Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam
Union County Woman Admits Destroying Evidence In $400,000 COVID Unemployment Scam A Union County woman admitted in federal court that she was shredding bogus credit and debit cards -- obtained by a man who fraudulently collected $400,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits from the state of New York -- when investigators came busting in. Detectives armed with a search warrant found Latoyia McCollum, 46, of Hillside in the kitchen of an undisclosed location "placing what appeared to be a credit/debit card into the shredder" while face-timing on a cellphone in October 2020, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. McCollum told them she was on the phone with Maurice Mills…
NJ Correctional Officer Charged With Raping Female Inmate NJ Correctional Officer Charged With Raping Female Inmate
NJ Correctional Officer Charged With Raping Female Inmate A correctional officer from Jersey City was arrested Wednesday and charged with raping an inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Tyrell Harris-McLaughlin, 28, was charged with sexual assault and official misconduct in connection with the Sept. 16 incident at the troubled Union Township state prison, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck and Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson said in a joint release. The charges were filed during an investigation by Bruck’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Off…
NJ Dating App Serial Killer Gets 160 Years In State Prison NJ Dating App Serial Killer Gets 160 Years In State Prison
NJ Dating App Serial Killer Gets 160 Years In State Prison A New Jersey man who used dating apps to lure and kill three women -- and tried to kill a fourth -- was sentenced to 160 years behind bars. Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, now 25, of Orange, was sentenced for three murders, an attempted murder and other counts of aggravated arson, desecration of human remain and kidnapping. Weaver was convicted in 2019 in on three counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Sarah Butler, 20, Robin West, 19, and Joanne Brown, 33.  He was also found guilty of the kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempted murder of a fourth woman, Tiffany Taylor, who surviv…
Confessed NJ ID Thief Admits Stealing $450,000 In Pandemic Unemployment Benefits From NY State Confessed NJ ID Thief Admits Stealing $450,000 In Pandemic Unemployment Benefits From NY State
Confessed NJ ID Thief Admits Stealing $450,000 In Pandemic Unemployment Benefits From NY State A Union County man admitted Monday that he stole $450,000 in pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from New York State by using other people's identities. Maurice Mills, 29, of Union Township took a deal from the government rather than face trial, pleading guilty to wire fraud during a video conference with a federal judge in Newark. Mills admitted that he submitted the bogus applications last year for the benefits, funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, "using the names of other individuals," Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. U.S. Di…
IDA: Death Toll Climbs To 23 In New Jersey IDA: Death Toll Climbs To 23 In New Jersey
IDA: Death Toll Climbs To 23 In New Jersey The death toll caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida that tore through New Jersey Wednesday had climbed to 23 as of Thursday afternoon, Gov. Phil Murphy said at a press conference. Most of these deaths were individuals who got stuck in vehicles due to flooding and were overtaken by water, he said from fire station in Hillsborough. The governor reminded residents New Jersey is still in the midst of Ida, and urged people not to travel. Those who died include: Four Elizabeth residents -- a couple ages 71 and 72, their 38-year-old son and a 33-year-old neighbor. Their bodies were found by…
Lyndhurst PD: $1,600 Supermarket Shoplifting Spree Stopped By Arrest Of Newark Offender Lyndhurst PD: $1,600 Supermarket Shoplifting Spree Stopped By Arrest Of Newark Offender
Lyndhurst PD: $1,600 Supermarket Shoplifting Spree Stopped By Arrest Of Newark Offender Lyndhurst police chased down a repeat offender from Newark who was wanted for stealing more than $1,600 worth of merchandise in a recent shoplifting spree -- from the same supermarket. Marquis Harris, 34, Newark already had a record of arrests in several counties -- including in each of the previous four years -- when township police responded to a call from the Stop & Shop on Lewandowski Street at 5:15 p.m. Friday, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. He was in the back seat of a silver Honda Civic that was seen fleeing the store when Lt. James Goral quickly pulled it over before nearby …
20 Busted With 4,176 Heroin Folds, Crack, Cash In Raid On Paterson Open-Air Drug Market 20 Busted With 4,176 Heroin Folds, Crack, Cash In Raid On Paterson Open-Air Drug Market
20 Busted With 4,176 Heroin Folds, Crack, Cash In Raid On Paterson Open-Air Drug Market Paterson police raided an open-air drug market, seizing 4,176 heroin folds, 194 bags of crack and $5,549 in proceeds while busting 20 dealers and buyers, authorities said. Among the accused buyers was a 72-year-old city man caught with four vials of crack, they said. The Hamilton Avenue sweep between Summer and Lake streets sought to ease residents’ fears for the safety of their children and themselves, city Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said Friday. Speziale said the heavier hitter included a quartet of Paterson residents: Isaiah Wharton, 24; Africa Downs, 45; Dante Harriso…
Rockin' The 60s: Veteran Culprits Nabbed In NJ-Wide Thefts Of Work Vans, Trucks, State Says Rockin' The 60s: Veteran Culprits Nabbed In NJ-Wide Thefts Of Work Vans, Trucks, State Says
Rockin' The 60s: Veteran Culprits Nabbed In Nj-wide Thefts Of Work Vans, Trucks, State Says Two ex-cons in their 60s were part of a ring that stole more than 30 work vehicles from victims in seven North Jersey counties, authorities said. Their end came in a quick succession of arrests that followed an operation led by New Jersey State Police -- and involving dozens of local police departments -- that was dubbed “Operation Cat Burglar.” Crew members in January began snatching work vans and trucks from owners in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Union, Hudson, Morris, and Middlesex counties, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. They stored the stolen vehicles in a lot in North Berg…
Prosecutor: Union County Man Who Shot, Killed Girlfriend In Custody Prosecutor: Union County Man Who Shot, Killed Girlfriend In Custody
Prosecutor: Union County Man Who Shot, Killed Girlfriend In Custody A 20-year-old Union County man who shot and killed his girlfriend at his house over the weekend was in police custody as of Tuesday afternoon, authorities announced. Jamar I. Webber, of Union Township, was lodged in the Union County Jail awaiting a first appearance and detention hearing, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. Webber is facing charges of first-degree murder and two related weapons offenses in connection with the death of 19-year-old Malikah Taylor of Newark, Ruotolo previously said. Police officers found Malikah Taylor on the 2100 block of Melrose…
Feds: Multi-County Burglary Crew Broke Into 40 North Jersey Pharmacies Seeking Codeine Feds: Multi-County Burglary Crew Broke Into 40 North Jersey Pharmacies Seeking Codeine
Feds: Multi-County Burglary Crew Broke Into 40 North Jersey Pharmacies Seeking Codeine A gang of burglars used bricks and rocks to break into at least 40 pharmacies in Hudson, Bergen and several other counties, targeting specific prescription drugs that they could sell, federal authorities said. Ten men, all from Jersey City, were charged in the three-month spree following an investigation led by Secaucus police, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Tuesday. Surveillance video captured images of the burglars breaking into some of the victimized pharmacies in North Bergen, Jersey City, Guttenberg, West New York, Secaucus, Lyndhurst, North Arlington, Linden, Iselin, Madis…
Video Shows Suspect Slashing One Officer, Shot At By Others In Clifton Hotel Video Shows Suspect Slashing One Officer, Shot At By Others In Clifton Hotel
Video Shows Suspect Slashing One Officer, Shot At By Others In Clifton Hotel WATCH: Surveillance video released Thursday shows an armed suspect slashing a police officer's face with a knife before two colleagues shoot at him as he runs down the hallway of a Clifton hotel. State Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal released the video along with others recorded in the Dec. 27, 2020 Clifton police encounter with Antwan Whitlock,, 35, of Union Township at a Route 3 Howard Johnson's. Whitlock, who wasn’t struck by gunfire as he ran down the hallway later stabbed himself in the chest when other SWAT team officers caught up to him, Grewal said. It began when three Clifton o…
UPDATE: Man Who Slashed Clifton Officer, Stabbed Himself At Route 3 HoJos ID'd UPDATE: Man Who Slashed Clifton Officer, Stabbed Himself At Route 3 HoJos ID'd
Update: Man Who Slashed Clifton Officer, Stabbed Himself At Route 3 HoJos ID'd Authorities on Tuesday identified a man who slashed a Clifton police officer in the face, then stabbed himself in the chest as a SWAT team closed in on him at a Route 3 Howard Johnson's early last week as a Union Township resident. Antwan Whitlock, 35, remained hospitalized Tuesday at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson following the Dec. 27 incident in Clifton. He's charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest and weapons possession and will be brought before a judge for a first appearance as soon as he's physically able. It began when three Clifton officers responded to…