Find Your Daily Voice
Somerset
Your Local News for Somerset County, New Jersey
Wednesday, jun 26
70°
Follow
News
Schools
Business
Obituaries
Police & Fire
Weather
Lifestyle
Politics
Sports
Events
Traffic
Legal
Real Estate
Tags
Jobs
Shop
Support Us
Somerset
Follow
Find Your Daily Voice
News
Schools
Business
Obituaries
Police & Fire
Weather
Lifestyle
Politics
Sports
Events
Traffic
Legal
Real Estate
Tags
Jobs
Shop
Support Us
Home
About us
All sites
Advertise with us
Contact us
Terms of use
Privacy policy
Code of ethics
Site Map
© 2024 Cantata Media
70°
Wednesday, jun 26
Tag:
West Milford, NJ
Business
'Music Is Our Lifeblood:' Married Couple Bring Record Store, Intimate Venue To North Jersey
Music lovers in Morris County will have a place to call home, thanks to a husband and wife. On a recent trip to Boonton Coffee, Shane and Michele Murphy noticed a vacant storefront at 520A Main St. The West Milford couple knew immediately how to use it. Shane, a U.S. Army veteran, and Michele will soon be opening Hidden Tracks Records, a music store and intimate music venue. The grand opening will be held on Saturday, June 1. Click here for tickets. The store, named after Shane's podcast, HiddenTracks, will feature new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, stereo and record equ…
Weather
Fast-Moving Storm Knocks Power To Thousands Across North Jersey
A fast-moving round of thunderstorm knocked power to thousands of New Jersey residents Thursday morning, May 23. PSEG was reporting approximately 2,000 outages in Bergen County (1,156 in New Milford, 398 in Paramus); 2,341 in Essex County (983 in Caldwell, 448 in West Caldwell); 1,230 in Gloucester County (1,206 in Woodbury City). JCP&L was reporting approximately 1,300 in Franklin Township, where a downed tree closed Route 57. JCP&L also said 1,000 residents in Lebanon were in the dark, as were 1,000 in Bethlehem. Knowlton, Hope, Liberty, and Independence …
Police & Fire
Big Purple NJ 'Bud Bus' Owner Arrested For Money Laundering, Deceptive Biz Practices: Cops
A 46-year-old Rockland County, NY man has been arrested for illegally selling marijuana out of a big purple van in New Jersey, authorities said. Bud Bus Inc. Founder William Schlette, of West Nyack, was charged with deceptive business practices, money laundering, and drug offenses, according to Warren County Prosecutor Anthony Picone. Two search warrants on Schlette's Bud Bus Inc, a van parked at 1077 State Highway 94 in Frelinghuysen Township, on March 7, culminated in the seizure of $1,900, a Ram Promaster van, a 2024 Loom trailer, suspected raw marijuana, and suspected cannabinoid i…
Police & Fire
'WTF Man?:' West Milford Councilman Touched Sleeping Man's Genitals, Affidavit Says
More details have come to light in the arrest of a West Milford councilman. An affidavit for probable cause says Matthew P. Conlon touched the penis of a 20-year-old man after he fell asleep on the sofa the morning after staying the night at a friend's home. The alleged victim told members of the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office he was sitting on a sofa next to Conlon early Sunday, Feb. 4 when he felt Conlon touch his thigh at least twice, police papers show. The alleged victim pushed Conlon's hand off and told him to stop, indicating that he made it clear the gesture was unwelcome. That…
Police & Fire
West Milford Councilman Charged With Inappropriately Touching Victim At Local Home: Prosecutor
A West Milford councilman is facing charges after authorities said he sexually assaulted an adult. Matthew P. Conlon "touched the intimate part of an adult victim in an unwelcome and inappropriate manner" at a house in the township on Sunday, Feb. 4, a release from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes' office said on Thursday, Feb. 15. He has been charged via complaint summons with Fourth Degree Criminal Sexual Contact and Harassment, a Petty Disorderly Persons Offense, following an investigation conducted by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the We…
Police & Fire
Bloods Leader, Passaic County Man Busted with 28 Lbs Of Coke, 500 Lbs Of Pot At Teterboro: FBI
A high-ranking member of the Bloods with longstanding mob ties and a Passaic County man with a criminal history of his own were seized when they tried to fly to London out of Teterboro Airport with 28 pounds of cocaine and 500 pounds of pot on a private jet, federal authorities said. Leonardo Petrosillo, 45, of West Milford, and Edwin Spears, 49, of Newark brought three companions -- Spears’s girlfriend, an exotic dancer from Maryland and a friend of hers -- as a front for a dozen drug-stuffed bags of luggage, they said. The plane was to fly it all to John Lennon Airport in London, accordin…
Business
Somerset Rite Aid Store Among Dozen Closing In NJ After Filing For Bankruptcy
Rite Aid, the pharmacy giant that filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, Oct. 15, plans to close 154 underperforming stores nationwide, according to a new filing. A dozen of the stores closing are located in New Jersey. They are: 431 Haledon Avenue in Haledon 35 Mill Road in Irvington 1636 Route 38 Suite 49 in Lumberton 210 Bridgeton Pike in Mantua 108 Swedesboro Road Suite 20 in Mullica Hill 2370 Route 33 in Robbinsville 773 Hamilton Street in Somerset 4057 Asbury Avenue Suite 8 in Tinton Falls 1726 Route 37 in East Toms River 3 Marshall Hill Road in West Milford 1434 South Black …
Police & Fire
Propane To Blame In NJ House Explosion That Injured 5, One Critically, Fire Marshal Says
UPDATE: A house explosion last month in West Milford that sent five people to the hospital – one of whom remains in critical condition – apparently was due to a propane leak, the township’s fire marshal said. The other four victims injured when the home in the Upper Greenwood Lake section exploded and collapsed on Sept. 22 have since been released from the hospital, Fire Marshal Michael Moscatello said on Friday, Oct. 13. The fifth remains in the burn unit at the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, he said. Everyone feared the worst at the time. The first unit at the scene, …
Police & Fire
NJ House Explosion: Search-And-Rescue Operation Saves Family Members, Friends (
Update
)
HEROES: Everyone feared the worst. Yet if there’s a silver lining to be found in a devastating house explosion in West Milford on Friday, it’s that rescuers got those involved out alive. That includes a victim who was trapped for nearly an hour as firefighters tunneled their way into the leveled single-story ranch house. Five of those injured were airlifted to area hospitals following the dramatic search and rescue operation. A sixth declined further medical attention at the scene. Investigations continued combing through the wreckage well past daybreak as they try to determine what cause…
Police & Fire
Unconscious Teen Pulled From Greenwood Lake, Airlifted To Hospital
A young college student was airlifted to the hospital after he was seriously injured in Greenwood Lake over the weekend, authorities said. West Milford police responding to the noon call found Yilin Choi, 18, of Bellevue, Washington, unconscious but breathing on the dock at Lake Park Terrace on Saturday, Detective Sgt. Matthew Kloo said. Choi, who attends NYU, apparently was unfamiliar with the area. He dove into shallow water and didn’t resurface, according to Kloo. West Milford police and EMS tended to Choi, who was taken by ambulance to Greenwood Lake Airport, the sergeant said. Atlant…
Police & Fire
It’s Over: Burglars Who Stole $1M In World Series Rings, More From Berra Museum Busted By Feds
The local cops suspected it was an inside job, but federal authorities on Thursday said otherwise. It seems the burglars who broke into the Yogi Berra Museum at Montclair State University nearly a decade ago and stole several of his World Series rings, two of his MVP plaques and the glove the Yankee legend used to catch Don Larsen’s perfect game were actually part of a multi-state ring. Eight people in all were charged with a series of heists of priceless artwork and one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia from museums and cultural centers in several states and Washington, D.C. from 1999 through …
Police & Fire
Young
Heroes
: Neighborhood Kids Save Bedridden Woman After Dog Starts NJ House Fire
A bedridden West Milford woman's home had quickly begun filling with smoke after her dog accidentally ignited a fire on her kitchen stove. "This was close to being a fatal," one responder said. It wasn't, authorities said, because four neighborhood youngsters who heard alarms quickly ran to get help. Township Police Officers Randy Yevchak and Bill Pittelko and Company 3 Fire Chief Keith Weber forced open the door and found the Ridge Road home at the corner of Juanita Street filled with smoke shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Fire Public Information Officer Rich Poplaski said. The wo…
News
That
'S ALL,
Folks
: Threat From Largest North Jersey Wildfire In 13 Years Is Over, Officials Say
THE WORST IS OVER: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. The blaze, which was beaten back at first but then grew steadily over the previous 48 hours, finally topped out at 972 acres on April 15 – and that was it, the service said. Fire officials also said this would be the last of the updates from the “Kanouse Wildfire," the largest blaze in North Jersey since 2010. Ten structures in all were threatened – half of which were evacuated – yet none were seriously damaged thanks to the supp…
News
Large North Jersey Brush Fire Continues Burning
UPDATE: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. The blaze, which was beaten back at first but then grew steadily over the previous 48 hours, finally topped out at 972 acres on April 15 – and that was it, the service said. Fire officials also said this would be the last of the updates from the “Kanouse Wildfire," the largest blaze in North Jersey since 2010. Ten structures in all were threatened – half of which were evacuated – yet none were seriously damaged thanks to the support of fire…
News
Large North Jersey Brush Fire Continues Burning
The worst is over: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. The blaze, which was beaten back at first but then grew steadily over the previous 48 hours, finally topped out at 972 acres on April 15 – and that was it, the service said. Fire officials also said this would be the last of the updates from the “Kanouse Wildfire," the largest blaze in North Jersey since 2010. Ten structures in all were threatened – half of which were evacuated – yet none were seriously damaged thanks to the supp…
News
Large North Jersey Brush Fire Continues Burning
The worst is over: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. The blaze, which was beaten back at first but then grew steadily over the previous 48 hours, finally topped out at 972 acres on April 15 – and that was it, the service said. Fire officials also said this would be the last of the updates from the “Kanouse Wildfire," the largest blaze in North Jersey since 2010. Ten structures in all were threatened – half of which were evacuated – yet none were seriously damaged thanks to the supp…
News
Large North Jersey Brush Fire Continues Burning
UPDATE: The worst is over: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. The blaze, which was beaten back at first but then grew steadily over the previous 48 hours, finally topped out at 972 acres on April 15 – and that was it, the service said. Fire officials also said this would be the last of the updates from the “Kanouse Wildfire," the largest blaze in North Jersey since 2010. Ten structures in all were threatened – half of which were evacuated – yet none were seriously damaged thanks to …
News
Homeowner Charged With Arson, Aggravated Assault In Destructive NJ Lake Fire
UPDATE: A West Milford man was charged with conducting an illegal backyard burn that ignited a rapidly-spreading weekend blaze that sent two firefighters to the hospital while destroying one home and damaging two others on a hill overlooking Greenwood Lake. Keith Scherer, 45, of Hewitt, was burning wood and debris in a fire pit behind his Lakeside Road home when the brush caught fire and flames spread up the hill in the Hewitt section of West Milford, a little over a half-mile from the New York State border, shortly before 12:30 p.m., March 18, responders had told Daily Voice. Scherer was …
News
Judge Refuses Release For North Jersey Security Salesman Charged With Sexually Assaulting Woman
A judge refused to release a security company salesman from West Milford who’s charged with sexually assaulting a township woman. Austin Hopler sexually assaulted the woman -- who, like him, is 25 -- following an event at a local home last June 6, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and West Milford Township Police Chief James Devore alleged in a joint release. Hopler was arrested last Monday, Jan. 9, following an investigation by township police and members of the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit, they said. The six-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran – who’d been stationed at Fort Di…
News
Ex-Trump Stalker Gets 6 Years, No Parole, For Threatening Secret Service Agent, Vets Officer
UPDATE: A former longtime stalker of former President Trump must spend nearly six years in federal prison for threatening to assault a Secret Service agent and "shoot up" an officer at a VA hospital in New Jersey. Frank Monte, 52, of Passaic County, NJ, must serve out just about all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal court system. Monte, of the Oak Ridge section of West Milford, "repeatedly called the emergency line of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Police at the VA Lyons hospital campus" in Somerset County, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said on Tuesd…
News
Tri-State Tour Company Founder Gets 7 Years, No Parole, In Child Porn Case
A tri-state nature tour company founder from North Jersey was sentenced to a plea-bargained seven years in federal prison for collecting hundreds of child porn images. Vaughn Tiedeman -- whose Living Adventure Tours operates in the Garden State, New York and Pennsylvania -- must serve out the entire term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. He'll also remain under supervised release for 10 years under the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark on Thursday, Sept. 21. Special agents of the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Inv…
News
Update
: Fierce NJ House Fire Kills Two, Authorities Confirm
Two women died in a fierce Passaic County house fire, authorities confirmed. The three-alarm fire broke out in the basement of two-story, wood-frame home at the top of a long, steep driveway across Hamburg Turnpike from the Stumble Inn in Bloomingdale around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30. One victim was found moments after firefighters arrived. The other was discovered shortly before the fire was declared under control around 9:30 a.m., responders at the scene said. A cause hadn't yet been officially determined. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Bloomingdale Police Chief Joseph B…
Police & Fire
Windy Weather Challenges Firefighters Dousing Destructive Sussex County Blaze (
Photos
)
Windy and icy weather conditions created a challenge for firefighters who doused a Sussex County blaze late Sunday night into Monday morning. The fire broke out at a home near Maple Grange Park in Vernon, the McAfee Fire Department said. Also responding to the scene were the town’s three other fire departments — Vernon FD, Pochuck FD, and Highland Lakes FD. The fire took several hours to fully extinguish and seriously damaged the home, the department said. “Icy and windy conditions created a challenge for everyone operating on scene, and ultimately the operation continued into the early …
News
Child Porn Probe: NY Bank Tech Busted In North Jersey
A West Milford man who works as a tech for a New York security company had a side pursuit, as well, authorities said. Steven F. Jackson, 44, was charged with being the leader of a child pornography network after investigators learned that he'd used a chat room to share videos and other images of child sexual abuse, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik said. The Internet Crime Against Children Task Force detectives seized several electronic devices as part of a five-month investigation leading to Jackson's arrest, the sheriff said. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office assisted, he said.…
News
Feds
: NJ Men Busted Following Three Fentanyl-Laced NYC Drug-Delivery Deaths
Two North Jersey men worked for a drug-courier service that peddled fentanyl-laced cocaine responsible for killing three customers in a single day, federal authorities in Manhattan charged. Billy "Jason" Ortega, 35, of West Milford was the dispatcher who sent Kaylen Rainey, 30, of Manhattan to three different city addresses on March 17, 2021 after promoting "new batches" of drugs, an FBI complaint on file in the Southern District Court of Manhattan alleges. Three customers -- Amanda Scher, Julia Ghahramani and Ross Mtangi -- all died after ingesting the coke, authorities said. Scher texted…
News
NJ Founder Of Tri-State Nature Tour Company Takes Guilty Plea In Child Porn Case
The North Jersey founder of a tri-state nature tour company admitted Wednesday that he collected hundreds of child porn images, federal authorities said. Vaughn Tiedeman, 48, of Living Adventure Tours in Sussex County, was arrested by federal Homeland Security agents on child porn trafficking charges in early 2019. Between July 2018 and January 2019, the West Milford resident “downloaded and possessed more than 600 images of child sexual abuse, including images of young children and depictions of violence,” Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael Honig said. Rather than risk conviction…
News
Wawayanda State Park Expanded With ‘Small But Critical’ Land Purchase
Wawayanda State Park in West Milford will soon receive a trail addition through a private purchase by the Land Conservancy of New Jersey. The land acquisition, located between Wawayanda State Park and Abram S. Hewitt State Forest, completes the Terrace Pond North Trail and is full of mountain laurel, eastern hemlock, oaks, birches, and striped maple. The 2.5-acre purchase from owner Norma Schadegg also adds a buffer for timber rattlesnake and northern copperhead habitats throughout the nearby cliffs. “Paired with the protection of 10 adjacent acres by The Land Conservancy of New Jersey and…
News
Bergen Prosecutor: Driver Bites Detective, Tries To Disarm Another In 22-Pound Cocaine Stop
A driver bit one detective's hand while trying to disarm another following a traffic stop that Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said turned up 22 pounds of cocaine. Jaycomm Grave Ramos, 28, and his passenger, Eshaniel Moyano, 20, both of Philadelphia, remained held Wednesday in the county jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack following their arrests two days earlier in Ridgefield. Detectives with his Narcotics Task Force found most of the coke in an "electronically operated hidden compartment" in their 2012 Honda Pilot, Musella said. Anothe…
News
PD: West Milford Woman Assaults Clifton Officer, Kicks Out Cruiser Window, Grabs Police Baton
A West Milford woman punched a Clifton police officer in the head and then kicked out the interior partition window of a patrol cruiser and grabbed a police baton after being handcuffed, authorities said. Ashley Dennison, 33, was with Michael Rompa, 45, of Edison when officers investigating two suspicious vehicles in the Home Depot lot on Bloomfield Avenue spotted them, Detective Sgt. Robert Anderson said Thursday. One of the vehicles was a 2021 GMC pickup reported stolen from East Windsor and the other a 2020 Chevy van reported stolen out of Edison, he said. The couple ran, but Dennison w…
News
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…
News
Njsp
: Driver, 70, Killed In Labor Day Weekend Crash On Garden State Parkway
UPDATE: A 70-year-old driver from Middlesex County was killed in a Labor Day weekend crash on the Garden State Parkway, authorities confirmed. The mid-2000 model Ford 500 sedan driven by Rick Attanasio, ran off the road in the southbound lanes at the Exit 137 ramp in Cranford and hit a metal traffic post before slamming into a tree at noon Saturday, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Philip Curry said. A medical chopper landed on the Parkway but was dismissed after Cranford firefighters extricated Attanasio. State Police were investigating the cause, Curry said. The crash occurred around no…
1
2
3
Archive
70°
