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Police & Fire
2 Girls Fight Off Knife-Wielding Attacker In Attempted Sex Assault At State Park: Police 2 Girls Fight Off Knife-Wielding Attacker In Attempted Sex Assault At State Park: Police
2 Girls Fight Off Knife-Wielding Attacker In Attempted Sex Assault At State Park: Police A 23-year-old man is accused of threatening two young girls with a knife before trying to sexually assault them at Kettletown State Park, where police said the girls fought back with rocks, escaped, and found help from other visitors. Darius Moreno, of Southbury, was arrested after the attack, which happened around 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Southbury park, according to a report from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Environmental Conservation Police. Investigators said the girls were hiking along Kettletown Brook when Moreno came up behind one of them, put he…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Family Of NJ Mom Gunned Down By Cops Speaks Out After Bodycam Release Family Of NJ Mom Gunned Down By Cops Speaks Out After Bodycam Release
Family Of NJ Mom Gunned Down By Cops Speaks Out After Bodycam Release The family of a 55-year-old mother shot and killed by police last March at her New Jersey home said her death was avoidable and the result of "feverish and unconstitutional policing." Joshua Moskovitz, an attorney for Susanne Clarke's family, issued a statement after the New Jersey Attorney General's Office released bodycam footage and audio recordings of the deadly encounter, which showed officers trying to kick in Clarke's front door and her running while holding a knife. Clarke had originally called 9-1-1 because she believed she was having a heart attack, but when police arrived, she sp…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
81-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted 11-Year-Old At Flea Market: Hudson County Prosecutor 81-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted 11-Year-Old At Flea Market: Hudson County Prosecutor
81-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted 11-Year-Old At Flea Market: Hudson County Prosecutor An 81-year-old Williamstown man is charged with sexually assaulting an 11-year-old, authorities announced Wednesday, July 15. Mamdouh Ghattas sexually assaulted the victim at a flea market in Union City in June 2022, Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello said. Ghattas was apprehended Port Authority Police Department at Newark Liberty International Airport and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance, Mello said. He is charged with sexual assault by contact and endangering the welfare of a child, Mello said.

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Wayne Apartment Burglar Caught After Weeks On The Run, Accomplice Sought: Cops Wayne Apartment Burglar Caught After Weeks On The Run, Accomplice Sought: Cops
Wayne Apartment Burglar Caught After Weeks On The Run, Accomplice Sought: Cops A Paterson man has been arrested in connection with the burglary of a May Wayne apartment, but police say his alleged accomplice remains on the run. Wayne police responded to an apartment on Hinchman Avenue on the afternoon of May 27, after a reported burglary, Wayne Police Capt. Daniel Daly said. Officers found the apartment door had been pried open to gain entry. Wayne detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and surveillance video, ultimately developing leads that indicated two men committed the burglary, police said. Detective Tom Cydzik, with assistance from the Paterson Police Depa…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
E-Scooterist, 22, Killed By Sanitation Truck In NJ, Prosecutor Says E-Scooterist, 22, Killed By Sanitation Truck In NJ, Prosecutor Says
E-Scooterist, 22, Killed By Sanitation Truck In NJ, Prosecutor Says A 22-year-old Union City man was killed after an electric scooter collided with a sanitation truck on the Bergen Turnpike early Wednesday, July 15, authorities said. Union City police were notified of the crash at approximately 3:30 a.m., according to Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello. Responding officers found the electric scooter operator, later identified as Mauricio Rodriguez, 22, of Union City, with serious injuries, the prosecutor said. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit is investigating the f…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Off-Duty CT Police Officer, Passenger Mom Of 3 Killed In Head-On Motorcycle Crash Off-Duty CT Police Officer, Passenger Mom Of 3 Killed In Head-On Motorcycle Crash
Off-Duty CT Police Officer, Passenger Mom Of 3 Killed In Head-On Motorcycle Crash An off-duty Bridgeport police officer and his passenger were killed when their motorcycle collided head-on with a Jeep, leaving the other driver hospitalized with serious injuries. Cooper Whiteside, 38, of Danbury, and Brittany Islami, 34, of New Milford, died in the 2:45 a.m. Monday, July 13, crash on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury, according to police. Danbury officers arrived to find Whiteside, who was riding the Harley-Davidson, and Islami dead in the roadway. The Jeep Compass sustained severe front-end damage. Firefighters extricated the SUV driver, who was rushed to Danbury Hospital wit…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
TV Producer From NJ Found With Child Porn, Secretly Filmed Adult Victim: Officials TV Producer From NJ Found With Child Porn, Secretly Filmed Adult Victim: Officials
TV Producer From NJ Found With Child Porn, Secretly Filmed Adult Victim: Officials A 50-year-old man from a wealthy Bergen County town has been arrested on accusations that he secretly filmed a person in various states of undress and was found with child porn, authorities said. Brian C. Saracusa, of Wyckoff, photographed and recorded an adult on multiple occasions and in "various states of undress" without their consent or knowledge, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He was also found with child pornography, the prosecutor said. Saracusa's Instagram bio reads "I make TV and babies." His LinkedIn shows he is a TV producer who has worked on projects for …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Former Hudson County Superintendent Stole $250K: Prosecutor Former Hudson County Superintendent Stole $250K: Prosecutor
Former Hudson County Superintendent Stole $250K: Prosecutor A 58-year-old former  Hudson County Superintendent of Weights and Measures stole $250,000 for his own personal gain, authorities announced Tuesday, July 14. Frank Alonso, a Union City resident, is charged with three counts of official misconduct and multiple theft offenses, Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello said. Between January 2024 and January 2026, Alonso diverted funds intended for the Hudson Regional Health Commission, the Office of Weights and Measures, and the New Jersey Weights and Measures Association into accounts he used for personal gain, Mello said.  In …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Clifton Dirt Bike Chase Ended Before It Really Began: Police Clifton Dirt Bike Chase Ended Before It Really Began: Police
Clifton Dirt Bike Chase Ended Before It Really Began: Police A Clifton man accused of trying to flee from police on an unregistered dirt bike saw his getaway end almost as soon as it began, authorities said. Officer Michael McNally was patrolling in a marked Clifton Police vehicle at approximately 2:25 a.m. on Monday, July 12, when a man riding a red Honda CRF450 dirt bike with no visible registration passed his patrol car on the left in a no-passing zone while traveling south on Central Avenue at Clifton Avenue, Lt. Robert Anderson said. McNally activated his emergency lights and sirens to stop the motorcycle, but the rider accelerated south on Cent…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Friends of Wrong Way NJ Driver Killed In Crash Start GoFundMe Friends of Wrong Way NJ Driver Killed In Crash Start GoFundMe
Friends of Wrong Way NJ Driver Killed In Crash Start GoFundMe Favian Cruz, a 24-year-old Bridgeton resident, was driving the wrong way on Route 55 when he was killed in a car crash on Monday, July 13. "This sudden loss has left their family facing not only unimaginable grief, but also the unexpected financial burden of funeral and memorial expenses," Gisel Gonzalez, who organized a GoFundMe wrote.  "The community are coming together to support the family and honor the memory of a life that touched so many." At 10:30 p.m., Cruz was operating a Ram pickup truck north in the southbound lanes on Route 55 in Mantua Township when he collided with a Vol…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Months Of 23 Missing Honda SUVs Led SWAT Teams To 2 Men: Cops Months Of 23 Missing Honda SUVs Led SWAT Teams To 2 Men: Cops
Months Of 23 Missing Honda SUVs Led SWAT Teams To 2 Men: Cops A three-month investigation into a string of stolen Honda CR-Vs in Clifton led police to what authorities say was an organized auto theft ring responsible for stealing at least 23 Honda and Acura vehicles across North Jersey. The investigation began on Wednesday, April 1, after Clifton Police Detective Nicholas Garruto identified a pattern of vehicle thefts in the city, Lt. Robert Anderson said. The group used stolen or fictitious license plates, stolen "trail vehicles" to travel to target locations, and key-programming devices to steal Honda and Acura vehicles, according to Anderson. …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NJ Daycare Owner Gave Melatonin To Toddlers Without Parents' OK: Prosecutor NJ Daycare Owner Gave Melatonin To Toddlers Without Parents' OK: Prosecutor
NJ Daycare Owner Gave Melatonin To Toddlers Without Parents' OK: Prosecutor A New Jersey daycare owner has been charged after prosecutors say she gave melatonin to two young children without their parents' consent. The Dunellen Police Department received a report on Friday, July 10, that the owner of Precious Gifts Daycare in Dunellen had administered melatonin to two children, ages 2 and 4, Middlesex County Prosecutor Linda Estremera and Dunellen Police Chief Dan Smith said. Investigators identified the daycare owner as Cheryl Ambicki, 57, of Middlesex, who had administered melatonin to the children, as initially reported to investigators, Estremera and Smith said…

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by Cecilia Levine