The Personal Injury Attorney in Hackensack, NJ, You Can Trust

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David M. Zimmer

NorthJersey.com

Opposite the northwest corner of the Hackensack Green, a 150-year-old former bank stands on hallowed ground.

Now housing law offices, the former Bank of Bergen County was built in 1874 as a monument to the county's prosperity. Gleaming in bright red brick, the building was a refreshing example of Victorian Gothic architecture and a display of Hackensack's wealth.

Today, it endures as a reminder of an even deeper history. It serves as a bridge to a time when the site at the corner of what is now Sussex and Main streets held Archibald Campbell's tavern that fed Gen. George Washington during the retreat that made a nation.

It was about dusk when the first of the troops entered Hackensack on Nov. 20, 1776, according to an eyewitness account once kept by the Rev. Theodore B. Romeyn, the mid-19th century pastor of the First Church of Hackensack. They were falling back from a series of disasters that had British generals salivating at the prospects of victory.

"The night was dark, cold and rainy," the account continues. "They marched two abreast, looked ragged, some without a shoe to their feet, and most of them wrapped up in their blankets."

For the previous 18 months, Bergen County had become increasingly involved in the Revolution. The county had been war-torn, trounced by both Patriots and Loyalists seeking to gain key footholds in the conflict.

The drums of battle would beat again after the loss of Fort Washington in Harlem Heights on Nov. 16, 1776. Within four days, 5,000 British and Hessian troops were advancing up the Palisades toward an exposed Fort Lee. The fall of Fort Lee on Nov. 20 added to a string of Patriot mishaps in Long Island, Brooklyn and White Plains, New York.

Washington wrote to Gen. Charles Lee the next day from Hackensack, informing him of the loss of the "fort called by your name" and his decision to move his troops to the west side of the Hackensack River.

Washington had been staying at Peter Zabriskie's home on the north side of the Green.

Some drunk and mostly weary, Washington's troops had left Fort Lee and marched north to Englewood, then southwest along present-day Lafayette Avenue. From there, they turned right on Forest Avenue until they hit Teaneck Road, then called Schraalenburgh Road. They then proceeded north from there to New Bridge Road, where they turned left and proceeded west, crossing the Hackensack River at the "new bridge."

Washington, the head of his army of roughly 3,000, had crossed the "new bridge" at New Bridge Landing first. His troops trudged behind Washington and stayed at Zabriskie's, 50 Main St. His supplies were furnished by the tavern keeper across the street at 41 Main St., Archibald Campbell. As the British camped across the river, their fires shone brightly - stretching more than a mile. Campbell rightly had his concerns.

Before taking his leave, Washington rode to the dock near the crossing and "viewed the enemy's encampment about 10 or 15 minutes," according to the account.

He then returned to Campbell's tavern for some wine and water. Campbell laid his concerns bare for the general.

"With tears streaming down his face, (Campbell) said, 'General what shall I do? I have a family of small children and a little property here; shall I leave them?' Washington kindly took his hand and replied, 'Mr. Campbell, stay by your family and keep neutral,' then bidding him goodbye, rode off'."

By noon the next day, the British had occupied Hackensack. The Green was packed with thousands of Hessian troops in pursuit of Washington.

On Nov. 30, from New Brunswick, Washington wrote of his thoughts on the British tactics.

“They will pay dearly for it, for I shall continue to retreat before them so as to lull them into security,” he wrote.

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In all, Washington's army retreated 90 miles in 19 days before arriving in Trenton. They were there at Christmas in 1776 for the memorable Crossing of the Delaware and victory at Trenton, Washington's first major victory of the war.

For Campbell, the conflict also continued, according to Romeyn's account. His attempts to remain neutral went for naught on the night of March 23, 1780, when an estimated 400 British and Hessian troops burned the former Bergen County Courthouse on the west side of the Green. Campbell was taken prisoner. He had been confined to his bed from a bout of rheumatism and unable to hide when his tavern was raided.

As the story goes, Campbell was able to escape in the confusion and took refuge under the "new bridge." Once it was safe, he returned home. Campbell lived until 1798 and allegedly never had a recurrence of rheumatism.

The Crow's Nest, a family-owned restaurant and pub that has been part of Hackensack's dining landscape for the better part of a century, is closing.

Andreas and Angela Hajiyerou, who have owned the longstanding 400-seat establishment and catering facility for the past 31 years, have sold the property and plan to close it permanently on Oct. 24.

The couple sold it because the offer they got for it was too good to pass up, said their son, Peter Hajiyerou, 40, the restaurant's manager, who along with his brother, Evan, is also a proprietor of the restaurant. Peter has helped his parents run the operation.

"We got a very sweet deal," Peter said. "It would have been insanity to reject the deal."

Plus, he said, it was time for his parents to retire. Andreas is 77. And Angela "is a timeless beauty," said Peter. "She looks like a teenager."

Still, ending the family business is proving difficult.

"It's bittersweet," said Peter. "We’ve spent a lot of time here as a family. We have a lot of memories."

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The Crow's Nest had kept its doors open every day for lunch and dinner, and served what its many fans would say is the best seafood and roast beef in the region. Many of its patrons could be found at its expansive bar on Sundays, gathered to watch football. They also would show up on weekend nights to hear live music. And Andreas and Angela could always be counted on to be there.

"Everyone who comes to The Crow's Nest knows them," Peter said.

And most everyone in Hackensack and surrounding areas knows The Crow's Nest itself. Not only because it's been a local food establishment for longer than many locals have resided in Hackensack, but because, well, you can't miss it.

"We’re right on Route 17 South," Peter said, "within one mile of Route 46, Route 80, the New Jersey Turnpike. Every major artery in northern New Jersey passes by The Crow’s Nest."

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Peter said that the family has told customers and staff of the closing. "A lot of the customers are happy for you and some are resentful you're leaving," he said. "A lot of the staff was sad and upset."

Among them Christie DeMarco, who went on Facebook to say, "After about a decade of working at The Crow's Nest, it is bittersweet to say our last day will be Tuesday, October 24th. Come down and celebrate the years you've all spent with us! This place and everyone who worked, was a patron, a friend, a regular, will be truly missed."

The Crow's Nest is at 309 Vincent Avenue; 201-342-5445, crowsnest.com.

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Emergency crews were cleaning up quite a mess in Bergen County on Monday, following an oil spill inside a home in Hackensack.

The county's Hazardous Materials Response Unit was trying to pump out the oil and minimize the impact on the environment.

The Hackensack Fire Department said hundreds of gallons of Number 2 heating oil spilled into the basement of the home on Maple Hill Drive.

Fire officials said the residents had at some point removed their oil tank, but left the fill pipes intact and were still enrolled in an automatic delivery program. So when the auto delivery came to fill up Monday the oil went through the pipes, which were not hooked up to anything, and as a result gallons of oil spilled into the homeowner's basement.

Heating oil is hazardous to the environment and the fumes can be toxic to people, so the residents were advised to leave their home until the cleanup was finished. Local officials said neighbors were not affected.

Tuesday, fire officials say the homeowners may have missed a crucial step in the oil tank removal process -- the residents did not remove the tank's intake valves.

Experts say while this is not a common occurence, it does happen.

"It goes straight into the basement, and we've seen homes condemned after that because it can be remediated, however ... you can only remediate so much to get rid of that smell of oil before you have to kind of give in and just move on," said John Rango, managing partner at New Jersey Oil Tank Sweep & Geoscan.

Rango told CBS New York homeowner's insurance does not cover messes like this, so it falls into the hands of the homeowners.

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2-minute read

Marsha A. Stoltz

NorthJersey.com

Fourteen years after weight and lane limits were imposed on the East Anderson Street/Cedar Lane Bridge connecting Hackensack and Teaneck over the Hackensack River, construction of its replacement has finally entered the public information stage.

During the construction of the new bridge, traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction, which is nothing new for area motorists. When the Anderson Street Bridge was determined to be structurally deficient in 2012, concrete barriers were brought in and used to block outside lanes, reducing it to one lane in each direction.

At the same time, Bergen County officials placed a 15-ton weight limit on the bridge because of its poor condition, causing NJ Transit buses to be rerouted to Route 4 to cross the river.

A public information meeting will be broadcast on Feb. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss the preliminary engineering phase of the estimated $40 million replacement of the 1971 bridge.

Bergen County officials will jointly host the meeting with representatives of the state Transportation Department, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and the Federal Highway Administration.

The bridge will be replaced using a staged construction sequence, said Derek Sands, deputy chief of staff to Bergen County Executive James Tedesco. The stages include:

"Pedestrian access across the bridge will be maintained during construction," Sands said. "In general, the intent is to have one lane of traffic in each direction maintained for the duration of construction as much as possible."

No exact start date has been set, nor how long the project will last, Sands said, because those time frames depend on the design.

Resolutions of support for the project were passed by Teaneck and Hackensack officials in November 2019. Authorities held two meetings with local officials in June 2022 and early 2023. A community stakeholders meeting was held in April 2023.

Teaneck Township Manager Dean Kazinci described the bridge connecting Teaneck to Hackensack just east of the old Sears building as "a major artery connecting both jurisdictions."

"We are slowly inching forward with preparing finalized plans and continuously seek public input," Kazinci said. "Possibly some type of groundbreaking in 2025-ish? The new design and infrastructure will significantly improve vehicular travel and the safety of pedestrians/bicyclists crossing the bridge."

Kazinci said that although the goal is to avoid closing the bridge at all during construction, "there may be times when closure, in its entirety, is unavoidable."

"As we understand the temporary inconvenience this may cause to area residents, the bigger picture is a modern bridge with significant improvements that will last for many decades," Kazinci said.

Hackensack Mayor John Labrosse and City Manager Vincent Caruso did not respond to a request for comment.

Joe Romano, owner of S&J Shoe Repair on Anderson Street in Hackensack, said he expected "not much" impact on his business from the construction.

"Years ago they closed the bridge for something, and people just went around to the next bridge," Romano said Thursday.

The bridge is the northernmost of three local bridges crossing the Hackensack between Route 4 and Route 80, which is 2½ miles to the south. Closing the bridge would require drivers to take a 2-mile detour north to Route 4 and back, or south to the Salem Street/West Main Street Bridge and back.

INFRASTRUCTURE BOOSTHackensack bridge, in 'poor' condition for years, will be fixed as part of $1B state plan

The bridge is being financed in part through New Jersey's $12 billion federal infrastructure bill.

The meeting will be held online via Microsoft Teams at tinyurl.com/EAB-PIC-Meeting. Call to listen in on audio only at 412-634-6334, Phone Conference ID: 506 340 76.

A meeting transcript can be obtained by calling Joseph Baladi at 201-336-6446 or emailing a request to [email protected] no later than Feb. 20.

Written comments will be accepted through March 28 at: Joseph Baladi, P.E., P.P., C.M.E. Division Head — Planning (Bergen County Project Manager), One Bergen County Plaza, 4th Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601, or by fax at 201-336-6449 or email at [email protected].

For more information on the project, visit Bergen County's webpage: eastandersonbridge.com.

HACKENSACK, NJ - Practices have just begun and soon the regular season will get underway for the high school spring sports all across New Jersey.

That’s welcome news to the players, coaches, and fans of the Hackensack High School softball program.

Sure, they are faced with a challenging schedule, yet the Comets are rightfully enthusiastic about their prospects on the field this spring.

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Hackensack is set for their season opener home game versus Passaic County Technical Institute on April 3.

“Our goal for this season is to finish over .500 and make the (NJSIAA) State playoffs and qualify for the County Tournament,’’ Hackensack head coach Brian Hooper said.

Among the key returning varsity-tested student athletes helping the Comets towards their goals this year are Grace Abraham (third base, senior), Gianna Bruno (center field, senior), Ava DeBaar (left field, senior), Rihanna Hernandez (pitcher, senior) and Briana Darling (short stop, sophomore).

Newcomers hoping to make a positive impression at the varsity level this season for the Comets include Isabella King (first base, freshman), Janae Neal (catcher, sophomore), Giada Oates (third base and catcher, freshman), and Chelsea Pemberton (outfield, freshman).

Leadership will be vital to Hackensack’s success this spring.

“I am looking for the whole senior class to display leadership and lead by example and exhibit positivity every day,’’ Hooper said. “Specifically Grace Abraham, Olivia Schaadt, and Giana Bruno, who will be the captains to ensure everyone is ready to work every day and guide our team to its potential.

“Briana Darling finished in the top of five in the state in stolen bases last year as a freshman. She is one of the most underrated players in the state.’’

The Comets posted eight overall victories last spring and this season they compete in the very tough Big North Conference Freedom Division along with Ridgewood, Northern Highlands, Ramapo and Paramus.

Coach Hooper is well aware that each opponent in the Freedom Division presents a unique and considerable challenge.

He believes that Ramapo and Ridgewood are among the top teams to beat in the Freedom Division.

Hackensack is scheduled to play Ramapo at home on April 19 and again on the road on May 13. They are slated to travel to face Ridgewood on April 22. On May 10, they are scheduled to host Ridgewood.

“We play in the toughest Division in the County,’’ Hooper said. “We look to take strides and surprise some teams this year.’’