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Police & Fire
Wildfire Near Large South Jersey Sculpture Deemed Suspicious, State Police Investigating Wildfire Near Large South Jersey Sculpture Deemed Suspicious, State Police Investigating
Wildfire Near Large South Jersey Sculpture Deemed Suspicious, State Police Investigating Troopers were asking for the public's help after a wildfire near a well-known sculpture in Hainesport was ruled suspicious, authorities said. State police have launched an investigation into the Big Rusty Wildfire, troopers said in a Facebook post on Thursday, Nov. 21. The blaze that ignited near Bancroft Lane and Cove Court on Monday, Nov. 18 scorched 40 acres and threatened 20 homes. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said no evacuations were needed and the wildfire was fully contained by 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Crews have remained on-site to monitor the area for flare-…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Youth Soccer Coach Admits To Sexually Exploiting Players, Prosecutors Say NJ Youth Soccer Coach Admits To Sexually Exploiting Players, Prosecutors Say
NJ Youth Soccer Coach Admits To Sexually Exploiting Players, Prosecutors Say A Union Beach youth soccer coach admitted to molesting two players and sending sexual pictures to several others, authorities said. Ryan Gunsauls, 33, pleaded guilty during a hearing in superior court, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Monday, Nov. 18. The investigation began in May when a teen reported Gunsauls had asked for and shared sexually explicit material through a social media app. As the case developed, eight additional victims between 11 and 17 years old were identified. Gunsauls was held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution an…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Who Killed GF With Toilet Tank Cover, Belt On Her Birthday Sentenced: Feds South Jersey Man Who Killed GF With Toilet Tank Cover, Belt On Her Birthday Sentenced: Feds
South Jersey Man Who Killed GF With Toilet Tank Cover, Belt On Her Birthday Sentenced: Feds A New Jersey man will spend up to a quarter-century in prison after admitting to brutally killing his girlfriend in a Washington, D.C. hotel, authorities said. William Barrett, 69, of Mount Holly, was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 25 to 25 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said in a news release on Monday, Oct. 28. He was arrested in the killing of 36-year-old Romaine Maddox, a resident of the northeast quadrant of D.C. According to trial evidence, Barrett and Maddox checked into Ivy City Hotel on New York Avenue, Northeast at around 7 p.m. …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Throngs Of Unruly Teens Break Up NJ Haunted Hayride Event, Police Say Throngs Of Unruly Teens Break Up NJ Haunted Hayride Event, Police Say
Throngs Of Unruly Teens Break Up NJ Haunted Hayride Event, Police Say About 200 teens and young adults caused chaos at a PTA-sponsored hayride in Collingswood, authorities said. The large group was dropped off by several vehicles on the outskirts of Knight Park on Saturday, Oct. 19, the Collingswood Police Department said in a Facebook post. The teens and young adults started fighting each other, ran recklessly through the crowd, and cut in line for the Haunted Hayride. Officers at the event broke up the unruly teens and other Camden County police departments were called in to help. "To ensure the safety of those in attendance, the decision was mad…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Family Plans Lawsuit After NJ Transit Train Operator Killed By Fallen Tree Family Plans Lawsuit After NJ Transit Train Operator Killed By Fallen Tree
Family Plans Lawsuit After NJ Transit Train Operator Killed By Fallen Tree The family of the New Jersey Transit train operator killed by a fallen tree is planning to sue several organizations for negligence, an attorney said. Jessica Haley of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was identified as the person who died in the crash, according to a news release from the Anapol Weiss law firm on Thursday, Oct. 15. The single mother of three boys was 41 years old. Haley was operating a River LINE train heading north from Trenton at around 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 14. The light rail train struck a tree that had fallen on the tracks south of the Roebling station in Mansfield …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man, 34, Beaten To Death In New Brunswick Street Fight: Prosecutors Man, 34, Beaten To Death In New Brunswick Street Fight: Prosecutors
Man, 34, Beaten To Death In New Brunswick Street Fight: Prosecutors A New Brunswick man was beaten to death in the city over the weekend, authorities said. Oscar Sanchez, 34, died on Sunday, Oct. 13, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said in a news release on Tuesday, Oct. 15. New Brunswick police responded to a 911 call on Comstock Street at around 3:03 a.m. Officers found Sanchez unconscious and performed CPR on him. He was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Investigators said Sanchez had been in a fight and suffered serious injuries. "It has been determined that this i…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Smoke Expected To Linger For Days After NJ Forest Fire Smoke Expected To Linger For Days After NJ Forest Fire
Smoke Expected To Linger For Days After NJ Forest Fire A 30-acre forest fire has been contained, however, smoke could linger across parts of South Jersey for days, fire officials said. The fire broke out on Friday, Oct. 11 along Heath Road in the Tamarac section of Medford Township, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. It consumed up to 30 acres by the time it was fully contained on Saturday, Oct. 12. "Smoke is expected to remain present until significant rain falls over the fire area," the agency said. "Forest Fire Service staff will remain on scene and continue to monitor control lines and address areas of concern until significant…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Suspect Wanted After Double Shooting Near Rutgers-New Brunswick Campus Suspect Wanted After Double Shooting Near Rutgers-New Brunswick Campus
Suspect Wanted After Double Shooting Near Rutgers-New Brunswick Campus Police were investigating after two men were shot in a New Brunswick neighborhood near the Rutgers University campus, authorities said. Officers responded to the shooting on Jones Avenue between Comstock and Hale streets at around 11:17 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, the New Brunswick city government said in a Facebook post. Investigators said two groups were fighting when a suspect from one group fired shots at the other one. Two New Brunswick men, ages 27 and 26, were brought to a nearby hospital. They were expected to survive their injuries. The Rutgers University Police Depar…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
RWJ Hospital Worker Arrested In Dangerous Car Rally RWJ Hospital Worker Arrested In Dangerous Car Rally
RWJ Hospital Worker Arrested In Dangerous Car Rally An illegal car meetup with fires and a police officer nearly being struck has led to two more arrests — this time of people from outside the Philadelphia suburbs, police announced on Saturday, Sept. 28.  Alexis Boyce, 20 of Englishtown, NJ, turned herself into Philadelphia Police at 600 Arch Street at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, and Albert Woynar, 18 of Pittsburgh, was arrested by Pennsylvania State Troopers later that day, Philadelphia Police detailed in the release. Both were wanted in connection with a 50-car meetup in the 7400 block of Bustleton Avenue on Saturday, Se…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Repeat Offender Convicted In Trenton Shooting That Paralyzed Man, Prosecutors Say Repeat Offender Convicted In Trenton Shooting That Paralyzed Man, Prosecutors Say
Repeat Offender Convicted In Trenton Shooting That Paralyzed Man, Prosecutors Say A Trenton man was found guilty of shooting and paralyzing another man more than two years ago, authorities said. A jury convicted 40-year-old Henry Hutchinson on all counts on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa Hilton said in a news release. He was indicted in a shooting that happened at around 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, 2022. Investigators said Hutchinson shot a 38-year-old man twice on the 100 block of Chambers Street. "After the victim fell to the ground, Hutchinson stood over him and shot him a third time," said Hilton. "The victim was rendered a …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Exposed Himself To Woman On Rutgers Bus, Police Say Man Exposed Himself To Woman On Rutgers Bus, Police Say
Man Exposed Himself To Woman On Rutgers Bus, Police Say Rutgers University police were looking for a man who flashed a woman on a bus, authorities said. The woman "affiliated" with Rutgers reported the incident happened at around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, the university's police department said in a community message. The victim was standing on a bus running on the Livingston Campus in Piscataway. The woman said the man exposed his genitals, "intentionally maintaining direct contact with her clothed buttocks." She confronted the man and he immediately got off the bus on Rockafeller Road. The victim wasn't injured during the incident. …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Four Officers Lauded In Jersey Shore Water Rescues Four Officers Lauded In Jersey Shore Water Rescues
Four Officers Lauded In Jersey Shore Water Rescues Four police officers are being recognized in three separate water rescues at unguarded New Jersey beaches. On Friday, Sept. 13, Seaside Park Class One Officers Dakota Giglio and Bryan Urspruch were conducting a quad patrol near Stockton Avenue Beach when they were flagged down for a swimmer in distress. The swimmer, approximately one hundred feet out in the water, was rescued by Giglio and Urspruch, and later declined medical attention. On Thursday, Sept. 19, Class Two Officer Mason Kinlan and Class One Officer Luke Cox were conducting a quad patrol when they were dispatched…

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by Cecilia Levine