SHOUT OUT: Fair Lawn police and students and staff of Memorial Middle School are continuing to tackle hunger through a “Soup-er Bowl” food drive.
Food and monetary donations are being accepted at the Fair Lawn Police Traffic & Community Policing Office in the Municipal Building, 8-01 Fair Lawn Avenue, Room 102 until Monday, Feb. 3, the day after Super Bowl XVLIII in East Rutherford.
All donations will support the Fair Lawn Food Pantry.
SHOUT OUT: Local residents braved more snow on Saturday to support a young Hackensack High School teacher fighting leukemia.
Four fellow Hackensack teachers who are also published authors read from their works and discussed writing and teaching at the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, raising nearly $800 for Ashley Paladino.
The participants:
Dina Nasr-Heerema, who teaches 1st grade at the Fanny Meyer Hillers School, is the author of “A Twist of Fate,” a children’s book that details her family’s journey from war-torn Lebanon to Bergen County.
Ashley Paladino
Caseen Gaines directs the high school’s school’s theater productions. He is the award-winning author of pop culture histories on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and A Christmas Story. He is currently working on his third book, on the “Back to the Future” trilogy, which will be published by Penguin next year.
Christopher Ryan has been named “Best New Voice in Fiction – 2013” by the Independent Book Publishers Association. His debut novel, “City of Woe,” also was honored by theBookcast.com as its first-ever recipient of the “Book of Exceptional Quality” award. Ryan is an award-winning former journalist and has written comedy, songs, and comic books and films. He is currently working on the sequel to “City of Woe” and its sequel, “City of Sin.”
Toney Jackson is an award-winning poet, songwriter, and author/illustrator of children’s literature. His most recent book, “Who Wants to Be a Teacher?”, includes his reflections on teaching at Nellie K. Parker Elementary School and the current state of education in New Jersey and the nation.
(TOP PHOTO: Toney Jackson, Dina Hereema, Christopher Ryan, Caseen Gaines)
SHOUT OUT: A pre-Super Bowl exercise in the skies over East Rutherford and the surrounding area was postponed from overnight this morning to before dawn tomorrow.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it will conduct an “air defense exercise” that begins around 4:30 a.m. Thursday and is expected to last about an hour. And although they’re expected to be thousands of feet high enough to not be spotted, you’ll definitely hear them.
“The drill is an air-defense exercise to practice procedures for responding to airspace violations during [S]uper [B]owl 48 at Metlife Stadium,” NORAD said before the postponement. “If inclement weather occurs, officials will make a decision to postpone or cancel the exercise.”
F16s and various aircraft have covered the skies between Westchester and Bergen counties this week. The overnight drill, however, is somewhat similar to football players practicing in full pads.
“On Super Bowl Sunday and every other day, the men and women of the Continental U.S. NORAD Region are on watch, making sure our skies are safe,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. William H. Etter, who’s commanding the operation.
PHOTO: Courtesy NORAD
SHOUT OUTS: Ridgewood police officers continued their outreach to village youngsters today with a visit to the Benjamin Franklin School, followed by a special announcement by Chief John Ward about the department’s Michael Feeney Youth Ambassador Program.
Michael Feeney, a 10-year-old village boy who died last month of a rare form of bone cancer, helped Ward with various ideas for the program as it was being formed — and was named honorary chief, with his own badge, for his dedication and commitment to public service.
“I have asked Michael’s sister, Cassie, to assume his position as honorary chief and help continue what he helped start,” Ward told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this afternoon, after he and Officer Michael Lembo visited with youngsters at the Franklin School.
Unable to fund a resource officer because of budget constraints, Ward (top photo) and his officers have been dropping in regularly at village schools.
After checking first with administrators, they meet with kids during their breaks, playing checkers, chess or backgammon indoors and shooting hoops outdoors, while answering any questions that come up.
Today they were surrounded at lunchtime by 6th-, 7th- and 8th-graders.
“It’s a way to extend our presence in the schools and engage our youth in a positive way in what is a very informal setting — usually, the cafeteria,” Ward told CLIFFVIEW PILOT afterward.
“It’s a great two-way street,” the chief added. “It’s their opportunity to talk with us, ask questions, get to know our officers. At the same time, we get feedback from them and get to know their thoughts and concerns.
“It works well for us because we go when the call volume is low, but we keep our police cars parked right outside the cafeteria,” Ward said. “Then, if there’s a call, we can jump right away.
“The kids get a kick out of it.”
Several youngsters are also becoming actively involved in the department’s ambassador program, which helps “develop the leadership qualities within them,” the chief said.
“It’s more than ‘Just Say No’,” he added. “It deals with life issues and circumstances that kids must face every day. It helps them make good choices.”
The program will be resuming Feb. 12 at 3:30 on Wednesday afternoons at village police headquarters.
One of the first tasks will be producing a public safety and awareness video about the need for caution by pedestrians and drivers alike — particularly given the relatively high number of pedestrians who are struck downtown.
The safety video, like several other ideas being worked into the program, was Michael’s.
1st PHOTO: Ridgewood Police Officer Michael Lembo (l.) and Chief John Ward (r.) with students at the Benjamin Franklin School;
BOTTOM PHOTO: Ward with the youngsters
SHOUT OUTS: Among the success stories at the swearing-in of eight new Bergen County Sheriff’s officers today was a woman who triumphed after at first falling short of a dream.
“I am extremely grateful to Sheriff [Michael] Saudino for giving me this opportunity,” Shayna Kugler told CLIFFVIEW PILOT following the afternoon ceremony at the Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack. “I know how fortunate and privileged it is in being chosen. I am committed and looking forward to the challenge of the police academy.”
Kugler is no ordinary recruit: Her father, Robert, is Saddle Brook’s police chief.
Shayna just turned 18 a decade ago when her father persuaded her — “more like forced me,” she said — to take the state Civil Service exam to become a police officer.
Like her, the elder Kugler wasn’t sure of what he wanted to do as a teenager. He heeded the advice of his own father, a former Saddle Brook mayor, and eventually became Saddle Brook’s top cop.
His daughter scored a shade under 100 on her first test, as well as on four after that — including this past fall.
She was forced to take the test again after finishing third for two available Saddle Brook police positions last summer.
* * * * * *
Four of those sworn in today went from being corrections officers to sheriff’s officers:
Josue Ortega
Michele Spina
Jennifer Estevez
Robert Mantone
Four are fresh off the Civil Service list:
Emily Lyons
Christian Zambrano
David Fego
Shayna Kugler
They’ll be attending the police academy at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute in Mahwah.
* * * * * *
“My father explained the lack of hiring new police officers was statewide,” Kugler said, “and he also explained the veterans preference policy that military personnel be given first priority, which I agree should be.
“He went on to tell me that if it wasn’t meant to be, then at least I tried; and to this day, I still hold truth to those words.”
She’s also remained determined.
“My family has been serving the public for over 50 years,” Kugler said. “My grandfather was a former mayor (1969-1977) and on the township council (1985-2010) and my father’s been on the police force for 30 years — and the chief for 20 years.
“Yes, it was disappointing at fisrt in not being selected for the Saddle Brook Police Department,” she said. “But I’ve moved on. As one door was closed, another one opened.
“The way I see it: I’m getting the opportunity to serve the people of Bergen County — and that includes my hometown!”
TOP PHOTO: Shayna Kugler with her parents, Christine and Robert (PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter)
HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? Hudson, a 3½-year-old Golden Retriever, isn’t a jumper. So his owners have no idea how he vanished from their Tenafly backyard last night.
They’re hoping CLIFFVIEW PILOT readers can help find the missing 87-pound purebred pooch. And they’re offering a $2,500 reward.
Hudson, whose sister died a little over a month ago, was let into the gated backyard of his owner’s home, at the intersection of Engle and Elm streets, early last night.
Hudson
When he didn’t return to the door, as usual, his owners went to look for him.
“The gate was closed, but he was gone,” their daughter, Emily Wallace, said this afternoon.
Hudson was wearing a tan leather collar (not pictured). He has tags and a microchip.
He also has a black pigmentation spot on the front of his tongue.
“We got him from a breeder, and he’s been with my parents ever since,” Wallace said.
“We have no idea what happened to him,” she said. “We hope nobody took him…. Hopefully someone finds him soon.”
SHOUT OUT: A group of local police officers who ride in the Untouchables Motorcycle Club has joined the effort to help raise money for a Fort Lee teen with a rare form of cancer through a rollicking benefit with food and live music.
Brianna Piccinich, a 17-year-old junior at Fort Lee High School, was diagnosed in December with Ewing Sarcoma — a primary bone cancer that affects mainly children and adolescents.
She is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
* * * * * *
WHAT: Fundraiser for Brianna Piccinich
WHEN: 8 p.m., Fri., March 14
WHERE: UMC Clubhouse, 216 Hergesell Avenue, Maywood
ENTRY: $20 cover, w/hot dogs, burgers, music by Last Minute
* * * * * *
“It’s a very long road ahead, with many struggles, and obstacles, but with support from family and friends, we know she will come out a survivor,” says a GoFundMe page established to accept donations.
More than $7,000 was raised as of this morning, toward an initial goal of $15,000. Any and all amounts counts.
GO TO: www.GoFundMe.com/Brianna
SHOUT OUT: Enrollment for the 14th class of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy is open, Sheriff Michael Saudino announced this morning.
The number of participants has grown larger every year, which Saudino said is a testament to “community involvement and commitment to public safety.”
Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino (PHOTOS: Mary K. MIraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter)
The free academy uses a classroom-style format to demonstrate the types of equipment and tactics used by law enforcement in a wide range of areas — including motor vehicle stops, the Medical Examiner’s Office, gang violence awareness, homicide investigations, K-9 patrol and detection, criminal investigations and ballistics.
The class will also receive tours of the Bergen County Jail, the “old” county jail in the Bergen County Courthouse and the Medical Examiner’s Office.
A highlight, as always, is the sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification — the “CSI” of the county — which collects and processes evidence from crime scenes.
“One of the most important components of law enforcement is fostering strong relationships with the community,” the sheriff said. “Our Citizen’s Police Academy gives residents firsthand knowledge of the important work police do to enhance public safety and protect Bergen County residents.”
* * * * *
WHAT: BCSO Citizens Police Academy
WHO: Anyone 18 or older
WHEN: Opening 7 p.m. Thurs., March 20
WHERE: Bergen County Jail, 160 South River St., Hackensack
(GRADUATION: Thurs., May 15)
* * * * *
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Thurs., March 13
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION: BCSO Citizens Police Academy
* * * * *
MORE INFO: BCSO Community Outreach Unit (201) 336-3540
SHOUT OUT: Hudson, a 3½-year-old Golden Retriever from Tenafly who went missing over the weekend, was found tonight behind a dentist’s office in town — and appears none the worse for wear, aside from some scratches and a wicked thirst.
“We’ll know better when we take him to the vet tomorrow morning,” Emily Wallace, whose parents own Hudson, told CLIFFVIEW PILOT tonight.
Hudson, whose sister died a little over a month ago, was let into the gated backyard of their home, at the intersection of Engle and Elm streets, early Friday night.
Soon after, the 87-pound purebred pooch was gone.
Hudson
CLIFFVIEW PILOT published a story on Saturday. The family took a Craiglist ad. And the Facebook community went to work.
Staff members at a Dean Drive dentist’s office found Hudson around 7 o’clock tonight, Wallace said.
“Thank you, everyone, for spreading the word,” she said. “We have truly learned the goodness in people.
“So many people, close, and those who we don’t even know, have reached out offering guidance, help, tips, etc., out of pure concern and appreciation for the love of a family pet.
“Your support, thoughts and prayers are beyond appreciated. We are so so so so happy to have our hudson home. THANK YOU!”
EXCLUSIVE: Two Fairview police officers and a pair of EMTs teamed up to deliver a healthy baby boy on a kitchen floor during this afternoon’s lull in the snowstorm.
The newborn’s father had planned to take the 39-year-old mother to the hospital for the delivery after getting out of work today. But the little guy apparently had other ideas.
Officers Burke Kacaroglu reached the Kennedy Drive home first after the 3 p.m. call.
“She was sitting at the kitchen table when I walked in. Her two sons were outside shoveling,” he told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “She was sweating a little and looked like she was in some pain.”
“How many weeks are you?” he asked her. “Do you think the baby is coming?”
“I think so,” she sheepishly replied.
Kacaroglu took out his cellphone to time the contractions. They were just under a minute apart.
“That was a little too close,” he said, laughing.
Within moments, fellow Officer Sevan Kasparyan had arrived, along with EMTs Vivian Nuvolone and Diego Porras.
“We were already plenty busy going from call to call because of the storm,” Kasparyan said.
He, Kacaroglu and Porras grabbed sheets and blankets and got a stretcher ready.
Nuvalone helped lay the expecting mom on the blankets on the kitchen floor.
“She was a little hesitant at first. People always want things to go a certain way,” Porras said.
“I told her I needed to check to see whether she was dilating,” said Nuvalone, a 15-year EMS veteran and mother of three.
“We initially thought that she’d deliver at the hospital — or at least on the way,” Kacaroglu told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “So we started administering oxygen.”
As the cops turned away, Nuvolone had a look.
“He’s coming,” she said.
One push was all it took.
Porras cut the cord — 3:15 p.m., for those keeping track — and the group safely hustled mother and newborn into the ambulance.
“Our main concern was having her transported as soon as possible,” Porras said.
All agreed that wheelman Kacaroglu delivered a quick but smooth ride — with very little traffic, to boot.
“The mother was very happy. The baby was crying and comfortable. Everything was great,” Nuvalone said.
It was a first for Nuvalone, as well as for both officers. It was also a first, in a way, for Nuvalone’s partner.
“I had one before where I assisted after we got to this hospital,” said Porras, who’s been riding a rig the past five years. “This was my first unassisted.”
“It wasn’t my child, but I got a little emotional there,” Kacaroglu told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “It’s a weird, wonderful feeling that I never had before.”
Kasparyan agreed.
All in all, the officer said, “it was a happy ending to a hectic day.”
PHOTO: Fairview Police Officer Burke Kacaroglu, Fairview EMTs Diego Porras and Vivain Nuvolone, Fairview Police Officer Sevan Kasparyan (Courtesy FAIRVIEW POLICE CHIEF FRANK DELVECCHIO)
SHOUT OUT: Beginning March 1, MSNBC’s prison documentary series “Lockup” will feature six episodes about the Bergen County Jail, using interviews and footage of inmates and corrections officers and screen shots taken from CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Members of 44 Blue Productions spent nearly four months at the county jail in Hackensack last year researching “Lockup,” which explores prison facilities throughout the U.S.
“Working with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, we recently filmed at the Bergen County Jail interviewing numerous inmates, including some of those whose stories have been covered by CliffviewPilot.com in recent days and also going back some years,” producer Ray Haimes said.
The six BCJ episodes are scheduled for 10 p.m. each Saturday beginning March1.
Whether the show will win new followers — or hold onto current loyalists — is still open.
“I’m not feeling the county [jails],” Michelle Armstead, one of the program’s fans, wrote. “We wanna see the ones where they shank you with hardened toilet paper.”
“They need to go to Trenton State, Rahway and Bayside State,” added Jennifer Virgilito-Reilly.
“I want to glimpse into the mind of real criminals, not people who are being held on drug charges,” Misty McCormick wrote.
Plenty of jokesters have already weighed in, as well:
“This is gonna be better than Real Housewives of NJ! Oh wait! It might be a 2 for 1 deal,” wrote Angela Bubb.
“You’ll have to go film there again when the NJ governor and all of his staff and cronies are locked up,” added Karen Hedstrom.
“Show some executions,” wrote Scott Hallett.
“Our corrections officers and staff at the jail are dedicated to running an efficient operation,” Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino said. “I am very thankful for their professionalism, and I look forward to their hard work being showcased in this documentary.”
As Saudino noted: The BCJ is “designed and is operated in accordance with constitutional standards, to meet accreditation set by the American Correctional Association and the New Jersey State Department of Corrections.
“In addition, the Jail meets standards for health care established by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. Most recently in August 2013, the Jail received a passing rating by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inspection team for the work done in housing ICE detainees.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Individuals and businesses can participate in an April fundraiser for 25-year Bergen County Sheriff’s veteran Dennis Hurley, whose bout with multiple sclerosis has left him legally blind.
Friends and loved ones have planned an April 3 dinner at the Graycliff in Moonachie for Hurley, a recent president and 20-year executive board member of PBA Local 134 who heads into the office tomorrow for what’s expected to be an emotional final round of goodbyes.
Tickets for the April event are $60 / person — with dinner, entertainment, a four-hour premium open bar and a tricky tray — from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
In addition to attendees, the group is seeking those who can donate items for the tricky tray — be it goods, services, gift certificates, etc. They will even pick up any donated items.
“We are also aware of many people’s willingness to donate even if they do not necessarily have the time to put something together,” the group said. “For that reason, we are offering a Gift Basket Sponsorship.”
In exchange for your donation, the Friends of Dennis Hurley will assemble a basket of either $50 or $100 value and include your name or business name on it.
(NOTE: They need the donation by March 30 so that there’s enough time to put your basket together.) 
* * * * * *
CONTACT: Kelly Maher (201) 815-1491
OR: HurleyBenefit@gmail.com
* * * * * *
TRIBUTE: Spared a prison sentence last summer after being convicted with his brothers of tax evasion on royalties from recordings by the Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and The Treacherous Three, the youngest son of Sugar Hill Records co-founders Sylvia and Joe Robinson has died.
Rhondo Robinson was 43 when he succumbed to “multiple organ dysfunction,” according to family spokesman Greg Walker.
A high school dropout, the self-taught “Scutchie” Robinson became co-president of Sugarhill Music Publishing, for which he handled royalties and music publishing.
Joseph Robinson Sr. died in 2000.
Sylvia Robinson, who had a hit song in 1956 with “Love is Strange” as part of the rhythm-and-blues duo Mickey and Silvia, followed years later by the solo “Pillow Talk,” died in 2011.
Englewood’s City Council was to vote tonight to name West Street between West Demarest Avenue and Tallman Place — the site of the Sugar Hill Records studio — Sylvia Robinson Place.
Joseph and Leland Robinson both pleaded guilty in 2012 to federal complaints charging them with ducking federal income taxes from 2005 through 2008. They were sentenced to 400 hours of community service and three months house arrest.
Rhondo Robinson received pretty much the same sentence after pleading guilty to avoiding federal income tax returns on more than $1 million in royalties.
His fine of $25,000 was bigger than the $8,000 and $16,000 penalties his brothers received. Robinson also had to wear a monitoring bracelet.
The Robinson trio were copyright administrators for the Englewood-based music label created by their parents in 1979. Sugar Hill rode high through 1986 with a slew of hits, from “The Message” to “White Lines (Don’t Do It).”
Yet it was the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” with its bass rip snatched from Chic’s big hit “Good Times,” that was considered the label’s biggest release ever — and the world’s first hip-hop crossover hit.
For several years, the Robinson brothers battled the Sugarhill Gang over rights to the band’s name.
A little over two years ago, a film about how Sylvia and Joe Robinson and the trio allegedly defrauded the group was released. In it, band members talk of how Joe Robinson Jr. took Master Gee’s stage name and used it in performance.
SPECIAL SHOUT OUT: Tommy Minervini turns 9 today, and plenty of people want him to know how special he is — including us.
Tommy loves football and dogs. He’s a sweet boy, but tough — “the toughest kid I know,” said Mary Beth Lane Nappi, president of the PTO at Julia A. Traphagen School in Waldwick, where Tommy is in third grade.
Tommy has a brother, Steven, in 5th grade and a toddler sister, Harley. His parents, Kelly and Anthony, and extremely active at the school, while Anthony coaches boys football and soccer.
Tommy has non-Hodgkin lymphoma and just got back from his third round of chemo. One more to go.
He doesn’t know it, but there are other surprises lined up today besides this online greeting.
We hope this day is all you wish for, Tommy — and many, many more to come, kiddo.
TRIBUTE: Thousands of firefighters, emergency workers and citizens are expected for a memorial procession that will pass through Wallington this Friday for the funeral of popular veteran Fire Captain Gregory Barnas, who was killed after falling from the roof of a burning restaurant before dawn yesterday.
The wake for Greg Barnas, 57, is set for Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Warner-Wozniak Funeral home on Midland Avenue.
The funeral Mass is 11 a.m. Friday at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus R.C. Church on Paterson Avenue.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to either Hackensack University Medical Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant Fund or the Saint Barnabas Burn Foundation.
Greg Barnas had been donating blood cells for one of his sons, who is undergoing chemo for cancer.
Barnas was cutting a hole in the roof to vent the Akasaka restaurant on Paterson Avenue when he fell.
The captain was later pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center, as a large group of firefighters — still in their gear — kept a vigil.
“What could we say? He was doing his job,” Fire Commissioner Mark Tomko said early yesterday morning.
Barnas’ two sons, firefighters Kevin and John Barnas, were battling the blaze, as well.
The fire broke out just before 1:30 a.m. and went to two alarms. Besides Wallington, companies responded from Rutherford (FAST), East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Lodi, Garfield and Wood Ridge.
Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said it appears the fire began in a malfunctioning kitchen electrical fixture.
“Our prayers are with the brave firefighter,” the prosecutor said.
“Barney” was a teenager when he joined the volunteer department in 1972, serving as chief five years later. He was also a career Jersey City paid firefighter, most recently serving as captain of Ladder Co. 6, one of the city’s busiest.
An instructor, Barnas taught high-ladder rescue operations nationwide.
He also had a cottage near Elk Lake, Pa., and while vacationing spent time volunteering at the Waymart, Browndale and Whites Crossing fire companies.
Barnas attended Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey and was graduated from Rutgers-Newark in 1978.
He is survived by his sons and wife, Patricia.
“Capt. Barney was a good and knowledgeable man when it can to firefighting. I truly learned a lot from [him],” wrote Ryan Meyers. “The volunteer fire service is definitely like a brotherhood. When you [lose] one it is like [losing] a family member.”
“I’ve known Barney my entire life,” added Kim Fedor. “[M]y father (Kenny Gajda) is also a member of Truck Co. 1, and I grew up down the street from him.
“There is so little comfort that words can bring at this time, but may some peace come to his family knowing that the community and other family members of Truck Co. 1 will remember Barney lovingly, with much respect and with great gratitude for his service.”
* * * * * *
A memorial FACEBOOK page has been set up (CLICK on image):
* * * * * *
CLIFFVIEW PILOT gratefully thanks the many photo contributors, now and always ….
* * * * * *
When I am called to duty, God
whenever flames may rage,
give me the strength to save some life
Whatever be its age.
Help me to embrace a little child
before it’s too late,
or some older person
from the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert 
and hear the weakest shout,
and quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling
and give the best in me,
to guard my neighbor
and protect his property.
and if according to my fate
I am to lose my life,
Please bless with your protecting hand
my children and my wife.
- Author Unknown
* * * * * *
TRIBUTE: Gov. Christie this afternoon issued a proclamation directing that flags at the State House building be flown at half-staff tomorrow through next Wednesday in honor of fallen fire Capt. Gregory Barnas.
The wake for Barnas, 57, who died fighting an overnight restaurant fire in Wallington last Friday, is set for tomorrow from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Warner-Wozniak Funeral home on Midland Avenue.
CLICK HERE for proclamation
Thousands of firefighters, emergency workers and citizens are expected for a memorial procession that will pass through Wallington on Friday for the funeral.
Local police and county Office of Emergency Management officials have been coordinating Friday’s events, which will close much of the town to vehicular traffic.
The procession is to leave the funeral home around 10 a.m. for an 11 a.m. Mass at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus R.C. Church on Paterson Avenue.
It will head south on Main Avenue to Locust Avenue, then continue to Paterson Avenue.
Following the service, the group will move to Wallington Fire Department Truck Company 1 on Union Boulevard for the final alarm observance.
* * * * * *
PARKING / STREET CLOSURES
Tomorrow (noon – 9 p.m.): All uniformed fire personnel are asked to report to the Garfield Walmart, 174 Passaic St. Family members and others are asked to park at Farmland Dairies, 520 Main Ave.
(CLOSURES: Midland Avenue from Main Avenue to River Drive will be closed from 1 – 10 p.m.)
Friday (7 a.m. – 4 p.m.): Everyone is asked to park in the former Food Basic lot, 325 Paterson Ave. Beginning at 8 a.m., shuttle buses will run to a drop-off point within a few blocks of the church.
(CLOSURES: 7:30 – 11 a.m.: Midland Avenue from Main Avenue to River Drive, and the 8th Street bridge;
10 – 11 a.m.: Main Avenue from the South Hackensack border to the 8th Street bridge, and Locust Avenue from Main Avenue to Paterson Avenue;
7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: All of Paterson Avenue in Wallington, and Jersey Street and Union Place in East Rutherford.
Side streets between Main and Locust avenues will be closed from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
* * * * * *
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to either Hackensack University Medical Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant Fund or the Saint Barnabas Burn Foundation.
Greg Barnas had been donating blood cells for one of his sons, who is undergoing chemo for cancer.
A memorial FACEBOOK page has been set up (CLICK on image):
Authorities said he was cutting a hole in the roof to vent the Akasaka restaurant on Paterson Avenue when he fell.
The captain was later pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center, as a large group of firefighters — still in their gear — kept a vigil.
“What could we say? He was doing his job,” Fire Commissioner Mark Tomko said. Barnas’ two sons, firefighters Kevin and John Barnas, were battling the blaze, as well.
The fire broke out just before 1:30 a.m. and went to two alarms. Besides Wallington, companies responded from Rutherford (FAST), East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Lodi, Garfield and Wood Ridge.
Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said it appears the fire began in a malfunctioning kitchen electrical fixture.
“Our prayers are with the brave firefighter,” the prosecutor said.
“Barney” was a teenager when he joined the volunteer department in 1972, serving as chief five years later. He was also a career Jersey City paid firefighter, most recently serving as captain of Ladder Co. 6, one of the city’s busiest.
An instructor, Barnas taught high-ladder rescue operations nationwide.
He also had a cottage near Elk Lake, Pa., and while vacationing spent time volunteering at the Waymart, Browndale and Whites Crossing fire companies.
Barnas attended Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey and was graduated from Rutgers-Newark in 1978.
He is survived by his sons and wife, Patricia.
“Capt. Barney was a good and knowledgeable man when it can to firefighting. I truly learned a lot from [him],” wrote Ryan Meyers. “The volunteer fire service is definitely like a brotherhood. When you [lose] one it is like [losing] a family member.”
“I’ve known Barney my entire life,” added Kim Fedor. “[M]y father (Kenny Gajda) is also a member of Truck Co. 1, and I grew up down the street from him.
“There is so little comfort that words can bring at this time, but may some peace come to his family knowing that the community and other family members of Truck Co. 1 will remember Barney lovingly, with much respect and with great gratitude for his service.”
* * * * * *
CLIFFVIEW PILOT gratefully thanks the many photo contributors, now and always ….
* * * * * *
When I am called to duty, God
whenever flames may rage,
give me the strength to save some life
Whatever be its age.
Help me to embrace a little child
before it’s too late,
or some older person
from the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert
and hear the weakest shout,
and quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling
and give the best in me,
to guard my neighbor
and protect his property.
and if according to my fate
I am to lose my life,
Please bless with your protecting hand
my children and my wife.
- Author Unknown
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TRIBUTE: Services are scheduled tonight in Hackensack for 25-year Bergen County Sheriff’s Officer Chester Robinson, a U.S. Marine veteran and former county Narcotics Task Force member who died last weekend.
An expert in forensics and fingerprints, 63-year-old “Chet” Robinson was involved in more than 1,000 crime-scene cases, helping to bring hundreds of criminals to justice, while working for the sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification.
He “loved his work as an officer of the law,” his family said.
What’s more, they said, he was “delighted to discover his Native American heritage, and became very involved and active on a council representing the Lenape and Cherokee Indians of New Jersey.”
Robinson began his law enforcement career with the Haworth Police Department before joining the county Prosecutor’s Office, where he worked undercover drug investigations.
He joined the county Sheriff’s Office in 1989.
Robinson served for a time as vice-president of Sheriff’s Officers’ PBA Local 134, whose members “will always be remembered in our hearts,” Local President Marcelo Hagopin told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
He leaves behind a wife, Jody, and three daughters — Denise Robinson-McKinley, Kelly Robinson, and Kasey Robinson — as well as five grandchildren (Khadira, Aisa, Mia, Noelle and Aria) a great-grandchild, Akira, his brother Herbert and sister-in-law Andrea Robinson.
Services are scheduled from 5-7 o’clock tonight at Trinity Church, 228 Passaic Street in Hackensack. These will be followed by creamtion at the Earl I. Jones Funeral Home, 305 First Street in Hackensack.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: The son of a Wallington fire captain who died fighting a restaurant fire is waging his own battle: John Barnas needs blood donations in his fight against leukemia.
Thousands of firefighters, emergency workers and citizens attended a massive memorial procession Friday in honor of Gregory Barnas, a popular veteran firefighter who fell from a roof and died on Feb. 28 after serving the public for more than 40 years.
The captain, who volunteered for the Wallington squad and worked for the Jersey City Fire Department, had been donating blood cells for John — who, with his brother, Kevin, are both firefighters — as he undergoes chemotherapy.
Now it’s our turn:
O+ (pos) and O- (neg)
All platelet types are needed.
CONTACT Nadia at HUMC: (551) 996-4819
Or HUMC Blood Center Main: (551) 996-4818
Thank you ….
SHOUT OUT: The Port Authority Police Department welcomed 275 prospective police officers — its largest recruiting class ever — to its 113th Police Academy class.
After being welcomed by Port Authority Police Department leadership, the probationary officers — 225 men and 50 women, including 12 veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces — began a rigorous 26-week program at the academy at the Port Authority Technical Center in Jersey City.
The previous record class in the authority’s 86-year history was set in 2002 following the 9/11 terror attacks, when 235 recruits were trained to help the agency meet its growing security needs.
COURTESY: PAPD spokesman Joseph Pentangelo
Once the new recruits graduate and complete field training, the authority says it will have deployed nearly 500 new police officers, many of whom will be assigned to newly operational facilities at the World Trade Center.
“In addition, the new officers will help the agency move toward its goal of reducing public safety overtime,” PAPD spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said.
The course of study includes New York and New Jersey law, police procedures, evidence collection and traditional police training.
Each officer also will receive specialized training in counter-terrorism, firefighting and first aid, including the use of defibrillators.
“The record number of officers entering our academy is a testament to the priority we place on providing a safe and secure environment for the traveling public,” Port Authority Chief Security Officer Joe Dunne said. “Our recruits come from a variety of backgrounds and possess a wide array of skills that will help us provide the most secure environment for the millions of customers we serve.”
SHOUT OUT: The Oradell Volunteer Fire Department is holding a blood drive in two weeks for Wallington Firefighter John Barnas in his battle against leukemia.
The department, which has close ties to its Wallington colleagues, will host the drive from 1-7 p.m. Saturday, March 29 at the Oradell firehouse.
Althoug Barnas needs O+ (pos) and O- (neg) “all blood donations will be accepted and are needed to keep the blood supply stocked,” the department said.
Barnas’s father, Gregory, died in a Wallington restaurant fire late last month. He had been donating blood cells for John — who, with his brother, Kevin, are both firefighters — as he undergoes chemotherapy.
