On Monday night, the Verona Fire Department fought a large house fire in Cedar Grove alongside that town’s fire fighters. The fire was at a second alarm when the Cedar Grove Fire Department got there and soon rose to a third alarm. Verona Engine 10 responded with members from both Verona fire companies.

Monday’s blaze was second Cedar Grove house fire that the VFD has responded to in recent weeks. On May 22, Verona Engine 14 responded with seven members and Chief Valentine. Verona was assigned to act as the rapid intervention team and was then asked to help open walls on the third floor to check for fire spread. The Verona Fire Department operated on scene for approximately an hour and a half before returning to Verona.

Verona has had an all-volunteer fire department since 1909. Members train monthly for a variety of fire scenarios.

The Verona Police Department is trying to locate a pickup truck driver who was involved in a hit-and-run accident in the parking lot of 110 Fairview Avenue at approximately 11:55 a.m. Friday morning. The address is the one-story building opposite the corner of Fairview and Franklin Street, near Verona High School.

If you have information, please contact Officer Pami at 973-239-5000.

 

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The Verona Police Department is wishing a fond farewell today to Officer Justin Nielsen, who, along with his German Shepherd, Benning, is joining the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office to fulfill his lifelong goal of being a police dog handler.

Officer Nielsen has served the residents of Verona for the past seven years as the VPD’s tactical training coordinator and firearms instructor. He helped the department’s officers with training in firearms re-qualification, close quarters combat, building clearing, bleeding control, CPR, Narcan, and active shooter training.

In announcing his departure, the VPD said that, Officer Nielsen had coordinated several multi-jurisdictional active shooter training scenarios for VPD officers, Verona Rescue Squad personnel, and multiple surrounding law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and ATF. (MyVeronaNJ covered one of those drills in 2018.) Officer Nielsen also helped to get 10 VPD officers fully certified as SWAT officers.

Prior joining the VPD, Nielsen served in the United States Army’s 10th Mountain Division, retiring with the rank of staff sergeant.

“Aside from training,” the department wrote on its Facebook page, “Justin excelled as a patrol officer, receiving numerous citations and awards from not only the department but often recognized by members of the public for his professionalism and compassion.”

The Verona Police Department opened applications for new officers today. Candidates must already be certified by the New Jersey Police Training Commission (PTC), be a U.S. citizen and a New Jersey resident, and have a valid New Jersey driver’s license. Candidates will need to pass a background check, as well as medical, psychological and drug screenings.

The starting pay is $41,767 plus benefits, and the department operates on a 12-hour patrol schedule.

Applications will be accepted from Tuesday, August 9, through Monday, August 15 at www.policeapp.com.

The Verona Police Department, based at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Gould Street, disclosed yesterday that they broke up a party on Gould Street in late September that allegedly involved underage drinking.

According to the VPD, during the evening of Saturday, September 24, officers went to a residence on Gould after a reported noise complaint. They said they discovered a “juvenile party” involving alcohol there. As a result, the homeowner was charged with violating New Jersey statute 2C:33-17B, which prohibits purposefully or knowingly serving alcohol or making alcohol available to anyone under 21. The homeowner now has a date before Verona Municipal Court and, if convicted, faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“This is the third incident in less than a year where a homeowner was charged with this offense,” the VPD posted on Facebook. “We urge parents to be responsible, and not make their homes available to children for the purpose of consuming alcohol.”

Four smashed cars but, thankfully, no injuries: That was what the Verona Police Department and the Verona Rescue Squad saw when they responded to a crash on Mount Prospect Avenue last night.

On Thursday at about 10:30 p.m., Lt. Greco and Officers Carattini and Clark responded to a crash on the road, which connects Verona to West Orange. According to the VPD, the driver of one of the vehicles fled the scene while the crash was being investigated. The man, a 36-year-old Bloomfield resident, was apprehended after a brief chase and struggle.

He has been charged with driving while intoxicated, two counts of aggravated assault, obstruction, resisting arrest, nine motor vehicle summonses and one violation of a Verona Township ordinance. The man, whose name was not disclosed by the VPD, was given a court date and released.

(Photos: Verona Police Department)

There have been a rash of car burglaries in Verona lately and, last night, Verona Police officers may have brought them to an end.

According to the VPD, night squad Officer Brian McMahon used an unmarked police vehicle to patrol the north side of town. At approximately 11:30 p.m., he observed two individuals trying to hide behind a Jeep parked on Durrell Street. He ordered them to get on the ground, but they fled instead. He pursued them on foot, while calling Dispatcher Gabriela Conlon for backup.

Lt. Anthony Condorelli, Sgt. Brendan Huber and Officer Aaron Seubert arrived on the scene and established a perimeter, and officers from Cedar Grove, North Caldwell, and Livingston responded to assist. The VPD says that Officer Seubert and Cedar Grove Officer Grigolo located one suspect, a 19-year-old male from East Orange, and placed him under arrest. Lt. Condorelli and Sgt. Huber then located the second suspect, an 18-year-old male from Montclair, and placed him under arrest.

Both suspects were charged with more than 25 counts of burglary and theft, based on incidents that occurred between October 24 and 27. The suspects were released with a court appearance in December.

The Verona Police Department regularly reminds residents to lock their cars and not leave valuables or the car fob inside the vehicle. Earlier this week, the VPD asked residents to check security camera footage taken on Ann Street, Cypress Avenue and Franklin Street and Linden Avenue, both east of Grove Avenue. The VPD asks that, if you captured footage of any unknown individuals on your property or passing your home during overnight hours to call them at at (973) 239-5000.

There’s a video circulating on Instagram and TikTok of a Montclair resident who recently discovered an intruder in his kitchen. The lesson, says Verona Chief of Police Christopher Kiernan, is to lock your house door and your car doors.

“Thieves will look for anything that is open,” Kiernan says. “They are not looking for confrontation. They are looking for cash and car fobs, which are often left by a door.”

Kiernan says that Verona has not experienced any “occupied home entries,” which he distinguishes from a home invasion because the thieves do not use force–like pushing in a door–to enter a home.

But vehicle entries continue to be a problem in Verona. The chief said that there have been 30 in the last 14 days. The Verona Police Department has been working on an arrest warrant for a potential suspect.

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To dispel some of the rumors that have been swirling since Monday afternoon, the Verona Police Department has issued the following statement:

Yesterday, at approximately 3:45 PM, the Verona Police Department responded to Park Place on a report of a suspicious incident. Officers spoke with all of the individuals involved and reviewed nearby surveillance videos.

The videos show an adult male walking south on Park Place. While walking past a juvenile female, he brushed a car key across the back of her neck and hair. The adult male continues to walk south as three juvenile males walk north. The adult male briefly gestures, with open arms, to the three juveniles but then quickly lowers his arms and continues on his way.

The adult male was identified as a 54-year-old Paterson resident who works at a nearby Verona business.

The adult male explained that he was “saying hello” in a manner that is culturally acceptable in his home country and apologized for any misunderstanding.

Due to the contact made with the juvenile female, the adult male was issued a Petty Disorderly Persons Summons for 2C:33-4B “Harassment – subject another to striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching” and will have to appear in Verona Municipal Court.

If you heard any other version of this incident, it is false.

An H.B. Whitehorne Middle School student was hit by a car this morning while crossing Bloomfield Avenue at Park Avenue. This is the intersection by Hillcrest Farms.

According to the Verona Police Department, the accident occurred at 7:50 a.m. while the student was in the crosswalk and in compliance with the pedestrian signal. The car was eastbound in the right-hand lane. There is no crossing guard at this intersection.

The VPD said the driver didn’t see the student, or the red light against the car, because of extreme sun glare. The photo above was captured by the VPD when officers responded to the scene.

The Verona Rescue Squad responded to the scene of the accident and took the student, with a parent, to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson. The VPD described the student’s injuries as serious but not life-threatening. The police have not publicly identified the student or the driver involved.

The police issued multiple summonses to the driver, who remained at the scene during the investigation. But the VPD is urging drivers to use extra caution whenever visibility is low.