Fair 72°
News
Two NJ Powerball Players Win $150K, Nine Win $50K Two NJ Powerball Players Win $150K, Nine Win $50K
Two NJ Powerball Players Win $150K, Nine Win $50K Eleven New Jersey Lottery tickets matched four of the five white balls and the Power Ball drawn on Monday, Oct. 31, winning the $50,000 second-tier prize.  Two of those tickets were purchased with Power Play, multiplying the prizes to $150,000. The Powerball jackpot now rolls to $1.2 billion for the next drawing to be held Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 10:59 pm. Those winning NJ tickets were sold at the following locations: Bergen County ($150,000): 7-Eleven #34523, 29 County Rd., Tenafly; Passaic County ($150,000): Jackpocket, 355 Warwick Tpke., Hewitt; Burlington County ($50,000): Acme #6…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Hudson Felon Freed Under Bail Reform In Back-To-Back Busts Convicted By Federal Jurors Hudson Felon Freed Under Bail Reform In Back-To-Back Busts Convicted By Federal Jurors
Hudson Felon Freed Under Bail Reform In Back-To-Back Busts Convicted By Federal Jurors A Hudson County ex-con who was arrested with a loaded gun in his car after being busted and released twice for cocaine and heroin possession in the previous few months isn't going anywhere now. Federal jurors in Newark convicted Clarence Gaffney, 36, of Jersey City, of drug and weapons possession earlier this week following a three-day trial, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Police reported finding the coke and smack in Gaffney's underwear and shoe following an Oct. 5, 2019 traffic stop, Sellinger said. He was arrested again, on Dec. 26, 2019, after officers caught him selling …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ex-Con Dog Walker Had Pound Of Cocaine, Assault Rifle, More In Turnpike Stop: Bergen Prosecutor Ex-Con Dog Walker Had Pound Of Cocaine, Assault Rifle, More In Turnpike Stop: Bergen Prosecutor
Ex-Con Dog Walker Had Pound Of Cocaine, Assault Rifle, More In Turnpike Stop: Bergen Prosecutor An ex-con dog walker from Hudson County had more than a pound of cocaine, an assault rifle and multiple high-capacity magazines in an electronically operated secret compartment of his SUV when he was stopped near the Meadowlands, authorities said. Detectives with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Narcotic Task Force stopped a 2009 Toyota Rav4 driven by Mervin Menier, 50, of Union City for speeding on the New Jersey Turnpike in Carlstadt this past Tuesday, Oct. 18. The investigators had been tipped off by the DEA that Menier was “transporting bulk shipments” of drugs and cash int…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Woman Was Wanted By Police — So She Applied To Work For Them: Report NJ Woman Was Wanted By Police — So She Applied To Work For Them: Report
NJ Woman Was Wanted By Police — So She Applied To Work For Them: Report A fugitive who applied for a job with the Hudson County Sheriff's Office thought she was going in for an interview. Instead, she was placed under arrest, authoritie said. Zyeama Y. Johnson, 27, had a bench warrant out of Monroe County, PA, along with 10 more bench warrants for failure to appear in court on traffic violations in Jersey City, Hudson County Sheriff Francis X. “Frank” Schillari said. Finding her didn't seem to be too difficult. After confirming the validity of her warrants, Johnson was called in for a "job interview" by authorities in Hudson County — and then promptly arre…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Port Authority Officer Who Pitched In MLB, Wrong Way Driver Both Killed In NJ Turnpike Crash Port Authority Officer Who Pitched In MLB, Wrong Way Driver Both Killed In NJ Turnpike Crash
Port Authority Officer Who Pitched In MLB, Wrong Way Driver Both Killed In NJ Turnpike Crash An off-duty Port Authority officer and the wrong-way driver who struck him were both killed in a 9/11 crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in Hudson County, authorities said. Anthony Varvaro, a 37-year-old married father of four, and former major league pitcher — was struck by Henry A. Plaras, 30, of Bridgewater, who was heading west on the Hudson Bay Extension in the eastbound lanes around 4:25 a.m. in Jersey City, New Jersey State Police Trooper Charles Marchan said. Henry PlarasHenry Plaras Facebook Plaras' Toyota Rav4 struck Varvaro in a Nissan Maxima head-on causing the Nissan to strik…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco & Cecilia Levine
News
‘Stolen Valor’: Former NJ EMT Who Fabricated 9/11 Involvement Smoked Out On Social Media ‘Stolen Valor’: Former NJ EMT Who Fabricated 9/11 Involvement Smoked Out On Social Media
‘Stolen Valor’: Former NJ EMT Who Fabricated 9/11 Involvement Smoked Out On Social Media A former North Bergen and Jersey City Medical Center EMT was removed as a guest speaker at a 9/11 memorial event amid a social media uproar over bogus claims that he’d been at Ground Zero as a New York City firefighter. August Johansen, 45, had his photo published along with a story about his participation in a 9/11 fundraiser in a Tennessee town that’s coincidentally named Union City. In the photo, Johansen is wearing an FDNY patch on his polo shirt. Johansen was outed by NYC Fire Wire, an online news service that also participates in fundraisers and assistance efforts for emergency respo…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
FATAL SHOOTOUT: West New York Gunman Fires Point-Blank At Police, Shot Dead In Exchange (VIDEO) FATAL SHOOTOUT: West New York Gunman Fires Point-Blank At Police, Shot Dead In Exchange (VIDEO)
Fatal Shootout: West New York Gunman Fires Point-Blank At Police, Shot Dead In Exchange (Video) Dramatic footage shows a fully-armed man shooting point-blank at West New York police, then being shot dead himself. The incident is captured in a compilation of police bodycam footage and home surveillance video released late Tuesday, Sept. 6, by Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Several uniformed officers responding to a domestic dispute at the 59th Street home of Kevin Colindres, 32, of West New York on June 3, 2022 had their body cameras activated, Platkin said. Home security cameras in the neighborhood were working, as well. Bodycam footage video recorded throug…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
These Are The Wealthiest Counties In NJ, Study Says These Are The Wealthiest Counties In NJ, Study Says
These Are The Wealthiest Counties In NJ, Study Says Somerset, Morris and Bergen counties rank among the wealthiest in the Garden State, according to a new study. The recent study from SmartAsset assessed wealth in U.S. counties by comparing them across three categories: the amount of investment income residents receive, median home value and per capita income.  Somerset County's per capital investment income averaged $18,409. Its median home value averaged  $510,305 And its per capita income averaged $112,825. Morris County's per capital investment income averaged $18,676  its median home value averaged $556,843 and its per c…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Schools
Ex-NJ Assistant Principal Who Faked Reason For Slip-Fall Getting Job Back Ex-NJ Assistant Principal Who Faked Reason For Slip-Fall Getting Job Back
Ex-NJ Assistant Principal Who Faked Reason For Slip-Fall Getting Job Back A former assistant principal of a Hudson County school who faked her slip-and-fall in a stairwell will be getting her job back, the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division ruled. Amanda Sanjuan was hired as a bilingual education teacher in West New York in 1997, and was appointed assistant principal at Memorial High School in 2019. One night in February 2020, Sanjuan was attending an event at the high school when she fell down a flight of stairs and landed on the floor, according to court papers. After hearing a commotion, a teacher and a custodian rushed to the stairs wh…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Here's Where The 20 Mega Millions Tickets Winning $10K Were Sold In NJ Here's Where The 20 Mega Millions Tickets Winning $10K Were Sold In NJ
Here's Where The 20 Mega Millions Tickets Winning $10K Were Sold In NJ The $1.3 billion Mega Millions winner took the jackpot prize in Illinois. But 20 players in New Jersey walked off with $10,000 prizes. Those $10,000 prizes were won at the following locations: Atlantic County: Acme #831, 212 New Rd., Somers Point; Bergen County: Krauszer’s Food & Liquor, 275 Park Ave., Rutherford; Bergen County: 7-Eleven #29220, 358 Main Ave., Wallington; Bergen County: Lewis Drugs, 298 Westwood Ave., Westwood; Burlington County: Acme #664, 175 Route 70, Medford; Burlington County: Wegmans #8, 2 Centerton Rd., Mt. Laurel; Burlington County: Acme #4926, 2091 Route 130 …

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
WINNERS: Seven NJ Mega Millions Lottery Players Take Home $10,000+ WINNERS: Seven NJ Mega Millions Lottery Players Take Home $10,000+
Winners: Seven NJ Mega Millions Lottery Players Take Home $10,000+ Seven Mega Millions lottery players matched four of the five white balls and the Mega Ball drawn winning the $10,000 third-tier prize.  One of those tickets was purchased with the Megaplier option, multiplying the prize to $30,000.  Those tickets were sold at the following locations: Monmouth County ($30,000): PJ’s Car Wash, 2000 Route 35 and Allaire Rd., Spring Lake Heights; Camden County ($10,000): Shop Rite of Berlin #531, Route 73 and Minck Ave., West Berlin; Hudson County ($10,000): Quick Chek #095, 260 Broadway #280, Bayonne; Mercer County ($10,000): Michael’s Deli, 52 Eas…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Superstorm Sandy Contractors Sentenced To NJ Prison For Theft: Prosecutor Superstorm Sandy Contractors Sentenced To NJ Prison For Theft: Prosecutor
Superstorm Sandy Contractors Sentenced To NJ Prison For Theft: Prosecutor Two contractors have been sentenced to New Jersey state prison for defrauding homeowners for repairs after Superstorm Sandy on the Jersey Shore, authorities said. John Bishop, 57, of Celebration, Florida, was sentenced on Friday, July 15 to four years in state prison for theft by failure to make required disposition, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Bishop worked 11 years as a Harrison police officer in Hudson County, before retiring in 2006, according to NJ Advance Media. Paul Rueda, 50, of San Diego, Texas, was sentenced to five years in state prison on the…

SHARE

by Jon Craig