Readers send out search parties for all that is missing

The NJ Transit rail transfer station in Secaucus isn't as imposing or as grand as stations of old, but it's a pleasant place to spend some time waiting for a train. You can hear the roar of traffic on the turnpike and imagine thousands of drivers inching their way toward Hudson River tollbooths, poisoning the air in the process.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Prominent Hackensack businessman Jerome S. Some met his untimely demise on Tuesday night, when an allegedly drunk woman in a small SUV ran him down in front of his Prospect Avenue high-rise.

Since then, information about the accident, charges against the woman, her identity and Some's survivors have been presented in The Record in dribs and drabs, and readers still have questions.

Today, another story about Some adds reckless driving to the driving while intoxicated charge reported on Thursday against the woman, who is identified for the the first time as Kathleen Gehm, 63, a registered nurse "through 2009" (L-1).

A reporter also interviewed Some's survivors for the first time, according to today's story, which names three sons ages 23 to 60, and a daughter, 55, but makes no mention of their mother or mothers.

Some, 87, founder and owner of Some's Uniforms on Main Street in Hackensack, would have been 64 when he fathered son Jason, 23, so readers are wondering if he remarried and, if so, was it to a younger woman?

Cone, no flowers

I drove by Some's high-rise today, the Eiffel Tower at 151 Prospect Ave., looking for a bouquet of flowers marking his death, but saw only a traffic cone.

He was struck and killed crossing the street to Bel Posto Restaurant, "running late" for a shareholders meeting of the building's co-op board -- another detail The Record adds for the first time today.

He was on the building's board, and all he gets is a traffic cone?

Safety concerns

Andrea Some, 55, his daughter, is quoted as saying street lighting is inadequate and there should be more crosswalks on heavily trafficked Prospect Avenue, especially at Bel Posto.

"Hackensack needs to take notice and make sure it doesn't happen to someone else," she said.

When will The Record get around to calling city officials and asking them about that?

Not pro Buono

On Page 1 today, readers find a story on the appearance of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono before The Record's mysterious "editorial board."

When Buono identifies Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, a Democrat who has endorsed Governor Christie, as one of the party bosses who is "hostile" to her vision for New Jersey, Staff Writer Melissa Hayes actually calls DiVincenzo for comment and push back (A-6).

Gee. When Chrisite appeared before the editorial board a week earlier, the story that ran on Page 1 last Friday didn't contain any rebuttal to anything the GOP bully said to back his bid for a second term. 

An editorial on A-20 today endorses Newark Mayor Cory Booker over Tea Party crackpot Steve Lonegan, whose racial animus has been clear since he entered the U.S. Senate race. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Four corrections

Four more corrections run on A-2 today, further evidence of a fine job by Production Editor Liz Houlton.

Local yokels

The crack Local staff spins an interesting story about the murder 0f Karen Splettstoesser, who is described as "a statuesque blonde" and a former model from San Francisco, but nowhere does her age appear (L-1).

Deputy Assignment Editor Dan Sforza continues to do such a great job during the prolonged absence of his boss, Deirdre Sykes.

Readers are breathing a sigh of relief that Staff Writer John Cichowski's latest excuse for a Friday Road Warrior column is missing today.

The expanded local obituary today appears to have a punch line: A pastor's grandmother lived in the attic, surely the stuff of an Alfred Hitchcock movie (L-5).

Ung's judgment

I've started to question the judgment of Staff Writer Elisa Ung, The Record's main restaurant reviewer, who seems to be obsessed with only two food groups, meat and dessert.

Today, in her 2-star review of Choripan Rodizio, she claims the Hackensack grill restaurant is "less appropriate for anyone who wants anything other than meat" (BL-18).

I called the restaurant and was told that yes, it still offers two of the best salads I've ever had: Beets, String Beans and Boiled Egg, and Fresh Spinach, Pears, Walnuts and Blue Cheese.

Ung also slams the seafood, but I remember a terrific Filet of Sole Oreganata and crunchy shrimp with linguine.

What gives?

Cuban dilemma

On Thursday, Ung praised a Saddle Brook cafe's medianoche -- a Cuban sandwich made on sweet bread and pressed in a heated grill -- but a photo appears to show a burnt sandwich with unmelted Swiss cheese (BL-1 on Thursday).

She lists the ingredients of an authentic Cuban sandwich, but omits mustard.

Why did she bother? The best Cuban sandwiches in North Jersey are available at La Pola on Palisade Avenue and 54th Street in West New York.

Jerome S. Some was in robust health, son says

Some's Uniforms on Main Street in Hackensack was open for business today, two days after its 87-year-old founder and owner was struck and killed by a car as he crossed Prospect Avenue.

A display window at Some's Uniforms.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Jerome S. Some was 87, but still came into work six days a week, employees at Some's Uniforms on Main Street in Hackensack said today.

Some left his home in a high-rise at 151 Prospect Ave. and started crossing the street when he was struck and killed by a small SUV on Tuesday night.

It was dark, and there is no street lamp in front of Some's high-rise. Witnesses said the driver didn't brake before the impact.

Son Jason Some, 23, said he is glad his father "didn't suffer."

Jason Some said his father smoked as many as 15 cigars a day and could have died a slow death from lung cancer.

The Record reported today that the driver who killed the elder Some -- a 63-year-old woman who hasn't been identified --  was charged with driving while intoxicated (L-1).

Some was dressed in a dark suit to attend a meeting at Bel Posto Restaurant across the street from his high-rise, Eiffel Tower.

City officals called him a "pillar" of the community, and "Mr. Hackensack."

The Record didn't publish a death notice for Some on Wednesday or today, and hasn't listed his survivors.

Details about his life and business activities were included in news stories about his death.

No one has noted how Some was able to live a long life, only to be killed by an allegedly intoxicated driver not far from his front door.

Nor has the paper questioned the lack of crosswalks in the middle of the long blocks of Prospect Avenue, which is lined with high-rises and has the highest population density of any Hackensack neighborhood.

Readers KO'd

The Record continues to pursue the mythical "knockout punch" in its reporting on the debate between Governor Christie and Democratic challenger Barbara Buono (A-1).

Coverage today and Wednesday ignored Christie's stock answer when Buono criticized his vetoes or his mean-spirited policies.

The GOP bully said several times he is "proud" of his alleged accomplishments.

Nor did the paper report Buono's charge that Christie has balanced state budgets on the "backs of the middle class," and fabricated a reason for killing the Hudson River rail tunnels, which would have been a huge job creator.

News frenzy

The Sept. 29 road-rage incident involving a motorcycle pack and the driver of an SUV on Manhattan's West Side Highway appears to have Editor Marty Gottlieb by the balls.

That's the only explanation for the inordinate amount of coverage by the media, including the Woodland Park daily.

Today's front page is dominated by a large photo of an undercover cop, the latest suspect in the ongoing saga (A-1).

On Wednesday, the Road Warrior column explored a silly angle -- the "rules" followed by "well-organized motorcycle clubs."

Can you imagine all the local news and commuting problems that go unreported to get this garbage into the paper?

Screw-ups continue

Today's A-2 carries three more corrections -- only the latest in a series of screw-ups by Production Editor Liz Houlton and her gang of cross-eyed copy, layout and news editors.

The vast majority of errors in the paper and in the Road Warrior column are never corrected.

One example is Wednesday's Page 1 caption under photos of Buono and Christie speaking during Tuesday night's debate in Wayne.

The photos clearly show Buono speaking and gesturing, and Christie speaking, but the caption says they are shown "before" the actual debate.

Those before-the-debate photos appeared on the continuation page.

Second look

On Sunday, Road Warrior John Cichowski reviewed some of the great reporting by Jeff Page, his predecessor, but for some reason didn't tell readers that September marked the 10th anniversary of his own lame efforts.

He apologized for acting "homicidal" and being "a real fool" when a disabled person damaged his car, but did so in the third person.

Readers who want Cichowski to acknowledge all of the errors and misinformation he has been responsible for came up empty.

See the Facebook page for Road Warrior Bloopers to read the full text of an e-mail from a concerned reader.

Driver who killed Jerome Some is charged with DUI

On Tuesday night, Hackensack businessman Jerome Some left his building at 151 Prospect Ave., above, to attend a meeting across the street at Bel Posto Restaurant, below. Some's building, a co-op called the Eiffel Tower, is being renovated.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

The driver who struck and killed a prominent Hackensack businessman on Tuesday night has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Jerome S. Some, the founder and owner of Some's Uniforms on Main Street in Hackensack, was crossing Prospect Avenue when he was struck by a woman who was driving to her job at Hackensack University Medical Center, Eye on The Record has learned.

The woman is said to be in her early 60s.

Some, who lived in a high-rise at 151 Prospect Ave., was crossing the street to attend a meeting at Bel Posto Restaurant, where he was a regular customer.

On Tuesday night, Some was lauded as a "pillar" of the community after Police Director Mike Mordaga informed officials about his death just before a City Council meeting.

Today, The Record reported Some, 87, was killed crossing Prospect Avenue "in the middle of the street, and not at an intersection."

Many questions

The story said the accident occurred at 7:30 p.m., but provided few other details, including where Some lived and where he was going at the time.

Mordaga referred questions to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, which took over the investigation of the fatality.

The Record's story didn't say whether Some has survivors, but employees of Bel Posto at 160 Prospect said he had dinner there about two times a week with relatives.

Should Prospect Avenue have crosswalks mid-block, considering the street is lined with many of the city's high-rise apartment buildings?

A crosswalk or lighted traffic cones would be a good idea for residents of Prospect Avenue who cross the street to patronize Bel Posto, a fine-dining restaurant with a sushi bar.

This afternoon, people who live or work along Prospect Avenue said the driver who killed Some didn't see him and did not brake before the impact.

Some was thrown onto the hood, then rolled off onto the pavement and was run over, they said.

Buono-Christie debate

The Record's coverage of the race for New Jersey governor continues to baffle readers, especially today's Page 1 report on the first debate between Governor Christie and Democratic challenger Barbara Buono.

Staff Writer Melissa Hayes, the reporter assigned to cover Christie, seems to have thrown objectivity out of the window.

Unwilling to say whether Buono or Christie had the edge in the debate, Hayes reports in the first paragraph that they merely repeated "what they have said again and again in appearances across the state."

Here's the first time a reporter has admitted publicly to being bored with an election campaign.