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Saturday, apr 27
Tag:
Drug Abuse
Police & Fire
9/11 Victim's Son Comes To Bergen To Discuss Addiction, Depression And Redemption
The author of the first book by a child of 9/11 is coming to Bergen County this week to talk about the consequences of opioid addiction. Little Ferry and Ridgefield Park police have partnered up to host Matthew Bocchi as part of their fight against the spreading opioid epidemic. Eight years sober, Bocchi will talk about drug and alcohol abuse as well as the fateful day in 2001 when his father was among nearly 3,000 people killed in the simultaneous attacks on America. Bocchi gained recognition for his best-selling memoir, "Sway," in which he shares his journey to wellness. His talks ampl…
Police & Fire
Drug Store Robbery Spree: Second Suspect Snared In Passaic County
A Paterson man was charged by federal authorities with participating in seven drugstore robberies in the Silk City and Passaic, including one in which they said an ex-con partner fired two gunshots. A federal magistrate judge ordered Onijee Burgess, 26, detained following a hearing in U.S. District Court in Newark on Tuesday, Oct. 17.Burgess, Antonio Rivera and other unidentified co-conspirators went on a robbery spree from November 2022 through April 2023, holding up five different pharmacies -- including two of them twice, authorities said. Rivera demanded Percocet, morphine and oxycodone…
Police & Fire
Jersey City Man Sought In PA Dad's Fentanyl Death: Prosecutors
Months after a Pennsylvania father of two died from a drug overdose, authorities are seeking his New Jersey coworker who they say gave him the bag. Steven Nitschke, 33, was found dead in his Stroudsburg home in March, and his cause of death was ruled fentanyl toxicity in his autopsy, said the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. County detectives claim Nitschke got the drugs from his 39-year-old coworker Edwin Burgos, who allegedly said it was heroin. Burgos' whereabouts are unknown to police, but he is thought to frequent the East Stroudsburg area nea…
Police & Fire
Rapes, Beatings, Brandings: Married Paterson Sex Traffickers Who 'Defied Humanity' Go To Prison
A married Passaic County couple who operated a sex trafficking ring that raped, beat and branded women with the husband's name while he was in prison have been sentenced for their crimes, authorities announced. Enna Gonzalez, 58, was sentenced to a plea-bargained four years in federal prison last Thursday, July 6, by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark for crimes that one federal official said “defy humanity.” Her husband, Jean “Poison” Noriega, 52, also took a deal from the government and was sentenced last month to 20 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea, U.S. Attorn…
Police & Fire
Cruel PA Aunt Who Tortured, Burned Kids Captured In Passaic County: Authorities
A 19-year-old Pennsylvania aunt is facing more than 200 criminal charges after authorities say she beat, burned and tortured the four children — three of whom were her nieces and nephews — she was living with over a period of years, authorities announced. Anais Munoz — who was being held in the Passaic County, NJ jail as of Tuesday, Jan. 24 — used a "wide range of implements" to exert control and fear over the four kids, who are currently between 7 and 13 years old, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. Munoz moved into the Chester family's home in 2020, and immediately began the a…
Police & Fire
Sparta Cop Nearly Struck By Speeding Driver Injecting Drugs (
Video
)
The intense moment when a Sparta police officer had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck by a speeding driver who was apparently injecting drugs was captured in an action-packed video clip. (Scroll for video). Sparta Police Officer Andrew Spitzer was at the scene of a traffic accident near Andover when a man injecting drugs and speeding at 70 mph came at him, the department said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The man continued to accelerate as he approached, forcing Officer Spitzer to leap out of the way just a moment before the car came barreling through to avoid being …
News
Mahwah Teen Dies Tragically, Leaves Infant Daughter, Devastated Loved Ones
A funeral is scheduled this week for a teenage mom from Mahwah who died tragically last week. Olivia Sybesma, 19, was a devoted mother, one who quit any further formal education after graduating from Mahwah High School in order to care for her nearly-1-year-old daughter, Layla Rose. Olivia “poured all her time and guidance” into raising the love of her life, her obituary says. She also trusted others and “worried about everyone else except herself,” her mother, Marlaina Sybesma, wrote. So it was with that implicit trust that Olivia, feeling both down and anxious, apparently accepted a …
News
Former NJ Pain Doctor Dies By Suicide In NY Jail: AP
Drexel University's former chairman of the neurology department convicted of sexually assaulting patients died by suicide in a New York City jail, sources tell the Associated Press. Dr. Ricardo Cruciani was found unresponsive in a shower area of the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island Monday, Aug. 18, the AP reports. The 68-year-old doctor's attorney confirmed that he died but not the manner of death. Cruciani, who was facing life in prison, allegedly got dozens of female patients hooked on painkillers he prescribed before sexually abusing them over the course of 15 years at area h…
Police & Fire
Dead Toddler Had Drugs In Her System, 27-Year-Old Cherry Hill Man Charged: Police
Police in New Jersey say a 27-year-old man is to blame for the death last month of a 2-year-old girl who had cocaine and fentanyl in her blood when she died. Walter H. Clark of Cherry Hill faces manslaughter charges in the child's death after police found her at a home in the 300 block of Evergreen Ave. on July 23, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said. Cherry Hill police said someone called them to the home just after 7:30 p.m. because the 2-year-old girl had stopped breathing, the prosecutor said. Responders rushed the unconscious toddler to Cooper University Hospita…
Police & Fire
PA Third Grader Shared Pot Edibles With 9 Friends — Then All Were Hospitalized: Reports
Several elementary-aged students in Pennsylvania were taken to the hospital after eating edible marijuana, authorities said. The incident happened Wednesday, May 25 in Chester (Delaware County) when a third-grade student at the Chester Community Charter School brought what police say were pot edibles, and shared them with at least nine other students, according to police and NBC10. Ten students were taken to a local hospital for treatment and later released, the outlet says. The incident remains under investigation by Chester City Officer Jose Alvarez, police said. Click here for…
News
Illegal 'Magic' Mushrooms Turn Up In Lyndhurst Police Stop, Authorities Say
A Lyndhurst police officer busted a Passaic driver with psilocybin mushrooms, authorities said. Officer Michael D’Alesandro was on patrol in the area of Riverside Avenue and Copeland Avenue when he spotted an older model Honda Accord without any functioning brake lights, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Sgt. Philip Reina joined his colleague at the stop and spotted a bag with several caps and stems of the well-known psychedelic on the front floorboard, Auteri said. Grown wild or cultivated, so-called magic mushrooms the naturally-occurring psychoactive and hallucinogenic compo…
News
Unresponsive Fair Lawn Child, 2, Who Swallowed Drugs Rushed To Hospital, Barmaid Mom Charged
A bartender from Fair Lawn was arrested after drugs were found in the system of her unresponsive 2-year-old toddler, authorities said. Mariel DeVargas, 23, of Langan Court, was charged with child endangerment following an investigation by Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives and borough police. It began when the child was brought to Hackensack University Medical Center on Aug. 26, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Tuesday. “Upon medical evaluation, it was determined that the child tested positive for the ingestion of illegal controlled dangerous substances,” Musella said. He did…
News
Family Of Mom Killed By BF Shares Her Domestic Violence Struggle As Cautionary Tale
Those who knew Pennsylvania's Jamie Beighley say she loved Evan Smith despite years of abuse suffered by him. Even when he hurt her physically, even when he yelled at her, Beighley remained determined to fix her relationship. But things hit rock bottom earlier this year, according to a family member, who requested anonymity -- and Beighley was losing hope. "Evan told her numerous times that he was going to kill her and the kids, just within the past few months," the family member told Daily Voice. "[Jamie] even said, 'Either he's going to die or I'm going to die. It's the only way out.'" …
News
New Jersey Mom 3 Years Sober Shares Inspiring Recovery Story Amid Daughter's Custody Battle
A New Jersey mom who spent nearly half her life addicted to heroin and crack is sharing her inspiring addiction recovery story as she fights for custody of her 9-year-old daughter. Madison McManus was 15 years old when her then-boyfriend introduced her to the hard drugs "I was always very self conscious and never felt comfortable in my own skin," the now-28-year-old said. "I felt like I wasn't a part of. But alcohol and drugs brought me out of myself. "They were like a temporary mask and I didn't have to worry about if I was good enough or going to fit in. I didn't care." Avoi…
News
Authorities: Sitter From Paterson, 33, Fondles Wayne Kid After Sharing Booze, Pot
A 33-year-old Paterson man babysitting on New Year’s Eve gave booze and pot to a 13-year-old Wayne youngster before fondling the underage teen, authorities charged. Joseph Montgomery was arrested last Wednesday, but Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff didn’t announce it until Monday. In a joint release, Valdes and McNiff said Wayne police responded to the home on Jan. 2 on a report of the child being “inappropriately touched” by Montgomery. Detectives from the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit and Wayne Police Department spoke with the alleged vic…
News
NJ Feds: Oxy Doc Admits Trading Drugs For Sex
A Staten Island doctor who saw patients from New Jersey admitted deliberately keeping some of them hooked by trading opioids for sex, federal authorities said. Joseph Santiamo, 65, “knowingly prescribed dangerous quantities of oxycodone – and, even more egregiously, solicited sexual favors from certain patients” in exchange for writing them additional opioid scripts, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said Wednesday. Although he specialized in geriatric care, many of Santiamo's patients were "well under 40 years old" and "dealing with pain and addiction,” Carpenito said. Others didn’t even have…
News
NJ: Couple Covered Up Hiring Criminals, Drug Addicts As Drivers For Unsafe School Buses
The owners of an Essex County-based school bus company whose driver OD'd and crashed with 12 special-needs kids on board hired criminals and drug addicts, put unsafe vehicles on the road and tried to cover it all up, state authorities charged. Ahmed Mahgoub, 62, and his wife, Faiza Ibrahim, 47, both of East Hanover, knowingly hired drivers for F&A Transportation who “did not hold valid commercial driver’s licenses or required license endorsements, as well as drivers who had criminal histories or were using illegal drugs,” Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. The couple doctored vehic…
Police & Fire
Authorities: Accused NJ Armed Robber Among Pair Who Used Drugs To Force Woman Into Prostitution
Two men including one arrested for an armed robbery have been charged with using drugs to force a woman into prostitution for more than month in North Jersey, authorities said. William Wilson, 47, of Belvidere, NJ and Jeremiah Forde, 39, of Budd Lake, forced the adult female into acts of prostitution out of a Hanover hotel, then collected the proceeds, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, Hanover Police Chief Mark Roddy said. The pair used drugs to manipulate the victim, who was afraid to leave the hotel due to fear of being physic…
Sports
Wrong Way-Driving Dwight Gooden Busted Again For DUI, This Time In Newark
Troubled former star pitcher Dwight Gooden was under the influence when Newark police stopped him going the wrong way down a one-way street, authorities said, just weeks after he was busted with cocaine in Holmdel. Gooden's black 2012 Chrysler was pulled over around 11:10 p.m. Monday near Ferry and Vincent streets in the city's Ironbound section, Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said. EMS was called to evaluate Gooden, 54, of Piscataway, before he was taken to University Hospital in police custody, Ambrose said. "Doc" Gooden unanimously won the National League's Cy Youn…
News
Here's Where You Can You Go Near You On National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
Thousands of spare pills and other drugs will be collected throughout the country as part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. On Saturday, local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies will be participating in the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. nationwide. It is the 16th iteration of the program. According to the DEA, “The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.2 million Americans misused contro…
Business
Walmart, Sam's Club To Limit Opioid Prescriptions
With the country in the midst of an opioid epidemic, Walmart is taking efforts to curtail drug abuse by its customers. Officials announced Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies around the country will fill all opioid prescriptions with no more than a seven-day supply, capping daily dosages at 50 morphine milligram equivalents. The new policy is in line with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding opioid use and abuse. The new policy is expected to be implemented nationwide within two months. Walmart employees are expected to get additional training and ed…
Police & Fire
Chased By Police, Cliffside Park Man Hops Fence, Falls 30 Feet Down Cliffs
CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. -- A known Cliffside Park drug user already facing charges of neglecting his elderly mother hopped a fence while being chased by police after a pair of hit-and-run crashes Thursday -- and tumbled 30 feet down the Palisades to Edgewater, authorities said. Allen Gonzalez, 41, was airlifted from Palisades General Hospital to Hackensack University Medical Center with several broken bones, responders said. It began, they said, when Gonzalez sped off after his car struck two parked vehicles in neighboring North Bergen. Township police chased Gonzalez before he eventually bai…
Schools
Usra
Coalition: Doctors To Warn Northern Highlands Parents Of Opioid Danger
ALLENDALE, N.J. -- Addiction doesn't always begin at a party -- it could start in the family medicine chest. Experts will tell parents what to consider before their teens have surgery or treatment for chronic pain during a "Physician's Perspective on Drugs and Opiods" at Northern Highlands Regional High School later this month. Sponsored by the Upper Saddle River/Allendale Coalition, the boards of health from each town and Hackensack University Medical Center, the free April 25 event features panelists: Michael Kelly, the chairman of orthopedic surgery at Hackensack University M…
Police & Fire
Njag
: Clifton Ortho Doc Who Freely Doled Out Opioids Barred From Practice
CLIFTON, N.J. -- A Clifton orthopedic surgeon who prescribed addictive opioid painkillers to patients who abused the drugs, sold them on the black market or otherwise didn't need them has been temporarily barred from practicing medicine. Evangelos Megariotis told one patient that "anything that drugs can do on the street, my medications will do better and safer” and to “just call me,” state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Thursday. He also treated patient complaints of hyper tension, upper respiratory issues, ADD, PTS and other conditions with drugs -- among them, Xanax, Adderal…
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