New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America
New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America A Monmouth County cocktail bar picked up another national recognition after just one year of serving specialty drinks. Esquire named La Otra in Aberdeen Township on its list of 42 Best Bars in America for 2024. The bar is next to its sister restaurant Lita on Route 34, and both businesses are run by chef David Viana and his girlfriend Neilly Robinson. Bar manager Ricardo Rodriguez has a more "free-wheeling" approach to mixology at La Otra, compared to the Iberian classics at Lita. "Like the best bars attached to restaurants, the drinks are on the culinary side, such as the Tzatziki, which …
Three Children Ejected From SUV With 11 Passengers In Garden State Parkway Crash: Police Three Children Ejected From SUV With 11 Passengers In Garden State Parkway Crash: Police
Three Children Ejected From SUV With 11 Passengers In Garden State Parkway Crash: Police Ten children were hospitalized, including a seriously injured toddler, after an SUV crashed on the Garden State Parkway in Monmouth County, authorities said. A state police spokesperson said troopers responded to the wreck at around 3:56 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. The crash happened in the southbound lanes near milepost 114.8 in Holmdel. Investigators said a front-seat passenger and 10 children were riding in a Subaru Forester when it hit a metal guardrail and overturned. Three of the children were ejected from the SUV. A two-year-old girl was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries. A 34-…
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 25-year-old ex-con from Trenton who’s already served 2½ years in state prison is headed to federal prison for 16 more for a string of gunpoint carjackings and robberies. Joshua M. Perez was one of three armed robbers who commited a Oct. 10 carjacking, another on Dec. 5 and the robbery later than second night of a local gas station, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Surveillance cameras captured video of Perez and two other robbers emerging from a sedan, pointing handguns at occupants of another vehicle, Sellinger said. They then fled with money and cellphones in the victims…
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A once-prominent New Jersey lawyer must spend the next 4½ years in federal prison for swindling a family he represented out of $2 million -- and then, while on pre-trial release, impersonating another attorney in applying for a loan. The family had retained James R. Lisa, 68, of Jersey City, to gather millions that had been moved into offshore bank accounts by relatives decades ago and to resolve any tax issues that arose as a result, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Soon after being retained, Lisa moved more than $6 million back into the United States but told the famil…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…
NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release
NO Choice: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: There’s no trying to present a defense in court when the prosecutors have a video of you shooting someone, as well as the loaded gun you were carrying when they arrested you. So Ex-con Antoine Hawkins, 31, of Newark, took a deal from the government and was formally sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Friday, May 31, for shooting two victims five days apart in the Brick City in August 2020. Hawkins must serve no less than 10 years of his plea-bargained sentence before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Surveillance video…
Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark
Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark A local man was seized when he tried to bring not only a loaded gun but also two magazines onto a flight at Newark Airport over the holiday weekend, authorities said. A TSA officer detected the 9mm handgun and the 30 rounds of ammo at they passed through a Terminal A security checkpoint X-ray machine in the Newark resident's carry-on bag on Saturday, May 25, the Transportation Security Administration's Lisa Farbstein said. Port Authority police were summoned and seized the gun, ammo and traveler, she said. In addition to criminal charges, he faces up to $15,000 in civil penalties, she said…
Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out
Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out An out-of-state man admitted collecting 13 pounds of fentanyl at a warehouse in Secaucus, authorities said. Unidentified individuals loaded boxes filled with powder and more than 20,000 pills containing fentanyl into a vehicle driven by Jose Luis Pineda Torres, 48, of Washington State on Feb. 15, 2023, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. DEA agents subsequently charged Torres with possessing fentanyl for sale. Torres took a deal from the government, pleading guilty to the charge in U.S. District Court in Newark. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 29. Sellinger cred…
Movie Filming In NJ Casting Soldiers, Topless Woman Movie Filming In NJ Casting Soldiers, Topless Woman
Movie Filming In NJ Casting Soldiers, Topless Woman A feature film shooting in New Jersey throughout the summer is casting a variety of paid roles. "Retrograde Victory" is about  a young man who finds new importance in life after the psychological toll inflicted on himself while being inducted to the Vietnam war, the casting call reads. The director and producer is M.J. Walker of Superion Films.  Actors are needed to play a young solder age 7 to 12; a mourning woman 25 to 40; an M60 solder ages 18 to 25; a variety of other solders; and a topless woman. Roles pay between $100 and $150 for one hour of work. The casting call say…
NJ OnlyFans Model Who Flashed New York-Dublin Portal Slams Internet Trolls NJ OnlyFans Model Who Flashed New York-Dublin Portal Slams Internet Trolls
NJ OnlyFans Model Who Flashed New York-Dublin Portal Slams Internet Trolls A New Jersey OnlyFans model who credits herself with getting the New York-Dublin portal shut down is being slammed for it, but she doesn't seem to mind. Ava Louise made international headlines earlier this month after flashing Dubliners at the Flatiron South Public Plaza portal. She later bragged on Instagram that she "got the portal from New York City to Dublin shut down." "I thought the people of Dublin deserved to see my two, home-grown, New York potatoes," she said in the video. Since then, Ava Louise — whose Facebook profile says she lives in Newark and graduated from Rutgers Universi…
Chilean Ring Used NJ Digs To Stash Loot From Home Burglaries In NY, MD, Elsewhere: Feds Chilean Ring Used NJ Digs To Stash Loot From Home Burglaries In NY, MD, Elsewhere: Feds
Chilean Ring Used NJ Digs To Stash Loot From Home Burglaries In NY, MD, Elsewhere: Feds Six Chilean nationals who burglarized homes in multiple states were recorded on video stashing a huge safe and other items stolen in the break-ins in a Jersey City apartment building, authorities said. The crew took pearl necklaces, diamond earrings, a distinctive high school “state champions” ring, and other jewelry during the burglary of a Westchester County, NY, residence in late March, an FBI complaint says. The same burglars struck again in Baltimore County, MD, in mid-April, taking luxury timepieces, distinctive cufflinks, and a safe that contained a collection of rare coins, the comp…
Downed Lines Disrupt Amtrak, NJ Transit Service Between NJ, Penn Station Downed Lines Disrupt Amtrak, NJ Transit Service Between NJ, Penn Station
Downed Lines Disrupt Amtrak, NJ Transit Service Between NJ, Penn Station It's certainly not convenient. Amtrak and NJ Transit customers were livid over service disruptions between Penn Station and Newark due to downed power lines blocking the tracks on Wednesday evening, May 22. In a statement posted to X, Amtrak said service was stopped at 5:36 p.m. with no estimation of restoration. As of 10 p.m., widespread delays were being reported by Amtrak. Service along NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor was also suspended between Penn Station and Metropark in Edison, and along the North Jersey Coast Line between Penn Station, and Long Branch. The Raritan Valley Line was s…