Violent Robber Who Preyed On Prostitutes At Secaucus Hotels Captured, Police Say Violent Robber Who Preyed On Prostitutes At Secaucus Hotels Captured, Police Say
Violent Robber Who Preyed On Prostitutes At Secaucus Hotels Captured, Police Say One of two men who forced their way into motel rooms and robbed prostitutes and their customers in Secaucus were seized by police, authorities announced Friday. Kendall Smith, 32, of Jersey City and a second man committed at least three violent robberies beginning May 17 at the La Quinta Hotel, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Smith and his companion “forced their way into the victims’ hotel room while brandishing knives,” the chief said. “After a struggle, the suspects fled the area with some of the victims’ money, personal belongings and documents.” Two weeks later, they did the…
6-Year-Old NJ Girl Dies When Piece Of Badminton Racquet Pierces Skull On Lake Vacation 6-Year-Old NJ Girl Dies When Piece Of Badminton Racquet Pierces Skull On Lake Vacation
6-Year-Old NJ Girl Dies When Piece Of Badminton Racquet Pierces Skull On Lake Vacation What was supposed to be a fun game of badminton on a family vacation became a tragic nightmare for one Sussex County family earlier this month. The Morgan family was enjoying lunch during a trip to a lakeside cottage on Maine around noon Saturday, June 1 when they heard screaming. The aluminum shaft of a badminton racquet her 10-year-old brother was playing with became dislodged from the wooden handle, causing the shaft to strike 6-year-old Lucy Morgan, who had been sitting on the sidelines, in the head, piercing through her skull, Maine State Police said. The Stockholm girl was rushe…
UPDATE: Teens Crawl From Fiery Rollover Crash On PIP UPDATE: Teens Crawl From Fiery Rollover Crash On PIP
Update: Teens Crawl From Fiery Rollover Crash On PIP Two teenagers crawled from their overturned vehicle as it burst into flames on the Palisades Interstate Parkway, responders said. One of them was taken to the hospital with minor injuries by the Closter Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Corps following the northbound crash between Exits 1 & 2 shortly before 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6. "I heard a loud screech!" another northbound driver wrote. "Looked in mirror and the car was standing up/down, then flipped!" The crash jammed northbound traffic, with several drivers pulled onto the shoulder so emergency vehicles could pass. The Mercedes B…
NYPD Officer Charged In South Jersey Road Rage Shooting, Prosecutor Says NYPD Officer Charged In South Jersey Road Rage Shooting, Prosecutor Says
Nypd Officer Charged In South Jersey Road Rage Shooting, Prosecutor Says An NYPD officer has been charged in a South Jersey road rage incident in which a motorist was shot, authorities said. Hieu Tran, 27, of Yonkers, — an officer with the NYPD — was charged on Thursday, June 6 with first-degree attempted murder and other charges for the shooting of a 30-year-old Voorhees Township man.  On Friday, May 17, at approximately 11 p.m., officers from the Voorhees Township Police Department responded to a multi-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of Route 73 and Cooper Road.  Police found one of the drivers was suffering from a&nbs…
NJ Sikhs Terrorized By Texas Man Who Threatened To 'Show Them Heaven': Feds NJ Sikhs Terrorized By Texas Man Who Threatened To 'Show Them Heaven': Feds
NJ Sikhs Terrorized By Texas Man Who Threatened To 'Show Them Heaven': Feds A Texas man threatened to forcibly shave the “top and bottom hair” of a South Jersey Sikh activist, make that person smoke and eat tobacco and “show [them] heaven,” federal authorities charged. Bhushan Athale, 48, left seven voicemails of hate over the course of a single hour on Sept. 17, 2022, threatening to kill his primary target -- along with fellow members of a Sikh nonprofit organization in Burlington County – with a razor blade, they said. The voicemails, from Dallas, were “filled with violent imagery and obscenity” and “contained references to places, people and tenets that are part…
SICK BURN: Spurned Woman Sets Fire To Ex-BF’s Garfield Apartment, Authorities Charge SICK BURN: Spurned Woman Sets Fire To Ex-BF’s Garfield Apartment, Authorities Charge
Sick Burn: Spurned Woman Sets Fire To Ex-BF’s Garfield Apartment, Authorities Charge 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A woman who vowed to torch her ex-boyfriend's Garfield apartment carried out the threat, said authorities who arrested her after reviewing surveillance video and other evidence. Allison G. Gutierrez-Tuesta, 25, had previously damaged the victim’s car and assaulted him when he ended their relationship, according to local investigators. Shortly after 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 28, she ignited two areas of his second-floor Passaic Street apartment near the Garfield train station, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. One was in his bedroom and the other in the hallway. Gutierrez-…
Woman, 22, Tells Authorities She Was Sexually Assaulted In JC By Stranger Who Picked Her Up Woman, 22, Tells Authorities She Was Sexually Assaulted In JC By Stranger Who Picked Her Up
Woman, 22, Tells Authorities She Was Sexually Assaulted In JC By Stranger Who Picked Her Up A 22-year-old woman told authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a stranger whose car she got into near Jersey City's Journal Square. The woman told police she voluntarily got into a white vehicle after the stranger approached her around 7 a.m. Sunday, June 2, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The driver then headed to the area of Eighth and dead-ended Division Street by the Roberto Clemente Sports Complex in the shadow of the New Jersey Turnpike overpass, she said. It was there, the woman told police, that she was sexually assaulted, Suarez said. A person of intere…
Dispatchers Save Abducted Woman, Driver Arrested For Kidnapping At GWB, Cops Say Dispatchers Save Abducted Woman, Driver Arrested For Kidnapping At GWB, Cops Say
Dispatchers Save Abducted Woman, Driver Arrested For Kidnapping At GWB, Cops Say Cool-headed police dispatchers from Edison Township are being credited with helping a woman abducted during a domestic dispute. Port Authority police later charged 39-year-old Chukwuebu D Emegoakor with kidnapping, criminal restraint, false imprisonment, terroristic threats and other offenses. The woman who was abducted called 911 at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, and was patched through to Edison dispatchers, police said.  Dispatchers kept the woman on the phone as the man drove toward New York City, with Edison police sending alerts to other departments, according to Edison…
NABBED: Second Teen Wanted For Paterson Murder From Last Fall Captured In Pennsy NABBED: Second Teen Wanted For Paterson Murder From Last Fall Captured In Pennsy
Nabbed: Second Teen Wanted For Paterson Murder From Last Fall Captured In Pennsy 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 19-year-old fugitive wanted for killing a 23-year-old Morris County man and wounding two others in a hail of gunfire in Paterson last fall was captured in Pennsylvania, authorities announced on Thursday. The arrest of Brayan Caraballo follows the seizure of a 16-year-old boy three weeks after the Oct. 3 broad-daylight ambush at the corner of Broadway and Rosa Parks Boulevard. Jerrell Wright was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center shortly after the 3:47 p.m. shooting, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge…
SEEN HIM? Bicycle-Riding Burglar With 20-Year Rap Sheet Strikes Again (And Again) In Teaneck SEEN HIM? Bicycle-Riding Burglar With 20-Year Rap Sheet Strikes Again (And Again) In Teaneck
Seen HIM? Bicycle-Riding Burglar With 20-Year Rap Sheet Strikes Again (And Again) In Teaneck A 40-year-old bicycle-riding burglar who’s been at it for more than half his life is being sought by Teaneck police after he climbed in through one resident’s window and tried breaking into another’s car, authorities said. A bail reform poster boy if ever there was one, Aley Beretay has been busted dozens of times since 2002 -- although never for anything significant enough to put him away for very long. Late November, for instance, Teaneck police arrested for stealing a bicycle barely 24 hours after he'd been released from jail. Another judge released him less than 48 hours later. SEE: R…
STICKY FINGERS: Crew Snatches $100G Worth Of Goods From American Dream Balenciaga STICKY FINGERS: Crew Snatches $100G Worth Of Goods From American Dream Balenciaga
Sticky Fingers: Crew Snatches $100G Worth Of Goods From American Dream Balenciaga One of shoplifters' favorite franchises was victimized again when an organized quartet of thieves fled the Balenciaga at the American Dream Meadowlands with what New Jersey State Police said was $100,000 worth of merchandise. It was shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, when two men and two women entered the luxury clothing store in the East Rutherford mall, NJSP Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said. The crew "took numerous items and departed without paying," the sergeant said. Witnesses reported seeing the thieves flee in a black Dodge Durango with Pennsylvania license plates. ANYONE else who m…
CPA Firefighting Hero From Bergen Admits Role In $650,000 Tax Dodge CPA Firefighting Hero From Bergen Admits Role In $650,000 Tax Dodge
CPA Firefighting Hero From Bergen Admits Role In $650,000 Tax Dodge 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A decorated veteran Bergen County firefighter admitted in federal court on Wednesday that he and his business partner conducted a blatant tax dodge on behalf of a bunch of construction companies that employed their New York accounting firm. Jack N. Sardis, 66, of Englewood Cliffs admitted that he schemed to con the IRS with his partner, George Sanossian, 70, of Scarsdale, out of a small CPA office in a massive Westchester County shopping center. Sardis also offered to do business elsewhere, telling one client "I can meet you at my firehouse,” according to an IRS complaint. The clie…
GOTCHA! Ex-Con In Englewood Stabbing Nabbed, Handgun Recovered By Teaneck Police GOTCHA! Ex-Con In Englewood Stabbing Nabbed, Handgun Recovered By Teaneck Police
Gotcha! Ex-Con In Englewood Stabbing Nabbed, Handgun Recovered By Teaneck Police An uncooperative stabbing victim couldn't keep Englewood police from identifying his assailant -- an ex-con who authorities said was carrying a gun when he was captured by their Teaneck colleagues. Tahref L. Folkes, 33, tried to duck them but was chased down shortly before noon Wednesday, police said. They also recovered a handgun that they said he stashed in a local store during the foot pursuit. Folkes, who has a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 2009, was released from state prison last July after serving 5½ years on a second career gun conviction, records show. A third would put him aw…
5-Pound Pot Bust Behind School Sidelines Dealer: Elmwood Park PD 5-Pound Pot Bust Behind School Sidelines Dealer: Elmwood Park PD
5-Pound Pot Bust Behind School Sidelines Dealer: Elmwood Park PD An Elmwood Park man who'd parked behind a local school had five pounds of pot for sale in his car, authorities said. Officers approached the vehicle, which was parked behind the Gantner Avenue School, shortly before 9 a.m. on a Sunday, Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno said. They found Richard Wochinger, 45, with a pound of marijuana each packed into five vacuum-sealed bags, a digital scale and assorted paraphernalia, the chief said. Wochinger was charged with possession and distribution of the pot, among other offenses, before being released pending court action.
Flight Attendant Out Of Newark Airport Dies After Spinout Crash On Route 78 Flight Attendant Out Of Newark Airport Dies After Spinout Crash On Route 78
Flight Attendant Out Of Newark Airport Dies After Spinout Crash On Route 78 Jennifer Friedel-Hoffman, a 60-year-old Pennsylvania resident, was killed in a crash on Route 78 in New Jersey on Wednesday, May 29. A tractor-trailer was parked and unoccupied on the right shoulder on Route 78 West in Lebanon when a Subaru driven by Friedel-Hoffman entered the area and struck the left rear of the truck just after 9 a.m., New Jersey State Police said.  The crash caused the Subaru to spin out and hit a Volkswagen passenger car traveling in the right lane, police said. Friedel-Hoffman was taken to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. A graduate of Northamp…
Driver Blacked Out At Intersection Had Coke, Smack In Car: Lyndhurst PD Driver Blacked Out At Intersection Had Coke, Smack In Car: Lyndhurst PD
Driver Blacked Out At Intersection Had Coke, Smack In Car: Lyndhurst PD An unlicensed Kearny driver was released after Lyndhurst police said they found him blacked out behind the wheel with cocaine in the car and empty heroin folds in his pocket. Detectives Matt Giunta and Tom McSweeney found traffic at a standstill in the area of Page Avenue and Ridge Road in the middle of the afternoon, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Drivers were maneuvering their vehicles around a 2002 Kia K5 that was stopped at the light, the lieutenant said. The detectives at first thought the sedan was disabled. Then they found 57-year-old Anthony DeSantis asleep at the wheel, with t…
2 Hospitalized By Explosion At Industrial Gas Supply Company In NJ Town 2 Hospitalized By Explosion At Industrial Gas Supply Company In NJ Town
2 Hospitalized By Explosion At Industrial Gas Supply Company In NJ Town Two people were injured after an explosion at an industrial gas company in Branchburg on the early morning of Wednesday, June 5, authorities said. At 4:30 a.m., first responders arrived at 197 Meister Ave. and found smoke visible from the Air Liquide building, Branchburg police said in a release. Two people suffering from chemical burns were transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment, police said. Air Liquide is a French industrial gas supplier, its website says. First responders were able to deem the location safe and the scene has been cleared, police said. Meister Avenue…
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Reality bit the ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Dina Manzo when he was convicted Tuesday of getting a mob soldier to throw her new beau a beating. Restaurateur Thomas Manzo, 59, who lives in the affluent Bergen County suburb of Franklin Lakes, rejected a plea deal from federal prosecutors and took his chances with a jury. That didn’t go so good. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Newark convicted Manzo on June 4 of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, along with conspiracy and falsifying documents during a grand jury investigation. Althou…
UPDATE: 2 Girls Airlifted After Tree Limb Smashes Through Tour Bus At NJ/NY State Line UPDATE: 2 Girls Airlifted After Tree Limb Smashes Through Tour Bus At NJ/NY State Line
Update: 2 Girls Airlifted After Tree Limb Smashes Through Tour Bus At NJ/NY State Line 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Two teens were airlifted to New Jersey trauma centers after a charter bus filled with girls from a Brooklyn yeshiva crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon barely a quarter mile from the New York State line. West Milford firefighters extricated the two critically injured victims following the 3:16 p.m. June 4 crash on East Shore Road alongside Greenwood Lake in Hewitt, responders at the scene told Daily Voice. Greenwood Lake Airport (NJ), five miles down the road, was used as the medevac landing zone, they said. One girl was flown to the trauma center at Hackensack University Me…
10-Year Prison Minimum Awaits NJ Catholic School Teacher Who Took Upskirts Of Girls In Class 10-Year Prison Minimum Awaits NJ Catholic School Teacher Who Took Upskirts Of Girls In Class
10-Year Prison Minimum Awaits NJ Catholic School Teacher Who Took Upskirts Of Girls In Class UPDATE: A North Jersey school teacher who took upskirt photos and videos of female students faces at least 10 years in state prison when he’s sentenced next month. Michael F. Wagner, 41, of Hopatcong took a deal from prosecutors rather than risk the potential outcome of a trial, admitting that he recorded female 8th graders of his at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta during class and collected child porn. In order to secure the agreement – and whatever leniency may come at his July 26 sentencing in Newton -- Wagner had to plead guilty earlier this month to first-degree child en…
Dumont Mom Jailed For Abusing Kid: Prosecutor Dumont Mom Jailed For Abusing Kid: Prosecutor
Dumont Mom Jailed For Abusing Kid: Prosecutor A 46-year-old Dumont woman was jailed for physically abusing one of her children, authorities said. Stacey A. Wilmarth was arrested by Dumont police on Monday, June 3, in connection with allegations from a week earlier, records show. Detectives from Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella’s Special Victims Unit subsequently charged Wilmarth with aggravated assault and child endangerment. She remained held Tuesday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack. ****** ALSO SEE: A 48-year-old Fort Lee mom was charged with aggravated ma…
HEROES: Lyndhurst Officers Reel In Teen Thief Hanging Off Motel Balcony HEROES: Lyndhurst Officers Reel In Teen Thief Hanging Off Motel Balcony
Heroes: Lyndhurst Officers Reel In Teen Thief Hanging Off Motel Balcony A Lyndhurst police officer held on tight as a combative 17-year-old suspect dangled from the second-floor balcony of a local motel. The Clifton teen had ditched a stolen bicycle and run up the exterior stairs of the Winslow Motor Hotel with Officer Michael D’Alessandro on his tail, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. The bicycle belonged to a young boy who’d asked the officer for help getting it back after it had just been taken, the lieutenant said. Although police initially lost sight of the thief, a tracking device brought them to the Rutherford Avenue motel just off eastbound Route 3, h…
SEE ANYTHING? Pedestrian, 28, Critically Injured By Hit-And-Run Driver In Guttenberg SEE ANYTHING? Pedestrian, 28, Critically Injured By Hit-And-Run Driver In Guttenberg
SEE Anything? Pedestrian, 28, Critically Injured By Hit-And-Run Driver In Guttenberg It's one of the busiest intersections in the area, but no one apparently saw a 28-year-old pedestrian struck and critically injured over the weekend by a hit-and-run driver in Guttenberg. Now authorities are seeking help from the public. The victim remained stable at Jersey City Medical Center with life-threatening injuries following the crash at the corner of Park Avenue and 70th Street shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday, June 1, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said on Monday. The prosecutor didn't share any type of description or direction of travel of the vehicle. She did ask tha…
UPDATE: Mahwah Motorcyclist Rendered Amputee, Wrong-Way DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto UPDATE: Mahwah Motorcyclist Rendered Amputee, Wrong-Way DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto
Update: Mahwah Motorcyclist Rendered Amputee, Wrong-Way DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto A 67-year-old Florida man was intoxicated when his SUV crossed the double yellow line on a Mahwah road and hit a motorcyclist last weekend, costing the victim his foot and ankle, authorities said. Terence J. Cotter of Delray Beach was headed south on East Crescent Lane when his 2022 Volkswagen Taos crossed into the northbound lane and collided head-on with the motorcycle shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 2, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The rider, 58-year-old Paul Granados of Mahwah, was airlifted to Hackensack University Medical Center after being struck between Apple Ri…
Repeat Offender Punches Disabled Man In Face For 75-Cent Bus Fare: Ridgefield Park PD Repeat Offender Punches Disabled Man In Face For 75-Cent Bus Fare: Ridgefield Park PD
Repeat Offender Punches Disabled Man In Face For 75-Cent Bus Fare: Ridgefield Park PD A repeat offender heartlessly punched a disabled man on a Ridgefield Park street and took the 75 cents he'd been carrying for bus fare, authorities said. Joshua Bendewald, 30, approached the victim near the corner of Main Street and Grand Avenue and “asked him how much money he had” around 11 a.m. Saturday, June 1, Ridgefield Park Police Lt. Justin Tress said. The 64-year-old victim said he had only the 75-cent bus fare he held in his hand, which the robber took, the lieutenant said. When the victim said he didn’t have any more, Tress said, Bendewald punched him in the face, knocking the m…
Paterson Man, 44, Gunned Down On City Street Paterson Man, 44, Gunned Down On City Street
Paterson Man, 44, Gunned Down On City Street A 44-year-old Paterson man was shot and killed Sunday night, in one of three shootings in the Silk City in barely four hours. Twahee Howard was pronounced dead of multiple gunshot wounds within minutes of arriving at the emergency room of nearby St. Joseph’s University Medical Center around 9 p.m. June 2, authorities said. He'd been shot in the area of Chadwick and Weiss streets moments earlier, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi said. Valdes and Abbassi didn’t say whether any suspects had been taken into custody or iden…
NJ Soccer Player, Licensed Gun Owner Jailed After Threatening Rival With Weapon After Game: PD NJ Soccer Player, Licensed Gun Owner Jailed After Threatening Rival With Weapon After Game: PD
NJ Soccer Player, Licensed Gun Owner Jailed After Threatening Rival With Weapon After Game: PD A Jersey City man has been arrested after pointing a handgun at a rival soccer player after both were ejected from a game in Secaucus over the weekend, police said. Reda Benyamin, 34, and the player on an opposing team began arguing during the game at Shetik Field on County Avenue on May 2, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Both players were ejected and went to their cars to leave after the game. While stopped at a light on Jefferson and County Avenue, Benyamin pulled up next to the player's car and threatened him with a black handgun, police said. Both then left the area. Benyamin…
UPDATE: Accused Public Masturbator From Englewood Jailed Again For Two Other Incidents UPDATE: Accused Public Masturbator From Englewood Jailed Again For Two Other Incidents
Update: Accused Public Masturbator From Englewood Jailed Again For Two Other Incidents A 34-year-old Englewood man who'd been arrested and released on charges of masturbating in front of a pre-teen was jailed again after authorities said they discovered at least two other alleged incidents. Dawid S. Iwaszek originally was arrested on May 25 for exposing himself and masturbating in front of a pre-teen in Englewood, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The prosecutor said at the time that detectives from his Special Victims Unit were continuing to investigate at least two previous incidents involving children in Englewood and Teaneck. They charg…
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 25-year-old ex-con from Trenton who’s already served 2½ years in state prison is headed to federal prison for 16 more for a string of gunpoint carjackings and robberies. Joshua M. Perez was one of three armed robbers who commited a Oct. 10 carjacking, another on Dec. 5 and the robbery later than second night of a local gas station, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Surveillance cameras captured video of Perez and two other robbers emerging from a sedan, pointing handguns at occupants of another vehicle, Sellinger said. They then fled with money and cellphones in the victims…
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A once-prominent New Jersey lawyer must spend the next 4½ years in federal prison for swindling a family he represented out of $2 million -- and then, while on pre-trial release, impersonating another attorney in applying for a loan. The family had retained James R. Lisa, 68, of Jersey City, to gather millions that had been moved into offshore bank accounts by relatives decades ago and to resolve any tax issues that arose as a result, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Soon after being retained, Lisa moved more than $6 million back into the United States but told the famil…
Overnight Fire Destroys Home Of Couple Raising Special Needs Child Overnight Fire Destroys Home Of Couple Raising Special Needs Child
Overnight Fire Destroys Home Of Couple Raising Special Needs Child Their humble yet cozy Oakland home meant the world to Omar McCalla and Natalie Gregory as they raised their daughter, Amaria, who was born with multiple disabilities. "This was their first true home as a family outside of the extensive time spent at hospitals," friend Ana Sampson said. "(It) represented their bright future." A ferocious overnight fire on Saturday stole that dream. Flames were already shooting through the roof when firefighters arrived shortly before 2:30 a.m June 1. They had the blaze knocked down after about an hour and a half. Fire officials were trying to determine the…