear what sparked the blaze and additional information on the fire wasn't immediately available.

Reporting by Justin Zaremba was used in this article. 

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook

He was arrested in his Hardyston home on Aug. 30 following an alleged domestic violence incident.

A Passaic County jail corrections officer was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife. The county sheriff's office has taken away his service weapon and placed him on administrative duty.Justin Zaremba | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

PATERSON-- The Passaic County jail has confiscated a corrections officer's service gun and placed him on administrative duty amid allegations that he assaulted his wife, The Bergen Record reported. 

Sgt. Andrew Romeo, 43, was arrested in his Hardyston home on Aug. 30 following an alleged domestic violence incident. Both he and his wife were charged with simple assault.

As a result, Romeo is working modified duty and was stripped of his gun, the Passaic County Sheriff's Office told the newspaper.  

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook

 

Three food delivery workers robbed in a week in same general area

PATERSON -- Police are trying to determine if the same suspects are involved in a string of robberies targeting food-delivery workers, NorthJersey.com reported.

File photo 

Three delivery people have been robbed in the space of a week, most recently on Monday, when an employee of Grab-and-Go was attacked while making a delivery near Harrison Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard. The other robberies occurred nearby, police said.

In a Sept. 7 robbery, the suspects stole a car driven by a man delivering Chinese food. The car was later found abandoned.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook

 

A Paterson Police Officer shot and killed a dog attacking its owners Tuesday morning, officials said.

A Paterson police officer shot a dog, Sept. 15, 2015, officials said. (File Photo) 

PATERSON -- A Paterson Police Officer shot and killed a dog attacking its owners Tuesday morning, officials said.

An 11-year-old boy called 911 just after midnight to say his parents were being attacked by the family's pit bull terrier, Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said.

The first officer to arrive at the house on 14th Avenue had to immediately shoot the dog, Speziale said. The man, 38, and the woman, 37, had multiple bite wounds.

"This was a pretty serious attack by the dog that they were trying to fend off as the officer arrived," Speziale said.

The couple and the officer were taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center. The officer was shaken and treated for trauma, Speziale said.

It's not clear what caused the pit bull to attack, Speziale said. Animal control is testing the dog for rabies and other diseases.

Speziale credited the boy for directing police to the house.

"This 11-year-old boy did a phenomenal job giving the information and remaining calm," he said. "The kid was tremendous in being able to coordinate and calmly get police officers to that scene without losing composure."

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.