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Tuesday, apr 30
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North Plainfield, NJ
Police & Fire
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! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism
UPDATE: An elite law enforcement team captured a 24-year-old local man on Monday who authorities said broke in and trashed the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick earlier this month. Jacob Beacher was due for an initial afternoon appearance on federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court in Newark on April 22. Beacher broke into the CILRU shortly after 2:30 a.m. April 10 and did an estimated $40,000 worth of damage, state and federal authorities said. It was during the Eid-al-Fitr -- the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during…
Police & Fire
Plainfield Pat Pespas, Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Safe After Missing For Month
Patrick J. Pespas, who starred in HBO's "Telemarketers," has been found safe. Pespas, 55, of Phillipsburg, has been found safe and was home with his wife, Sue, directors Sam Lipman-Stern and Adam Bhala Lough said on Pespas' Instagram account Friday, Oct. 27. Pespas had been missing since Sept. 29, when he was seen in Easton, PA, and later at a bar in the Pittsburg area. Pespas, formerly of North Plainfield and Plainfield, NJ, has been living with his wife in Easton, PA. He teamed up with Lipman-Stern to create the three-part HBO mini docu-series "Telemarketers," which shined a …
News
Powerball: Two Union County Lotto Players Win $50K
While they didn't win the $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot, two lotto players in Union County had themselves a lucrative night in the drawing held on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The two players matched four of the white balls and the Power Ball, winning $50,000. The tickets were sold at 7-Eleven in North Plainfield and a BP gas station in Springfield. The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, and 64. The Red Power Ball number was 10.
Police & Fire
Prosecutor Details Sneaky Upskirt Tactics Utilized By NJ Sunoco Station Cashier For Months
A cashier at a Sunoco station has been arrested for taking multiple upskirt photos of women while at work over the course of nearly two years, authorities in Somerset County said. Miguel A. Melchor-Gomez, 54, of North Plainfield, who worked at the Sunoco station on Stirling Road in Watchung, filmed underneath his unsuspecting victims' clothing in one of two ways from December 2021 to Aug. 19, 2023, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald. said. Melchor-Gomez either pretended that the credit card machine malfunctioned and directed his victims to the counter where he would stand clos…
Police & Fire
Plainfield Man Charged With Attempted Murder Caught In PA: Prosecutors
A Somerset County man accused of five counts of attempted homicide was arrested in Easton, Pennsylvania last week, according to authorities. Cristobal Avila, 32, of Plainfield, is also charged with unlawful weapon possession related to an April 2021 incident in North Plainfield, said the Prosecutor's Office. He was arrested by Easton police on Saturday, Sept. 30 and will be returned to New Jersey pending extradition and prosecution of other charges in Pennsylvania, officials said. Avila was Somerset County's fugitive of the month in September, they noted. Details of his …
Police & Fire
Plainfield's Patrick J. Pespas, Star Of HBO's 'Telemarketers' Reported Missing
Patrick J. Pespas, who starred in HBO's "Telemarketers," has been missing for days, those who know him say. Pespas, 55, of Phillipsburg, was last seen in the Easton, PA area around 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, according to directors Sam Lipman-Stern and Adam Bhala Lough Pespas, formerly of North Plainfield and Plainfield, teamed up with Lipman-Stern to create the three-part HBO mini docu-series "Telemarketers," which shined a light on the truth about the telemarketing industry. It premiered in August. Bhala Lough said on Sunday, Oct. 1 Pespas may have been spotted at a bar in Pittsburgh. …
Schools
These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Due To Snow Tuesday, Feb. 28
The first winter storm of the season is causing a change in plans for New Jersey schools on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Some districts have delayed openings while others are closed completely. Here's a list of which school are closed or delayed for Tuesday, Feb. 28. Check your school/district's website for details. Bedminster: 10: 50 a.m. start Bellville: Delayed Bergen County Tech: Closed Bergenfield: 2-hour delay Bernards: 2-hour delay Bloomfield: Delay Bloomingdale: Closed Bogota: Delayed Butler: Closed Cliffside Park: 10 a.m. start Clifton: Delayed Closter: Delayed Cresskill: Delayed Demarest: …
Police & Fire
Reward Offered In Hit-Run That Left Halloween Trick-Or-Treaters Seriously Hurt
Authorities in North Plainfield are offering a $1,000 reward for a hit-and-run crash that occurred on Halloween night that left two pedestrians seriously injured. The cash will be given to anyone who has information leading to an arrest for the person responsible for hitting the 7-year-old boy and 21-year-old woman at Mountain Avenue and Jeffries Place around 6:20 p.m., Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Both victims were transported to an area trauma center for serious non-life-threatening injuries. Detectives from the North Plainfield Police Department Detective Burea…
Police & Fire
NJ Man Who Sexually Assaulted 9-Year-Old Captured Trying To Board Flight: Prosecutor
A 39-year-old Somerset County man was arrested for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl while boarding a flight from Chicago to Utah, authorities said. The alleged victim told a detective with the prosecutor's office that she had been sexually assaulted by Fabian Osuna-Vargas on Oct. 19 in North Plainfield, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Two days later, Osuna-Vargas was getting on a flight from Chicago, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah on Oct. 21 when he was captured, McDonald said. He was charged with aggravated sex assault and child endangerment. Osuna-Varga…
Police & Fire
Child, Adult Pedestrians Seriously Hurt In Halloween Hit-Run: Police
A child and adult were hospitalized with serious injuries in a Halloween Night hit-and-run in North Plainfield, authorities said. The 7-year-old boy and 21-year-old woman were struck on Mountain Road and Jeffery Street just after 6:22 p.m., Police Capt. Alan McKay said. Both were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, where one victim was admitted, McKay said. Witnesses described the suspect vehicle as a gold or black sedan.
Police & Fire
Murder
: North Plainfield Man Charged In Newark Man's Killing
A pair of men have been charged with murder in a Jersey City shooting that left one man dead in June, authorities announced. Quadre Domnie, 21, of Jersey City, and Jekhi Wade, 19, of North Plainfield, are responsible for killing Kyle Howard, 34, of Newark, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Domnie and Wade shot Howard around 11:15 p.m. on Forrest Street and MLK Drive on Sunday, June 12, Suarez said. Howard was rushed to the hospital in a private car and later died. Both were arrested without incident on Monday, July 25, 2022 near Cator and Rose avenues in Jersey City. Domnie and …
Police & Fire
Man Shot At North Plainfield House Party
A 20-year-old New Jersey man was shot during a house party Friday, July 8, authorities said. The victim was one of the dozens of guests at a party somewhere near Arnold Avenue when authorities found him at Vermeule Park in North Plainfield suffering a gunshot wound to his upper body around 10:45 p.m., Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Officers and responding Emergency Medical Personnel tended to the shooting victim who was treated at an undisclosed area hospital for a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Authorities are attempting to determine the motive for the shootin…
Police & Fire
US Marshals Nab 3rd Suspect From NJ Murder Case In North Carolina, Prosecutor Says
A third suspect wanted in a New Jersey murder case was nabbed by US Marshals agents in North Carolina, authorities said. Jose Branch, of Plainfield, was tracked down in Raleigh in connection with the March 1 shooting death of Steve Camino in North Plainfield, Acting Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said. He was charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and extradited from North Carolina to Somerset County on Tuesday, April 19, Taggart said. Branch was jailed pending a detention hearing. Kenneth Hill, 21 of Plainfield, and Daniel Carrera-Cardona, 22, of Piscataway, wer…
Police & Fire
2 Nabbed In Deadly Shooting Of Somerset County Man, Prosecutor Says
Two suspects have been charged in connection with the deadly shooting of a Somerset County man earlier this month, authorities said. Kenneth Hill, of Plainfield, and Daniel Carrera Cardona, of Piscataway, are charged with first-degree murder and other offenses in the homicide of Steve J. Camino, 26, of North Plainfield, Acting Somerset County Prosecutor Thomas Chirichella said alongside other county officials. Camino was found wounded as officers responded to the shooting report near Grove Street and Prospect Place in North Plainfield just after 9:35 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, Chir…
News
Victims Of Deadly Edison Crash Identified
Authorities have released the names of the victims killed in an Edison crash. Ziyad Elsaedi, 21, of North Plainfield, was heading southbound in Route 1 when he struck a tree at Jeff Street around 10:15 p.m., on Feb. 6, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan said. Meyvelin Nunez-Lopez, 19, of Plainfield — who was in the front passenger seat — died. Two other passengers were critically injured, authorities said. A GoFundMe page for her family had raised more than $1,300 as of Feb. 12. The investigation is active and continuing. Anyone…
Police & Fire
Authorities ID Teen, Man Dead In North Plainfield Triple Shooting
Authorities have identified the teen boy and man killed in a triple North Plainfield shooting last week. Christian Orellana, 31, and Steven Jimenez, 14 -- who live together in Plainfield -- were sitting on a front porch of the Malcolm Gardens Apartment Complex on Little Place with an unidentified 28-year-old man when all three were shot around 8:05 p.m. last Friday, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. The Medical Examiner has classified both deaths as a homicide, while third shooting victim remains in critical condition at an undisclosed trauma center. Jim…
Police & Fire
Authorities ID Teen, Man Dead In North Plainfield Triple Shooting
Authorities have identified the teen boy and man killed in a triple North Plainfield shooting last week. Christian Orellana, 31, and Steven Jimenez, 14 -- who live together in Plainfield -- were sitting on a front porch of the Malcolm Gardens Apartment Complex on Little Place with an unidentified 28-year-old man when all three were shot around 8:05 p.m. last Friday, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. The Medical Examiner has classified both deaths as a homicide, while third shooting victim remains in critical condition at an undisclosed trauma center. Jim…
Police & Fire
PA Trio Charged With Attempted Murder In Shooting Of NJ Motorcyclist On I-287
Three Pennsylvania men were charged in a drive-by shooting on Interstate 287 in New Jersey that injured a motorcyclist over the weekend, authorities said. Matthew Plaza, 32, of Allentown; Luis Velez, 37, of Bethlehem; and Raymond Bethancourt, 35, of Shillington have been arrested on various weapons charges while Plaza is also facing a charge of attempted murder, New Jersey State Police said. Troopers from the Somerville Station responded to Chimney Rock Road in Bridgewater, where the motorcyclist had called 911 saying another driver brandished a gun and shot him on the highway around 6:40 p…
Police & Fire
Weekend Fire Torches North Plainfield Building
A fire broke out Saturday at a North Plainfield business. The blaze broke out around 2:20 p.m. at a 2-story building, located at 75 Watchung Avenue. Posted by Finderne Fire Department on Sunday, May 2, 2021 Photos from the scene shows smoke billowing from the upper level. Crews remained at the scene for nearly two hours. The cause remains under investigation.
News
NJ Releases Hate Crime Totals By Town, Race, More: Guess Which County Had The Most
Nearly 40% of all hate crimes reported in New Jersey last year were against Blacks, more than the combined total against whites, Jews, Latinos and Muslims, according to State Police crime figures released Tuesday. The town with the most reported bias incidents in 2020 was Lakewood, the figures show. More than half of all reported bias incidents in New Jersey last year involved straight harassment, as opposed to vandalism and other related crimes. More than 13% occurred at schools, parks or playgrounds. The county with the most, overall, was Monmouth. The preliminary data released Tuesday…
Police & Fire
NJ Dad Charged With Attempted Murder Of 2-Year-Old Daughter At Motel
A New Jersey dad has been charged with first degree attempted murder after surveillance tapes caught him putting his 2-year-old daughter in a plastic bag and carrying her through a New Jersey motel, authorities said. North Plainfield police responded to a Route 22 motel on reports of a baby inside of a bag around 12:40 p.m. on Jan. 23, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. There, they found a man later identified as Lamar S. Waller -- the girl's dad -- holding his child, Robertson said alongside Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W.…
Police & Fire
NJ Man Charged With Attempted Murder In Motel Stabbing
A 49-year-old North Plainfield man has been charged with attempted murder in an early-morning motel stabbing that left the victim critically injured, authorities said Wednesday. Police responding to a motel around 4:50 a.m. on Jan. 12 found a 55-year-old North Plainfield resident with multiple stab wounds, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. Responding officers and medical personnel began life saving measures at the scene and the victim was transported to a nearby trauma hospital for emergency treatment, Robertson said. The suspect was found in a hotel room and ident…
Police & Fire
Man, 19, Critical In Bound Brook Hit-Run
Authorities in Somerset County are investigating a hit-and-run that seriously injured a 19-year-old man. The Bound Brook man was struck while crossing West Union Avenue from the south side to the north side when he was struck by an east bound vehicle in the inner eastbound lane around 10:35 p.m. Saturday, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. The driver fled the scene, Robertson said. The victim was treated at the scene then taken to an area hospital, where he was listed stable condition as of Tuesday, authorities said. On Sunday night, concerned citizens de…
Police & Fire
Citizens Detain Man, 20, Accused Of Slamming Victim With SUV In North Plainfield Dispute
Concerned citizens detained a Plainfield man who chased after a victim in his SUV and hit him, leaving him critical, during a dispute overnight in North Plainfield, authorities said Monday. Emilio J. Liranzomercedes, of Plainfield, was charged with aggravated assault, assault by auto and a disorderly persons for the underage consumption of alcohol, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. Liranzomercedes had gotten into an argument with the 21-year-old victim when tried hitting him with his 2011 GMC Acadia on the 400 block of Somerset Street around 1:15 a.m., Rob…
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: North Plainfield EMS Captain Stole $10K From Disbanded Squad
A 32-year-old EMT was charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the North Plainfield Rescue Squad, years after it had been disbanded, authorities said Wednesday. Former squad captain Larry D. Lee, 32, was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with third-degree theft by deception, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson. "We are aware of the allegations and they are just that, allegations. Mr. Lee had a role in winding down a volunteer organization and acted on the advice and recommendations of professionals," his lawyer James A. Abate said. "I am confident that Mr. Le…
Police & Fire
Former Union County School Janitor Admits Driving To NY For Sex With 13-Year-Old Girl
A former school custodian from Union County is heading to federal prison after admitting he drove to upstate New York after planning on having sex with a 13-year-old girl, federal authorities in New York said. As part of his guilty plea, Recep Sandikci, 46, of North Plainfield, said Friday he sent the girl sexually explicit images over a cell phone app in the days leading up to his drive to Albany on Aug. 6, 2019, Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and FBI Special Agent in charge of the Albany field officer Thomas F. Relford said. Sandikci was arrested by the FBI just af…
Lifestyle
Community Helps North Plainfield Couple Rebuild After Home Destroyed By Arsonist
The community is rallying for an engaged North Plainfield couple whose home under construction was destroyed by an arsonist. Mike Carroccia, 25, and his fiancé, Taylor Miller, 24, awoke to a phone call from a neighbor shortly before 3 a.m. on May 27, with some devastating news. “Your house is on fire -- the roof just collapsed and your front door has fallen down,” the neighbor told them. Mike and Taylor immediately jumped out of bed and ran out the door to check on the state of the home, and they couldn’t believe their eyes. “Watching the firefighters, seeing our neighbors homes catch fir…
Police & Fire
Update
: Arsonist Charged In North Plainfield Fire That Burned Through 3 Houses
A 26-year-old North Plainfield man has been charged with setting a fire that burned down three houses -- one of which was under construction. Jonathan Davies, 26, was arrested following an investigation into the early-morning Wednesday blaze, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson and Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and North Plainfield Chief of Police William Parenti said Thursday. Police and fire companies from several towns responded to the three-alarm blaze on Maple Avenue around 2:40 a.m., Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Rober…
Police & Fire
Covid-
19: NY Man Wanted In Ramapo, Mahwah Drug Thefts Coughs On Montvale Officers, Police Say
One of three people wanted for swiping $5,000 worth of allergy medicine from CVS stores in Mahwah and Ramapo claimed he had COVID-19 while repeatedly coughing on the Montvale police officers who captured them, authorities said Wednesday. He also gouged the paint on a police vehicle with his handcuffs, they said. Officer John Guico was at the CVS on Chestnut Ridge Road around 4 p.m. Tuesday when he spotted a vehicle described in an alert issued by Ramapo police shortly after a theft at one of their stores, Montvale Police Chief Joseph Sanfilippo said. Police arrested the trio, identified as…
Police & Fire
Know
Anything
? 2 Injured In Somerset County House Fire
Authorities in Somerset County are investigating a fire in North Plainfield that displaced and injured two residents -- one of who is critical but stable, police said. North Plainfield Fire Department and North Plainfield Police responded to a report of a residential fire on Grove Street shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 12, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said in a joint release. Two men were injured in the three-alarm blaze and were taken to an undisclosed trauma center where one remains in critical condition, authorities said. Fire crews from Somerset (North Plainfield,…
Police & Fire
Police: Elizabeth Driver Fatally Hits Somerset County Highway Pedestrian
A 33-year-old North Plainfield man was fatally struck while crossing Route 22, authorities said. Franklin Caiza was walking across the highway at West End Avenue southbound when he was hit by an eastbound vehicle around 9:55 p.m. Saturday, North Plainfield Police Chief William Parenti said. The vehicle was being operated by a 54-year-old Elizabeth man, police said. The North Plainfield Fire Department and JFK Paramedics responded. Anyone with information is urged to contact the North Plainfield Police Department at 908-769-2937, and request to speak to Traffic Safety Sergeant K…
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