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Police & Fire
TV Producer From NJ Found With Child Porn, Secretly Filmed Adult Victim: Officials TV Producer From NJ Found With Child Porn, Secretly Filmed Adult Victim: Officials
TV Producer From NJ Found With Child Porn, Secretly Filmed Adult Victim: Officials A 50-year-old man from a wealthy Bergen County town has been arrested on accusations that he secretly filmed a person in various states of undress and was found with child porn, authorities said. Brian C. Saracusa, of Wyckoff, photographed and recorded an adult on multiple occasions and in "various states of undress" without their consent or knowledge, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He was also found with child pornography, the prosecutor said. Saracusa's Instagram bio reads "I make TV and babies." His LinkedIn shows he is a TV producer who has worked on projects for …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Former Hudson County Superintendent Stole $250K: Prosecutor Former Hudson County Superintendent Stole $250K: Prosecutor
Former Hudson County Superintendent Stole $250K: Prosecutor A 58-year-old former  Hudson County Superintendent of Weights and Measures stole $250,000 for his own personal gain, authorities announced Tuesday, July 14. Frank Alonso, a Union City resident, is charged with three counts of official misconduct and multiple theft offenses, Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello said. Between January 2024 and January 2026, Alonso diverted funds intended for the Hudson Regional Health Commission, the Office of Weights and Measures, and the New Jersey Weights and Measures Association into accounts he used for personal gain, Mello said.  In …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Clifton Dirt Bike Chase Ended Before It Really Began: Police Clifton Dirt Bike Chase Ended Before It Really Began: Police
Clifton Dirt Bike Chase Ended Before It Really Began: Police A Clifton man accused of trying to flee from police on an unregistered dirt bike saw his getaway end almost as soon as it began, authorities said. Officer Michael McNally was patrolling in a marked Clifton Police vehicle at approximately 2:25 a.m. on Monday, July 12, when a man riding a red Honda CRF450 dirt bike with no visible registration passed his patrol car on the left in a no-passing zone while traveling south on Central Avenue at Clifton Avenue, Lt. Robert Anderson said. McNally activated his emergency lights and sirens to stop the motorcycle, but the rider accelerated south on Cent…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Friends of Wrong Way NJ Driver Killed In Crash Start GoFundMe Friends of Wrong Way NJ Driver Killed In Crash Start GoFundMe
Friends of Wrong Way NJ Driver Killed In Crash Start GoFundMe Favian Cruz, a 24-year-old Bridgeton resident, was driving the wrong way on Route 55 when he was killed in a car crash on Monday, July 13. "This sudden loss has left their family facing not only unimaginable grief, but also the unexpected financial burden of funeral and memorial expenses," Gisel Gonzalez, who organized a GoFundMe wrote.  "The community are coming together to support the family and honor the memory of a life that touched so many." At 10:30 p.m., Cruz was operating a Ram pickup truck north in the southbound lanes on Route 55 in Mantua Township when he collided with a Vol…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Months Of 23 Missing Honda SUVs Led SWAT Teams To 2 Men: Cops Months Of 23 Missing Honda SUVs Led SWAT Teams To 2 Men: Cops
Months Of 23 Missing Honda SUVs Led SWAT Teams To 2 Men: Cops A three-month investigation into a string of stolen Honda CR-Vs in Clifton led police to what authorities say was an organized auto theft ring responsible for stealing at least 23 Honda and Acura vehicles across North Jersey. The investigation began on Wednesday, April 1, after Clifton Police Detective Nicholas Garruto identified a pattern of vehicle thefts in the city, Lt. Robert Anderson said. The group used stolen or fictitious license plates, stolen "trail vehicles" to travel to target locations, and key-programming devices to steal Honda and Acura vehicles, according to Anderson. …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NJ Daycare Owner Gave Melatonin To Toddlers Without Parents' OK: Prosecutor NJ Daycare Owner Gave Melatonin To Toddlers Without Parents' OK: Prosecutor
NJ Daycare Owner Gave Melatonin To Toddlers Without Parents' OK: Prosecutor A New Jersey daycare owner has been charged after prosecutors say she gave melatonin to two young children without their parents' consent. The Dunellen Police Department received a report on Friday, July 10, that the owner of Precious Gifts Daycare in Dunellen had administered melatonin to two children, ages 2 and 4, Middlesex County Prosecutor Linda Estremera and Dunellen Police Chief Dan Smith said. Investigators identified the daycare owner as Cheryl Ambicki, 57, of Middlesex, who had administered melatonin to the children, as initially reported to investigators, Estremera and Smith said…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man Electrocuted, Killed On NJ Transit Tracks, Officials Say Man Electrocuted, Killed On NJ Transit Tracks, Officials Say
Man Electrocuted, Killed On NJ Transit Tracks, Officials Say A man died after coming into contact with an electrified NJ Transit catenary wire in Newark early Tuesday, July 14, authorities said. New Jersey Transit Police were alerted by local EMS to an unresponsive adult man lying on the tracks near the Bathgate Place and 7th Avenue bridge crossing at approximately 2:25 a.m., NJ Transit spokesman Kyalo Mulumba said. Police and EMS responded to the scene and determined the man had died after coming into contact with a catenary wire, Mulumba said. A preliminary investigation indicates the man, who was trespassing on the tracks, was not s…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Motorcyclist 'Bunny Bear' Wasn't Speeding In Deadly Wildwood Crash, Family Told Motorcyclist 'Bunny Bear' Wasn't Speeding In Deadly Wildwood Crash, Family Told
Motorcyclist 'Bunny Bear' Wasn't Speeding In Deadly Wildwood Crash, Family Told After initial reports claimed that a popular Wildwood motorcyclist was traveling about 100 mph before the crash that killed him, his family says they have since been told he was not speeding. Brandon Vega, aka "Bunny Bear," 26, of Wildwood, was traveling about 50 mph and was not at fault, according to Ryan Vega. The crash happened on Route 47 near the Wildwood Welcome Center just after midnight Friday, July 10 (early Saturday morning). One other vehicle is believed to have been involved in the collision, according to photos and witnesses from the scene. The Lower Township Police Depart…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Paterson Woman Learns Fate After Drugs Lead To Deadly OD: Hunterdon County Prosecutor Paterson Woman Learns Fate After Drugs Lead To Deadly OD: Hunterdon County Prosecutor
Paterson Woman Learns Fate After Drugs Lead To Deadly OD: Hunterdon County Prosecutor A 29-year-old Paterson woman was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday, July 10, for supplying drugs that led to a fatal overdose, authorities said. Shaneshea Cooper had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in May, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson said.  On Thursday, July 24, Joseph Callari died from a drug overdose in Clinton Township after Cooper gave him narcotics, Robeson said.  Callari was remembered for his love of the outdoors, according to his obituary from the Wright and Ford Funeral Home website. He was at his happiest hunting, fishing, camping…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Massive Meth Distributor Busted In Ocean County: Police Massive Meth Distributor Busted In Ocean County: Police
Massive Meth Distributor Busted In Ocean County: Police More than 800 grams of meth were seized and two people arrested following a monthslong investigation in Brick, authorities announced Monday, July 13. An investigation into the distribution of illegal narcotics in Ocean County identified Michael Casey, a 59-year-old Toms River resident, as a large-scale methamphetamine dealer, Brick police said. Casey was arrested after being under police surveillance, police said. Multiple search warrants were executed which led to the seizure of 800 grams of methamphetamine, a digital money counter, psilocybin mushrooms, drug packaging material to inc…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Girl Slapped In NJ Boardwalk Fight Over Patriotic Sweatpants: Police Girl Slapped In NJ Boardwalk Fight Over Patriotic Sweatpants: Police
Girl Slapped In NJ Boardwalk Fight Over Patriotic Sweatpants: Police A 33-year-old New Jersey woman has been arrested after police say she slapped a girl during an argument over patriotic sweatpants with political wording on a Jersey Shore boardwalk on Friday, July 3 Kaitlyn Tracey was captured on video striking the girl once in the body and once in the face with an open hand following the argument, Point Pleasant police said. Tracey left the scene before officers could identify her, police said. Tracey was identified as the assailant on Monday, July 6, and she was charged with simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, harassment, and obstruction, …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Cause Identified In Audi Explosion That Damaged Homes In NJ Neighborhood: Cops Cause Identified In Audi Explosion That Damaged Homes In NJ Neighborhood: Cops
Cause Identified In Audi Explosion That Damaged Homes In NJ Neighborhood: Cops A vehicle explosion damaged several homes and injured a 28-year-old man in a Totowa neighborhood early Monday, July 13, authorities said. Totowa police got a 911 call reporting the explosion on Congressional Lane in the Hickory Hill development at approximately 5:30 a.m., police said. Officers found a vehicle with significant damage from an apparent explosion and a 28-year-old man who had been inside the vehicle at the time. He was able to get out on his own before being taken to a local hospital for treatment and observation, according to police. Footage from News 12 shows a black Audi wit…

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by Cecilia Levine