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27°
Thursday, dec 26
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Maplewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Cops Cut Calm YouTuber Break During Bergen County Traffic Stops, New Bodycam Footage Shows
Newly released bodycam footage reveals tech influencer Marques Brownlee calmly navigating a series of traffic stops in Bergen County, NJ over the past two years. The videos, shared by Transparency Bodycam, show the 31-year-old YouTuber from Maplewood being pulled over on three separate occasions for traffic violations. June 30, 2023, Alpine: Brownlee was stopped by police for tinted windows. Brownlee realizes soon after being pulled over that he does not have his license. Brownlee and the officer make small talk over his barber and the fact that he's going all the way to Weehawken for a hai…
News
'Pretty Stupid:' NJ Influencer Who Hit 100 MPH In Lamborghini Video Apologizes, Cuts Clip
A New Jersey YouTuber is facing backlash after uploading a video where he was seen driving a Lamborghini at 100 mph in a 35 mph zone — a move he now admits was dangerous and inexcusable. Marques Brownlee, a 30-year-old Maplewood native with 19.6 million YouTube followers, posted the video titled "How My Video Gear is Changing!" on Nov. 11. The clip sparked criticism from viewers who called out his reckless behavior behind the wheel. Brownlee addressed the controversy in an apology on X, saying: "Last video I did something pretty stupid. You might've already seen it, but maybe not, so I'll …
Lifestyle
Grammy Nominations 2025 Announced, These NJ Artists Are Shining Bright
Two of New Jersey’s music stars are shining bright in the 2025 Grammy nominations. Nominations for the at the 67th annual ceremony were announced Friday, Nov. 8. The Grammy Awards will be held on February 2, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, honoring music released between September 2023 and August 2024. The following nominees have Garden State ties: SZA, 34: The R&B powerhouse from Maplewood who recently bought a pizza lunch for hundreds of high schoolers, has earned several major Grammy nods, including Best R&B Song for her hit “Saturn.” Known f…
Police & Fire
NJ Man Convicted Of Beating Mom To Death, Prosecutor Says
A 38-year-old Maplewood resident was convicted on Monday, Oct. 21 of murder charges in his mother's death, which he then framed as a suicide, authorities said. Benjamin Avrut was found guilty of first-degree murder after beating his 70-year-old-mothe Gwen to death, Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said. The jury had rejected Avrut's insanity defense. On Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, Avrut entered his sleeping mother's apartment at The Top, a luxury condominium in Maplewood, Stephens said. When she awoke, Avrut beat her to death with his fists, Stephens said. Avrut, who had a hist…
Lifestyle
NJ Popstar Buys Teens Lunch At Hometown Pizzeria (
Video
)
High schoolers flocked to a New Jersey pizzeria in droves on Tuesday, Oct. 1 for a free lunch. And not just any free lunch — free lunch from a popstar. SZA sza Instagram Sabatino's owner Sabatino Perotta told NJ Advance Media reporter Jeremy Schneider that SZA, a Maplewood native, called him and asked if he could buy lunch for local high schoolers at Columbia High School. Around 11 a.m., high schoolers began showing up. Then, in droves to the Valley Street pizzeria. Schneider shared a clip of the event to X. .@sza bought lunch for Columbia High School students today at Sabatin…
Lifestyle
Stomach Bug Turns Out To Be Leukemia For NJ Boy, Campaign Says
Julian Sherman is just nine years old but is already in the fight of his life. The 9-year-old Maplewood boy had seen the doctor twice for symptoms of what appeared to be a stomach bug, according to a GoFundMe launched for his family. But on Saturday, July 27, while in Boston for Julian's brothers' hockey tournament, things took a turn for the worst, as Julian began urinating blood and was rushed to Mass General for Children in Boston, the campaign reads. Since being diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia, Julian has gone into kidney failure and was put into a coma with a bre…
Obituaries
Paul Auster, Acclaimed Author, North Jersey Native, Dead At 77
Paul Auster, who won numerous literary awards and published "The New York Trilogy" died on Tuesday, April 30, at the age of 77, his literary representatives announced. Born in Newark, Auster was raised in South Orange before graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood. He initially garnered attention after publishing his memoir "The Invention of Solitude," which discussed his father's death. Auster's most acclaimed work came next: "The New York Trilogy," a series of three novels including "City of Glass," "Ghosts" and "The Locked Room," mixing post modernism with detective fiction. Th…
Lifestyle
'Not Pretty, Can't Act:' Sydney Sweeney Slams NJ Producer Who Publicly Insulted Her
A film producer from New Jersey is under fire after saying Sydney Sweeney can't act and isn't pretty. Carol Baum, who graduated Columbia High School in Maplewood, disparaged the "Euphoria" star during a Q-n-A at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, on Thursday, April, 11. Baum, who has produced movies like "Father of the Bride" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was on hand to discuss her experiences producing the 1988 David Cronenberg film "Dead Calm," which came out nine years before Sweeney was born. "I don't get Sydney Sweeney," Baum reportedly said. "I was watching on …
Schools
NJ School Principal Arrested For Assault, Group Says Incident Involved Student
A New Jersey high school principal has been arrested for an alleged assault. Frank Sanchez, who was suspended from his job at Columbia High School in South Orange-Maplewood since January, has been charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault, according to Thomas Fennelley, Chief Assistant Prosecutor of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Sanchez surrendered to detectives Monday morning, March 11. Dr. Kevin F. Gilbert, Acting Superintendent of the South Orange-Maplewood School District, released the following statement to Daily Voice when aske…
Business
Cereal Dreams Offers Childhood Nostalgia In North Jersey: 'I Want People To Feel Happy'
Waking up on Saturday morning with a big bowl of cereal and turning on cartoons was a rite of passage for people of a certain age. A South Orange eatery is aiming to bring that feeling of nostalgia back. Anne Mandell, of Maplewood, recently opened Cereal Dreams at the Co-Lab at 57 South Orange Ave. Cereal Dreams features 25 different cereals, with Mandell serving as the cerealtender, mixing different cereals to whatever anyone's heart desires, even for the weirdos who don't like milk in their cereal. Cereal Dreams also serves up cereal treats. View this post on In…
Police & Fire
Maintenance Man Poses As Complex Owner, Scams Apartment Seekers Out Of $14,000: Garfield PD
A maintenance man at a Garfield garden apartment complex scammed hopeful renters out of $14,000 by posting bogus listings on Facebook, showing them empty units he claimed he owned and then collecting deposits from them, authorities charged. John K. DelValle, a 48-year-old bodybuilder from Hackensack, made it all appear genuine by having the victims sign worthless rental agreements, police said. Then he handed them the master keys that he'd been given for work. DelValle also conned another unwitting victim out of $7,000 -- and a car -- by "selling" him a Tesla that he was renting, Garfield …
Schools
NJ District Cancels Halloween Activities During School Hours
The Halloween Grinch has descended on the South Orange-Maplewood School District. In a letter sent to families, Superintendent Dr. Ronald Taylor said SOMSD will not have any Halloween events during school hours, and no costumes will be worn during school hours. Elementary schools will be hosting fall/harvest festivals instead, Taylor said. Taylor said the district weighed whether school-sponsored Halloween activities create financial hardships on students and families, whether they violate the dignity of some students, either culturally or religiously and if Halloween activities caus…
Police & Fire
NJ Child Services Imposter Shows Up At Victim's Doorstep, Blasts Her With Pepper Spray: Police
A 24-year-old New Jersey woman was arrested and charged on Tuesday, Oct. 10, after she blasted a woman with pepper spray while impersonating a child protection agent, authorities said police said. On Saturday, Sept. 30, Maplewood police responded to Brown Street where a woman had received a call from Widda Deneus claiming to be from the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Maplewood police said. After the phone call, Deneus showed up at the woman's front door and asked to come inside, police said. The woman refused since Deneus did not present any identification and was not ac…
News
Service Suspended After Train Disabled In Maplewood
Service has been suspended on parts of the Morris and Essex line after a train disabled in Maplewood on Friday, July 7, NJ Transit officials said. The train disabled due to overhead wire issues, transit officials said. The 36 passengers were taken off the train and put on a bus, transit officials said. Morris and Essex Line rail service is suspended in both directions between Broad Street and Dover and customers should seek alternate transportation, transit officials said. NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being cross-honored by NJ Transit bus and private carriers, transit offic…
News
Bergen Drug Detectives Nab Albany Driver Near GWB After Stolen Car Chase
A driver from Albany tried to outrun detectives in a stolen car but was seized near the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, authorities said. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said his Narcotic Task Force detectives got wind on Tuesday, March 7 that a BMW 550 that had just been stolen during a burglary in Maplewood was headed their way. They tried stopping the driver, John Leroy Johnson, 38, in Englewood, the prosecutor said, but he kept going, apparently bound for the bridge. He “eventually pulled over and surrendered in Fort Lee,” Musella said. Johnson remained held Wednesday in t…
Business
Restaurant Named Among America's Hottest Fast-Casual Startups To Open Another NJ Location
A restaurant named among America's hottest fast-casual startups appears to be planning a third New Jersey location. Cornbread Farm to Table, or simply with locations in Newark and Maplewood, has its sights set on Montclair, its Instagram bio reads. The restaurant has another location in Brooklyn, NY. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cornbread (@cornbreadsoul) According to NJ Advance Media, Cornbread will open in the space at 372 Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair sometime in the summer. Reps for the restaurant did not immediately retur…
Lifestyle
Best Doughnut Spots In North Jersey
It’s a new year, which means we’re back again with a new list of North Jersey’s best spots for everyone’s favorite dessert disguised as breakfast — the deliciously decadent doughnut. The spots you see on this list were top-rated on several user-generated review sites, featured in local publications, and recommended by Daily Voice readers. Some are longtime favorites while others have only recently opened their doors. All of these bakeries, however, are dishing out creamy, frosted, and jelly-filled doughnuts we think you'll love — some might even have a line out the door before dawn when th…
Police & Fire
'Clueless' NJ Carjacker Needed Facial Surgery After Trying To Steal DEA Agent's Jeep: Report
A "clueless" carjacker from New Jersey is facing federal charges after he tried to steal an undercover DEA agent’s government-issued Jeep in Manhattan, reports the New York Post. The agent was stopped at a red light at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue shortly after midnight on Friday, Dec. 9 when Zachary Bell, of Maplewood, demanded he get out of the vehicle, the outlet said citing court paperwork. Bell, 32, reached toward his waist band as if he had a gun — prompting the 7-year DEA vet to turn on his police lights and pull out his own gun before tackling Bell and handcuffing him, court papers …
Obituaries
NJ Native, Influential Washington Post Editor Neema Roshania Patel Dies, 35
A New Jersey native, Rutgers alumnus, and influential Washington Post editor died Monday, Oct 24 after a battle with gastric cancer, the newspaper wrote in her obituary. Neema Roshania Patel was 35, and most recently worked as the Post's editor for next-generation audience development, according to her LinkedIn profile. Born in Maplewood, Patel worked on her high school newspaper before graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in economics and journalism in 2009, her former colleagues wrote. She joined the Post in 2016, first as a digital editor before being named d…
Business
Israeli Street Food Joint Expands With 2nd North Jersey Location
A local chef is giving North Jersey a taste of Israeli street food with the expansion of his restaurant, Chutzpah Kitchen. Sagi Ohayon, who was born and raised in Israel, opened his flagship location in Maplewood in 2020. He held a soft opening for the Westfield location this month. Five minutes until our soft opening! We want to say thank you for everyone who has helped. We are super excited to be... Posted by Chutzpah Kitchen on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Chutzpah is a Yiddish word that translates to audacity or boldness. The chutzpah of the flavors will transport patrons to the st…
Police & Fire
Girl Ejected From Minivan On Garden State Parkway, Driver ID'd
A 14-year-old girl was ejected from a minivan on the Garden State Parkway this weekend, authorities said. Melande Alexis-Joseph, 51, of Maplewood was heading south in a Toyota Sienna when the van struck a guardrail on the right, ejecting the girl around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13 in Kenilworth, New Jersey Sate Police Trooper Charles Marchan said. Alexis-Joseph struck a concrete overpass and a nearby guardrail, then crossed the highway to the left and hit a median barrier, police said. The girl was seriously injured. It was not clear if the driver was injured. No further details were relea…
Lifestyle
Owner Of Pizzeria Ranked Best In NJ Skipped College Graduation To Fly To Italy
A popular eatery open for about a decade has the best pizza in New Jersey, according to a new ranking from 24/7 Wall St. Razza Pizza Artigianale in Jersey City was ranked the best pizzeria in the Garden State. The rankings were created based on a variety of ratings, reviews, and lists. "Razza opened in 2012, but its reputation exploded in 2017 after New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote provocatively that this New Jersey pizzeria served the best pizza in New York City," 24/7 Wall St writes. "The pies are a little larger than standard Neapolitan pizzas, but they …
News
$17.3M Lottery Ticket Winner Sold At New Jersey 7-Eleven On 7/11
The New Jersey Lottery has made yet another multi-millionaire. The winning Pick-6 ticket good for $17.3 million was sold at a North Jersey 7-Eleven on Monday, July 11 (7/11). The ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven at 490 Valley St., in Maplewood and claims the annuity jackpot. The lucky retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. The winning numbers for the Monday, July 11, drawing were: 06, 07, 12, 14, 34 and 45. The jackpot will reset to $2 million for the next drawing that will be held on Thursday, July 14. Pick-6 was updated in April 2022 to offer better o…
News
Here's When NJ's Legal Weed Sales Begin
New Jersey has set a date for the legalization of marijuana sales, state officials announced Thursday, April 14. Starting on Thursday, April 21, "adults ages 21 and up will be able to legally purchase cannabis and cannabis products without a medical card," Gov. Phil Murphy said. Starting on April 21st, adults ages 21+ will be able to legally purchase cannabis and cannabis products without a... Posted by Governor Phil Murphy on Thursday, April 14, 2022 The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission announced that it will grant licenses to seven alternative treatment centers (ATCs) to beg…
Police & Fire
Dad Killed In Morris County Crash Was Family's 'Biggest Champion'
A 52-year-old man killed in a three-car crash last month in Morris County is being remembered as his family's "biggest champion." Michael Pacchia, Jr., of Chatham, was a father of four and husband to his wife of 23 years, Cathie, according to his obituary. Pacchia was behind the wheel of a Jeep Wrangler going south on Shunpike Road in Chatham Township when he was struck by a Nissan Rogue heading west near the intersection of Lafayette Avenue around 11:30 a.m., on March 28, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said. Pacchia's Jeep then hit a box truck that was parked on the oppos…
News
5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About NJ Grammy Award Winner SZA
North Jersey native SZA won her first Grammy Award Sunday, April 4. The artist, whose real name is Solána Rowe, won the award alongside Doja Cat for their song "Kiss Me More" for best pop duo/group performance. The song was on Doja's 2021 album "Planet Her" and topped the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 3. Here are five things you may not have known about the Maplewood native: Her dad was an executive producer at CNN. She grew up Muslim and wore a hijab, but stopped after 9/11 due to bullying. She's a college dropout and attended three different schools. Her first album, See.SZA.Run, was self…
Schools
North Jersey High School Mourns Death Of Student
The Columbia High School community is mourning the loss of a student who died on Tuesday, March 29. Initial and unconfirmed reports indicate that the death was a suicide. The district released a statement confirming the student's death that reads in part: Out of respect for the family, currently, we are unable to share additional details of the student’s death. However, we understand that this loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions not only for our students, but also for members of our staff and parent community. Counseling will be made available to those who nee…
Police & Fire
Essex County Fugitive Wanted In Recent Assault: Police
Police in Essex County are seeking a 67-year-old man accused of firing a handgun and assaulting a victim inside of an apartment last week, they said. Cranford Butler, of Irvington, had gotten into an argument with the victim at a home on Jacoby Street in Maplewood the morning of Feb. 16, when he apparently fired a .380 caliber handgun, Maplewood Police Chief Jim DeVaul said. Police responding to the scene found the victim with a cut, but no gunshot wound or life-threatening injuries, and the incident was determined to be domestic in nature, the chief said. Butler and the victim knew each …
News
Seven Youths Nabbed In Series Of Clifton Car Thefts, Multi-County Pursuit, Crash
A Clifton police officer dove into a moving car after the teenager who stole it bailed out during one in a series of incidents involving out-of-town car thieves -- one of whom is only 14. Six of them were captured following a pursuit and crash involving another stolen vehicle and a Clifton police car later that day, Lt. Robert Bracken said. Officers interrupted the theft of a 2017 Mazda on Chittendon Road around 3 a.m. Monday, Bracken said. The thief hopped out of the car while it was still moving, forcing an officer to dive in to keep it from damaging nearby property, he said. The teen a…
Obituaries
Victim Killed In Garden State Parkway Crash Was Popular Dog Groomer
Loved ones are remembering a 51-year-old woman who was killed on the Garden State Parkway in Middlesex County earlier this month. Melissa M. Craden of Scotch Plains was traveling northbound on the Parkway in Woodbridge at 3:10 p.m. Nov. 6 when her 2009 Jeep Liberty sideswiped another vehicle near milepost 131.9, a New Jersey State Police spokesman said. Craden’s Jeep flipped and she was ejected, Sgt. Alejandro Goez said. The driver of the other vehicle, a 2000 Chevrolet Impala, suffered minor injuries, Goez said. Craden was well-known as the owner of Grooming by Melissa, a…
News
NJ Teacher Accused Of Ripping Hijab Off Student Was Trying To Fix Her Hood, Attorney Says
A New Jersey teacher accused by a former Olympian of pulling a 7-year-old student's hijab off was just trying to fix her hood, her attorney told Daily Voice. "This is not a story about a teacher who forcibly removed a student’s hijab," said Samantha Harris, the attorney representing Tamar Herman, a teacher in the Maplewood South Orange school district. "This is a story about social media, misinformation, and what happens when people publicize rumors without any knowledge of or regard for the truth." The story began getting media attention after former Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad took …
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