Fog/Mist 56°
Obituaries
NJ Mom Who Lost Battle With Ovarian Cancer Had Unique Request For Funeral Service NJ Mom Who Lost Battle With Ovarian Cancer Had Unique Request For Funeral Service
NJ Mom Who Lost Battle With Ovarian Cancer Had Unique Request For Funeral Service A New Jersey mom of two who lost her battle with ovarian cancer at the age of 42 had a quirky request for guests attending her funeral. Melissa Anne Nancy Rhodes died May 16 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018, according to a GoFundMe that documented her difficult journey. Born in Hoboken, Rhodes was a lifelong resident of Roselle Park, her obituary says. Rhodes earned an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts Secondary Education from Union County College and a Bachelor’s in history from the College of NJ. Rhodes later worked in Human Resources at Target in Clark and Linden — an…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
News
Target To Replace These Shuttered NJ Kmarts Target To Replace These Shuttered NJ Kmarts
Target To Replace These Shuttered NJ Kmarts Another Kmart store has closed its doors leaving just two left in all of New Jersey. The Kearny store on Passaic Avenue closed on May 2, NJ Advance Media reports. The storefront will be replaced by a Target store, according to Target's list of upcoming locations.  Target will also be replacing the Kmart that closed in Wall on Route 35, and the one in Somers Point on 250 New Road. Only two Kmart stores remain in New Jersey: One in Avenel and the other in Westwood.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
SEEN IT? Central Jersey Police Release Photo Of Lewd Flasher's Pick-Up Truck With PA Plates SEEN IT? Central Jersey Police Release Photo Of Lewd Flasher's Pick-Up Truck With PA Plates
Seen IT? Central Jersey Police Release Photo Of Lewd Flasher's Pick-Up Truck With PA Plates Police in Monmouth County say they are closing in on a suspected lewd flasher who drives a pickup-truck with Pennsylvania license plates.   Howell police said that "an alert person contacted us and provided a picture of the suspect vehicle including the Pennsylvania license plate." On Monday, while at Target she felt this vehicle was following her and acting suspiciously. She took a picture with her phone.  A background check revealed a past history of lewdness involving this suspect, police said. "Our detectives are actively following up on this. An update will be provid…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Authorities: Car Burglar Admits Breaking Into 2,000 Vehicles In New Jersey, Pennsylvania Authorities: Car Burglar Admits Breaking Into 2,000 Vehicles In New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Authorities: Car Burglar Admits Breaking Into 2,000 Vehicles In New Jersey, Pennsylvania Authorities have arrested a suspect who admits breaking into about 2,000 vehicles in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Keith A. Johnson, 33, of Yardley, in Bucks County, PA, is charged with numerous counts of theft and burglary, as well as 76 counts of loitering/prowling at night, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's office. Johnson also admitted to stealing $140,000 in cash during a burglary in Philadelphia, detectives said in court papers, according to NJ Advance Media. When police searched Johnson's home, they found $30,000 in cash, plus items stolen from cars, they said. Johns…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Amazon Fulfillment Center Replacing Vacant Jersey Shore Sears Store Amazon Fulfillment Center Replacing Vacant Jersey Shore Sears Store
Amazon Fulfillment Center Replacing Vacant Jersey Shore Sears Store Amazon plans to open another fulfillment center in Central Jersey at the site of a vacant Sears store. The approximately 93,000-square-foot Monmouth County location — at Seaview Square Shopping Center in Ocean Township — is expected to open in October, Mayor Chris Siciliano told NJ Advance Media. “It’s a win-win for us and for Amazon," Siciliano told NJ.com. "It’s really an ideal spot and it will serve the needs of several communities." Amazon customers will be able to pick up packages at the center, which will create up to 200 jobs. Fulfillment centers are used to store inventory like el…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
Feds: Former Bergen Resident From CT Embezzled $540,000 From Ridgefield Park Security Firm Feds: Former Bergen Resident From CT Embezzled $540,000 From Ridgefield Park Security Firm
Feds: Former Bergen Resident From CT Embezzled $540,000 From Ridgefield Park Security Firm A former Bergen County resident now living in Connecticut embezzled $540,000 intended for a local company that she diverted into a PayPal account for herself, her husband and a co-worker, federal authorities charged. A federal judge in Connecticut ordered Melissa Corso, 50, of Groton, held pending transfer to New Jersey to face wire fraud charges after the FBI arrested her on Thursday. Corso and her husband lived in Closter when she worked for a Delaware-based security systems supplier with an office in Ridgefield Park, federal authorities said. For more than six years, beginning in early …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Parole Officer Stole From Target Store In Sneaky Way For Months, Prosecutor Says NJ Parole Officer Stole From Target Store In Sneaky Way For Months, Prosecutor Says
NJ Parole Officer Stole From Target Store In Sneaky Way For Months, Prosecutor Says A 41-year-old New Jersey parole officer was caught stealing from the North Bergen Target store in a sneaky way for months, authorities said. Jorge Ortega, of Jersey City, used the commonly-called "ticket-switch fraud" method to change labels on various Target store items between July and October of this year, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Particularly, Ortega would take labels of lower-priced items and stick them on higher-priced items in the Tonnele Avenue store, Suarez said. Ortega was arrested Friday, Dec. 11, and charged with theft by deception then issued a disorderly p…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Another Giant Clothier Falls: These NJ, NY, CT Brooks Brothers Stores Are Closed For Good Another Giant Clothier Falls: These NJ, NY, CT Brooks Brothers Stores Are Closed For Good
Another Giant Clothier Falls: These NJ, NY, CT Brooks Brothers Stores Are Closed For Good It was the clothier that dressed 40 presidents, brought us the button-down polo shirt and survived not only the Great Depression and two world wars but also casual Fridays. But like so many other traditional retailers, Brooks Brothers was no match for the coronavirus. The 202-year-old company – considered America's oldest apparel seller -- on Wednesday filed for bankruptcy protection while announcing that 38 stores that it closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic weren't reopening. The shuttered stores in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut include: The Shops at Riverside, Hackensack; 2381…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Firefighters Douse Hackensack Apartment Blaze Firefighters Douse Hackensack Apartment Blaze
Firefighters Douse Hackensack Apartment Blaze Firefighters doused a roaring garden apartment blaze before dawn Saturday. City firefighters had to cut a fence behind the Main Street apartments and enter the property through the Target parking lot to conduct searches and ventilate the roof after the blaze broke out around 1:15 a.m. Firefighters extinguished heavy flames that shot out the window on the first floor and extended to the second. The two-alarm fire was knocked down within 25 minutes and declared under control within an hour. Three minor injuries were reported, including one involving a firefighter who responders said had dif…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
JCPenney Closing 242 Stores JCPenney Closing 242 Stores
JCPenney Closing 242 Stores JCPenney plans to permanently close 242 stores this year and next as it continues to reel from billions of dollars of debt, severe competitive disadvantages and the coronavirus pandemic. “Penney’s” cited COVID-19 when filing for bankruptcy late last week – the fourth national retailer to do so this month following J.Crew, Neiman Marcus and Stage Stores. "Until this pandemic struck, we had made significant progress rebuilding our company," CEO Jill Soltau said in a statement Friday. "Implementing this financial restructuring plan through a court-supervised process is the best path to ensure…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Target Shelf Stocker Charged With Raping Wood-Ridge Pre-Teen Target Shelf Stocker Charged With Raping Wood-Ridge Pre-Teen
Target Shelf Stocker Charged With Raping Wood-Ridge Pre-Teen A 20-year-old Target shelf stocker from Wood-Ridge raped a pre-teen, authorities charged. Steven Cabrera remained held Wednesday in the Bergen County Jail pending a May 18 first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack following his arrest the day before. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Wood-Ridge police contacted members of his Special Victims Unit after receiving a report that Cabrera had sexually assaulted a child under 13 on Monday. Cabrera is charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault of a victim under 13, sexual assault and child endangerment …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Drone Helps Police Nab 'Go Back To Lakewood' Fugitive From Jersey Shore Target Drone Helps Police Nab 'Go Back To Lakewood' Fugitive From Jersey Shore Target
Drone Helps Police Nab 'Go Back To Lakewood' Fugitive From Jersey Shore Target UPDATE:  With help from the public -- and a drone -- police captured a 51-year-old fugitive accused of shouting "Go back to Lakewood" while threatening a Target shopper. Brick police released a surveillance photo of Francis Dudas, 51, of Brick Township after they said he threatened a shopper at the Route 70 Target around 7:30 p.m. Monday. The victim told police he ignored the shout of "Go back to Lakewood," but then Dudas followed him into and around the store, repeating himself. When he finally turned to confront his assailant, the victim said, Dudas replied: "You'll have t…

SHARE

by Jon Craig