Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • February 23, 2011 Franklin Lakes Police cite drivers in two unrelated fatal accidents by Frank J. McMahon The drivers of the two vehicles that were involved in unrelated fatal accidents in Franklin Lakes in recent months have received traffic violation summonses from the police department. Franklin Lakes Detective Lieutenant Jack Bakelaar advised that the Oakland driver of the car that killed a Franklin Lakes resident at the intersection of Colonial and McCoy roads on Christmas Eve was cited for careless driving. The driver of the vehicle involved in a collision with a New York Susquehanna & Western Railway freight train at the Pulis Avenue railroad crossing was cited for careless driving, violation of the conditions of his probationary driver’s license, and disregard of a railroad crossing warning. A passenger in that vehicle was killed in that accident, which occurred last month. Bakelaar said the Colonial and McCoy roads accident investigation has been completed, and that case is closed. However, the investigation into the cause of the accident at the railroad crossing is ongoing. Bakelaar indicated that there could be additional charges as a result of that accident. The Colonial/McCoy roads accident occurred at about 5:30 p.m., when Laurence Sephton, 50, of Roth Avenue in Franklin Lakes, was killed while he was making a left turn from McCoy onto Colonial. His vehicle was struck by a car driven by Ohannes Iskahanian, 20, of Massasoits Trail in Oakland, which was traveling south on Colonial Road. Iskahanian was injured in that accident. When traveling south on Colonial Road, motorists encounter a rise in the roadway, and then the road heads downhill just before the intersection with McCoy Road. Residents of the area say that making a left turn from McCoy Road at that intersection can be dangerous because a vehicle traveling south over the rise in the road is difficult to stop if a car has entered the intersection from McCoy Road. The railroad crossing accident occurred Jan. 24 at 8:26 p.m. A white 1994 Jeep Cherokee driven by Jeffrey Cohen, 19, of Hawthorne, was traveling south on Pulis Avenue and collided with the locomotive of a freight train that was traveling west and had already passed the railroad crossing intersection, according to Bakelaar. The detective reported that the vehicle struck the locomotive’s side near the stairway leading to the engineer’s cabin. The vehicle was occupied by two other Hawthorne residents. The passenger in the front seat, who was not wearing a seat belt, according to Bakelaar, was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger in the back seat, who said he was wearing a seat belt, was out of the car when police arrived, but was taken to Hackensack Medical Center by the Franklin Lakes Ambulance Corps along with the driver, who sustained injuries. The front seat passenger was identified as Marcus Ruta, 20. The back seat passenger was Joseph Belasco, 19. Bakelaar said the train was not backing up and switching as they sometimes do at that railroad crossing, but was traveling at a slow rate of speed through the crossing. He said the traffic safety warning equipment at the crossing was working properly, the red lights were flashing, and the alarm bells were ringing when the accident occurred. Bakelaar also reported that there is a witness who claims the train’s horn was blowing at the time of the accident, and he advised that the traffic on the other side of the railroad crossing had stopped in response to those warning signals. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Unit is continuing to investigate the cause of that accident. On Feb. 13, two people reported that their unlocked cars were burglarized during the daytime hours while parked at 795 Franklin Avenue. Handbags containing wallets, identification, and cash were taken from both cars. One victim is a resident of Dover and the other is a resident of Boonton. Lieutenant Donald Osenbruck and Officer Andrew Cacciatore investigated. On Feb. 3, a 22-year-old Saugerties, New York woman was charged with theft by deception as a result of an investigation conducted by Lt. Osenbruck. Osenbruck had responded to a Franklin Lake Road residence on a reported fraud. Two individuals, a white male and a white female, had approached the elderly homeowner Borough Police Department Report and offered to clear her roof and driveway of snow and ice. The homeowner provided a check for $300, which was promptly cashed at a local bank. The promised work was never performed. The female suspect was identified as the Saugerties woman. The male has yet to be identified. A complaint was issued, and a bail of $1,500 was set. Detective Anthony Pacelli assisted in the investigation. On Jan. 25, as a result of responding to a reported disturbance at a Colonial Road residence, a borough woman, 45, was charged with possession of heroin and being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance. Officers Cacciatore and Nicholas Klein investigated. 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