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New Brunswick Pastor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Juvenile, Prosecutor Says New Brunswick Pastor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Juvenile, Prosecutor Says
New Brunswick Pastor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Juvenile, Prosecutor Says A 61-year-old pastor has been charged with sexually assaulting a juvenile in Middlesex County, authorities said. Roby D. Cruz-Hernandez, a pastor at Iglesia Pentecostal El Mesias in New Brunswick, was arrested without incident at his home in Somerset, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and New Brunswick Police Chief Vincent Sabo said. Cruz-Hernandez was charged with second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Castro of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 732-7…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Ocean County Performing Arts HS Teacher Molested Female Student, Prosecutors Say Ocean County Performing Arts HS Teacher Molested Female Student, Prosecutors Say
Ocean County Performing Arts HS Teacher Molested Female Student, Prosecutors Say A former teacher at an Ocean County performing arts high school was accused of molesting a female student, authorities said. Douglas Bollinger, 56, of Neptune City, was charged on Monday, Aug. 12 with two counts each of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. Bollinger was a teacher at the Grunin Performing Arts Academy at Ocean County Vocational Technical School (OCVTS). The academy had 240 students as of September 2023 and offers high schoolers opportunities to take dual-credit co…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Youth Soccer Coach Accused Of More Sexual Crimes Against Ninth Player, Prosecutors Say NJ Youth Soccer Coach Accused Of More Sexual Crimes Against Ninth Player, Prosecutors Say
NJ Youth Soccer Coach Accused Of More Sexual Crimes Against Ninth Player, Prosecutors Say A Monmouth County youth soccer coach accused of molesting two players and sending sexual pictures to others was given more charges, authorities said. A grand jury indicted 32-year-old Ryan Gunsauls of Union Beach on 30 counts, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Tuesday, Aug. 14. He was previously arrested in the case in Hazlet on Friday, May 11.  Investigators said one boy told police earlier in May that Gunsauls had been sending him "sexually explicit materials" and asking for them on social media. Eight more victims bet…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Convenience Store Clerk Sold Vaping Products To Jersey Shore Kids, Police Say Convenience Store Clerk Sold Vaping Products To Jersey Shore Kids, Police Say
Convenience Store Clerk Sold Vaping Products To Jersey Shore Kids, Police Say An Atlantic Highlands convenience store clerk was accused of selling vaping products to children, authorities said. Fnu Rachna, 60, was charged with sale of flavored vaping products, the Atlantic Highlands Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday, Aug. 6. Officers received reports from parents over several months about vaping products sold to children at TNC Mini-Mart Convenience Store on First Avenue. An officer investigating the store saw Rachna sell a vaping product to a child on Wednesday, July 24. "We would like to thank the parents of this great community who have com…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man, 58, Gets Prison For Sexually Assaulting 5 Girls Under Age Of 13: Prosecutor South Jersey Man, 58, Gets Prison For Sexually Assaulting 5 Girls Under Age Of 13: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man, 58, Gets Prison For Sexually Assaulting 5 Girls Under Age Of 13: Prosecutor A 58-year-old man from Vineland was sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for sexually assaulting five girls under the age of 13 over a 10-year period, authorities said. Jesus Figueroa was sentenced on Friday, June 28, according to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae. Figueroa must serve a minimum of 85% of the 10 years before being considered eligible for parole, she said. Upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and be subject to parole supervision for life. On Sept. 8, 2022, Figueroa, was charged w…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says A special education teacher in Monmouth County was accused of sexually assaulting a student, authorities said. Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 43, of Jackson Township, was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced her arrest in a news release on Saturday, June 29.  Prosecutors said Havemann-Niedrach is a teacher at Freehold Intermediate School and according to her LinkedIn profile, she teaches special education in the borough's district. He…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Sent Child Porn To Undercover Central Jersey Detective, Prosecutors Say Man Sent Child Porn To Undercover Central Jersey Detective, Prosecutors Say
Man Sent Child Porn To Undercover Central Jersey Detective, Prosecutors Say A Passaic man was accused of sending child pornography to an undercover Monmouth County investigator through a social media app, authorities said. Joseph Velazquez, 25, was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child (distribution of child sexual abuse materials) and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child (possession of child sexual abuse materials). Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the charges in a news release on Friday, June 21. An undercover detective from the county prosecutor's office was monitoring a group chat on the messenger app…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Toddler Overdoses On Meth, Two South Jersey Women Arrested: Police Toddler Overdoses On Meth, Two South Jersey Women Arrested: Police
Toddler Overdoses On Meth, Two South Jersey Women Arrested: Police Two Atlantic County women were arrested after a toddler overdosed on methamphetamine, authorities said. Holly Peace, 43, of Egg Harbor Township, and Gabrielle DePasquale, 44, of Atlantic City, were charged with endangering the welfare of a child, the Egg Harbor Township Police Department said in a news release on Friday, June 7. Peace was also charged with neglect of a child and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Egg Harbor Township police received a report on Tuesday, Apr. 30 of a 16-month-old child who suffered overdose symptoms after ingesting meth. …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Woman Used Child To Sell Psychedelic Mushrooms, Prosecutors Say South Jersey Woman Used Child To Sell Psychedelic Mushrooms, Prosecutors Say
South Jersey Woman Used Child To Sell Psychedelic Mushrooms, Prosecutors Say An Ocean County woman was accused of using a child living in her home to sell psychedelic mushrooms, authorities said. Margaret Whalen, 60, of Lacey Township, was arrested on Wednesday, June 5. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced her charges in a news release. Lacey police were told by the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency in March that Whalen was using her Elwood Street home to make and sell psilocybin mushrooms. Officers executed a search warrant on the home on Wednesday, Mar. 13. Detectives seized several jars with suspected psychedelic mushrooms and…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Mom Killed By Ex-Boyfriend In 'Horrifying' South Jersey Machete Attack Identified Mom Killed By Ex-Boyfriend In 'Horrifying' South Jersey Machete Attack Identified
Mom Killed By Ex-Boyfriend In 'Horrifying' South Jersey Machete Attack Identified The identity of a Wall Township woman was confirmed after authorities said her ex-boyfriend killed her with a machete. A spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office identified 29-year-old Brianna Greenwood as the victim of the attack on Thursday, May 23. Alex Williams, 24, of Wall Township, was accused of killing her at the Glen Oaks apartments. Wall police responded to the complex's parking lot at around 9:22 a.m. and found Greenwood suffering from several serious injuries. She was rushed to a hospital and died a week later on Thursday, May 30. A GoFu…

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by Chris Spiker