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Four Busted In Summer Series Of Luxury Car Thefts, Burglaries Across North Jersey Towns: Police
Four people have been charged, with one currently at large, in a series of car thefts and burglaries across North Jersey last summer, police announced Thursday, March 21.
It all began on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at 2:27 a.m., when Fairfield police responded to a crash at Route 280, the department said.
The occupants of the vehicle had fled the scene prior to state troopers arriving on scene, police said. An investigation revealed the vehicle had just been stolen from a residence on Hollywood Avenue, police said. Personal belongings were also stolen from the residence, police said.
The sam…
NJ's Theresa 'Tess' Callaghan Dies Year After Cancer Diagnosis, 29
Theresa Callaghan, a 29-year-old Mount Olive native, died on Monday, Feb. 26 after battling brain cancer, according to her obituary.
Born in Cranford, Callaghan graduated from Mount Olive High School in 2012, her obituary reads. She graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in nutrition and dietetics and later achieved her master's in nutrition from St. Elizabeth University, according to her obituary.
Callaghan was diagnosed with brain cancer in March 2023, according to a fundraiser set up to support her medical bills. As of Thursday, March 7, more than $106,000 had been raised.…
Linden ShopRite Worker Who Battled Brain Cancer For 17 Years Dies: 'Always Been A Fighter'
Victor Vilela, a 42-year-old Elizabeth native, died on Monday, July 24, after a 17-year battle with brain cancer, according to his obituary.
Born in Elizabeth, Vilela was an active member of a brain tumor support group and worked at Elizabeth General Hospital, ShopRite in Linden and Wegmans in Woodbridge, his obituary reads.
He is survived by his wife, Meghan, his son, Mauricio, his parents, Maria and Acacio, his sister Sonia as well as other family members, according to his obituary.
Following his death, Vilela's tribute wall was filled with remembrances.
"Your sense of humor had everyon…
NJ Mom, 'Brilliant Mind' Amy Saccone Dies After 2-Year Cancer Battle
Amy Saccone, a 43-year-old Cranford resident, died on Sunday, June 18 after a two-year battle with colon cancer, according to her obituary.
Amy grew up in Matawan and attended Georgian Court University in Lakewood, having double majored in biology and chemistry, her obituary says. She worked in technical sales and product management and was an account executive for Catalent, according to her obituary.
There are absolutely NO words to express the brokenness felt💔
I am not even going to try.
If you know me, you know the... Posted by Susan Buccellato on Wednesday, June 21, 2023
A fundrais…
Colombian Nationals Nabbed After NJ Home Break-In Nets Jewelry, Furs, Cash, More
Three Colombian nationals remain in federal custody and a fourth has already been deported after the government said they stole jewelry, a Rolex, an antique rifle, furs and cash in a home burglary in Union County.
The quartet also took a stamp collection, luxury bags and more after breaking into the Cranford home shortly before 5 p.m. last Nov. 30, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
They then loaded the valuables into a red Honda Accord that they'd driven there, an FBI complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says.
Sellinger, who put the total value of the loss at more than …
$1.4M Paid To Suspended NJ Officers Awaiting Trial For No-Show Extra Duty Jobs: Report
Four suspended police officers from Edison were paid $1.4 million during the two years they awaited trial for billing the town for no-show "extra duty" assignments, NJ Advance Media reports.
The officers have been on paid suspension ever since, but were put on unpaid leave earlier this month when new indictments were announced against Sgt. Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, 43, of Edison Township, Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson Township, Patrolman Gregory Makras, 38, of Cranford and Sgt. Brian Rossmeyer, 45, of Bridgewater, according to the outlet and Middlesex County Pr…
4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor
Four suspended police officers from Central Jersey bilked their town for no-show "extra duty" assignments, authorities said.
The Edison Police officers were charged with racketeering, bribery, theft, money laundering and witness tampering, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department said on Friday, Oct. 14.
They did not say how much taxpayer money was stolen by the former officers.
Sergeant Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, 43, of Edison Township, Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson Township, Patrolman Gregory&nbs…
Plot Twist: Attendant Helped Plan Gas Station Robbery Off Garden State Parkway, Feds Charge
Federal authorities charged a gas station attendant with planning the robbery of a newly-opened QuickChek where he worked just off the Garden State Parkway.
An indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Newark accuses Tyrone Crutchfield-Davis, 27, of Linden of plotting the Dec. 15, 2019 holdup on North Avenue at Exit 137 in Cranford with three associates.
Authorities had previously identified the other three men -- Wiggins Cadet, 24, and Khalil Brown, 23, of Roselle, and Zyquan McCray, 23, of Linden.
It turns out Crutchfield-Davis -- a former standout high school quarterback with a cri…
Convicted NJ Child Porn Trafficker Gets 20+ Years In Fed Pen, No Parole, For Enticing Minors
A convicted child porn trafficker from Union County must spend no fewer than 20 years in federal prison for doing it again while soliciting two children to "engage in sexually explicit conduct online," authorities said.
Christopher Gardiner, 39, of Cranford, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained 20 years and eight months that he was sentenced to on Tuesday, Feb. 8, because there's no parole in the federal prison system.
Gardiner, who'd been convicted of similar charges in Union County in 2007, conducted an "ongoing sexually graphic conversation on a web-based social media appl…
