Five North Bergen residents have become new members of the North Bergen Police Department. Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Chief of Police Peter Fasilis presided over the June 22 oath of office ceremony in township chambers, along with Commissioners Allen Pascual, Hugo Cabrera, and Julio Marenco.

Four of the new officers have prior law enforcement experience.

Martin Antelo, a 22-year resident of North Bergen, graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy in 2018 and currently serves as a SLEO II with the Community Policing Unit.

Christian Arcos, a lifelong North Bergen resident, will graduate from Rutgers University in the spring of 2022 with dual majors in criminal justice and sociology with a minor in computer science. He has been serving in the NJ National Guard with the rank of sergeant since 2014. He is the first in his family to serve in law enforcement and will enter the Hudson County Police Academy in July.

Mirroring community demographics

Freddy Au-Castillo has lived in North Bergen for three years and eight months. In 2007, he opened a trucking company servicing the NY-NJ ports. He graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy in 2020 and currently serves as a SLEO II for the NBPD in the Patrol Division Squad 3.

Christopher Bowen, a lifelong North Bergen resident, graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy in March 2020, after which he worked as a sheriff’s officer for the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department. His older brother Brendan Bowen is a police officer with the NBPD.

Catherine Cabrera, a lifelong North Bergen resident, currently works as a SLEO II with the NBPD and graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy. Her brother-in-law Santiago Hernandez is the sergeant of the Internal Affairs Unit.

North Bergen’s resident-only hiring policy has resulted in a police department that closely matches community demographics. These new hires bring the total to 125 fulltime officers, the most in the township’s history.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

The Braddock Park Farmers Market is looking for new vendors. Email [email protected] for more information.

The market will be held Thursdays, 5 to 7 p.m. beginning the end of June. The official start date and more information will be announced.

It’s not clear yet if the Friends & Family Farmers Market in front of Stan Newman Field, across 64th Street from the Recreation Center will return this year. The market launched in 2019 on the last Saturday of every month during summer and fall.

For more information, visit northbergen.org or check official social media pages.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

The North Bergen municipal pool will be open to North Bergen residents only beginning Saturday, June 26, Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Parks Commissioner Hugo Cabrera have announced.

Like last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no annual memberships. Instead, the township will issue daily passes for individual three-hour sessions.

The first session will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This will be for seniors only ages 62 and older. Admission is free; no younger guests. Only the lap pool will be open.

The second session will run from 12:45 to 3:45 p.m. The third session will run from 4 to 7 p.m. During these times, the pool will be open to all ages.

Register in advance

Residents must register in advance using the online pool portal at https://etrak-ne1.com/etrak/portal?org=26. After entering the required information, registrants will receive an approval confirmation. This may take a day or two to process.

Registered users must sign up through the portal for a specific time period. Signup will be allowed for sessions within the next 24 hours only, one session per day. Residents must sign up online. No walkups will be allowed.

The cost is $5 per adult, ages 16 and up; $4 per child; and $3 per senior for the afternoon and evening sessions. Kids under one year are free.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Nino Falcone, a part-time municipal court judge in North Bergen, now faces additional charges stemming from an allegation that he groped a woman at his private office two years ago.

Falcone faces a four-count criminal complaint from the Supreme Court of New Jersey’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.

According to the complaint brought by ACJC, Falcone violated four canons of the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct “which requires judges to observe high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the Judiciary may be preserved;” “which requires judges to respect and comply with the law;” “which requires judges to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety and to act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the Judiciary;” and “which requires judges to conduct their extrajudicial activities in a manner that would not demean the judicial office.”

The complaint continues: “By his treatment of A.C. as detailed above, resulting in a charge of criminal sexual contact… [Falcone] demonstrated a failure to conform his conduct to the high standards of conduct expected of judges and impugned the integrity of the Judiciary.”

He knew her

Faclone was first charged by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in 2019 with criminal sexual contact in relation to an incident that occurred in his law office. Falcone, 78 at the time, was arrested after allegations that he grabbed a woman’s breast without her consent.

To preserve her identity, she is referred to in the court documents only by her initials: A.C. Falcone knew A.C. and had represented her in personal matters in the past, the complaint said.

The alleged incident occurred at his private law office at 7807 Bergenline Ave, the complaint said. A.C. went to Falcone’s office around August 19, 2019, on behalf of her employer, a physician with whom Falcone had a professional relationship for years.

Groping alleged

According to the complaint, after discussing business with Falcone, A.C. attempted to leave his office. But Falcone allegedly pulled her into him and began rubbing her back.

A.C. tried to push Falcone away, but he held her arm, squeezed her breast, and told her to “let me touch you, let me play with you,” the complaint said.

As she continued to push him away, Falcone allegedly grabbed A.C.’s wrist. He then released her wrist, and offered her what he allegedly called “birthday money.” A.C. refused, left, and returned to her employer’s office, according to the complaint.

A.C. told her employer, coworkers, and husband following the incident. According to the complaint, A.C. and her husband went to the Teaneck Police Department, which referred the case to the HCPO.

Caught on recording

Using a recorded undercover telephone line in a station house interview room, A.C. placed a call to Falcone, according to the complaint. During their conversation, he allegedly admitted to A.C. that he touched her “inappropriately” and apologized to her.

Falcone was arrested and charged on September 12, 2019, by complaint summons with one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. After being processed, he was released.

Falcone was suspended without pay in 2019. He retired in August of 2020, according to the Township.

In March of 2020, Falcone was admitted into the Pretrial Intervention Program (PTI). After complying with the conditions of PTI, the matter was dismissed.

The complaint from the ACJC breathes new life into the case.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

North Bergen Mayor and State Senator Nicholas Sacco has reiterated his support for the Palisades Cliffs Protection Act. It came at a Board of Commissioners meeting in late May, following the board’s approval of a settlement agreement regarding a development application in Edgewater.

Sacco said that he and State Senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack are working on legislation to protect the views in all municipalities along the Palisades Cliffs, including Jersey City, Guttenberg, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, North Bergen, Edgewater, Cliffside Park, and Fort Lee. The duo introduced the bill in December, but it is still in committee.

“The threat is not over, regarding the destruction of the Palisades by neighboring communities, mainly Edgewater,” Sacco said. 

Protecting historic views

Prior to the settlement, the development would have exceeded the height of the Palisades, blocking views of the New York City skyline from North Bergen residents. The settlement saw the developer lower the height of the proposed development to below the Palisades cliff line, protecting views of the New York City skyline in North Bergen.

The lowest point of the Palisades in the nearby area of the development in Edgewater is 178 feet high. The development has shrunk to 152 feet, according to Sacco, which is now below the cliff line.

“We can look over, and everyone in this area can see the skyline,” Sacco said.

Sacco said they persuaded the developer Tom Heagney, who was “very reasonable,” to settle without a drawn-out court battle. 

He reiterated his support for the joint legislation he introduced with Senator Stack, arguing that the threat to the Palisades is growing. 

Stack decries ‘outrageous structures’

In March, Stack reiterated his support for curbing the heights of buildings below the Palisades Cliffs.

“If you visit Firefighters Memorial Park on 9th Street and Palisade Avenue, Washington Park, or live in Union City, you know the views of New York City and the Hudson River are amazing,” Stack said. … “Over the years the Commissioners and I have strongly opposed the construction of outrageous structures that have attempted to be built below Union City which would come directly in front of the Palisade Cliffs destroying our views, but more importantly, our quality of life.”

According to Stack, some communities on the waterfront, such as Weehawken, have been cooperative in keeping structures below the cliff line, while others have not.

“Hoboken has allowed the construction of a building on 9th Street to be visible on Congress Street in Jersey City without any regard for the direct impact it would have on the residents of Jersey City,” Stack said.

Stack said that he and the Union City Board of Commissioners will continue to work with officials in the municipalities below the Palisades Cliff to ensure that views or the quality of life is not disrupted. If that does not prove effective, Stack said he will bring the matter to the courts.

Union City has attempted to address the issue by limiting new construction to four stories, with the exception of a few redevelopment areas “where the development would bring other benefits to the residents of Union City.”

Hoboken council disapproves

The proposed legislation has sparked backlash in Hoboken. The city council adopted a last-minute addition to the agenda on Jan. 6 opposing the proposed Palisade Cliffs Protection Act.

According to the council, the act would limit Hoboken’s control over its land use, which could negatively impact all economic, housing, and public safety decisions.

Some city council members pointed out the “irony” of the act’s intent to “preserve the views and topography features of the Palisades” given “the recent practices in the towns of each of the sponsoring Senators/Mayors where portions of the Palisades have literally been gutted entirely to accommodate projects built directly into the same cliffs these bills state they are trying to protect.” One project cited is the Hoboken Heights development in Union City.

Despite the push in recent months by the two Hudson County mayors and state senators, the bill is still in committee awaiting further legislative approvals.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].