140-Acre Wildfire Possibly Sparked By Halloween Fireworks Continues To Rage In Morris County 140-Acre Wildfire Possibly Sparked By Halloween Fireworks Continues To Rage In Morris County
140-Acre Wildfire Possibly Sparked By Halloween Fireworks Continues To Rage In Morris County A Morris County wildfire that residents say may have been caused by fireworks set off on Halloween night had spread to nearly 140 acres as of Friday, Nov. 1. The Craigmeur Lookout near Notch Road in Rockaway Township had been 30% contained as of 8 p.m. Friday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. Residents were asked to avoid the area, the NJFFS said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wyckoff Fire Department (@wyckoff_fire_department) The blaze threatened 13 structures and eight structures on Green Pond Road were evac…
Former Columbia University VP Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen At Bergen County Home Former Columbia University VP Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen At Bergen County Home
Former Columbia University VP Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen At Bergen County Home A former Columbia University vice president has been convicted of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 years old at his Bergen County home, authorities announced. Marcelo Velez was found to have sexually assaulted the child at his home in Woodcliff Lake after the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office was notified in January 2021, Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Velez was convicted by a jury of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct following a three-week trial that began earlier this month. Col…
Wayne Woman, 72, Made Bomb Threat That Locked Down Holy Name Medical Center: Prosecutor Wayne Woman, 72, Made Bomb Threat That Locked Down Holy Name Medical Center: Prosecutor
Wayne Woman, 72, Made Bomb Threat That Locked Down Holy Name Medical Center: Prosecutor A 72-year-old woman has been charged with calling in a bomb threat to Holy Name Medical in August, authorities said. Adele Ulrich, of Wayne, called the hospital on Aug. 17 saying that several bombs were going to detonate in the hospital, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said following a months-long investigation. The hospital was placed on divert, and a shelter-in-place order was implemented, bringing police officers, firefighters, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad to the scene. Ultimately, first responders determined that the call was a hoax, and no act…
Child Sex Assault Charges For NY Man Just Accused Of Kidnapping In Bergen County: Prosecutor Child Sex Assault Charges For NY Man Just Accused Of Kidnapping In Bergen County: Prosecutor
Child Sex Assault Charges For NY Man Just Accused Of Kidnapping In Bergen County: Prosecutor A 37-year-old Queens man already charged with kidnapping and sexual assault a victim in Englewood is facing new charges of sexually assaulting a child, authorities said. Miguel A. Chimbo-Orellana first kidnapped and sexually assaulted the adult victim in Englewood, in August 2024, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Chimbo-Orellana later kidnapped and sexually assaulted the victim multiple times in Englewood and Queens, NY on multiple occasions, and threatened to kill the victim, Musella said. On Monday, Oct. 21, Chimbo-Orellana was charged with kidnapping, sexual assault …
Passenger, 24, Killed In Crash Off NJ Highway: Prosecutor Passenger, 24, Killed In Crash Off NJ Highway: Prosecutor
Passenger, 24, Killed In Crash Off NJ Highway: Prosecutor A 24-year-old woman was killed in a two-car crash in West Orange on Tuesday, Oct. 29, authorities said. First responders arrived at Pleasant Valley Way and Belle Terre Road near the Route 280 ramp at 11:59 p.m. and saw multiple injuries at the scene, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and Joe Fagan, the public information officer for the city of West Orange said. Floribel Hiciano was sitting in the rear of one of the two cars at the time of the crash, authorities said. She was taken to University Hospital where she died, authorities said. Two individuals were transported to another …
18-Year-Old HS Soccer Captain Seriously Injured, 4 Others Hurt In Weekend Morris County Crash 18-Year-Old HS Soccer Captain Seriously Injured, 4 Others Hurt In Weekend Morris County Crash
18-Year-Old HS Soccer Captain Seriously Injured, 4 Others Hurt In Weekend Morris County Crash An 18-year-old high school soccer player was among five people hurt in a weekend crash between two SUVs on Route 24 in Florham Park on Sunday, Oct. 27, Daily Voice has learned. At 12:23 p.m., a Suzuki SUV with one occupant collided with an Infiniti SUV containing five occupants while traveling eastbound on Route 24, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said. The Infiniti overturned and the 18-year-old Whippany resident, identified by her school soccer team as Molly Mack, was ejected from the vehicle, leaving her with serious injuries. Both drivers and three other occupants sustained…
Rutgers Student Recorded Women In Showers, Prosecutors Say Rutgers Student Recorded Women In Showers, Prosecutors Say
Rutgers Student Recorded Women In Showers, Prosecutors Say A Rutgers University student from Philadelphia was accused of recording students while they showered, authorities said. Michael Williams, 18, was charged with three counts of third-degree invasion of privacy and one count of fourth-degree tampering with evidence, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said in a news release on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Rutgers police received a report from a female student on Wednesday, Oct. 2 that she was being recorded in a bathroom. Similar incidents were also reported on the New Brunswick campus over the next three weeks. Investigators said Wi…
Sussex County Fire Department Mourns Loss Of Former Captain Michael Basso, 37 Sussex County Fire Department Mourns Loss Of Former Captain Michael Basso, 37
Sussex County Fire Department Mourns Loss Of Former Captain Michael Basso, 37 Michael Basso, a former captain in the McAfee Fire Department, died on Wednesday, Oct. 30, the fire department said. He was 37 years old. “He was a kind, smart, motivated person and a great friend,” the McAfee Fire Department said on Facebook. “We want to send our condolences to his family and wife, and hope they may find peace knowing he is resting easy now. We will miss you brother; we’ve got it from here.” This evening we learned of the passing of former McAfee Fire Department Captain & Highland Lakes Fire Department member... Posted by Vernon Township Fire Department C…
Details Released In Deadly Route 22 Pedestrian Crash In Branchburg (UPDATE) Details Released In Deadly Route 22 Pedestrian Crash In Branchburg (UPDATE)
Details Released In Deadly Route 22 Pedestrian Crash In Branchburg (Update) A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Route 22 Wednesday night, Oct. 30 in Branchburg, police said. The 48-year-old Plainfield man was walking in the middle of the highway when he was struck by a white Ford Econoline van in the westbound lanes just past France Drive around 8:30 p.m., Branchburg Police Capt. Edward Edgar said. The pedestrian had been struck near the Red Mill Inn and was found lying face down in the grass median severely injured, Edgar said.  He was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset via ambulance where he was pronounc…
Watch Officer Who Doubles As Firefighter Pull Victim From Burning NJ Home Watch Officer Who Doubles As Firefighter Pull Victim From Burning NJ Home
Watch Officer Who Doubles As Firefighter Pull Victim From Burning NJ Home A New Jersey police officer who doubles as a firefighter saved a woman from a burning home, and it was all caught on his body-worn camera. Clark Fire Capt. Thomas Sweeney was working his shift as a Millburn police officer when a fire broke out at a home on Old Short Hills Road around 2:45 a.m. Sunday morning, Oct. 26. The bodyworn camera footage shows Sweeney, a Clark firefighter since August 2020, running into the home without protective fire gear. Sweeney then finds an elderly woman trapped and pulls her to safety. Firefighters said all other occupants had already escaped and that the fi…
Secret Accomplice Laborer Played Along In Gunman's Sick Bergen County Scheme: Prosecutor Secret Accomplice Laborer Played Along In Gunman's Sick Bergen County Scheme: Prosecutor
Secret Accomplice Laborer Played Along In Gunman's Sick Bergen County Scheme: Prosecutor A Virginia gunman and his secret accomplice, a laborer hired to help the true victim move, have both been indicted in an armed robbery last March in a Bergen County storage unit, authorities said. Eduardo L. Villegas Valera, 30, of Elmhurst, NY had been hired to help someone move items in Englewood Cliffs on Monday, March 11, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Once at the commercial property on Sylvan Avenue, Villegas Valera alerted Gliderman Cienfuego Castro, 37, confirming the existence of the true victim's watch, the prosecutor said. Just before 4 p.m., Cienfuego Castro, o…
NJ Man Convicted Of Beating Mom To Death, Prosecutor Says NJ Man Convicted Of Beating Mom To Death, Prosecutor Says
NJ Man Convicted Of Beating Mom To Death, Prosecutor Says A 38-year-old Maplewood resident was convicted on Monday, Oct. 21 of murder charges in his mother's death, which he then framed as a suicide, authorities said. Benjamin Avrut was found guilty of first-degree murder after beating his 70-year-old-mothe Gwen to death, Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said. The jury had rejected Avrut's insanity defense. On Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, Avrut entered his sleeping mother's apartment at The Top, a luxury condominium in Maplewood, Stephens said. When she awoke, Avrut beat her to death with his fists, Stephens said.  Avrut,  who had a hist…