In light of the suspicious-luring incident reported here in Bergenfield on October 22, which remains under investigation, the recent luring attempts in New Milford and throughout northern New Jersey, and the horrific event that unfolded Tuesday in southern New Jersey, an 8:00 pm curfew will be imposed on October 30 and October 31 for all persons under 18 years of age during the Mischief Night/Halloween activities. The curfew will apply to all persons on the street within the Borough of Bergenfield.
With Halloween approaching the possibility of large numbers of children on the streets creates too rich a target environment for pedophiles especially given current events throughout the area. The Borough of Bergenfield has an ordinance in place (Chapter 138 CURFEW) that addresses the issue of juveniles in public places between the hours of 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. The Police Department believes that based on the events described previously, the need to change the time to 8:00 pm is a way to keep our children safer. Adding in the adult supervision is the best deterrent to avoiding any crime or incidents that could occur.
The details of the curfew for October 30 and 31 are as follows:
• Children and teens under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 yrs. of age or older after 8:00 pm.
• Those found without an adult escort after 8:00 pm will be brought to Bergenfield Police HQ where an adult over 21 yrs. of age will be contacted to take custody.
We are requesting that parents be especially vigilant over their children while trick or treating and report suspicious activity immediately to your local police department.
The Bergenfield Schools’ Superintendent has been informed and will disseminate the same information. It will also be placed on the Borough of Bergenfield website (www.bergenfieldboro.com), The Bergenfield Police Department website (bergenfieldpd.org), NIXLE (SMS + Email alert), and the Bergenfield Police Department Twitter account (bergenfieldnjpd) and local news outlets. The New Milford and Dumont Police Departments have also implemented the same curfew for those dates.
Chief Michael T. Carr
Bergenfield Police Department
198 N Washington Ave
Bergenfield NJ 07621
