NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Takes Guilty Plea NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Takes Guilty Plea
NO Choice: Ex-Con Who Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Takes Guilty Plea UPDATE: There’s no trying to present a defense in court when the prosecutors have a video of you shooting someone, as well as the loaded gun you were carrying when they arrested you. So ex-con Antoine Hawkins, 31, of Newark, took a deal from the government, admitting in federal court in Newark this week that he shot two victims five days apart in the Brick City in August 2020. Hawkins also pleaded guilty to possessing a 9mm Springfield Armory XDM pistol loaded with 19 rounds and 626 heroin folds for sale when they arrested him a month later, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger …
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Police Vehicle In South Jersey ID'd Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Police Vehicle In South Jersey ID'd
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Police Vehicle In South Jersey ID'd Authorities identified a man who was struck and killed by a police car in South Jersey before dawn on Thanksgiving as a 44-year-old resident of Berlin. Christofe “Christopher” Wita was hit on the White Horse Pike (Route 30) near Whispering Pine Drive in the Atco section of Camden County's Waterford Township at 2:19 a.m. Nov. 23, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.  Wita was pronounced dead at the scene, Platkin said. Driving was Sgt. Richard Sbarra of the Waterford Township Police Department, who was on duty, he said.  State law and his own guidelines req…
Mover From Waldwick Charged With Teen Sexual Assault Mover From Waldwick Charged With Teen Sexual Assault
Mover From Waldwick Charged With Teen Sexual Assault A longtime moving company warehouse manager from Waldwick was jailed on charges of sexually assaulting an underage teen, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Ryan Malillo, 37, “sexually assaulted a child between the ages of 13 and 16 in Waldwick,” Musella said on Friday, Nov. 1. Malillo was arrested on Thursday and charged with aggravated sexual assault and child endangerment following an investigation by detectives from Musella’s Special Victims Unit and Waldwick police, the prosecutor said. The Glen Rock native, who has two children of his own and has worked for the same Mahwah mo…
GOTCHA! Leonia Officer Quickly Finds Familiar Face Who Fled Traffic Stop: Police GOTCHA! Leonia Officer Quickly Finds Familiar Face Who Fled Traffic Stop: Police
Gotcha! Leonia Officer Quickly Finds Familiar Face Who Fled Traffic Stop: Police A repeat offender who might’ve thought he’d given a Leonia police sergeant the slip would've been wrong. It began when Leonia Police Sgt. Ray Forsdahl tried to stop a BMW with New York plates for a violation in the area of Broad and Lakeview avenues, Capt. Chris Garris said. The driver kept going, though, getting onto southbound Route 95, the captain said on Friday, Dec. 1. Forsdahl pursued him for a ways, then dropped back out of safety reasons, he said. Besides, he knew who the driver was.  Didn’t take long to figure out where he laid his head, either. To call Brandon Warren, 28,…
Newark Bank Robber With Hot Pink Exploding Dye Convicted (VIDEO) Newark Bank Robber With Hot Pink Exploding Dye Convicted (VIDEO)
Newark Bank Robber With Hot Pink Exploding Dye Convicted (Video) A 29-year-old Newark man faces up to 10 years in state prison after he was recently convicted of robbing a Capitol One bank in Newark in 2021, authorities said. On July 3, 2021, Esau Grant walked into the Springfield Avenue bank and passed a note to a teller that read: I have a gun, give me all the money from the register please and no one will get hurt," Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said. Grant made off with $2,300 and was captured with hot pink exploding dye on surveillance camera. He was captured two days later. Grant was convicted of second degree r…
FBI: Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Guns, Coke, More At Open-Air Brick City Drug Market FBI: Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Guns, Coke, More At Open-Air Brick City Drug Market
FBI: Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Guns, Coke, More At Open-Air Brick City Drug Market Five reputed members and associates of the Sex, Money, Murder gang were charged by federal authorities with peddling fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine at an open-air drug market in Newark. Drugs and loaded guns were seized during the arrests early last month of the quintet, who U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said slung the potentially lethal narcotics from the neighborhood at Kent and Brenner streets. He identified them as Fuquan Williams, 33; Dwight Dixon, 52; Nafee Patterson, 41; Jabriel Mason, 20; and Daqwuan Barkley, 29, all of Essex County. A federal magistrate judge in New…
Motorcyclist, 26, Killed In Rt. 206 Crash (UPDATE) Motorcyclist, 26, Killed In Rt. 206 Crash (UPDATE)
Motorcyclist, 26, Killed In Rt. 206 Crash (Update) A 26-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a crash on Route 206 Friday afternoon, Dec. 1, police said. The motorcyclist was flown by NorthSTAR Medevac to the hospital following the accident involving one other vehicle at 12:15 p.m., Montgomery Township Police Lt. Tom Frascella said. The other motorist was evaluated and declined further treatment. The roadway was closed for approximately three hours for an investigation. Montgomery EMS Squad 47, Robert Wood Johnson Somerset Medics,  Montgomery Township Station 46 Blawenburg, Members of the Somerset County CART Team, and t…
Newark Rapper Tsu Surf Gets 5 Years, No Parole, For Leadership Role In Armed, Violent Drug Gang Newark Rapper Tsu Surf Gets 5 Years, No Parole, For Leadership Role In Armed, Violent Drug Gang
Newark Rapper Tsu Surf Gets 5 Years, No Parole, For Leadership Role In Armed, Violent Drug Gang Battle rapper Tsu Surf must spend a plea-bargained five years in federal prison for what authorities described as a leadership role in a violent drug-selling Newark street gang. The 32-year-old rapper – whose real name is Rahjon Cox -- was one of 10 reputed members of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips charged under federal RICO statutes following a massive North Jersey roundup last year. A total of 42 targets in all were arrested in a series of pinpointed attacks on organized gangs dealing drugs, packing weapons and waging street warfare, federal authorities said at the time. Cox took a d…
Batch Of Bogus Bills Seized, Couple Busted In Rochelle Park Stop Batch Of Bogus Bills Seized, Couple Busted In Rochelle Park Stop
Batch Of Bogus Bills Seized, Couple Busted In Rochelle Park Stop More than $2,000 in counterfeit 20s and 50s apparently intended for a Bergen County shopping spree was seized by Rochelle Park police during a traffic stop, authorities said. Officer Chris Kiszka pulled over the Hyundai Genesis on dead-ended Lexington Avenue off Cliff Street after the driver committed multiple traffic violations shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29, Capt. James M. DePreta said. Empty prescription bottles and other paraphernalia were in plain view, the captain said. The driver, Wade Wallace, 37, of Trenton also had a suspended license, DePreta said. A positive indicati…
State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients
State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients A handyman from Paterson was ordered to immediately stop refusing to serve Jews and take several remedial steps or face serious charges, state authorities in Trenton said on Thursday. Melquisedec Francis must satisfy eight specific demands to keep from being prosecuted, including announcing that he no longer discriminates against Jewish customers, attending training on anti-Semitism and paying a fine, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Nov. 30. In advertisements on TaskRabbit and elsewhere last month, Francis wrote: "I am expressing my solidarity with the Palestinian Peopl…
NJ Road Rage Driver Who Killed PA Dad At McDonald's Learns Sentence NJ Road Rage Driver Who Killed PA Dad At McDonald's Learns Sentence
NJ Road Rage Driver Who Killed PA Dad At McDonald's Learns Sentence The New Jersey driver who admitted to killing a Levittown man during a road rage incident early this year will spend over a decade behind bars, said the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on Thursday.  Daniel S. Dietrich, 45, of Palmyra, was sentenced to 12 to 24 years for the Feb. 5 death of Jason Smith, prosecutors said.  Authorities have claimed Dietrich and Smith were involved in a "driving incident" about a mile before they both arrived at the 7700 Bristol Pike McDonald's. When Smith tried to pull into the parking lot, Dietrich used his truck to block the way, poli…
Man Crushed To Death Between Car, Garage In Princeton: Police Man Crushed To Death Between Car, Garage In Princeton: Police
Man Crushed To Death Between Car, Garage In Princeton: Police A 61-year-old man was killed when he was pinned against a garage by a backing car, authorities said. Meliton Hernandez-Morales of West New York died of his injuries at the scene of the crash at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, Princeton police said. Huimei Qiu, 53, of Princeton, was backing down a residential driveway on Red Hill Road when Hernandez-Morales, who was in the driveway, was struck, police said. Hernandez-Morales was pinned against a detached garage, they said. Qiu was not hurt and no summonses had been issued. The investigation is ongoing.
Victim Confronts NJ Teacher 12 Years After Sexual, Romantic Relationship: Affidavit Victim Confronts NJ Teacher 12 Years After Sexual, Romantic Relationship: Affidavit
Victim Confronts NJ Teacher 12 Years After Sexual, Romantic Relationship: Affidavit At 26 years old, a woman is confronting her former New Jersey teacher who is accused of sexually abusing her 12 years ago, court documents show.  Now, the same age as her abuser when they began a relationship, the victim told now-38-year-old Lydia Pinto this month she could never fathom doing what she did: Engage in a relationship with someone 14 or 15 years old, according to the affidavit obtained by Daily Voice. Pinto, of Newton, PA, was charged earlier this month with sexually abusing a former student. The victim, identified only as Jane Doe, was a freshman at Bridgewater-Raritan …
Ex-Jersey Shore Construction Company Owner From Long Island Admits Ducking $500G In Taxes Ex-Jersey Shore Construction Company Owner From Long Island Admits Ducking $500G In Taxes
Ex-Jersey Shore Construction Company Owner From Long Island Admits Ducking $500G In Taxes A Long Island man admitted defrauding the government out of more than $500,000 in taxes by using check-cashing businesses to launder income from his former Jersey Shore construction company. The unidentified company that Khuram Raja, 37, owned and operated while living in Manalapan received unreported cash and proceeds from patronizing local check-cashing facilities, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Raja, currently of Locust Valley, NY, also deducted personal expenses from the company’s returns without reporting it, Sellinger said. Raja failed to file business tax ret…
Bergen County Man's Assault On Palestinian-American Wasn't Bias Crime: Cops Bergen County Man's Assault On Palestinian-American Wasn't Bias Crime: Cops
Bergen County Man's Assault On Palestinian-American Wasn't Bias Crime: Cops A 31-year-old Bergen County man was arrested for assaulting a Palestinian American who said he was called a terrorist in Jersey City on Monday, Nov. 27, authorities said. At 1:30 a.m., Mo Hamzeh said on his Instagram that he was waiting on an Uber outside Grove Station when a man asked him where he was from. Hamzeh said Baltimore, and then when the man persisted, Hamzeh said he told him he was Palestinian. The man and several of his friends began following Hamzeh, yelling racial slurs before sucker punching him in the face, he said. Hamzeh said he fell and his twisted his knee, bumping the…
Security At Westmount Country Club Nabs Juvenile Worker With Loaded Gun Security At Westmount Country Club Nabs Juvenile Worker With Loaded Gun
Security At Westmount Country Club Nabs Juvenile Worker With Loaded Gun A 17-year-old employee at the Westmount Country Club got caught bringing a loaded gun to work, authorities said. Security at the banquet hall off Rifle Camp Road seized the boy, the handgun and a magazine loaded with hollow-point bullets, Woodland Park Police Capt. Michael Brady said. They turned all over to responding officers, he said. Woodland Park police signed a delinquency complaint charging the teen with weapons-related offenses, the captain said. They then sent him to the Essex Juvenile Detention Center in Newark pending a closed-door hearing, because of his age, in the Famil…
Murder-Suicide: NJ Mom Of 4 ID'd After BF Shot Her In Gated Pocono Community Murder-Suicide: NJ Mom Of 4 ID'd After BF Shot Her In Gated Pocono Community
Murder-Suicide: NJ Mom Of 4 ID'd After BF Shot Her In Gated Pocono Community A domestic incident turned into an apparent murder-suicide in a gated community near the resorts in the Poconos on Tuesday night, authorities announced.  Leilani Ramos, a 37-year-old mom of four from Newark, NJ, died from a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds at 8:33 p.m. on Nov. 28, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio, detailed in a release the following morning. Pocono Township police were called by Leilani to a "domestic-related shooting" in the private gated community on Ski Side Drive, near Camelback Road in Tannersville around 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 28, as sta…
CHILD SEX STING: German 'Perv To Some Extent' Admits Flying Into NJ To Abuse Children CHILD SEX STING: German 'Perv To Some Extent' Admits Flying Into NJ To Abuse Children
Child SEX Sting: German 'Perv To Some Extent' Admits Flying Into NJ To Abuse Children UPDATE: A German man admitted in federal court in Newark that he flew to New Jersey for what he thought would be sex with children as young as 10 years old. Christian Stefan Walther, 39, of Erfurt, communicated with what turned out to be two undercover New Jersey State Police detectives via email, phone, and an encrypted messaging app, authorities said. The officers had posed as members of a group of predators who had access to young children, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Walther, who called himself a "perv to some extent," expressed a "desire to engage in sexual …
Thieves Snatch More Than $7,000 In Nike Gear, Speed Off From Route 46 Mall Thieves Snatch More Than $7,000 In Nike Gear, Speed Off From Route 46 Mall
Thieves Snatch More Than $7,000 In Nike Gear, Speed Off From Route 46 Mall SEE ANYTHING? Three thieves snatched more than $7,000 in Nike pants, hoodies and jackets from a Snipes store in Teterboro and sped off in a dark-colored sedan, authorities said. One of them was wearing a mask when the trio entered the sneaker and clothing store at the Teterboro Landing mall off eastbound Route 46 shortly after 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, Moonachie Police Lt. Jeff Napolitano said. They snatched clothing from shelves and fled in under two minutes, the lieutenant said. "There were no threats of violence or weapons involved," Napolitano said. "It happened so fast that the employee…
Responders Search For Man Struck, Killed By Bergen Line Train Responders Search For Man Struck, Killed By Bergen Line Train
Responders Search For Man Struck, Killed By Bergen Line Train It took a number of emergency responders more than a half hour to find the body of a man who was struck and killed by an NJ TRANSIT train Tuesday night in Bergen County. Police and firefighters from Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn and Saddle Brook intensely scoured a swath of territory through their towns after the victim was struck by an out-of-service train headed east on the Bergen County Line shortly before 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28. They found the body near the corner of East 55th Street and 17th Avenue just past the Broadway station in Fair Lawn shortly after 8 p.m., they said. He was essentially un…
Wire Theft Arrest Made After Former Longtime Paramus Boro Employee Is Caught On Camera: Police Wire Theft Arrest Made After Former Longtime Paramus Boro Employee Is Caught On Camera: Police
Wire Theft Arrest Made After Former Longtime Paramus Boro Employee Is Caught On Camera: Police GOTCHA! A former Paramus animal control officer was charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of wire after the property owner installed a security camera, authorities said. The northbound Route 17 site had copper wire stolen twice when the new layer of security was added, Paramus Police Robert Guidetti said. Following a third break-in on Monday, Nov. 27, Detective Nicholas Luciano responded and reviewed the video. It showed a man smashing the padlock off a storage room door and removing $2,000 worth of metal-clad wire and $500 worth of Thermoplastic high-heat resistant nylon-c…
Dad With Bergen County Ties Killed In Triple Murder Dad With Bergen County Ties Killed In Triple Murder
Dad With Bergen County Ties Killed In Triple Murder A Middlesex County family torn apart by tragedy is remembering those they lost. Dilipkumar and Bindu Brahmbhatt were shot and killed by their 23-year-old grandson, Om Brahmbhatt, who also killed his 38-year-old uncle, Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, Monday, Nov. 27 in South Plainfield, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said. The three Brahmbhatts were found dead with gunshot wounds at the Traditions condo complex on Coppola Drive around 9 a.m. 🙏🏽😭It is with an inconsolable deep heavy heart that I share this devastating and shocking tragic news of the passing of…
School Security Guard Accused Of Aggravated Sex Assault Of Englewood Student Remains Jailed School Security Guard Accused Of Aggravated Sex Assault Of Englewood Student Remains Jailed
School Security Guard Accused Of Aggravated Sex Assault Of Englewood Student Remains Jailed A high school security guard from Englewood who was charged with sexually assaulting an underage student has remained jailed as the case against him proceeds. Joseph Hicks, a 30-year-old city resident who'd been working at Dwight Morrow High School, was arrested by Special Victims Unit detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on Nov. 20 following a complaint forwarded by city police, authorities said last week. Hicks had sex with a child between the ages of 13 and 16 "while in a supervisory role,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Detectives charged Hicks with firs…
Drag Racer Throws Charger Stolen Out Of NJ In Reverse Before Arrest: Cops Drag Racer Throws Charger Stolen Out Of NJ In Reverse Before Arrest: Cops
Drag Racer Throws Charger Stolen Out Of NJ In Reverse Before Arrest: Cops A car reported stolen out of New Jersey was at the center of a drag racing scandal in Maryland that landed one man behind bars.  Capitol Heights resident Keith Andre Gorham, 25, pushed things to the limit and now faces more than a dozen charges after he was caught racing a Dodge Charger that had been taken from Highland Park, NJ, a spokesperson for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday. The arrest came following reported racing late on Veteran's Day in the area of I-270 and I-70 in Frederick County. According to the sheriff's office, deputies were called to the ar…
PIP FATAL: SUV Crash On NJ Side Kills Rockland Driver, 61 PIP FATAL: SUV Crash On NJ Side Kills Rockland Driver, 61
PIP Fatal: SUV Crash On NJ Side Kills Rockland Driver, 61 UPDATE: A driver from Rockland County died after his SUV slammed into a tree Tuesday afternoon on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Tenafly. Tenafly firefighters extricated Aron Yishai Unger, 61, of Spring Valley following the single-vehicle crash between Exits 1 and 2 of the southbound Parkway at 1:45 p.m., Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Lt. Raymond E. Walter said. Members of Bergen Hatzalah conducted CPR while rushing the driver to the hospital after a medical chopper was summoned and then canceled. Unger was pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center a short tim…
Fair Lawn Rescue Squad Extricates Trapped Senior Van Driver Following Crash Fair Lawn Rescue Squad Extricates Trapped Senior Van Driver Following Crash
Fair Lawn Rescue Squad Extricates Trapped Senior Van Driver Following Crash  A senior minivan driver was hospitalized after firefighters extricated him following a morning crash Tuesday in Fair Lawn. Members of the Fair Lawn Rescue Squad freed the driver following a collision with a Toyota Camry that knocked his Chrysler Town & Country into a utility pole at the intersection of Hartley Place and Rosalie Street around 7:30 a.m. Nov. 28. A Bergen County EMS ambulance took him to a local hospital with injuries that didn't appear life-threatening. Boyd A. Loving BDJ Towing removed both vehicles. Boyd A. Loving Members of Fair Lawn Fire Co. 3 also responded w…
'Your Computer Has Been Hacked': Tech Support Scam Costs Bergen Man $150,000 'Your Computer Has Been Hacked': Tech Support Scam Costs Bergen Man $150,000
'Your Computer Has Been Hacked': Tech Support Scam Costs Bergen Man $150,000 It might be emotionally painful for some to learn that a Bergen County man lost nearly $150,000 to a “your computer has been hacked” scam. Sadly, it’s true. The victim got a computer popup message “alerting” him to the purported hack earlier this month, Glen Rock Police Lt. Frank Riggio said. “Over the following days, he was advised to secure a large sum of money from his bank accounts to avoid further hacking,” the lieutenant said. The victim gave the con artist nearly 150 large "under the false pretense that this party was helping protect the victim from further financial hacking," Rigg…
Tense Moment: Pistol-Packing Out-Of-State Probationer Busted By Cliffside Park PD Tense Moment: Pistol-Packing Out-Of-State Probationer Busted By Cliffside Park PD
Tense Moment: Pistol-Packing Out-Of-State Probationer Busted By Cliffside Park PD A potentially tense situation ended with Cliffside Park police arresting an out-of-state driver who was carrying a loaded gun, authorities said. Nicholas Ciardullo, 23, of North Carolina was sentenced to probation in Maine earlier this year after being of participating in a "relative in trouble" scam, records show. Ciardullo was driving a 2010 Chevy Malibu that hit a parked vehicle outside One Town Center on Palisade Avenue and kept going the night of Nov. 22, Cliffside Park Deputy Police Chief Vincent Capano said. Special Officer 2 Joseph Biasco, who was on foot patrol, alerted his c…
Baby Python Removed From Rutgers Dorm Room Baby Python Removed From Rutgers Dorm Room
Baby Python Removed From Rutgers Dorm Room A baby python was found in a Rutgers University dormitory room. Rutgers University Police Department was called on Monday, Nov. 27 to Voorhees Residence Hall on the Cook Campus. Officer Rebecca Phillips located and safely removed a baby python from the dorm room, police said. The snake was turned over to New Brunswick Animal Control. "Students must receive approval from from the Office of Disability Services to live in university housing with support animals and unwanted animals should never be released," Rutgers police said on Facebook.
Fearless Bergen Burglars Continue Rash Of Brazen Break-Ins Fearless Bergen Burglars Continue Rash Of Brazen Break-Ins
Fearless Bergen Burglars Continue Rash Of Brazen Break-Ins Local police departments in Bergen County have been comparing notes amid a rising wave of brazen home burglaries. A string of Thanksgiving weekend break-ins included one in which a Glen Rock resident who wasn't home called police after an app showed him two burglars entering his Dunham Place residence shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. Responding officers found a door smashed in and rooms ransacked, Lt. Frank Riggio said. Police from Ridgewood and Hawthorne, along with a Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, converged on the area but didn't find anyone, he said. Another burglary appar…
NJ Cops ID Triple Murder Victims, Accused Shooter (UPDATE) NJ Cops ID Triple Murder Victims, Accused Shooter (UPDATE)
NJ Cops ID Triple Murder Victims, Accused Shooter (Update) Police have identified the gunman accused of killing three people in a New Jersey home Monday, Nov. 27. Om Brahmbhatt, 23, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Dilipkumar Brahmbhatt, 72, Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, 38, and Bindu Brahmbhatt, 72, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said. Ciccone and South Plainfield Police Chief Peter Papa said only that the 23-year-old Brahmbhatt lived with and was related to the three people he killed at the Traditions condo complex on Coppola Drive. The victims were found dead in the home around …