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Superior Court in Paterson

Paterson Pair Convicted In Ambush Killing Of Rival Gang Member From Newark Paterson Pair Convicted In Ambush Killing Of Rival Gang Member From Newark
Paterson Pair Convicted In Ambush Killing Of Rival Gang Member From Newark UPDATE: The mastermind behind the cold-blooded killing of a 21-year-old rival gang member from Newark during an ambush in Paterson was convicted of first-degree murder and one of his cronies of aggravated manslaughter on Friday. Jurors in Superior Court in Paterson needed only a day to reach guilty verdicts on Oct. 13 against Silk City residents Jaquan Thomas, 33, and Ismael Leon, 21, for gunning down Jose Figueroa. Authorities said the slaying was a “coordinated attack involving multiple shooters in multiple locations.” Thomas sent members of his gang to the area of Totowa and Redwood ave…
UPDATE: Lyft Driver From Morris Found Guilty Of Fondling Underage Prospect Park Passenger UPDATE: Lyft Driver From Morris Found Guilty Of Fondling Underage Prospect Park Passenger
Update: Lyft Driver From Morris Found Guilty Of Fondling Underage Prospect Park Passenger A former U.S. military member from Morris County was convicted of sexually assaulting a Passaic County pre-teen while working as a Lyft driver. Julio Mejia, 43, of Wharton rejected a plea deal after investigators said the underage Prospect Park girl told them he had sex with her after she took a Lyft ride in August 2019 and then again after several weeks of texting. He took his chances with a jury in Superior Court in Paterson and was convicted of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, enticing and child endangerment. Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli scheduled sentencing for Feb. …
Paterson Firefighter Snatched Jewelry From Hospitalized Prisoner: Authorities Paterson Firefighter Snatched Jewelry From Hospitalized Prisoner: Authorities
Paterson Firefighter Snatched Jewelry From Hospitalized Prisoner: Authorities A Paterson firefighter was caught on surveillance video stealing a gold chain from a prisoner brought to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, authorities said. Antonio Moore, 39, of Newark was released pending an initial appearance in Superior Court in Paterson after members of the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office Public Integrity Unit arrested him on Wednesday, June 21, they said. Clifton police had brought the victim in custody to the city hospital last Aug. 21, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. “The arrestee’s personal property, including a gold chain and the arrest…
$2.25M Settlement Reached For Botched Hernia Surgery That Perforated Passaic County Man's Bowel $2.25M Settlement Reached For Botched Hernia Surgery That Perforated Passaic County Man's Bowel
$2.25M Settlement Reached For Botched Hernia Surgery That Perforated Passaic County Man's Bowel UPDATE: A Passaic County man whose bowel was perforated during hernia surgery, leading to severe and permanent complications, has reportedly reached a $2.25 million settlement of his medical malpractice suit. Vincent Dominianni, 54, of Totowa had the elective surgery in January 2019, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. He returned to the hospital the next day complaining of pain, constipation and a bloated abdomen, it says. The surgeon, Dr. Melissa Warta, ordered a CT scan and prescribed pain medications for what lawyers said she described as “normal post-operative findings" after an evalu…
Disgraced Ex-Paterson Officer Charged With Assault Of Second Defenseless Suspect Disgraced Ex-Paterson Officer Charged With Assault Of Second Defenseless Suspect
Disgraced Ex-Paterson Officer Charged With Assault Of Second Defenseless Suspect A former Paterson police officer already awaiting trial for beating one suspect over the head with a flashlight has been charged with doing it to another. Spencer Finch, 46, of Mahwah, broke a victim’s nose, knocked out two of his teeth and chipped another outside a Quick’s Food Store on Dec. 22, 2018, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Paterson alleges. In a subsequent use-of-force report, Finch said he was arresting the robbery suspect when he “became belligerent with police and shouted profanities,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said in announcing the indictment on W…
Wayne Police Turn Tables On 'Grandson Needs Bail Money' Scammers Who Victimized Elderly Couple Wayne Police Turn Tables On 'Grandson Needs Bail Money' Scammers Who Victimized Elderly Couple
Wayne Police Turn Tables On 'Grandson Needs Bail Money' Scammers Who Victimized Elderly Couple GOTCHA! An elderly couple had just handed over tens of thousands of dollars to a pair of “grandson-in-trouble” scammers and were about to surrender even more when Wayne police came to their rescue. The couple was already at the bank when their adult daughter reached out to township police –and just in time. Posing as a lawyer, one of the scammers had called and convinced the couple that a grandchild “had been involved in a car accident in New York City where a pregnant woman was involved and lost her baby,” Detective Capt. Dan Daly explained. The worried grandparents had already ponied up…
Fired Rookie Paterson Police Officer Indicted On Domestic Violence Charges Fired Rookie Paterson Police Officer Indicted On Domestic Violence Charges
Fired Rookie Paterson Police Officer Indicted On Domestic Violence Charges UPDATE: A Paterson rookie police officer who was fired after being arrested for domestic violence was indicted by a grand jury on aggravated assault and stalking charges. Joseph Tuminelli, 28, lasted all of seven months with the city police department after being sworn in to the job in July 2020. Members of his own department took Tuminelli into custody in February 2021. The case was then turned over to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. An indictment secured by an assistant prosecutor in Superior Court in Paterson accuses him of “multiple acts” of domestic violence, Passaic County Pr…
Murder Defendant In Paterson YMCA Stabbing Takes Deal, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge Murder Defendant In Paterson YMCA Stabbing Takes Deal, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge
Murder Defendant In Paterson YMCA Stabbing Takes Deal, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge A 34-year-old Paterson man admitted stabbing another city resident dead at the local YMCA. Jasmir Cleaves, 34, originally was charged with murder in the killing of Gabrae “Brae” Sams Jr., 29, in a fifth-floor hallway of the Y on Ward Street last Aug. 6. Police responding to the call fought to save Sams’s life. He was later pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. Cleaves took a deal from prosecutors rather than face trial, pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter in Superior Court in Paterson. Judge Marybel Mercado-Ramirez scheduled sentencing for Sept. 20. Whatever t…
Paterson Passenger, 15, Caught With Stolen, Loaded High-Powered Handgun: Police Paterson Passenger, 15, Caught With Stolen, Loaded High-Powered Handgun: Police
Paterson Passenger, 15, Caught With Stolen, Loaded High-Powered Handgun: Police Paterson police found a 15-year-old city boy carrying a loaded gun during a traffic stop, authorities said. It had been reported stolen out of Morris County, they said. Detectives Suquan Gary, Mustafa Dombayci, John Traynor and Kenneth Kerwin found the weapon after stopping a late-model Kia whose driver blew a stop sign in the area of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Keen Street, Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said. The boy, who was sitting in the back seat, was carrying a Brand Herstal FN Five-seveN 5.7x28mm pistol reported stolen out of Mount Olive, he said. "The weapon is extremely …
Paterson Police Seized 3 Loaded Guns From Two Juveniles, One Adult Paterson Police Seized 3 Loaded Guns From Two Juveniles, One Adult
Paterson Police Seized 3 Loaded Guns From Two Juveniles, One Adult Paterson police seized three loaded guns – one of which had been stolen – in a trio of separate incidents just days apart. Two of those taken into custody were each 17 years old, city public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said. One of the juveniles bolted after seeing Detectives Yamil Pimienta, Muhammed Dombayci, Levis Qirjako, and John Rikowich approaching near the corner of Highland and Lyons streets, Speziale said. They chased the boy down and seized him behind a North York home near Sassafras Street, the director said. They then checked the route he took while fleeing through various …
Passaic Prosecutor Asked Employee To Process Risqué Photos Of Her And Husband, Lawsuit Claims Passaic Prosecutor Asked Employee To Process Risqué Photos Of Her And Husband, Lawsuit Claims
Passaic Prosecutor Asked Employee To Process Risqué Photos Of Her And Husband, Lawsuit Claims An employee claims Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes asked him to process inappropriate photos of her and her husband and then was retaliated against after he refused. Media specialist Henry Hernandez of Clifton contends his pay was docked, medical issues that put him at risk during COVID were ignored and he was isolated "both socially and professionally" following two refusals. Hernandez claims in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Paterson that he'd been considered an "exemplary employee" until Valdes asked him to process a disc of photos that contained images of the prosecuto…
Accused Killer's Mom, Brother Charged, GF To Testify In Disposal Of Paterson Woman's Body Accused Killer's Mom, Brother Charged, GF To Testify In Disposal Of Paterson Woman's Body
Accused Killer's Mom, Brother Charged, GF To Testify In Disposal Of Paterson Woman's Body UPDATE: The killing of a woman whose body was found battered, bloodied and stuffed into the trunk of a car parked on a Paterson, NJ street took some new turns, including an instant guilty plea from the primary witness and two more arrests. Passaic County prosecutors dropped murder and conspiracy charges against Joelle Martucci, 24, as part of deal that will keep her out of prison. In return, Martucci agreed to testify against her fiancé, Justin Fisher, who is now the lone defendant charged with murder in last month’s death and dumping of 38-year-old single mom Stephanie DeJesus of Paterson…
SENTENCED: Drugged Driver In Gas Station Crash That Killed 3 Could Be Out In 22½ Years SENTENCED: Drugged Driver In Gas Station Crash That Killed 3 Could Be Out In 22½ Years
Sentenced: Drugged Driver In Gas Station Crash That Killed 3 Could Be Out In 22½ Years UPDATE: A drug-addicted Sussex County driver who killed a father, son and gas station attendant in a horrific crash on Route 23 in Wayne three years ago was sentenced to a plea-bargained 25½ years without parole in state prison. Jason Vanderee, 32, of Vernon Township, apologized to the survivors during his sentencing in Superior Court in Paterson on Thursday, March 3. His mother also begged for leniency. Superior Judge Marilyn C. Clark held fast to the terms of the plea deal, saying that she hoped it would “bring some degree of justice to the families who have suffered such grievous lo…
Paterson Man Who Won New Trial For Child Sex Assaults Pleads Guilty For Much Less Prison Time Paterson Man Who Won New Trial For Child Sex Assaults Pleads Guilty For Much Less Prison Time
Paterson Man Who Won New Trial For Child Sex Assaults Pleads Guilty For Much Less Prison Time A Paterson man who saw his conviction for sexually assaulting three children overturned after he was sentenced to 45 years in prison took a guilty plea rather than face trial again. Now he’s looking at the possibility of freedom after only a third of that time. On the flip side, it spares the victims the trauma of having to testify. Jurors in Superior Court in Paterson originally convicted Victor Enamorado of three counts of sexual assault in 2015. That conviction was among dozens that were subsequently nullified after the state Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that a particular legal the…
Ex-PBA Prez Accuses William Paterson University Of Reverse Discrimination During COVID Ex-PBA Prez Accuses William Paterson University Of Reverse Discrimination During COVID
Ex-pba Prez Accuses William Paterson University Of Reverse Discrimination During COVID A former president of William Paterson University’s PBA says he was deliberately passed over for promotions in favor of less-qualified candidates amid the COVID-19 pandemic. University officials were trying to get back at him for suggesting they eliminate two administrative positions instead of pursuing a plan to lay off officers as a way of saving money during the pandemic, Craig Simko said. Minority candidates who scored lower on a Civil Service test when a job opened three months later got promoted to sergeant over him, Simko, 50, of Hawthorne, claims in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court…
Police: Young Thugs —13, 14 — Rob Clifton Liquor Store With BB Gun Police: Young Thugs —13, 14 — Rob Clifton Liquor Store With BB Gun
Police: Young Thugs —13, 14 — Rob Clifton Liquor Store With BB Gun A Clifton liquor store was robbed by four young city teens, one of whom displayed what turned out to be a BB gun, said authorities who took them into custody. The haul? A vape. The quartet entered Dante's Liquor & Wine on Van Houten Avenue shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. One of the boys asked the cashier for a vape, then pulled up his shirt to expose the weapon in his waistband, Bracken said. The youth grabbed the vape and they all bolted, he said. A detective was checking the area when he spotted the group sitting on a porch a few blocks away…
Questions Emerge After Trio Is Charged With Stabbing In Passaic Questions Emerge After Trio Is Charged With Stabbing In Passaic
Questions Emerge After Trio Is Charged With Stabbing In Passaic Two Passaic residents and one from Wayne were charged with stabbing one of two city men during what authorities said was a planned attack. Being held in the Passaic County Jail pending initial court appearances this Wednesday in Superior Court in Paterson are Sergio Xochiulacuamatzi, 26, Christian Martinez, 21, both from Passaic, and Richard Arriaga, 25, of Wayne. All are accused of stabbing a 29-year-old Passaic man on Van Buren Street off Lexington Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint releas…
Wallington Mom, Paterson Man Charged With Murder In Death Of 8-Month-Old Wallington Mom, Paterson Man Charged With Murder In Death Of 8-Month-Old
Wallington Mom, Paterson Man Charged With Murder In Death Of 8-Month-Old A 20-year-old Wallington woman and an accused heroin dealer from Paterson were both charged with murder in the death of her 8-month-old baby. Ashley Roman and Joshua Delgado, 22, brought the infant to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center on Oct. 25, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim M. Baycora said in a joint announcement. The child died soon after, they said without elaborating on the cause or circumstances. The New Jersey Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, Valdes and Baycora said. Both Roman and Delgado, who they said i…
IT'S OFFICIAL: NJ Woman Who Drowned Weeks-Old Puppy Gets 180 Days In Jail, Community Service IT'S OFFICIAL: NJ Woman Who Drowned Weeks-Old Puppy Gets 180 Days In Jail, Community Service
IT'S Official: NJ Woman Who Drowned Weeks-Old Puppy Gets 180 Days In Jail, Community Service UPDATE: A Morris County woman was formally sentenced Tuesday to 180 days in jail followed by five years probation for deliberately drowning a 10-week-old puppy in a West Milford lake. Superior Court Judge Marilyn C. Clark, sitting in Paterson, approved the terms of a plea deal under which Tonya Fea, 49, must complete 100 days of community service following her release. She also can no longer own a dog, under agreement with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. Fea, of Boonton, pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Paterson to third-degree animal cruelty two months ago, admitting u…
Paterson Man Named In 34-Count Child Sex Assault Indictment Paterson Man Named In 34-Count Child Sex Assault Indictment
Paterson Man Named In 34-Count Child Sex Assault Indictment A Paterson ex-con repeatedly assaulted a child sexually over the course of a year and then repeated it again five years later, authorities charged. An indictment charges Gilberto Lopez-Rodriguez, 43, with a combined 34 offenses, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. These include: nine counts of aggravated sexual assault; 14 counts of sexual assault; seven counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact; two counts of criminal sexual contact; two counts of child endangerment. The incidents occurred at several residences for a year, beginning in February 2014, and then again in January…
Paterson Grandpa Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Youngsters Paterson Grandpa Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Youngsters
Paterson Grandpa Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Youngsters A 71-year-old Paterson man sexually assaulted two children, authorities charged. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said that Samuel Garrison was arrested after detectives from her Special Victims Unit interviewed both youngsters, one 10 and the other 16, as well as other witnesses. Garrison remained held in the Passaic County Jail pending a detention hearing next week in Superior Court in Paterson. He’s charged with single counts of sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual contact and two of child endangerment, Valdes said. ****** NOTE: Authorities warn parents that those …
Unlicensed Driver Pleads Guilty In 108 MPH DWI Crash That Killed Paterson Teen Unlicensed Driver Pleads Guilty In 108 MPH DWI Crash That Killed Paterson Teen
Unlicensed Driver Pleads Guilty In 108 MPH DWI Crash That Killed Paterson Teen An unlicensed driver involved in a high-speed DWI crash in Paterson that killed an 17-year-old passenger pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide rather than face trial, authorities said. Lawan A. Henry, 23, of Paterson will be eligible for parole in a little over 7½ years under a plea bargain reached with prosecutors. Henry admitted Monday in Superior Court in Paterson that he was driving 108 miles an hour when his 2008 Cadillac CTS slammed into several unoccupied vehicles on Broadway between East 30th and East 29th streets shortly before 4 a.m. last Nov. 15, they said. In the sedan with Henr…
Passaic Man Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Children Passaic Man Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Children
Passaic Man Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Children A Passaic man was charged with sexually abusing two children before he turned 18. Authorities began investigating after an employee at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Clifton reported that a 13-year-old student had been sexually abused in the past, authorities said. Detectives from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit and Passaic Police Department interviewed several witnesses and determined that the defendant had sexually abused two children at two different residences in Passaic, county Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint re…
Former Haledon Resident, 71, Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Children Over Nearly A Decade Former Haledon Resident, 71, Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Children Over Nearly A Decade
Former Haledon Resident, 71, Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Children Over Nearly A Decade A 71-year-old Paterson man sexually abused two children in Haledon over a period of nearly 10 years, an indictment returned by a grand jury alleges. Muniru Owe, formerly of Haledon, remains free pending a July 13 arraignment on the indictment in Superior Court in Paterson, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said Tuesday. The offenses “took place at a residence in Haledon, New Jersey from June 2000 through June 2009,” Valdes said. Owe is charged with sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, criminal sexual contact and child endangerment.
Indictment: Son Of Paterson Man Charged With Child Sex Assault Made Victim Change Story Indictment: Son Of Paterson Man Charged With Child Sex Assault Made Victim Change Story
Indictment: Son Of Paterson Man Charged With Child Sex Assault Made Victim Change Story UPDATE: The son of a Paterson man accused of sexually abusing a child was indicted on witness tampering charges, authorities said. Ramon Cabrera, 41, made the victim retract sex abuse allegations against Juan Cabrera-Gonzalez in a video that he recorded, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Paterson alleges. Cabrera’s father was charged with several sex-related offenses in May 2019 after detectives from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office investigated a report by the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency that a child in his care was being sexually abused. The Special Vi…
Paterson Teen Charged With Sexually Assaulting Child, 5 Paterson Teen Charged With Sexually Assaulting Child, 5
Paterson Teen Charged With Sexually Assaulting Child, 5 A Paterson boy was charged with sexually assaulting a child who authorities said was 5 at the time. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said detectives from her Special Victims Unit interviewed the victim and several witnesses after receiving a report of the alleged abuse on May 20. The victim, who's now 9, told them the abuse occurred several years ago, Valdes said Thursday. The boy, now 16, was taken into custody on Tuesday and sent to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center in Newark, she said. A juvenile complaint accuses him of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and…
Clifton Man Charged In Child Sex Case Takes Deal, Avoids Prison Clifton Man Charged In Child Sex Case Takes Deal, Avoids Prison
Clifton Man Charged In Child Sex Case Takes Deal, Avoids Prison A Clifton man avoided prison time when he admitted that he sexually abused a 15-year-old victim, authorities said Thursday. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said detectives from her Special Victims Unit began investigating Brian Guzman, 32, after receiving a tip from the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency in November 2019. They arrested him two months later after interviewing “multiple witnesses, including the victim, who reported that [he] inappropriately touched the child at his residence in Clifton in August 2019,” Valdes said. Guzman took a deal from prosecuto…
Babysitter Admits Fondling Wayne Youngster, 13, After Sharing Booze, Pot Babysitter Admits Fondling Wayne Youngster, 13, After Sharing Booze, Pot
Babysitter Admits Fondling Wayne Youngster, 13, After Sharing Booze, Pot A 33-year-old babysitter admitted Friday that he fondled a 13-year-old Wayne youngster on New Year’s Eve after giving the victim booze and pot, authorities said. Joseph Montgomery wasted little time accepting a deal from prosecutors that will see him sentenced to three years in state prison, 85% of which he must serve before becoming eligible with parole. Family members watched as Montgomery entered the plea in Superior Court in Paterson, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff said in a joint release. McNiff’s officers had responded to the home on Ja…
Authorities: Day Care Sitter, 65, Indicted For Raping Passaic Girl, 8 Authorities: Day Care Sitter, 65, Indicted For Raping Passaic Girl, 8
Authorities: Day Care Sitter, 65, Indicted For Raping Passaic Girl, 8 A 65-year-old Passaic man who authorities said raped an 8-year-old city girl he was babysitting was indicted by a grand jury in Paterson. Juan Jiminez has been free since a judge released him with conditions following his arrest last July. Jimenez was watching the girl at a daycare located in an apartment at 70 Passaic Street when he sexually assaulted her, the indictment alleges. Detectives from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes’s Special Victims Unit arrested Jimenez on charges of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment for “engaging in acts of sexual p…
Paterson Man, 21, Charged With Raping Clifton Child For Years While A Juvenile Paterson Man, 21, Charged With Raping Clifton Child For Years While A Juvenile
Paterson Man, 21, Charged With Raping Clifton Child For Years While A Juvenile A Clifton resident was raped between the ages of 6 and 11 by a now-21-year-old Paterson man who was a juvenile at the time, authorities said. The victim, now 14, reported the alleged incidents to local police, who contacted the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit on March 7, Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Clifton Police Chief Tom Rinaldi said late Monday. An investigation followed that included interviews with, among others, the youngster, who reported “multiple sexual assaults by the suspect in residences in both Clifton and Paterson,” they said. It wasn’t explained …