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Thursday, mar 20
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Law Enforcement
Police & Fire
8-Year-Old NJ Girl Foils Abduction By Stabbing Suspect With Pencil: Prosecutor
A man attempted to abduct an 8-year-old girl while she was walking to school in Berlin Township on the morning of Wednesday, March 19, authorities said. At 8:45 a.m.. the girl said an unknown man approached her from behind while she was walking to John F. Kennedy Elementary School at 228 Mt. Vernon Ave., Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Berlin Township Police Chief Louis Bordi said. The girl was able to fight off the suspect by stabbing him with a pencil before running to school, authorities said. The suspect is described as a Black man with dark skin and a dark bear…
News
Cops Cleared In Killing Of Najee Seabrooks, Popular Paterson Activist
A state grand jury has declined to file criminal charges against the Paterson police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Najee Seabrooks, a violence interventionist who was killed during a police standoff in March 2023, authorities said. The grand jury’s March 17 2025, decision came after reviewing witness statements, video evidence, autopsy reports, and ballistics analysis, according to the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). Seabrooks, 31, of Paterson, was a former high school basketball star and dedicated violence interventionist with the Paterson Heal…
Police & Fire
$620K In Fake Checks Found In Vehicle With NJ Plates During PA Traffic Stop: Police
A routine traffic stop in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, led to the discovery of a massive fraud operation involving hundreds of counterfeit checks worth more than $620,000, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Tuesday, March 18. Christopher Hayman, 29, and Tyree Holmes, 33, were pulled over by Eddystone police while driving a white Volvo with temporary New Jersey plates on Thursday, March 13, according to officials. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered approximately 200 fraudulent checks linked to scams in four states, along with stolen credit cards and fake IDs, police said. Investigator…
Police & Fire
Somerset Man Had 300 Child Porn Videos: Prosecutor
A 34-year-old Somerset man was arrested and charged on Friday, March 7, after he was found in possession of 300 child pornography videos, authorities said. Law enforcement began investigating Jared Kelly after receiving a tip from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., Somerset County Sheriff Darrin Russo, and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather said. A search warrant was executed at Kelly's resid…
Police & Fire
iPhone Detects DWI Rollover Crash, Passenger Seriously Hurt In Passaic County: Cops
A Butler man was charged with driving while intoxicated and assault by auto after flipping his Ford Explorer in a Bloomingdale crash that left his passenger seriously injured, police said. Eleazar Jimenezespinoza, 40, was arrested early Saturday, March 15, at 3:46 a.m. after officers responded to Union Avenue and Morse Lakes Road, where an overturned SUV was found in a wooded area, Bloomingdale Police Sgt. Sami Zeidan said. The crash was first detected by an Apple iPhone’s 9-1-1 alert system, bringing Sgt. Conrad Jimenez and Patrolman Zach Borell to the scene, Ziedan said. Jimenezespi…
Police & Fire
Masked Suspects Flee From Haledon Police, Triggering School Shelter-In-Place
A routine traffic stop turned into a police pursuit Friday afternoon, March 14, leading to a temporary shelter-in-place at Haledon Public School, authorities said. At 1:50 p.m., Officer Kris Duci spotted two males wearing ski masks on a motorized scooter near West Broadway and Cliff Street, police said in a news release. The scooter had no license plates, and neither suspect was wearing a helmet, the department said. When Officer Duci attempted a motor vehicle stop, the suspects sped off toward Cliff Court, police said. As the suspects ditched the scooter and fled on foot, they discarded s…
Police & Fire
NJ Councilman Threatened Tow Truck Driver With Firearm: Prosecutor
Kerry Coley, a councilman in the City of Orange Township was arrested and charged on Monday, March 10, after he displayed a gun at a tow truck driver last October, authorities said. On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Coley displayed the gun to a tow truck driver who was in the process of towing a vehicle owned by Coley's relative, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II and City of Orange Township Police Director Todd Warren said. Coley was released from the Essex County Correctional Facility on Tuesday and is ordered to have no contact with the victim and not possess any firearms, authorities…
Police & Fire
Video Shows Sword-Wielding Man Charge At Wayne Cops Before Being Shot: Prosecutor
Police have identified the Wayne man captured on newly-released bodycam footage coming down the stairway of his home with a long sword, prompting officers to fire their guns last month (scroll down for footage). On Friday, Feb. 14, Wayne police encountered Connor Darpino, 34, when they responded to a single-car crash, where he was identified as the driver, Passaic County Prosecutor Camila M. Valdes in a new update Wednesday, March 12. During that interaction, Darpino became argumentative and combative with officers, leading to his arrest and release from Wayne Police Headquarters after bein…
News
Bergen Prosecutor’s Lt. Faces 50-Count Indictment For Stealing Fentanyl, Heroin: AG
A Bergen County prosecutor’s office lieutenant is facing a 50-count indictment after allegedly stealing cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl from the evidence vault and depositing $600,000 in cash into his personal accounts, authorities said. A state grand jury in Trenton indicted Kevin T. Matthew, 48, of Cedar Grove, after an investigation revealed he had allegedly signed out narcotics from BCPO’s main evidence vault between January 2019 and November 2023, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday, March 12. Authorities said Matthew was not part of BCPO’s narcotics unit, but as a me…
Police & Fire
Man Fatally Stabbed In Long Branch, Two Men Charged: Prosecutor
Two men were arrested and charged after a 35-year-old man was fatally stabbed in Long Branch on Friday, March 7, authorities said. At 11:33 p.m., Long Branch police responded to a stabbing on the 200 block of Broadway and found Eren Kurkcu with multiple stab wounds, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said. Kurkcu was rushed to a local hospital for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, March 8, Santiago said. An investigation determined Nija Faust, 21 and Santana Rivera-Cosme, 20, both Long Branch residents, were responsible for the stabbing, Santiago said.…
Police & Fire
Major Fentanyl Bust: Dealer Jailed, Another On The Run In Ocean County, Prosecutor Says
A month-long narcotics investigation in Ocean County led to the arrests of three people accused of distributing cocaine and fentanyl-laced pills, authorities said. Detectives identified a Dock Avenue residence in Ocean Township (Waretown) as a stash house used by Joelene Leck, 31, of Waretown, to store and distribute illegal narcotics, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced. On Feb. 25, detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Ocean Township Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspector Service conducted surveillance on the residence an…
Police & Fire
South Toms River Man Strangled Wife With Belt, Charged With Murder: Prosecutor
A South Toms River man has been charged with murder after authorities say he killed his wife by strangling her with a belt, officials announced. Gustavo Juarez-Perez, 38, was arrested and charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with the death of his wife, 30-year-old Cheyanne Juarez, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. At 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025, officers from the South Toms River Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious female at a home on Hummel Driv…
News
FBI Probes Alleged Arson Fire At NJ Home Of Bayer Exec: Report
A suspicious fire that broke out at the New Jersey home of a pharmaceutical company executive earlier this week is under investigation by multiple agencies including the FBI, authorities said. Yahoo Finance was first to report the alleged attack on a Bayer executive March 4 in Morris County. The blaze broke out at a home on East Lane in Madison at approximately 7:30 that morning, according to Meghan Knab, a spokesperson for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. The fire was quickly extinguished by local firefighters and the home did not suffer significant damage. Knab could not confirmed t…
Police & Fire
Newark Officer Killed, Teen Charged In Double Shooting: Officials
Authorities have charged a 14-year-old male and detained five others in connection with the shootings of Newark police officers that left Joseph Azcona dead and another officer critical, officials said. Azcona, 26, a five-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, was killed in the line of duty during a shooting on Friday evening, March 7, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. Another officer remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. His name has not been released. A spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed that two officers w…
Police & Fire
Breaking
: Two Newark Police Officers Shot, Prosecutor Says
Two Newark police officers were shot in the city on Friday evening, March 7, authorities said. UPDATE: Teen In Custody After Killing Newark Officer Joseph Azcona, Wounding Colleague, Officials Say One of the officers was killed while the other was left critical, officials said. A spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office only confirmed that two officers were shot just after 6:35 p.m. near Broadway and Carteret, and that one was critical — declining to provide details on the other's condition. Both were rushed to University Hospital, where one remains in critical condition, off…
News
Search Intensifies For Missing PA Teen Enci Aubrey Wu, Last Seen In NJ, Feared Sex Trafficked
The search for missing Pennsylvania teen Enci Aubrey Wu has gained momentum as community members rally for more visibility and support in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to statements by her parents on Friday, March 7. Wu, 14, of Palmer Township, Easton, who goes by Aubrey, vanished after climbing out of a bathroom window at her home on Jan. 10, 2025. Investigators later confirmed she was seen in New Jersey and at a Wawa in Whitehall Township on Jan. 11, but she has not been located since. Her parents and volunteers have been tirelessly searching for her for nearly two months, p…
Police & Fire
Student Sexually Assaulted By NJ Teacher After Bonding Over 'Words With Friends': Complaint
A 45-year-old teacher at Manchester Township High School was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a student 13 years ago, according to a criminal complaint. The woman said she had a sexual relationship with Ryan Ramsay, a social studies teacher when she was a 17-year-old senior at the high school, authorities said. She started talking to Ramsay outside of school by messaging on "Words with Friends" in January 2012, authorities said. Their conversation soon became flirtatious and from February through the end of the school year, they had a sexual relationship, authorities said. Ram…
Police & Fire
Squatter Who Took Over Monmouth County Homes Escapes From Psych Hospital: Cops
Authorities are searching for a 39-year-old man who walked away from Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, months after being charged with squatting in two vacant homes and falsely claiming ownership, officials said. Markies Wells, who also goes by Messiah Law-Elbey, was last seen at 4:08 a.m. on Friday, March 7, wearing a green jumpsuit, according to Ewing Police. He is described as 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, with a full beard and dreadlocks, police said. Wells was accused of breaking into and illegally living in multiple homes in Monmouth County, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said. Kea…
Police & Fire
Victim ID'd In Fatal Neptune City Stabbing: Authorities
A 24-year-old Neptune Township man died on Wednesday, March 5 after being stabbed on Tuesday, March 4 in Neptune City, authorities said. At 11:31 p.m., Neptune City police responded to a stabbing on the 200 block of West Sylvania Avenue and found Kaylib Paul with stab wounds, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago and Neptune City Police Department Chief Matthew Quagliato said. Paul was taken to a nearby hospital where he died, authorities said. Me and my Nephew Kaylib Thanksgiving 2024....R.I.P Nephew Love you see you when I get there.😪😪😪 Posted by Frederick Ellis on Wednes…
Police & Fire
NJ Cop Hacked Women's Social Media Accounts, Shared Nude Photos: Prosecutor
A 25-year-old Mount Laurel police officer pleaded guilty to hacking multiple women's social media accounts and distributing their nude photos, authorities said. Ayron Taylor, a Moorestown resident faces 12 years in prison when he is sentenced in September, per the terms of a plea agreement, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw said. A woman contacted Evesham Township police in September 2022, to report her Snapchat and Facebook accounts had been hacked by an unknown person, Bradshaw said. The person then sent nude photos she had taken of herself to her Snapchat contacts, m…
Police & Fire
Hackensack Police Director Ray Guidetti Stepping Down, City Says
Hackensack Police Director Ray Gudietti is stepping down. The City of Hackensack made the announcement on Thursday, March 6. Guidetti said he will step down at the end of March. Guidetti's departure comes after "taking on a culture of corruption that had infected the Hackensack Police Department when he was appointed in 2022, and instituting major reforms with the goal of bringing the Department back to its rightful position as a premier law enforcement agency in Bergen County," the release says. Guidetti was appointed "after a storied law enforcement career to clean up a police department…
Police & Fire
23 People Arrested In Another Massive NJ Drug Bust: Fentanyl, Guns, Seized, Prosecutor Says
Twenty-three people including four women and 19 men from Bergen and Passaic counties have been arrested following a 10-month-long investigation into the distribution of cocaine and narcotics in Passaic County, authorities said. The 23 people were charged with various controlled dangerous substance offenses after an investigation that began last May, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes and numerous police chiefs said. Law enforcement in Wayne and Pompton Lakes began investigating after responding to complaints about the sale of cocaine in the area, Valdes said. The investigati…
Police & Fire
Abducted CT Toddler Found In Mexico 24 Years Later
A decades-old New Haven cold case has ended in an emotional reunion, thanks to a relentless detective, modern DNA testing, and a long trail of digital breadcrumbs. Andrea Reyes, who was abducted at the age of 2, has been found alive in Mexico, more than 24 years after she was taken by her mother, Rosa Tenorio, New Haven Police announced on Wednesday, March 5. Despite an active felony arrest warrant for Tenorio, she successfully evaded law enforcement for decades, allegedly taking her daughter across the border and raising her in Puebla, a city of over a million people. Her father, wh…
Police & Fire
Video Shows Officer Pulling Unconscious Driver From Burning Vehicle On Route 22
Newly released bodycam footage shows an officer running right toward a burning vehicle with an unconscious driver, and pulling him out of the car on Route 22 Wednesday, March 5. Footage released by the Bridgewater police department shows Officer Noah Allat arriving at the scene near the Thompson Avenue exit ramp at approximately 2:10 a.m., to find a man sitting on the curb holding his body, as a Hyundai Elantra and a 2007 Freightliner burned behind him. The man tells Allat he was a passenger in the sedan, but there was still an occupant inside, identified by police as a 44-year-ol…
Police & Fire
Son Of NJ Judge Accused Of Posing As Cop In PA Speaks Out: ‘I’m No Fraud’
A man accused of impersonating a police officer and harassing residents in Quarryville is now speaking out, claiming he was falsely accused and unfairly targeted by authorities. John Francis McCarthy, the estranged son of a sitting New Jersey judge, was charged with impersonating a public servant and harassment in February. Now, he’s firing back, calling the charges a “twisted lie” by law enforcement. “I HAVE NEVER claimed to be a government employee to anyone, anywhere, EVER,” McCarthy wrote in a series of emails to local news outlets. Instead, he says he is a concerned Uber driver who h…
Police & Fire
Brazen Dunkin' Bandit Steals $18K From 14 Locations Across New Jersey: Prosecutor
A Newark man is behind bars after authorities say he went on a multi-county Dunkin’ burglary spree, swiping more than $18,000 in cash and leaving a trail of destruction behind. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 24-year-old Enajaim E. Bowman, who turned himself in on Tuesday, Feb. 25, after detectives tracked him down following weeks of investigation. For nearly two months, Bowman prowled the overnight hours, prying open doors and smashing windows to loot cash registers, safes, and managers’ offices at Dunkin’ Donuts locations across Bergen, Middlesex, Morris, and…
Police & Fire
Trio Including Ex-Track Star Charged In Toms River Drive-By Shooting Involving Kids: Prosecutor
Three men are facing attempted murder charges after authorities say they opened fire on a Toms River home with an adult and two children inside. Lyjhahn Cromartie, 19, of Lakehurst, and Shazir Vallade, 20, of Lakewood, were arrested on Feb. 28, 2025, after investigators identified them as suspects in the Jan. 13, shooting, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced. The arrests follow the earlier capture of Javir Askew-Mayweather, 21, a former track star in Manchester, who was taken into custody in Atlantic City and later released under New Jersey Bail Reform policies, …
Police & Fire
Suspended BMW Driver Leads 100 MPH Pursuit-Crash Along Route 206: Police
A BMW clocked at over 100 mph led police on a high-speed chase down Route 206 before crashing and sparking a foot pursuit that ended in the arrests of two North Jersey men, authorities said. The Byram Township Police Department said the Feb. 23 incident began at 11:11 a.m. when an officer attempted to pull over the speeding vehicle on Route 206 North. Instead of stopping, the driver, later identified as Andrew Jack Acevedo, 19, accelerated, weaving through traffic and even passing another vehicle on the shoulder, police said. The chase stretched into Andover Borough, where responding office…
Police & Fire
NJ Man Trying To Lure Girls For Sex Sent His Drivers License To Undercover Cop: AG
A 39-year-old Ocean County man was arrested and charged on Friday, Feb. 28 with trying to lure young children for sexual activity, authorities said. On Friday, Feb. 7, an undercover law enforcement officer purporting to be an adult male with access to a 6-year-old girl was contacted on an online platform by a user, later identified as Daniel Dagostino, of the platform, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The undercover officer and the other user moved their conversation to a messaging app, where the undercover mentioned he had access to an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old gir…
Police & Fire
Fallen Officer Honored: Funeral For Andrew Duarte Livestreamed Today
The funeral for Officer Andrew Duarte, the Pennsylvania officer killed in the UPMC York hospital shooting, is being held today, and the service will be livestreamed for those wishing to pay their respects. Duarte, who was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, died from a gunshot wound to the torso, according to the coroner’s report. The brave officer sacrificed his life while responding to the violent hostage situation inside the hospital. The public can watch the funeral service live here. Duarte is remembered as a dedicated officer, a loving family man, and a hero whose actions saved lives …
Police & Fire
NJ Security Guard Guilty Of Hitting Homeless Shoplifter With Cop Car: Prosecutor
A 57-year-old Rutherford Family Dollar security guard was convicted on Wednesday, Feb. 26 of hitting a shoplifter with a police car, authorities said. Frederic Parisi was convicted of aggravated assault, endangering an injured victim and impersonating police officer for the 2020 incident which left the victim, Hector Rodriguez with life-threatening injuries, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said. On Friday, March 13, 2020, Parisi, a security guard at the Family Dollar store at 131 Clinton Ave. chased Rodriguez in a police car, struck him with the vehicle and then sprayed him in …
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