The Most-Read August Belleville-Nutley Stories on Patch

Girl Hid in Closet as Robber Ransacked Home

A quick-thinking 15-year-old girl hid inside her linen closet in her Nutley home while a man entered intending to rob the house.

Nutley Police confirmed that the girl was able to phone her mother in New York City shortly before she fled into the closet upon hearing the intruder.

“She told her mother she heard the intruder coming up the stairs and ended the call,” said Nutley Police Det. Montaneri said.

Woman Robbed at Gunpoint

Belleville police are searching for a man who robbed a woman at gunpoint in the early morning hours on Aug. 1.

A 29-year-old woman was returning home from work at 2:57 a.m. Wednesday was robbed as she tried to enter the back door of her apartment. She was accosted by a man with a small black handgun who ran off with her purse as she tried to enter her home on the 230 block of Belmont Avenue, said Detective Lt. James Giuliano.

Resident Indicted for Falsifying Medical Claims

A chiropractor who lives in Nutley has been indicted for  stealing more than $89,000 by submitting false documentation to insurance companies, according to state Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa.

Joseph Salomone, 44, of Nutley, was charged on July 27 with 125 counts of second-degree health care claims fraud, and one count each of second-degree attempted theft by deception and second-degree theft by deception, according to a statement. He faces up to $150,000 in fines and up to 10 years in jail if convicted, according to officials.

Belleville Suspends Pension Payments for Three

The Belleville mayor and council have suspended pension payments to three township attorneys after a state report came out that said they were improperly enrolled in the state pension system.

The three township attorney were among nearly 200 New Jersey professionals who continued to collect pension credits, despite state laws designed to remove those professionals from the state’s pension system, town officials said.

Preservation Group Weighs in on Roche

Jim Levendusky of the Nutley Community Preservation Partnership wants the township and Roche officials to know his group does not want apartments, condominiums or a mix of retail stores to replace the departing drug company at its campus on Route 3.

Levendusky said the more than 100-member partnership that has worked to preserve and restore Nutley's historic character for more than eight years is concerned about Roche's departure.

"Everybody's minds are on the Roche property," Levendusky said. "We are not in favor of anything involving putting apartments or condos there, or a mixed use involving residential and retail stores."

Bloomfield Woman Charged With Bank Robbery

A Bloomfield woman has been arrested on charges of robbing a branch of Sovereign Bank on Belleville Avenue, according to the Bloomfield Police Department.

Michelle Collier, 28, has also been linked to a  on Bloomfield Avenue in Bloomfield on August 3, police said.

In the Belleville Avenue robbery, a woman entered the bank wearing a headscarf on Aug. 10 and handed a note to the teller. The note said the woman was armed with a gun and also demanded money, according to Bloomfield police.

The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of money and the woman, later identified as Collier, allegedly left the bank on foot, heading west on Belleville Avenue. 

Belleville Approves Salary Ordinance

Two new Belleville town professional employee positions were added as a former mayor and frequent critic argued with Belleville’s current mayor over revised salaries and jobs at a recent meeting.

In what became a heated exchange, Vincent Frantantoni demanded that officials explain why a new ordinance that contains salary ranges and two added positions was passed at a special Aug. 6 council meeting.

Belleville Seeking Bids to Develop Property

The Belleville Township Council has agreed to accept requests for proposals to develop a square block of property used for school storage at Cortland and Rutgers Streets.

The council agreed to accept proposals until Sept. 27 to redevelop the property.

There was a discussion whether the School No. 1 property could be used for new condominiums or apartments.