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Division of Criminal Justice

Bergen Prosecutor's Lieutenant Charged With Stealing Coke, Fentanyl From Evidence Bergen Prosecutor's Lieutenant Charged With Stealing Coke, Fentanyl From Evidence
Bergen Prosecutor's Lieutenant Charged With Stealing Coke, Fentanyl From Evidence A Bergen County prosecutor’s lieutenant stole cocaine and potentially deadly fentanyl from his department's evidence room, then tried to return the drugs in “substantially different” condition after superiors got wise, state authorities charged. Kevin T. Matthew, 47, of Cedar Grove, apparently was selling the drugs based on what was a series of cash deposits under $10,000 each at various banks to try and slide past federal reporting requirements, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Two razor blades were also found in Matthew’s office at the BCPO, the attorney general …
Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources
Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources A ranking detective with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is at the center of an investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office into the sale of several kilos worth of drugs stolen from an evidence room, multiple sources said. At least one arrest was expected as part of what sources say was an undercover sting involving the New Jersey State Police that led to the theft and sale of more than a dozen kilos of narcotics that had been seized as evidence. An investigation was confirmed -- without elaboration -- by both agencies. Neither has publicly identified the department vet…
UPDATE: South Jersey Ex-Con Who Shot NJSP Detective Gets 28 Years Without Parole UPDATE: South Jersey Ex-Con Who Shot NJSP Detective Gets 28 Years Without Parole
Update: South Jersey Ex-Con Who Shot Njsp Detective Gets 28 Years Without Parole An ex-con was sentenced to 28 years in prison without parole for shooting a New Jersey State Police detective during an ambush. Tremaine Hadden, 30, of Bridgeton, was one of three men who opened fire on NJSP Detective Richard Hershey as he investigated a home invasion at the Harding Woods mobile home park in the Salem County town of Pittsgrove on April 25, 2020. Five women had been accused of forcing their way into a trailer and assaulting the owner – breaking a rib and lacerating a lung -- while stealing her iPhone. Sometime after Hershey arrived, a hostile group of 15 people connected t…
Student Shared Homemade Child Porn Via Montclair State Internet: NJAG Student Shared Homemade Child Porn Via Montclair State Internet: NJAG
Student Shared Homemade Child Porn Via Montclair State Internet: Njag UPDATE: A Montclair State University junior who was arrested for collecting child porn used the school's Internet connection to post videos of children pleasuring themselves that he'd convinced them to make by posing as a woman, authorities charged. The allegation is among new details that emerged from an indictment returned against Keyon Luff, 21, of Edgewater Park in Burlington County by a state grand jury in Trenton. Daily Voice reported Luff's initial arrest this past May.  Armed with a court-approved warrant, state Cybercrime Bureau/Internet Crimes Against Children investiga…
NJ 'Firebomb' Death Of Worker, 69: Long Island Biz Owner Charged With Aggravated Manslaughter NJ 'Firebomb' Death Of Worker, 69: Long Island Biz Owner Charged With Aggravated Manslaughter
NJ 'Firebomb' Death Of Worker, 69: Long Island Biz Owner Charged With Aggravated Manslaughter UPDATE: A trucking and warehouse operator from Long Island ignited a “firebomb” at a waste management facility near Newark Airport that killed a 69-year-old worker, New Jersey authorities charged. Mark Cadieux of Lynbrook, NY, dumped more than 9,000 pounds of aerosol cans container pressurized dry shampoo into a rented trash bin, sparking the May 2022 fire, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The Dumpster had been taken to the Waste Management facility on Julia Street in Elizabeth, where its highly-combustible contents ignited “within minutes” of being dumped out, the attorney g…
Montclair State Junior Who Collected Child Porn Got Kids To Send Sex Vids, Authorities Charge Montclair State Junior Who Collected Child Porn Got Kids To Send Sex Vids, Authorities Charge
Montclair State Junior Who Collected Child Porn Got Kids To Send Sex Vids, Authorities Charge Investigators who arrested a student at Montclair State University for collecting child porn made a frightening discovery after raiding his dorm room, authorities said. The MSU junior from Burlington County had contacted underage children online using a bogus identity, then engaged them in sexually explicit chats – and even had some send him videos of them pleasuring themselves, they said. Keyon Luff, 21, of Edgewater Park, was arrested by state Division of Criminal Justice detectives assisted by Montclair State police during a raid of his on-campus dorm room last week, New Jersey Attorney …
'White Lives Matter Too': Man Charged With Smoke Bombing, Pepper Spraying Asbury Church Event 'White Lives Matter Too': Man Charged With Smoke Bombing, Pepper Spraying Asbury Church Event
'White Lives Matter Too': Man Charged With Smoke Bombing, Pepper Spraying Asbury Church Event An Ocean County man was charged with throwing smoke bombs and trying to pepper-spray attendees of an anti-racism concert at an Asbury Park church while shouting "White lives matter, too," authorities announced. Nicholas G. Mucci, 28, of Toms River was wearing a black face covering on Jan. 28 as he blocked attendees from leaving a concert organized by a social justice organization known as the One People's Project at the Trinity Episcopal Parish on Asbury Avenue, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. “White lives matter, too,” he shouted while tossing two smoke bombs toward the cro…
Attention Centers On Accused Mastermind Of 84 Brazen Burglaries In Nine NJ Counties, Rockland Attention Centers On Accused Mastermind Of 84 Brazen Burglaries In Nine NJ Counties, Rockland
Attention Centers On Accused Mastermind Of 84 Brazen Burglaries In Nine NJ Counties, Rockland A Teaneck ex-con accused of leading a band of brazen burglars who committed no fewer than 84 broad-daylight break-ins throughout New Jersey and Rockland County could find two of them testifying against him if he goes to trial. Porsche Brown, 29, of Lodi, and Kay Brown, 23, of Paterson (no relation) took guilty pleas rather than take their chances with a jury. The likelihood that either or both could testify against him in exchange for leniency at sentencing could determine the course that Keith Perry, 38, takes in his defense. A grand jury this week indicted Perry on a host of charges, inc…
Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup
Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup A mail carrier, a train conductor and a retired corrections officer are among 31 men charged amid a massive roundup that produced some horrifying stories about online child sex abuse in the age of COVID, New Jersey authorities announced Wednesday. One of them offered money and other prizes through a social media “game” that he created to convince underage girls to send him nude photos, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Another got victims between 7 and 15 years old to send him sexual photos, then pressured them to send more by threatening to share those he had online, he said. …
Grand Jurors Indict 14 In Shooting Of NJ State Trooper Grand Jurors Indict 14 In Shooting Of NJ State Trooper
Grand Jurors Indict 14 In Shooting Of NJ State Trooper Fourteen people were indicted Monday in connection with the shooting of a New Jersey State Police detective who was investigating a trailer park home invasion. Attempted murder and aggravated assault charges were returned by a state grand jury in Trenton against Najzeir “Naz” Hutchings 22, Kareen “Kai” Warner, 20, and ex-con Tremaine Hadden, 28, all of Bridgeton, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Eleven other defendants were indicted on various charges, he said. Imari Lazu, 23, of Bridgeton, was previously charged, pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiracy to commit witness tamper…
Multi-Agency Probe Ties Quartet To 84 Burglaries In Eight NJ Counties, Rockland Multi-Agency Probe Ties Quartet To 84 Burglaries In Eight NJ Counties, Rockland
Multi-Agency Probe Ties Quartet To 84 Burglaries In Eight NJ Counties, Rockland A car crash in Hackensack and an alert officer in Cedar Grove produced key evidence in the takedown of a mixed-gender crew believed responsible for 84 home burglaries in eight New Jersey counties and Rockland, authorities said. Investigators armed with a search warrant found proceeds from one of the burglaries in a Mercedes-Benz GL 450 that Keith Perry, 38, of Teaneck crashed in March, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Perry was identified as a burglar who threatened an Englewood homeowner by "making a motion with his hand inside his sweatshirt as though he had a gun" and saying…
Authorities: Released Gun Offender Charged With Prostituting Girl, 16, At Trenton Hotel Authorities: Released Gun Offender Charged With Prostituting Girl, 16, At Trenton Hotel
Authorities: Released Gun Offender Charged With Prostituting Girl, 16, At Trenton Hotel A Trenton man who was released after he was caught with three handguns and a missing 16-year-old girl following a high-speed police chase and crash was charged with prostituting the underage teen at a local hotel, state authorities announced. Ronald D. Harris, 40, originally was arrested on weapons charges by Trenton police and New Jersey State Police in July, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Monday. Harris had fled a traffic stop, hitting an unmarked police vehicle with his car, running a red light and hitting speeds of up to 80 miles an hour before it slammed into a taxi,…
NJ Launches Nation's First Law Enforcement Stress Management Program Amid Police Suicide Rise NJ Launches Nation's First Law Enforcement Stress Management Program Amid Police Suicide Rise
NJ Launches Nation's First Law Enforcement Stress Management Program Amid Police Suicide Rise Amid a nationwide rise in police suicides – including 37 in New Jersey in just the past three years – the Garden State’s top lawman announced the creation of the country’s first law enforcement training program in stress management. Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal issued the “Officer Resiliency Directive” requiring all state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies to designate a specifically trained officer who can train colleagues in coping with the unique stressors of their jobs. The New Jersey Resiliency Program for Law Enforcement (“NJRP-LE”) will directly address issues that,…
Hoboken Man Ripped Off $750K From Bar Investors, AG Says Hoboken Man Ripped Off $750K From Bar Investors, AG Says
Hoboken Man Ripped Off $750K From Bar Investors, AG Says Nirav Patel raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that he said he would invest in opening a Hoboken beer palace. Instead, authorities say, the 39-year-old city resident spent the money on himself and other, unrelated expenses, according to an indictment announced Thursday by Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. Patel, who was indicted Wednesday on a charge of theft by deception, began raising money to open World of Beer Hoboken in 2014. He received $750,000 for the venture from an investment group, according to investigators from the state Division of Criminal Justice. An investor himself,…
Officer-Involved Shooting In Newark Under Investigation Officer-Involved Shooting In Newark Under Investigation
Officer-Involved Shooting In Newark Under Investigation The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office is handling an investigation into a daytime shootout between law enforcement and two suspects Tuesday in Newark.  A detective with the Newark Police Department and a State Trooper were patrolling in plainclothes and in an unmarked vehicle around 12:45 p.m. when they came across A Honda CRV on South Orange Avenue,  said the Hudson prosecutor's office, which is conducting the investigation due to potential conflicts of interest between the Essex prosecutor's office and the officers.  Someone in the Honda allegedly flashed a weapon as it tra…
5 From N.J. Plead Guilty To Loansharking, Other Mob-Controlled Rackets 5 From N.J. Plead Guilty To Loansharking, Other Mob-Controlled Rackets
5 From N.J. Plead Guilty To Loansharking, Other Mob-Controlled Rackets A group of men pleaded guilty to loansharking, money laundering and other charges after they were nabbed in "Operation Fistful," an investigation by authorities in New York and New Jersey into illicit activity by New York's Genovese organized crime family, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Wednesday.  “When those involved in traditional organized crime engage in schemes such as loansharking and illegal gambling, they profit at the expense of victims who are struggling with debt, gambling problems, and other issues,” said Grewal. “By prosecuting the men who ran these schemes and put…
Growing Threat: NJ Authorities Discover Untraceable ‘Ghost Guns’ In Major Drug Takedown Growing Threat: NJ Authorities Discover Untraceable ‘Ghost Guns’ In Major Drug Takedown
Growing Threat: NJ Authorities Discover Untraceable ‘Ghost Guns’ In Major Drug Takedown State authorities working a drug investigation seized a half-dozen “ghost gun” assault rifles, along with parts for two more, while arresting a dozen men who they said trafficked weapons and drugs. Concern has been growing among law enforcement nationwide as more criminals assemble do-it-yourself “ghost guns” with a variety of machinery, including 3-D printers, from online mail-order kits. The results are unregistered weapons that don’t have serial numbers, making them impossible to trace, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Monday. “Assault rifles like these pose an especially deadly t…
School Bus Driver Gets 5 Years For Viewing, Sharing Child Porn During Breaks School Bus Driver Gets 5 Years For Viewing, Sharing Child Porn During Breaks
School Bus Driver Gets 5 Years For Viewing, Sharing Child Porn During Breaks A former school bus driver from Stanhope was sentenced Thursday to five years in state prison for trafficking child pornography online. Eugene Triston, 58, admitted last year that he viewed and shared upwards of 500 images on breaks between bus runs of elementary school students and others in the Sparta School District. He pleaded guilty to a charge of distribution of child pornography in exchange for leniency. Triston – who viewed and shared videos of very young children being sexually assaulted -- will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to par…
Child Porn-Sharing NJ Retiree, 78, Headed To Prison For Four Years Child Porn-Sharing NJ Retiree, 78, Headed To Prison For Four Years
Child Porn-Sharing NJ Retiree, 78, Headed To Prison For Four Years A 78-year-old retiree from Central Jersey was sentenced to four years in state prison Monday for trafficking child pornography. Arnold Kay of Linden will be under parole supervision for life and must register as a sex offender once he’s released. Kay pleaded guilty to child porn distribution charges earlier this year in exchange for leniency. He was one of 28 people busted in 2014 during “Operation Predator Alert,” a multi-agency child pornography sweep. By sharing kiddie porn online, Kay “participated in a criminal network that promotes and perpetuates the brutal sexual exploitation of …
NJ To Investigate Not Only Priests But Also Suspected Catholic Church Sex Abuse Cover-Ups NJ To Investigate Not Only Priests But Also Suspected Catholic Church Sex Abuse Cover-Ups
NJ To Investigate Not Only Priests But Also Suspected Catholic Church Sex Abuse Cover-Ups New Jersey authorities will investigate not only charges of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic Church but also any attempts by their superiors at covering it up, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced Thursday. “No person is above the law and no institution is immune from accountability,” Grewal said, noting that a special task force will issue subpoenas compelling priests and church officials to testify and surrender documents. Grewal has appointed an experienced sex crimes prosecutor to head a team of detectives and prosecutors from across the state who will collect and present …
Edgewater Defendant Indicted In $12M Go-Go Bar Theft Ring Edgewater Defendant Indicted In $12M Go-Go Bar Theft Ring
Edgewater Defendant Indicted In $12M Go-Go Bar Theft Ring An Edgewater man conspired with the owner of a shuttered go-go bar to use stolen credit card information – and illegally acquired gift cards – to steal more than $12 million, authorities said. Kevin Bae, 30, shared a bank account with the Morris County bar owner “into which millions of dollars were transferred” through the scheme, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Friday. They generated the money through a variety of scams, including scaring elderly people over the phone into buying gift cards by pretending to be a grandchild who was in jail and needed bail money, Grewal said. The own…
SWEPT UP: Paterson Heroin Gang, Bergen, Rockland, Orange Buyers Charged SWEPT UP: Paterson Heroin Gang, Bergen, Rockland, Orange Buyers Charged
Swept UP: Paterson Heroin Gang, Bergen, Rockland, Orange Buyers Charged The ringleader and a crew of 16 members of a Paterson-based heroin ring tied to the Bloods street gang – along with 16 accused buyers from Bergen, Rockland and Orange counties -- were named in a sweeping indictment produced by a massive multi-agency investigation, New Jersey authorities said Thursday. The investigation targeted open-air drug dealing and gun violence controlled by a multi-layered ring in a section of the 4th Ward of Paterson known as the four corners -- or “4K” area – where Mercer, Putnam and Warren streets meet Rosa Parks Boulevard. Leading the “4K Bloods” – also known as t…
NJ Trooper Cleared In Shooting Death Of Driver Who Tried To Run Him Down NJ Trooper Cleared In Shooting Death Of Driver Who Tried To Run Him Down
NJ Trooper Cleared In Shooting Death Of Driver Who Tried To Run Him Down A New Jersey State Police trooper was justified in shooting and killing a driver who rammed his pickup truck into two police vehicles and then tried to run him over, a grand jury found. Christopher Pizzichetta, 46, of Lewes, Delaware, was sitting in his pickup truck at the north end of the Molly Pitcher Service Area in Cranbury last March 30 when plainclothes State Police officers investigating drugs and other crimes at the NJ Turnpike rest stop approached in an unmarked SUV,  state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Other troopers in an unmarked black pickup truck positioned their veh…
NJ Attorney General: State Trooper Justified In Shooting Suspect NJ Attorney General: State Trooper Justified In Shooting Suspect
NJ Attorney General: State Trooper Justified In Shooting Suspect LAKE HOPATCONG, N.J. -- A State Police trooper was justified in shooting a Lake Hopatcong man who charged at him and his colleagues as they tried to arrest him for assaulting his girlfriend, New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino said Tuesday. "An officer may use deadly force in New Jersey when the officer reasonably believes it is immediately necessary to protect the officer or another person from imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm," Porrino said. In this case, he said, "the facts and circumstances reasonably led the officer to believe his actions were …