Feds: 'Community Guns' Smuggled Into NJ Seized, Local Man, Georgia Woman Charged Feds: 'Community Guns' Smuggled Into NJ Seized, Local Man, Georgia Woman Charged
Feds: 'Community Guns' Smuggled Into NJ Seized, Local Man, Georgia Woman Charged A trio of “community guns” were brought into New Jersey by a Garden State man and a Georgia woman, a grand jury has charged. Most used in crimes in New Jersey are smuggled in from out of state, most often from the South, after being bought or stolen, authorities say. These include “community guns,” which two or more criminals stash somewhere – in a mailbox or a garbage can, under a rock or on the tire of a car, for instance -- for instant access and quick disposal by them and others. A grand jury indictment returned in Trenton charges Marquise Peterson, 28, of Trenton, and Quaneisha Frost-…
Inseparable Couple Killed In Hoboken Fire Was 'Loving To A Fault' Inseparable Couple Killed In Hoboken Fire Was 'Loving To A Fault'
Inseparable Couple Killed In Hoboken Fire Was 'Loving To A Fault' Authorities have identified the second victim killed in last month's Hoboken fire. The bodies of Alexander von Schlinke, 61, and Rose Marie Vos, 60, were found in the warehouse at 38 Jackson St., that went up in flames Monday, Dec. 20, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Together for more than 40 years, Von Schlinke and Vos were remembered by family members as being inseparable.  "They worked together & if you found one the other was never far off," Vos' sister wrote on a GoFundMe campaign. "They loved each other they were creative, caring and loving to a fault." Th…
Flammable Material In Glass & Vapor House Started Deadly Hoboken Fire: Prosecutor Flammable Material In Glass & Vapor House Started Deadly Hoboken Fire: Prosecutor
Flammable Material In Glass & Vapor House Started Deadly Hoboken Fire: Prosecutor The cause of a fire that destroyed several businesses and left two people dead in Hoboken has been identified, authorities announced. The Dec. 20 Jackson Street fire began in the back of the building at Glass & Vapor House LLC and the Cause has been ruled an accident, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Investigators believe the presence of flammable material within that business likely contributed to the fire. An on-duty Hoboken police officer heard a loud explosion in the area around 12:20 a.m. that day, Suarez said. First responders arriving at the scene found an activ…
Feds: Impatient Repeat Felon Points Police To Smuggled Gun, Drugs Feds: Impatient Repeat Felon Points Police To Smuggled Gun, Drugs
Feds: Impatient Repeat Felon Points Police To Smuggled Gun, Drugs "We can just cut the chase bro -- the gun [is] behind the couch and there's drugs in the cabinet," an impatient six-time convicted felon told police who raided his North Jersey home, federal authorities said. "That sh*t belong to me," Jabbar Pierce, 41, told officers in his Penns Grove apartment who read him his Miranda rights and then recorded his every word, according to a criminal complaint. A federal judge ordered Pierce held following a video-conferenced initial court appearance Friday afternoon in Newark on charges of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Authorities in Salem C…
8 Kids, 4 Adults Dead In 'Devastating' Philadelphia Fire 8 Kids, 4 Adults Dead In 'Devastating' Philadelphia Fire
8 Kids, 4 Adults Dead In 'Devastating' Philadelphia Fire Eight children and four adults were confirmed dead in a fire that swept through a Philadelphia rowhouse early Wednesday morning, city officials said. Had the smoke alarms in the N. 23 Street building been working properly, though, things might have turned out differently, Mayor Jim Kenney's office said in a news release.  “This is, without a doubt, one of the most tragic days in our city’s history,” said Kenney, the son of a firefighter, at a news conference Wednesday. “Losing so many kids is just devastating.” Fire companies arrived at 6:40 a.m. and found heavy fire coming …
Feds: Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Claiming To Be With DEA Feds: Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Claiming To Be With DEA
Feds: Pistol-Packing Ex-Con Busted At Jersey Shore ER Claiming To Be With DEA An ex-con was charged federally after he showed up at a Jersey Shore emergency room for treatment packing a handgun and then claimed he was DEA agent, authorities said. Staff members at Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank spotted Wesley Rucker, 34, of Tinton Falls carrying the gun in his waistband, federal authorities said. “Rucker showed the security officer two identification cards in a leather bifold wallet with the Drug Enforcement Administration (”DEA”) logo embossed on the outside,” a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives complaint on …
NJ, PA Trio Trafficked Dozens Of 'Ghost Guns,' Indictment Charges NJ, PA Trio Trafficked Dozens Of 'Ghost Guns,' Indictment Charges
NJ, PA Trio Trafficked Dozens Of 'Ghost Guns,' Indictment Charges Two Philadelphia men and one from Camden trafficked no fewer than two dozen untraceable “ghost guns” from Pennsylvania into New Jersey, a grand jury indictment alleges. Even more guns, as well as parts, large-capacity magazine and ammo, were seized during the investigation, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Tuesday. According to the indictment returned in Trenton, Eduardo T. Lazo Jr., 26, of Camden, organized the operation and sold the illegal guns in Camden. Juan Enrique Fernandez, 29, and Ericknell Rivera-Mercado, 31, both of Philadelphia, are accused of bringing th…
Convicted NJ Burglar Bound For Federal Prison Following Elizabeth Shooting Convicted NJ Burglar Bound For Federal Prison Following Elizabeth Shooting
Convicted NJ Burglar Bound For Federal Prison Following Elizabeth Shooting An ex-con who once left his cellphone behind after a home invasion in Woodbridge is headed to federal prison in connection with a shooting earlier this year in Elizabeth. Kevin Cordeiro, 34, of Elizabeth, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Newark to being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. Cordeiro was one of several men in masks who stormed a Woodridge home in 2008, beating a resident and his girlfriend, before fleeing empty-handed, authorities said at the time. One of the victims recognized Cordiero after partially removing his mask, according to investigators. C…
10 NJ, PA Residents Charged In Federal Illegal Gun Investigation 10 NJ, PA Residents Charged In Federal Illegal Gun Investigation
10 NJ, PA Residents Charged In Federal Illegal Gun Investigation A federal crackdown on the sale and purchase of illegal guns has led to the arrest of 10 people in Pennsylvania, according to authorities.  The U.S. Attorney's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Harrisburg Police announced 10 people have been charged as a part of "Operation Scarecrow," which targeted people who are not allowed to possess weapons illegally purchasing them. These types of purchases are called straw purchases which is why "Scarecrow" was an apt name for the operation. "Taking illegal guns off the streets is a high priority of the Departme…
Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives
Feds Bust South Jersey Man With Homemade Explosives Federal agents busted a South Jersey man with do-it-yourself explosive devices and the materials used to make them, authorities said. Among various other items, Thomas Petronglo, 63, of Vineland had a 5¾-inch diameter metal can filled with potassium perchlorate and aluminum with a fuse sticking out, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Thursday. The mixture is commonly used in commercial fireworks displays. Honig said authorities seized several other improvised devices -- mostly plastic cylinders and cardboard tubes containing "explosive mixtures" that were wrapped in black electrica…
Feds: Duo Caught With AR-Style Rifle, Clothing Used In Camden County Gas Station Robberies Feds: Duo Caught With AR-Style Rifle, Clothing Used In Camden County Gas Station Robberies
Feds: Duo Caught With Ar-style Rifle, Clothing Used In Camden County Gas Station Robberies Federal agents captured two men following a pair of Camden County gunpoint gas station robberies, authorities said. Paul Rogers, 27, and Kamau Bradshaw, 19, were both spotted after each robbery returning to a Camden residence with a large duffel bag, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Monday. Authorities armed with a warrant searched the residence and found an AR-style rifle believed used in both holdups, the duffel bag and other pieces of evidence, Honig said. Both Rogers and Bradshaw participated in the robbery of cash and cigarettes from a Pennsauken gas station last Tuesday, th…
Feds: Six Jersey City Gang-Bangers Charged With Stabbing Rival Feds: Six Jersey City Gang-Bangers Charged With Stabbing Rival
Feds: Six Jersey City Gang-Bangers Charged With Stabbing Rival Federal authorities have charged six purported members of a Jersey City gang with stabbing a rival in broad daylight on a busy city street. All were part of a street gang that operated in and around the Curries Woods housing complex near the Bayonne border, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today. On Aug. 3, 2020, they sought out the victim and stabbed him, Honig said. The victim was critically injured but survived, she said. Charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering: Sheldon “Thottie” Mays, 21; Jermaine “Maine” Jennings, 20; Divine “Dee” Abraham, …