Alleged Hoboken package thief turns himself in to police
A man suspected in a string of package thefts from apartment buildings in Hoboken turned himself into police on Tuesday, according to a report on NJ.com.
Police say the alleged thief, a 33-year-old resident of Union City, was charged with burglary and theft of movable property from three apartments in a complex on Monroe Street near Seventh Street.
The Union City man was recognized and identified as the package thief by someone who viewed the surveillance video of the theft, according to reports.
Police questioned the man’s mother, and eventually contacted the man by phone. He said he was in Camden but was not located by police there.
Upon turning himself at the Hoboken police station at 1:10 a.m. on Tuesday, the man was reported to have said, “I’m famous, I’m the Hoboken bandit. I saw myself on TV.”
Hoboken wins $250,000 federal grant for Southwest Park
Hoboken will receive a $250,000 grant to fund the design engineering of the final portion of a planned Southwest Park, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Monday. When fully realized, special rainwater retention features should allow the park to retain over 200,000 gallons of water in the event of a catastrophic rainstorm or hurricane, in a neighborhood that chronically floods during heavy rainfall.
The 4th Ward property, bordered by Observer Highway, Jackson Street and Paterson Avenue, is currently a paved parking lot which retains only 17 percent of groundwater, according to a press release sent out by Mayor Dawn Zimmer. The city hopes its new park design, which incorporates surface storage, rain gardens, bioswales, and an underground detention chamber, will retain 100 percent of its groundwater in a 10-year rain event.
The funding for the engineering will come from the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program. The grant comes on top of the $230 million recently awarded to the city through the Rebuild by Design competition for its comprehensive flood prevention plan.
“This grant provides an excellent opportunity for Hoboken to move ahead with creating much needed green space in Southwest Hoboken while also helping to reduce the impact of increasingly common downpours that cause flash flooding,” said Mayor Zimmer.
Seniors vouchers for farmers markets available beginning Monday
Hoboken has three farmers markets operating all summer and into the fall, and beginning Monday, June 23, vouchers for seniors 60 years and older will be available from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Multi Service Center, 124 Grand St. Please bring proof of identity and residency, plus proof of income with your Medicare card or just your Medicare card.
The Downtown Farmers Market is open on Tuesdays from 3 to 7:30 p.m. at Newark and Washington streets. The Uptown market is open 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays on Hudson Street between 13th and 14th streets. The Family market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Garden Street Mews, Garden and 14th streets.
Senator Menendez celebrates Hoboken Flood Prevention grant, hopes for additional funding
At a press conference Friday, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D – NJ) congratulated the city of Hoboken and its neighbors on winning a $230 million flood prevention grant from the federal government through the Rebuild by Design competition.
The event was held on the Weehawken Cove Riverwalk in northeastern Hoboken. During Hurricane Sandy, the cove was a key breach point through which the storm surge entered Hoboken and southern Weehawken. As part of Hoboken’s “Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge” flood prevention plan, it will be the site of a new park that is designed to retain groundwater.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer thanked Menendez, along with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Albio Sires (D – 8th) for the letters of support they wrote to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in support of Hoboken’s Rebuild by Design bid.
Menendez expressed hopes that Hoboken’s project can be replicated nationwide in dense urban areas with flooding issues.
“If we are looking for programs that can be national models, this is one of them,” he said. Unlike buildings in suburban and rural areas, said Menendez, Hoboken’s apartments and brownstones “simply cannot be elevated out of harm’s way.”
Menendez said he is not yet satisfied with the amount of funding New Jersey has received for flood prevention, though the Obama administration has assured him that “more Sandy money will be flowing [it’s] way.” HUD recently decided to devote an additional $180 million in funding to the Sandy region. New Jersey is also eligible to apply for more funding through the recently announced $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition.