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Wayne Driver Guilty In Hit-Run That Left Pedestrian Seriously Hurt
A Wayne man who struck a pedestrian, crashed into a home, fled with his pit bull, and then falsely reported his vehicle stolen has been found guilty by a Passaic County jury, prosecutors announced.
Nicholas Perota, 23, of Wayne, was convicted on Thursday, May 28 of second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, fourth-degree assault by auto, and fourth-degree false reports to law enforcement, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes.
The case stemmed from a Sept. 9, 2023 crash on Mountainview Boulevard in Wayne, where pol…
Big League Lie: Man Claimed MLB Career While Scamming Women, Dodging Sex Offender Registry: DOJ
He said he was going pro in baseball — but what he really went pro in was lying, scamming, and disappearing from the sex offender registry, prosecutors in Virginia say.
Now, he's going to prison.
A Roanoke man who told women he was a Major League Baseball prospect, forged six-figure checks, used burner phones to impersonate team officials, and failed to register as a sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year, federal officials announced.
Now, Janike Dunbar Holt — a man who goes by many names — has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Holt, 29 — also known as…
Murder-For-Hire Plot Targeting NJ Prosecutor, Judges: PA Bowling Alley Owner Convicted
A Pennsylvania man has been convicted of conspiring to kill multiple New Jersey government officials in a murder-for-hire plot, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Stephen Smink, 62, of Philadelphia, was found guilty on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, of conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to transport weapons, and transporting weapons after a trial in Atlantic County.
Smink targeted Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, First Assistant Prosecutor Harold Shapiro, two Superior Court judges, and an assistant p…
Luigi Mangione Musical Is Real, And It's Sold Out
A new musical rooted in true crime and real-world headlines is making waves for its surreal premise — and stranger backstory.
The creators of Luigi The Musical, which centers on controversial figure Luigi Mangione, say it will offer a unique blend of comedy and social critique, distancing itself from any glorification of violence.
It will premiere on Friday, June 13, in San Francisco, at the Taylor Street Theater. Tickets for all five of its initial performances are sold out, with new dates expected to be announced, according to the show’s website.
Mangione, a 27-year-old Maryland native, …
Motel Murderer Claims Woman He Killed Is Alive, Gets Max 40 Years
A New York native who claimed his victim was still alive has been sentenced to the maximum prison term for beating her to death in a Luzerne County motel room, authorities announced.
Joseph Alan Sarmiento, 40, of Quakertown, was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison on Thursday, May 1, for the third-degree murder of Helena Johnson, 38, of Massachusetts, according to Attorney General Dave Sunday.
Sarmiento had been staying with Johnson at the Red Carpet Inn on North Church Street in Hazle Township in June 2021 when, investigators say, he fatally beat her and left her body in the bathtu…
Newark Man Guilty Of Stabbing Victim 10 Times: Prosecutor
A 34-year-old Newark man was convicted on Friday, April 4 of stabbing a man in East Orange 10 times, authorities said.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Dwayne Barbour waited for Daren Brooks, 31, with a knife at an address in East Orange and ambushed him upon arrival, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said. Brooks ran down the street to escape the attack and the defendant followed, stabbing him over 10 times, Stephens said.
Barbour was convicted of aggravated assault and weapons charges following a three week trial, Stephens said. He faces five to 10 years in prison, Stephens said…
Grieving NJ Mother Hopes Cancer Won't Kill Her Before Daughter's Murder Trial Begins
“Mommy, tomorrow is going to be the most painful day of your life, and then it’s going to get better.”
That’s what Maryrose Fealey told her mother, Janet Pizzelli, on Jan. 30, 2024, the day before Pizzelli was set to begin chemotherapy for breast cancer.
“Well, she was wrong,” Pizzelli said of her daughter’s words. “It didn’t get better.”
It got worse.
That same night, Maryrose was stabbed to death by David Shroitman, who followed her home from the gym and killed her in her vehicle, prosecutors said.
David Shroitman
Somerset County Prosecutor's Office
More than a year later, Pizz…
NJ Police Chief Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Employee At Work: AG
A Somerset County police chief was convicted of sexual misconduct toward his subordinates while on duty on Thursday, Feb. 13, authorities said.
Thomas Herbst, a 57-year-old Bridgewater chief and former police chief in Manville was convicted of official misconduct, sexual assault and criminal sexual contact, authorities said, State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
Herbst groped, exposed himself to and sexually harassed an employee, later violently sexually assaulting her, with the attack taking place while he and the victim were at police headquarters, Platkin said. The misconduc…
NJ 'Hot Shot' Murderess Found Dead In PA Prison Cell 3 Days After Probation Violation Arrest
A New Jersey woman convicted of murder, who admitted to injecting a man with a fatal mix of cocaine and bleach, was found dead in her cell at the State Correctional Institution at Muncy, officials announced.
Lisa Marie Stavish, 41, a Passaic, NJ native, was discovered unresponsive in her cell on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, according to Wendy Nicholas, superintendent of SCI Muncy. Prison staff attempted life-saving measures until emergency responders arrived, but Stavish was pronounced dead at 6:07 a.m.
Stavish was serving a 7-to-20-year sentence for third-degree murder in the death of David…
Inmate Serving 43-Year Sentence Dies In Newark Prison After Encounter With Officer, AG Says
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is investigating the death of a Northern State Prison inmate who died following an encounter with correctional police officers earlier this month, authorities said.
David Silva, 46, was involved in an encounter with officers on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at the Newark prison, the AG's office said Monday, Dec. 16. Silva was later pronounced dead at a hospital on Thursday, Dec. 12, officials confirmed.
The names of the involved officers are not being released, and no further details have been provided as the investigation remains ongoing.
Records show Sil…
NJ Apartment Association Bookkeeper Who Stole $357K Learns Prison Sentence
A former bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for stealing $357,250 from the organization, authorities said.
Karly Simon-Sapp, 50, of Plumsted Township, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to five years New Jersey State Prison and ordered to pay $357,520 in restitution, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. She previously had pleaded guilty to theft.
Between January 2016 and January 2022, Simon-Sapp, in her capacity as a bookkeeper for the New Jersey Apartment Association, forged the …
Two Men Robbed Postal Carrier At Gunpoint In Newark: Feds
Two men were arrested and charged on Thursday, Sept. 19 with robbing a mail carrier at gunpoint in Newark in November 2022, authorities said.
On Nov. 28, 2022, Eddie Tyree James White, a 26-year-old Delaware resident, approached a USPS mail carrier while she was in her USPS vehicle in Newark, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said.
White displayed a firearm in his waistband and demanded the mail carrier’s arrow key, a master key used by USPS to access various mail receptacles, Sellinger said. The mail carrier gave the key to White, who fled on foot, Sellinger said. James Hammond-Smith, a …
Three Sentenced In Fatal Shooting Of Jersey City Teen: Prosecutor
Three Jersey City residents were sentenced on Friday, July 19, to lengthy prison terms for their roles in a fatal 2018 shooting of a 17-year-old Jersey City boy, authorities said.
Rayquan Carmichael, 23, was sentenced to 40 years in state prison for murder, while Isaiah Huggins, 24, was sentenced to 42 years in state prison for murder, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The two were convicted back in March, Suarez sad.
Carmichael was already serving time in prison on unrelated weapons and burglary charges, Suarez said. Jahmari Hector, 21, was sentenced to six years in prison for c…
Essex County Correctional Officer Took Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates: Feds
A 36-year-old Jersey City resident and former Essex County correctional officer admitted on Wednesday, July 17, to accepting $14,000 in bribes to smuggle in tobacco and a cell phone to inmates, authorities said.
In January 2023, Efrin Wade, who worked at the jail for three years, began communicating with an individual whom he believed was seeking to smuggle in contraband to sell to other inmates, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said.
The individual was actually an undercover FBI agent, Sellinger said. Wade agreed to smuggle in tobacco and cell phones, prohibited for inmates at the facil…
