NORTH BERGEN – After sitting impatiently (but not quietly) through the commissioners’ meeting on Aug. 19, a North Bergen resident jumped to his feet during the open public portion of the meeting to shout at the mayor and council about the jitneys operating on Bergenline Avenue, demanding “a grant for special traffic to get 40 officers here” to slow down the vehicles.
Claiming he was nearly “crushed to death” two years ago on the avenue, the resident spoke on the same topic at last month’s meeting. This time he brought along handwritten posters and charts reflecting his demand for Mayor Nicholas Sacco, also a state senator, and other officials to push for a grant to regulate traffic and create “a special force” to slow down the jitneys.
Insisting that the town has done nothing to regulate the vehicles, he ignored the response of Police Chief Robert Dowd, who offered a summary of recent traffic initiatives implemented by the municipality.
About a month ago, 17 owners of commercial transportation companies were cited by the Attorney General’s office for violations of Angelie’s Law. The law is named for a North Bergen infant who was killed in West New York an accident involving a jitney driver who was allegedly using his cell phone at the time. He drove into a pole that fell on the 8-month-old girl’s stroller.
Four of the 17 companies cited for violations were in North Bergen.
The resident repeatedly referenced his service in World War II, wore a Veterans of Foreign Wars hat, and waved an American flag while shouting angrily at the town officials and at one point stepping up onto the dais before it was cordoned off by security officers.
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