Man allegedly mugged neurologically disabled neighbor
The North Bergen Police Department recently arrested Henry Paulino Jr., 18, of North Bergen, for allegedly mugging a 42-year-old neurologically disabled man who also happened to be a neighbor, said Capt. Robert Dowd.
The incident occurred on April 24 when the victim was walking home from his job at a pizzeria. Paulino allegedly came up to the individual around midnight, grabbed him by the throat, and then stole his flashlight and a very small amount of money, said Dowd. The flashlight was a gift from his brother, who is a firefighter.
“We actually caught him through an informant,” said Dowd. “He was heard bragging about this the next day at a local deli.”
Paulino was charged with robbery and arrested on May 9 at 10:30 a.m.
Dowd said that the victim was a very “nice guy” whose mother was enraged about the incident and called Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who took a particular interest in solving this case.
Man allegedly stole and sold items from high school
North Bergen police arrested a man last weekend whom they believe they observed robbing High Tech High School on video surveillance.
John Mauna, 18, of North Bergen was charged with burglary to an education institution and unlawful theft.
Mauna allegedly broke into the high school through a door that was ajar between the hours of 1 a.m. and 1:50 a.m. on May 5. It was a very warm day, but he was wearing a winter parka and carrying a duffel bag, police said.
Mauna allegedly bumped into a janitor and asked him to open a few doors, police said. The janitor, who wasn’t fluent in English, said that he had no keys. The janitor found the incident suspicious, but failed to report it until at the end of his shift.
Mauna allegedly stole four Panasonic Cameras, one JVC Camera. and a Dell laptop. The cameras were high quality and are used in the High School’s television production studio.
Dowd said that after tracking down Mauna at his residence on May 8, his grandmother gave consent to search the house and they found some of the allegedly stolen goods.
Police said that Mauna refused to consent to a statement but told police of two shops where he “sold” the allegedly stolen goods. He was arrested on May 9 at 2:50 p.m.
At one store in North Bergen, he allegedly asked an employee to give him $100 per camera. When the employee said he did not want the cameras, Mauna allegedly left them there, stating that he would come back for the money tomorrow, police said.
Mauna was successful in selling the laptop, valued at around $1000, to a store in West New York for $100, police said. Dowd said that charges were pending against that person for receiving stolen goods.
“All items were returned to the high school,” said Dowd.
Hiring injunction causes firehouse rotations
North Hudson Fire and Rescue Officials announced last week that a fire engine at one of four houses would be taken out of service on a revolving basis because of a hiring injunction that has prevented them from hiring new firefighters.
The firehouses in question are located at 63rd and Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen, 66th Street and Jackson Avenue in West New York, 16th Street and New York Avenue in Union City, and 26th and Jane Streets.
Co-Director Jeff Welz said that the main reason for this action is not only to save on overtime during the peak summer months, but because they have been unable to hire for more than a year due a lawsuit filed by the NAACP in 2007.
In the lawsuit, the NAACP claimed that NHRFR’s policy of hiring residents of the municipalities the department serves – North Bergen, Union City, West New York, Weehawken and Guttenberg – has discriminated against African-Americans since the demographic of that area is largely Hispanic.
The judge issued a hiring injuction on Feb. 18, preventing NHRFR from hiring, unless they took applicants from outlying municipalities.
Welz said that firefighters have retired since the beginning of the lawsuit and cannot be replaced because of this injunction. Facing the prospect of paying more than a million dollars in overtime, North Hudson will be rotating their houses to save costs for taxpayers, said Welz.
Welz said that it was very common for larger fire departments to rotate firehouses during the summer, when vacation time is at the highest, to save on overtime costs, but that the main reason they are being forced to do so is their inability to hire.
Welz said that they currently were appealing the judge’s decision in third appellate court in Philadelphia.
Residents also recently voiced concerns about how this will affect service.
“I think these mayors should sit down and work on this,” said Tom Regan, a Union City resident. “You are taking a risk. The longer it takes to respond to a fire, there is more of a chance that someone will be harmed.”
Recently, the NHRFR Association ran an ad in this and another publication charging that fire safety was being denied to residents.
“That’s absolutely false,” said Welz. “The rotating changes are within blocks of another firehouse. It’s not reducing the response time, and the same amount of men show up with the same amount of equipment to an initial alarm.”
‘Click It or Ticket’ in NB
The North Bergen Police Department, along with many other law enforcement groups, will take part in a national mobilization of the Click It or Ticket campaign from May 13 to 18.
North Bergen residents can expect to see an increase in high-visibility seat belt checkpoints and patrols, in the hopes of making more drivers and passengers recognize the life-saving value of seatbelts.
“Wearing a seatbelt is simply the best way to ensure your personal safety while operating or riding in a motor vehicle,” said North Bergen Police Chief William Galvin. “No one likes to get a ticket, but it is our duty to make sure everyone realizes how important it is to wear a seatbelt.”
According to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, drivers and passengers who wear seat belts are 45 to 75 percent less likely to face life-threatening injuries as the result of a car crash.