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Monday, sep 16
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Union County, NJ
News
Two West Nile Virus-Related Deaths Among Six New Cases Reported In New Jersey
New Jersey health officials are reporting an additional six cases of West Nile Virus including two deaths, and two presumptive viremic blood donor (PVD) cases in the state. The six new WNV cases are residents of Bergen, Camden, Cumberland, Hudson, Mercer, and Middlesex counties (one 50+, two 60+, one 70+, two 80+). The two individuals who died were older adults from Cumberland and Mercer counties, the DOH said. Two human cases of WNV were reported earlier this year in Middlesex and Union counties. Seven out of the eight cases were hospitalized with neuroinvasive disease, includi…
Politics
New Charges Filed Against Former NJ Mayoral Candidate Accused Of Election Fraud: AG
A 70-year-old former mayoral candidate town previously accused of election fraud is facing new charges, New Jersey authorities announced Friday, Aug. 23. An indictment returned against Plainfield's former mayoral candidate Dr. Henrilynn Ibezim charges him with tampering with witnesses and informants and trafficking in personal identifying information pertaining to another person, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Ibezim had previously been accused of trying to submit hundreds of bogus voter registration applications to Union County's election officials, and th…
Weather
Tornado Watch Shifts, Now Covers These Counties Across NJ, PA As Debby Creeps In
The National Weather Service has shifted its tornado watch across New Jersey and Pennsylvania as Hurricane Debby creeps in. In New Jersey, the tornado watch is in effect through 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9 and covers Bergen, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties in North Jersey. In Pennsylvania, the tornado watch is issued in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, and Bucks counties. The tornado threat for South Jersey has diminished since the initial watch was issued early Friday morning, which has since been canceled. AccuWeather Th…
News
NJ Reports Three West Nile Virus Cases
The New Jersey Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first human cases of the West Nile Virus, much earlier than in prior seasons. Two residents, one more than 70 years old and the other under 18, tested positive for the illness transmitted by mosquitoes after reporting symptoms in the first week of July, the state's health department said. The individuals, from Union and Middlesex counties, were hospitalized and have since been discharged. A third case of an asymptomatic WNV-positive blood donor was later reported, the DOH said. They were identified as a Somerset County resid…
Weather
Towns With The Most Rainfall In New Jersey
The National Weather Service has released the rainfall totals from the Tuesday, Aug. 6 storm. Residents across the Northeast woke up Wednesday, Aug. 7 to several inches of water — in some places, feet. Here are the towns that got the most amount of rain: Bergen County: Ridgewood 5.79 inches Bogota 5.60 inches Oakland 3.86 inches Leonia 3.81 inches Lyndhurst 3.77 inches Hillsdale 3.56 inches Hasbrouck Heights 3.42 inches Hackensack 2.9…
Weather
Tracking Hurricane Debby, Severe Storms Expected To Slam Northeast This Week
The Northeast is in for a wild week of weather. AccuWeather forecasters say episodes of drenching rain and heavy winds are working their way across the country and are expected to arrive in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland on Tuesday, Aug. 6. AccuWeather The above AccuWeather map shows which part of the region will be most impacted by the storms arriving Tuesday afternoon and lasting into the evening. Those include the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, South Jersey, and the Philadelphia and Baltimore areas. Tuesday will be sunny and hot with a high of 90 before storms roll in,…
Sports
Jersey Shore Judoka Eliminated From 2024 Olympics, Enjoys 'Unreal Experience' In Paris
A West Long Branch man from a storied judo family had his quest for Olympic gold in Paris cut short after losing his first contest. Jack Yonezuka was defeated 10-0 by Adil Osmanov of Moldova in a round of 32 fight in the 73-kilogram weight class on Monday, July 29. He lost by ippon (points) after he was given his third shido (a penalty) three minutes and 40 seconds into the match. Before his fight, the 2021 Shore Regional High School graduate shared Instagram pictures and videos of his view aboard Team USA's boat during the opening ceremony along the River Seine on Friday, Ju…
Police & Fire
Office Manager Embezzled $350K From North Jersey Synagogue, Feds Say
A 51-year-old Scotch Plains woman is charged with embezzling more than $350,000 from a Union County synagogue she worked at, authorities said. In 2010, Stacy Margaritondo began working at Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains and was later promoted to bookkeeper and office manager in July 2020, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Margaritondo’s duties included accounting/bookkeeping, payroll, preparing checks for accounts payable, and reporting to the synagogue’s board of directors regarding the synagogue’s financial condition, Sellinger said. From Dec. 2019 to May 20…
Police & Fire
Drunk Driver Going 114 MPH Sentenced For Garden State Parkway Crash That Killed Amazon Worker
A 47-year-old Newark man was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday, July 19, for a deadly 2021 crash on the Garden State Parkway where he was driving intoxicated at 114 mph, authorities said. On Feb. 15, 2021, Rolando Godwin was driving a Range Rover when he struck a Lexus SUV driven by Christopher Meikle, a 46-year-old East Orange resident, causing his car to be engulfed in flames on the Garden State Parkway in Clark, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said. Following the crash, Godwin requested he be transported away from the scene, indicating he was prepared to offer an unsp…
Police & Fire
Security Guard Charged In Deadly Assault At Elizabeth Lounge: Prosecutor
A 26-year-old Elizabeth resident was arrested and charged on Friday, July 12, with a deadly assault in 2023, authorities said. In July 2023, Elizabeth police found Jose Lopez suffering from a head injury at the El Monsignor Lounge, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel, Elizabeth Police Director Earl Graves, and Elizabeth Police Chief Giacomo Sacca said. Lopez was taken to a rehabilitation facility where he died in March, authorities said. Regis Pelegrino Motas was identified as Lopez's assailant, and had been working as a security guard at the lounge at the time of the inciden…
Police & Fire
Mugshot Released, Attempted Murder Charge For 79-Year-Old Man In NJ SWAT Standoff
Charges have been filed against a 79-year-old Union County man who was arrested after a SWAT standoff early Wednesday, July 2. Kenneth Kutyla, of Clark, has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm for unlawful purpose, local police said. At 12:31 a.m., officers responded to 9 Stanton St. on a report of shots fired, Clark police said in a release. An investigation found Kutyla had barricaded himself with a weapon inside, police said. Union County Special Weapons and Tactics responded to…
Sports
Man From Storied NJ Judo Family Qualifies For 2024 Summer Olympics
A West Long Branch man who's part of a storied family in judo is heading to Paris to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Jack Yonezuka will represent the U.S. at the Olympics as a 73-kilogram fighter. The 21-year-old will be the youngest member of Team USA's judo squad. Yonezuka qualified for the Summer Games after the International Judo Federation's world championships in Abu Dhabi in May. "Firstly, I want to start by thanking everyone who has helped me become the athlete I am today and everyone who has been a part of my journey," Yonezuka wrote in an Instagram post. "I do…
News
8K+ Without Power Amid Another Round Of Storms In New Jersey
More than 8,000 New Jersey residents were without power amid another round of storms on Sunday, June 22. PSE&G's outage map shows 5,341 were in the dark in Burlington County and more than 3,000 in Camden. The majority of the outages were in Maple Shade, Moorestown, Haddon and Pennsauken. In Union County, nearly 1,000 had lost power in Westfield. Smaller but more widespread outages were reported on the Jersey Shore, according to JCP&L, specifically in Long Branch, Red Bank, Asbury Park, Hazlet, Middletown, Keansburg, and Matawan. The National Weather Service had warned residen…
News
Winner
! Mega Millions Tickets Sold In North Jersey Net Big Bucks
Two North Jersey Mega Millions players had a fantastic Friday. Their tickets, sold in Morris County and Union County, matched four numbers and the gold Megaball in the drawing held on Friday, June 7, winning $10,000. The tickets were sold at 7-Eleven in Rockaway and at a BP Gas Station in Rahway. The winning numbers were 3, 5, 12, 22, 66 and the gold Megaball was 7.
Police & Fire
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A confessed member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison. Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, NJ, must serve a little over two years before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Jackson was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. One of Jackson's associates told detectives t…
Police & Fire
Fugitive Hunters Bear No Responsibility For Accused Killer's Suicide In Newark Park: Grand Jury
UPDATE: A team of fugitive hunters bear no responsibility for the death of a Newark man who shot himself rather than be captured, a grand jury has found. Don Jones, 50, was wanted for a homicide in Union County when members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and city police chased him into West Side Park last Aug. 29, 2023. Jones pulled a handgun from his waistband, dashed to an open field and was surrounded by police, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Wednesday, May 15. He then dropped to his knees, pointed the firearm at his head and p…
Police & Fire
Elizabeth Driver Charged In Central Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger
A 26-year-old driver from Union County has been charged with vehicular homicide in a Sayreville crash that killed one of his passengers, authorities said. Brandon Witkowski, of Elizabeth, was charged Thursday, April 18, in the Route 35 crash that killed Zion Jackson, 24, of Keansburg, last fall, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. On Oct. 28, 2023, at 5 a.m., authorities responded to Route 35 South in the vicinity of Fred’s Bait and Tackle Shop, following the report of a fatal crash. Police found a 2009 Acura TL that had rolled over onto two parked vehic…
Police & Fire
Man Who Admitted To Selling Cocaine In Union, Ocean Counties Sentenced: Prosecutors
A Kenilworth man will spend several years in prison after admitting to selling cocaine throughout Ocean and Union counties, authorities said. Pedro Reyes-Sevilla, 32, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 19 to 10 years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. He pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 16 to possession of five ounces or more of cocaine with intent to distribute. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Lakewood police officers, and investigators from Union and Ocean counties conducted a two-week-long investigation in January…
Police & Fire
NJ Teacher Who Posed As Woman To Lure 70 Boys Into Sending Him Nudes Gets 17½ Years: Feds
UPDATE: It's a measure of how despicably and disgustingly a former Union County grade-school teacher and youth soccer coach from Morristown abused dozens of boys he'd met online that a plea bargain got him "only" 17½ years in federal prison. Steven Brooks, 37, must serve at least 85% of the negotiated sentence handed down in federal court in Newark on Thursday, April 18, for posing as a woman to lure at least 70 underage boys into sending him nude photos and videos. That means he'll be in his early 50s before he'll be eligible to experience freedom again. FBI agents who investigated Brooks…
News
Where Is Central Jersey? Monmouth U. Poll Finds Answers To NJ's Tricky Regional Debate
Monmouth University pollsters have tried to answer a question that has been hard to solve for many in the Garden State: Where is Central Jersey exactly? The Monmouth University Polling Institute released a survey on Tuesday, Apr. 16 that asked New Jerseyans what region they live in and if they believe their region gets a fair share of state resources. The pollsters also asked people to pick their favorite convenience store. According to the poll, 41 percent of New Jerseyans said they live in North Jersey, 34 percent said they're in Central Jersey, and 23 percent said they're from South…
News
JCP&L Will Trim Trees Along 3,400 Miles Of Power Lines To Reduce Outages
Jersey Central Power & Light is planning to trim trees to protect more than 3,400 miles of power lines across the Garden State, officials said. JCP&L will clear trees as part of a $32.5 million plan to prevent power outages during severe weather, the company said in a news release on Wednesday, Apr. 10. It's the first part of an annual $1.5 million increase in tree-trimming costs as part of a settlement with the state Board of Public Utilities. JCP&L also said it will spend $2.5 million more in each of the next five years to expand trimming zones along 18 high-priority circ…
Police & Fire
Notorious NJ Consultant Used COVID Rules To File Fake Petitions For Partner, Indictment Charges
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A controversial New Jersey political consultant was indicted by a state grand jury for filing nearly 2,000 bogus petitions in what authorities called a transparent attempt at getting his life partner on the Democratic primary ballot for governor. James Devine, 62, of Lambertville, initially received a summons last May after state authorities said he filed 1,948 fraudulent petitions with the Secretary of State’s office to get Lisa McCormick on the ballot for the June 2021 primary. Grand jurors in Trenton, in turn, returned an indictment charging Devine with offenses concerning nomin…
Police & Fire
Drug Dealer Admits To Selling Cocaine In Union, Ocean Counties: Prosecutors
A Kenilworth man admitted to selling cocaine throughout Ocean and Union counties, authorities said. Pedro Reyes-Sevilla, 32, pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 16 to possession of five ounces or more of cocaine with intent to distribute. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the guilty plea in a news release on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Lakewood police officers, and investigators from Union and Ocean counties conducted a two-week-long investigation in January 2021. Investigators said Reyes-Sevilla was distributing cocaine throughout Ocean Co…
Police & Fire
Wanted Truck Rams Police Vehicle In 50-Mile Turnpike Pursuit That Ended In Crash: Cops
A fugitive from Delaware took New Jersey State Police on a wild chase from Mount Holly more than 50 miles to Elizabeth before crashing his truck, authorities said. On Thursday, Feb. 8, at approximately 12:20 p.m., troopers spotted a white Penske trunk going north on the New Jersey Turnpike in the area of milepost 35 in Mount Laurel Township, according to State Police Detective I Jeffrey Lebron. ALSO SEE: New Footage Shows Driver Flipping Box Truck After 50-Mile NJ Turnpike Pursuit The vehicle, being operated by 21-year-old Joel Espinal, of New York, NY, had been wanted by Delaware Sta…
Police & Fire
Gotcha
! NJ Duo Charged With Beating Gas Station Attendants In Armed Tri-County Robbery Spree
Two men wanted for beating attendants during a two-day spree of quick-stop armed gas station robberies in three New Jersey counties were captured by federal agents, authorities said. Ex-con Ahmad Singletary, 24, and Joseph Young, 26, both of Newark, committed three of the robberies last Sept. 5, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Four more holdups -- also in a single day -- followed exactly a week later, the U.S. attorney said. Singletary "threatened, assaulted, and struck victims in the head" with a Ruger 9 mm P95 handgun, injuring all of them, a complaint filed by the ATF says. Th…
Weather
Snow Showers Could Close Out 2023 In Some Parts Of NJ, Mostly Dry Elsewhere: NWS
It won't be white but there will be flurries. New Year's Eve could come with snow (just a dusting of it) in parts of New Jersey, the National Weather Service says. We're gonna actually see our local star for a fair amount of today, which is something we haven't seen much of for the... Posted by US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly on Friday, December 29, 2023 The week will close out with sunny skies and temps near 50 on Friday, Dec. 29, according to the NWS. Temperatures will drop to around 45 on Saturday, Dec. 30, and slightly lower Sunday, Dec. 31. Sunday evening…
News
Winners
! North Jersey Lotto Players Strike It Rich
It was a lucky Tuesday, Nov. 28 for two Mega Millions players in North Jersey. Two tickets, one sold in Union County and another sold in Bergen County, matched four of the five winning numbers plus the gold Mega Ball, winning $10,000. The ticket sold in Bergen County was bought with a Megaplier, increasing the prize to $30,000. Only 12 lottery players in the country took home $10,000. The tickets were sold at A & S Discount Liquors in Linden and Rocklin's in Teaneck. The winning numbers were 27, 37, 42, 59, 61 and the gold Mega Ball was 11.
Police & Fire
Matricide
: NJ Woman Fatally Stabbed Mother, Jury Finds
A 26-year-old New Jersey woman was found guilty of fatally stabbing her mother on Friday, Nov. 3, authorities said. Malika Jones, of Rahway, was convicted of aggravated manslaughter for the incident, which occurred in February 2020, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Rahway Police Director Nicholas Breiner said. At 3 p.m. on February 16, the Rahway Police Department responded to 100 East Albert Street and found Inell Jones, 58, fatally stabbed at the scene, authorities said. Malika was immediately taken into custody, authorities said. Jones was a former Barnard student who had …
Police & Fire
Feds: Digital Fingerprints Lead NJ Agents To Convicted Sex Offender's Child Porn Collection
Federal agents working a child porn investigation traced digital fingerprints to a convicted sex offender living in Union County who was downloading more horrifying illegal images when they came busting in, authorities said. Matthew T. Williams, 43, was seized during a raid of his Westfield apartment on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Homeland Security Investigations agents from Newark reported more than 40 child sexual abuse videos found on a drive attached to Williams's computer that was pulling more from the Internet when they arrived. Williams was living in New York State when he was previously con…
Police & Fire
Are You Ready To React In Crisis? These Port Authority Citizens Police Academy Participants Are
Not everyone is prepared to react in a moment of crisis, which Samantha Perez-Gora said made it more than worthwhile to participate in the Port Authority Citizens Police Academy. The second annual PAPD citizens academy included presentations on the department's history, duties and functions -- highlighting, among other things, de-escalation techniques, counterterrorism measures and emergency medical response. Participants also got behind the wheel of the patrol vehicle driver simulator. Four sessions were held for 28 adult residents of New York and New Jersey. PAPD The academy is "des…
Police & Fire
Teen Girl Found At High School After Hours-Long Search Of Watchung Reservation
A 14-year-old girl was found after an hours-long search across Union County. Sources tell Daily Voice that Sophia Hetrick was found at Watchung Hills High School, nearly seven miles from where she went missing, sometime around 11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22. The teen, who has autism, went missing around 3 p.m. while hiking with her family in the Loop Recreation area of Watchung Reservation, Union County officials said. A large-scale search was carried out, bringing a dive team and multiple agencies to the reservation. EMS 77 was sent to the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside to provide r…
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