Wyckoff August 8, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Police arrest final suspect in connection with assault by John Koster The fourth and final suspect in the July 26 assault and robbery in Wyckoff has turned himself in to police. The 20-year-old Oakland man was arrested Aug. 2 and charged with robbery, assault, and theft and released under $25,000 bail. He was arrested by Sergeant Michael Ragucci and Detective Sergeant Michael Musto. As the Oakland man was charged, the man described as the woman’s present boyfriend remained in Bergen County Jail while the woman and the other two men had made bail and had been released. All four are rated as first degree criminals and their cases will be referred to Bergen County Superior Court. Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox again praised the actions of all the Wyckoff officers involved, especially Detective Sergeant Joseph Soto and Sergeant Michael Ragguci, whom Fox described as the lead officers throughout the investigation. The Wyckoff Police Department has now charged all of the individuals who are believed to have taken part in the July 26 attack on a woman’s ex-boyfriend. The victim was reportedly lured to the Lincoln School parking lot and attacked with a baseball bat and a pipe. The 19-year-old woman was arrested a few hours after the incident. She had reportedly watched while at least two men beat up her ex-boyfriend after she lured him to the parking lot behind the Lincoln School and suggested they take walk. She was charged with robbery and theft by being armed with deadly weapons, and providing transportation to the assailants. She refused to provide any information and was remanded to Bergen County Jail. (continued on page 4) Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox warns motorists that the statewide ban on the use of hand-held cell phones will be enforced by the Wyckoff Police Department. The only permissible uses of a cell phone by a driver while the car is in motion, Chief Fox said, are when the driver has reason to fear for his or her life or safety, such as in a situation where he or she is pursued by a driver suffering from road rage or with criminal intent; when the driver is reporting an accident or fire and it is impractical to stop; or when the driver is reporting the unsafe driving of another motorist. There are no other exceptions. Drivers who receive incoming calls are urged to pull over or return the calls once they park. The law also prohibits texting while driving, a habit that Chief warns drivers about phones, texting many experts regard as far more dangerous than phone use. Texting or cell phoning, except in the emergency situations that provide for exceptions, are primary offenses. That is, drivers engaged in these activities may be pulled over without any other provocation such as speeding or careless driving. The fine for the offense is $130. Chief Fox and the Wyckoff Police Department win awards for motor vehicle safety on a regular basis from the Automobile Association of America. The chief was Wyckoff’s traffic safety officer before he replaced John Ydo as police chief. Fox also urged residents to lock their cars when parking overnight, even in their own driveways, and to conceal or remove valuables.