Victim ID'd In Toddle Inn Hotel Fire In Bergen County

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A 42-year-old man has been identified as the victim in a fatal fire Wednesday at a defunct bed and breakfast hotel off Route 9 in Bergenfield.

Xavier Contreras, 42, was found deceased on the first floor of the former Toddle Inn at 850 Broad Ave., prosecutors said Friday.

According to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at approximately 2:21 a.m., the Ridgefield Police Department received a report of a fire at the location.

Ridgefield Police officers and the Ridgefield Fire Department responded to fight the blaze.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Task Force is still investigating the origin and cause of the fire, prosecutors said.

No additional information is available at this time.

A story in the Record said that the building, thought to be over 100 years old, was owned by the Todd family for almost 70 years, and was owned by Councilman Angus Todd until he died in 2020. There are new plans to turn the property in a mixed-use development with retail and housing, the Record said.

Prosecutor Mark Musella thanked the Ridgefield Police Department; the Ridgefield, PalisadesPark, Fairview, Cliffside Park, Little Ferry, and Carlstadt Fire Departments; the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office; and the Mahwah Police Department and Hackensack Fire Department, which both participate in the Bergen County Arson Task Force.