Mahwah Mom Charged In Paterson Heroin Investigation

A Mahwah mother and her son were arrested after police found 47 glassine envelopes of heroin in the vehicle they were in during a drug investigation in Paterson, authorities said.

Officers from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office’s Bureau of Narcotics were conducting surveillance in Paterson after they received information that narcotics were being sold near 21st Avenue and East 39th Street, Sheriff Richard Berdnik said.

Detectives saw Shawn Flemmings 32 of Paterson, leaving from 776 21st Avenue holding a brick of heroin, Berdnik said.

Flemmings approached a vehicle driven by Debbie Demao, 60, of Mahwah; her son Jason Demarino, 38, of Suffern, New York, was in the passenger’s seat, Berdnik said.

After a hand-to-hand transaction occurred between Demao and Flemmings, Flemmings entered his house, counting money; detectives followed the vehicle out of the area and pulled it over, Berdnik said.

Demao and Demarino were charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance after detectives found 47 glassine envelopes of heroin inside the vehicle, Berdnik said. They were released pending an appearance in Paterson Municipal Court.

(Pictured: Debbie Demao, 60/Courtesy of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office)