2 hours of vandalism? Where were Teaneck cops?

William D. Hunt, the volunteer chief of the Moonachie Fire Department, isn't paid, but he gets to use this official SUV, shown in the driveway of his home on Prospect Avenue, between Euclid and Ross avenues, in Hackensack. I tried without success to reach the borough administrator to ask if it is proper for Hunt to use the Fire Department SUV to tow his boat, which is in front of the vehicle, as he was doing on Sunday.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The biggest news in The Record today is a vandalism spree that damaged nine cars and three houses in a Teaneck neighborhood -- as reported a day late on Page 1 and on the front of Local (A-1 and L-1).

The story by police reporter Stefanie Dazio notes "the incidents, which began about 9:50 p.m. [on Monday, Memorial Day], appeared to have lasted about two hours, police said."

Where were the normally aggressive Teaneck police, who were said to have overreacted to the senior prank at the high school and who lie in wait for drivers who don't yield to pedestrians on Cedar Lane?

If the incidents began about 9:50 p.m., that explains why The Record -- with its early deadlines and skeleton holiday newsroom staff -- didn't have the story in the paper on Tuesday.

But were the ranks of township police thinned by the holiday or did they just not bother to respond?

Although police are quoted as saying "they don't believe the victims or neighborhood were targeted," Detective Lt. Andrew McGurr also "confirmed that there have been similar incidents in the neighborhood."

That's confusing, and given Teaneck's celebrated diversity, why isn't the neighborhood hit by a bicycle-riding brick and rock thrower identified?

Do many of Teaneck's Orthodox Jews live on the streets where houses and cars were damaged?

Here is another example of a story The Record makes a big deal of, then reports and edits poorly, thanks to the inept local assignment desk run by Deirdre Sykes and Dan Sforza.

Boring front page

The rest of Page 1 today is a boring mix of stories on the pope, tree-damaging insects, a pregnant woman stoned to death (as reported by The Record's bureau in Lahore, Pakistan), and an incomprehensible expose on political contributions and New Jersey's pension funds (A-1).

Is the story saying Governor Christie's questionable ethics are at fault? Hard to tell.

The editors seem to think readers have nothing better to do than to plow all the way to the end of this overlong story, searching between the lines for clues to its meaning.

More rollover news

Today's Local section has two Ridgewood stories, but nothing from Hackensack outside of a criminal case (L-1 and L-3).

The editors needed a large, drive-by photo of a rollover accident to fill the section today with a photo caption that, as usual, tells readers nothing (L-3).

A real fish story

Food Editor Esther Davidowitz makes choosing between wild-caught and farmed-raised fish overly complicated, and her story isn't as consumer friendly as it could be (BL-1).

Davidowitz, who called only expensive markets, fails to tell readers where they can buy relatively inexpensive wild fish, such as Costco Wholesale and the H Mart chain of Korean supermarkets.

And Davidowitz also doesn't mention in her long she said/he said story that Whole Foods Market is the only retailer that guarantees its farmed fish are free of antibiotics and preservatives.

She also could have listed resources such as Blue Ocean Institute for information on mercury in fish or even make the simple point that such small fish as sardines and whiting have far less mercury than bigger fish, including tuna.

Tuesday's paper

After the long holiday weekend, the editors put another tedious Mike Kelly column on the top of Page 1.

In other words, they led the paper with more back-and-forth on the Teaneck High senior prank -- 26 days after it occurred.

Local provided coverage of only three of the many Memorial Day parades (L-1).

And another filler accident photo provides readers with no information, but does identify the makes of the two vehicles involved (L-3).