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substance abuse

Sports
WWE Hall Of Famer, NJ Native Tammy Sytch Gets 17 Years For Fatal DWI Crash WWE Hall Of Famer, NJ Native Tammy Sytch Gets 17 Years For Fatal DWI Crash
WWE Hall Of Famer, NJ Native Tammy Sytch Gets 17 Years For Fatal DWI Crash The sunny days have turned dark for former wrestling manager Tammy Lynn Sytch. The Monmouth County native, who achieved fame in the then-WWF as Sunny in the mid-1990s, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading no contest to driving drunk and killing a 75-year-old man in Florida last year. She will also serve eight years of probation after she's released from prison, CBS affiliate WKMG-TV. Sytch, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011, has had numerous brushes with the law since her wrestling career ended, including being arrested for six DWIs in a four-year span. …

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by Sam Barron
Sports
Star-Crossed NJ Wrestling Couple Featured In New Vice Docuseries Star-Crossed NJ Wrestling Couple Featured In New Vice Docuseries
Star-Crossed NJ Wrestling Couple Featured In New Vice Docuseries Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch's tragic wrestling love story is the subject of a new documentary. The Monmouth County natives who were high school sweethearts at Red Bank Catholic High School were profiled in "Dark Side of the Ring: Chris and Tammy" on Vice. .@DarkSideofRing co-creators @Evanhusney and @JasonEisener break down everything you need to know about our premiere episode on Chris & Tammy.Watch tonight at 10P on VICE TV. Find your channel: https://t.co/SfgVz53gIY pic.twitter.com/du0gbtWccP — VICE TV (@VICETV) May 30, 2023 Candido grew up wanting to be a professional wr…

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by Sam Barron
Sports
Dr. McKenzie: Two-Time Giants Super Bowl Champ Earns Ph.D From Kean University Dr. McKenzie: Two-Time Giants Super Bowl Champ Earns Ph.D From Kean University
Dr. McKenzie: Two-Time Giants Super Bowl Champ Earns Ph.D From Kean University Kareem McKenzie went from excelling on the football field as an offensive lineman to excelling in the classroom. The two-time Super Bowl Champion for the New York Giants is earning a doctorate in counseling and supervision from Kean University. McKenzie, a native of Willingboro Township, was drafted by the New York Jets out of Penn State in 2001 and played three seasons with Gang Green before signing with the Giants as a free agent.  He played the rest of his career with the Giants, retiring in 2011, following his second Super Bowl victory in 2011. After leaving the gridiron, he earne…

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by Sam Barron
News
Jersey Shore Doc Admits Sexual Contact With Drug-Abusing Patient, Cuts Deal With State Jersey Shore Doc Admits Sexual Contact With Drug-Abusing Patient, Cuts Deal With State
Jersey Shore Doc Admits Sexual Contact With Drug-Abusing Patient, Cuts Deal With State A Monmouth County physician is having his license suspended for three years for "inappropriate sexual contact" with a substance-abusing patient for whom he also prescribed addictive drugs, state authorities said. Francis Rienzo, 60, of Sea Girt, is currently "winding down" his private practice as part of an agreement with the state through which he will avoid more serious consequences, they said. Rienzo, who also is the medical director for several treatment centers across New Jersey -- and a staff physician at Jersey Shore Addiction Services and Hackensack Meridian Health in Neptune -- "ad…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
'He Died In His Tracks,' NJ Mom Says After Twin Son, 25, Dies Of Fentanyl Poisoning 'He Died In His Tracks,' NJ Mom Says After Twin Son, 25, Dies Of Fentanyl Poisoning
'He Died In His Tracks,' NJ Mom Says After Twin Son, 25, Dies Of Fentanyl Poisoning A New Jersey mother is opening up on social media to spread awareness of counterfeit drugs after the sudden death of her 25-year-old son due to fentanyl poisoning. Denville native and Morris Knolls High School graduate Ross Michael Kaplowitz died Dec. 13, his obituary says. The University of Vermont student had gone out to smoke in the family’s garage and was found dead hours later, his mother, Marisa, details in a public Facebook post -- which had nearly gone viral as of March 3. “There was nothing we could do to revive him, although we tried," she wrote. "He died in his tracks.” Though…

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by Valerie Musson
Obituaries
'Hudson County Hero': Beloved School Counselor Ray Ruiz Dies, 52 'Hudson County Hero': Beloved School Counselor Ray Ruiz Dies, 52
'Hudson County Hero': Beloved School Counselor Ray Ruiz Dies, 52 A Jersey City dad and substance abuse counselor who died earlier this month is being hailed a Hudson County hero.  Ray Ruiz died on Oct. 10. He was 52 years old. "There are truly no words to describe the impact of this loss," Psycho-Educational Associates wrote on Facebook.  "Ray has been nothing less than an amazing role model, mentor, and true friend to all that know him. Ray's life revolved around his family and his community. He balanced his commitment to his family with his commitment to helping individuals finding their way to emotional happiness. Ray found the time to guid…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Judge Releases Monmouth University Baseball Player After Home Burglary Judge Releases Monmouth University Baseball Player After Home Burglary
Judge Releases Monmouth University Baseball Player After Home Burglary A New Jersey homeowner was able to detain a burglar later identified as a 19-year-old Monmouth University varsity baseball player in an overnight break-in, police said. Surveillance tapes show Marlboro's Anthony Brienza entering the Old Farm Road home in Ocean Township through an unlocked door, then disabling the home security system around 4:50 a.m., Sept. 13, Detective Sgt. Paul Flammia said. Brienza was confronted by the homeowner while taking several items from the master bedroom, Flammia said. A brief struggle ensued when Brienza tried fleeing, police said. Brienza was arrested …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NJ Mom Who Gave Daughter, 11, Pills Causing OD Death Faces 7 Years In Jail NJ Mom Who Gave Daughter, 11, Pills Causing OD Death Faces 7 Years In Jail
NJ Mom Who Gave Daughter, 11, Pills Causing OD Death Faces 7 Years In Jail A Boonton mom is facing a seven-year prison sentence after she admitted giving her 11-year-old daughter unprescribed pills that ultimately killed her. Shay Mooney, 35, plead guilty in July to child endangerment and said that she neglected to keep her prescription medications from her daughter, Wade Richardson, Daily Record reports. Richardson died last December from a combination of lorazepam, a sedative, as well as fentanyl, a narcotic, the report says citing the child’s autopsy. The child was found unconscious in an apartment in Boonton that was trashed with pill bottles, syringes, medic…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Lyndhurst Police: Nodded-Out Vermont Couple Had Drugs, Dozens Of Syringes In Car Lyndhurst Police: Nodded-Out Vermont Couple Had Drugs, Dozens Of Syringes In Car
Lyndhurst Police: Nodded-Out Vermont Couple Had Drugs, Dozens Of Syringes In Car A Vermont couple found sleeping in their car on a quiet Lyndhurst street had drugs and dozens of hypodermic syringes with them, authorities said. Sgt. Richard Holicki, Detective Billy Kapp and Officer Matt Giunta, responding to a call, found the couple nodded out in a Toyota Prius on Kearney Street around 7 p.m. They woke the pair and immediately spotted several syringes on the center console, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. A search, Auteri said, turned up: 13 empty wax paper folds; 151 anticonvulsant pills; 1 pack of Suboxone; small amount of cocaine, including a rock of crack; 86…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Registration Now Open For 5K In Newark Benefiting Integrity House Registration Now Open For 5K In Newark Benefiting Integrity House
Registration Now Open For 5K In Newark Benefiting Integrity House Runners can now register for the annual Newark Corporate and Individual 5K, which will be held Oct. 2 in downtown Newark.  The run will benefit Integrity House, the nonprofit substance-abuse treatment organization that runs programs in Newark, Jersey City, Kearny, Secaucus, Morris Plains and Toms River.  This year's run is intended to help raise awareness of the nation's growing substance abuse epidemic.  The run starts at Washington Park at 12:15 p.m. and participants can run individually or in teams. Individuals can register up until race day but teams must register by Sep…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
VIDEO: Massive Fire Consumes Paterson Building Housing Drug, Alcohol Rehab Center VIDEO: Massive Fire Consumes Paterson Building Housing Drug, Alcohol Rehab Center
Video: Massive Fire Consumes Paterson Building Housing Drug, Alcohol Rehab Center Flames consumed a Paterson mill that housed a substance rehab center Saturday, collapsing walls and floors and sending plumes of smoke over Route 80 that could be seen for miles -- but firefighters kept the blaze from spreading. No injuries were reported at the Straight Street commercial building, which housed the Straight and Narrow rehab center operated by Catholic Charities of the Paterson Diocese. "That's a big hit for a lot of clients and staff in New Jersey," a substance-abuse professional affiliated with the program said, noting that the program served thousands, making it one of th…

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by Jerry DeMarco