Bear Sightings, Counterfeit Coins, Road Rage: Glen Rock Police Blotter

GLEN ROCK, NJ —Submitted by Glen Rock Police, and unedited by Patch, a collection of notable service calls from the past week.

GRPD officers handled 280 calls for service between April 25 and May 1.

04-29-2022
2:10 PM – Patrols were dispatched to a 9-1-1 report of a road rage incident taking place in the parking lot of 224 Rock Rd., in the Central Business District. Upon arrival officers separated and identified both drivers, a 31-year-old Glen Rock man and a 49-year-old Paterson man. Officers did not witness any unlawful conduct and advise both parties of their right to sign complaints with the Glen Rock Municipal Court. Both subjects were dispersed from the area.

04-29-2022
2:14 PM – A Glen Rock resident reported that they had purchased 100 American Eagle coins via the Internet. Upon receiving the coins, the resident suspected that they were counterfeit and confirmed this suspicion with a numismatologist. The matter was documented to aid the complainant in obtaining a chargeback from his credit card company. The matter has been reviewed by the Detective Bureau.

05-01-2022
Just after 8:30 AM the Glen Rock Police Department received several reports of a bear wandering through town. The bear was monitored as it proceeded from the area of Grove Avenue by Prospect Street through S. Highwood Ave. Harding Road, and Doremus Avenue. A short time later it was spotted in Ridgewood. While officers monitored the animal as it walked through town, it did not pose any immediate danger. Officers are not permitted to interfere with natural wildlife unless it poses an immediate threat to persons or property.

Bears are the largest land mammal in New Jersey. They are an integral part of the state's natural heritage and a vital component of healthy ecosystems. Since the 1980s the Garden State's black bear population has been increasing and expanding its range both southward and eastward from the forested areas of northwestern New Jersey. Within the most densely populated state in the nation, black bears are thriving and there are now confirmed bear sightings in all 21 of New Jersey's counties.

Black bears by nature tend to be wary of people. Often, they are just passing through the area looking for food, and bear attacks are extremely rare. Nonetheless, citizens should never approach or feed them. Anyone who sees a bear should immediately call the police department at 201-652-3800 or the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at 1-877-927-6337. However, neither the police nor DEP will intervene in less the bear is causing damage, creating nuisance behavior or create an actual threat. Most often the best course of action is to just monitor the bears path as it proceeds through our community.

For more information, see the DEP’s “Know the Bear Facts” page on their website: https://nj.gov/dep/fgw/bears/index.html