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Police & Fire
Clifton Man Seized In $13M Indian Tech Support Scam: Seniors, Small Biz Owners Among Victims Clifton Man Seized In $13M Indian Tech Support Scam: Seniors, Small Biz Owners Among Victims
Clifton Man Seized In $13M Indian Tech Support Scam: Seniors, Small Biz Owners Among Victims FBI agents seized a Clifton man in connection with an India-based $13 million tech support scam that targeted more than 7,000 victims, most of them elderly or small business owners, authorities said. Manoj Yadav, a 40-year-old Indian-American, collected an estimated $2.2 million for his services before sending the rest to an unspecified number of associates overseas, federal investigators charged. Together, the cyber-scammers “misled their numerous victims into thinking that they were a legitimate technology support company affiliated with a major software company,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Couple From PA Charged In Computer Repair Scam That Conned Victims In NJ, Elsewhere Couple From PA Charged In Computer Repair Scam That Conned Victims In NJ, Elsewhere
Couple From PA Charged In Computer Repair Scam That Conned Victims In NJ, Elsewhere A Pennsylvania man whose wife was charged with a computer scam that allowed her to siphon money out of unsuspecting victims’ accounts had a similar scheme going, Bergen County authorities announced. Kuleep Sethi, 66, was arrested by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on theft, conspiracy and money laundering charges earlier this week -- five months after they busted his wife, Mona, for the same thing. The Furlong, PA couple scammed victims not only in New Jersey but throughout the world, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The thieves “created the belief that vic…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
MasterChef From NJ Brings Indian Flavors To Star-Studded Cooking Competition MasterChef From NJ Brings Indian Flavors To Star-Studded Cooking Competition
MasterChef From NJ Brings Indian Flavors To Star-Studded Cooking Competition A New Jersey chef from India is representing the Northeast while showcasing her international dessert skills in "MasterChef 13: United Tastes of America." Described as a “home cook who prides herself on American-Indian fusion,” Purvi Dogra, 48, moved to East Windsor from India 21 years ago.  Season 13 of the cooking show, which premiered on Wednesday, May 24, breaks down the 20 apron-earning competitors into categories based on one of four territories — West, Northeast, Midwest, and South.  The games officially begin for the 20 competitors on Wednesday, June 21. The winner gets rewarded w…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Car Full Of Fools Gold Lands NJ Man Trip To Fed Pen — Then Back To India Car Full Of Fools Gold Lands NJ Man Trip To Fed Pen — Then Back To India
Car Full Of Fools Gold Lands NJ Man Trip To Fed Pen — Then Back To India A New Jersey scammer whose eyes were bigger than his brain when he tried to rob an Athol woman of more than $300,000 was sentenced on Wednesday, May 24, to a year in prison, after which he'll be deported back to India authorities said.  Gaurang Contractor, 38, a citizen of India living in Jersey City, NJ, tried to trick a Central Massachusetts woman into believing he was a DEA agent and she needed to convert her life savings into gold and give it to him for safekeeping, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Contractor contacted the woman in August 2022 using the alias of "Oscar…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Most-Wanted Fugitive Captured At Newark Airport Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For Child Porn: Feds Most-Wanted Fugitive Captured At Newark Airport Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For Child Porn: Feds
Most-Wanted Fugitive Captured At Newark Airport Gets 8 Years, No Parole, For Child Porn: Feds A wanted pedophile from Canada who was captured at Newark Airport after 17 years on the run was sentenced to a plea-bargained eight years in federal prison for trafficking child porn. Perth De – also known as Parthasarthie Kapoor -- had been one of Canada’s “Ten Most Wanted” fugitives when U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents nabbed him on Jan. 21, 2020 as he tried to fly to his native India. An examination of several cellphones in his luggage “revealed numerous videos of children being sexually abused,” a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. Some of the videos …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
COVID-19: Highly-Infectious 'Arcturus' Variant Detected In NJ COVID-19: Highly-Infectious 'Arcturus' Variant Detected In NJ
Covid-19: Highly-Infectious 'Arcturus' Variant Detected In NJ A new COVID-19 variant first detected in New York in January has now been identified in 27 states, including New Jersey. The so-called Arcturus strain — officially known as XBB.1.16 — is believed to be one of the most infectious versions of Omicron to date.  Shortly after the World Health Organization began monitoring the variant in late March, cases had been reported in about two dozen countries. The WHO says Arcturus is a "recombinant" of COVID subvariants BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75. In addition to New York, XBB.1.16 has also been confirmed in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pen…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Support Rises For Somerset County Family As Grandma Dies During Visit With Newborn Grandchild Support Rises For Somerset County Family As Grandma Dies During Visit With Newborn Grandchild
Support Rises For Somerset County Family As Grandma Dies During Visit With Newborn Grandchild Support is on the rise for a Somerset County family after the unexpected death of a beloved grandmother during a visit with her newborn grandchild. Alekya Siddula says in a GoFundMe that her mother, Radha Siddula, came to visit her newborn baby and “suddenly collapsed” on Tuesday, April 4. “Ambulatory Services quickly responded and did CPR as she suffered from Brain Aneurysm and Cardiac Arrest back to back,” reads the fundraiser. The new grandmother was then taken to RWJ Hospital in Somerville, where her heart was stabilized, before being flown to the New Brunswick location …

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by Valerie Musson
News
Online Sting Scheme: Indian National Admits Scamming Elderly In NJ, Around World Online Sting Scheme: Indian National Admits Scamming Elderly In NJ, Around World
Online Sting Scheme: Indian National Admits Scamming Elderly In NJ, Around World UPDATE: An Indian national who participated in an international conspiracy that preyed on senior citizens in New Jersey and throughout the U.S. was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison, authorities said. Ashish Bajaj, 29, of India, will have to serve out the entire term because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty also sentenced Bajaj to two years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $2.4 million in restitution to his victims. Bajaj lived in different parts of the United States, including New Rochelle, NY, and Anahe…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Man Killed By Amtrak Train In Central Jersey Was Family Breadwinner, Loved Ones Say Man Killed By Amtrak Train In Central Jersey Was Family Breadwinner, Loved Ones Say
Man Killed By Amtrak Train In Central Jersey Was Family Breadwinner, Loved Ones Say Friends of the family of a 39-year-old man struck and killed by an Amtrak train in New Jersey are reaching out with support.  Sreekanth Digala, who died Tuesday night, Feb. 28 in Plainsboro, loved ones say on a GoFundMe campaign. He is survived by his wife, Suvarchala, and their son, Aneesh, who is 10 years old. "Sreekanth is the only breadwinner for his family and the sole responsible person for his 70+-year-old parents and in-laws down in India," the GoFundMe organizer wrote. The GoFundMe organizer wrote, "He was a very good human being and a Hardworking individual as free…

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by Jon Craig
News
CLIMATE OF FEAR: Jersey Doc Admits Harboring Indian Nationals As Unpaid Domestics CLIMATE OF FEAR: Jersey Doc Admits Harboring Indian Nationals As Unpaid Domestics
Climate OF FEAR: Jersey Doc Admits Harboring Indian Nationals As Unpaid Domestics A Jersey Shore doctor must pay $642,212 to two undocumented women from India whose true identities she hid for eight years while harboring them as unpaid domestics, federal authorities said. Harsha Sahni, 66, of Tinton Falls, also must cover $200,000 worth of treatment of a brain aneurysm that one of the women suffered while they worked in her and her family's homes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Federal prosecutors required the payments as part of a plea deal that allowed Sahni to avoid the potential consequences of a conviction at a trial, the U.S. attorney said. In exchange, S…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Jersey City Widow Seeks Help After Husband's Heart Attack Jersey City Widow Seeks Help After Husband's Heart Attack
Jersey City Widow Seeks Help After Husband's Heart Attack A widow from Jersey City has launched a GoFundMe page for her family after her husband died of a heart attack. Rajya Lakshmi Yakkali's husband, Praveen Grandi, was working a typical day from home on Jan. 19 when he suffered a massive heart attack after lunch, and collapsed, she writes. Lakshmi Yakkali called 911, but it was too late, she says. Her husband was gone. "Praveen was the only breadwinner for our family," she writes on a GoFundMe page. "We were blessed with 2 children - Nayan (12 years) / Neetha (8 years). Praveen is the only son and currently looking after his old parents (mom a…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
North Jersey Dad's Sudden Death Sparks Rally For Toddler, Wife North Jersey Dad's Sudden Death Sparks Rally For Toddler, Wife
North Jersey Dad's Sudden Death Sparks Rally For Toddler, Wife A beloved Union County husband and father of a 2-year-old girl died suddenly of cardiac arrest at age 32.  Now, Sriram's loved ones are raising money to send him home for a funeral with family members in his native India, according to a campaign page on GoFundMe.  In less than 24 hours after going live, the campaign has raised a staggering $39,000 — nearly half of its projected $100,000 goal.  Friends and family recalled Sriram as "full of energy and positive vibes," and said they look forward to honoring his memory through his 2-year-old daughter, who was "the center o…

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by Mac Bullock
News
NJIT Student Fighting For His Life After Major Crash NJIT Student Fighting For His Life After Major Crash
Njit Student Fighting For His Life After Major Crash A New Jersey Institute of Technology senior is fighting for his life after a serious car crash. Vinamra Sharma has been taken off a ventilator but suffers severe brain swelling after multiple surgeries, stemming from a crash on Nov. 12, said Abhishek Sharma, who organized a GoFundMe page. Vinamra was on his way home from the university's campus in Newark when the crash occurred, knocking him unconscious the GoFundMe says. The student was rushed to Rutgers University Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Within 10 days, Vinamra had undergone four br…

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by Jon Craig
News
Former NJ Resident Convicted Of Kidnapping Son Former NJ Resident Convicted Of Kidnapping Son
Former NJ Resident Convicted Of Kidnapping Son A former New Jersey resident faces federal prison time after being convicted of kidnapping his son and failing to return him from India. Amitkumar Kanubhai Patel, 38, a naturalized U.S. citizen who previously lived in Edison, fled with the child in July 2017 before settling in Vadodara, federal authorities said. He was captured in England three years later. Patel had lived with the child’s mother from August 2015 through July 2017. Their son was born in November 2016. According to her, Patel wanted to take the boy to India to introduce him to his parents and obtain DNA testing that he sai…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Java Developer Dies Playing Cricket In Jersey City Java Developer Dies Playing Cricket In Jersey City
Java Developer Dies Playing Cricket In Jersey City An IT worker who died playing cricket in Jersey City leaves behind his pregnant wife and 7-year-old daughter, both in India. Abhishek Kumar, who had working as a Java developer at Synechron, an IT development company, collapsed on the field at Lincoln Park on Saturday, July 16, and was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center, according to a GoFundMe page. "Doctors from Jersey City Medical Center tried to save him and worked hard for the next several hours but unfortunately, we heard sad news late in the evening on 07/16/2022 that Abhishek is no more with us," the page reads. Ku…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Imprisoned Gunman Who Killed Wife, Good Samaritan At Clifton Church Wants New Trial Imprisoned Gunman Who Killed Wife, Good Samaritan At Clifton Church Wants New Trial
Imprisoned Gunman Who Killed Wife, Good Samaritan At Clifton Church Wants New Trial A convict who's 10 years into serving two life sentences for shooting and killing his wife and a congregant at a Clifton church wants New Jersey's highest court to overturn his conviction. Joseph "Sanish" Pallipurath, 40, argues in an appeal to the state Supreme Court that his attorney should have mounted an insanity defense during his trial in Superior Court in Paterson in 2011. Reshma James, 24, had been trying to flee an abusive arranged marriage in India that continued after Pallipurath brought her back with him to California, prosecutors said at the time. James obtained a r…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Authorities: Street Evangelist Violates Judge's Order, Stalks Englewood Abortion Doc Again Authorities: Street Evangelist Violates Judge's Order, Stalks Englewood Abortion Doc Again
Authorities: Street Evangelist Violates Judge's Order, Stalks Englewood Abortion Doc Again A self-described Christian missionary from Bergenfield who was accused of using a drone to peer into the second-floor office of an Englewood abortion doctor was arrested again Friday morning for violating a restraining order, authorities said. A Superior Court judge in March ordered Daniel Stephen Courney, 37, not to return to Metropolitan Medical Associates on Engle Street as a condition of his release after city police charged him with stalking the doctor. He was back Friday morning -- and recorded it on Facebook. Officers responding to a call of excessive noise by a small group of peop…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
FEDS: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000 FEDS: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000
Feds: India-Based Phone Scammers Admit Conning Elderly NJ Victims Out Of $600,000 Two Indian nationals admitted Wednesday that they conned mostly elderly New Jersey victims out of $600,000 through a variety of phone scams, including posing as government officials and online support techs. Zeeshan Khan, 22, and Maaz Ahmed Shamsi, 24, operated India-based call centers that made robocalls to mostly elderly U.S. residents, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Once contact was made, members of the international ring “would coerce or trick the victims into sending large sums of cash through physical shipments or wire transfers to other members of the cons…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
COVID-19: Delta Variant Is Predominant Strain In NJ COVID-19: Delta Variant Is Predominant Strain In NJ
Covid-19: Delta Variant Is Predominant Strain In NJ The COVID-19 Delta variant has become the predominant strain in New Jersey, health officials announced. The highly-contagious strain comprised 41 percent of the state's new variant cases last month, according to state officials. The Delta variant accounted for 70 percent of New Jersey's variant cases for the week ending June 26, the most recent NJ Department of Health surveillance report shows. This is the first time that the Delta variant overtook the Alpha variant, first documented in the UK. Vaccines have proven successful against the variant, which has spread for 80 countries aft…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
COVID-19: First Case Of 'Variant Of Concern' From India Found In US COVID-19: First Case Of 'Variant Of Concern' From India Found In US
Covid-19: First Case Of 'Variant Of Concern' From India Found In US As COVID-19 deaths mount in India, health officials in the United States are now contending with a new strain of the virus that has been reported stateside. One day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the COVID-19 variant from India was a “cause of global concern,” it was announced that the strain had spread to dozens of countries, including the United States. The so-called B.1617 variant made its first domestic appearance after it was discovered in a patient in Arizona being treated for COVID. According to researchers, the India variant, like several others that have …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Renowned Infectious Disease Doc, Rutgers Professor Dies Of COVID While Treating Family In India Renowned Infectious Disease Doc, Rutgers Professor Dies Of COVID While Treating Family In India
Renowned Infectious Disease Doc, Rutgers Professor Dies Of COVID While Treating Family In India A Rutgers University professor and infectious disease expert who went to India to help his family during a ravenous wave of COVID-19 died of the virus himself, the university said in a statement. Dr. Rajendra Kapila, 81, founded Rutgers' Division of Infectious Diseases and was a professor of medicine at the university. We have lost a giant in infectious disease, Dr Raj Kapila, who served for years as a leader in global infectious diseases at @Rutgers_NJMS. @RutgersBHS will be ever grateful for his contribution to global ID and remember his extraordinary diagnostic talent https://t.co/5l…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Popular Vacation Spot Offering Vaccinations To Visitors In Push To Lure Tourists COVID-19: Popular Vacation Spot Offering Vaccinations To Visitors In Push To Lure Tourists
Covid-19: Popular Vacation Spot Offering Vaccinations To Visitors In Push To Lure Tourists If you are dreaming of the white sands of the Maldives Islands and don't have a COVID-19 vaccine, no problem. The island is offering travelers vaccinations on arrival. In an interview on CNBC on Wednesday, April 14, the country's Tourism Minister Abdulla Mausoom told the network that the offer is part of its "3V" initiative aimed at drawing tourists to the hard-hit island resort located southwest of Sri Lanka and India. The strategy, Mausoom said, is to "visit, vaccinate, and vacation." Currently, visitors to the islands must provide a negative polymerase chain reaction test and proof of h…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Police: Street Evangelist Stalked Bergen Abortion Doc With Drone Police: Street Evangelist Stalked Bergen Abortion Doc With Drone
Police: Street Evangelist Stalked Bergen Abortion Doc With Drone A self-described Christian missionary from Westchester was arrested after Englewood police said he used a drone to peer into the second-floor office of an abortion doctor he was stalking. Daniel Stephen Courney, 36, of Scarsdale, NY was caught piloting the device -- equipped with a camera and speaker -- outside Metropolitan Medical Associates on Engle Street, where he and other pro-lifers have frequently protested over the years, Detective Capt. Timothy Torell said. Detective Ron Layne learned that Courney had been terrorizing the doctor over a four-month period by “purposely and repeatedl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Friends, Loved Ones Care For Bergen Orphan, 3, Whose Parents Were Stabbed Dead Friends, Loved Ones Care For Bergen Orphan, 3, Whose Parents Were Stabbed Dead
Friends, Loved Ones Care For Bergen Orphan, 3, Whose Parents Were Stabbed Dead UPDATE: Orphaned at only 3½ years old, a North Arlington girl faces an uncertain and heartbreakingly difficult future. Close family friends are working with the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency to help her grandparents in India get custody of little Viha Rudrawar. They’ve also mounted a fundraising drive that continues to grow. “In this immensely unfortunate moment, while we all get together to pray to the almighty to rest their souls in peace, we are also starting an effort to think for the future of the small child,” organizer Gobindsingh Nihalani wrote. Nihalani said h…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: North Arlington Mom Slain In Suspected Murder-Suicide Was Pregnant UPDATE: North Arlington Mom Slain In Suspected Murder-Suicide Was Pregnant
Update: North Arlington Mom Slain In Suspected Murder-Suicide Was Pregnant UPDATE: A North Arlington couple from India were both found dead in what was believed to be a murder-suicide after a neighbor heard their 3½-year-old daughter crying, the husband’s father said. "My daughter-in-law was seven months pregnant," Bharat Rudrawar told the news agency Press Trust of India in Mumbai. "We had been to their house and were planning another trip to the US to be with them again.” Balaji Bharat Rudrawar, 33, and Arati Balaji Rudrawar, 31, were going to have a boy, sources with direct knowledge of the incident told Daily Voice. She was in the third trimester, they said. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Feds Hold Longtime Most-Wanted Fugitive In Child Sex Abuse Case On Kid Porn Charges NJ Feds Hold Longtime Most-Wanted Fugitive In Child Sex Abuse Case On Kid Porn Charges
NJ Feds Hold Longtime Most-Wanted Fugitive In Child Sex Abuse Case On Kid Porn Charges A Canadian fugitive accused of sexually assaulting children who was captured at Newark Airport after 17 years on the run was ordered held on kiddie porn charges Monday afternoon. Perth De, also known as “Parthasarthie Kapoor,” 47, had been one of Canada’s “Ten Most Wanted” fugitives when federal agents nabbed him on Jan. 21, 2020 as he tried to fly to his native India from Newark. An examination of several cellphones in his luggage “revealed numerous videos of children being sexually abused,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig said. “Some of the videos had been distributed from the cellular…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
'American Dream Come True': Dr. Oz Surprises NJ Restaurateur With $10,000 'American Dream Come True': Dr. Oz Surprises NJ Restaurateur With $10,000
'American Dream Come True': Dr. Oz Surprises NJ Restaurateur With $10,000 Faith, hope and patience is what Morris County restaurateur Mickey Chopra says inspired him to help others during the pandemic, even though he was struggling. Everything came full circle for Chopra last week, when Dr. Oz surprised him with $10,000 for the launch of his new series, "Surprise Restaurant Rescue." "I may be born in India but here, right here is where you see America," said Chopra, who owns I2I Italian and Indian Fusion and Vinnie's Pizza and Ristorante in Boonton. "I wasn't going to let the pandemic shatter my American Dream."  Chopra moved to the U.S. from India at just …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: NJ Firm Pays $345G For Short-Changing Foreign Nationals In Trump-Opposed Visa Program Feds: NJ Firm Pays $345G For Short-Changing Foreign Nationals In Trump-Opposed Visa Program
Feds: NJ Firm Pays $345G For Short-Changing Foreign Nationals In Trump-Opposed Visa Program A Middlesex County staffing firm has agreed to pony up $345,000 to settle federal allegations that it underpaid highly-skilled foreign nationals who were brought to the U.S. to work under a special visa program currently under fire from the Trump Administration. Edison-based Savantis Solutions didn’t admit or deny the Justice Department’s allegations, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said. Instead, it agreed to pay back wages and interest to current and former company employees who entered the United States on H-1B visas. Although federal authorities didn’t specify their nation…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Body Of NJ Swimmer Missing In Outer Banks Recovered Body Of NJ Swimmer Missing In Outer Banks Recovered
Body Of NJ Swimmer Missing In Outer Banks Recovered The body of a 34-year-old man from South Jersey, who disappeared while swimming in North Carolina's Outer Banks, has been found, authorities said. Sundara Baskar Pooraswamy-Chinna, a citizen of India, was employed by an information technology firm in Maple Shade, Burlington County, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Pooraswamy-Chinna jumped from a rented pontoon boat about 12:30 p.m. on Labor Day to swim in Currituck Sound, the Commission said in a statement. When Pooraswamy-Chinna began to struggle in the rough water, others on the boat tossed a life jacke…

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by Jon Craig
Lifestyle
Morris County Event Planner Is Fan Favorite On Netflix Reality Show 'Indian Matchmaking' Morris County Event Planner Is Fan Favorite On Netflix Reality Show 'Indian Matchmaking'
Morris County Event Planner Is Fan Favorite On Netflix Reality Show 'Indian Matchmaking' She's stunning. She's smart. And somehow, Nadia Jagessar is still single. The 32-year-old event planner from Morris County is not only one of the contestants on Netflix's reality dating show "Indian Matchmaking," but she is one of the favorites. The show follows popular Indian matchmaker Sima Taparia, who matches clients across the U.S. and India. The contestants who are given the resumes -- or "bio data" -- of several different potential partners suggested by Taparia, who they meet for the first time, often accompanied by their families. Like most of the contestants, Jagessar -- whose b…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Body Of Missing Swimmer At Lake Hopatcong Found Body Of Missing Swimmer At Lake Hopatcong Found
Body Of Missing Swimmer At Lake Hopatcong Found The body of a 32-year-old Parsippany man who was last seen struggling to stay above water at Lake Hopatcong has been recovered, State Police said.  Avinash Kuna was found by searchers from the State Police and a T.E.A.M.S. unit at Henderson Cove around 6 p.m.  An intensive search began Saturday morning, when Kuna entered the water from a pontoon boat.  He and eight friends, mostly from his job at the UPS Technology Center in Parsippany, rented the boat to celebrate his birthday when tragedy struck, according to the Daily Record.  Kuna went into the water but appeared t…

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by Paul Milo