Find Your Daily Voice
47°
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…
20 Indicted In Fentanyl, Heroin Ring That Fueled Drug Use Across North Jersey: AG
Twenty people have been indicted in the sweeping takedown of opioid mills that fueled drug distribution across North Jersey, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday, March 5.
ALSO SEE: 23 People Arrested In Another Massive NJ Drug Bust — Fentanyl, Guns, Seized, Prosecutor Says
The indictment, handed down by a state grand jury, includes 53 charges ranging from racketeering and drug trafficking to weapons offenses and financial crimes. Authorities say the suspects were part of the Rodriguez, Sanchez, and Gutierrez Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), which operated from A…
Northeast Cities Among Most Diverse In US: Here's What A New Study Says
The US population is rapidly diversifying, with cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic at the forefront, according to a new study.
WalletHub released its 2025 ranking of the nation's Most Diverse Cities on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Three Maryland communities topped the list of 501 locations, which were evaluated based on socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, and religious diversity.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 10.2 percent of Americans identified as multiracial in 2020, a sharp increase from just 2.9 percent in 2010.
"The most diverse cities demonstrate diversity in many …
Massive North Jersey Drug Raid: Multiple Arrests, Guns, Cash Seized, Cops Say
A months-long investigation into an illegal drug distribution network led to coordinated police raids across North Jersey, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of weapons, drugs, and cash, authorities said.
The Wayne Police Department and New Jersey State Police executed the raids on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, with assistance from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Clifton, Haledon, and Pompton Lakes Police Departments. Tactical units from the NJSP TEAMS Unit and Elmwood Park ERT helped officers enter several locations in Elmwood Park, Saddle Brook, Paterson, Bloomfield, and Mo…
Gunman In Valentine's Day Hotel Armed Robbery Sought By Cops In Bergen County
Authorities in Bergen County are searching for a 31-year-old man with Paterson, NJ and Wilkes-Barre, PA ties accused of an armed robbery in a hotel parking lot.
Henry X. Rodriguez is wanted in connection to an incident that occurred on Friday, Feb. 14, at approximately 8:12 p.m., according to Detective Sergeant Eric Larsen of the Mahwah Police Department.
Police say Rodriguez confronted a man and woman in the parking lot of a local hotel, brandished a handgun, and stole the woman’s purse before fleeing the scene.
Rodriguez is known to have ties to both Paterson, NJ, and Wilkes-Barre, PA. A…
Former Firefighter In Morris Co Kills Wife, Takes Own Life In Mt. Pocono Murder-Suicide: Police
A New Jersey native killed his wife before taking his own life days before Christmas in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania, police announced on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
Craig Zigarelli, 54, a former Rockaway Township, NJ, volunteer firefighter, fatally stabbed Joann Alberti, 47, inside their home on Brookville Terrace before turning a gun on himself, according to a Pocono Mountain Regional Police investigation and a Monroe County Coroner’s ruling.
Officers discovered the couple’s bodies on Dec. 23, 2024, at 1:54 p.m., after being dispatched for a welfare check. A concerned family member had reported…
PA Parents Sold Heroin From NJ Out Of Filthy Home With Kids Inside: DA
Two parents in Stroud Township are accused of selling heroin and fentanyl from their home while their young children lived in dangerous, squalid conditions, authorities announced on Friday, Feb. 7.
Jessica Walters, 35, and Robert Nochella, 35, were arrested after Monroe County detectives and Children and Youth Services discovered drug paraphernalia, scales, and packaging materials scattered throughout their home on Thursday, Feb. 6, officials said. Walters was reportedly withdrawing from fentanyl during the investigation, according to the criminal complaints.
The home, where Walters and Noc…
Four Men Forged Checks At TD Bank: Clinton Township Police
Four men were arrested and charged after they conspired to commit bank fraud at a TD Bank in Clinton Township, authorities said.
Following an investigation at the TD Bank on Route 31, officers were dispatched to a gas station for a report of suspicious activity, Clinton Township police said. The two vehicles were attempting to leave the parking lot and were in possession of stolen/forged bank checks, police said.
Arrested were Eric Lee, a 40-year-old Georgia resident, Lee Beriro, an 18-year-old Queens resident, Trevor Lewis, a 34-year-old Bronx resident and John Vallejo, a 26-year-old Pater…
Rooftop Dining, Coworking Spaces Highlighted In Paterson's Newest Development
Paterson officials gathered Tuesday, Nov. 26, to break ground on an ambitious new community center in the Great Falls area, transforming a century-old building into a hub of opportunity and connection for residents.
Andre Sayegh
The 40,000-square-foot building at 39 McBride Avenue has a storied history, serving as a silk mill, machine shop, and later a Christian school.
Now, it is poised to become the Great Falls Center, a multi-purpose space designed to enrich the community with culinary, vocational, and social opportunities.
View this post on Instagram
…
Dozen NJ Towns Serve As Backdrop For Movie 'Sweethearts' Out Thanksgiving Day
Nearly a dozen New Jersey towns serve as the backdrop for the Max Original film "Sweethearts," set to debut this Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28.
The romantic comedy starring Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga was filmed in Cranford, Jersey City, and Mahwah. Two cast members have Garden State ties: Jake Bonjiovi, son of NJ rocker Jon Bon Jovi, and former "Saturday Night Live" star Chloe Troast, of Ho-Ho-Kus, are featured actors in "Sweethearts."
According to NJ Advance Media, "Sweethearts" filmed at local homes in Newark, Demarest, Kinnelon and Cranford; as well as at the Cr…
Paterson Pair Were Trying To Kill 46-Year-Old Man In Morning Shooting: Prosecutor
The two people responsible for a shooting Monday morning, Nov. 4, were arrested less than two hours later, authorities said.
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said only that Jose Ortiz, 31, and Yesenia Adorno, 43, both of Paterson, were responsible for the shooting of a 46-year-old man that happened at North Main and Arch streets around 8:30 a.m. The victim survived and was hospitalized with injuries.
Ortiz and Adorno were identified as suspects and arrested around 10:15 a.m. at North Street and Clinton Street, Valdes said.
Ortiz, who was found in possession of an illeg…
Rhonj Ex-Husband Sentenced For Hiring Mobster To Rough Up Wife’s New Man: Feds
It sounds like a juicy plotline from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."
Thomas Manzo, a Franklin Lakes resident and the ex-husband of Dina Manzo, one of the former cast members on the hit Bravo reality show, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday, Oct. 15, after being convicted of hiring a mobster to assault Dave Cantin, Dina's now current husband, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said.
In the spring of 2015, Manzo, 59 and a co-owner of The Brownstone, a Paterson catering hall, hired Lucchese Crime Family member John Perna to assault Cantin, Dina's then-boyfriend, paying for the …
