Kinnelon Residents React to Smoke Rise Deaths

See what people were saying around Kinnelon Thursday on Facebook and Twitter as police investigated the scene where two bodies were found inside a Long Meadow Road home.

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Downed Wires Ignite, Cause Brush Fire in Kinnelon

Police said fire tore through bushes in Smoke Rise.

Downed wires that ignited in bushes caused a brush fire in the Smoke Rise section of Kinnelon Tuesday afternoon, Kinnelon police Lt. John Schwartz said. Police and fire officials responded to the fire off of Ski Trail at 2:23 p.m. Wires remained down after Tropical Storm Sandy swept through the area last week. "The brush fire was set afire by live wires running through bushes," Schwartz said. Schwartz said officials were able to put the fire out quickly. No injuries were reported and no property was damaged. He cautioned residents to avoid all downed wires as they are live and dangerous.

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Man Airlifted After Lacerating Legs With Power Saw

Medevac transports Vermont man to Morristown Medical Center Tuesday.

A Vermont man cut both his legs in a construction accident on Hilltop Road in Kinnelon Tuesday morning. He was flown to Morristown Medical Center and an update on his condition Wednesday was not immediately available. Police said Benjamin Brouthton, 32, was working on a home on Hilltop Road, in Smoke Rise, with a power saw and was bracing a piece of wood with his leg. He was cutting the wood when he lost control of the saw and Kinnelon police Lt. John Schwartz said the saw cut across his right thigh and into his left leg, injuring both legs. Schwartz said a co-worker on the site had tied a tourniquet on the wound before police arrived on the scene at 11:42 a.m. Brouthton was transported to the Kinnelon High School field by Tri-boro First …

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Gourmet Snack Stand Owner Plans to Expand

Kassar's signature meals to be offered at Kinnelon, Bloomingdale fields.

Hold up, hot dogs. Move over, mozzarella sticks. Snack stand chef Greg Kassar is back this baseball season and he's cooking up more pasta, fish and gourmet dishes to feed the hunger of those watching the sport from the sidelines. "We'll still have the same hardcore hot dogs, hamburgers," he said. "What I'm adding in is a little bit more pasta, I'm adding a few more entree items." Kassar operated Snack Bar Haven, a unique snack stand offering gourmet meals such as filet mignon, pasta dishes and more, at the Boonton Avenue field last year. This year, Kassar will be expanding his business to also operate a snack stand at Anderson Field in Bloomingdale (for Tri-boro Little League), a sitting truck snack stand at Delazier Field in Bloomingdale…

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Cops: Intoxicated Woman Drove Wrong Way on Route 23

Police said another motorist stated Rutherford woman almost hit his vehicle.

A Rutherford woman was arrested and charged with DWI Saturday after police said she allegedly was driving the wrong way on Route 23 and almost struck another driver's vehicle. Sherri L. Scali, 41, was charged with driving the wrong way on a one-way street and reckless driving in addition to driving while intoxicated. According to Kinnelon police, Ptl. Keith Kelly responded to a report of a driver heading north in the southbound lane of Route 23 at 2:46 a.m. While Ptl. Kelly was stopped at the intersection of Route 23 and Kinnelon Road, police said a motorist stopped and told Ptl. Kelly that another driver that had passed him had almost struck his vehicle. Ptl. Kelly drove north on Route 23 near the area of High Crest Bridge when he said he…

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Family Copes With Four Days Without Power

Smoke Rise resident said sleeping on the couch is 'getting kind of old.'

Kinnelon resident Vince Lucas admitted he was not prepared for Saturday's storm. "I wasn't taking into consideration that all the leaves were still on the trees," he said Tuesday while using a computer in the Children's section of the Kinnelon Public Library. Tuesday marked the fourth day Lucas and his family, five-year-old Lex, eight-year-old Chiara and his wife, Jill, had been without power. But despite literally being left in the dark, Lucas said he and his wife and children were making the best of their situation. Power went out at about 3 p.m. Saturday at his Brookvale Road home in Smoke Rise. Shortly after, Lucas hopped in his truck, planning to pick up his daughter from gymnastics class in Wayne, when the vehicle slid backwards, …

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Six Charged With Underage Possession of Alcohol in Kinnelon

Teens were allegedly highly intoxicated after leaving Echo Valley Road party.

Six teenagers were charged with underage possession of alcohol after police found them allegedly intoxicated on public property when an Echo Valley Road house party was broken up on Sept. 9. According to Kinnelon police, Smoke Rise security was investigating a suspicious activity report at 11:45 p.m. when Dsgt. David Crouthamel spoke to a homeowner who said his daughter was hosting a party at his residence. When the homeowner was made aware of the party and that underage persons were under the influence of alcohol, he asked everyone to leave. Police said they found three juveniles and one adult walking from Echo Valley Road into the driveway of another home. Upon approaching the walkers, police said Dsgt. Crouthamel noticed a 15-year-old …

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Cyclist Found Lying on Ground After Apparent Hit-and-Run

The following information was supplied by the Kinnelon Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

A 19-year-old Kinnelon man was issued summonses for leaving the scene of an accident after police responded to a call Monday where a 49-year-old cyclist was found lying in the street, his bicycle broken, after being allegedly being hit by a motor vehicle. Andrew A. Argiriou, 19, of Kinnelon, was issued summonses for leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, failure to report an accident and careless driving. According to police, Sgt. Joseph Napoletano responded to the scene at the corner of Kinnelon and Stone House Roads at 11:38 a.m. to find the cyclist lying approximately 30 feet away from his bicycle. The car that had allegedly hit him was not in sight. Police said two witnesses had come forward and reported that they had seen an …

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NorthJersey.com: Smoke Rise Seeks to Keep ATVs Off Roadways

Police chief says loud mufflers help alert drivers that all-terrain vehicles are coming.

Kinnelon's exclusive gated-community Smoke Rise is seeking to keep all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) off its roadways, according to an article printed on NorthJersey.com. While Smoke Rise board members were concerned about safety hazards with the vehicles on the roads and the loud noises they produce, Kinnelon Police Chief John Finkle said the loud noises actually help alert drivers that an ATV is coming. The police department has stationed an electronic sign outside Smoke Rise's east gate asking ATV riders to not ride on the roads. For the full story from NorthJersey.com, click here.

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Historic Smoke Rise Village Inn Offers Delicious Gourmet Food

The Smoke Rise Village Inn serves a nice selection of gourmet foods at affordable prices.

Although The Smoke Rise Village Inn is inside the gated community of Kinnelon, you do not have to be a resident to enjoy the wonderful dining experience you will have there. Since the facility hosts weddings, receptions and other major events in its beautiful historic building, people often overlook The Smoke Rise Village Inn as a place to dine. The Smoke Rise Village Inn has been operated since 1947 and the building is even older. It is part of farm buildings that date back to the 1890s by Francis S. Kinney. It wasn’t until J. Alden Talbot inherited the estate in 1945, with his goal to preserve the appearance of the estate, that the Smoke Rise community began, incorporating shortly after in 1946 as the Smoke Rise Company. Smoke Rise …

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Ariana Cohn-Sheehan

4:58 pm on Monday, May 9, 2011

Hi Michael, The writer has given opinions of bad experiences as well. In last week's review, she wrote about being unimpressed with the cleanliness of the facility http://patch.com/A-gpHy   more ›