On October 23, a resident reported that he received a phone call that purported to be from the Wyckoff Police Department. His caller ID displayed 201-891-2121, the Wyckoff PD non-emergency number. The caller identified himself as Officer Garcia, and advised the resident that he had multiple warrants for his arrest. He was advised to submit payment via crypto currency to avoid arrest. The resident was wise enough to see through this attempted fraud and did not make any payments. The Wyckoff Police, or any other legitimate law enforcement agency will never contact you to advise of an impending arrest and request payment to avoid such arrest. This is always a scam and an attempt to defraud you out of your hard-earned money!!!
On October 23, at approximately 12:00 PM, Wyckoff officers responded to the intersection of Crescent Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue for a bicyclist vs. motor vehicle collision. The investigation determined that the cyclist, a 54-year-old male from Wyckoff, was travelling North on Wyckoff Avenue. The vehicle, operated by a 34-year-old male from Hoboken, NJ was travelling South on Wyckoff Avenue. The vehicle’s driver attempted to turn left onto Crescent Avenue and collided with the cyclist. The driver remained at the scene and fully cooperated with the investigation. The cyclist was transported to an area hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.
On December 15, 2023, a resident reported receiving a credit card bill from Home Depot for approximately $4,000.00. The resident advised that he did not have a Home Depot credit card and when he contacted the store he learned that a fraudulent account was opened using his personal information. Det. Sgt. Michael Ragucci investigated and identified two suspects that were involved in the fraudulent purchases. Both were unable to be located and warrants were issued for their arrests. On November 5, 2024 Parsippany NJ Police reported that they had one of the suspects in their custody. Danny Velazquez, Bronx NY, age 25 was transported to the Wyckoff Police Department. He was served with the warrant, processed, and remanded to the Bergen County Corrections and Rehabilitation Center.
On July 26, 2024, the Stop & Shop Supermarket reported a shoplifting had occurred in the past. Det. Sgt Ragucci investigate and identified the two suspects that were involved. The suspects were unable to be located and arrest warrants were issued for them. On November 6, 2024, Lenny Chavez, Paterson NJ, age 47, and Marisofi Hibrea, Hawthorne NJ, age 44, were taken into custody by the Wyckoff Police Department. They were processed and remanded to the Bergen County Corrections and Rehabilitation Center.
On November 6, 2024, a resident of Crescent Avenue reported that their home had been burglarized. The resident reported that when they returned home, they observed a broken window on the side of the house. Responding officers confirmed that a burglary had occurred and contacted the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Identification and the Wyckoff Detective Bureau. It is believed that the burglary occurred between 6:00 – 6:30 PM. The Detective Bureau is investigating the burglary and anyone with information is asked to contact them at 201-891-2121 or detectives@wyckoffpolice.org.
The Wyckoff Police Department would like to point out that the above individuals have been charged with a crime, offense, and or motor vehicle violations. However, they are presumed innocent unless and until they are found guilty in a court of law.
We cannot stress enough the value of our residents remaining alert in their neighborhoods and reporting anything unusual or suspicious to the police, “Hear It! See It!, Report It!”
We encourage all residents to report ANY suspicious persons, vehicles, or activity occurring at any time to the Wyckoff Police – County Communications Center at 201-891-2121 or 911 in the event of an emergency.