NJ Mayor 'Ashamed' Of Using Racial Slur NJ Mayor 'Ashamed' Of Using Racial Slur
NJ Mayor 'Ashamed' Of Using Racial Slur A mayor in New Jersey has apologized for using a racial slur that was captured on secret video recordings, NJ Advance Media reports. Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso stated in a nearly five-minute video that the remarks were a "mistake" and that he is "embarrassed and ashamed," adding that he has changed. The Republican politician was accused of using the N-word and the term "spooks" to describe Black people, as well as criticizing female officers, the outlet says. Even after NJ Advance Media revealed that the township hid the 2020 recordings from the public eye in a legal settlement, payin…
Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money
Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money The family of a New Jersey man shot and killed by an "inexperienced" police officer directing traffic at Dorney Park will receive $950,000 reached in the settlement of a wrongful death suit, The Morning Call reports. Joseph Santos' two adult sons and 11-year-old daughter will receive a portion of the settlement, aside from law firm costs and fees, according to a copy of the settlement obtained by The Morning Call. Santos' estate administrator, Juliana Valenzuela, agreed to end the lawsuit on Sept. 14, according to the settlement. South Whitehall Township Officer Jonathan Ros…
Men Drop Sex Assault Suits Against Ex-NJ Judge Turned Fox Analyst Men Drop Sex Assault Suits Against Ex-NJ Judge Turned Fox Analyst
Men Drop Sex Assault Suits Against Ex-NJ Judge Turned Fox Analyst Two men have dropped their lawsuits accusing disgraced former Bergen County judge turned Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano of sexually assaulting them. Napolitano, who was fired from Fox last August amid accusations of sexually harassing employees, had already made headlines this week for selling his condo at Trump International Hotel & Tower on Central Park West. Then came reports, first published in the New Jersey Law Journal, that Charles Corbishley and James Kruzelnick had withdrawn their suits accusing Napolitano of sexual abuse three decades apart. Napolitano also dropped a lib…
Family Of Bicycle-Riding NJ Boy Killed By Bus Gets $1.6M Family Of Bicycle-Riding NJ Boy Killed By Bus Gets $1.6M
Family Of Bicycle-Riding NJ Boy Killed By Bus Gets $1.6M The family of a 9-year-old Bergenfield boy who was killed when his bicycle collided with a commuter bus 2½ years ago has reportedly settled a negligence lawsuit for $1.6 million. Alvin Maracallo was headed in the same direction on West Church Street when the driver of the New Jersey Transit bus turned left onto Veterans Plaza, hitting him as he entered the crosswalk shortly before 4 p.m. May 27, 2019. He and the bicycle hit the front wheel, then went under the bus and were run over, police said at the time. Security video from a nearby firehouse shows a good Samaritan rushing to help the b…
Suit Against Camden Officer Who Punched Man 12 Times In Viral Video Settled For $300K Suit Against Camden Officer Who Punched Man 12 Times In Viral Video Settled For $300K
Suit Against Camden Officer Who Punched Man 12 Times In Viral Video Settled For $300K A man who was punched 12 times in the head by a former Camden police officer during an arrest was awarded a $300,000 settlement for a suit filed against the officer, NJ.com reports. Authorities were responding to reports of a man with a gun on Feb. 22, 2018, when then-officer Nicholas Romantino slammed now 35-year-old Edward Minguela to the ground and repeatedly punched him, the outlet says. Romantino, then 27, said Minguela was resisting arrest and pulling his hands away -- but the call turned out to be bogus: Minguela was not found in possession of a weapon. The officer was later pl…
Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement
Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement A nursing assistant who may end up losing a leg from a head-on crash with a Passaic County driver in Morris County reportedly has won a $1.49 million settlement. Melissa Van Orden, now 47, of Budd Lake was driving home from work on southbound Route 206 in Andover when an oncoming Volkswagen crossed the double-yellow center line and slammed head-on into her Hyundai Santa Fe shortly after 7 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2019, authorities said. Both Van Orden and the Volkwagen driver, Enrico Stampone, now 27, of Totowa, were airlifted to Morristown Medical Center, responders said at the time. Va…
Ex-Murphy Campaign Volunteer Settles $1M Lawsuit Against State, Governor After Rape Allegation Ex-Murphy Campaign Volunteer Settles $1M Lawsuit Against State, Governor After Rape Allegation
Ex-Murphy Campaign Volunteer Settles $1M Lawsuit Against State, Governor After Rape Allegation A former volunteer with the Murphy for Governor campaign whose rape allegations led to state legislative reforms settled a lawsuit against New Jersey and Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign for $1 million, both sides announced Friday. Katie Brennan accused Al Alvarez, a former Murphy campaign adviser, of raping her in her apartment in 2017 after the pair left a gathering with other campaign members. Brennan went public with the allegations in 2018 before suing last year. Murphy's campaign and the state of New Jersey will pay $1 million, with $600,000 going to a charity of Katie Brennan’s choic…
Family Of Essex County Mom Paralyzed By Falling Pole Gets $125M Verizon Payout Family Of Essex County Mom Paralyzed By Falling Pole Gets $125M Verizon Payout
Family Of Essex County Mom Paralyzed By Falling Pole Gets $125M Verizon Payout In what is reportedly the largest settlement in New Jersey history, the family of an Essex County mom who was paralyzed by a falling utility pole will get $125 million from Verizon, reports say. West Orange mom Maria Moser Meister, 50, was waiting for a bus on her way to work when a the pole fell in Union City on Jan. 23, 2017, NJ.com reports. The pole, which was co-owned by Verizon through an agreement with PSE&G, was rotted at the base and snapped after 43 years, causing lifelong injuries to Meister’s body and head. As a result of the incident, Meister suffered from multiple spinal a…
Ex-Morris County Priest, Admitted Child Sex Abuser Dies In Nursing Home Ex-Morris County Priest, Admitted Child Sex Abuser Dies In Nursing Home
Ex-Morris County Priest, Admitted Child Sex Abuser Dies In Nursing Home Former Morris County priest James T. Hanley, who admitted to abusing at least a dozen children in Pompton Plains and Mendham throughout a 14-year period, died in a nursing home last week. Hanley, 83, previously served a decade as a pastor at St. Joseph’s Church in Mendham before he was defrocked in 2003, Paterson Diocese attorney Kenneth Mullaney said. The Diocese of Paterson then gave out nearly $5 million in settlements to 21 of Hanley’s accusers in 2004, reports say. Mullaney did not say which nursing home Hanley died at, or whether he died of COVID-19 -- complications like many other N…
Newton Man Awarded $2.65M Following West Milford Pothole-Prompted Motorcycle Crash Newton Man Awarded $2.65M Following West Milford Pothole-Prompted Motorcycle Crash
Newton Man Awarded $2.65M Following West Milford Pothole-Prompted Motorcycle Crash A Newton man was awarded $2.65 million nearly four years after he was seriously injured during a motorcycle accident in West Milford, reports say. Roger Gates, now 67, hit several potholes and collided with a van when riding his motorcycle on Oak Ridge Road the evening of April 14, 2016, NJHerald reports. Gates, who is no longer able to work, sustained serious upper-body injuries from the crash, including multiple fractured ribs, a fractured back and shoulder blade, a collapsed lung, torn neck ligaments and nerve damage to his bladder, bowel and groin areas.  He had to undergo several…