Police chief defends officers during screening of shootout video
Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey at a Thursday press conference defended the actions of officers involved in the shootout at a Reed Street apartment building on July 16 that saw five officers wounded with one fatality, and two suspects killed.
“If you want to second-guess anyone, second-guess me,” said Comey in response to a WABC-TV report that brought up questions of possible “tactical errors” by officers in their handling of the early morning incident. Comey also said during the press conference that the police are conducting an internal review of police procedure of the incident.
“Of what I have reviewed [so far], I am proud of the effort that this department put forward in what was a crisis, high-stress situation,” Comey said.
The Police Department also screened video of the early stages of the shootout, captured by two city-operated closed-circuit TV cameras, earlier than scheduled due to the television report.
One video clip shows the gunman, Hassian Hosendove, standing on Reed Street around 5 a.m. on July 16 with his girlfriend, Amanda Anderson, with what looks like the shotgun hidden under his robe.
The next clip shows Hosendove about a minute later, spotting an unmarked police car and taking out the shotgun and firing three times at the car, striking Police Officer Marc Lavelle in the leg. Then the video shows Hosendove running in his sandals toward the apartment building.
A third clip shows police outside the apartment building at around 6:30 a.m. and then entering the building.
Gov. Corzine signs ‘One Handgun A Month’ bill
Gov. Jon Corzine on Thursday signed the “One Handgun A Month” legislation that prohibits individuals from purchasing more than one handgun within a 30-day period. The bill also prohibits firearms sellers from “knowingly delivering” more than one gun per customer per 30-day period. Violators would face a fourth-degree felony charge, carrying a $10,000 penalty. He signed the bill at a noontime ceremony at Trenton’s City Hall.
However, exempt from the bill’s regulations are law enforcement agencies and federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who purchase a handgun for use in the actual performance of their law enforcement duties. Also exempt are transfers of guns between licensed retail dealers and licensed firearms collectors.
The bill originated in Jersey City from an ordinance Mayor Jerramiah Healy proposed in 2006 to stem illegal gun sales. After the ordinance was passed, the city was sued by Jersey City gun dealer Frank Caso with help from the New Jersey branch of the National Rifle Association and the ordinance was struck down. But last year, the ordinance became state legislation and then was passed by the state Senate in late June on the last day the Senate was in session.
Primary sponsors of the bill in both the Assembly and the Senate were Senators Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Hudson) and M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex, Union) and Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley (D-Bergen, Hudson).
Healy in a statement after the signing said, “This is a step in the right direction toward staunching the havoc created by handguns in cities and towns throughout the state.”
JC MUA employee pleads guilty to extortion
Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra Jr. announced on Thursday that the former supervisor of permits and connection fees for the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority has pleaded guilty to extorting corrupt payments from contractors.
Angela Bellizzi, 53, of South River, admitted to accepting payments in exchange for falsifying and/or approving fraudulent sewer permit applications submitted by a government cooperating witness. The fraudulent permit applications were for various properties whereby sewer connections would be for two-bedroom residences, as opposed to three-bedroom residences, which resulted in lower permit application fees.
The charge to which Bellizzi pleaded guilty carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bellizzi faces a probable sentence of between 37 and 46 months in federal prison.
Bellizzi is free on $75,000 bail until her sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Sentenced to 40 years
A Jersey City man with a long criminal record was sentenced recently to 40 years in prison after his conviction for the attempted robbery of a deli followed by a carjacking on the same day in April of last year.
Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said 29-year-old Joseph M. Johnson of Brinkerhoff Street was convicted of attempted robbery and carjacking earlier this year. On July 29, state Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin sentenced him to 40 years with no chance of parole until serving 34 years.
DeFazio said Johnson at the time of his arrest last year had been charged with a variety of crimes ranging from unlawful possession of a weapon to drug possession, and had served time in prison with a release in October 2005.
Ecuadorian fiesta at Downtown library
The Perfecto Oyola Biblioteca Criolla Y Centro Cultural of the Jersey City Free Public Library, 280 First St., Jersey City, in conjunction with the Ecuadorian Civic Committee of New Jersey, will be hosting a fiesta, commemorating the Bicentennial of the National Day of Ecuador on Friday, Aug. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m.
The fiesta, in which all activities will be conducted in Spanish, will present a painting exposition, literary resources, crafts, folksingers and folk music, presentation of the landscape and tourist sites of Ecuador, guests of note from the Ecuadorian committee, and refreshments.
Magnolia Avenue Block Association annual clean-up
Volunteers from the Magnolia Avenue Block Association (MABA) will be joined by representatives of Capital One Bank and the Journal Square Restoration Corporation (JSRC) for the 10th Annual Magnolia Avenue Summer Clean-Up and Barbecue on Saturday, Aug. 15. The event will also include children’s games and prizes, and community members are invited to participate.
The volunteers, including Journal Square residents, members of the business community and municipal representatives, are continuing a tradition of public/private partnership with the goal of a cleaner and more attractive environment on Magnolia Avenue.
Continuing another tradition, Mark Redfield, chairman of the Mayor’s Quality Of Life Task Force and assistant director for housing code enforcement, and Dave Calton, North District community relations officer from the Jersey City Police Department, will be presented with MABA’s 10th Annual Community Service Award as part of the day’s activities.
The event will be centered on an overall block clean-up and enhancement of public and private properties including graffiti and litter removal, painting, weed cutting and tree trimming. Flower planting and mulching of tree wells and planters provided by the JSRC will help keep the area looking its best.
For more information on the Magnolia Avenue Summer Clean-Up or other programs and services provided by the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, call the JSRC at (201) 795-1854 or visit www.thenewjournalsquare.com.