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Summit Police Department

News
Major NJ-Based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out Major NJ-Based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out
Major Nj-based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out More than 20 pounds of fentanyl and an additional 9,000 doses of the deadly drug were seized with the arrests of eight members of a major trafficking ring that operated on both sides of the Hudson River, authorities said. Those charged in the federally-led offensive range in age from 37 to 60. They come from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania but operated primarily in and around Union County, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. The multi-pronged, eight-month operation relied on all levels of law enforcement, from federal agents to local police who watched and document…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Tesla Driver Dead, Others Critical In Chain Reaction Crash With Tractor Trailer NJ Tesla Driver Dead, Others Critical In Chain Reaction Crash With Tractor Trailer
NJ Tesla Driver Dead, Others Critical In Chain Reaction Crash With Tractor Trailer A 57-year-old Short Hills Tesla driver died in a multi-vehicle crash involving a tractor trailer on Route 24 in Summit Thursday, May 19, authorities said. David M. Baum was traveling in the right lane on the eastbound side of the highway when he was struck by a Volvo tractor trailer, causing a chain-reaction crash near milepost 9 just after 2 p.m., New Jersey State Police Trooper Charles Marchan said. The Tesla then struck a Toyota Venza, which struck a Hyundai, which struck a Dodge Ram, Marchan said.  Baum died as a result of the crash while the Hyundai driver was airlifted with…

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by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
NJ Police Lt. Mark Horan Takes His Own Life After 24 Years On Force NJ Police Lt. Mark Horan Takes His Own Life After 24 Years On Force
NJ Police Lt. Mark Horan Takes His Own Life After 24 Years On Force A police lieutenant who took his own life over the weekend in his New Jersey home is being remembered as a devoted dad and exemplary officer. Hamilton Police Lt. Mark Horan died Saturday, April 30 in his home. He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, NJ Advance Media reports. Horan joined Hamilton's force in 1998 and assigned to the patrol division. He moved to the anti-crime unit in 2009, and a year later, was promoted to sergeant.  In 2017, he was promoted again to lieutenant, serving in the anti-crime, patrol and administration divisions.  Horan received several valor awards …

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by Valerie Musson & Cecilia Levine
News
More Students Come Forward In NJ Drama Teacher’s Child Sex Case, Total Reaches Six More Students Come Forward In NJ Drama Teacher’s Child Sex Case, Total Reaches Six
More Students Come Forward In NJ Drama Teacher’s Child Sex Case, Total Reaches Six UPDATE: Five more male students have come forward since a retired drama teacher and theater director at a New Jersey middle school was accused last year of sexually abusing another youngster, authorities announced. Ronald E. Wells, 70, of Summit originally was arrested in June 2021 for allegedly fondling a student after luring him to a private third-floor room at the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School in 2016, authorities said at the time (SEE: Retired Union County Middle School Theater Director Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student). A joint investigation by Summit police and detectiv…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Summit Man Found Guilty In Knifepoint Gas Station Robbery Summit Man Found Guilty In Knifepoint Gas Station Robbery
Summit Man Found Guilty In Knifepoint Gas Station Robbery A Union County jury on Tuesday returned a guilty verdict against a Summit man charged with armed robbery after threatening a gas station attendant at knifepoint in 2018. The jury deliberated for less than a day before convicting 47-year-old Patrick Vermilyea of first-degree armed robbery, third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree theft of movable property, acting Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Summit Police Chief Andrew Bartolotti said. The verdict came after three days of trial testimony before Union County Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles W…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Retired Union County Middle School Theater Director Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student Retired Union County Middle School Theater Director Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student
Retired Union County Middle School Theater Director Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student A retired Union County middle school teacher and theater director was charged with sexually assaulting a student while on school grounds several years ago. Ronald Wells, 69, asked the alleged victim to join him after school to model costumes for a school play and, between costume changes, began touching the student in a sexual manner, according to Special Victims Unit Supervisor and Assistant Prosecutor Caroline Lawlor, who is prosecuting the case. The incident occurred in a third-floor room of the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School in 2016, Lawlor said. Wells, a Summit resident,…

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by Cecilia Levine