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Plainfield, NJ

Where Is Central Jersey? Monmouth U. Poll Finds Answers To NJ's Tricky Regional Debate Where Is Central Jersey? Monmouth U. Poll Finds Answers To NJ's Tricky Regional Debate
Where Is Central Jersey? Monmouth U. Poll Finds Answers To NJ's Tricky Regional Debate Monmouth University pollsters have tried to answer a question that has been hard to solve for many in the Garden State: Where is Central Jersey exactly? The Monmouth University Polling Institute released a survey on Tuesday, Apr. 16 that asked New Jerseyans what region they live in and if they believe their region gets a fair share of state resources. The pollsters also asked people to pick their favorite convenience store. According to the poll, 41 percent of New Jerseyans said they live in North Jersey, 34 percent said they're in Central Jersey, and 23 percent said they're from South…
Executive Director Of Amicus Therapeutics In Princeton, Christopher Canada, Dies Executive Director Of Amicus Therapeutics In Princeton, Christopher Canada, Dies
Executive Director Of Amicus Therapeutics In Princeton, Christopher Canada, Dies Rutgers University graduate and attorney Christopher Canada of Plainfield died on Feb. 12, according to an obituary published by Higgins and Bonner Funeral Home. He was 55 years old. Friends created a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his sons' continuing education.  The campaign says Chris, a Clark native, is survived by his wife of 20 years, Debbie, whom he met in middle school. "Chris first met his future wife Debbie in 6th grade and was quickly smitten, as he made known through a series of attention-getting pranks combined with chivalrous actions such as carrying her books home fr…
'It's Sweet': South Jersey's Isiah Pacheco Wins Second Super Bowl With Kansas City Chiefs 'It's Sweet': South Jersey's Isiah Pacheco Wins Second Super Bowl With Kansas City Chiefs
'It's Sweet': South Jersey's Isiah Pacheco Wins Second Super Bowl With Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is getting spoiled in his young NFL career. The Vineland native has won his second Super Bowl in just his second professional season. Pacheco had 59 rushing yards and 33 receiving yards in the Chiefs' thrilling 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11. After the game, Pacheco talked about the championship win with CBS Sports HQ with a Puerto Rican flag draped around his shoulders. "It sounds so sweet just now, two-time Super Bowl champion," said Pacheco. "It's sweet. Last year, I was unsatisfied. Th…
Four NJ Restaurants Make Yelp's Top 100 In America Four NJ Restaurants Make Yelp's Top 100 In America
Four NJ Restaurants Make Yelp's Top 100 In America New Jersey foodies have some new places to add to their list, if they haven't dined there already. Four restaurants from the Garden State made Yelp's annual Top 100 US Restaurants 2024 list. Boomchia in Montclair ranked 21st on the list. The restaurant has a five star rating on Yelp serves up healthy bowls, offering ingredients like dark chocolate granola, blue coconut, bananas, cashew butter and gogi berries.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alex Colonna (@thetypicalfoodie) "Best Chia Acai bowl," wrote one Yelp reviewer. "…
14 NJ Businesses Newly-Barred From Practicing For Shortchanging Workers: DOL 14 NJ Businesses Newly-Barred From Practicing For Shortchanging Workers: DOL
14 NJ Businesses Newly-Barred From Practicing For Shortchanging Workers: DOL An additional 14 New Jersey businesses have been barred from practicing for short-changing workers and other violations, bringing the total to 82, according to the state's Labor and Workforce Development Department. The businesses — which were named to the NJDOL’s Workplace Accountability in Labor List (the WALL) — owe a collective $956,000 in wages and penalties to the state and their employees. The 14 businesses added to the WALL are: A Z Construction of NJ Inc., Plainfield Brasero Chicken 3 LLC, Paterson Dar's Staffing LLC, Little Egg Harbor EC Abatement Inc., Newark Lane Mechanical He…
Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Pat Pespas Found Safe After Missing For Month Across NJ, PA Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Pat Pespas Found Safe After Missing For Month Across NJ, PA
Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Pat Pespas Found Safe After Missing For Month Across NJ, PA Patrick J. Pespas, who starred in HBO's "Telemarketers," has been found safe. Pespas, 55, of Phillipsburg, has been found safe and was home with his wife, Sue, directors Sam Lipman-Stern and Adam Bhala Lough said on Pespas' Instagram account Friday, Oct. 27. Pespas had been missing since Sept. 29, when he was seen in Easton, PA, and later at a bar in the Pittsburg area. Pespas, formerly of North Plainfield and Plainfield, NJ, has been living with his wife in Easton, PA.  He teamed up with Lipman-Stern to create the three-part HBO mini docu-series "Telemarketers," which shined a …
NJ's Patrick J. Pespas, Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Reported Missing NJ's Patrick J. Pespas, Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Reported Missing
NJ's Patrick J. Pespas, Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Reported Missing Patrick J. Pespas, who starred in HBO's "Telemarketers," has been missing for days, those who know him say. Pespas, 55, of Phillipsburg, was last seen in the Easton, PA area around 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, according to directors Sam Lipman-Stern and Adam Bhala Lough Pespas, formerly of North Plainfield and Plainfield, teamed up with Lipman-Stern to create the three-part HBO mini docu-series "Telemarketers," which shined a light on the truth about the telemarketing industry. It premiered in August. Bhala Lough said on Sunday, Oct. 1 Pespas may have been spotted at a bar in Pittsburgh. …
NJ Dealer Charged Federally With Selling Mix Of Fentanyl, Heroin That Killed User: Authorities NJ Dealer Charged Federally With Selling Mix Of Fentanyl, Heroin That Killed User: Authorities
NJ Dealer Charged Federally With Selling Mix Of Fentanyl, Heroin That Killed User: Authorities A Somerset County man was seized by federal agents who charged him with selling a mix of fentanyl and heroin that killed a user in Plainfield. Officers responding to the victim’s home found two wax folds containing both drugs and bearing a unique stamp, which they linked to Thomas Kane Miller, 38, of Somerset, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Investigators learned that the victim and Miller had arranged to meet shortly before the October 2022 overdose, the U.S. attorney added. Miller had also been found 10 days earlier with several wax folds of the same drugs with the same stamp, Selli…
Colombian Nationals Nabbed After NJ Home Break-In Nets Jewelry, Furs, Cash, More Colombian Nationals Nabbed After NJ Home Break-In Nets Jewelry, Furs, Cash, More
Colombian Nationals Nabbed After NJ Home Break-In Nets Jewelry, Furs, Cash, More Three Colombian nationals remain in federal custody and a fourth has already been deported after the government said they stole jewelry, a Rolex, an antique rifle, furs and cash in a home burglary in Union County. The quartet also took a stamp collection, luxury bags and more after breaking into the Cranford home shortly before 5 p.m. last Nov. 30, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. They then loaded the valuables into a red Honda Accord that they'd driven there, an FBI complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. Sellinger, who put the total value of the loss at more than …
NJ Restaurants Named To Yelp's List Of Top 100 Places To Eat In America NJ Restaurants Named To Yelp's List Of Top 100 Places To Eat In America
NJ Restaurants Named To Yelp's List Of Top 100 Places To Eat In America Yelp has released its latest installment of the top 100 places to eat in America.  Among them, three New Jersey joints. Salmon from Jessica's Cafe & Restaurant.Jessica's Cafe & Restaurant The list includes something for everyone, from family-owned digs to a 5-star hidden hotspot in a former hospital storage room, the report says. No. 40: Jessica's Cafe, Plainfield: Yelpers love the milk-fed pork chops, grilled shrimp and wild mushroom crepes. No. 78: Kenko Sushi, Lincoln Park: Yelpers love the Godzilla, The Monster, and the vegetarian options. No. 88: Nicholas Anthony’s Family…
Ex-NJ McDonald's Worker Gets More Prison Time For 'Practical Joke' Armed Robbery Ex-NJ McDonald's Worker Gets More Prison Time For 'Practical Joke' Armed Robbery
Ex-NJ McDonald's Worker Gets More Prison Time For 'Practical Joke' Armed Robbery A 54-year-old man was sentenced to time in New Jersey State Prison for using a fake gun to rob his former employer, McDonald's during what he said was a "practical joke" while out on bail for another robbery, authorities announced. During a Friday hearing, Union County Superior Court Judge Robert A. Kirsch ruled that Plainfield's Thomas H. Outland must serve a minimum of 85% of the sentence before the possibility of parole, under the provisions of New Jersey’s No Early Release Act.  Outland and an unidentified co-conspirator both wearing ski masks and holding guns entered the Route 22 …
Newly Transplanted NJ Boy, 14, Shot, Killed In Harlem, NYPD Says Newly Transplanted NJ Boy, 14, Shot, Killed In Harlem, NYPD Says
Newly Transplanted NJ Boy, 14, Shot, Killed In Harlem, Nypd Says A 14-year-old boy who'd just moved to New Jersey with his family was identified by authorities as the victim shot and killed on a Harlem street. Justin Streeter of Plainfield had just stopped at an East 128th Street deli with a friend and was riding a push scooter when gunfire erupts around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the NYPD said. "As they're walking towards the corner of Park Avenue a male emerges on the corner and fires a volley of gunshots at the two young men," said Jeffrey G. Maddrey, the department's chief of patrol. It was unclear why, the chief said. The boys ran between two vehicles, b…
Ex-NJ Priest Wanted For Teen Boy's Rape Kills Teaching Partner, Himself In Ecuador: Reports Ex-NJ Priest Wanted For Teen Boy's Rape Kills Teaching Partner, Himself In Ecuador: Reports
Ex-NJ Priest Wanted For Teen Boy's Rape Kills Teaching Partner, Himself In Ecuador: Reports A 59-year-old former Union County priest indicted for the sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy shot three people and his pet before turning the gun on himself last week in Ecuador, various news reports say. Manuel Gallo Espinoza killed his partner in an English language school, Byron Carreño, and wounded two more partners on July 2, LaHora.com reports. Espinoza killed his pet and then himself, the outlet said. Nota de pesar.✝️ Posted by WEI English Institute - Formar on Saturday, July 2, 2022 According to NJ Advance Media, Gallo Espinoza had fled to Ecuador in 2003 after an alleged vict…
PUNKED! Hapless Scammers Trying To Swindle $25K From Teaneck Man Get Stung By Police Instead PUNKED! Hapless Scammers Trying To Swindle $25K From Teaneck Man Get Stung By Police Instead
Punked! Hapless Scammers Trying To Swindle $25K From Teaneck Man Get Stung By Police Instead A pair of flim-flammers who thought they’d fooled a Teaneck grandfather into forking over $25,500 to get a supposedly drunk-driving family member out of jail found the tables turned when they showed up to collect, authorities said. The “victim” who held an envelope stuffed with the supposed cash as he stood waiting for the two Plainfield teens on a township street was actually a Teaneck police detective clutching worthless paper, they said. Police had been alerted by the would-be victim after he got a call from one of the wanna-be con artists, Police Chief Glenn M. O’Reilly said. Pretendin…
US Marshals Nab 3rd Suspect From NJ Murder Case In North Carolina, Prosecutor Says US Marshals Nab 3rd Suspect From NJ Murder Case In North Carolina, Prosecutor Says
US Marshals Nab 3rd Suspect From NJ Murder Case In North Carolina, Prosecutor Says A third suspect wanted in a New Jersey murder case was nabbed by US Marshals agents in North Carolina, authorities said. Jose Branch, of Plainfield, was tracked down in Raleigh in connection with the March 1 shooting death of Steve Camino in North Plainfield, Acting Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said. He was charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and extradited from North Carolina to Somerset County on Tuesday, April 19, Taggart said. Branch was jailed pending a detention hearing. Kenneth Hill, 21 of Plainfield, and Daniel Carrera-Cardona, 22, of Piscataway, wer…
NJ Mom Held Captive, Sexually Assaulted With 3 Kids In Terrifying Home Invasion: Prosecutor NJ Mom Held Captive, Sexually Assaulted With 3 Kids In Terrifying Home Invasion: Prosecutor
NJ Mom Held Captive, Sexually Assaulted With 3 Kids In Terrifying Home Invasion: Prosecutor A 33-year-old Newark man was arrested for breaking into a Plainfield home and sexually assaulting a mom in front of her three kids at knife-point then robbing her, authorities said. Jafa McAllister was among three robbers who forced their way into the victim's home on the  300 block of Liberty Street in Plainfield, and woke her up in the early-morning hours of Nov. 28, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Acting Plainfield Police Director Captain David Guarino said. The men were armed and demanding money, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Tina Fay, who is pro…
Seven Youths Nabbed In Series Of NJ Car Thefts, Multi-County Pursuit, Crash Seven Youths Nabbed In Series Of NJ Car Thefts, Multi-County Pursuit, Crash
Seven Youths Nabbed In Series Of NJ Car Thefts, Multi-County Pursuit, Crash A Clifton police officer dove into a moving car after the teenager who stole it bailed out during one in a series of incidents involving out-of-town car thieves -- one of whom is only 14. Six of them were captured following a pursuit and crash involving another stolen vehicle and a Clifton police car later that day, Lt. Robert Bracken said. Officers interrupted the theft of a 2017 Mazda on Chittendon Road around 3 a.m. Monday, Bracken said. The thief hopped out of the car while it was still moving, forcing an officer to dive in to keep it from damaging nearby property, he said. The teen a…
Wawa To Break Ground In Sussex County Wawa To Break Ground In Sussex County
Wawa To Break Ground In Sussex County Wawa will be breaking ground in Sussex County on Dec. 10 for the opening of their newest location, NJ Advance Media reports. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wawa will happen at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Route 15 and Route 206 in Frankford Township. The store will occupy the former space of The Chatterbox, an iconic New Jersey drive-in restaurant that shut down three years ago and was demolished in March 2021. The latest location for the convenience chain will be the first Wawa in Sussex County. It is expected to open in the summer of 2022 Wawa has seen a massive expansion o…
Another Wawa Opens In NJ & More On The Way Another Wawa Opens In NJ & More On The Way
Another Wawa Opens In NJ & More On The Way After years of planning, a long-awaited New Jersey Wawa store is hours away from opening its doors. The Plainfield location will open at 1470 South Ave., at 8 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 3, NJ.com reports. Free T-shirts will be given to the first 100 customers, and all customers will get free coffee through Sunday, Dec. 5. The property sold last October for $8.8 million, according to the Kislak Company. The property includes 5,051 square feet of newly-constructed retail space on 1.71 acres and a triple net ground lease with Wawa that includes an initial 20-year term, multiple renewal opt…
Paterson Vice: Patrons Scatter At Barber Shop Turned Gambling Den, Illegal Nightspot Draws 500 Paterson Vice: Patrons Scatter At Barber Shop Turned Gambling Den, Illegal Nightspot Draws 500
Paterson Vice: Patrons Scatter At Barber Shop Turned Gambling Den, Illegal Nightspot Draws 500 Patrons of a barber shop turned after-hours gambling den scattered in all directions -- some of them stuffing cash into their pockets as they fled -- during a raid by members of Paterson's vice squad, authorities said. Meanwhile, in an industrial area on the city's south side, police responding to a large fight discovered a warehouse that they said two Glen Rock women had illegally converted into an event space -- complete with bar, DJ and no fewer than 500 patrons. Detectives who raided the 9J Barber Shop on Park Avenue seized $1,943 while arresting Maximo Beltray, 51, on charges of promot…
Speed Bump Kills North Jersey Sanitation Worker Riding On Truck, Police Say Speed Bump Kills North Jersey Sanitation Worker Riding On Truck, Police Say
Speed Bump Kills North Jersey Sanitation Worker Riding On Truck, Police Say A 74-year-old sanitation worker died after the truck he was riding on hit a speed bump and he fell off earlier this month in Scotch Plains, police announced. Ismael Oliva was riding on the rear platform of the truck when he fell off and hit is head on the 300 block of Henry Street around 9:30 a.m. Sept. 2, local police said. Good Samaritans had rushed outside to help the Plainfield sanitation worker when paramedics arrive. Oliva was rushed to Overlook Medical Center in Summit, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The crash remains under investigation.
NJ Gunman Killed Amazon Worker Making Delivery, Authorities Say NJ Gunman Killed Amazon Worker Making Delivery, Authorities Say
NJ Gunman Killed Amazon Worker Making Delivery, Authorities Say A Plainfield man has been arrested in the shooting death of a delivery driver subcontracted by Amazon Wednesday, authorities in Union County announced Friday. Quahif Lane, 26, is accused of shooting 36-year-old Jamar S. Harris, of Newark, dead while working Wednesday in Plainfield, according to Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Plainfield Police Department Officer In Charge Capt. David M. Guarino said. Lane is charged with first-degree homicide and two related second-degree weapons offenses. He was taken into custody without incident Thursday, and l…
BUSTED: 31 Nabbed, 14 Pounds Of Coke, Firearms Seized In Massive Drug Distribution Scheme BUSTED: 31 Nabbed, 14 Pounds Of Coke, Firearms Seized In Massive Drug Distribution Scheme
Busted: 31 Nabbed, 14 Pounds Of Coke, Firearms Seized In Massive Drug Distribution Scheme Thirty-one people were arrested following a months-long New Jersey drug distribution scheme that netted 14.3 pounds of cocaine, two firearms and more than $193,000 in cash, authorities announced. An investigation into “Operation Triple Tragedy” involved law enforcement agencies from Somerset, Union, and Middlesex counties and the U.S. Postal Service. Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said the following arrests were made on June 4: Arrests made in “Operation Triple Tragedy”Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Joselin Castillo, aka “Tragedy," 30, Grandview Avenue Edison Po…
Aspiring NJ Attorney Found Dead In PA Was 'Trying To Figure Out Way To Change The World' Aspiring NJ Attorney Found Dead In PA Was 'Trying To Figure Out Way To Change The World'
Aspiring NJ Attorney Found Dead In PA Was 'Trying To Figure Out Way To Change The World' Support is surging for the family of a 26-year-old aspiring attorney from New Jersey who was found dead in Pennsylvania last week. Funeral services for Kevin Rosero will be at the Judkins Colonial Home in Plainfield from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 26. Rosero's body was found in a wooded area of Richland Township, Pennsylvania last week. Brothers Anthony Gamble, 19, and Joshua Gamble, 17, of Franklin Township (Somerset County) have been charged in Rosero's death. As of Wednesday, more than $12,400 had been raised on a GoFundMe page for Rosero's family. A Plainfield High School and…
UPS Employee Heading To Work Struck, Killed In Bridgewater Hit-Run Crash, Authorities Say UPS Employee Heading To Work Struck, Killed In Bridgewater Hit-Run Crash, Authorities Say
UPS Employee Heading To Work Struck, Killed In Bridgewater Hit-Run Crash, Authorities Say A 28-year-old Plainfield man was on his way to work at UPS when he was struck and killed by a tractor trailer that fled the scene around 2 a.n. in Bridgewater, authorities announced. Robert C. Cepeda had gotten off an NJ Transit commuter bus on the westbound side of Route 28 with two co-workers when he was struck near Chimney Rock Road while walking across an intersection toward a nearby convenience store, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. The trailer was brown or red and heading eastbound, and slowed down but failed to stop at the scene, Robertson said alongside lo…
Prosecutor: NJ Murder Suspect Who Charred Victim Captured At US-Mexico Border Prosecutor: NJ Murder Suspect Who Charred Victim Captured At US-Mexico Border
Prosecutor: NJ Murder Suspect Who Charred Victim Captured At Us-mexico Border A Union County man wanted for murder after burning a victim's body beyond recognition last year was captured in Texas at the border of U.S. and Mexico, authorities announced Tuesday. Plainfield's Oscar E. Rodriguez, 24, is facing charges of first-degree murder and second-degree desecration of human remains in connection with the death of David Chacon, 42, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said. Police responding to reports of human remains found Chacon's charred body at an outdoor area near the 800 block of West Front Street, said Union County Assistant Prosecutor Peter Benza, …
BUSTED: 'Operation Price Is Right' Nabs 11 In Central Jersey Drug Ring BUSTED: 'Operation Price Is Right' Nabs 11 In Central Jersey Drug Ring
Busted: 'Operation Price Is Right' Nabs 11 In Central Jersey Drug Ring Eleven people have been arrested in Central Jersey in connection with a large-scale drug distribution ring, authorities said.  Most of the alleged cocaine and heroin deals occurred in Union and Middlesex counties, according to  Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. The sting was called "Operation Price Is Right." More than 20 warranted searches resulted in the recovery of over two kilograms of suspected cocaine, over one kilogram of suspected heroin, approximately 149 grams of fentanyl, 70 grams of Oxycodone, one loaded Smith and Wesson revolver and over $120,000 in su…
Jersey Shore Motorcycle Mechanic, Dad John Komanitsky Dies, 29 Jersey Shore Motorcycle Mechanic, Dad John Komanitsky Dies, 29
Jersey Shore Motorcycle Mechanic, Dad John Komanitsky Dies, 29 Lifelong New Jersey resident John Komanitsky died on March 7, 2021. He was 29 years old. John was born in Plainfield but lived in Bradley Beach for the last five years, his obituary says. He was a motorcycle mechanic for Indian Motorcycle in Neptune, and enjoyed riding, working on cars and being with his son, according to his obit. John was predeceased by his father, John Komanitsky (1997).  He is survived by his son, Johnny Komanitskyl his mom, Lisa Komanitsky; brother DJ Komanitsky; sister, Leeann Komanitsky; paternal grandparents, John and Juanita Komanitsky; maternal gr…
NJ Man, 19, Charged With Animal Cruelty After Starving Pets To Death, Prosecutor Says NJ Man, 19, Charged With Animal Cruelty After Starving Pets To Death, Prosecutor Says
NJ Man, 19, Charged With Animal Cruelty After Starving Pets To Death, Prosecutor Says A 19-year-old Union County man is facing criminal charges of animal cruelty after severely neglecting three pets, two of who died, authorities said. Plainfield police were called to Rock Avenue on reports of a suspicious item dumped on the side of the road, where they found the body of a severely emaciated pit bull inside of a plastic bag on Nov. 3, Union County Assistant Prosecutor Patricia Cronin said. A subsequent investigation found that Aiden R. Turso, 19, had three pets that had suffered severe neglect, Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. Those pets includ…
Teenagers Charged In Fatal Middlesex County Shooting Teenagers Charged In Fatal Middlesex County Shooting
Teenagers Charged In Fatal Middlesex County Shooting A pair of teenagers have been charged with the fatal shooting of a Union County man, authorities said. The unidentified juveniles are charged in the shooting death of Mark Atkins, 18, of Plainfield, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and North Brunswick Police Chief Joseph Battaglia. One suspect is in custody and the other remains at large, they said late Friday. The 17-year-old suspects are charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, Ciccone and Battaglia said.   On Wednesda…
Dead Teenage Victim ID'd In Multiple Central Jersey Shooting Dead Teenage Victim ID'd In Multiple Central Jersey Shooting
Dead Teenage Victim ID'd In Multiple Central Jersey Shooting UPDATED: Authorities have identified the victim in a multiple shooting in Middlesex County. Marc Atkins, 18, of Plainfield sustained multiple gunshot wounds on Wednesday night and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and North Brunswick Police Chief Joseph Battaglia. ALSO SEE: Teenage suspects charged in fatal shooting. A second unidentified 17-year-old victim was wounded in the shooting at the Glen at Renaissance Apartments on Marc Drive about 7:30 p.m., they said. His injuries were not life-threatenin…