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Feds: Purported NJ Gang Members Indicted On Murder, Attempted Murder Charges Feds: Purported NJ Gang Members Indicted On Murder, Attempted Murder Charges
Feds: Purported NJ Gang Members Indicted On Murder, Attempted Murder Charges Three purported members of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips gang were indicted on charges of murder and attempted murder Wednesday, federal officials said. Elijah Williams, aka “Lil Smith,” 21; Jason Franklin, aka “Freak,” aka “OG Freak,” 37; and Tre Byrd, aka “Bands,” aka “G Bandz,” 20 -- all of Newark -- were charged by indictment with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Williams is accused of shooting four individuals and hitting two in Newark on Sept. 25, 2018, authorities said. Both victims survived the at…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
WATCH: Newark Police Officer Uses CPR To Save Life Of Unconscious Man, 29 WATCH: Newark Police Officer Uses CPR To Save Life Of Unconscious Man, 29
Watch: Newark Police Officer Uses CPR To Save Life Of Unconscious Man, 29 The intense moment a Newark Police officer used CPR to save the life of an unconscious man over the weekend was caught on body camera footage. Newark Police Officer Claudia Martinez responded to the 500 block of Market Street and found the 29-year-old man unresponsive on the floor around 1:10 a.m. Saturday, Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said. Martinez — a licensed practical nurse — immediately began chest compressions after noticing that the man had no pulse and was not breathing. “There you go, there you go, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Martinez can be heard saying while continuing com…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Newark Woman Stabs 29-Year-Old Boyfriend Dead During Argument, Authorities Say Newark Woman Stabs 29-Year-Old Boyfriend Dead During Argument, Authorities Say
Newark Woman Stabs 29-Year-Old Boyfriend Dead During Argument, Authorities Say A Newark woman was charged with stabbing her 29-year-old dead in his home over the weekend, authorities announced. Latysha Simmons, 29, stabbed Darien Wharton during an argument at his house on the 400 block of University Avenue Saturday, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Newark Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara said. Wharton was rushed to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 11:30 p.m. Simmons was subsequently arrested on charges of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.  …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
$10K Reward Offered In Murder Case Of Newark Grandmother $10K Reward Offered In Murder Case Of Newark Grandmother
$10K Reward Offered In Murder Case Of Newark Grandmother The Essex County Sheriff's Office is offering a $10,000 reward for  information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for killing a Newark grandmother on her front porch. Debra Derrick, 63, was shot on the front porch of a home on the 200 block of Lehigh Avenue, while celebrating her late twin sister around 8 p.m. on March 11, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office previously said. Authorities would like to speak to the two young men in the photographs above in connection with Debra Derrick's shooting death.Essex County Prosecutor's Office Essex County S…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Newark Barbershop Robber Shot In Face By Off-Duty Officer Headed To Fed Pen Newark Barbershop Robber Shot In Face By Off-Duty Officer Headed To Fed Pen
Newark Barbershop Robber Shot In Face By Off-Duty Officer Headed To Fed Pen Philip Hedgespeth picked the wrong barbershop to rob when the man in the chair turned out to be an off-duty Newark police officer who shot him in the face. Now the ex-con is headed back behind bars -- only this time it's for a federal stretch of more than nine years. Hedgespeth, 45, must serve out the entire plea-bargained sentence: Unlike in the state prison system, federal convicts don’t get parole. Hedgespeth was wearing a hoodie when he walked into the Cache Barbershop on Orange Street, pointed a handgun and demanded cash from an employee and off-duty city officer getting a haircut on…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
18 ATVs Recovered In Newark Crackdown 18 ATVs Recovered In Newark Crackdown
18 ATVs Recovered In Newark Crackdown Eighteen illegal dirt bikes and ATVs were recovered in the first week of a crackdown in Newark, authorities said. The nine dirt bikes were recovered from: One from the 800 block of South 14th Street; two from N. 6th Street and Park Avenue; one from the 500 block of Clinton Avenue; one from Avon Avenue and Treacy Avenue; and three from one vacant apartment and a fourth dirt bike in another vacant apartment at a building in the 100 block of Roseville Avenue. Nine ATVs were recovered from: One from Astor Street and Brunswick Street; one from the 600 block of Irvine Turner Boulevard; two from M…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark
Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Surveillance video shows one of two shootings that federal authorities say were committed by a Newark ex-con who was caught with a loaded gun and 626 heroin folds. The victims were shot five days apart last August by Antoine Hawkins, a 31-year-old repeat offender with an extensive criminal record, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Police nabbed Hawkins a month later and found him carrying a 9mm Springfield Armory XDM pistol loaded with 19 rounds, the U.S. attorney said. A warranted search of his home turned up the heroin, as well as three 9mm magazines, she said. Hawkins, who ha…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Man Gets 25 Years For Sexually Assaulting 8-Year-Old Girl & Filming It NJ Man Gets 25 Years For Sexually Assaulting 8-Year-Old Girl & Filming It
NJ Man Gets 25 Years For Sexually Assaulting 8-Year-Old Girl & Filming It A 35-year-old New Jersey man was sentenced to 25 years without parole in state prison for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl and recording it. Diego Ayala, of Newark, admitted to the acts when pleading guilty, and will be required to serve the his sentence pursuant to the Jessica Lunsford Act, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, said. Ayala, who was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Christopher S. Romanyshyn, will be required to register under Megan's Law. Arrested in 2018, Ayala pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
KNOW ANYTHING? $5K Reward Offered In Shooting Death Of Newark's Nazim Cheek, 19 KNOW ANYTHING? $5K Reward Offered In Shooting Death Of Newark's Nazim Cheek, 19
Know Anything? $5K Reward Offered In Shooting Death Of Newark's Nazim Cheek, 19 The Essex County Sheriff's Office is offering a reward of up to $5,000 in the killing of Newark's Nazim Cheek. Cheek was shot dead on the 100 block of Isabella Street on Oct. 9, 2020. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, is investigating the fatal shooting. No arrests had been made as of April 12. A GoFundMe in Cheek's memory had raised more than $4,500 as of April 12. The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information should contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office tips …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Jersey City Man, 22, Accused Of Stabbing Newark Dad, 60, To Death Jersey City Man, 22, Accused Of Stabbing Newark Dad, 60, To Death
Jersey City Man, 22, Accused Of Stabbing Newark Dad, 60, To Death A Jersey City man was charged with murder in the Newark stabbing of his 60-year-old dad, authorities said Tuesday. Phillip Jennings was found on the second floor of his Oration Street home by Newark officers performing a wellness check around 12:40 p.m. April 2, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, said Stephens alongside Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara. Noah Jennings has been charged with one count of murder, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon and one count of possession of a weapon for an unla…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Newark Police Seek Public's Help To ID Grocery Store Robbery Suspect Newark Police Seek Public's Help To ID Grocery Store Robbery Suspect
Newark Police Seek Public's Help To ID Grocery Store Robbery Suspect Newark police are seeking the public's help identifying a man who they say fled after robbing a grocery store Thursday afternoon. The man apparently demanded money from a cashier at gunpoint around 12:35 p.m. in Ruby's Grocery Store at 977 Bergen Street, according to Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara. The suspect also stole merchandise from the store before fleeing on foot and heading westbound on Scheerer Avenue, authorities said. Director O’Hara urges anyone with information about the suspect to call the Department's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS …

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Trio Nabbed In Newark Homicide Trio Nabbed In Newark Homicide
Trio Nabbed In Newark Homicide Three men have been charged in the March 9 shooting death of a 22-year-old Newark men after their SUV was stopped by police in Irvington, authorities said. Tyshon Armour, 19, of Newark; Reynold Henderson, 18, of Irvington; and Isaad S. Jackson, 20 of Newark, were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II said. Police responding to reports of a shooting on St. Paul Avenue found Dedric Bracey, 22, with multiple gunshot wounds around 4 p.m. on…

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by Cecilia Levine