East Rutherford Police

08/31/2026

⚠️ Hackensack Street and Union Avenue Intersection ⚠️

Weather permitting, the intersection of Hackensack Street and Union Avenue is scheduled to be milled, paved and striped on Tuesday September 1, Wednesday September 2 and Thursday, September 3.

🗓 Work is scheduled to begin at 7am each day and last approximately until 5pm. The intersection will be closed and inaccessible to vehicular traffic, especially when fresh asphalt is laid.

🚧 🚓 🚧 Please follow all posted detours and DO NOT drive around marked police vehicles, 'Road Closed' signage or traffic cones. Please allow yourself more time if you plan on traveling through the area.

🚎 Affected New Jersey Transit busses will be rerouted as needed during the road closures. Contact NJ Transit for any scheduling questions or concerns.

🚦 The traffic light is scheduled to be operational AFTER this work is completed and will be set to a 'warning' flash pattern which is designed to acclimate drivers to the new traffic pattern.

The Borough of East Rutherford
East Rutherford Fire Department
East Rutherford DPW
East Rutherford Recreation
East Rutherford NJ PTA
Rutherford Police Department
NJ TRANSIT

08/26/2026

⚠️⚠️ Potential Scam Alert ⚠️⚠️

We have received several calls from residents reporting that the Bergen County Sheriff's Office has contacted them telephonically and telling them that they have missed Grand Jury and are now being subpoenaed.

We have contacted the Sheriff's Office who confirmed that no such phone calls have been made or will ever be made. Furthermore, their Office will never contact anybody by phone. If you believe you have legitimate business with the Sheriff's Office, please contact them directly to confirm.

This is a stark reminder to be vigilant and properly screen your telephone calls. The East Rutherford Police Department, East Rutherford PBA or the Municipal Court will never call to solicit personal information, financial information or demand any payments.

Our Agency remains dedicated to protecting our residents and implore you to contact Police Headquarters if you believe you have been scammed and provided personal information to the wrong source. While we try to do everything possible to pass along any recent trends to better educate the public, we ask our residents to also educate themselves on the potential scams. Scammers have been known to target our seniors and older residents through telephone, email and text messages.

🚨 Remember, no Police Department will ever ask for money in the form of gift cards or crypto currency!

08/26/2026

On behalf of Chief Dennis Rivelli and members of the East Rutherford Police Department, we extend our condolences to the Secaucus Police Department following the loss of recently retired, Lieutentant Thomas Malanka, Jr.

Our thoughts and prayers are with both the Secaucus Police and with LT. Malanka's family and friends.

It is with a heavy heart that the Secaucus Police Department announces the passing of Lieutenant Thomas Malanka Jr. “TJ,” badge #125, at approximately 0150 hrs. on August 24, 2026.

Lieutenant Malanka served the Secaucus Police Department with honor and distinction from 2002 until June of 2026. His assignments included Patrol Supervisor, Platoon Commander, and Extra Duty Coordinator. Lieutenant Malanka was also a member of the Hudson County Rapid Deployment Force for over a decade. Please keep Lieutenant Malanka’s wife, children, mother and father (Retired Captain Thomas Malanka Sr.) in your prayers during this difficult time.

08/13/2026

For those interested in supporting Colombia after the devastating earthquake. Please see attached post from our brothers and sisters from Carlstadt Police

Anything helps!

🇨🇴❤️ STANDING WITH COLOMBIA

The Carlstadt Police Department is proud to come together with our community to support those impacted by the devastating earthquake in Colombia.

This effort is especially personal to our department. One of our officers has family who was directly affected by the earthquake, and our officer and their family are stepping up to help not only their loved ones, but other families and communities in Colombia who are facing unimaginable loss and hardship.

We invite our Carlstadt community to stand with us and show the same compassion, generosity, and strength that makes our community so special. We are collecting donations of clothing, shoes, blankets and linens, hygiene supplies, non-perishable food, pet supplies, and first aid kits.

📍 Drop-Off Location:
Carlstadt Borough Hall
500 Madison Street, Carlstadt, NJ 07072

🕗 Drop-Off Hours:
Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM

📅 Collection ends August 28th.

Every donation, no matter the size, can make a difference. Together, we can bring hope, comfort, and support to those who need it most.

🇨🇴 Let’s stand with Colombia. Juntos somos más fuertes. ❤️

08/10/2026

Last week, 53 recruits graduated our annual Junior Police Academy. The Recruits reported to Lincoln School, where they were separated into two platoons and taught basic drill commands such as standing at attention, saluting and parade rest. They also participated in a physical assessment by performing push ups, sit ups and a timed shuttle run.

Throughout the week, Recruits observed demonstrations from the Bergen County Sheriff's Office K9 Unit, Bomb Squad Bureau of Criminal Investigation Unit and the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team. Officers from our own Department also completed demonstrations on First Aid/CPR, DWI/DUI detection, handcuffing and watched our Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Unit pilot our drones. Additionally, with the implementation of New Jersey's updated electronic bicycle law, Recruits were given a course on e-bike safety and their new regulations.

The Recruits continued their training with a demonstration on Defensive Tactics/ Brazilian Jujitsu from instructors of Subforcebjj in Lyndhurst. There were also demonstrations from our Motorcycle Unit and the East Rutherford Fire Department.

Recruits attended a field trip to the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department, where they received a demonstration from their Marine Unit. Recruits were brought onto one of their boat units for ride up the Hudson River.

Graduation was held Friday afternoon with family and friends in attendance and the Recruits received certificates signifying their completion of the Junior Police Academy.

This was the 31st Junior Police Academy Class held by our Agency and we look forward to continuing the program in the future.

A special thank you to all the Departments who helped make this program an overwhelming success. We are proud to continue our partnerships.

And we would be remiss if we didn't shout out retired Lieutenant Bill Hopkins and his food truck, Sliderznbowlz, for donating lunch to the Recruits on graduation day.

08/06/2026

⚠️ Central Avenue Closure ⚠️

Be advised that Central Avenue will be closed today until approximately 4pm due to roadway paving. Please follow all posted detours and DO NOT drive around marked police vehicles or traffic cones.

Access to our Borough from Rutherford via Montross Avenue/Maple Avenue will be closed.

Please plan an alternate route and travel safely.

The Borough of East Rutherford
East Rutherford Fire Department
East Rutherford DPW
East Rutherford Recreation
East Rutherford NJ PTA
East Rutherford Police
East Rutherford PBA
Rutherford Police Department

08/04/2026

Congratulations to Chief Sean Farrell who was sworn in as Rutherford Police Chief this evening. Chief Rivelli and Captain Mehegan were on hand to support the new Chief and the Rutherford Police Department. We wish Chief Farrell all the best!

08/01/2026

Congratulations to Rutherford Police Department Chief John Russo!

Best wishes in retirement

07/27/2026

As we look back and reflect the Borough of East Rutherford hosting the FIFA World Cup, including the final championship game, we are reminded of how exciting it was to host an event of this magnitude and the logistics and planning behind ensuring all fans had a safe experience while traveling within the Borough.

Planning for the World Cup began many months in an advance and was a collaborative effort between many Local, County, State and Federal Agencies. Being at the center of it all, The East Rutherford Police Department faced a unique challenge in dealing with much of the activities surrounding MetLife Stadium.

Our Officers served in a variety of roles such as:

Stationary Traffic posts to ensure pedestrian safety near Route 120 and Route 3 as well as maintaining efficient vehicular traffic. Not to mention providing a heavy uniformed presence.

Our Roving Patrol Detail responded to any incidents on our highways and roadways such as motor vehicle accidents, disabled vehicles, suspicious persons/vehicles and provided vehicular escorts to pedestrians who attempted to unsafely cross our highways.

Our Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS/Drone) provided consistent streamed live camera views of any hazardous traffic conditions or suspicious incidents. Our Drone Unit was used extensively throughout the matches hosted in East Rutherford, which provided real-time information to several command posts and centers monitoring the matches.

Our Motorcycle Unit was utilized for increased mobility during heavy traffic which allowed for quicker response times to any calls for service and several high dignitary escorts to and from the Stadium, including the President of The United States and First Lady of The United States.

Our Detective Bureau conducted multiple plainclothes crime suppression details and frequently checked in on the hotels which surround MetLife Stadium.

Our Mobile Command Vehicle was utilized as a secondary communication/dispatch center for all Officers operating near MetLife Stadium. This allowed our Headquarters to operate efficiently when handling calls for service within the Borough.

We are extremely thankful to the agencies who supported and assisted us during the World Cup, specifically the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and their Traffic Safety Operations Unit who provided our Officers additional manpower and a uniformed presence around all our posts.

We are also thankful to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Lyndhurst NJ Police Department, Carlstadt Police, Secaucus Police Department, Rutherford Police Department and the New Jersey Department of Transportation who provided us with additional support and Wallington NJ Police Department North Arlington Police Department and Paramus Police Department who covered security details at the nearby hotels.

We are happy to report that there were zero major incidents during the games hosted in East Rutherford.

07/27/2026

On July 27, 2022, four years ago today, our Department experienced an unprecedented tragedy when our Deputy Chief, Phillip Taormina badge number 124, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. He was an incredible leader who served the Borough of East Rutherford for 27 years. We miss him dearly and the impact he had on this Department everyday.

Please keep his family and members of the Department in your thoughts and prayers today.