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Blue Law Blowout: American Dream's Sunday Operations Ignite Legal Firestorm In Bergen County Blue Law Blowout: American Dream's Sunday Operations Ignite Legal Firestorm In Bergen County
Blue Law Blowout: American Dream's Sunday Operations Ignite Legal Firestorm In Bergen County A fierce debate has erupted over Sunday retail operations at the American Dream Complex in East Rutherford, as Bergen County officials accuse the mall of violating the county’s long-standing Blue Laws. Meanwhile, American Dream’s leadership and supporters argue that Sunday sales are essential to the region’s economy and tourism goals. The Blue Laws, enacted in 1951, ban the sale of items like clothing, household furnishings, and office supplies on Sundays across Bergen County. However, American Dream’s stores have been open on Sundays for nearly a year, with one exception: retail closures du…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Inmate Serving 43-Year Sentence Dies In NJ State Prison After Encounter With Officer, AG Says Inmate Serving 43-Year Sentence Dies In NJ State Prison After Encounter With Officer, AG Says
Inmate Serving 43-Year Sentence Dies In NJ State 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…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Bergen County Man Defrauds Childhood Friend Out Of $84K In Investment Scam: AG Bergen County Man Defrauds Childhood Friend Out Of $84K In Investment Scam: AG
Bergen County Man Defrauds Childhood Friend Out Of $84K In Investment Scam: AG A Bergen County man and his associate are accused of scamming a childhood friend into liquidating her retirement account to fund a software venture, then misusing the money for personal expenses, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced. Michael Lakshin of Fair Lawn and Edward "Eddie" Aizman of Brooklyn, NY, along with their company Bowmo, Inc., face a civil enforcement action for defrauding at least one New Jersey investor, according to a complaint filed by the New Jersey Bureau of Securities on Friday, Nov. 22. Lakshin, leveraging a childhood connection, persuaded the investor t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
AG IDs Man Who Plunged To His Death During Hudson County Police Pursuit AG IDs Man Who Plunged To His Death During Hudson County Police Pursuit
AG IDs Man Who Plunged To His Death During Hudson County Police Pursuit The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has identified the man who died during a police encounter in Hudson County last week as a 26-year-old Texas man. Authorities on Friday, Nov. 22, named Brandon Lee Ortega as the individual who died following a foot chase with Guttenberg police on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The incident began around 11:02 p.m. when officers responded to 68th Street and Bellevue Avenue for a reported disturbance. Police were informed that one of the individuals involved, later identified as Ortega, was armed with a gun, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Guttenberg Pol…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
VIDEO: Stolen Porsche Crashes Into Newark Building After Officer Shoots At Driver VIDEO: Stolen Porsche Crashes Into Newark Building After Officer Shoots At Driver
Video: Stolen Porsche Crashes Into Newark Building After Officer Shoots At Driver The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released footage from body-worn cameras related to a non-fatal police shooting that happened last August and involved a stolen Porsche. The shooting involved Newark Police Officer Alexander Ferreira and his partner on Aug. 12, around 8:35 p.m., when Ferreira and the officers spotted a Porsche Macan parked on Clinton Place near Hawthorne Avenue, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Determining the vehicle was stolen, Ferreira and his partner positioned their patrol car in front of the Porsche and approached the occupant, a m…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Officer Kills Knife-Wielding Man In NJ Apartment Complex Stairwell: AG Officer Kills Knife-Wielding Man In NJ Apartment Complex Stairwell: AG
Officer Kills Knife-Wielding Man In NJ Apartment Complex Stairwell: AG A knife-wielding man in the stairwell of an apartment complex in Camden County was shot and killed by a police officer, authorities said. members of the Haddon Township Police Department responded to a 9-1-1 call regarding an attempted burglary in progress at an apartment complex located on West Crystal Lake Avenue in Westmont around 1:05 a.m., New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Shortly after arrival, officers encountered a male in the stairwell armed with a knife. During an interaction in the stairwell, an officer fired his service weapon, striking the male, Platkin said.&nb…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man Killed By Police In South Jersey Identified, Details Released Man Killed By Police In South Jersey Identified, Details Released
Man Killed By Police In South Jersey Identified, Details Released Authorities have released details and identified the man killed by police on Saturday, Oct. 19in Burlington County. Officers responding to smoke coming from a Pemberton home on Woodland Avenue around 3:20 p.m., New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. They were notified that a man later identified as Marvin Taylor, 57, had a firearm and was in the backyard. Officers commanded Taylor to drop the weapon, as they positioned themselves in the wood-lined area behind the home. Taylor exchanged gunfire with Kyle McQueen, a Pemberton Township officer, and was struck and killed by gu…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Undercover Operation: 23 Unlicensed Moving Companies Facing Fines In NJ Totaling $125K, AG Says Undercover Operation: 23 Unlicensed Moving Companies Facing Fines In NJ Totaling $125K, AG Says
Undercover Operation: 23 Unlicensed Moving Companies Facing Fines In NJ Totaling $125K, AG Says Twenty-three unlicensed movers have been issued notices of violation and assessed civil penalties totaling $125,000, New Jersey officials said. The penalties were the results of "Operation Safe Move," a state-led undercover operation targeting movers doing business without being licensed by the Division, as required by law, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said (scroll for a list of companies and what they're being fined). The civil enforcement investigation was conducted over a three-day period in June, in which investigators with the Division’s Office of Consumer Protectio…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man Dies Following Police Encounter In Bayonne: AG Man Dies Following Police Encounter In Bayonne: AG
Man Dies Following Police Encounter In Bayonne: AG The New Jersey Attorney General's Office said it is investigating after a man died following an encounter with Bayonne police on the early morning of Monday, Sept. 16. At 12:18 a.m., police responded to an apartment building on Broadway after a 911 caller reported hearing a lot of screaming from the apartment, the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability said.  Officers approached the residence and heard yelling coming from the inside, authorities said. Officers encountered the man who had been yelling and requested medical assistance, authorities said. Police&…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
'I'll Stab You In The F—ing Neck:' New Video Sheds Light On Fort Lee Woman's PD Involved Death 'I'll Stab You In The F—ing Neck:' New Video Sheds Light On Fort Lee Woman's PD Involved Death
'I'll Stab You In The F—ing Neck:' New Video Sheds Light On Fort Lee Woman's PD Involved Death The New Jersey Attorney General's Office has released bodycam footage of the shooting of Victoria Lee on Sunday, July 28. The footage appears to confirm what 25-year-old Lee's family said in a statement last week: That she was holding a water jug when officers kicked in the door, shot, and killed her. But, what authorities had not said until releasing the footage is that when officers told Lee through her family's apartment door at The Pinnacle that they were going to break it down, she said: "Go ahead, I’ll stab you in the f—ing neck," which she can be heard saying in the bodycam foot…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Felon From NJ Charged With Child Rape In Lebanon, PA: Affidavit Felon From NJ Charged With Child Rape In Lebanon, PA: Affidavit
Felon From NJ Charged With Child Rape In Lebanon, PA: Affidavit A New Jersey man with a felony criminal record in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey has been arrested on child rape charges police announced on Thursday, Aug. 1.  Jose Enrique "Enrico" Rivas, 47 of Newark, NJ, was arrested in New Jersey on a warrant issued by Lebanon City Police on Wednesday, July 31, as detailed in the police release. Rivas will be extradited to Lebanon, PA, the police explained.  A 13-year-old girl's guardian made the ChildLine call after the girl told them "I woke to his fingers in me and then he put his pp in me" and "I was just raped and he is still upstairs,…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Harrowing Bodycam Footage Shows NJ Gunman Firing Rapidly At Police Before He's Shot Dead Harrowing Bodycam Footage Shows NJ Gunman Firing Rapidly At Police Before He's Shot Dead
Harrowing Bodycam Footage Shows NJ Gunman Firing Rapidly At Police Before He's Shot Dead The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released footage from two police body-worn cameras capturing a shootout that left a 44-year-old man dead last March. Hamilton (Mercer County) officers were responded to an Orchard Avenue home for a domestic dispute just after 10 p.m. March 8, AG Matthew Platkin said. Hamilton Township Police Officers Derek Fiabane and Paul Piromalli were met with someone, apparently the 911 caller, who told officers that Vincent Correa was drunk and acting "a little bit out of control." They also said he was a hunter and had "a lot of guns" in the basement. Wit…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Details Released: Perth Amboy Officer Shot In Rahway Was Serving Warrant, Officials Say Details Released: Perth Amboy Officer Shot In Rahway Was Serving Warrant, Officials Say
Details Released: Perth Amboy Officer Shot In Rahway Was Serving Warrant, Officials Say A Perth Amboy police officer is in stable condition after being shot in the line of duty in Rahway Wednesday evening, July 24, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said. Rahway Mayor Raymond Giacobbe said the officer had been serving a search warrant alongside local police when the suspects tried to flee the scene. Reports say it happened along Broad Street. "During this incident, one suspect discharged a firearm, striking a Perth Amboy Police Officer in the leg," the mayor said. The officer was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick with a no…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Bodycam Footage Shows Response To Deadly Pedestrian Crash Involving Police Car In South Jersey Bodycam Footage Shows Response To Deadly Pedestrian Crash Involving Police Car In South Jersey
Bodycam Footage Shows Response To Deadly Pedestrian Crash Involving Police Car In South Jersey The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released radio communications and bodycam footage of the police response to a deadly pedestrian crash involving a police vehicle last November. Christofe “Christopher” Wita, 44, of Berlin, was struck by a Waterford police vehicle in the Atco section of Waterford on Nov. 23, 2023, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The fatal police encounter is under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).  Click here to view the footage and listen to the radio transmissions. Wita was struck by on-duty Waterford P…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Racial Discrimination, Sexist Language Rampant Within NJ Ironworkers Union Facing Lawsuit: AG Racial Discrimination, Sexist Language Rampant Within NJ Ironworkers Union Facing Lawsuit: AG
Racial Discrimination, Sexist Language Rampant Within NJ Ironworkers Union Facing Lawsuit: AG A local ironworkers union is facing a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office alleging discrimination against Black members. Ironworkers Local 11 — a labor union with a Springfield-based training facility — that operates a hiring hall, is accused of "systematically bypassing Black union members for jobs and giving such workers less desirable assignments," Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Monday, June 24. The complaint accuses the union's business manager from 2008 to 2022, Raymond Woodall, its leadership and its members of repeatedly using racist slurs…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Officers Who Killed Bloodied, Naked Knife-Wielding Man In Fort Lee Won't Be Charged, AG Says Officers Who Killed Bloodied, Naked Knife-Wielding Man In Fort Lee Won't Be Charged, AG Says
Officers Who Killed Bloodied, Naked Knife-Wielding Man In Fort Lee Won't Be Charged, AG Says Fort Lee police officers who shot and killed an aggressive and bloodied knife-wielding man in February 2023 have been cleared of any wrongdoing, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office announced. A state grand jury voted not to file any criminal charges against the Fort Lee officers who killed 42-year-old Mohamed Bounaouar, of Las Vegas, NV, who was fully naked when he lunged at them with a knife at a John Street apartment on Feb. 4, 2023, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Click here for a series of bodyworn cam footage of the incident released by the NJ Attorney General's Office…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Long Island Fugitive Dies By Suicide In NJ Gas Station Police Encounter, AG Says Long Island Fugitive Dies By Suicide In NJ Gas Station Police Encounter, AG Says
Long Island Fugitive Dies By Suicide In NJ Gas Station Police Encounter, AG Says State officials are investigating a death during a police encounter at a New Jersey gas station. Woodbridge police officers had stopped a vehicle at a gas station on Route 9 north around 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 14, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said. The male driver, the sole occupant, had an active National Crime Information Center (NCIC) warrant issued in New York for an active criminal investigation in Nassau County, AG Matthew J. Platkin said. When officers asked the man to exit the van, he refused and instead moved to the van’s rear compartment, behind a curta…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
LAWSUIT: Former Warren County Prosecutor Wants His Job Back LAWSUIT: Former Warren County Prosecutor Wants His Job Back
Lawsuit: Former Warren County Prosecutor Wants His Job Back James Pfeiffer, who abruptly retired as Warren County Prosecutor in April, has filed a lawsuit claiming he was unlawfully removed from the position.  The complaint, filed against New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy in Superior Court of New Jersey, said he remains the duly appointed Prosecutor for Warren County and wants his job back. In April, Platkin took over the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, forcing out Pfeiffer amid a state ethics probe. Pfeiffer was replaced by Anthony Picione.  A spokesman said it resulted over an investigation from the…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
UPDATE: State Authorities Probe Police Vehicle Crash In Sussex County That Killed Woman, 19 UPDATE: State Authorities Probe Police Vehicle Crash In Sussex County That Killed Woman, 19
Update: State Authorities Probe Police Vehicle Crash In Sussex County That Killed Woman, 19 State authorities are investigating a police-involved Memorial Day crash in Sussex County that killed a 19-year-old passenger in a private vehicle. The on-duty officer's car T-boned the civilian vehicle outside the ShopRite of Franklin shopping center on Route 23 at Walsh Road, according to witnesses, shortly after 10:30 a.m. May 27. Deanna D’Arco was rushed to Morristown Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.  Her organs were donated through the New Jersey Sharing Network. ****** GoFundMe verified a fundraiser to help support D'Arco's family cov…

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by Jerry DeMarco