West Milford is my old hometown, where I spent the vast majority of my grade school years, and also quite a few of my adult years. In fact, it is still where my parents live, and has continued to play an important part in the lives of family members, including my son.
But there are times when this town also stands out for the wrong reasons. This story would be one of those situations, where an element of truth that is less than savory regarding this town has some light shed on it.
There were a few former classmates who posted this story on Facebook. One of them, a very intelligent and thoughtful man who made a good life for himself well outside of West Milford, posted this and added a comment to the effect that he really did not miss his old town.
And although I have not left far enough to be able to say that I miss it, since I still regularly visit it, there are instances like these when it dawns on me that perhaps it would have been better simply to make a clean break from it. Because, admittedly, this is not just this one man. It seems to be a pervading, stubborn side that aptly describes many people in this town. Without exaggeration, there are times when I have driven through town, and wondered if it would not have felt out of place in another place and another time - like say, the Deep South, during the days when it was resisting desegregation, for example. I wish I was kidding, but all of the Trump stickers and Confederate battle flags that I have seen proudly displayed would suggest a different reality.
True, being a Jets fan is more than a little frustrating. While the Giants are actually my favorite team, I have also been a fan of the Jets since the first time I started getting into the NFL. But they are a maddening team to be a fan of, admittedly. There is a reason why the local running joke among local Jets fans uses the franchise name against them: JETS = Just End The Season.
Get it?
But there is something far more serious going on here, and that is not easily hidden simply because the guy responsible for getting drunk and then getting behind the wheel blames his woes on the seemingly cursed local football team.
So, while it is somewhat understandable that the New York Jets can be very frustrating, and indeed, perhaps make a fan want to drink enough to forget yet another miserable Sunday afternoon for Gang Green (and my Giants, for that matter, in recent seasons), it is hardly surprising that a local West Milford man was someone who took it this far, to the point that he literally reeked of alcohol, and then opted to get behind the wheel and endanger other people's lives. Then, this guy seems almost to make a joke out of it, one that some other locals also see as a joke, even though the consequences could just as easily have been anything but a joke, had something happened. And some township locals almost secretly seem to take pride in the fact that this guy comes from West Milford.
Stay classy, West Milford.
West Milford driver tells police he drank too much because 'the Jets suck' Rodrigo Torrejon and Kaitlyn Kanzler, North Jersey Record, Nov. 13, 2018:
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/wayne/2018/11/13/west-milford-man-tells-police-drank-too-much-because-jets-suck/1987902002/?fbclid=IwAR2igXdEFhQkdoJK2XlDpkQjvb1aQ5pr-K3k8NPxeQHdcQ_62ziihybjykY
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