By: Richard L. Smith
Bergen County authorities arrested a 60-year-old Upper Saddle River man following an investigation into gunfire that struck an occupied home in the borough.
According to information released by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, Michael L. Norcia was taken into custody Friday, August 7, after investigators connected the suspected gunfire to the area of his Mill Glen Court property.
Upper Saddle River Police were called to a residence on Hidden Glen Road at approximately noon following reports of possible shots fired.
When officers arrived, they determined that gunfire was suspected of striking the occupied residence. No one inside the home was hit, and authorities reported no injuries.
Given the circumstances, members of the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team and Saddle River Police Department also responded to assist.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad and Bergen County Sheriff’s Office later joined Upper Saddle River Police in the investigation.
Authorities said investigators made contact with Norcia, who lives on Mill Glen Court, an adjacent street that backs up to Hidden Glen Road.
Detectives determined that the gunfire originated from the Mill Glen Court area. Investigators also established that the trajectory of one of the bullets was consistent with a direction originating from the area of Norcia’s property, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Later that evening, detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant at Norcia’s residence. Authorities said firearms and ammunition were recovered during the search.
Norcia was subsequently charged with second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and third-degree endangering another person.
He was lodged in the Bergen County Jail pending further proceedings in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.
The charges are accusations, and Norcia is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
The investigation involved the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Upper Saddle River Police Department and Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.