'Chameleon': Wife-Killer Facing Charges In 33-Year-Old NJ Murder Case Featured On Dateline NBC 'Chameleon': Wife-Killer Facing Charges In 33-Year-Old NJ Murder Case Featured On Dateline NBC
'Chameleon': Wife-Killer Facing Charges In 33-Year-Old NJ Murder Case Featured On Dateline NBC A convicted killer facing new charges in connection with his second wife's death in Mercer County will be featured in a two-hour broadcast titled "Chameleon" on Dateline NBC on Friday, April 26. John David Smith III has served 20 years in an Ohio prison for the murder of his first wife. Now, he faces murder charges in New Jersey for killing his second wife, Fran Gladden-Smith, 33 years ago in West Windsor. At 9 p.m. Friday, Dateline NBC said it will reveal a "gripping investigation exposing (the) man suspected of multiple murders." Victims' relatives and detectives who put Smith behin…
Ex-Con Sentenced For Home Invasion, Sexually Assaulting Woman In Asbury Park: Prosecutors Ex-Con Sentenced For Home Invasion, Sexually Assaulting Woman In Asbury Park: Prosecutors
Ex-Con Sentenced For Home Invasion, Sexually Assaulting Woman In Asbury Park: Prosecutors An Asbury Park ex-convict will spend more than three decades in prison after he was convicted of a home invasion and sexual assault, authorities said. Shawn Connolly, 37, was sentenced on Tuesday, Apr. 23 to 40 years in prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced in a news release. He'll be eligible for parole after 34 years under the No Early Release Act. Asbury Park police responded to a home on Seventh Avenue just before 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. Officers immediately found Connolly, arrested him, and recovered what he stole from his pockets. Investigat…
Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money
Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Questionable DNA evidence found under the fingernails of a 70-year-old Bergen County woman bludgeoned and burned in her home may have gotten her killer a new trial, but it didn't change the outcome. For a second time, a jury in Hackensack convicted Daniel Rochat on Wednesday of all charges in the brutal September 2012 slaying of real estate agent Barbara Vernieri in her East Rutherford home. Rochat, 48, of Wood-Ridge was originally convicted in June 2017 of beating Vernieri, then pouring gasoline on her and around her home before setting it on fire to cover up the crime scene. Pros…
SEEN THEM? Suspects Nearly Get Away With Merchandise At South Jersey Target: Police (VIDEO) SEEN THEM? Suspects Nearly Get Away With Merchandise At South Jersey Target: Police (VIDEO)
Seen Them? Suspects Nearly Get Away With Merchandise At South Jersey Target: Police (Video) Three suspects nearly got away with $581 in merchandise before they were stopped by a Target employee in Camden County, authorities said. On Monday, April 22, at approximately 5:30 p.m. the three pictured suspects entered the Target store on Berlin Cross Keys Road, Gloucester Township police said. All three suspects gathered up merchandise and placed it into a cart, police said. A suspect with the pink coat exited the store and parked a silver Jeep SUV, with an unknown temporary NJ license plate and spare front right tire, out front of the store.  The other two suspects approached th…
Fugitive Wanted In Lower Township Stabbing Arrested In Mississippi: Prosecutors Fugitive Wanted In Lower Township Stabbing Arrested In Mississippi: Prosecutors
Imani Goodman Of Lower Township Arrested A Cape May County man wanted in a stabbing was caught in Mississippi nearly three weeks later, authorities said. Imani Goodman, 26, from the Villas section of Lower Township, was arrested in Wayne County, Mississippi, on Tuesday, Apr. 23. Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland announced his arrest in a news release on Wednesday, Apr. 24.  Lower Township police responded to a home on Oregon Avenue where someone was stabbed several times on Wednesday, Apr. 3. The victim was rushed to Cape Regional Medical Center in Middle Township and was listed in critical but stab…
WATCH THIS: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian WATCH THIS: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian
Watch This: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian An enraged New Jersey driver was recorded trying to run down a shirtless man in broad daylight on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk. The wild road rage pursuit continued up West 39th Street near Seventh Avenue before the driver left his Ford Taurus with three wheels on the sidewalk and confronted his target, footage shared by What Is New York on Instagram shows. "Call the cops! Calls the cops!" the man shouts. The pedestrian -- whose pants are down around his thighs, exposing red boxer shorts -- responds, then tries to duck into a building. A man at the door shoves him back onto the street. T…
Wanted Man Accused Of Having Child Porn Arrested Under Wildwood Boardwalk: Police Wanted Man Accused Of Having Child Porn Arrested Under Wildwood Boardwalk: Police
Keith Aubrey Arrested A Cape May County man accused of having more than 1,600 items of child pornography was found by police under the Wildwood Boardwalk, authorities said. Keith Aubrey, 42, of Wildwood, was arrested on a warrant on Thursday, Apr. 18, the Wildwood Crest Police Department said in a news release. He was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Jail records said Aubrey was charged for possession of child pornography on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. During that arrest, investigators found him with an SD card, and a warrant was obtained to search it. The SD card was lat…
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Police were reviewing security video to determine who's responsible for a threat specifically mentioning Blacks and Hispanics that was found scrawled on a bathroom wall at Dwight-Englewood School. The K-12 school was closed on Wednesday, April 24, following the discovery earlier in the week of a message that investigators said threatens to "get even." The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office was alerted and police in Englewood are working the case, assisted by the county sheriff's forensics team, which collected evidence. "There's concern right now considering what just recently trans…
Gloucester County Opens New Center To Fight Abuse Against Children Gloucester County Opens New Center To Fight Abuse Against Children
Gloucester County Opens New Center To Fight Abuse Against Children A new Child Advocacy Center has opened in Gloucester County to deal with the steady rise in abuse and neglect cases, authorities said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new center at 432 Glover St. in Woodbury took place on Tuesday, April 23. Local prosecutors said they found the need for a larger space necessary due to a rise in the number of crimes against children during and following the coronavirus pandemic.  Child abuse and neglect cases rose from 3,334 cases in 2000 to 4,355 last year in Gloucester County, according to the Rutgers University School of Social Work.  Statewi…
South Jersey Duo Found With Kilos Of Cocaine, AR-15 In Large Drug-Dealing Network: Prosecutors South Jersey Duo Found With Kilos Of Cocaine, AR-15 In Large Drug-Dealing Network: Prosecutors
South Jersey Duo Found With Kilos Of Cocaine, AR-15 In Large Drug-Dealing Network: Prosecutors Two men from Egg Harbor Township were accused of running a large drug-dealing network, authorities said. An Atlantic County Superior Court Judge detained 46-year-old Felix Mujica and 47-year-old Wilfredo Latimer on Tuesday, Apr. 23, the county prosecutor's office said in a news release. An undercover officer purchased more than five ounces of cocaine from the two men in Atlantic City. Police executed several search warrants in the investigation on Thursday, Apr. 18. Mujica was found alone in his home with 2.5 kilograms of cocaine throughout the house.  In Mujica's home, police al…
Two People Injured In South Jersey Crash After Driver Has 'Medical Episode': Police Two People Injured In South Jersey Crash After Driver Has 'Medical Episode': Police
Two People Injured In South Jersey Crash After Driver Has 'Medical Episode': Police Two people were injured, including one who had to be airlifted, when an SUV crashed into a utility pole in Ocean County, authorities said. Manchester Township police responded to the crash with wires down in the road near the intersection of Route 70 and Green Acres Road at around 4:55 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 23, the department said in a news release. Officers found a black 2020 Honda SUV facing west on the eastbound shoulder of Route 70 with extensive front-end damage. Investigators said the Honda was traveling east on Route 70 when a 72-year-old Manchester man driving the SUV "suf…
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff'
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' A SWAT team and other tactical units responded to a Mahwah home Tuesday afternoon after a resident expressed concern over suicidal comments she told police her husband had made, authorities confirmed. Fortunately, they weren't needed. The woman went to police headquarters early Tuesday afternoon, April 23, concerned over her husband's response when she said she was leaving him, responders said. A quick check determined that there are weapons in the home in the northeast section known as Cragmere near the Rockland County border. Out of "an overabundance of caution," Mahwah Police Chief Tim…
Camden County Man Arrested In Fatal Shooting: Prosecutor Camden County Man Arrested In Fatal Shooting: Prosecutor
Camden County Man Arrested In Fatal Shooting: Prosecutor A 21-year-old man from Gloucester Township has been arrested by U.S. Marshals in connection with a fatal shooting last week, authorities said. Hasan Battie was taken into custody on Monday, April 22 in Camden, according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay  Battie has been charged with first-degree murder and weapons offenses, she said. On Tuesday, April 16, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Gloucester Township Police officers were dispatched to a residence in the LaCascata development for a report of a person shot. Police found a male victim later identified as…
Camden Man Gets 55 Years Prison For Fatal Shooting Camden Man Gets 55 Years Prison For Fatal Shooting
Camden Man Gets 55 Years Prison For Fatal Shooting A 21-year-old Camden City man has been sentenced to 55 years in New Jersey State Prison for killing a Philadelphia man, authorities said. Antony Shields was sentenced on Friday, April 19, according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay. He must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. On Jan. 30, 2024, a jury convicted Shields of first-degree Felony Murder, first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter, and second-degree Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in connection to the death of Alex Fernandez, also 21. On Feb. 4, 2021, the Camden County Police De…
South Jersey Man Killed In Crash After Running Stop Sign: Police South Jersey Man Killed In Crash After Running Stop Sign: Police
South Jersey Man Killed In Crash After Running Stop Sign: Police An Atlantic County man was killed when his car crashed after driving through a stop sign, authorities said. Erick Barahona-Pinedo, 32, of Hammonton, died in the crash on Friday, Apr. 19, town police Chief Kevin Friel said in a news release. Officers responded to a call at around 9:59 p.m. of an erratic driver who almost caused a crash by running a stop sign at the intersection of North Egg Harbor Road and East Orchard Street. Officers found a 2007 Acura four-door sedan overturned in an embankment off North Egg Harbor near the intersection of North Chew Road. Barahona-Pinedo was identified …
COLD CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech COLD CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech
Cold CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech UPDATE: Leroy Julious had planned on whipping up a celebratory dinner after cashing a bonus check from his cook's job at The College of New Jersey when his brutally beaten body was found in a gravel lot across the street from his Ewing home. Julious's murder went unsolved for 16 years -- until authorities announced that technological advances and a shared mission among various agencies and law enforcement forensic experts cracked the cold case. Breyon Goodman, 36, of Trenton, and Jason Howard, 41, of Providence, R.I. killed Julious during a robbery near his Ewing home on May 9, 2008, t…
16-Year-Old Cold Case Results In 2 Murder Arrests In Mercer County 16-Year-Old Cold Case Results In 2 Murder Arrests In Mercer County
16-Year-Old Cold Case Results In 2 Murder Arrests In Mercer County Two men have been charged with murder in connection with a 2008 robbery and fatal beating, authorities said. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced the cold case arrests on Monday, April 22 in connection with the death of Leroy Julious of Ewing Township. Breyon Goodman, 36, of Trenton, and Jason Howard, 41, are each charged with murder, felony murder and robbery, they said. Goodman was arrested in Trenton on April 15 by U.S. Marshals. Howard was served his complaints in Rhode Island, where he is incarcerated for an un…
GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism
Gotcha! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism UPDATE: An elite law enforcement team captured a 24-year-old local man on Monday who authorities said broke in and trashed the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick earlier this month. Jacob Beacher was due for an initial afternoon appearance on federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court in Newark on April 22. Beacher broke into the CILRU shortly after 2:30 a.m. April 10 and did an estimated $40,000 worth of damage, state and federal authorities said. It was during the Eid-al-Fitr -- the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during…
Five Men Arrested On Drug Charges As Atlantic City Police Target Areas Of Violence Five Men Arrested On Drug Charges As Atlantic City Police Target Areas Of Violence
Five Men Arrested On Drug Charges As Atlantic City Police Target Areas Of Violence Five men were arrested in Atlantic City during a police operation targeting areas of violence, authorities said. In a news release, Atlantic City police said detectives conducted surveillance in the first block of South Florida Avenue on Thursday, Apr. 18. Four men were arrested for having or selling drugs. Isaiah Brown, 19, of Atlantic City, was taken into custody after running away from police. Once he was arrested, he continued to be uncooperative and struggled with detectives. Because of statements Brown made to police, he was brought to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Cente…
Pennsylvania BMW Driver, 30, Struck, Killed After Crash Along NJ Turnpike Pennsylvania BMW Driver, 30, Struck, Killed After Crash Along NJ Turnpike
Pennsylvania BMW Driver, 30, Struck, Killed After Crash Along NJ Turnpike A 30-year-old Pennsylvania man standing along the side of the New Jersey Turnpike after a collision was struck and killed by a passing car early Monday, April 22, authorities said. Alton Smith, of Levittown, PA, had bee driving a BMW 328i when he got into a crash with another BMW around 2:20 a.m. in Robbinsville, New Jersey State Police said. Smith was standing outside of his vehicle on the southbound side of the highway near milepost 64.1 on the inner roadway, when a passing Hyundai struck him and the back of his car, police said. Smith died while the driver of the Hyundai susta…
Three Teens Crashed Stolen Vehicle In Atlantic City: Police Three Teens Crashed Stolen Vehicle In Atlantic City: Police
Three Teens Crashed Stolen Vehicle In Atlantic City: Police Three teens from Galloway were accused of crashing a stolen vehicle in Atlantic City, authorities said. The boys were arrested on Friday, Apr. 19, the Atlantic City Police Department said in a news release on Monday, Apr. 22. The teens are 17, 16, and 15 years old. The city's automatic license plate reader system detected that a vehicle stolen from Neptune entered Atlantic City from Route 30 at around 4:51 p.m. Officers tried to stop the vehicle but the driver sped away and the pursuit was ended "due to the safety of the public." The city's surveillance center spotted the vehicle…
Arsonist, 44, Charged In South Jersey Church Fire: Police Arsonist, 44, Charged In South Jersey Church Fire: Police
Arsonist, 44, Charged In South Jersey Church Fire: Police A 44-year-old man has been charged with arson in connection with a blaze that broke out at a South Jersey church, police said. Brian Cannon is believed to have set fire to the Colonial Manor United Methodist Church on Elberne Avenue in West Deptford on Friday, April 20, local police said. He was charged with two counts of arson and aggravated assault. Multiple fire companies responded to the church around 6:40 a.m. Friday. One firefighter was hospitalized with an injury suffered fighting the blaze, and has since been released.
Fire Closes NJ Mall For Weekend Fire Closes NJ Mall For Weekend
Fire Closes NJ Mall For Weekend A mall in South Jersey will be closed through the weekend due to a fire. The fire broke out in the food court of Voorhees Town Center on Friday evening, April 18, local firefighters said. Last night, Quint and Engine 68 responded mutual aid into Voorhees for a building fire at The Voorhees Town Center. ... Posted by Gibbsboro Fire Company #1 on Saturday, April 20, 2024 While no injuries were reported, the mall said it would be closed through the weekend and reopen on Monday, April 22.
Sprinter Van Strikes Pedestrian, 27, On White Horse Pike: Police Sprinter Van Strikes Pedestrian, 27, On White Horse Pike: Police
Sprinter Van Strikes Pedestrian, 27, On White Horse Pike: Police A 27-year-old man was hospitalized after being struck by a car on White Horse Pike in Winslow Township Saturday night, April 20, police said. The Hammonton man was struck by a 46-year-old New York City man in a Mercedes Benz sprinter van near Ehrke Road around 9:45 p.m.  The pedestrian was taken to Cooper Hospital for treatment.
HORRIFIC: NJ Retiree, 73, Collected Sexual Images Of Children As Young As 4: Sheriff HORRIFIC: NJ Retiree, 73, Collected Sexual Images Of Children As Young As 4: Sheriff
Horrific: NJ Retiree, 73, Collected Sexual Images Of Children As Young As 4: Sheriff A 73-year-old retiree was caught with more than 1,500 images of naked children as young as four years old engaged in sex -- and investigators suspect there may be more, Acting Passaic County Sheriff Gary Giardina said. Working from a tip, members of Giardina's Internet Crime Against Children Task Force discovered that Edward W. Herbst Jr. of Bloomingdale had uploaded sexual images of youngsters between four and six years old and was looking for more, the sheriff said. They arrested him on Thursday, April 18, while seizing various electronic devices from his home, Giardina said. A…
New Jersey Rabbi Who Hired Hitmen To Kill Wife Over Affair Dies In Prison New Jersey Rabbi Who Hired Hitmen To Kill Wife Over Affair Dies In Prison
New Jersey Rabbi Who Hired Hitmen To Kill Wife Over Affair Dies In Prison Fred Neulander, the Cherry Hill rabbi who was convicted in a murder-for-hire plot to kill his wife, has died in New Jersey State Prison, the DOC website says. Neulander, 82, was observed unresponsive by correctional officers inside a prison infirmary unit on Wednesday, April 17, according to NBCPhiladelphia.com and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Prison officials have not released a cause of death, however, he was listed as "deceased" on the state's Department of Corrections website. Neulander — the founding rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom of Cherry Hill, a Reform Jewish synagogue — had been…
NYC Man Wearing Paintball Mask Tried To Break Into North Wildwood Condo: Police NYC Man Wearing Paintball Mask Tried To Break Into North Wildwood Condo: Police
Nicholas Alexander-Gutierrez Arrested A New York City man was accused of trying to break into a Cape May County condo, authorities said. Nicholas Alexander-Gutierrez, 44, was charged with third-degree criminal attempt to commit a burglary, the North Wildwood Police Department said in a news release on Friday, Apr. 19. He was accused of an attempted burglary on Thursday, Mar. 21. North Wildwood officers responded to a condo on the 1100 block of John F. Kennedy Boulevard. A witness saw a man in a paintball mask try to get into the condo through a sliding glass door. After the witness gave the suspect's description, one officer r…
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Foul play was not suspected after human remains were found at a Jersey Shore construction site, authorities said. An analysis of the skeletal remains hasn't shown any evidence of the people's deaths being suspicious, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago and Wall Township police Chief Sean O'Halloran said in a news release on Friday, Apr. 19.  The remains were found on the 1100 block of Narrumson Road in Wall Township on Tuesday, Mar. 12. Work had just started on the foundation of a new home when the remains were discovered. A state police anthropologist perf…
Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors
Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors A Monmouth County man will spend more than 20 years in prison after admitting to killing his father and hiding his body in their home almost two years ago, authorities said. Kenneth Knapp Jr., 32, of Matawan, was sentenced on Thursday, Apr. 18 to 30 years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree desecration of human remains. Matawan police were called to the family's home on Matawan Avenue on Sunday, May 1, 2022, for a welfare check on 58…
Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Cherry Hill Crash: Police Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Cherry Hill Crash: Police
Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Cherry Hill Crash: Police A pedestrian from Cherry Hill was killed in a crash, authorities said. The crash occurred at about 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 18 as he crossed Kings Highway south of Chapel Avenue, Cherry Hill police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.  The southbound driver stopped and cooperated with police, they said.
Fugitive Caught After Overnight Standoff In South Jersey: Police Fugitive Caught After Overnight Standoff In South Jersey: Police
Fugitive Caught After Overnight Standoff In South Jersey: Police A fugitive was taken into custody after an overnight standoff in Atlantic County, authorities said. Prentiss Blaylock, 37, of Egg Harbor Township, was arrested on Friday, Apr. 19, according to an Egg Harbor Township police spokesperson. The scene on Ivins Avenue had been active for more than 24 hours, the police department said in a Facebook post. Blaylock was sought for unlawful possession of a weapon, child abuse, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, resisting arrest, and theft. He was listed on the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office's "most wanted" list. No in…