Mostly Cloudy 74°
Police & Fire
KNOW HER? Authorities Seek ID Of Woman Found Dead In Elizabeth KNOW HER? Authorities Seek ID Of Woman Found Dead In Elizabeth
Know HER? Authorities Seek ID Of Woman Found Dead In Elizabeth Authorities are seeking more information relating to a woman's found over the summer in Elizabeth. The woman’s body was found on the afternoon of June 11 along railroad tracks off of the 300 block of Port Avenue, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said alongside law enforcement. Forensic examination determined that the woman was a Black and/or Hispanic female, 25 to 35 years of age with a slender build. She was approximately 5 feet and 7 inches tall, weighing approximately 125 to 140 pounds, authorities said. She had closely cropped hair, may have worn a wig or other head c…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Central Jersey Driver, 78, Charged In Deadly Clark Hit-Run Central Jersey Driver, 78, Charged In Deadly Clark Hit-Run
Central Jersey Driver, 78, Charged In Deadly Clark Hit-Run A 78-year-old Central Jersey driver was charged in a Union County hit-and-run that killed an 82-year-old man. Thiruvenk Srinivasan, 78, of Edison, was charged with a single count of second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident in connection with last month's crash, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Thursday. James B. Leinbach was struck around 6 a.m. Oct. 20, near Raritan Road and Clarkton Drive, and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Police later that month released photos of the suspect vehicle: A red or maroon 1994-2004 Chevy S-10 …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man, 26, Shot Dead In Hotel Parking Lot Near Newark Airport Man, 26, Shot Dead In Hotel Parking Lot Near Newark Airport
Man, 26, Shot Dead In Hotel Parking Lot Near Newark Airport Authorities in Union County are seeking the public's help investigating a hotel parking lot shooting that left a 26-year-old man dead. Patrick Shukla was killed just before midnight Friday in the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson on International Boulevard in Elizabeth, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Elizabeth Police Department Chief Giacomo Sacca and Director Earl Graves said Saturday. Shukla was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is being led by the Union County Homicide Task Force and assisted by members of the Elizabeth Police Departm…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Roselle Driver Filed Bogus $23K Insurance Claim Hours After Drunken Crash Prosecutor: Roselle Driver Filed Bogus $23K Insurance Claim Hours After Drunken Crash
Prosecutor: Roselle Driver Filed Bogus $23K Insurance Claim Hours After Drunken Crash A Roselle man was busted filing a bogus insurance claim on his luxury car after he drunkenly crashed it earlier this year, authorities said Friday. Brian Bullock, 31, was charged with second-degree insurance fraud, second- and third-degree falsifying government documents, and third-degree tampering with public records or information in connection with the June 20 crash, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Roselle Police Chief Brian Barnes announced. Roselle police officers responded to Spruce Street near East 10th Avenue around 12:40 a.m. on June 20, where Bullock had drun…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Newark Trio Facing Murder Charges In Hillside Shooting Newark Trio Facing Murder Charges In Hillside Shooting
Newark Trio Facing Murder Charges In Hillside Shooting Three Newark men including two already jailed on previous charges were charged in a Hillside shooting that left one man dead last March, authorities said Friday. Ameer J. Holcomb, 22, Maleak S. Williams, 22, and Ismael Merrill, 28, were each charged with first-degree murder and two related weapons offenses,  acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. Hillside police officers responded to reports of a shooting on the 1400 block of Center Street around 9 p.m. March 29, Ruotolo said. There, they found Rafee H. Carter, 27, who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Union …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Former NJ Catholic School Chaplain Charged With Endangering Welfare Of Students Former NJ Catholic School Chaplain Charged With Endangering Welfare Of Students
Former NJ Catholic School Chaplain Charged With Endangering Welfare Of Students A priest and former chaplain of a North Jersey Catholic school was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of six students, authorities announced Thursday. Salvatore DiStefano, 61, who most recently resided at Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church New Providence, is charged with engaging in a pattern of behavior that threatened the welfare of six Oratory Preparatory School students, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. DiStefano -- known to students as "Father Sal" -- was placed on leave last January pending an investigation.  He is the fourth …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Cranford Man Charged With Attempted Murder In Double Shooting On Routes 1&9 UPDATE: Cranford Man Charged With Attempted Murder In Double Shooting On Routes 1&9
Update: Cranford Man Charged With Attempted Murder In Double Shooting On Routes 1&9 A Cranford man was being held in the Union County Jail in connection with Sunday's double shooting on Routes 1&9, authorities said Monday. Andrew C. Johnson, 50, was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and four related weapons offenses, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Linden Police Chief David Hart said jointly. Linden police officers responding to a shooting on the northbound lanes of Routes 1&9 near Avenue C found two victims inside a vehicle stopped on the highway around 9:40 a.m., according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Colleen R…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
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…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
U.S. Marshals Nab NJ Fugitive Accused Of Choking Relative Who Refused Sex, Killing 2nd Woman U.S. Marshals Nab NJ Fugitive Accused Of Choking Relative Who Refused Sex, Killing 2nd Woman
U.S. Marshals Nab NJ Fugitive Accused Of Choking Relative Who Refused Sex, Killing 2nd Woman A Union County fugitive accused of choking a relative who refused sex with him and killing another in two separate incidents was arrested with help from the U.S. Marshals in New York City, authorities said. Oliver I. Tzarax-Lopez, 20, of Elizabeth, was charged with first-degree murder, two weapons offenses, domestic violence-related aggravated assault, and strangulation, Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in a joint release with local authorities. Tzarax-Lopez became the target of an investigation on Aug. 1, when local police responding to an apartment on the 500 block of …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Prosecutor's Office Taking Over 2nd Union County Police Department Amid Misconduct Allegations Prosecutor's Office Taking Over 2nd Union County Police Department Amid Misconduct Allegations
Prosecutor's Office Taking Over 2nd Union County Police Department Amid Misconduct Allegations The Union County Prosecutor's Office (UCPO) will be assuming control of the Clark Police Department over misconduct allegations effective immediately, authorities announced Thursday. An investigation into allegations of misconduct involving the police department's leadership will be helmed by the UCPO and assisted by the State Attorney General's Office, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. Grewal and Ruotolo did not detail the allegations. This marks the second Union County police department controlled by the UCPO. The Fanwood P…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Union County Acupuncturist Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Patient Union County Acupuncturist Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Patient
Union County Acupuncturist Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Patient A former acupuncturist who had a Union County practice was convicted of sexually assaulting a patient in 2017, authorities said. Edward Raskin, 57 of Chatham Township, was found guilty of sexual assault and sexual contact by Union County Superior Court Judge Lara DiFabrizio following a two-week bench trial that concluded earlier this week, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Springfield Police Chief John Cook said in a joint statement.  The investigation revealed that Raskin sexually assaulted an adult victim during a scheduled appointment at Spirit Acupuncture o…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
TRAILBLAZER: Union County Has Its First-Ever Female Chief Of Detectives TRAILBLAZER: Union County Has Its First-Ever Female Chief Of Detectives
Trailblazer: Union County Has Its First-Ever Female Chief Of Detectives For the first time since its founding more than 160 years ago, a woman has been named Chief of Detectives for the Union County Prosecutor's Office.  Patricia Gusmano, who has worked in law enforcement for nearly three decades, was recently sworn in by Acting Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, who praised the woman who now holds the number-three job in the prosecutor's office.  “Chief Gusmano has spent a career serving the people of Union County. She has been a tireless advocate for our most vulnerable victims—abused children, survivors of sexual assault, and the families of homicide v…

SHARE

by Paul Milo