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Law Enforcement

'Large-Scale' PA Burglary Ring Targeted Home In NJ: Prosecutors 'Large-Scale' PA Burglary Ring Targeted Home In NJ: Prosecutors
'Large-Scale' PA Burglary Ring Targeted Home In NJ: Prosecutors Half a dozen people are charged in connection with a "large-scale" home burglary scheme, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.  At a press conference on Friday, April 26, prosecutors and law enforcement said an organized ring of thieves stole more than $160,000 in goods from homes in Lehigh, Berks and Northampton counties.  They also targeted at least one home in Warren Township, New Jersey, authorities said.  Beginning in 2019, a team of state and local police agencies began investigating burglaries and attempted burglaries in Allentown, Bethl…
WATCH: State Authorities Release Bodycam Videos Of Police Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man WATCH: State Authorities Release Bodycam Videos Of Police Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man
Watch: State Authorities Release Bodycam Videos Of Police Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man UPDATE: An Englewood police officer was justified in shooting a man who'd just stabbed three people, a grand jury ruled on Monday, April 22, following a state-required review. Chilling bodycam videos clearly show Englewood Police Officer Luana Sharpe and other officers were struggling over a knife with 22-year-old city resident Bernard Placide when she shot him on Labor Day 2022. A grand jury review was nonetheless required under New Jersey law because Placide died during an encounter with law enforcement. Evidence was collected by investigators with the state Office of Public Integrity an…
Motorcyclist Killed In NJ Crash With State Trooper Was 'Sublimely Talented' Guitarist Motorcyclist Killed In NJ Crash With State Trooper Was 'Sublimely Talented' Guitarist
Motorcyclist Killed In NJ Crash With State Trooper Was 'Sublimely Talented' Guitarist They called him Frankie Fender. Frank Lando, that is: The 65-year-old Toms River motorcyclist, guitarist, and father killed in an April 9 crash in Southampton with a New Jersey state trooper. On Friday, April 19, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin released Lando's identity, as well as that of the trooper involved: Anthony Fernandes. Fernandes was conducting routine patrol duties along Route 70 around 11:35 a.m. in Southampton that day, when his marked patrol car collided with Lando's motorcycle near Burrs Mill Road, Platkin said. Lando was taken to Virtua Mount Holly …
Scooter Rider Killed In Jersey Shore Crash Involving Police Officer, State AG Says Scooter Rider Killed In Jersey Shore Crash Involving Police Officer, State AG Says
Scooter Rider Killed In Jersey Shore Crash Involving Police Officer, State AG Says A man riding a motorized scooter was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Route 35 in Monmouth County that involved a local police officer, state authorities said. The crash occurred on the highway's southbound side near Sunset Avenue in Ocean Township shortly after 9 p.m. Monday, April 15, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Tuesday. The identity of the scooter rider, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was temporarily being withheld, as was the name of the on-duty Ocean Township officer, Platkin said. Neither the officer nor anyone else involved in the crash was injured, …
Victim's Fingers Cut Off During Attack In Perth Amboy Victim's Fingers Cut Off During Attack In Perth Amboy
Victim's Fingers Severed A victim had his fingers cut off during an attack in Perth Amboy, authorities said. The man also was slashed, according to a spokeswoman for Perth Amboy City Hall. Police were called to Riverview Drive under the Victory Bridge at about 11:15 p.m. Sunday, April 14 and found the injured man, the spokeswoman said.  The man, who does not reside in Perth Amboy, was brought to an area hospital. Additional details were not available.
NO CHOICE: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds NO CHOICE: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds
Knife Police Shooting Old Bridge Grand Jury UPDATE: Police were justified in shooting a New Jersey man seen on bodycam video charging at an officer with a knife, a grand jury investigation required by state law found. Luke Mendez, 26, had his wrapped around the knife handle as he barreled down the steps of an Old Bridge home last April 24. Mendez was only two steps from the landing -- less than three feet from an Old Bridge officer -- when he left police no choice. Mendez was pronounced dead at a local hospital about 90 minutes later. Grand jurors reviewed various evidence but didn't really need any more than the bodycam video…
Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With New Jersey State Police Car In South Jersey: AG Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With New Jersey State Police Car In South Jersey: AG
Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With New Jersey State Police Car In South Jersey: AG A motorcyclist was killed in a collision involving an on-duty New Jersey State Police trooper in South Jersey Tuesday, April 9, state officials said. An on-duty state trooper was conducting routine patrol duties on Route 70 in Southampton, when the vehicle "was involved in a collision" with a civilian motorcycle near Burrs Mill Road  New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The motorcyclist was taken to Virtua Mount Holly Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 12:45 p.m. The state trooper involved in the collision did not sufferer significant injuries,…
Toms River Man Sentenced For Dealing Heroin Throughout Ocean County Toms River Man Sentenced For Dealing Heroin Throughout Ocean County
Toms River Man Sentenced For Dealing Heroin Throughout Ocean County A Toms River man was sentenced after admitting to selling heroin throughout Ocean County, authorities said. Zachary Lockwood, 25, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 5 to 10 years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. He'll be eligible for parole after five years. Lockwood pleaded guilty to possession of one-half ounce or more of heroin with intent to distribute, being a certain person not to possess a weapon, and resisting arrest on Monday, Feb. 12. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated eluding charge from a second incident. Toms River…
New Brunswick Protestor Among 60 Arrested In I-676 Shutdown In Philadelphia: Police New Brunswick Protestor Among 60 Arrested In I-676 Shutdown In Philadelphia: Police
New Brunswick Protestor Among 60 Arrested In I-676 Shutdown In Philadelphia: Police More than 60 people have been arrested in connection with a protest that completely shutdown I-676 in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, March 30, authorities said. The protestors were from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and ran onto the highway at Broad Street around 4 p.m., causing disruptions to traffic flow, Philadelphia police said at the time. On Sunday, March 31, Pennsylvania State Police released a list of towns and ages of those arrested, all who were charged with disorderly conduct. Thirty-nine of them were from Philadelphia with a others from Trappe, Downingtown, Lansd…
COLD CASE: Information Wanted In 1996 Killing Of Jersey Shore Convenience Store Owner COLD CASE: Information Wanted In 1996 Killing Of Jersey Shore Convenience Store Owner
Cold CASE: Information Wanted In 1996 Killing Of Jersey Shore Convenience Store Owner Police in Monmouth County are looking for help finding whoever killed a convenience store owner nearly 30 years ago, authorities said. In a news release on Thursday, Mar. 28, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said law enforcement is looking for new information about the 1996 death of Smita Amin Patel. The 35-year-old from Tinton Falls was killed inside the Little Brown Jug convenience store at the Gables Shopping Center on Route 33 in Neptune City. Investigators said Patel and her husband were co-owners of the store that's across the street from Jersey Shore University M…
Corrections Officer Shoots 21-Year-Old Thinking He's Under Attack In Trenton: Prosecutor Corrections Officer Shoots 21-Year-Old Thinking He's Under Attack In Trenton: Prosecutor
Corrections Officer Shoots 21-Year-Old Thinking He's Under Attack In Trenton: Prosecutor A New Jersey corrections officer shot a 21-year-old woman in Trenton on March 18 after the rear window of his vehicle was inexplicably shattered, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said. The corrections officer thought he was being shot at, but it turned out that a thrown paint can had broken his window, the prosecutor said. The incident occurred on the 500 block of Bellevue Avenue at about 12:20 a.m. The injured woman was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, authorities said.  The incident remains under investigation. No charges have been filed. 
Schools Shelter In Place Amid Investigation Into Possibly Armed Perth Amboy Student: Cops Schools Shelter In Place Amid Investigation Into Possibly Armed Perth Amboy Student: Cops
Schools Shelter In Place Amid Investigation Into Possibly Armed Perth Amboy Student: Cops An investigation into a student who was believed to have been armed with a gun had some schools sheltering in place Friday, March 22, police said. The investigation began around 12:10 p.m., when officers were called to investigate a student "acting suspiciously" at a school in Perth Amboy, local police said. The student was believed to have been headed toward another school looking for another student, police said. The student was taken into custody and was found to not have been armed, police said. The shelter in place was lifted later in the day. The investigation is ongoing.
What Are The Chances? PAPD Nabs Back-To-Back Lincoln Tunnel Toll Evaders Who Owe $472G Combined What Are The Chances? PAPD Nabs Back-To-Back Lincoln Tunnel Toll Evaders Who Owe $472G Combined
What Are The Chances? Papd Nabs Back-To-Back Lincoln Tunnel Toll Evaders Who Owe $472G Combined Go figure. It didn't take long for a crackdown on toll evaders to snag two major violators, both of them at the Lincoln Tunnel -- and on the same day, no less. Port Authority police stopped a New Jersey-based D. Rubio’s Express truck for having "unclear" license plates and found 1,811 "known unpaid violations," Spokeswoman Lenis Valens said. Total unpaid tolls and fees: $214,000. The driver also received three summonses for unclear plates (front and rear) and an expired diesel emissions test, Valens said. Later that day, officers stopped another vehicle without a front plate, she said. …
Jersey Shore Officer Who Stole $115K+ From Charities Sentenced: Prosecutors Jersey Shore Officer Who Stole $115K+ From Charities Sentenced: Prosecutors
Jersey Shore Officer Who Stole $115K+ From Charities Sentenced: Prosecutors A former police officer in Monmouth County will spend several years in prison after he admitted to stealing more than $100,000 in charitable donations, authorities said. James Cadigan, 42, was sentenced on Wednesday, Mar. 20 to five years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. He was accused of taking more than $115,000 from several organizations. Cadigan was a sergeant for the Wall Township Police Department. "Our agency is happy that this is now behind us and we can continue to build public trust," Wall police Chief Sean O'Halloran said in a …
Authorities ID Gunman Killed In Shootout That Wounded NJ Officer During Domestic Call Authorities ID Gunman Killed In Shootout That Wounded NJ Officer During Domestic Call
Authorities ID Gunman Killed In Shootout That Wounded NJ Officer During Domestic Call 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A man who wounded a Hamilton Township police officer and was killed in a shootout earlier this month was formally identified by state authorities on Wednesday. Vincent Correa, 44, of Hamilton fired a rifle at Officers Derek Fiabane and Paul Piromalli as they responded to a 911 domestic call on Orchard Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. March 8, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. "The officers returned fire, fatally wounding Correa," the attorney general said on March 20. The father of two -- who Platkin said was also carrying a handgun -- was pronounced dead at the sc…
NJ Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release NJ Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release
NJ Ex-Con Busted With Pistol Two Days After Prison Release A Garfield ex-con was caught with a gun during a Little Ferry police stop just two days after he was released from prison, authorities said. Nazir R. Halloway, 26, spent a mandatory one year behind bars coincidentally after pleading guilty last year to unlawful possession of a handgun, records show. He was paroled on Monday, March 18, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Little Ferry Lt. John Andronaco was on patrol when he spotted a 2020 Acura ILX with darkly-tinted windows in the parking lot of the Stagecoach Motel just off westbound Route 46 shortly after midnight Wedn…
Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman
Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An Elizabeth police officer was fully justified in neutralizing an enraged man who went after a woman with a long-bladed knife last summer, a state grand jury has found. New Jersey law requires grand jury reviews of all fatal police shootings even when police bodycam video is clear -- as in this case -- and there's no mistaking the series of events (ditto). This one was literally over in seconds. Officer Steven Lazo and his partner had just responded to a 911 call of an unwanted person involved in a dispute on Amity Street shortly after 8 a.m. July 29, when the incident occurred. …
'GHOST TAGS': Massive Crackdown On License Plate Fraud Begins At GWB, Lincoln Tunnel 'GHOST TAGS': Massive Crackdown On License Plate Fraud Begins At GWB, Lincoln Tunnel
'Ghost Tags': Massive Crackdown On License Plate Fraud Begins At GWB, Lincoln Tunnel A massive campaign to identify and seize "ghost plate" vehicles roared from the starting line with 73 impounds, 282 summonses and eight arrests at the Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington and Triborough bridges, authorities announced on Tuesday. Port Authority police seized plates and vehicles from 30 motorists at the Lincoln and the GWB while issuing 142 summonses, sources there told Daily Voice. They also impounded three vehicles responsible for more than $700,000 in unpaid tolls and fees -- including more than $130,000 tied to a single New Jersey company, Green Brothers Logisti…
52 Arrested In 'Elaborate' Cockfighting Ring In South Jersey: Police 52 Arrested In 'Elaborate' Cockfighting Ring In South Jersey: Police
52 Arrested In 'Elaborate' Cockfighting Ring In South Jersey: Police More than 50 people were arrested after police broke up a large cockfighting ring in Atlantic County, authorities said. Galloway Township police executed a search warrant at a home on the 300 block of South Bremen Avenue on Saturday, Mar. 9, the department said in a news release. When officers arrived, a large group of people were there and many tried to run away before they were detained. Investigators found an "elaborate cockfighting operation" that included a fighting ring, seating for spectators, and several cockfighting kits. About 50 roosters were found in "various degrees of health" …
UPDATE: NJ Police Officer Wounded, Domestic Violence Suspect Killed In Shootout UPDATE: NJ Police Officer Wounded, Domestic Violence Suspect Killed In Shootout
Update: NJ Police Officer Wounded, Domestic Violence Suspect Killed In Shootout A gunman was killed and a local police officer in Mercer County wounded multiple times in a shootout following a domestic violence incident Friday night, New Jersey's top law enforcement official confirmed. A 911 domestic violence call brought Hamilton Township police to an Orchard Avenue home around 10 p.m. March 8, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Saturday. "During the encounter, a civilian armed with a rifle exchanged gunfire with two officers," Platkin said. "The civilian was fatally wounded and pronounced dead at the scene. One officer was also struck and is being tr…
Retired NJ Police Chief Showed Up Drunk To Work, Berated Officers: Investigation Details Retired NJ Police Chief Showed Up Drunk To Work, Berated Officers: Investigation Details
Retired NJ Police Chief Showed Up Drunk To Work, Berated Officers: Investigation Details A Jersey Shore police chief who retired after a heated argument with one of his sergeants broke more than two dozen law enforcement rules and had an "irretrievably broken" relationship with his officers, authorities said. Former Bradley Beach police Chief Leonard Guida committed 28 violations in seven incidents between July 2022 and November 2023, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said on Friday, March 1, the same day Guida retired — six months early. "The findings outlined in this report illustrate unmistakably that over the previous year and a half, Chief Guida has been an …
NJ Police Chief To Retire After Investigation Into Argument With Sergeant Caught On Camera NJ Police Chief To Retire After Investigation Into Argument With Sergeant Caught On Camera
NJ Police Chief To Retire After Investigation Into Argument With Sergeant Caught On Camera The head of a Jersey Shore police department will step down about three months after a heated interaction between him and one of his sergeants during a crash investigation, officials said. Bradley Beach police Chief Leonard Guida will retire on Friday, Mar. 1, according to a Monday, Feb. 26 statement from Mayor Larry Fox. The mayor said Chief Guida's retirement was six months earlier than the borough anticipated. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office investigated the exchange between Chief Guida and Sgt. William Major, which happened on Thursday, Nov. 9. At a council meetin…
PA Man Shoots, Kills Wife Of NJ Friend Who Took Him In, Dies Soon After: Authorities (UPDATE) PA Man Shoots, Kills Wife Of NJ Friend Who Took Him In, Dies Soon After: Authorities (UPDATE)
PA Man Shoots, Kills Wife Of NJ Friend Who Took Him In, Dies Soon After: Authorities (Update) 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Pennsylvania man shot and killed the wife of a friend who took him into their northwest New Jersey home, then died of a medical emergency moments after fleeing, authorities said. Cheryl Schilling and her husband, Kevin, ran to an upstairs bedroom and closed the door after Armond Anthony Avitable grabbed a pump-action shotgun during an argument at their home in the Knowlton Township community of Columbia shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, they said. Avitable then kicked open the door and fired two shotgun blasts, both of which wounded the 58-year-old woman, Warren County P…
Shotgun-Wielding PA Man Kills Wife Of NJ Friend Who Took Him In, Dies Soon After: Authorities Shotgun-Wielding PA Man Kills Wife Of NJ Friend Who Took Him In, Dies Soon After: Authorities
Shotgun-Wielding PA Man Kills Wife Of NJ Friend Who Took Him In, Dies Soon After: Authorities 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Pennsylvania man shot and killed the wife of a friend who took him into their northwest New Jersey home, then died of a medical emergency moments after fleeing, authorities said. Cheryl Schilling and her husband, Kevin, ran to an upstairs bedroom and closed the door after Armond Anthony Avitable grabbed a pump-action shotgun during an argument at their home in the Knowlton Township community of Columbia shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, they said. Avitable then kicked open the door and fired two shotgun blasts, both of which wounded the 58-year-old woman, Warren County P…
UPDATE: NJ Attorney General IDs Cyclist, 56, Veteran Trooper Who Struck And Killed Him UPDATE: NJ Attorney General IDs Cyclist, 56, Veteran Trooper Who Struck And Killed Him
Update: NJ Attorney General IDs Cyclist, 56, Veteran Trooper Who Struck And Killed Him A bicyclist who was struck and killed last week by a New Jersey State Police car driven by a department veteran with a deep history of social work was identified by authorities as 59-year-old Raul L. Diaz of Long Valley. Diaz was struck on Willow Grove Street (Route 604) outside the Hackettstown Senior Housing Development off Brook Hollow Drive in Warren County an hour before sunrise on Monday, Feb. 5. NJSP Sgt. First Class Kesene Grier was driving the unmarked black Ford Explorer that hit him shortly after 6 a.m., New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Diaz was rushed up t…
SWAT Team Seizes Firearms, $21K In Drugs From NJ Trio In Major Bust: Cops SWAT Team Seizes Firearms, $21K In Drugs From NJ Trio In Major Bust: Cops
SWAT Team Seizes Firearms, $21K In Drugs From NJ Trio In Major Bust: Cops Four handguns, five high-capacity magazines, and $21,000 in drugs were seized from three men following a narcotics investigation in Somerset County, authorities said. Brothers Christian, 22 and Sean Lebron, 20, along with Juan Martinez, 21, are facing numerous charges following the investigation, which concluded on Friday, Jan. 26 in Hillsborough, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said. Raids at the home of the three men — Martinez, of Gemini Drive, and the Lebrons, on South Branch Road — turned up four handguns with five high-capacity magazines; 770 Xanax pills, 10 Oxycodo…
Barricaded Man In NJ Motel Wounds 2 NJ State Troopers With Airsoft Gun Barricaded Man In NJ Motel Wounds 2 NJ State Troopers With Airsoft Gun
Barricaded Man In NJ Motel Wounds 2 NJ State Troopers With Airsoft Gun An armed man who wounded two New Jersey State Police troopers with an airsoft gun during a lengthy standoff at a Sussex County motel was eventually taken alive, authorities said. Troopers were conducting a welfare check at the Cobmin Ridge Motel on Route 206 in Branchville, 10 or so miles from the Pennsylvania border, around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, they said. Nicolas R. Martinez, 27, refused to leave a room he was staying in, according to a joint release from New Jersey State Police, the state Department of Law & Public Safety and the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office. Negotiations la…
NJ Sheriff's Association Cites 'Fortitude, Resoluteness' Of Fallen Passaic Comrade Berdnik NJ Sheriff's Association Cites 'Fortitude, Resoluteness' Of Fallen Passaic Comrade Berdnik
NJ Sheriff's Association Cites 'Fortitude, Resoluteness' Of Fallen Passaic Comrade Berdnik "On behalf of the Sheriffs' Association of New Jersey, President Sheriff Gilbert "Whip" Wilson and its members, we express our sincere condolences for the loss of our dear brother in law enforcement, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik. "Sheriff Berdnik's untimely passing was a shock to us all. He served as a member of the New Jersey Sheriffs Association for fifteen (13) years, where he worked hard to ensure the safety of the Passaic County residents and that the needs of the Passaic County community were addressed.  "Sheriff Berdnik was a man of great character, always mild-mannere…
Heart Disease Aggravated By Meth Use Killed Newark Suspect Following Arrest: Medical Examiner Heart Disease Aggravated By Meth Use Killed Newark Suspect Following Arrest: Medical Examiner
Heart Disease Aggravated By Meth Use Killed Newark Suspect Following Arrest: Medical Examiner It’s unsettling to watch video of a suspect you know has died. The last moments for Raul DeJesus -- who led Newark police on a foot chase before collapsing near Route 280 -- are no exception. Newark police did nothing wrong during the encounter, a grand jury has found. Among the evidence reviewed by the grand jurors are three police bodycams, one of them worn by the officer who began chasing the 43-year-old Newark native on foot after he ran. Two others graphically document the arrest and the moments that followed as highway traffic barreled by. In the end, what killed DeJesus was heart …
Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says
Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik died by his own hand on Tuesday in his hometown Clifton, in what the Garden State's attorney general called "an unfathomable loss for New Jersey." Emergency responders rushed to Toro's Turkish Restaurant on Hazel Street a few minutes after 3:30 p.m. Jan. 23. Berdnik had just taken his life in the men's room, the sudden gunshot through the heart startling staff and patrons alike, sources told Daily Voice. Not even 15 minutes earlier, the popular sheriff had posed for cellphone photos. Then he got a phone call with some very unsettling news, reliable so…
Joseph Luistro, Edison's First Asian American Police Officer, Dies At 55 Joseph Luistro, Edison's First Asian American Police Officer, Dies At 55
Joseph Luistro, Edison's First Asian American Police Officer, Dies At 55 Retired Edison Police Sergeant Joseph Vincent Luistro died on Thursday, Jan. 18 of Lou Gehrig's disease, according to Edison Township police. He was 55 years old. Luistro was a 27-year veteran of the police force and was the first Asian American to serve in the Edison Police Department. Luistro started his law enforcement career in 1993 at Rutgers University-New Brunswick Police Department. He transferred to the Edison Police Department in 1999. Joe served as president of the New Jersey Asian American Law Enforcement Association in 2008, "actively fostering inclusivity in law enforcement c…