On Saturday morning, June 15th, 2024, Jersey City firefighters extinguished a fire at the JC Taekwondo Academy at 150 Newark Avenue. Firetrucks lined the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza and Bay Street, blocking off surrounding streets to put out the fire. Here’s what we know as of Saturday, June 15th.
No residents of the mixed-use building were injured and everyone made it out safely, but one firefighter did suffer injuries, according to the Jersey City Fire Department. The fire department says the fire was originally called in on the Newark Avenue side of the karate school, but upon arrival, officials discovered the fire was mostly in the back of the building along Bay Street. The fire was contained to the first floor of the building, but smoke was seen billowing out of all the windows.
The owner of JC Taekwondo Academy, Felix Claudio, spoke with The Hoboken Girl about the impact of the fire on the school. Felix shared the electrical fire started in the locker room in the back of the school. Crews deemed the fire accidental and said there was no structural damage, but the fire did damage the locker room and Felix’s office. Felix says dozens of community members have reached out to show their support, even former students saying they’re getting on a flight to help the business clean up. Other friends have lent equipment for classes to continue, which Felix says they’re planning on continuing their classes later this week.
Streets surrounding the pedestrian plaza were closed midday Saturday but are now back open.
This is a developing story. We’ll share more information as we learn it. Be sure to follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram + TikTok for the latest Hoboken + Jersey City news, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
New Bagel Shop, B Bagels, Soft Opens in Downtown Jersey City
The bagel scene in Jersey City is small, if we're being honest. But over the last year, a few new bagel shops have entered the growing dough scene. The newest addition is B Bagels, which soft-opened today, Wednesday, January 15th at 367 Grove Street in downtown Jersey City. Read on for more about the newest bagel spot in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Details
The B Bagels news first came from JC Upfront, which covered the story in March 2024 when signage went up, though B's had originally posted on its Instagram in January 2024. The article noted that limited information was available at the time, but it appeared that kettle-boiled, hand-rolled bagels, coffee, and other pastries along with an array of cream cheeses would be available.
Read More: OrGovia: A New Chilean-Puerto Rican Fusion Restaurant in Hoboken
When we first reported on the spot in October 2024, its Instagram hasn't been updated since early 2024 and there was no website — but the spot seemed to have a ghost kitchen operating out of 400 Newark Street in Hoboken found here.
B Bagels shared with The Hoboken Girl back in October that they were aiming for a late October/early November opening.
We now know that B Bagels has officially soft-opened in Chilltown as of Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 — just in time for National Bagel Day. Our friends over at HDSID shared the news of the opening on Tuesday, January 14th via Instagram. See the full post below.
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Originally, B Bagels shared the news of its official JC location in January of 2024:
View this post on Instagram
The Jersey City Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) also shared in October that progress was underway at the new bagel shop. See the full post below.
View this post on Instagram
Other bagel shops are notably joining the ranks in Jersey City: Cheech’s Bagels is a new bagel concept opening at 176 Erie Street in the Swift + Co. building — near Hamilton Park. The owners behind Cheech’s Bagels are Gianluca Fernicola and John Ballan, lifelong friends and Jersey City residents who saw a need for more bagel options in the area. Meanwhile, a recent turnover was City Bagels, which opened and quickly shuttered its doors within a few months' time. Bread Stone itself is now noted as temporarily closed on Google.
Will B Bagels stick? The bagel lovers certainly hope so. Here's the full growing list of bagel spots in Jersey City from our archives.
See More: The Best Bagel Spots in the Montclair Area For Your AM Bagel Run
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