TOWN WATCH
NEWARK – It may be said of the late New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Joseph Fiordaliso that “You can take the man out of Newark – but you can’t take Newark out of the man.”
Many in and around the state readily recalled that Fiordaliso, 78, who died unexpectedly Sept. 7 at RWJBarnabas Health’s Cooper-Barnabas Medical Center, had been shepherding the state to a cleaner energy policy and infrastructure since becoming BPU President in 2018. Other may remember that the 18-year commissioner was also a 12-year Livingston mayor.
Before he became “Uncle Joe,” he was “Joe” who was born in Newark June 28, 1945 and was raised in a cold water flat on The Ironbound’s Fleming Street/. He became East Side High School Council President in 1962 – which came with a front row City Hall steps seat to President John F. Kennedy’s Columbus Day visit and speech.
Joe was inspired to enter civic service – but as a schoolteacher. He graduated to then-Montclair State College in 1963 – and graduated from there in 1967 to become a teacher for 18 years in Vailsburg and Bloomfield high schools. He married the former Marilyn Morey in 1971 and moved to Livingston to raise son Joe and daughter Dana.
Fiordaliso, however, also brought a strong work ethic, family customs and a sense of humor with him from Newark. That spirit for public service, however, returned in 1988 when the retired teacher and small businessman ran for a Livingston Township Council seat in 1988. Township voters also elected him as their mayor three times in the 1990s.
Then-Senate President Sen. Richard Codey (D-Roseland) brought Fiordaliso as district office manager and, when Codey became Governor, his chief of staff. Codey also appointed Fiordaliso onto the BPU; Govs. Chris Christie and Phil Murphy had since reappointed him.
The former Essex County College trustee and former First Occupational Center director is also survived by six grandchildren. His last rites were held in the Trenton War Memorial and Livingston’s Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home Sept. 13-14.
IRVINGTON – County and township authorities are still searching for suspects – one who shot an Irvington man on a Newark Street and the other who shot a Newark man shot on an Irvington Street – after their funerals were publicly or privately held.
Last rites for Andre Ishmel Shoulars, 49, was held at Newark’s Cotton Funeral Home Sept. 15. Shoulars, who was born April 17, 1974, was laid to rest at Hillside’s Evergreen Cemetery later that Friday.
The township man, said Newark police officers, was found shot along the 100 block of their city’s Goodwin Avenue 9:17 p.m. Aug. 30. He was rushed to Newark’s University Hospital, where he died at 9:50 p.m.
No funeral or memorial arrangements have been publicly set for Tony King, 50, of Newark.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore “Ted” Stephens II and Irvington Public Safety Director Tracy Bowers said that King was found 11:25 p.m. Aug. 25 in the latter’s 100 block of Isabella Ave. He died at the scene from gunshot wounds 12:06 a.m. Aug. 27.
EAST ORANGE – Neither Essex County nor city authorities have yet released the identity of a 56-year-old man who was a hit-run-victim here Sept. 1.
East Orange police officers responded to a report of an injured man along the 100 block of South Munn Avenue at 12:35 a.m. that Friday.
Officers promptly called for a local ambulance when they had found evidence of suffering from being struck by a motor vehicle. They then called for the ECPO Crash Investigation Unit to the scene.
The man was rushed to Newark’s University Hospital – where he later died. The case was then turned over to the ECPO Homicide Unit. Authorities, that Friday morning, were seeking the deceased’s next of kin.
A description of the vehicle that killed the man has not been released as of press time.
ORANGE – City native and first woman City Council President Maria C. Vandermeer visited her beloved Orange for the last time Sept. 18 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
Vandermeer, 60, who died Sept. 14, was born Oct. 28, 1962 here and was raised in the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Little Italy neighborhood. The then-Maria Piro was a lifelong parishioner.
Some of her businesses, including North Jersey Excavation, Sugar & Spice Cupcakes and Algarve BBQ were started and/or based here. The former Orange ABC Commissioner and future Italian American Festival in Orange committee member was first elected as councilwoman and appointed by her peers as Council President through 2005.
Husband Frederick Vandermeer, Jr., brothers Carmine and Guy Piro and brothers-in-law Carl, James and Kurt Vandermeer are among her survivors. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, stjude.org.
WEST ORANGE / SOUTH ORANGE – The owners of a Village Center pet store and an Orange Valley cafe – both of which have been subjected to anti-gay vandalism and harassment -are holding a joint anti-hate march and rally here Sept. 24.
Pet Wants co-owners Jack Denelsbeck and Jonathan Javis, after receiving a “Remove crap flag” note wedged into their South Orange Avenue store before 9:15 a.m. Aug. 25, have decided to do more than file an incident report with the village police department.
Denelsbeck and Javins, on their store’s Facebook page, displayed the note and listed incidents that they have had experienced in the last six years. The “crap” flag was in reference to the rainbow pride flag they keep inside their front window. They have put the flag inside, but still prominent, after similar flags and stickers outside had been torn down or peeled off.
They have had their rear display window smashed by a hammer and their company Jeep vandalized – including a tire slashing. They had filed a report with SOPD and South Orange Downtown over another business owner who called them derogatory names and “have harassed us the last three years.” South Orange Downtown had offered to hire a mediator among the business owners.
Denelsbeck and Javins also mentioned recent incidents at West Orange’s Harper’s Cafe and a Cedar Glen, Calif. pet store.
Cafe owner Garlan Dixon brought West Orange Police officers twice to report pulled down flags, splattered paint and store windows smashed by bricks July 13. Next door photo studio owner Ambar Jiminez said he got a phone call that started by asking if her place was a braid shop and if she “was Black” and ended by urging her to move out or “something will happen to your business.”
My.Pi owner Laura Ann Carleton was shot dead moments after her shooter had pulled down her storefront pride flag. San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Officers shot and killed the suspect minutes later.
The Pet Wants March is to step off from Harper’s, 134 So. Valley Rd., to South Orange’s Spiotta Park for a rally. “Socialized pets are welcome to attend.”
MAPLEWOOD – Township police officers who had responded to a customer causing a disturbance in a restaurant here Sept. 12 did not have to go far to find the described suspect.
MPD officers were prompted to 1473 Springfield Ave. that Tuesday by a caller who were told by a caller of “an adult male throwing items” inside but had left.
Witnesses within the Maplewood Diner said that a man became upset when he was told that a telephone within the eatery “is for paying customers.” The man went into a rage, damaging the diner’s computer system and throwing items around before leaving.
Officers, going by given descriptions, found the man “waiting outside for a bus.” It is not clear whether the suspect was waiting along Springfield Avenue or Chancellor Avenue, let along which NJTransit bus he was looking for.
The suspect, identified as Jacob Gonmiah, of Newark, was arrested on a count each of criminal mischief and resisting arrest. Gonmiah was taken to the Maplewood Police and Court Building, two blocks west, for processing.
Gonmiah was given summonses for a Maplewood Municipal Court appearance and released. That appearance date was not disclosed.
BLOOMFIELD – Motorists and pedestrians – especially school students and their parents – have been crossing nine intersections throughout Bloomfield’s three wards a little more carefully since the start of the 2023-24 school year.
The following intersections have been more often absent of school crossing guards than stationed:
- Broad and James streets.
- East and West Passaic avenues with Barnett St.
- Franklin Street and Berkeley Avenue.
- Franklin and Berkeley Place.
- Glenwood and Evergreen avenues.
- Glenwood and Avenue and Maolis Street
- La France Avenue Driveway to Carteret School.
- St. Thomas the Apostle School Driveway.
- Washington and Thomas streets.
- Watsessing Street and Berkley Avenue with Lexington Street
Those former school crossing guard stations, said Bloomfield Police Chief George Ricci, are being absent by design.
Ricci, in a Sept. 1 open letter, said that these nine intersections may be unoccupied pending the guards’ availability. Both BPD and Township officials. These crossings were selected as “no longer requiring crossing guards, based on state and federal statistics.
“The listed intersections will be covered when manpower allows,” said Ricci. “The only time the post will remain uncovered is when circumstances occur beyond our control, such as crossing guards calling out sick.”
Ricci did not say whether other intersections will be covered by police officers should crossing guard availability fall below a threshold.
Prospective crossing guards are welcome to contact BPD Off. John Donker at jdonker@bloomfieldnjpd.com and/or (973) 680-4098.
MONTCLAIR – Township police detectives may have approached local building and construction companies and maybe recyclers about whether they had been approached by at least one person with scaffolding worth around $27,150 since Sept. 1.
An Upper Montclair resident reported to MPD Headquarters that a person or persons had stolen between 65 and 85 pieces of “blue aluminum scaffolding” from his residence sometime overnight Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
It is not clear from the MPD blotter whether the stolen items were in storage or were being used on a remodeling or construction project on the property.
Each scaffolding piece, said the Upper Mountain Avenue resident, is worth $362. The overall value ranges from $25,530 for 65 to $30,770 for 85.
An Upper Mountain Avenue neighbor told MPD detectives that he had seen people loading a pickup truck parked next door sometime that Thursday night and early Friday morning.
MPD, as of press time, has not released a description of the suspected loaders nor of the pickup truck. The matter remains under investigation.
BELLEVILLE – Private citizen Michael Melham and his lawyer’s recently filed civil suit against Township Clerk Albert Cabrera in Superior Court-Newark uncovered at least two details that exemplify how one legal or institutional question can affect another institutional process.
One finding is that Melham and the Belleville Board of Education received a Certificate of Occupation for 335 Union Ave. in 2021 – but from a Township of Lyndhurst construction code official.
Melham, as 335 Union’s landlord and citizen could not get a CO from Belleville Construction Code Inspector Frank DeLorenzo because Melham, as Belleville Mayor, and DeLorenzo have pending litigation between them.
DeLorenzo has a harassment and retaliation suit against Mayor Melham. The suit stems from the mayor’s claim that the 20-year official had defrauded the township over invoices. This was the matter that brought the State Police to gather pertinent Town Hall records on the N.J. Attorney General’s behalf.
Some may see irony in that Citizen Melham suing Clerk Cabrera over what the former said was insufficient material from his OPRA request. The Township Council had confirmed the former Guttenberg clerk’s hiring in part on Mayor Melham’s recommendation.
Landlord Melham is seeking documentation that may confirm that Belleville Public Schools officials had allegedly had electrical work on 335 Union’s basement and first floor offices. Belleville’s educations had been tenants of the commercial/residential building that Melham had leased out from July 1, 2021 until their moving out last June.
NUTLEY – The Nutley Board of Education and the owner of a customized car, going by what information so far learned from the Sept. 17 mishap at The Oval, will have insurance carrier claims that may make for interesting reading.
A couple of Nutley Police Department officers were summoned to The Oval’s football field after a car accident was reported there just after 11 a.m. that Sunday. Officers found a customized 1951 Henry J partially resting on the spectator fence that separates stadium spectators from the running track and football gridiron.
The Henry J, which was being parked along the east side of Franklin Avenue, had somehow gone into reverse. The car had taken down a section of The Oval’s 1937 wrought iron perimeter fence and down spectator benches before resting on the separation fence.
The car was among dozens of exhibitors for the Nutley Rotary Club’s Fifth Annual Car and Motorcycle Show. Display vehicles followed already in place vendors to their assigned places along Franklin between Chestnut and Centre streets. Traffic, including buses on NJTransit’s No. 74 route, were detoured between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The event was open to the public 1-6 p.m.
NPD Detective Sgt Anthony Montanari confirmed that no injuries were reported. Damage was limited to the fencing, which were either replaced or taped off.
The car was carefully driven along The Oval’s running track west side and northern end zone to be parked by Town Hall. It was driven to minimize any damage to the $1 million artificial turf field which had been recently installed.
The Henry J was built 1950-54 by the Kaiser-Frazer company. The inline six-cylinder engine-powered compact car was named after co-founder Henry J. Kaiser, who built mass-produced Liberty Ships during World War Two.
“Local Talk” considers the Henry J in question as being customized, going by the car’s at-the-scene photos Its ride height appears to have been raised to accommodate larger aftermarket wheels and tires. It is too early to determine whether that modification or any other factors contributed to the mishap. There were no further incidents reported from the Rotary fundraiser for the historic Van Riper House and Rotary Scholarship awards.
