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Police & Fire
KNOW ANYTHING? $10K Reward Offered In Plainfield Shootings That Killed 1, Hurt 2 KNOW ANYTHING? $10K Reward Offered In Plainfield Shootings That Killed 1, Hurt 2
Know Anything? $10K Reward Offered In Plainfield Shootings That Killed 1, Hurt 2 A $10,000 reward was being offered in a series of Plainfield shootings killed one person and injured two others Monday evening, authorities said. Plainfield police responding to the 200 block of Pond Place found a 23-year-old man with serious injuries around 9 p.m., Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Plainfield Police Director Lisa Burgess jointly announced. The man was subsequently pronounced dead. Several minutes later, officers responded to New and West 4th streets, where a 26-year-old and a 37-year-old man had also been shot, Ruotolo and Burgess said. The pair we…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Paramus Police Department Mourns Loss Of Officer Allan Alvarez, 42 Paramus Police Department Mourns Loss Of Officer Allan Alvarez, 42
Paramus Police Department Mourns Loss Of Officer Allan Alvarez, 42 The Paramus Police Department is mourning the loss of officer Allan Alvarez. Alvarez, 42, died unexpectedly on Sunday due to complications of a medical procedure at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, his obituary says. A Plainfield native, Alvarez grew up in Piscataway and was a Rahway resident at the time of his passing. He graduated Piscataway High School in 1996 and was a U.S. Army veteran, having served in Bosnia and a tour during Operation Desert Fox. At the rank of sergeant, Alvarez received his honorable discharge in 2001. In 2006, Allan was hired by the Paramus Police Departm…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man, 64, Pinned By Fallen Car In Plainfield Man, 64, Pinned By Fallen Car In Plainfield
Man, 64, Pinned By Fallen Car In Plainfield A 64-year-old man was hospitalized life-threatening injuries after being pinned under a car in Plainfield, authorities said. The man had been working on a car on Emerson Avenue, when it fell off the left, crushing him around 7 p.m., initial reports say. The Plainfield Police Criminal Investigation Bureau continues is investigating, Plainfield Police Director Lisa Burgess said. Anyone with information, please contact Detective Robert Alcantara of the Plainfield Police Department at 908-753-3360.

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Man Drowns In NJ 'Hidden Gem' Popularized On TikTok Man Drowns In NJ 'Hidden Gem' Popularized On TikTok
Man Drowns In NJ 'Hidden Gem' Popularized On TikTok A 23-year-old Plainfield man drowned at a former mining property in Ocean County, authorities said. The body of Edwin Caballero was pulled from Crystal Lake at the Heritage Mineral property in Manchester Sunday morning, Manchester Township police said. Several videos of Crystal Lake have been popping up on social video-sharing platform TikTok, calling the spot a "hidden gem." A Manchester Township police spokesperson warned, though, the water can be "very unpredictable and dangerously unstable." "Those entering the water will quickly realize that after taking a few steps in the soft, unsta…

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by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
'Tragic Loss': Bound Brook Mourns Death Of Vet Tech Kimberly Hancaviz, 31 'Tragic Loss': Bound Brook Mourns Death Of Vet Tech Kimberly Hancaviz, 31
'Tragic Loss': Bound Brook Mourns Death Of Vet Tech Kimberly Hancaviz, 31 The community is mourning the loss of a 31-year-old Bound Brook woman who died Sunday, June 21. Born in Plainfield, Kimberly Hancaviz graduated from South Bound Brook High School, where she was known for her role as a cheerleader, her obituary says. After high school, Kim earned a biology degree at College of St. Elizabeth, later furthering her higher education with a veterinary technology degree from Camden County College. With a deep passion for animals, Kim worked most recently as a vet tech for Progressive Veterinary Care in Skillman. She also loved spending time with loved ones, eatin…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Prosecutor Reviewing Plainfield Police Use Of Force During Arrest Prosecutor Reviewing Plainfield Police Use Of Force During Arrest
Prosecutor Reviewing Plainfield Police Use Of Force During Arrest Amid heightened sensitivity over law enforcement interactions, the Union County Prosecutor's Office is investigating an officer's use of force during an arrest Wednesday night. Police were arresting an 18-year-old man for an undisclosed offense on the 300 block of Liberty Street Wednesday evening when he sustained the injury, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. The injury required medical attention, which Plainfield police "timely facilitated," Ruotolo said. Officers promptly notified police officials and the Professional Standards Unit within the Union County…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
SEEN HIM? Union County Boy, 14, Missing Since Last Month SEEN HIM? Union County Boy, 14, Missing Since Last Month
Seen HIM? Union County Boy, 14, Missing Since Last Month Authorities turned to the public Monday for help finding a missing New Jersey boy. Christopher Soto, 14, of Plainfield was last seen leaving his home last month, a post by the Union County Prosecutor's Office said, without saying exactly when or whether it was believed that he's at risk. He was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, black sneakers and a baseball cap at the time, the notice says. Anyone who sees or might know where to find Christopher is asked to contact Plainfield police: (908) 753-3360. CHECK BACK FOR MORE DETAILS

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
'Highly Respected' Newark Police Veteran Dies Of Coronavirus 'Highly Respected' Newark Police Veteran Dies Of Coronavirus
'Highly Respected' Newark Police Veteran Dies Of Coronavirus Michael Clegg, a 27-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, died of coronavirus, officials said Sunday. Sgt. Michael Clegg, 53, passed away at Overlook Hospital in Summit, according to his family. “Our hearts are broken by the news of Sergeant Clegg’s passing,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said. “A 27-year tenure of public service results in strong bonds of brotherhood among fellow police officers.  "Sergeant Clegg was highly respected by his colleagues and was extremely respectable in his demeanor towards the public. We lost a good man." Clegg, former…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Middlesex Man, 39, Dies In Plainfield Crash Middlesex Man, 39, Dies In Plainfield Crash
Middlesex Man, 39, Dies In Plainfield Crash A 39-year-old Middlesex man died in a Plainfield crash, authorities said. Authorities responded to a crash at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and W. Fourth Street around 4:50 a.m. Tuesday, Plainfield police said in a release. The victim was transported life-threatening injuries to an area hospital, where he later died, police said. No further details were being released and the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with more information can contact Detective John Franklin of the Plainfield Police Department at 908-753-3696.

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Middlesex Man, 39, Killed In Plainfield Crash Middlesex Man, 39, Killed In Plainfield Crash
Middlesex Man, 39, Killed In Plainfield Crash A 39-year-old Middlesex Borough man was killed in a pre-dawn crash Tuesday in Plainfield, authorities said. Authorities were making notifications while withholding the identity of the victim, who was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick after going into traumatic arrest in the 4:51 a.m. crash at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and West Fourth Street, responders said. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, police said. Anyone who might have witnessed the crash or has home surveillance video that could help the investigation is asked to contact Plainfie…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Authorities: Union County Nightclub Caught Serving Amid COVID-19 Closure Authorities: Union County Nightclub Caught Serving Amid COVID-19 Closure
Authorities: Union County Nightclub Caught Serving Amid Covid-19 Closure A Plainfield business owner told police that he thought that patrons waiting for takeout orders from his restaurant could drink at his bar, authorities said. Wrong. Cristobal Sanchez, 62, was charged with violating state coronavirus emergency closure orders by police who said they found three customers drinking at the bar and others sitting at tables Saturday night at the Tequila Club on East 5th Street. Sanchez told them he "thought he was allowed to serve them alcohol inside the premises" because the patrons "were waiting for take-out orders," state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Three Charged In Fatal Stabbing Outside Plainfield Nightclub Prosecutor: Three Charged In Fatal Stabbing Outside Plainfield Nightclub
Prosecutor: Three Charged In Fatal Stabbing Outside Plainfield Nightclub Three suspects have been charged following a stabbing outside a nightclub in Plainfield that left one person dead and three others injured, authorities said. Plainfield Police found 30-year-old Plainfield resident Olvin Benitez Lopez with critical injuries outside Chez Maree nightclub on Watching Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in a joint release. Three men ages 27, 28 and 30 were also at the scene and identified as victims of the stabbing, authorities said. Lopez was subsequently pronounced dead, and the three other vi…

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by Valerie Musson