Member Of Notorious Jersey City Street Gang Gets 7½ Years, No Parole, In Stabbing Member Of Notorious Jersey City Street Gang Gets 7½ Years, No Parole, In Stabbing
Member Of Notorious Jersey City Street Gang Gets 7½ Years, No Parole, In Stabbing UPDATE: A member of a ruthless Jersey City street gang must spend the next 7½ years in federal prison for stabbing a rival during an ambush. Sheldon “Thottie” Mays, 23, was among eight members of a street gang at the Curries Woods public housing complex in Greenville who rolled up on the victim in two vehicles, seeking revenge for a previous incident, as he walked down a city street in August 2020. The Tay Tay Shrimp Gang members parked in the middle of the street, hopped out and descended on the victim. They were punching and kicking him, authorities said, when Mays stabbed him, infli…
Residents Yelling From Roof Of Burning Home Rescued By Police In Hunterdon County Residents Yelling From Roof Of Burning Home Rescued By Police In Hunterdon County
Residents Yelling From Roof Of Burning Home Rescued By Police In Hunterdon County Four people were evacuated from a Hunterdon County home that caught fire Wednesday night, Sept. 27, police said. Arriving officers found two people yelling on the roof of a two-family home at 127 River Road in Raritan Township, just before 10:45 p.m., police said in a news release. "Utilizing their patrol vehicle, officers were able to safely assist the two adult residents off of the roof," Raritan Police Chief Alfred Payne said. Responders found flames coming from the second floor of the home, and a total of four people were evacuated, police said. Raritan firefighters put out the blaze,…
Feds: Mailbox ‘Fisher’ Who Plagued Bergen, Morris, Hudson Gets 27 Months Without Parole Feds: Mailbox ‘Fisher’ Who Plagued Bergen, Morris, Hudson Gets 27 Months Without Parole
Feds: Mailbox ‘Fisher’ Who Plagued Bergen, Morris, Hudson Gets 27 Months Without Parole UPDATE: A member of a crew that fished more than $100,000 worth of checks from mailboxes in Bergen, Hudson and Morris counties is headed to federal prison for more than two years. Brando Mancebopujols, 24, will have to serve just about all of the plea-bargained 27-month sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Mancebopujols, formerly of Paterson, admitted that he and his associates pocketed the money by depositing the checks into bank accounts that they controlled, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. As many as 40 postal boxes had been broken into…
Sussex County Police Officer Stole $1.2K Item While On Duty: Prosecutor Sussex County Police Officer Stole $1.2K Item While On Duty: Prosecutor
Sussex County Police Officer Stole $1.2K Item While On Duty: Prosecutor A police officer in Sussex County has been charged in an on-duty theft, authorities said. Konstantinos Protogeropoulos, 26, a Hardyston police officer, stole a "certain movable property valued at $1,225," Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said. Taggart did not say what the item was, but that he knowingly deprived that person thereof on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Protogeropoulos was charged with third-degree theft and second-degree official misconduct, Taggart said on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
GOTCHA! NJ Driver Busted A Second Time For Using Plate-Flipping Gizmo At GWB Tolls (VIDEO) GOTCHA! NJ Driver Busted A Second Time For Using Plate-Flipping Gizmo At GWB Tolls (VIDEO)
Gotcha! NJ Driver Busted A Second Time For Using Plate-Flipping Gizmo At GWB Tolls (Video) Port Authority police busted a New Jersey driver with a license plate flipper that they said he used to avoid the tolls at the George Washington Bridge – and it wasn’t the first time. The remote-controlled after-market electronic device is an ingenious invention (see video below). It flips the vehicle’s genuine license plate over to reveal a second plate when passing toll scanners. Authority police first caught Adam Jimenez, 22, using it in February, PANYNJ Spokesperson Lenis Valens said The Union County resident was charged with various offenses and later released, then was taken into cu…
Garfield Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen Garfield Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen
Garfield Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen An unemployed 32-year-old Garfield man sexually assaulted an underage teen, investigators charged. Jarrell M. Taver Hudson is charged with a single offense against the child, who Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said was between 13 and 14 at the time. Detectives arrested Hudson on Wednesday following an investigation that began with a tip two months ago from the state Division of Child Protection & Permanency, the prosecutor said on Thursday, Sept. 27. Hudson -- who lives on River Drive near the Wall Street Bridge -- remained held in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appeara…
ONLY IN JERSEY: Convicted Paterson Mayor Joey Torres Indicted For Trying To Run Again ONLY IN JERSEY: Convicted Paterson Mayor Joey Torres Indicted For Trying To Run Again
Only IN Jersey: Convicted Paterson Mayor Joey Torres Indicted For Trying To Run Again A court order banned ex-Paterson Mayor Joey Torres from ever running for public office again after being convicted of corruption. But he did it, anyway. Now he's in another familiar position: under indictment. A grand jury in Trenton returned an indictment on Tuesday, Sept. 26, charging Jose "Joey" Torres, 64, with criminal contempt. “It takes remarkable brashness to flout a state court order and then attempt to strong-arm the city clerk, via civil litigation, into allowing an impermissible campaign to proceed,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. “That is bold," the attorne…
Body Recovered At NJ Beach ID'd As Missing Boater Derek Narby: State Police Body Recovered At NJ Beach ID'd As Missing Boater Derek Narby: State Police
Body Recovered At NJ Beach ID'd As Missing Boater Derek Narby: State Police The body recovered at Point Pleasant Beach has been identified as the 21-year-old missing boater lost in Manasquan Inlet after his fishing vessel capsized earlier this month, authorities said. On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the body was positively identified as Derek Narby of Brick Township, according to Detective I Jeffrey Lebron, a New Jersey State Police spokesman. Troopers were dispatched to Channel Drive in Point Pleasant Beach at 3:05 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23 on a report of an unidentified body found washed up onshore, the State Police said. The cause of the incident remains under investiga…
Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff
Stolen Handgun, Hundreds Of Doses Of Heroin And Crack, $25G In Proceeds Seized: Passaic Sheriff A stolen handgun, dozens of vials of crack, more than 125 heroin folds and more were seized by Passaic County sheriff’s detectives and Haledon police during a joint operation. Members of the strike force hit a pair of apartments, one on Mangold Street near Belmont Avenue in Haledon and the other at the corner of Garrison and Marion streets in Paterson, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said Wednesday, Sept. 27. Detectives from the sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics and the borough seized a 2018 Ford Fusion along with the drugs, the gun and more than $25,000 in cash following a month-long…
Teen Killed Walking Home In Somerset County Was Voracious Reader With Gentle Soul Teen Killed Walking Home In Somerset County Was Voracious Reader With Gentle Soul
Teen Killed Walking Home In Somerset County Was Voracious Reader With Gentle Soul Police have identified the 18-year-old man killed while walking home in Somerset County last week. William Richardson was struck by a vehicle that veered off Route 202 (Main Street) and onto the sidewalk around 6:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 in Bedminster, local police said. William was pronounced dead at the hospital, and the 35-year-old driver of the Nissan Altima that struck him was hospitalized. The crash is being investigated by local police and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. According to his obituary, William had graduated from Bernards High School last Spring. His true educa…
Wrongly Sent Bomb Threat Over Canadian Transgender Teacher Brings Tactical Teams To NJ District Wrongly Sent Bomb Threat Over Canadian Transgender Teacher Brings Tactical Teams To NJ District
Wrongly Sent Bomb Threat Over Canadian Transgender Teacher Brings Tactical Teams To NJ District A misdirected bomb threat intended for a school more than 600 miles away brought the bomb squad, K-9 unit and SWAT team to Glen Rock on Tuesday. A Central School in Hamilton, Ontario, apparently was the intended target of an email directed to the school of the same name in Glen Rock, borough Police Chief Dean Ackermann said on Sept. 26. No fewer than six schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth district in Ontario reported receiving an unrelenting string of threats that began late last week. Their Central School wasn’t one of them, however. Not taking any chances, the Glen Rock police chief summ…
'Distressing': Chess Club Teacher Sexually Assaulted North Jersey Student, Authorities Say 'Distressing': Chess Club Teacher Sexually Assaulted North Jersey Student, Authorities Say
'Distressing': Chess Club Teacher Sexually Assaulted North Jersey Student, Authorities Say Matthew Swajkowski, a 36-year-old Verona resident and teacher, was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a student, prosecutors said. Swajkowski oversaw the chess club at Verona High School and the victim was a member of the club, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said. Police began investigating Swajkowski in July  and determined he engaged in sexual conduct with the minor and also gave them alcohol, Stephens said. Swajkowski was arrested on Friday, Sept. 22, Stephens said. Prosecutors did not say how old the victim is, but noted  "while the ag…
NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration
NJ Man, 68, Gets 6½ Years For Child Porn That Included Dog Fellatio, Infant Penetration A South Jersey man who was caught with more than 27,000 mostly horrific images of child porn -- including a toddler “engaged in fellatio” with a dog and penetration of months-old babies -- must spend the next 6½ years in federal prison. Bruce Makley, 68, of Voorhees, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Makley’s wife and stepson were home when U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents raided their Dutchtown Road home in August 2020, according to a complaint. Agen…
Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Pickup Outside NJ Wendy's: Cops Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Pickup Outside NJ Wendy's: Cops
Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Pickup Outside NJ Wendy's: Cops A 67-year-old Florida resident was hospitalized in critical condition after being struck by a pickup truck in Hackettstown last week, authorities said. The Wildwood, FL man was crossing the access road near Wendy's on Mountain Avenue when he was struck by a 59-year-old Oxford Township man in a Chevy pickup truck around 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, Hackettstown police said. The pedestrian suffered serious injuries and was flown to Morristown Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition. The driver of the pickup was not injured.  Assisting at the scene was the Independen…
Ex-CT Police Officer Being Held As Fugitive In Burglary Spree In NJ: Police Ex-CT Police Officer Being Held As Fugitive In Burglary Spree In NJ: Police
Ex-CT Police Officer Being Held As Fugitive In Burglary Spree In NJ: Police A former police officer in Connecticut was being held as a fugitive in New Jersey, in connection with a string of burglaries, authorities said. Connecticut State Police said only that Patrick Hemingway was being held in Essex County, and that the arrest warrant had not yet been served.  Hemingway is a former officer with the Glastonbury Police Department, who last week said only that one of their former officers is a person of interest in a burglary investigation spanning multiple jurisdictions. Hemingway, 37, was identified as the officer by CT Insider. Glastonbury Police Lt. Kevin …
Man Pinned Beneath Huge Rock In Northeast Bergen Brook Rescued By Firefighters Man Pinned Beneath Huge Rock In Northeast Bergen Brook Rescued By Firefighters
Man Pinned Beneath Huge Rock In Northeast Bergen Brook Rescued By Firefighters Firefighters rescued a man trapped under a large rock in a stream in Demarest. The 49-year-old victim was walking along the Cresskill Brook behind Academy Lane just south of the Alpine Country Club when a 200-pound rock gave way Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23, Demarest Police Chief Anthony Dimitriadis said. The boulder pinned the man, whose head and chest were above the water, the chief said. Joining Demarest firefighters were their colleagues from Haworth and Closter, as well as Hackensack members of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and both Demarest and Alpine police, Dimitriadis …
Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square
Peruvian Nationals Charged With Stabbing Man, 50, In Paterson's Peru Square Two Peruvian nationals were nabbed by Paterson police right after they stabbed a 50-year-old city man downtown, authorities said. Bryan Canales-Arias, 29, and Ernesto Canales-Arias, 23, who also live in the city, were seized shortly after the victim was stabbed near the corner of Main and Market streets – in the area known as Peru Square -- shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 25. The victim was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center with what Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi described in a brief release as m…
Hawthorne Bicyclist, 48, Struck By Fair Lawn Driver, 81, Summons Issued: Glen Rock PD Hawthorne Bicyclist, 48, Struck By Fair Lawn Driver, 81, Summons Issued: Glen Rock PD
Hawthorne Bicyclist, 48, Struck By Fair Lawn Driver, 81, Summons Issued: Glen Rock PD An 81-year-old driver from Fair Lawn received a summons after he knocked down a 48-year-old bicyclist from Hawthorne in Glen Rock, authorities said. The victim, meanwhile, was taken by ambulance to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood with injuries that Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said weren’t considered life-threatening. The motorist made a left from Pomona Avenue in Fair Lawn onto westbound Harristown Road on the Glen Rock side when his 2007 Volvo struck the bicyclist shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19, the chief said. The bicyclist was riding on the side of the road past the Herit…
Of All Places For A DWI Crash: South Hackensack Police Nab Driver Outside HQ Of All Places For A DWI Crash: South Hackensack Police Nab Driver Outside HQ
Of All Places For A DWI Crash: South Hackensack Police Nab Driver Outside HQ South Hackensack police didn’t have far to bring a suspected drunk driver following a mid-afternoon rollover crash. Surveillance cameras outside their headquarters captured video of Linus P. Rodrigues, 48, of the Bronx swinging a 2009 Toyota RAV 4 onto Franklin Street at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, Detective Sgt. James Donatello said. The Toyota hit a parked 1998 Buick Century, then rolled onto its side and slid about 20 feet, the sergeant said. South Hackensack firefighters extricated Rodrigues and turned him over to the Little Ferry First Aid Corps, Donatello said. Rodrigues – who had n…
Bergen Sheriff's Officer Helping Motorist On Route 4 Nearly Struck By OD'ing Driver Bergen Sheriff's Officer Helping Motorist On Route 4 Nearly Struck By OD'ing Driver
Bergen Sheriff's Officer Helping Motorist On Route 4 Nearly Struck By OD'ing Driver A Bergen County sheriff's officer escaped severe injury or worse when an overdosing driver sideswiped her cruiser as she helped another motorist who'd broken down on Route 4, authorities said. Christopher A. Hanna, a 42-year-old Parlin resident with an extensive criminal record, was headed west on the highway in a 2008 Infiniti G35 when the crash occurred near Madison Avenue in Teaneck shortly before 3 p.m. Sept. 20, local police records show. The sheriff's officer told Teaneck police she was out of her 2021 Ford Explorer with its lights on when she spotted the Infiniti swerving in and out …
Back-To-Back Tractor-Trailer Crashes Jam Route 80 Back-To-Back Tractor-Trailer Crashes Jam Route 80
Back-To-Back Tractor-Trailer Crashes Jam Route 80 Westbound Route 80 near the border of Bergen and Passaic counties had two tractor-trailer crashes on Monday. No serious injuries were reported in either, although the driver in the second rig had to be extricated. The first occurred near Exit 58 B in Paterson around 9 a.m. Sept. 25. A witness driving to work on the eastbound side reported seeing the rig in the center lane begin to fishtail to the left. The driver overcorrected and the rig slammed into the concrete median, the witness said. It then slid on its side and landed right-side-up, knocking out chunks of the median, he said. "Th…
Former Employees Forged Over $65K In Checks From Somerset County Contracting Firm: Prosecutor Former Employees Forged Over $65K In Checks From Somerset County Contracting Firm: Prosecutor
Former Employees Forged Over $65K In Checks From Somerset County Contracting Firm: Prosecutor Two former workers at a contracting firm in Somerset County were arrested for allegedly forging checks from their employer and making more than $65,000 in unauthorized purchases. Carlos R. Escobar, 38, of Jefferson Avenue in North Plainfield, and Ciro A. Saenz-Puentes, 44, of Remson Avenue in New Brunswick, were each charged with theft by deception, forgery, and uttering a false document, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said in a release on Monday, Sept. 25. Escobar and Saenz-Puentes became the center of an investigation when the owner of the contracting company they were former…
NY Dental Hygienist Who Traveled To Bergen To Meet Child For Sex Could Be Freed Next Summer NY Dental Hygienist Who Traveled To Bergen To Meet Child For Sex Could Be Freed Next Summer
NY Dental Hygienist Who Traveled To Bergen To Meet Child For Sex Could Be Freed Next Summer UPDATE: A dental hygienist who was arrested in Bergen County after coming from Rockland to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl was sent to state prison for what could be less than a year. Dariush Ghamarnezhad, 42, of Pomona was among 16 men from Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Westchester counties who were busted by authorities during a five-day 2019 sting operation dubbed “Operation Home Alone." Various law enforcement agencies united to nab men who they said tried to lure youngsters into sex through social media. Just about all of them were arrested when they showed up at a residen…
Pedestrian, 18, Killed As Nissan Crosses Double Yellow Lines On Rt. 202, Veers Onto Sidewalk Pedestrian, 18, Killed As Nissan Crosses Double Yellow Lines On Rt. 202, Veers Onto Sidewalk
Pedestrian, 18, Killed As Nissan Crosses Double Yellow Lines On Rt. 202, Veers Onto Sidewalk An 18-year-old was walking on the sidewalk of Route 202 when he was struck and killed by a Nissan that veered off the roadway over the weekend, authorities said. Bedminster Township Police responded to the crash on Route 202 near Elm Street in Bedminster around 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, the department said. Investigators say a 35-year-old Flemington man was heading westbound in a 2017 Nissan Maxima when the vehicle strayed from its lane, crossed the double-yellow line, and veered off the roadway before hitting William Richardson, a pedestrian on the sidewalk. Richardson, 18, of Bedm…
Pedestrian, 67, Critically Hurt In Hackettstown Pickup Truck Crash Pedestrian, 67, Critically Hurt In Hackettstown Pickup Truck Crash
Pedestrian, 67, Critically Hurt In Hackettstown Pickup Truck Crash A 67-year-old man remains in critical condition after being struck by a pickup truck in Hackettstown, police said. Hackettstown Police were called to the access road near Wendy’s on Mountain Avenue around 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, the department said. Investigators say a 59-year-old Oxford Township man was behind the wheel of a Chevy pickup making a left turn onto the access road from the Wendy’s parking lot when he struck the victim, who was crossing the road. The pedestrian, of Wildwood, Florida, suffered serious injuries and was flown to Morristown Medical Center, where he r…
Lyndhurst Police Lieutenant Busts Pair In MV Stop Lyndhurst Police Lieutenant Busts Pair In MV Stop
Lyndhurst Police Lieutenant Busts Pair In MV Stop A Lyndhurst police lieutenant out on patrol found an unlicensed driver wanted on multiple warrants and a passenger carrying Ecstasy, authorities said. Lt. Paul Haggerty stopped their 1997 Ford Explorer – which had a cracked windshield and no front license plate -- at the corner of Ridge Road and Page Avenue, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Officers James Colacci and Brian Kapp arrived soon after, he said. The driver, Kevin Martinez, 25, of Newark, had outstanding warrants out of Toms River and Newark, the lieutenant said. His passenger, Sarah Hicks, 24, was caught with Ecstasy, Auteri …
Rt. 80 Crash Involving Tractor-Trailer, 5 Passenger Vehicles Sends 2 To Hospital: State Police Rt. 80 Crash Involving Tractor-Trailer, 5 Passenger Vehicles Sends 2 To Hospital: State Police
Rt. 80 Crash Involving Tractor-Trailer, 5 Passenger Vehicles Sends 2 To Hospital: State Police A Route 80 crash involving a tractor-trailer and five passenger vehicles sent two people to the hospital over the weekend, state police said. The six vehicles collided on the westbound side near milepost 20.5 in Allamuchy Township around 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, NJSP Detective I Jeffrey Lebron told Daily Voice. Two occupants were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries, the detective added. The crash remains under investigation.
Body Recovered From Point Pleasant Beach Body Recovered From Point Pleasant Beach
Body Recovered From Point Pleasant Beach A body washed up on a New Jersey beach this weekend, officials said. The recovery was made around 3:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at Channel Drive in Point Pleasant Beach, a spokesman for New Jersey State Police said. It was not immediately clear if the body was that of Derek Narby, the 21-year-old boater from Brick who went missing last week in the Manasquan Inlet.
Garden State Parkway Crash Kills Englewood Driver, Injures Woodcliff Lake Passenger, Both 20 Garden State Parkway Crash Kills Englewood Driver, Injures Woodcliff Lake Passenger, Both 20
Garden State Parkway Crash Kills Englewood Driver, Injures Woodcliff Lake Passenger, Both 20 A 20-year-old Englewood man was killed and a 20-year-old Woodcliff Lake companion seriously injured in a horrific overnight crash Sunday on the Garden State Parkway, authorities confirmed. Their Nissan was headed south when it ran off the roadway to the right, crashed through a guardrail and barreled down an embankment, slamming into trees and overturning near Exit 160 in Paramus at 2:45 a.m. Sept. 24, New Jersey State Police Detective 1 Jeffrey Lebron said. One of the occupants was ejected and the other pinned beneath the vehicle, responders said. The driver, Jadon Johnson, was kill…
Second Of Back-To-Back Overnight Bergen Break-Ins Becomes Home Invasion Second Of Back-To-Back Overnight Bergen Break-Ins Becomes Home Invasion
Second Of Back-To-Back Overnight Bergen Break-Ins Becomes Home Invasion The second of back-to-back overnight residential burglaries in Cresskill turned into a home invasion when a group of intruders entered while people living there slept, authorities said. The first break-in was reported around 3:45 a.m. on Park Avenue near County Road, Cresskill Police Capt. Jason Lanzilotti said. Fifteen minutes later, he said, burglars entered a Florence Avenue home near Knickerbocker Road. A resident said four intruders entered bedrooms and stole valuables, then fled with one of the victims' vehicles, a 2020 BMW. They were last seen fleeing south on Knickerbocker Road in …
Door-To-Door Contractors Bilk North Jersey Victim Out Of $125K: Police Door-To-Door Contractors Bilk North Jersey Victim Out Of $125K: Police
Door-To-Door Contractors Bilk North Jersey Victim Out Of $125K: Police A pair of door-to-door contractors were arrested after police say they scammed a North Jersey woman out of $125,000. The victim hired Patrick O'Doherty and Anthony Doherty to repair to sets of concrete steps for $3,800, paid in full in advance, on Aug. 20, Bloomfield police said. Once the demolition began on the steps, Doherty and O'Doherty would show up sporadically, usually in the late afternoon hours, to do more demolition work. The problem was, though, every time they came, they'd perform more demolition work and ask for more money — never repairing the actual steps, police said. The …