Realtor Convicted Of Killing Her Father, Girlfriend In Surf City Waterfront Home Realtor Convicted Of Killing Her Father, Girlfriend In Surf City Waterfront Home
Realtor Convicted Of Killing Her Father, Girlfriend In Surf City Waterfront Home A Pennsylvania realtor was convicted of killing her father and his girlfriend on the Jersey Shore, authorities said. After a four-week trial, a jury found Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, of Landenberg, PA, guilty of two murder counts on Friday, Mar. 1, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. She faces life in prison for the late September 2021 killings of 87-year-old John Enders of Surf City and 75-year-old Francoise Pitoy of Manchester. Surf City police conducted a wellness check at a home on North Seventh Street at around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2…
NJ Prison Officer Admits Looking Other Way While Inmates Were Beaten, Brutalized NJ Prison Officer Admits Looking Other Way While Inmates Were Beaten, Brutalized
NJ Prison Officer Admits Looking Other Way While Inmates Were Beaten, Brutalized 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Nine months after a former corrections officer at a New Jersey prison was sentenced to 2½ years behind bars for admitting that he brutalized inmates in what one victim called a “fight club," a second officer cut his own deal with federal prosecutors. Joshua Hand, 34, of Millville, admitted in federal court in Camden on Monday, Feb. 26, that he stood by while two prisoners were being assaulted by fellow inmates at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Hand violated both inmates' civil rights by not stopping their assailants or reporting the in…
Kids Club Staffer Had Sleep Overs In Seaside Heights With Boy He Assaulted 50+ Times: Affidavit Kids Club Staffer Had Sleep Overs In Seaside Heights With Boy He Assaulted 50+ Times: Affidavit
Kids Club Staffer Had Sleep Overs In Seaside Heights With Boy He Assaulted 50+ Times: Affidavit A popular after school program previously employed a man who has been charged with sexually assaulting at least half a dozen boys who attended while he worked there, authorities in Pennsylvania said on Thursday, Dec. 21. Gerald William Spoto was an obese, glasses-wearing, 20-year-old employee at Neshaminy Kids Club when he allegedly sexually assaulted at least six boys, "who were between 7 and 13 years old at the time of the assaults, between 2000 and 2004," the Buck County District Attorney's Office said. These included a lengthy series of assaults during "sleepovers" in New…
NJ Man Who Sent Child Sex Links To Investigator For $20 Admits To Files With 22,000 Images NJ Man Who Sent Child Sex Links To Investigator For $20 Admits To Files With 22,000 Images
NJ Man Who Sent Child Sex Links To Investigator For $20 Admits To Files With 22,000 Images A South Jersey man who authorities said sent links for child sex abuse sites to what turned out to be undercover federal agents admitted possessing files that they said contained more than 22,000 horrific images. Al-Fahim Medina, 24, of Willingboro, had images of "sadistic and masochistic conduct" and other depictions of violence, sexual abuse and exploitation of children under 12 on a tablet and mobile phones, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Some were even infants and toddlers, the U.S. attorney said. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents arranged a sting af…
Feds Finally Get Justice In Re-Sentencings Of NJ Army Major, Wife Who Abused 5 Kids Feds Finally Get Justice In Re-Sentencings Of NJ Army Major, Wife Who Abused 5 Kids
Feds Finally Get Justice In Re-Sentencings Of NJ Army Major, Wife Who Abused 5 Kids UPDATE: It took federal authorities three tries over more than eight years, but they finally got to see the punishment fit the crimes when a judge sentenced a Morris County couple who severely abused their children to extended prison terms. The sentences imposed in federal court in Newark on Monday, Oct. 30, "hold Carolyn Jackson and John Jackson accountable for their horrific crimes, and bring a measure of justice for their victims,” said U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger (photo above, left). Carolyn Jackson, 46, was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison. John E.…
Judge Dismisses Child Sex Charges Against 'Chopped' Kosher Chef From Teaneck Judge Dismisses Child Sex Charges Against 'Chopped' Kosher Chef From Teaneck
Judge Dismisses Child Sex Charges Against 'Chopped' Kosher Chef From Teaneck A judge in Hackensack dismissed child sex assault charges against a kosher chef from Teaneck who appeared on the Food Network show "Chopped.” Shalom Yehudiel, 41, had his rights violated by the FBI when federal authorities failed to surrender a video tied directly to the case, Bergen County Superior Court Judge Christopher Kazlau ruled on Monday, Aug. 7. The judge dismissed the charges without prejudice, which allows prosecutors to reinstate the case if any new evidence comes to light. Yehudiel had owned and operated The Humble Toast, a kosher eatery on Queen Anne Road, for several years …
BETRAYER OF THE BADGE: NJ Officer Admits Using Authority On Duty To Pressure Women Into Sex BETRAYER OF THE BADGE: NJ Officer Admits Using Authority On Duty To Pressure Women Into Sex
Betrayer OF THE Badge: NJ Officer Admits Using Authority On Duty To Pressure Women Into Sex UPDATE: A Vernon Township police officer who was accused of groping a Bergen County woman during a domestic violence call admitted abusing his authority on duty to force women to submit to his sexual advances. Emanuel Rivera, 38, acknowledged the “imbalance of power” between him and the women he was hitting on, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said in a joint statement. This left them unable to consent, he admitted, because of the “coercive, intimidating nature of such requests” coming from a uniformed police officer," the s…
NJ Man Gets 3½ Years, No Parole, For Assaulting Sister, Having Assault Weapon, Pipe Bomb NJ Man Gets 3½ Years, No Parole, For Assaulting Sister, Having Assault Weapon, Pipe Bomb
NJ Man Gets 3½ Years, No Parole, For Assaulting Sister, Having Assault Weapon, Pipe Bomb UPDATE: A Wanaque man must serve at least 3½ years in state prison before he'll be eligible for attacking his sister in their home and having an assault rifle and pipe bomb in his possession. Michael Wierciszewski, 25, was arrested by borough police after the victim told them that he lunged at her with a knife while trying to kill her at the family’s Jackson Street residence on Nov. 24, 2021. A search of the home turned up the improvised device, along with a Century Arms RAS 47 rifle that had been modified to remove the stock and accommodate a silencer, authorities said at the time. The vi…
Pittsburgh Driver Charged With Killing Two Victims During H2Oi Event In Wildwood Pittsburgh Driver Charged With Killing Two Victims During H2Oi Event In Wildwood
Pittsburgh Driver Charged With Killing Two Victims During H2Oi Event In Wildwood A Pittsburg driver has been charged will killing two people and trying to flee during the H2oi car meetup Saturday, Sept. 24 in Wildwood, authorities announced. Gerald J. White, 37,  was behind the wheel of a 2003 Infinity when he struck a 2014 Honda Civic near Burk and Atlantic avenues, and then two pedestrians around 9:35 p.m., Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Wildwood Police Chief Robert Regalbuto said.  The 18-year-old pedestrian, Lindsay Weakland, of Carlisle, PA, was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the Civic, Timothy Ogden, 34, of Clayton, NJ…
Ex-Attorney Charged With Stealing $58K From Dead Client's Estate: Prosecutor Ex-Attorney Charged With Stealing $58K From Dead Client's Estate: Prosecutor
Ex-Attorney Charged With Stealing $58K From Dead Client's Estate: Prosecutor A former attorney has been charged with stealing nearly $60,000 from a deceased client’s estate and spending the funds on himself, authorities said. Michael Botton, 52, of West Long Branch is charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition and failure to make required disposition of property received, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey. The charges are the result of an investigation by the MCPO Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau, initiated as the result of a referral from the Office of Attorney Ethics of the Ne…
Pair Sentenced In Deadly NJ Barbershop Shooting Pair Sentenced In Deadly NJ Barbershop Shooting
Pair Sentenced In Deadly NJ Barbershop Shooting Two men have been sentenced to a combined 45 years in state prison for their roles in the deadly shooting of a 34-year-old man in a New Jersey barbershop, authorities announced. Tayyab A. Ware, 31, of Augusta, Georgia, was sentenced to 35 years and a $25,000 restitution payment to the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO), while Todd C. Smith, 32, of Edison, was sentenced to 10 years, Somerset County Acting Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said in a Monday release alongside local officials. Ware and Smith were identified with help from the FBI in the deadly shooting of 34-year-old Den…
Pair Charged In Trenton Man's Murder: Prosecutor Pair Charged In Trenton Man's Murder: Prosecutor
Pair Charged In Trenton Man's Murder: Prosecutor Two suspects have been charged with murder following last month’s deadly double shooting of a 19-year-old Trenton man, authorities announced. Trenton residents Quashawn Hightower, 23, and Desire Knighton, 21, gunned down Shimon Nesmith Jr., on the 1100 block of New Willow Street just after 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 1,Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said. Nesmith was found with several gunshot wounds as officers responded to a Shot Spotter activation with 11 rounds fired. He was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly after, authorities said. …
NJ Woman Hoarding 44 Dog Carcasses Admits To Killing 6, Gets Prison Time: Prosecutor NJ Woman Hoarding 44 Dog Carcasses Admits To Killing 6, Gets Prison Time: Prosecutor
NJ Woman Hoarding 44 Dog Carcasses Admits To Killing 6, Gets Prison Time: Prosecutor A woman originally linked to dozens of dead dogs reached a plea-bargained agreement admitting to killing six dogs, authorities said. Donna Roberts' guilty plea calls for 90 days in Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly, according to  Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. Roberts, 68, of Shamong, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for causing the death of six dogs that were being kept at her property by failing to provide them with proper care, Coffina said. Additionally, Roberts must serve five years of probation, during which time she cannot own, raise, or otherwise care for any …
'Coming To Rape Your Family': NJ Man Admits Texting Racist Threats To Black MD Woman 'Coming To Rape Your Family': NJ Man Admits Texting Racist Threats To Black MD Woman
'Coming To Rape Your Family': NJ Man Admits Texting Racist Threats To Black MD Woman A New Jersey man admitted that he sent racist texts to a Maryland woman threatening to hurt her and her family, federal authorities said. "I know where you live now, I'm coming to rape your family," Michael Marotta, 26, of Sewell (Gloucester County) texted the woman using an anonymizing messaging service, they said. Marotta "used racial epithets" in the texts, which included "eat my bullets," according to an FBI complaint. Taking a deal from the government rather than face trial, Marotta pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Tuesday, March 8 to making threatening interstat…
Dealer Who Produced Deadly Opioids In Basement Across From Paterson Mayor's Home Gets 10 Years Dealer Who Produced Deadly Opioids In Basement Across From Paterson Mayor's Home Gets 10 Years
Dealer Who Produced Deadly Opioids In Basement Across From Paterson Mayor's Home Gets 10 Years A dealer who produced lethal opioids in a fortified basement drug mill across the street from the mayor of Paterson's house was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, authorities said. Silk City police had seized 17,000 folds of heroin and fentanyl -- as well as packaging and distribution materials -- while arresting Rafael “Chiquito” Brito and his girlfriend, Rosanny Prado, during a March 2020 raid on their East 36th Street residence across from Mayor Andre Sayegh's home. The drugs were linked to at least 10 overdose deaths of both local and suburban buyers, authorities said at the time. …
Teen Drivers Were Racing Before Fatal Central Jersey Crash: Prosecutor Teen Drivers Were Racing Before Fatal Central Jersey Crash: Prosecutor
Teen Drivers Were Racing Before Fatal Central Jersey Crash: Prosecutor Two teenagers have been charged in connection in a fatal crash that occurred as they were racing their cars, authorities said. The fatal crash occurred on Jan. 20, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan. An investigation by Captain Dominic Masi of the Edison Police Department and Detective Jonathan Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined that two vehicles driven by Tyler Dickerson, 18, of South Brunswick and a male juvenile, 17, were involved in a high-speed race that resulted in the juveni…
Jersey Shore Man Admits Running Over Pedestrian While Moving Furniture: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Man Admits Running Over Pedestrian While Moving Furniture: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Man Admits Running Over Pedestrian While Moving Furniture: Prosecutor A 63-year-old man from the Jersey Shore has admitted leaving the scene of a fatal pedestrian crash, authorities said. Kevin Noonan of Manchester Township pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death on Monday, Feb. 14, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Sentencing is on April 1. On April 13, 2021, at approximately 3:45 p.m., Manchester police responded to a residence on Yorktowne Parkway in Whiting for a report of a pedestrian having been struck by a motor vehicle. Police found Jack Gotfried, 69, of Whiting, layin…
Man Accused Of Torching Mom's South Jersey Home, Killing 2, Was Arrested 187 Times: Prosecutor Man Accused Of Torching Mom's South Jersey Home, Killing 2, Was Arrested 187 Times: Prosecutor
Man Accused Of Torching Mom's South Jersey Home, Killing 2, Was Arrested 187 Times: Prosecutor A 63-year-old man from Burlington County found guilty of causing the deaths of his mother and her companion in a house fire was sentenced to 11 years in New Jersey state prison, authorities said. Kurt Smith was sentenced on Thursday, Feb. 10 in Superior Court in Mount Holly, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. He must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. During Thursday’s proceedings, it was noted that Smith had been arrested 187 times and has 16 felony convictions, Coffina said. Smith, who lived at the residence in the 500 block of Wil…
Brick Son Faces Life-In-Prison In Father's 'Murder-For-Hire', Ocean County Prosecutor Says Brick Son Faces Life-In-Prison In Father's 'Murder-For-Hire', Ocean County Prosecutor Says
Brick Son Faces Life-In-Prison In Father's 'Murder-For-Hire', Ocean County Prosecutor Says A 30-year-old man from Ocean County has been indicted in connection with his father's alleged murder-for-hire, authorities said. Mark J. Austin, 30, of Brick Township, was charged Thursday with murder and weapons offenses, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. The son faces life in prison without parole if found guilty of murder-for-hire, the prosecutor said. Austin allegedly killed his father, Mark Richard Austin, on Sept.  7, 2019, in Brick Township, the prosecutor said. Thursday's Grand Jury "superseding Indictment" charges that Austin "procured the …
Jersey City Police Officer Admits Going To AC To Have Sex With Young Girls Found On Incest App Jersey City Police Officer Admits Going To AC To Have Sex With Young Girls Found On Incest App
Jersey City Police Officer Admits Going To AC To Have Sex With Young Girls Found On Incest App A disgraced Jersey City police officer admitted Thursday that he drove to Atlantic City expecting to have sex with two girls – one 8, the other 10 -- for $200. Stephen Wilson, 34, of Bayonne will be sentenced to eight years in state prison in exchange for his guilty plea before a Superior Court judge in Mays Landing on Thursday to attempted aggravated sexual assault, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. Wilson was carrying condoms and $500 in cash when State Police and federal Homeland Security agents arrested him this past February, Bruck said. He’d agre…
Woman Admits Setting Paterson Apartment Couch Fire That Ended Up Destroying Half A City Block Woman Admits Setting Paterson Apartment Couch Fire That Ended Up Destroying Half A City Block
Woman Admits Setting Paterson Apartment Couch Fire That Ended Up Destroying Half A City Block A New York City woman admitted Friday that she deliberately set a massive fire that roared through a Paterson block, displacing 60 residents and injuring four firefighters, during an argument last summer. Yanit Valdez took a deal from prosecutors rather than face trial, pleading guilty in Superior Court in Paterson to aggravated arson in exchange for what will be a six-year prison sentence. Valdez, 38, of Manhattan will have to serve five years and a month of the term under New Jersey’s No Early Release law, followed by three years of parole supervision, Passaic County Camelia M. Valdes sa…
OBSESSION: NJSP Trooper Headed To Prison For Stalking Female Driver OBSESSION: NJSP Trooper Headed To Prison For Stalking Female Driver
Obsession: Njsp Trooper Headed To Prison For Stalking Female Driver A New Jersey state trooper will be sentenced to a year without parole in state prison and lose his job after admitting that he stalked a female driver while on duty and disabled his dashcam to cover it up. Trooper Michael Patterson, 30, had pulled the victim over twice and then followed her home to hit on her, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Trenton had charged. Patterson took a deal from prosecutors and pleaded guilty Monday in Superior Court in New Brunswick to tampering with public records rather than risk trial, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. In exch…
South Jersey Widow Kept GoFundMe Money Raised For Disabled Husband's Funeral, Indictment Claims South Jersey Widow Kept GoFundMe Money Raised For Disabled Husband's Funeral, Indictment Claims
South Jersey Widow Kept GoFundMe Money Raised For Disabled Husband's Funeral, Indictment Claims A woman from South Jersey has been indicted for raising money for her dead husband's cremation, but then allegedly left his body in the morgue, authorities said. The widow then spent GoFundMe campaign donations on her own "living expenses," Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said on Monday. The indictment alleges that Patricia Clark, 49, of Pemberton Township, created the online GoFundMe page to raise money for her disabled husband’s funeral before spending the money on herself, Coffina said. A grand jury indicted Clark on one count of fheft by failure to make disposition…
Grand Jury: NJ Officer Justifiably Shot, Killed Knife-Wielding Man Who Stabbed Woman Grand Jury: NJ Officer Justifiably Shot, Killed Knife-Wielding Man Who Stabbed Woman
Grand Jury: NJ Officer Justifiably Shot, Killed Knife-Wielding Man Who Stabbed Woman A Newark man who’d just stabbed a woman was justifiably shot and killed by an Orange police officer after he charged at police with the knife, a grand jury found. Jamahl Smith, 46, refused repeated commands by responding officers to drop the knife on the third floor of the Oakwood Towers on Oakwood Avenue around 3 p.m. June 13, 2019, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Wednesday. Instead, he “continued to advance toward the officers,” Bruck said. Officer Willie Jones fired his service weapon three times, stopping Smith, the attorney general said. The officers rendered …
NJ Attorney General IDs Scooter Rider, 21, Killed In Mercer Police Chase Crash NJ Attorney General IDs Scooter Rider, 21, Killed In Mercer Police Chase Crash
NJ Attorney General IDs Scooter Rider, 21, Killed In Mercer Police Chase Crash A Trenton man was involved in a crash that killed him last month after he didn’t stop for a Hamilton Township police officer, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Wednesday. Francis De La Cruz Abad, 21, was operating a Yamaha scooter near the intersection of Route 33 and Whitehorse-Mercerville Road when Detective Brian Davis, driving an unmarked vehicle, tried to stop him shortly after 9 p.m. May 25, Grewal said. De La Cruz Abad “continued traveling westbound on Route 33 and collided with a Dodge Caravan, whose driver was attempting to turn left into the Mercerville Shopping Ce…
Clifton Man Charged With Hitting Child Clifton Man Charged With Hitting Child
Clifton Man Charged With Hitting Child A 47-year-old Clifton man was charged with hitting a child, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes announced. "On September 9, 2020, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office received a report of an 11-year-old child who was examined by a pediatrician for certain injuries," Valdes said in a release. "The child was brought to the pediatrician because the child disclosed being assaulted by Mr. Russy at a residence and in a motor vehicle, both in the City of Clifton," the prosecutor said. "During the investigation, Prosecutor’s Office detectives interviewed the victim and multiple witnesses…
Pilot Pleads Guilty To Watching Porn, Exposing Himself To Female Co-Pilot On Flight From Philly Pilot Pleads Guilty To Watching Porn, Exposing Himself To Female Co-Pilot On Flight From Philly
Pilot Pleads Guilty To Watching Porn, Exposing Himself To Female Co-Pilot On Flight From Philly A former Southwest Airlines pilot pleaded guilty to watching porn on his laptop and exposing himself to the female co-pilot during a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando last August. Michael Haak, 60, of Longwood, FL, was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine by U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson. Haak was the captain on the Aug. 10, 2020 flight from  Philadelphia International Airport to Orlando International Airport and assisted by a female first officer in command, whom he had never met before, federal officials said. Haak admitted that after the …
Central Jersey Trio Indicted In Child Sexual Exploitation Case Central Jersey Trio Indicted In Child Sexual Exploitation Case
Central Jersey Trio Indicted In Child Sexual Exploitation Case Two men from Central Jersey have been indicted for the possession and distribution of child pornography, authorities said. A third person was indicted for tampering and obstruction in the case.  Brandon Pascoe, 36, of Keyport, and Craig Reeves, 31, of Long Branch, were indicted for conspiracy to distribute child sexual exploitation material, distribution of child sexual exploitation material, and other related charges, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.  The charges stem from a joint investigation initiated in 2018 by the …