March 14, 2018 • www.theobserver.com • Vol. CXXX, No. 44
HIGHLIGHTS St. Patrick’s Day promo.
Page 12
COVERING: BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD • EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
GETTING HIS DUE
Man’s discovery saved countless lives in Belleville By Karen Zautyk kzautyk@theobserver.com BELLEVILLE — At the intersection of Belleville and Franklin avenues stands the imposing building that was once the Essex County Isolation Hospi-
Main photo: The original TB Hospital in Belleville opened in 1911. Inset: Albert Schatz’s 1938 high school yearbook photo.
tal — a 550-bed facility whose “isolated” patients included a sizable number suffering from tuberculosis. In 1929, when the facility was built, highly-contagious TB was an incurable disease. Also known as consump-
tion, it had been a literal plague upon mankind for thousands of years — according to researchers, between 5,000 and 9,000. It is obviously impossible to calculate See TB, Page 25
Doomed East River chopper took off in Kearny By Kevin Canessa kc@theobserver.com A helicopter that crashed into New York City’s East River Sunday, March 11, killing all five of its passengers, took off
from a helipad in South Kearny, according to numerous published reports. The chopper went down in the East River at around 7 p.m. that night, the Federal Aviation Administration said in
a Tweet, though it was not immediately clear what time the chopper took off from South Kearny. The helicopter, red in color, was a Eurocopter AS350 with tail ID
N350LH, operated by Liberty Helicopters, which lists its address as 165 Western Road, Kearny — just several See CHOPPER, Page 26
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THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
RENOVATION SALE ENDS MONDAY, MARCH 19TH
Big changes coming to Melray’s
F
or some, it may be hard to believe — but Melray’s Furniture, on Ridge Road in North Arlington — has been in business since 1940. For 78 years, the store’s owners have always taken pride that their customers are more than just numbers. They’re instead treated like family. The store has always had great prices. It’s always had that smalltown feel to it. But now, three generations later, Amy Filippone, the store’s general manager, says she’s ready to take Melray’s to a new level — with a more modern approach to furniture — and as such, over the last few weeks, the store has had a renovation sale … and it’s now time to turn attention to the new, modern store. And it won’t just be furniture. Filippone, whose dad, Buddy, is still around, came up with the idea in conversation with her father. She wanted to build on the business’s nearly 80-year history — with a new flare. “But I want people to know my dad is still here and will be here,” Filippone said. “He’s been here for 50 years — and it was his dad before that. Our location is 50,000 square-feet. It’s currently somewhat old-fashioned.” The renovation sale, Filippone says, was highly successful. And because of it, profits made will go toward the new look of the place. “We want this to be a place where Millennials can come, for modern styles, and furnish their entire home,” she said. “You can’t always do that at a place like Raymour and Flanigan. So we want our store to be a one-stop experience — a place where customers can come for their furniture, for living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms all at the same time.” What sets Melray’s apart from places like Raymour and Flanigan is quite extensive, Filippone says. “When customers come to us, they can expect deliveries very quickly,” she said. “And we don’t outsource deliveries. From the start to the finish — when you enter to buy furniture to delivery — you’ll be dealing with Melray’s employees.”
But it doesn’t end there. The variety of furniture Melray’s offers tops just about any big-box furniture retailers. “Millennials want variety,” Filippone said. “When they go into a place like Raymour & Flanigan, much of what they find is beige. No one wants just beige. Come visit us — you’ll find a great variety of colors … and not just beige.” “I am so proud of what we’ve done over the years,” Filippone said. “And we’re very excited as we look to the future.” That future, meanwhile, means other asthetic changes to the Melray’s property. Over the years, there’s been a doctor’s office nearby. But that all changes with the renovations as Filippone’s husband, John Cabrera, prepares to open one of the few, fullservice bakeries in the area, not just in North Arlington. Cabrera currently owns Mill’s Bakery, Wood-Ridge. He bought it eight years ago. And after that many years of success, he’s looking to expand — and will do so right next to Melray’s. “Daily, there’s a line out the door at the (current) bakery,” Filippone said. “His big specialty is a pecan ring. He’s also noted for his donuts and cookies — and he has a huge following. We figured we had the space, and he was looking to expand, so the timing is perfect.” The new bakery will feature all kinds of cakes, too, made to order. And Cabrera is certainly no novice to the baking industry. He’s a graduate of the nation’s top culinary school, Johnston and Wales University, Providence, R.I. and before purchasing his first bakery nearly a decade ago, he was a top baker at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. He really knows what he’s doing — so once the bakery’s open, you clearly won’t be disappointed. And there will be plenty for you to choose from once the bakery opens and Melray’s reopens in the spring. So get ready — this spring promises to be a great time in up-andcoming North Arlington. An all-new Melray’s, a great new bakery — and after that, who knows what else?
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THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
03
Newly freed inmate killed in hit-run By Ron Leir rleir@theobserver.com KEARNY – A man who had been held as an inmate at the Hudson County Jail in South Kearny was killed Saturday, March 10, in the early morning hours after he was apparently run over — twice — on a nearby highway. One of the drivers has been charged in connection with the incident. Why the man was on the highway at that time isn’t fully known and a police investigation is ongoing. The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said that at about 1:55 a.m., the Kearny Police Department got a report of a pedestrian “struck by a motor vehicle and lying in a lifeless condition in the center of Old Lincoln Highway (Truck Rts. 1&9) in Kearny.” Reportedly, the location where the body was found was near Central Avenue. The victim – identified as Naphtali Dykes, 30, of East Orange – was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:20 a.m. After arriving at the scene, detectives from the newlyformed Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit found a male motorist who had remained there after realizing he had inadvertently driven over Dykes. That driver was not charged. Further investigation revealed another vehicle was involved in the incident, detectives concluded, and that suspected vehicle was located – along with its alleged operator, listed as Niraj Patel,
21, of Edison, who was charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, a seconddegree crime. The HCPO said Dykes had been released from the Hudson County Jail, 36 Hackensack Ave., Kearny, earlier that morning. Asked for comment, Hudson County Spokesman James Kennelly confirmed Dykes had been an inmate at the jail this past weekend — (he couldn’t immediately say why he was there) — and had been on a list of 43 inmates scheduled for release during the Friday night shift. Kennelly said the “unusually high number” of inmate releases for that shift was due to a backlog having developed with the courts not having been in session earlier in the week due to the snowstorm and Dykes was probably among the last of those inmates being cleared for release. Kennelly couldn’t readily provide the time when Dykes left the jail. Dykes wasn’t a stranger to local authorities. Turns out, according to a story written by Observer correspondent Karen Zautyk on June 21, 2017, Dykes was apprehended on a burglary charge on the night of June 15, 2017, by several members of the Kearny Police Department on Washington Avenue in Belleville – opposite the Municipal Building and Belleville’s police HQ. They had tracked him there after getting calls about an intruder at a Kearny home
Inside this edition ... Opinion....................................................................8 St. Patrick’s Day.......................................................12 Sports & Recreation..................................................13 Health & Wellness Directory.......................................17 Real Estate..............................................................18 Real Estate Directory................................................19 Food & Dining Directory............................................20 Obituaries...............................................................21 Classifieds...............................................................22 Business Directory....................................................24 Tax Time.................................................................25
near Madison Avenue and the Belleville Turnpike, where he’d allegedly gotten inside through an unlocked porch-screen door, but fled after realizing someone was at home. After getting a description of the suspect and direction of flight, the officers canvassed the area and, on Passaic Avenue, got a tip that a man fitting the suspect’s description had
been seen walking across the Rutgers Street Bridge toward Belleville. After he was booked on the burglary charge, Dykes was released on a summons – and, thus, was not transported to the county lockup. This isn’t the first time that a pedestrian has met with death by auto on the highway near the jail. About 10 years ago, KPD Deputy Chief Scott
Macfie recalled, a woman who had been visiting a jail inmate around Christmas Eve was killed while walking on the highway. Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez credited the KPD for assisting in the investigation and the Edison PD for assisting with the arrest of Patel. Suarez said an investigation of the incident continues.
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