Bergenfield was formed on the basis of a referendum held on June 25, 1894, from portions of Englewood Township and Palisades Township.[23][24][25] The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone.[26] The borough was named for its location in Bergen County.[27]
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Bergenfield as its 211th best place to live in its 2010 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.[28] The magazine ranked Bergenfield as its 231st best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live".[29]
NeighborhoodScout named Bergenfield as the safest municipality in the nation in 2012 with more than 25,000 residents[30] and in both 2013 and 2014 they named it as the 2nd safest town in the US only behind Franklin, Massachusetts.[31][32]
In 2019, Bergenfield has dropped in their ratings, falling to number 4.[33]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.91 square miles (7.55 km2), including 2.90 square miles (7.52 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.02 km2) of water (0.31%).[1][2]
Bergenfield has been called the Little Manila of Bergen County.[44][45] Of the 14,224 Filipino population in the county as a whole enumerated in the 2000 Census, 3,133 (22% of the county total) lived in Bergenfield.[46][47] By the 2010 Census, 4,569 Bergenfield residents (17.1% of the population) listed themselves as being of Filipino ancestry,[20] and increasing further to 5,062 (18.4%) by 2016.[48]
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 26,764 people, 8,852 households, and 6,816 families in the borough. The population density was 9,306.5 per square mile (3,593.3/km2). There were 9,200 housing units at an average density of 3,199.1 per square mile (1,235.2/km2). The racial makeup was 52.42% (14,029) White, 7.70% (2,060) Black or African American, 0.31% (84) Native American, 25.60% (6,851) Asian, 0.05% (13) Pacific Islander, 10.12% (2,709) from other races, and 3.80% (1,018) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.52% (7,097) of the population.[20]
Of the 8,852 households, 35.5% had children under the age of 18; 58.7% were married couples living together; 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.0% were non-families. Of all households, 19.4% were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.46.[20]
23.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.8 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $82,546 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,568) and the median family income was $99,963 (+/− $5,602). Males had a median income of $52,891 (+/− $2,058) versus $50,443 (+/− $2,598) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,034 (+/− $2,133). About 3.9% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.[49]
Same-sex couples headed 62 households in 2010, an increase from the 51 counted in 2000.[50]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[17] there were 26,247 people, 8,981 households, and 6,753 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,065.4 inhabitants per square mile (3,500.2/km2). There were 9,147 housing units at an average density of 3,159.3 per square mile (1,219.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 62.90% White, 6.90% African American, 0.24% Native American, 20.41% Asian (5,357 Asian), 0.02% Pacific Islander, 6.47% from other races, and 3.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.05% of the population.[42][43]
There were 8,981 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.41.[42][43]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.[42][43]
The median income for a household in the borough was $62,172, and the median income for a family was $71,187. Males had a median income of $42,074 versus $35,137 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,706. About 2.6% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.[42][43]
Economy
Prestige Records, a major producer of jazz recordings that was established in 1949, had its offices in Bergenfield from the mid-1960s until its sale in 1972.[51]
Arts and culture
The infamous group suicide of the "Bergenfield Four" took place in March 1987 and received worldwide attention.[52][53] The victims were four local high schoolers, ages sixteen to nineteen, and their mutual deaths by carbon monoxide were followed by a rash of copycat attempts.[54][55] The suicides are examined in sociological perspective in Donna Gaines' Teenage Wasteland (1998).[56][57] References in the arts include the Tom Russell song "Bergenfield" (1989),[58] and the Alice Donut song "New Jersey Exit" (1988).
Several scenes for the Harlem Globetrotter 1954 film Go, Man, Go! were filmed at Franklin School, and along nearby Prospect Avenue. Those scenes included actors Dane Clark (portraying Abe Saperstein) and Patricia Breslin (playing Sylvia Saperstein). Many of the school's 5th grade boys were used as extras.[62]
On May 4, 2006, the ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Bergenfield to build a home for the Llanes family on New Bridge Road. The episode aired as the pre-season two-hour special originally broadcast on September 17, 2006.[63] The Llanes sold their home in 2012 and went to live with relatives because their taxes increased beyond their ability to pay, having risen from under $6,500 in 2007 to more than $15,000 five years later due to the increased assessed value of the home following the renovation.[64][65]
Sports
On July 22, 2007, the Team Bergenfield Roller Hockey Club, won the NARCh National Roller Hockey Championship defeating the Nor-Cal Patriots 6–5 in Estero, Florida. Team Bergenfield went 6–0–1 in the tournament en route to winning the Men's Silver Championship. The team formed in Bergenfield in 1994 and is one of the longest running roller hockey clubs in the United States.[66]
Government
Local government
Bergenfield is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[67] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[7] The borough form of government used by Bergenfield is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.[68][69]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of Bergenfield is Democrat Arvin Amatorio, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023; a former borough council member, Amatorio narrowly unseated Republican Norman Schmelz in the 2019 election.[70] Members of the Borough Council are Council President Marc Pascual (D, 2023), Salvador S. "Buddy" Deauna (D, 2025), Ora C. Kornbluth (D, 2025), Thomas A. Lodato (D, 2024), Rafael Marte (D, 2023) and Hernando D. Rivera Mejia (D, 2024).[3][71][72][73][74][75][76]
In January 2020, the borough council selected Marc Pascual to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Arvin Amatorio until he steeped down to take office as mayor.[77]
In January 2017, the borough council selected Rafael Marte to fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Chris Tully until he resigned from office earlier that month.[78]
Federal, state and county representation
Bergenfield is located in the 5th Congressional District[79] and is part of New Jersey's 38th state legislative district.[80]
Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by a Board of County Commissioners comprised of seven members who are elected at-large to three-year terms in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each November; a Chairman and Vice Chairman are selected from among its seven members at a reorganization meeting held every January. As of 2024[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.[87]
As of 2022, there were 18,848 registered voters in Bergenfield.[109] As of 2011, there were a total of 14,083 registered voters in Bergenfield, of which 5,139 (36.5% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,151 (15.3% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 6,782 (48.2% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 11 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[110] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 52.6% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 69.2% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).[111]
In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 7,395 votes (63.4% vs. 54.2% countywide), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 3,745 votes (32.1% vs. 41.1% countywide) and other candidates with 305 votes (2.6% vs. 3.0% countywide), among the 11,653 ballots cast by the borough's 16,298 registered voters for a turnout of 71.5% (vs. 73% in Bergen County).[118] In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 6,665 votes (62.7% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 3,773 votes (35.5% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 91 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 10,624 ballots cast by the borough's 15,285 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.5% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).[119][120] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 6,410 votes (57.6% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 4,561 votes (40.9% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 70 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 11,138 ballots cast by the borough's 14,721 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.7% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).[121][122]
In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Democrat Phil Murphy received 66.5% of the vote (3,822 cast), ahead of Republican Kim Guadagno with 32.3% (1,858 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (65 votes), among the 5,891 ballots cast by the borough's 15,631 registered voters (146 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 37.7%.[123][124] In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 59.2% of the vote (3,576 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 40.0% (2,416 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (47 votes), among the 6,214 ballots cast by the borough's 14,629 registered voters (175 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.5%.[125][126] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 3,463 ballots cast (53.9% vs. 48.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 2,599 votes (40.5% vs. 45.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 276 votes (4.3% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 29 votes (0.5% vs. 0.5%), among the 6,420 ballots cast by the borough's 14,488 registered voters, yielding a 44.3% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).[127]
Emergency services
Police
The Bergenfield Police Department provides police services to the Borough of Bergenfield. As of 2010, there are a total of 46 sworn officers in the department, 8 civilian telecommunicators, and three civilian Records Bureau employees.[128]
The force is responsible for all aspects of policing in the borough, including responding to fire and medical emergency calls. Each patrol car is equipped with a first aid kit, oxygen tank, and an Automated external defibrillator.
Fire
Started in 1905, the Bergenfield Fire Department (BFD) has three independent fire companies and a career staff.[129]
Ambulance
The Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. (BVAC) was formed in 1941 as the "Bergenfield Volunteer Firemen's Ambulance Corps." Renamed the "Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc." and established as an organization independent of the Bergenfield Fire Department in 1981, BVAC is located at 1 Froelich Street in Bergenfield. The BVAC is a volunteer independent public emergency medical service. As such, they do not bill for services. BVAC is funded by donations from the public as well as limited funding from the borough.
The corps provides basic life support, and is staffed by certified emergency medical technicians. BVAC has four ambulances, one first response SUV, and one EMS Support Unit. Dispatching is provided by the Bergenfield Police Department's 9-1-1 center.
The primary jurisdiction of the BVAC is the Borough of Bergenfield, but the corps also responds to requests for mutual-aid from the neighboring First Aid Squads of Dumont, New Milford, and Teaneck.
The BVAC is a member of the New Jersey State First Aid Council.[130]
Education
Students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade are educated by the Bergenfield Public Schools.[131][132] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of seven schools, had an enrollment of 3,666 students and 283.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1.[133] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[134]) are
Franklin Elementary School[135] with 345 students in grades K-5,
Hoover Elementary School[136] with 261 students in grades K-5,
Jefferson Elementary School[137] with 278 students in grades K-5,
Lincoln Elementary School[138] with 410 students in grades PreK-5,
Washington Elementary School[139] with 300 students in grades K-5,
Roy W. Brown Middle School[140] with 855 students in grades 6-8 and
Bergenfield High School[141] with 1,203 students in grades 9-12.[142][143]
Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.[144][145]
Transportation
County Route 39 (Washington Avenue) in Bergenfield
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 60.50 miles (97.37 km) of roadways, of which 54.75 miles (88.11 km) were maintained by the municipality and 5.75 miles (9.25 km) by Bergen County.[146]
Main roads include Washington Avenue, Main Street, Prospect Avenue, River Edge Road and New Bridge Road.
Bergenfield is one of a growing number of districts to form a SID (Special Improvement District). Bergenfield's Special Improvement District stretches a mile along Washington Avenue from Teaneck to Dumont has been promoting the local businesses for several years. Its mission is to inform people about Bergenfield's shopping district and its over 50 international restaurants and food stores within one mile.[150]
^History of Bergen County, p. 336 ff. shows an incorporation date of July 17, 1894.
^Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 1, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year."
^Stevens, Jean. "Popular roast pig finds a following in North Jersey", Herald News, September 12, 2007. "One might find more lechon in Passaic these days. The city may be North Jersey's next so-called Little Manila, following Bergenfield, Bloomfield and Belleville."
^Pizarro, Max. "Rivas and Soriano champion Corzine and Christie respectively in Bergenfield", PolitickerNJ, July 12, 2009. Accessed September 6, 2017. "'I think people see him as an everyday man who is upset about the situation we are facing in New Jersey,' the reverend said today as he made the rounds with Christie from one vendor's booth to the next in a town dubbed Bergen's little Manila, home to 15,000 Filipino-Americans."
^Fields, Joe. "Ozzie Cadena: (9/26/1924 – 4/9/2008)", JazzTimes, March 2009. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Bob Weinstock, the owner of Prestige, and Ozzie stayed friendly through the years. Weinstock rarely went to the Prestige office in Bergenfield, N.J. He felt his privacy was compromised there."
^Hanley, Robert. "Four Jersey Teen-agers Kill Themselves in Death Pact", The New York Times, March 12, 1987. Accessed July 14, 2014. "All four, Mr. McClure said at a news conference, were very troubled. The older three had dropped out of Bergenfield High School before graduation, and Lisa Burress had recently been suspended from classes."
^Schoemer, Karen. "Sounds Around Town", The New York Times, July 24, 1992. Accessed May 16, 2012. "Bergenfield, from his album Poor Man's Dream"(Philo/ Rounder), is a look at suburban teen-age suicide."
^Lustig, Jay. "'Lies,' The Knickerbockers", Institute for Nonprofit News, December 15, 2014. Accessed April 4, 2016. "In 1958, Randell (then still known by his birth name, Billy Crandall) played sax for the Bergenfield-based Royal Teens on their novelty hit, 'Short Shorts.'"
^O'Brien, Rebecca. "Bergenfield family's 'Extreme Makeover' dream come true turns into a burden", The Record, September 28, 2012, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 16, 2016. Accessed September 6, 2017. "In 2002, 141 New Bridge was assessed at $117,300. Last year, it was assessed at $443,800 — well above Bergenfield's average home value. Today, the home is listed for $449,000. The family paid $6,488 in taxes in 2007 and over $13,000 in 2011, records show. The real estate listing puts 2012 taxes at more than $15,000."
^Tagala, Don. "New Jersey borough elects 2nd Filipino-American mayor", ABS-CBN, November 7, 2019. Accessed ay 5, 2022. "Trump-style mudslinging from incumbent Republican Mayor Norman Schmelz did not stop Filipino-American candidate Arvin Amatorio from becoming the next mayor of Bergenfield, New Jersey on Tuesday's election. Democratic council president Arvin Amatorio unseated Schmelz by at least 166 votes, making him the second Filipino-American to win as mayor of Bergenfield borough, home to more than 5,000 Filipinos."
^DeVencentis, Philip. "Former councilman tapped to fill vacancy in Bergenfield", The Record, January 18, 2017. Accessed May 22, 2017. "Rafael Marte, a former councilman, returned to public service Tuesday to fill a seat on the Borough Council vacated by Christopher Tully, who recently resigned. The council selected Marte, 53, a Democrat, from a pool of three candidates chosen to fill the post through the end of the year by the borough's Democratic party leaders."
^Biography, Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Josh now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben."
^Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Democrats pick Bergenfield councilman to fill vacancy on Bergen County commissioners board", The Record, March 13, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. "A Democratic councilman from Bergenfield will be sworn in as a Bergen County commissioner Wednesday night, filling a vacancy on the governing body for almost 1 million residents. Rafael Marte will serve until Dec. 31, taking on the unexpired term left by former Commissioner Ramon Hache, a Democrat who resigned last week to lead the Ridgewood YMCA as its chief executive officer."
^Bergenfield Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Bergenfield Public School District. Accessed July 8, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Bergenfield School District. Composition: The Bergenfield School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Bergenfield."
^Katz, Bobbie. "Harry Basil: Gee, That's Funny!", Vegas Insider Daily, February 23, 2015. Accessed March 18, 2016. "Originally from Bergenfield, New Jersey, as a youngster, he turned his backyard into a film studio and shot dozens of super 8 action and horror films."
^Hertzel, Bob. "Eufemia Playing for Purest Motives", The Record, March 2, 1995, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 7, 2016. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Frank Eufemia once was a major league pitcher. Today the right-hander from Bergenfield becomes a replacement pitcher."
^Women's Basketball Signs Four to 2021-2022 Class, Fairleigh Dickinson Knights women's basketball, November 15, 2020. Accessed October 13, 2020. "Expected to join the Knights for the 2021-22 campaign are Ella Fajardo, Allie McGinn, Miranda Elebring, and Maddisyn Mahoney. Fajardo is a guard from Bergenfield, N.J., McGinn is a forward from Staten Island, N.Y., Elebring is a forward from Sweden, and Mahoney is a center from Latham, N.Y."
^Loos, Ted. "Where Death Shall (or Shall Not) Have Dominion", The New York Times, May 10, 1998. Accessed May 16, 2012. "Mr. Fitzgerald grew up mostly in Bergenfield, N.J. He attended Cooper Union in Manhattan, but at the age of 19, he transferred to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax."
^Hernandez, Cava. "George Gately : Creador del gato Heathcliff", El Mundo, October 6, 2001. Accessed November 20, 2007. "George Gately Gallagher nació en Queens Village, Nueva York, en 1928, meses antes de que estallase la Gran Depresión. Pero, a todos los efectos, hay que considerarle un habitante de New Jersey, en cuya localidad de Bergenfield es donde transcurrieron su infancia y su adolescencia."
^Park, Eunnie. "An original 'Jersey Boy' returns to Bergenfield", The Record, March 31, 2007, copy at Bergenfield HS Alumni. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Before Jersey Boys and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Gaudio was a 15-year-old musical whiz from Bergenfield who had to decide between staying in school and touring with Chuck Berry."
^Rotella, Mark. "Straight Out of Newark", The New York Times, October 2, 2005. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Originally from the Bronx, Mr. Gaudio had, at age 15, written the hit "Who Wears Short Shorts," which he made up while driving with friends along the main drag in Bergenfield."
^"Caligula: Special 20th Anniversary - Cast and Crew of Caligula", Penthouse, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 24, 2001. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Coming from a conventional background--he was born in Brooklyn, raised in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and educated at Blair Academy--Guccione became interested in less than conventional activities after he left school."
^Bercovici, Jeff. "Mr. G, where might you be? Nary a peep on Penthouse publisher's eviction", Media Life August 11, 2003, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 7, 2016. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Guccione, who is originally from Bergenfield, N.J., bought his 45-room, 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) mansion back in Penthouse's 1970s heyday. Located on East 67th Street between Central Park and Madison Avenue, its décor includes a swimming pool modeled on a Roman bath and a collection of paintings by the likes of Picasso and Matisse."
^Rosen, Jane Calem. "Local rabbi new head of interfaith center", New Jersey Jewish Standard, August 9, 2007. Accessed September 6, 2017. "As commutes go, his daily trip to and from his home in Bergenfield to his job in Fairfield, Conn. isn't too bad, said Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn, the new executive director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding at Sacred Heart University."
^Miller, Jonathan. "He Fought the Law. They Both Won.", The New York Times, January 22, 2006. Accessed September 6, 2017. "The child of Filipino doctors, Mr. Lat grew up in blue-collar Bergenfield and well-to-do Saddle River, where his neighbors included former President Richard M. Nixon."
^Yorio, Kara. "My Hometown: North Jersey's 'Produce Pete' Napolitano", The Record, September 1, 2013, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 24, 2016. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Napolitano carried that lesson and many others through his life as a father, television personality and businessman. He wanted to make things better for his children. He and his wife lived in Bergenfield from 1969 to 1999 so his two children would have a consistency he lacked."
^Bloom, Susan. "Growth Stock: Produce Pete explains why Jersey produce beats all.", New Jersey Monthly, March 14, 2011. Accessed September 6, 2017. "The Jersey born and raised fruit-and-vegetable guru affectionately known as Produce Pete is as authentic as his Bergen County roots and the Garden State produce he proudly promotes. Following years of hard work running Napolitano's Produce, a family business in Bergenfield, this affable Jersey guy has become a local celebrity, known for his enthusiastic Saturday-morning segments on NBC's Weekend Today in New York, his role as a print and broadcast spokesman for the A&P family of supermarkets, and his appearances on such shows as The View."
^"Harpist Plays To Notables While in Italy", Ridgewood Herald-News, June 19, 1952. Accessed February 6, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Beatrice Schroeder, concert harpist of Bergenfield, formerly of Ridgewood, left last month by plane for Rome, Italy, to present a recital in Genoa before starting on a vacation tour of France, Switzerland and Italy."
^Martin, Douglas. "F. J. Thompson, 69, Longtime P.O.W., Dies", The New York Times, July 18, 2002. Accessed May 16, 2012. "Floyd James Thompson was born in Bergenfield, N.J., on July 8, 1933, the son of a bus driver. He worked in a grocery store and graduated from Bergenfield High School in 1951."
^Capitani, Cindy. "Happy Birthday To Former Englewood Playboy Bunny Jacklyn Zeman", Englewood Daily Voice, March 6, 2017. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Zeman was born in Englewood on March 6, 1953 and raised in Bergenfield, graduating from Bergenfield High School when she was 15."
Sources
Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
United States
New Jersey
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