A Few Clouds 22°
Police & Fire
Bandana-Wearing Masturbator Spotted On Homeowner's Somerset County Lawn Bandana-Wearing Masturbator Spotted On Homeowner's Somerset County Lawn
Bandana-Wearing Masturbator Spotted On Homeowner's Somerset County Lawn A Somerset County resident complained of a man in a bandana masturbating on his front lawn, authorities said. Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald and other officials said similar indecent exposure crimes were reported last year in Hillsborough Township. The latest incident occurred on Meadowbrook Drive during the evening hours of Wednesday, March 22, McDonald said. At approximately 10:15 p.m., Hillsborough Township Police were dispatched to Meadowbrook Drive on a report of indecent exposure involving an unknown white man. Responding Officers canvassed the area but were unsuccessfu…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
NJ Coach, Teacher Sentenced For Sexual Assault Of Student NJ Coach, Teacher Sentenced For Sexual Assault Of Student
NJ Coach, Teacher Sentenced For Sexual Assault Of Student A former teacher and coach has been sentenced to four years in New Jersey State Prison for sexually assaulting a student, authorities said. Matthew Rennie, 29, of Ringoes, in Hunterdon County, was sentenced on Friday, March 17, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald. Rennie was arrested on Oct. 6, 2021, after a 17-year-old girl reported to Franklin Township Police that she was sexually assaulted by Rennie, who is employed at a private educational institution in Somerset County, McDonald said. McDonald did not name the institution in Franklin Township. The victim dis…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Man Struck Dead By Family Member In Somerset County: Prosecutor Man Struck Dead By Family Member In Somerset County: Prosecutor
Man Struck Dead By Family Member In Somerset County: Prosecutor A 41-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by a family member over the weekend, authorities in Somerset County said. The unidentified victim was hit around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, outside of his home on Clark Lane in Hillsborough, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. The death remains under investigation by detectives pending an autopsy and toxicology report from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office and the results of the Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team’s findings. No criminal charges have been filed. Detectives from the…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Bank Robber Nabbed During Getaway Taxi Ride: Prosecutor Bank Robber Nabbed During Getaway Taxi Ride: Prosecutor
Bank Robber Nabbed During Getaway Taxi Ride: Prosecutor An accused bank robber picked the wrong getaway car, authorities said. A 46-year-old man from Middlesex County allegedly robbed a bank in Somerset County and then used the same taxi cab to flee. Police located the cab in North Brunswick and arrested Ivan M. Baerga Jr. of South Brunswick, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald. The bank was robbed on Thursday, Feb. 9 on Roiute 27 in Franklin Township, McDonald said. The robber passed a note demanding $5,000 cash and left with an unspecified amount of money, he said. No injuries were reported. Baerga was charged with robb…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
NJ Man In Bathroom For Suspicious Amount Of Time Found With Heroin, Cocaine: Prosecutor NJ Man In Bathroom For Suspicious Amount Of Time Found With Heroin, Cocaine: Prosecutor
NJ Man In Bathroom For Suspicious Amount Of Time Found With Heroin, Cocaine: Prosecutor Police conducting a welfare check on a 45-year-old Somerset County man who had been in the bathroom for too long was found with 13 wax folds of heroin, a small amount of cocaine and a glass pipe, authorities said. A Route 202 business called police on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to check on a man — later identified as James A. Michael of Branchburg — who had been in the bathroom for more than an hour around 8:55 p.m., Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. That's when they found Michael, who had an outstanding warrant out of Middlesex County for failure to appear in court. Michael was …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Report On Bridgewater Mall Fight Between White, Black Teens Could Be Released Soon: AG Report On Bridgewater Mall Fight Between White, Black Teens Could Be Released Soon: AG
Report On Bridgewater Mall Fight Between White, Black Teens Could Be Released Soon: AG A report on the fight between white and black teenagers that resulted in an alleged disproportionate police response should be released soon, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The fight occurred at Bridgewater Commons Mall in Somerset County in February 2022 outside of Bloomingdale's and triggered a viral response on social media. The public's trust is fragile and if a local administrative review is not completed soon, Platkin said he will release his non-public September 2022 report to the public. The local review "process has taken an inordinate length of time and further delay o…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
PSE&G Worker Killed, Suspect Dead In Somerset County: Prosecutor PSE&G Worker Killed, Suspect Dead In Somerset County: Prosecutor
PSE&G Worker Killed, Suspect Dead In Somerset County: Prosecutor An employee at PSE&G was fatally shot before the suspect — a former worker — apparently died by suicide in Somerset County, authorities said. Gary T. Curtis, 58, of Washington, is believed to have shot Russell D. Heller, 51, of Milford, around 7 a.m. at the company's headquarters on Weston Canal Road, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Emergency Medical Personnel from an area Trauma Center responded to the scene where Heller was pronounced dead. Curtis was found by detectives having suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 10:20 a.m., in a parking lot in Bridgewate…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Woman Wakes Up To Find Somerset Man Sexually Assaulting Her: Prosecutor Woman Wakes Up To Find Somerset Man Sexually Assaulting Her: Prosecutor
Woman Wakes Up To Find Somerset Man Sexually Assaulting Her: Prosecutor A 27-year-old Somerset man has been arrested for a sexual assault that happened in June 2022, authorities said. The woman told police she had been drinking alcohol at a Franklin Township home but woke up in a bedroom to find Antonio Galindo-Salazar on top of her on June 19, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Galindo-Salazar was arrested without incident in Franklin Township and taken to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office for processing, following an investigation.  He was charged with second-degree sexual assault and lodged in the Somerset County Jail, officia…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: Convicted Child Porn Collector From Somerset County, 67, Admits Doing It Again Feds: Convicted Child Porn Collector From Somerset County, 67, Admits Doing It Again
Feds: Convicted Child Porn Collector From Somerset County, 67, Admits Doing It Again A 67-year-old Somerset County man previously convicted of collecting child porn faces a minimum 10-year federal prison sentence after admitting on Monday that he'd done it again, federal authorities said. John Schulenburg of Basking Ridge shared images with what turned out to be an undercover detective in July 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Investigators raided Schulenburg's home four months later, seizing a computer that Sellinger said "contained hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including images of prepubescent children." Schulenburg was previously convi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Financial Services Pro From NYC Who Sought Sex With NJ Teen Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen Financial Services Pro From NYC Who Sought Sex With NJ Teen Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen
Financial Services Pro From NYC Who Sought Sex With NJ Teen Gets 7 Years In Fed Pen A financial services worker from the South Bronx who traveled to New Jersey to have sex with a 13-year-old is headed to federal prison for seven years, authorities announced. Jesus Modesto-Sanchez, 31, was caught dead to rights when he walked into what turned out to be a pedophile trap set by undercover investigators in Somerset County. Rather than face the consequences of a conviction for more serious charges, Modesto-Sanchez took a deal from the government, pleading guilty to transporting child pornography during a video conference with a federal judge in Trenton last May. He'll have to …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Burglar Stole Items From Central Jersey Family's Safe: Prosecutor Burglar Stole Items From Central Jersey Family's Safe: Prosecutor
Burglar Stole Items From Central Jersey Family's Safe: Prosecutor A 42-year-old man from Irvington has been arrested for stealing from a family's safe in Watchung, authorities said. Randolph C. McLeod was charged with burglary, theft and several other charges. The theft occurred about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 on Johnston Drive, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and Watchung Borough Police Chief Andrew Hart. Police observed evidence of forced entry at the residence and learned that the victim responded home to numerous items missing from a safe in…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Somerset County Driver Sentenced For Homicide, Fraud: Prosecutor Somerset County Driver Sentenced For Homicide, Fraud: Prosecutor
Somerset County Driver Sentenced For Homicide, Fraud: Prosecutor A Somerset County man will spend five years in state prison after authorities say he struck and killed another traveler while driving on a suspended license.  According to the county Prosecutor's Office, George L. Rodriguez, 68, of Bedminster, was driving north on Routes 202/206 toward the intersection with River Road just before 7 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2020.  Investigators said Rodriguez turned left into the intersection instead of taking the designated "jug handle" turning lane and slammed into a compact sedan head-on at 50 miles per hour. The other driver, 65-year-old Michael Sivul…

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by Mac Bullock