Chatham Mail May Be Lost in Truck Fire

State agency working to help residents whose mail never made it to government offices.

The state Department of Treasury is working to assist residents in many Morris County towns whose mail, sent to government offices between Sept. 7 and Sept. 10, burned in a truck fire last month. Affected zip codes begin with 070 to 076, 078, 079, 088 and 089. This includes Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Green Village, Madison, East Hanover and Florham Park, among numerous other towns. All of the mail that was on the truck on Sept. 11 was destroyed in the accident near Hightstown on the New Jersey Turnpike when the truck carrying it burst into flames, according to a press release sent out by Gov. Chris Christie's office. "The U.S. Postal Service now says the blaze and resulting firefighting efforts destroyed nearly every piece of mail …

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After Fire, Angie's Receives $4K in Donations

The funds will help the restaurant owners recover from a recent fire.

Tony Britt and Lori Ann Medico presented the owners of Angie's Luncheonette with a check for $4,000 to help cover expenses from a fire in February. Britt said 54 donors raised the money to help Jimmy and Louise Poulimenos cover expenses incurred after a fire destroyed part of the restaurant on Sunday, Feb. 26. Britt said donations came from as far away as Massachusetts. Many were from more local sources, including Morristown and Florham Park. Medico, the owner of Bliss Clothing and Accessories in downtown Chatham, and Councilman Len Resto presented the check to Louise on Friday. Resto, Britt said, was "an integral member of the team who made this happen." "It was a nice thing to do and you can see how thrilled and touched Louise is," Britt…

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No Injuries in Berkeley Heights Home Fire

Fire officials confirm tree limb fell, pulling wires from electrical box and triggering blaze on Gallinson Drive.

Berkeley Heights firefighters battled a smoky electrical blaze at 231 Gallinson Drive around 9:40 a.m. today, caused by a tree limb that snapped due to heavy winds and fell onto power lines, which were knocked out of the home’s electrical box. Berkeley Heights Fire Chief Anthony Padovano said the homeowners were home when the electrical box in the home’s right wall caught fire and spread into the attic. Heavy winds played a factor in extinguishing the fire, which was placed under control around 10:30 a.m. “We couldn’t open any windows because the wind would have fueled the fire behind the walls and it definitely could have been worse,” Padovano said. Before firefighters could fully extinguish the fire, they had to wait for a Jersey Central…

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After Month's Delay, Angie's Reopens

The Main Street eatery welcomed patrons again after a fire forced them to close.

Angie's Luncheonette celebrated their grand reopening Friday after being closed for over a month. "I'm nervous," owner Louise Poulimenos said. "I don't know why." Poulimenos and her husband Jimmy were forced to close the diner they have operated since 1993 after they suffered damage from a fire. "We're lucky no one was hurt," Louise said, but the fire caused severe damage, especially to the kitchen. From members of the borough's Department of Public Works to customers and old friends, the early part of Friday morning was filled with people waving as they passed the restaurant or stopping in to congratulate the owners on reopening the restaurant. Some stayed for coffee or breakfast, some did not, but most were clearly glad to have the …

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Leonard Resto

11:57 am on Saturday, March 31, 2012

Welcome back, Jimmy & Louisa. You were very much missed. Best wishes for continued success.   more ›

UPDATE: Angie's Restaurant to Open Friday

The Main Street luncheonette was severely damaged by a fire in February.

After being closed for just over a month, Angie's Luncheonette, a Main Street staple in Chatham, is scheduled to open Friday, according to Louise Poulimenos. The restaurant has been closed for a month after a fire mysteriously started in the back of the restaurant. Patrols found a pile of garbage behind the restaurant was on fire and the flames spread toward the back door, police said. The rear and the kitchen of Angie's were damaged by fire, smoke and water, according to police. Insurance covered about half the cost of the repairs and replacements for the restaurant, and Tony Britt and Lori Ann Medico set up a bank account for people to donate money to help cover the rest of the expenses. "We wanted to start a collection to add to …

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Tony Britt

5:41 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012

We are almost halfway to our goal. If you would like to donate via a secure paypal link, here it is below. https://www.paypal.com/cgibin/webscrcmd=_sxclick&hosted_button_id=Q8YR2BPQHT662 If you would like to send a check, please make it payable to " Raymond A. Britt- Angie's Fund" and mail or deliver it to: Bliss Clothing and Accessories, 9 South Passaic Avenue, Chatham, NJ 07928 thank you for …   more ›

Homeless Man Arrested at Scene of Fire

The following arrest information was provided by the Chatham Borough Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Chatham Borough Police and Fire Departments responded to reports a fire on Sunday at approximately 6:52 p.m. Police responded to the area of Commerce Street Sunday evening after receiving reports of large amounts of black smoke in the area, police said. Upon their arrival, police found that a garbage truck belonging to Pryer Disposal was engulfed in flames, according to the police report. Frankie Andrews, 47, a homeless man, was on the scene attempting to put out the fire with buckets of water, police said. The Chatham Borough Fire Department was able to extringuish the fire in aboout 10 minutes, police said. Andrews, who was intoxicated according to police, stated that he was collecting aluminum when the truck caught on fire for unknown …

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Brentwood Road Fire Believed to be Accidental

Police said the cause is still under investigation.

A Brentwood Road house fire that was reported by a 15-year-old resident and a housekeeper resulted in no injuries, according to the owners of the home. Chatham Township Police said that upon the arrival of the first police officer, there was visible smoke pouring from the residence and flames could be seen in the rear of the home. Police said that after speaking with the homeowner and observing visual evidence, fire officials believe that the fire may have started accidently but have yet to confirm the cause. The single family home sustained extensive fire, smoke and water damage. Jim Pignatello, Sr. of the Chatham Township Police Department said that the flames started in the rear of the house and burned the doorway that led from the back…

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OMGs from NJ PDs

A $200 Potty Break, A Mom You Don't Mess With

Patch relays some of NJ's more surprising police reports of the past week.

Police deal with a lot that's dangerous, that's tragic, that's difficult ... and a lot that just makes you do a double-take and ask: "Really?" We're focusing on the latter below, in our new weekly feature, "OMGs from NJ PDs." It's a peek at some of the more surprising, shocking, stunning and occasionally silly police-related incidents reported by New Jersey Patch sites over the last week. He Didn't Cover His Tracks, Literally: New Milford cops showed up in Oradell just before the New Year to help investigate a break-in at a service station. One clue stood out: tracks in the snow leading in and out of the business. Police followed them right to the home the 18-year-old who suddenly found himself their chief suspect.  Gee, Whiz, When You …

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Fuel Spill Closes Route 24

About 100 yards and 50 gallons of fuel spilled into in the westbound lanes of the highway.

A tractor trailer accident caused a fuel spill on Route 24 that closed the highway this morning. The spill was in the westbound lanes in the vicinity of the Mall at Short Hills, near the exit for Chatham, and was reported at just before 5 a.m. The state Department of Transportation closed the highway until just before 8 a.m. to clean the debris from the road, according to a Millburn Fire Department report. There were no reported injuries. The truck, which was without its trailer, veered into the guardrail at the center median, crushing the rail and tearing open the driver side saddle tank, according to the report. There was extensive front-end damage to the truck. About 50 gallons of fuel spilled onto the road, stretching 100 yards. …

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