The Ice Cream Man Cometh

Fair Lawn in the spring and summer is an ice cream truck owner's dream. With plenty of kids, pools, and parks, you'd think that there would be plenty of business to go around. Well, one driver was none too pleased when he saw a rival driver horning in on his turf.

So, he did what any idiot would do. He cut himself and invented a story that he was attacked by the other driver.

It was not clear Wednesday who regularly sells ice cream on Bellair Avenue, but Abdallah, 59, wanted to be the only person driving a truck in the neighborhood, police said.

So when he saw rival driver Abdulaziz Hammoud while he was delivering his Good Humor treats, he made up the story that he hoped would put his competition on ice.

At about 4:30 pm, Abdallah called police to report that Hammoud swerved his truck in front of Abdallah’s, forcing him to stop cold, police said. Hammoud, 48, jumped into Abdallah’s truck and slashed his arm seven times with a dull knife, Abdallah allegedly told police.

Bellair Avenue resident Rina Williams was just returning home from a jog with her dog when she saw the police cars, their lights flashing, sandwiching one of the trucks.

“I thought the police got him because of that annoying ‘helloooo!’” she said.

Williams heard another resident tell his wife, “Honey, the police stopped the ice cream truck!” but said she didn’t think any of her neighbors saw a fight.

Police noticed problems with Abdallah’s story when they brought him to the station, Serrao said.

Because of the angle, the cuts on Abdallah’s arm looked self-inflicted, and it seemed strange that Abdallah would have a slash in his shirt but no marks on the skin underneath, Serrao said.

Police also discovered that Abdallah, of Clifton, and his rival have crossed routes before, with flare-ups in Paterson and Glen Rock in recent weeks and a complaint filed four days ago in Fair Lawn, just a block away.

Abdallah is expected to be charged with filing a false police report.