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Police & Fire
Family Of Four Displaced After House Damaged By Fire In South Jersey Family Of Four Displaced After House Damaged By Fire In South Jersey
Family Of Four Displaced After House Damaged By Fire In South Jersey A home in Atlantic County was significantly damaged by a fire, displacing a family of four, officials said. Somers Point firefighters responded to a report of a deck fire on Chapman Boulevard at around noon on Sunday, Apr. 14, the department said in a Facebook post. While crews were on their way, it was upgraded to a structure fire. A photo posted by the fire department showed extensive fire damage to the deck and half of the home. No injuries were reported. The New Jersey chapter of the American Red Cross said it was assisting a family of four people. The group was providing the family wi…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Corrections Officer Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Girl Under 13 Years Old South Jersey Corrections Officer Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Girl Under 13 Years Old
South Jersey Corrections Officer Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Girl Under 13 Years Old A Cape May County corrections officer was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl younger than 13 years old, authorities said. A jury found 34-year-old Jonathan Perez guilty on four charges on Friday, Apr. 12, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said in a news release. He was charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault of a minor, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The trial began on Monday, Mar. 18, more than a year after he was arrested. The girl reported the abuse "over an extended period of time" to st…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Ex-Jersey City High School Footballer Charged With Selling Guns To Undercover Ex-Jersey City High School Footballer Charged With Selling Guns To Undercover
Ex-Jersey City High School Footballer Charged With Selling Guns To Undercover A former high school football standout from Jersey City twice sold guns to an undercover police officer, authorities charged. A Superior Court judge ordered Emerson Deline, 18, held following a hearing in Jersey City last week, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The 2023 Snyder High School graduate sold a handgun to an undercover police officer on Jan. 4 and then again on Jan. 12 during a joint investigation by her Narcotics Task Force and members of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Suarez said. He's charged with two counts each of unlawful posses…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Children Of Trenton Murder Victim 'Struggling To Understand Painful Reality' Children Of Trenton Murder Victim 'Struggling To Understand Painful Reality'
Children Of Trenton Murder Victim 'Struggling To Understand Painful Reality' A 43-year-old man has been charged with murder in a triple Trenton shooting that left a 46-year-old father dead and two others wounded, authorities announced. Kareem Pygum shot Jose Alfredo Azcona Garcia on the 500 block of N. Clinton Avenue jus after 8 p.m. on April 4, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said. Pygum also struck a woman in the shoulder and a man suffered a graze to his cheek. The woman and Azcona Garcia were both taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where Azcona Garcia died on April 9. A GoFundMe was launched by Azcona Garcia's childre…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NO CHOICE: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds NO CHOICE: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds
NO Choice: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: Police were justified in shooting a New Jersey man seen on bodycam video charging at an officer with a knife, a grand jury investigation required by state law found. Luke Mendez, 26, had his wrapped around the knife handle as he barreled down the steps of an Old Bridge home last April 24. Mendez was only two steps from the landing -- less than three feet from an Old Bridge officer -- when he left police no choice. Mendez was pronounced dead at a local hospital about 90 minutes later. Grand jurors reviewed various evidence but didn't really need any more than the bodycam video…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Driver Killed, Another With Life-Threatening Injuries In Five-Vehicle South Jersey Crash Driver Killed, Another With Life-Threatening Injuries In Five-Vehicle South Jersey Crash
Driver Killed, Another With Life-Threatening Injuries In Five-Vehicle South Jersey Crash One person was killed and another was fighting for their life after a five-vehicle crash in Atlantic County, authorities said. Absecon police responded to the crash at around 6:37 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 11, the department said in a news release. It happened at the intersection of Route 30 and Mill Road. One driver was killed in the crash. Another driver was rushed to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus, in Atlantic City with life-threatening injuries. Police didn't release any more information about how the crash happened. The traffic safety unit for Absecon police a…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Crooked Cardio Doc Admits Pocketing $2 Million In Health Insurance Ripoffs Crooked Cardio Doc Admits Pocketing $2 Million In Health Insurance Ripoffs
Crooked Cardio Doc Admits Pocketing $2 Million In Health Insurance Ripoffs The owner and sole medical provider of a Middlesex County medical practice admitted in federal court that he pocketed nearly $2 million in a long-running series of blatant health insurance scams. Dr. Fazal Panezai, a 76-year-old cardiologist from Morganville, at one point submitted claims for a single day's worth of visits to his Matawan-Aberdeen Heart & Medical Center in May 2022 that totaled 27.9 hours, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Hei also billed health insurance providers more than $80,000 for office visits when he was out of the country, the U.S. attorney said. Panezai …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Woman High On Narcotics Indicted In NJ Crash That Killed Toddler: Prosecutors Woman High On Narcotics Indicted In NJ Crash That Killed Toddler: Prosecutors
Woman High On Narcotics Indicted In NJ Crash That Killed Toddler: Prosecutors A Monmouth County woman was indicted after she was accused of driving under the influence of drugs in a crash that killed a young girl, authorities said. Samantha Bonora, 31, of Howell, was indicted by a grand jury, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced in a news release on Friday, Apr. 12. She was charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, two counts of second-degree aggravated assault, and four counts of assault by auto. Howell police responded to a crash on Route 34 near the Colts Neck border at around 4:41 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13. Investigators said Bonor…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Atlantic City Teen Ditched Gun While Running Away From Cops: Police Atlantic City Teen Ditched Gun While Running Away From Cops: Police
Atlantic City Teen Ditched Gun While Running Away From Cops: Police An Atlantic City teen was arrested after he ran away from police while having a loaded gun, authorities said. Atlantic City police saw the 16-year-old boy near Virginia and Magellan avenues at around 3:27 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 9. Officers spotted him while conducting surveillance for a weapons investigation. As police approached the boy, he ran away and threw a satchel that he was carrying. He eventually surrendered and police found a loaded gun in the satchel. The teen was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of hollow-po…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Delaware Man Arrested With Child Porn In Cumberland County Delaware Man Arrested With Child Porn In Cumberland County
Jeffy Mirto A 40-year-old man from Delaware has been arrested for possessing child pornography, authorities said. The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office – High Tech Crimes Unit with the assistance of the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office – Major Crimes Unit concluded a two-month Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation with the arrest of Jeffy Mirto of Smyrna, DE. Investigators received a cyber tip referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the uploading of suspected child pornography. Through investigative measures, Mi…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids
NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids A 91-year-old Saddle Brook widower was jailed Friday after authorities said he exposed himself to a trio of preteens. John Urso was booked into the Bergen County Jail on April 12 following his arrest on lewdness charges hours earlier, records show. The defendant "exposed themselves to students who were playing outside at Franklin School," Saddle Brook Schools Supt. Toni Violetti wrote in a message to the community. Violetti thanked staff at the K-6 school on Caldwell Avenue "for their quick response" and township police "for their swift investigation and decisive action." Bergen Cou…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Woman Who Sold Opioids, Meth Across NJ Sentenced Jersey Shore Woman Who Sold Opioids, Meth Across NJ Sentenced
Jersey Shore Woman Who Sold Opioids, Meth Across NJ Sentenced An Ocean County woman will spend time in prison after admitting to selling opioids and methamphetamine across New Jersey, authorities said. Laurie Maxson, 54, of Barnegat, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 12 to three years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. She pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to conspiracy to distribute more than five ounces of methamphetamine. The county prosecutor's office received a tip on Thursday, July 15, 2021, from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to investigate narcotics being sold in Ocean County. D…

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by Chris Spiker