Ridgewood November 28, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Village, county, FBI apprehend armed physician by John Koster A task force of FBI and Bergen County officers and Ridgewood police officers have arrested a Ridgewood physician who was charged with a number of weapons offenses and had his bail set at $1 million by the Honorable Liliana S. DeAvila-Silebi, PJSC, with no 10 percent option. Dr. Roberto Rivera entered a plea of “not guilty” in Bergen County Court in Hackensack, but remained under detention. Rivera, 60, of 183 Union Street was arrested after Ridgewood police responded to a report of potentially hazardous or explosive chemicals at 6:15 p.m. on Nov. 16. The police discovered a large amount of a highly volatile chemical commonly used for bomb-making. After obtaining a search warrant, FBI agents and Bergen County Bomb Squad members removed the potentially dangerous explosives in a large operation that aroused considerable neighborhood attention. Once the residence was declared safe, further investigation revealed a number of weapons described as assault rifles and other firearms. Dr. Rivera has been charged with a roster of offenses, including recklessly creating a risk of widespread injury or damage, unlawful possession of a destructive device, unlawful possession of a stun gun, unlawful possession of a large capacity magazine for ammunition, and unlawful possession of an assault rifle. An assault rifle is generally described as a weapon with selective-fire capacity to be fired in the fully automatic mode -- in other words, as a hand-held machine gun -- or switched back to single-shot firing. The doctor is licensed to practice medicine in New York, but is currently described as unemployed. He reportedly offered free medical advice to protestors during Occupy Wall Street, but leaders of the demonstration said Occupy Wall Street is opposed to violence. The investigation was conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Task Force under the direction of Chief Steven Cucciniello, the Ridgewood Police Force under Chief John Ward, the Bergen County Bomb Squad under Chief Brian Higgins, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation under the command of Sheriff Michael Saudino, with FBI assistanc. Law enforcement officials gathered outside the Union Street home. (Photo courtesy of Boyd Loving.)