Let’s start with the basics: In the past three years, there has been an increase in certain kinds of crime in Verona. Not major crimes, like homicide and murder, but the crimes that rattle our everyday sense of well-being. Crimes like car theft, larceny and burglary.

But there are other basics, too. Whatever the increase, the rate of crime in Verona remains well below that of most other towns in Essex County. And the recent spike in burglaries–61 in all categories of burglaries last year–here pales in comparison to one year in the early 1980s when a group that included several Verona High School students notched up 120 break-ins in one 12-month period.

News of any sort–good or bad–tends to travel a whole lot faster now. Even before the Verona Police Department’s RSS feed gets pushed out to this site (check the bottom right corner of the home page), many of the elements have already made their way around town through cell phones, Facebook and Twitter. When it’s news that a neighbor’s house or car has been broken into, it seems to travel even faster, amplifying its impact on our psyche.

From 2009 to 2011, Verona had one murder, the killing of attendant Daniel Pritchard at the Sunoco gas station on Pompton. That kind of crime leaps out in western Essex County because it is so rare. While Newark had 80 murders in 2009 and 91 in 2010 (the State Police have not yet released the crime statistics for 2011), there were no murders in any of the towns that immediately surround us in the last three years. In 2009 and 2011, Verona had just two robberies (the taking of something from a person by force); in 2010 there was one. Simple assaults, a crime category in which the victim fears violence but none happens, have fallen from 27 to 18 from 2009 to 2011.

But this is not the kind of crime that most people in Verona think about, or fear. We worry about burglary and car theft, and both categories have seen an increase.  In 2011, according to the Verona Police Department, we had 61 burglaries in all categories (attempted forcible entry, unlawful entry  and forcible entry), up from 24 in 2010 and 27 in 2009.  Larceny–the kind of crime that occurs when your lawn mower disappears from your yard or the cash you left in your car goes missing–rose from 76 in 2009 to 81 in 2010 and 105 in 2011. But actual car thefts have spiked, too. They rose from just two in 2009, to eight in 2010 and 18 last year.

While the crummy economy may be driving this, there may be other factors at work: A car theft task force that included law enforcement members from Essex and Union counties was disbanded by budget cuts during the recession. And too often, we don’t take the simple precautions that  could foil thieves. We leave our cars unlocked and our house keys in predictable places. (We’re not alone. Just this week, two luxury cars were stolen in Cedar Grove after their owners left them unlocked and idling.)

So crime in Verona in certain categories is up. That’s serious, yes, but a fraction what’s been going on around us. While the crime reports compiled by the State Police note  just 24 burglaries in Verona in 2010, Cedar Grove had 20,  Livingston had 47, Millburn had 55, West Orange had 131 and Montclair had 184. Newark had 1,955.

Here’s something else to keep in mind. Overall crime across Essex County has been falling for more than a decade. While the total crime rate (crimes per 1,000 residents) was 18.2 in Verona in 1996, it had fallen to 8.9 in 2010. In Cedar Grove, the rate fell from 28.5 to 11.0, and Montclair dropped from 54.3 to 19.4.  Even Newark dropped, from 134.1 to 47.6.

And if there is an upside to crime, it is this: Verona is being more vigilant. When a group of men flashing FBI identification showed up on Hillside Avenue on Tuesday afternoon asking questions about “foreigners” in the area, residents called the Verona Police. No, we still don’t know why they were there. The Newark office of the FBI has not responded to our phone call or e-mail.

The car clipped a tree and a sign just past Mountain Auto Body (Photo by Bill Neal).

There’s been another rollover accident on the eastern end of Bloomfield Avenue. This one occurred Friday morning at about 2:15 a.m.

The car was traveling east on Bloomfield and veered off the roadway into the rocks just past Mountain Auto Body, in between Pompton and Sunset avenues. The car rolled over onto its side and came to rest between a utility pole and sign. Of the three people in the car, two needed to be taken to hospitals for their injuries; the third person did not need to go to the hospital.

The Verona Police, Verona Rescue Squad, VRS Heavy Rescue unit and Verona Fire Department were all on the scene. The Heavy Rescue team used a chain saw to remove a tree that was wedged under the vehicle so that the tow truck operator could remove the car, and VFD Engine 11 deployed a hose for protection against a fuel leak or sparks.

It was the third serious accident on this section of Bloomfield Avenue in the last two weeks and the second overturned vehicle here.

The Fire Department deployed a hose in case a fuel leak led to a fire (Photo by Bill Neal).

Teamwork between rock stars and the police (think enforcement, not Sting) have not always been a hand-in-hand concept. In Rock & Roll’s infancy, it was viewed in the typical drugs, sex, and rock & roll philosophy. At the second annual Cops and Rockers battle of the bands at Verona High School hosted by Verona PBA Local 72, barriers of genres, ages, and occupations were broken when local artists got together for some good old jamming.

What is a great event without a patriotic opening? The first “cover” of the night would come from Montclair Police Department’s Stephanie Egnazzo who delivered a mostly A capella take on the most famous from one-hit-wonder Francis Scott Key; a song that we know as “The Star Spangled Banner.” Note that it was mostly A capella, because towards the last two lines, a band in uniform were revealed behind a curtain and awoke the gods of rock in a Jimi Hendrix style salute to our great country. It was nice to see a duet between different police departments, proving that the VPD doesn’t have the only cops who rock. From there, an emcee took over and welcomed one and all to the second annual Cops And Rockers.

Now it was time for the music. At the start of the event, it wasn’t all about the big prize, a day in the recording studios of Verona’s Cat Eyez Studios. (Rocktec Music donated two Dean guitars for the audience raffles and instruments, fog machines and PA equipment for the stage. Amedia, another Verona-based business, donated some of its handmade cymbals and Chris Segarra of Legendery Entertainment was the emcee.) In fact, there were some bands that weren’t competing, and just wanted to share the stage with some local musicians and play in front of the crowd. Two acts; one trio and one solo act, provided the competition-free entertainment to Verona, and certainly did not disappoint.

The first non-competing group was The Incredible Folk featuring VHS sophomore Lucas Freschi on acoustic guitar alongside two older friends on banjo and fiddle. The bluegrass three-piece brought the theater back to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry for some rather impressive picking. The first song was a cover of Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith and Don Reno’s “Feudin’ Banjos” (more commonly known as “Dueling Banjos”) made famous by the 1972 movie Deliverance. The next was one of the most famous country rock songs, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band. Aside from a clutter of technically faulted sound problems, it was pleasant to have some American Roots music to start off the night.

Next was the second non-competing act, VHS senior Wes Ostrander. Wes’ drum cover of Dream Theater’s “Panic Attack” spoke true to the progressive-metal drumming of Mike Portnoy (ex-drummer of Dream Theater), and darkened the mood left by The Incredible Folk. Following a welcoming applause of appreciation for Wes’ way around the drum kit, was one of few constants of the night: polls. Yes, MyVeronaNJ.com provided the surveys that appeared on the rounded wall stage-left. If you were in attendance and were in possession of a cell phone that has text-messaging capabilities (and if not, get with the times), you were able to participate in the polling. Some questions were more important than others, like “what kind of music do you like,” would be deemed unimportant in comparison to voting for the band of your choice.

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Following a power outage, last year’s first place band took the stage in hopes to bring home the title once more. Fusion is made up of Austin Williams, Steve Wynen, Andrew Capuano, Nick Celfo and Ryan Yeates, who all attend VHSl. It was clear that Fusion had matured since winning last year’s contest. Vocalist Austin Williams seemed much more comfortable onstage and managed to translate his naturally theatrical voice into a post-punk/pop-rock style. The stringed aspect of the band all seemed to carry themselves at an appropriate pace, while drummer Ryan Yeates interpreted the drum parts very well, which contributed to a positive performance overall. They  performed their original with lyrics written by Ryan Yeates, “I Want To Be” and covers of Good Charlotte’s “The Anthem”, “Dying in your Arms” by Trivium, and “Monkey Wrench” from the Foo Fighters.

The next band was the first and only competing band without any VHS students in the group. Nonetheless, NaH shook the stage with a jagged grunge sound and held their own in the midst of bands that also played similar styles of music. Consisting of Ben Shooter, RJ Challice, and Zach Thomas, the Little Falls natives performed an original inspired by Guns n’ Roses entitled “The Best of You,” proving to be one of the stronger originals of the night. Their covers were Monster Magnet’s “Monolithic” and “The Time Warp”, from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the latter of which got many singing and grooving along.

Up next was The Loop, displaying VHS alumni, current students, and future students. This group, like Fusion, is a staple of the current Verona youth music scene. They’ve performed a few times in the past year and have built a little bit of a fan base that made their presence known during their Cops & Rockers performance. The set began with a cover of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock And Roll”. Band members Theresa Courter, Joey and Nick Fierro, Chris Ehrich and Chris Buneo packed a punch with their ability to cover a song and lay it down with tight execution. “Drowning in Reality”, written by vocalist Theresa Courter, was an impressive original, with lyrics dealing discussing her first semester in college. The remaining songs were “The Ocean” (Led Zeppelin) and a pop-goes-punk approach at Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

Totally unexpected was an appearance by Patti Labelle’s drummer Segdrick Marsh. Though the sound system largely failed him, Segdrick managed to display his talents with a song, followed by an explanation and apology as to why he couldn’t carry on. His offer to return in the future should be embraced by those in charge, as it was great to a professional take the reins and show his skills.

Maybe the most talented and the darkest act of the night, was black-metal band Angmar. Yes, they’re referencing the home of the witch king in the Lord Of The Rings. The long-hair rockers made their way back after last year’s equally stellar Cops & Rockers performance, and once again they managed to leave the crowds’ jaws wide open after they performed all three originals “Fallen, Forgotten,” “As Shadows Rise,” and “Tiamat.” Band members Conor Lawless, Brian Fong, Tyler Butkovsky and Ryan Cardoza play music that requires so much precision, and they carry it out with ease. They will bring out the heavy metal in us all and have you swinging your hair along to the music.

Moving forward was something also completely different. Feux Johnny is made up of Giancarlo Cordasco, Alex Campbell and Patrick Cichetti. This group, like Angmar had such a different sound that it really got the audience’s attention. Playing in the style of California Funk a la The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Feux Johnny covered “Can’t Stop” and “Hump De Bump” from the legendary Chili Peppers, sandwiched in between “Mrs. Cooper” (an original) and ending with Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”. The comfortable and energetic stage presence and musicianship held true to the eventual crowd reaction. It was looking good for this out-of-nowhere ban when it came to results.

Showing the love of music and how close some of the bands are, bassist Nick Celfo made his second appearance of the night, this time with Where Eagles Dare, alongside Isaac Rubins, Dom Gagliano and Mike Basil. This band’s second Cops And Rockers featured two originals, “Lunch Break”, written by Isaac Rubins and a follow-up to a song from last year’s Cops & Rockers, “Bathroom Break”. They did sweet renditions of Metallica’s “Am I Evil”, and “No Remorse”. Probably the most impressive though, was a great approach at “A Passage to Bangkok” from Rush, which was the most musically demanding song all night.

To close out the contest part of the night, came Leo’s Arrow. Evan Yee, Mike Bartell, Matt Bartell, Patrick Sullivan and Torsten Kolind bring a twisted indie-rock sound to the table, and put on an energetic performance even with Evan Yee suffering from a lost voice due to previous illness in the week. Their original was “Home”, built around a guitar lick from Mike Bartell, giving a little insight into the songwriting process for this particular band. They covered Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy”, The Flo Bots’ “Handlebars”, and “Dammit” from Blink 182.

As the night was coming near the end, it was time for the results. It was clear that every band gave it their own, and some had it together more than others did. However, it was all about the love of music and how it can provide a safe lifestyle and occupation of time for the youth, which face more and more pressure to get involved in the world of drugs and mischief. As it was announced, the crowd cheered for Feux Johnny, who came in first overall.

But wait that wasn’t all. Like last year, the final band put the “cops” in Cops and Rockers. A musical squad of Det/Sgt. (VPD) Dan Greco on guitar, Sgt. (Montclair PD) Stephanie Egnezzo and Special Deputy (VPD) Gerard DiNola on vocals, retired Sgt. (VPD) Marty Santuoso on drums, and Special Deputy (VPD) Pat Filoso on bass delivered a set that laid the law on the final moments of the show. They performed songs like The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” and Kiss’ “Rock And Roll All Night, all in good fun.

Aside from the technical difficulties, the night was rather successful as far as turnout, performances, and behavior was concerned. In the words of the Grateful Dead, “One good ride from start to end, I’d like to take that ride again.”

Tyler Curtis attends VHS and is the author of The Shakedown Blog.

Photos © Fred Goode Productions. All rights reserved.

On Monday evening at dinner time, the Verona Fire Department responded to a fire at 78 Durrell Street. The fire apparently started in the basement of the home and extended upstairs into the kitchen area, but was quickly brought under control, in about 15 minutes. The VFD volunteers remained on scene for about two hours, however, to hit hot spots.

There were no injuries reported and most of the damage was contained to the kitchen and basement with some smoke and water damage throughout the residence.

The Verona Police Department, Verona Rescue Squad, and Cedar Grove Fire Departments also responded to the fire.
(Photos courtesy Tina Caridad)

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Special Agent in Charge Michael Ward of the FBI have announced that an arrest has been made in connection with the homicide of Joseph Rossi, Sr.

Rossi, 58, of Verona was shot and killed in his place of business in Bloomfield on February 24, 2012.

Earlier this morning, detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Task Force and special agents of the FBI arrested Jose Luis Rivera, age 48, of Plainfield, NJ. Rivera has been charged with Murder, Conspiracy and Weapons charges. Rivera has been lodged in the Essex County Correctional Facility pending arraignment. Bail has been set at $1,000,000 by the Honorable Joseph C. Cassini of the NJ Superior Court.

The investigation of this homicide is continuing and is being jointly conducted by the FBI and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Task Force. The Essex County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrest of Rivera.

Sanford “Sandy” Weinberg was recently honored by the Verona Fire Department for 50 years of service. Weinberg is currently the longest serving member of the VFD. A Montclair native who moved to Verona at age 14, Weinberg joined the Verona Auxiliary Fire Department when he turned 17. He graduated from Essex County Vocational and Technical School in 1957.

When he turned 21, Weinberg applied for membership in the VFD and became a member in December 1960. He took a leave of absence while he served in the U.S. Army as a combat adviser in Vietnam from 1963 to 1965.

Weinberg married Justine Christofferson in July 1965 and they have four children, Cheryl, Donna, Laurie and David, along with five grandchildren. He worked at Champlain Company/Bobst Group for 20 years before starting his own business, Universal Life Safety Products, T/A Backstop-USA. His company sells automatic reverse braking systems throughout North America.

Weinberg served as lieutenant and captain of Engine Company 1 before being elected assistant chief for 1973-1974 and then chief in 1975-1976. He is now secretary of Engine Company 1, and has served as secretary of the Verona Firemen’s Relief Association for over 33 years. He was elected to a four-year term as the Essex County Manager of the New Jersey Firemen’s Home in Boonton. Before he completed his term, he was elected to a one-year term as secretary for the New Jersey State Firemen’s Association in 2000 and has been re-elected to this position for 13 years.

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On Wednesday, at least one Verona business got a call from a company asking it to advertise on the walls of the Verona High School gyms. Given the prevalence of advertising at professional sports venues these days, it was a sales pitch that sounded plausible.

But the Verona school district does not have a contract with C&S Marketing, the company that made the pitch, and does not permit advertising by businesses in the schools or in materials sent home to school parents.

C&S Marketing appears to be based in the Dallas area. When this reporter called the C&S employee who made the pitch to the Verona business, the woman quickly excused herself from the call and said a company representative would call me back. My call has not been returned.

If you receive a suspicious call at your home or business, you can alert the Verona Police Department.  Use the non-emergency number, which is 973-239-5000.

With the Hilltop Conservancy working as hard as it is to restore Verona’s western ridge, it is a shame to see this happen. This past Thursday evening, a little after 6 p.m., the Verona Fire Department was called to deal with a fire in the Hilltop’s 10-acre meadow site, which is just west and north of the new area that is being covered with mulch. The VFD quickly put out the flames, but because grass fires burn hot and fast (and the day was windy), the fire consumed about an acre of the restoration site before it was put out.

According to Theresa Trapp, the Conservancy’s treasurer, an investigation by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department determined that the fire was started by a discarded cigarette.

Because of the lack of snow this winter and rain this spring, the Hilltop and all of Verona is very dry. Please be careful with your cigarette butts, matches and lighters. Call 9-1-1 if you see a fire on any open ground, and, if you are on the Hilltop, call the Sheriff’s Department dispatcher at 973-621-8813 to report, vandalism, unauthorized vehicles, graffiti or other concerns.

The rains that had been expected for today don’t seem likely to materialize now, and the National Weather Service has issued a so-called Red Flag warning about a risk of wildfires in northeastern New Jersey for the rest of the day.

The weather service says a combination of gusting winds and low humidity are contributing to the risk. As a result, it says, “any fires that start may quickly spread.” The weather service is warning against outdoor burning of any kind.

A careless smoker recently caused a fire at the Hilltop Reservation that burned one acre of the restored meadow lands.

A three-car collision at the corner of Grove and Linden avenues late this afternoon ended with one of the cars upside down against the utility poll.

According to Verona police, a Toyota Corolla occupied by a couple from Fairlawn was traveling south on Grove and went through a red signal at Linden at about 4:30 p.m. It was struck on the passenger side by a driver from Verona who was traveling west on Linden. The  impact spun the Corolla into a third vehicle, a Lincoln SUV, which was driven by a couple from Little Ferry. It also caused the car from Verona, a Honda CRV, to overturn and come to rest upside down against the utility pole.

The Verona driver was transported to University Hospital, suffering from what the police characterized as bumps and bruises, and a hand injury. The other four people refused medical attention. None of the drivers was immediately identified by police, but a summons was issued by Officer Dave Wardrope to the driver of the Corolla.

The VPD praised the quick response from the Verona Rescue Squad and Fire Department and said that statements from two witnesses assisted with the investigation.

Photo courtesy Rick Foy. If you take a photo of breaking news with your camera phone, text it to 973-632-4015.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Verona Police Chief Doug Huber announced today that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and Verona Police Department are investigating the death of a pedestrian who was struck and killed by an automobile.

At approximately 8:45 p.m. last night, Marie Trusits, 54, of Verona was struck by an automobile on the 300 block of Bloomfield Avenue in Verona. That is the stretch of road on the eastern side of town between Malvern Place and Church Street. She was transported to University Hospital and was pronounced dead a short time later.

No charges have been filed at this time. The investigation is active and ongoing.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and West Orange Police Chief James P. Abbott are seeking help from the public in identifying a person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of a bouncer.

Jacques Nelson, 32, of Orange was shot and killed yesterday in the parking lot of Misty’s Restaurant and Bar in West Orange. He was employed as a bouncer at the facility.

The image here was captured from a surveillance video of patrons at the bar the night of the fatal shooting. The Essex County Sheriff’s Crimestoppers program has agreed to offer up to $5,000 to anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 1-877-847-7432.

A hammer-wielding vandal has damaged three statues at the back entrance of Our Lady of the Lake Church. The Verona Police Department is treating the attack as a bias crime and are asking for the public’s help in solving it.

According to VPD Lieutenant Chris Kiernan, on Sunday night at 8:3.5 p.m., a neighbor to OLL discovered a man with some sort of hammer smashing the statues of Jesus, Mary and Saint John. The attacker knocked off part of Mary’s face and Saint John’s nose, and hit the statue of Jesus so many times that part of its lower left leg was knocked off. When the witness called on the attacker to stop, he ran away shouting what the police describe as anti-religious statements, saying in part, “I don’t worship statues.”

The suspect is described as a white male is his  late 30s or early 40s with a thin build. He had clean-cut brown or black hair and a neatly trimmed full beard, and was of average height. He was last seen running south on Montrose. Police say there was no accent to the man’s voice. The damage to the statues, which appear to be made of cast concrete, is very visible. The left foot knocked off the statue of Jesus was lying in the geraniums beneath the statue.

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Because the attack is being treated as a hate crime, the State Police have been called in and will be meeting with the witness. Anyone with information is urged to call the Verona Police at (973) 239-5000.

Lt. Kiernan said the police have already contacted all the  houses of worship in Verona, letting them know what happened and have checked the grounds of  all those properties for similar damage. None was found. He also said that one of the OLL statues had been reported damaged in May of this year. Workers found some some broken pieces around, but church officials were not sure if that damage was intentional. Lt. Kiernan said the weapon in the new attack is likely to have been “good-size hammer or a mini-sledge hammer”. There had been no calls of threats to the church prior to the incident.

“This is a top priority for us,” Lt. Kiernan said. “We are working on a few leads, and the detective bureau is actively investigating.”

The Verona Police Department has arrested Elliott  S. Bennett, 30, of Verona in conjunction with an August 12 attack on three statues at Our Lady of the Lake Church.

Bennett, has been charged with third-degree criminal mischief and was released on a summons. He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Newark on August 29 .

According to the VPD, Officer Michael Barone, Lt. Chris Kiernan, and Officer Anthony Condorelli initially responded to the report of someone damaging the statues of Mary, Jesus and Saint John. Sergeants Dan Greco and Michael Harrington investigated and a search warrant later uncovered a hammer believed to have been used in the attack. The VPD said Essex County police aided in the investigation and the New Jersey State Police helped produce a sketch of the suspect.

The attack knocked off part of Mary’s face and Saint John’s nose, and hit the statue of Jesus so many times that part of its lower left leg was knocked off. The police had been treating the incident as a bias crime because when the witness called on the attacker to stop, he ran away shouting what the police described as anti-religious statements, saying in part, “I don’t worship statues.”

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The Township of Cedar Grove is currently monitoring a family of black bears moving along Farview Avenue in Cedar Grove. Residents are cautioned to stay clear of the bears. See the below safety tips for further information.

Bear Safety Tips

Black bears by nature tend to be wary of humans and avoid people. However, if you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or outdoors while hiking or camping, follow these common-sense safety tips.

• If a bear enters your home, provide it with an escape route by propping all doors open.

• Avoid direct eye contact and never run from a bear. Instead, slowly back away.

• To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an air horn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with your arms raised above your head.

• The bear may utter a series of huffs, make popping jaw sounds by snapping its jaws and swat the ground. These are warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away, avoid direct eye contact and do not run.

• If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. It is usually not a threatening behavior.

• Black bears will sometimes “bluff charge” when cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact, then slowly back away and do not run.

• If the bear does not leave, move to a secure area.

• Families who live in areas with high black bear populations should have a “Bear Plan” in place for children, with whistles, air horns and an escape route.

• Black bear attacks are extremely rare. If a black bear does attack, fight back!

• Never feed or approach a bear!

• Remain calm.

• Make the bear aware of your presence by speaking in an assertive voice, singing, clapping your hands, or making other noises.

• Make sure the bear has an escape route.

MyVeronaNJ.com reader Jeff Greenfield took this photo on Pompton Avenue across from Valley National Bank. Though it is hard to make out all the shapes, he says it is a momma bear and three cubs. Greenfield is a stylist at the Anthony Robert Salon in Verona and frequently appears on Jerseylicious.

Verona Police Department Captain Mitchell Stern is urging residents to be cautious around the bears and to not approach them.

UPDATE: Cris Camarotto Queiroz got this photo of mamma bear and the cubs by  her business, Brazilian Sugaring Studio, in Cedar Grove.

This hasn’t been a good year for heavy equipment on Grove Avenue.

You might remember that, not too long ago, a truck from the Verona Department of Public Works went front-end first into a sinkhole on Grove. Today, Verona roofer and builder Kevin Toscano texted in this shot of a county truck that had lost its rear axle near the corner of West Bradford. Ooops.

According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Sandy has the potential to be a Category 2 storm with winds as high as 70 miles per hour when it makes landfall here on Tuesday morning. So now might be an excellent time to sign up for the emergency alert system that Verona adopted in the wake of last October’s crushing Halloween snowstorm.

The Nixle service is a messaging system that the Verona Police can use to send alerts to your email or cell phone. The service is free, but your cell phone carrier’s normal message rates will apply. You can also use Nixle to get alerts on weather and conditions from any of the areas in the hurricane’s path. Sign up for Nixle here or simply text our zip code, 07044, to 888777.

Remember that MyVeronaNJ.com, which was the only Verona news organization able to get out real-time news during last October’s storm, can be easily read from your cell phone. We’ll also be posting updates to our Facebook page and Twitter.

UPDATE: The accident happened at 2:47 a.m., the police tell me. Female driver hit a utility pole and split it into a few pieces. Downed pole, downed wires. No idea how long the road will be closed. Driver suffered only minor injuries.

The Verona Police sent out a Nixle alert this morning that Mount Prospect Avenue has been closed from Bloomfield Avenue to Woodland Avenue in West Orange by an accident. Woodland Avenue is the first light after The Manor.

The police say the closure will last several hours and are advising motorists to plan an alternate route.

Just what you needed for rush hour: A U-Haul truck clipped a light pole on Bloomfield Avenue across from Church Street, sending it down on a fence in front of the Green Acres condos. One east-bound lane of Bloomfield Avenue has been closed until PSE&G can get the pole fixed. Probably a few hours, the police tell us.