Public Safety
On Friday, March 30th, the City of Hoboken will begin the process of remediation and partial demolition of the property that suffered significant fire damage at 1st Street and Jackson Street.
Previously, the City hired engineers to examine the structure and assess the extent of the damage. Engineers determined that while the second floor suffered major damage and needed to be demolished, the first floor is structurally sound and does not require demolition. The City ordered the property owner to conduct the required demolition work, however the property owner failed to complete the work during the allotted time. The City was prepared to step in, conduct the demolition, and place a lien against the property for the cost of all work. “No Parking” signs were placed in the area to provide for a safe pedestrian path around the property and to allow space for staging demolition equipment. However the property owner has been challenging the City in court and has delayed the ability of the City to conduct this work. Finally, on Thursday, March 29th, the court re-affirmed the City’s ability to conduct the demolition in the absence of the property owner completing the work, and the City will be proceeding with the planned demolition work.
Pictured [left to right]: City Clerk James Farina, Police Chief Anthony Falco, Police Sergeant Steven Aguiar, Police Lieutenant John T. Orrico, Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Public Safety Director Jon Tooke
Police Sergeant John T. Orrico was promoted to the rank of Police Lieutenant and Police Officer Steven Aguiar was promoted to the rank of Police Sergeant at a ceremony in City Hall this afternoon. Congratulations to Lieutenant Orrico and Sergeant Aguiar and their families on their well-deserved promotions.
“With most bars delaying their opening and without a parade serving as a focal point, visitors arrived in waves, but they were concentrated primarily in our downtown area, and our police were able to focus resources and maintain control. Arrests were down 47%, ambulance calls were down 61%, and city ordinance violations were down 69%.
I thank the Hoboken Police and Fire Departments, EMS, OEM, CERT, and the public safety agencies from Hudson County and neighboring towns for their tremendous work keeping our community safe. I thank our Environmental Services team for cleaning up our streets and sidewalks and the bars and restaurants who voluntarily delayed their opening this year. I welcome all constructive ideas from the community on how we can improve further next year.”
The first Saturday in March marks the traditional start of the St. Patrick’s Day season inHoboken, which in recent years has coincided with escalating public safety and quality of life impacts on the community, including reported sexual assaults, attacks on public safety officials, and significant damage to private property. Because of this, the City this year required that the St. Patrick’s Day parade be held on a Wednesday. Although the parade was ultimately cancelled, the City has been preparing for thousands of visitors this weekend.
All Hoboken Police officers will be on duty in addition to more than 140 officers from neighboring jurisdictions to help ensure a safe and orderly day is enjoyed by all. The City thanks the Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio and his command staff, along with Hudson County Sherriff Frank Schillari and members of his office, and the Police Departments from Jersey City, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, North Bergen, Bayonne, Secaucus, Harrison, and Kearny for their support and assistance. The Port Authority, NJ TRANSIT, and Stevens Institute of Technology police departments will all have an increased presence as well.
Police Lieutenant Tory Pasculli was promoted to Captain today. Pictured [left to right]: City Clerk James Farina, Police Captain Tory Pasculli, his mother Vicky Pasculli, Police Chief Anthony Falco, Public Safety Director Jon Tooke, and Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
The Hoboken Construction Code office issued a limited demolition permit today. The scope of work to be performed involves the manual removal of severely fire damaged portions of the building.
The areas of the building to be removed are the roof and chimney, the entire fifth floor, and a section of the fourth floor at the rear of the building.
It is difficult to estimate the timeline for completion of this work since it is dependent on weather conditions and the uncertainty of conditions as the manual removal of debris proceeds. At a minimum, this work will take at least two weeks and could be considerably longer. The City is exploring options for opening Washington Street to limited traffic in a way that does not impact public safety.
Residents Asked To Sign Up To Receive Notices
The City of Hoboken has implemented the Swift911 system for notifying residents and businesses by phone, text, and email of important information and in cases of emergency including snow emergencies, evacuation notices, or flooding.
“When time is of the essence, this system will let us notify thousands of residents and businesses in a matter of minutes,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
The system currently includes approximately 10,000 listed residential and business phone numbers in the City of Hoboken. It is important for residents and businesses who wish to receive notifications to provide contact information such as unlisted, unpublished or mobile phone numbers, address and email address through the online form at www.hobokennj.org/emergency or by calling the Mayor’s office at 201-420-2018. The system also employs a Do Not Call component for those who do not wish to receive alerts.
On December 21, the City Council approved a capital improvements bond to fund the procurement of a pay loader and two street sweepers, HVAC repairs and safety-related entry renovations at Police Department headquarters, facade and building renovations at fire Department headquarters, restorations at Ladder 1/Engine 3 (1313 Washington Street), and phone system, computer and technical upgrades for municipal offices. Click here to view the presentation delivered by Environmental Services Director Leslie Shenkler regarding the need for the improvements.
7pm Update:: 1st Street is open to traffic.
3pm Update:: 1st Street between Jackson Street & Monroe Street will remain closed through the night and into much of Sunday.A fire truck will remain on watch through the night. Two firemen were injured and are being treated at Hoboken University Medical Center.
This morning a fire started at a two-story structure near the corner of 1st Street and Jackson Street. The building was safely evacuated, and firefighters are on the scene to control the fire.
Residents are advised that 1st Street between Jackson Street & Monroe Street will be closed to traffic and pedestrians for several hours and may use Observer Highway as an alternative. The building is an older wooden structure and the fire is generating significant smoke, so residents in the area are advised to keep windows closed.
Five residents who were displaced are temporarily staying at Iglesia Pentecostal Latina Americano. Hoboken OEM and Volunteer Ambulance Corps have set up a shelter in the church and are coordinating with the Red Cross.
The City thanks the Fire and Police Departments for working to protect the community.
Law enforcement officials from the City of Hoboken will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the annual holiday season “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” statewide campaign. Beginning December 5, 2011 and running through January 2, 2012, local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.
A concentrated national effort, the campaign helps to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs. Launched nationally in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year.
