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North Bergen Concerned Citizens Group
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North Bergen DPW official Grossi hears corruption charges in Bergen court
HACKENSACK — A North Bergen Department of Public Works employee made his first appearance in a Bergen County courtroom this morning on conspiracy and official misconduct charges.
In an eight-count state grand jury indictment, Timothy Grossi, 73, of Jersey City was Charged in December with conspiracy, two counts of official misconduct, pattern of official misconduct, theft by unlawful taking, misapplication of entrusted property and property of government, tampering with public records or information and falsifying or tampering with records.
Grossi, the deputy director of the North Bergen DPW, was suspended without pay. Grossi has worked for the township since 1985 and had been making $133,000 a year at the time of his arrest, township spokesman Paul Swibinski said.
Authorities say that Grossi ordered employees to work on political campaigns and to perform personal chores at his home and the homes of others while being paid by the township.
The North Bergen Concerned Citizens' Group, an anti-North Bergen administration organization, said that a 2011 video posted on Youtube.com showed Grossi intimidating a store owner to remove a campaign sign from a rival slate from her window. North Bergen officials said the video, which did not have sound, shows nothing.
Grossi, with his attorney Sam DeLuca, appeared in front of Bergen County Superior Court Judge Donald Venezia this morning, answering "Yes, your Honor" and "No, your Honor" to a series of questions after hearing the charges.
The case had been moved to Bergen County because Grossi "is a pseudo-public official in Hudson County," a prosecutor said today. DeLuca said that he is considering a motion to bring the case back to Hudson County because "There is absolutely no criteria to take it out of Hudson."DeLuca said he will consider making the motion at Grossi's next scheduled appearance on May 13 after looking into discovery paperwork..
The prosecutor also asked Venezia to consider bail in the case, but was denied. Venezia said that Grossi was not a flight risk based on his lack of criminal history and his age.
Grossi is one of four DPW officials who have been indicted by the Attorney General's Office.
On Sept. 11, DPW Superintendent James Wiley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit official misconduct, admitting he directed DPW employees to perform hundreds of hours of chores at his home and to work on campaigns while being paid by the township.
Ten days later, DPW supervisors Troy Bunero and Francis Longo were indicted for allegedly directing employees to do personal chores for Wiley and work on campaigns.
North Bergen special needs student, 8, left alone on bus 5 hours; 2 charged
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Two bus company employees have been arrested after police say they left an 8-year-old disabled North Bergen boy on a school bus for five hours, police said.
Aida Lazala, 62, of North Bergen and Arturo Martinez, 71, of Jersey City, were arrested on March 11, the same day the boy was left in a parked school bus on Amity Street in Jersey City, where the bus company, Hudson County Transportation, is located, police said.
The boy, 8, has Russell-Silver Syndrome, a genetic disorder, it was revealed in court when Martinez and Lazala appeared Wednesday. Russell-Silver Syndrome is characterized by slow growth before and after birth, and includes low birth weight and failure to thrive, according to National Library of Medicine.
Police said that the boy fell asleep on the bus on the way to Kennedy School in the morning. The bus was then driven to the Jersey City lot and both Martinez and Lazala left the bus in the lot without checking it for students, police said.
Police said the boy was alone on the bus for about five hours. Only when Martinez and Lazala returned for their afternoon shift was the child found on the empty bus, reports said.
The boy's parents were notified when the boy was reported absent, according to district procedure, school officials said. Martinez and Lazala notified officials at the grammar school when they returned for their afternoon pickup.
Both Martinez, the bus driver, and Lazala, the aide, were charged with endangering the welfare of a child and endangering the welfare of a disabled person, a criminal complaint said.
Alan Manzo, the president of the bus company, said that Martinez and Lazala have been fired. He also noted that they had no prior similar incidents.
"The bus is supposed to be checked thoroughly and obviously they didn't do their job," Manzo said. "We haven't had incidents with them before, but (leaving a child on the bus) is a no-no."
North Bergen Superintendent of Schools Robert Dandorph was happy that the boy was OK, but blasted the bus employees.
"We are deeply grateful that this child was not harmed and we are shocked by the inexcusable neglect and incompetence of the bus company's employees," Dandorph said in a statement. "It is shocking that adults we trust to protect our children could show such callous disregard for their welfare."
Lazala and Martinez appeared in Central Judicial Processing court yesterday, speaking through an interpreter, and both post $2,500 bail.
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