Find Your Daily Voice
Cumberland Salem
Your Local News for Cumberland and Salem Counties, New Jersey
Thursday, may 9
51°
Follow
News
Schools
Business
Obituaries
Police & Fire
Weather
Lifestyle
Politics
Sports
Traffic
Real Estate
Tags
Jobs
Shop
Support Us
Cumberland Salem
Follow
Find Your Daily Voice
News
Schools
Business
Obituaries
Police & Fire
Weather
Lifestyle
Politics
Sports
Traffic
Real Estate
Tags
Jobs
Shop
Support Us
Home
About us
All sites
Advertise with us
Contact us
Terms of use
Privacy policy
Code of ethics
Site Map
© 2024 Cantata Media
51°
Thursday, may 9
Tag:
US Marine Corps
Obituaries
Jersey Shore Native Who Became Marine Corps Leader Dies, 95: 'His Legacy Will Endure'
A Jersey Shore native who became the highest-ranking officer in the Marines has died, the military branch said. Retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr. died on Wednesday, Mar. 20 after "a brief stay in hospice care," the U.S. Marines Corps announced. He was 95 years old. Gray Jr. was the 29th commandant of the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991. "He was a 'Marine’s Marine'—a giant who walked among us during his career and after, remaining one of the Corps’ dearest friends and advocates even into his twilight," said Gen. Eric Smith, the current commandant of the Marines. "His contributions …
Police & Fire
Marine From NJ Saves Teen Snowboarder During Accident In Japan
A U.S. Marine from South Jersey is credited with helping to rescue a Japanese teen severely hurt while snowboarding, authorities said. Sgt. Tyler Rallo of Galloway was taking a break from military training with Sergeants Ryan Cartwright and Scott Dike when the accident occurred, according to the Marine Corps. The mishap unfolded in Nagano, Japan, last month. Reichi Sekiguchi, a teenager from Kyoto Prefecture, was enjoying mountain adventures with his family and friends when he experienced a sudden accident, severely cutting the top of his head. Reichi’s father, Toshiya Sekiguchi, said: “T…
News
Convicted NJ Sex Offender Charged With Trafficking Child Porn
A retired Marine from South Jersey who'd previously been convicted of having sex with an underage Pennsylvania girl was arrested by federal agents on child porn charges, authorities said. A U.S. District Court judge in Camden released Matthew Knapp, 38, of Lindenwold, on an unsecured bond following his arrest by Homeland Security Investigations agents last week, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on Monday, Feb. 27. The agents found Knapp sharing the images from his home, the U.S. attorney said. A warranted search of the residence produced the seizure of, among other things, “a co…
News
Judge Refuses Release For North Jersey Security Salesman Charged With Sexually Assaulting Woman
A judge refused to release a security company salesman from West Milford who’s charged with sexually assaulting a township woman. Austin Hopler sexually assaulted the woman -- who, like him, is 25 -- following an event at a local home last June 6, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and West Milford Township Police Chief James Devore alleged in a joint release. Hopler was arrested last Monday, Jan. 9, following an investigation by township police and members of the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit, they said. The six-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran – who’d been stationed at Fort Di…
News
Marine Corps Vet From NJ Admits Defrauding VA Out Of $119,000, Threatening Agent
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran from New Jersey admitted that he threatened to harm a federal agent after defrauding the VA out of $118,979 in disability benefits, authorities said. Kamil Wakulik, 38, lied when he claimed that he'd suffered PTSD from active-duty service that included having to recover human remains following natural disasters in the Philippines and Thailand, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Wakulik, who lives in the Morris County community of Long Valley and was in the Corps from 2003 to 2007, wasn't involved in such operations, the U.S. attorney said. Ba…
News
Hero
: 'It's Time To Go,' Would-Be GWB Jumper Tells Veteran Port Authority Police Officer
"It's time to go," a suicidal man perched on the outer railing of the George Washington Bridge told Port Authority Police Officer Stephen Gryboski. Gryboski isn't just any law enforcer, however. The senior officer at the PAPD's George Washington Bridge Command Center, Gryboski is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He also proudly wears the badge of his father, retired Port Authority Police Officer Frank Gryboski, who served the department from 1959 through 1980. He also has a slow heartbeat. A few years ago, a member of the public sent the department an unsolicited mes…
News
Drill Instructor Charged In NJ Marine Recruit Dalton Beals's Death
A senior Parris Island drill instructor has been charged in last year's death of a New Jersey Marine recruit. Staff Sgt. Steven Smiley was charged with negligent homicide, cruelty, oppression and more in the death of 19-year-old Pennsville native Pfc. Dalton Beals, a spokesman for the Marines tells the New York Times. Dalton BealsUS Marine Corps Beals' cause of death on June 4, 2021 was found to be hyperthermia, or overheating, during a 54-hour training exercise called The Crucible, according to Marine reports. Temperatures that day had reached Black Flag conditions — 90 degrees or mo…
Obituaries
Jersey Shore Owner Of Circus Drive-In Dies At 95
The founding owner of the Circus Drive-In diner known for its 12-foot clown sign has died at the age of 95. Richard J. “Dick” Friedel, who founded the 64-year-old eatery on Route 35 in Wall Township, died on Oct. 27, his obituary said. The Circus Drive-In was demolished in 2018. It featured car-door service that included seafood, burgers and shakes. He was born in Bogota, NJ, and was married for 53 years. Friedel’s first job was a Revlon salesman, but was best known as the owner of the Circus Drive-In for 49 years until his wife Bobbi passed away in 2004, his obituary said. Generat…
News
Police, Firefighters Rescue Plastics Worker Who Lost Leg In NJ Machine Mishap
HEROES: Police and firefighters teamed up to save the life of a factory worker after he lost a lower leg in an industrial accident in Clifton, authorities said. Police Sgt. Robert Marks and Officer Christopher Acampora, who were the first to arrive, climbed up a conveyer belt on a large compacting machine to get to the pinned 33-year-old victim from Clifton, Lt. Robert Anderson said. Marks is a decade-long department veteran who's served in the U.S. Army and National Guard. Acampora is a rookie with nine years of military experience, including in the U.S. Marine Corps. Working swiftly, bot…
Obituaries
Marine With NJ Ties ID'd As Motorcyclist Killed In PA Crash
The motorcycle rider who died at the scene of a crash in central Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 20, has been identified as a former marine with ties to New Jersey. Ricardo Reyes, 35, of Mount Joy, was killed in the two-vehicle crash at 8:15 p.m., according to a release by the Lancaster County Forensic Center. The Manor Township police were called to a crash involving a motorcycle at the intersection of Seitz and Manor Church roads at 7:22 p.m., according to a release by the department. The police officers "render aid to the motorcycle rider until Blue Rock FD and EMS arrived," as stat…
News
Fugitive Dubbed 'Real-Life Tony Soprano' Couldn't Hide From The Law, Even In Death
He was considered one of the last of the old-time mobsters, a "real-life Tony Soprano" listed as one of New Jersey's most wanted fugitives. Even six feet under, though, Tony Mota couldn't evade his pursuers. After eluding capture for nearly 25 years for a gruesome murder committed in Hudson County, Anthony Mota was found buried in the country where he was born, the Dominican Republic. Mota had been collecting debts for high-level Colombian drug dealers in New York City when he and a group of accomplices abducted a Queens man on Dec. 13, 1997, authorities said. The victim, 38-year-old …
News
Naval Academy ID's Annapolis Midshipman Who Died In Philadelphia Surrounded By Family
The Naval Academy has identified the Annapolis midshipman who died while on leave in Philadelphia. Taylor Connors, a 24-year-old Pleasant View, Utah native, died Tuesday, June 7, with family by his bedside, the US Naval Academy said. “Our Naval Academy community is mourning a tragic loss this week of a life taken far too soon – Midshipman Taylor Connors honorably served his nation as a Marine and as a midshipman,” said Vice Adm. Sean Buck, 63rd Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy. Connors attended Utah Military Academy where he attained the rank of group commander, responsib…
News
Career Criminal, 73, Admits Committing Murder-For-Hire Of NJ Politico
A hardened ex-con from Connecticut admitted that he and a longtime criminal pal from Philadelphia stabbed a political consultant to death and then torched his Jersey City apartment in a murder-for-hire attack. George Bratsenis, 73, of Monroe, CT said he and his partner were paid to whack Michael Galdieri, the son of former State Sen. James Galdieri (D-Jersey City) and a prominent figure in local Hudson County politics. Bratsenis and the other killer, Bomani Africa, 61, were hired by onetime political operative Sean Caddle, who’d been an aide to former State Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) a…
News
'Invincible' NJ Firefighter Who Served In Marines And Law Enforcement Dies
Vincent Doffont spent much of his life serving and protecting his country as a U.S. Marine and, later, his community in Hudson County as a sheriff's officer, police officer and firefighter. Doffont, 37, died suddenly this weekend, leaving those who knew him in shock and profound grief. "He was one of the hardest men I have ever met," wrote friend Blake Upton. "I always thought of him as invincible." Doffont, indeed, seemed indestructible as a football running back, defensive back and placekicked for the St. Mary's High School Gaels from 1999 through 2002. He was praised for his "speed, s…
Lifestyle
NJ Transit Police Officer, Marine Vet Faces Toughest Battle Yet: Cancer
A 51-year-old New Jersey Transit officer and US Marine veteran is facing one of his toughest battles yet: Cancer. A large tumor was found on Kevin Lenkowski's colon, requiring immediate surgery after a trip to the emergency room just before Thanksgiving, a GoFundMe campaign for him says. Doctors confirmed Lenkowski's worst fear was true. "Needless to say, this has been a life-changing event, not only for Kevin, but for his wife and two daughters who he is putting through college," said the campaign, founded by Dennis Wells. Lenkowski is a US Marine Corps veteran, with eight years of servic…
51°
