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Monday, nov 25
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New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Police & Fire
Illegal Shotgun Round Sparked 350-Acre Jackson Wildfire, Brick Man Charged: Officials
A massive wildfire that scorched 350 acres in Jackson Township was ignited by an illegal shotgun round that authorities said was fired by a 37-year-old Brick Township man. Authorities charged Richard Shashaty, 37, with arson after an investigation revealed that magnesium shards from a prohibited Dragon’s Breath 12-gauge shotgun round sparked the blaze on Nov. 6, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The fire, known as the Shotgun Wildfire, erupted shortly after noon on November 6 near the Central Jersey Rifle Range on Stump Tavern Road. Investigators determined that the incendi…
Police & Fire
Falling Powerline Sparks Morris County Brush Fire, Wildfires Rage Across NJ
Washington Township Police and Fire Department personnel responded to a large brush fire Friday night, Nov. 8. The blaze, ignited by a downed powerline, was quickly contained and extinguished along West Valley Brook Road, the police department said. With the arrival of cooler weather, officials are reminding residents that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has issued a total fire ban across the state on both private and public properties. The ban, imposed due to extremely dry conditions, prohibits the use of fire pits, campfires, or any form of open b…
News
Company Hired To Replace 18,000 Lead Pipes In Newark Faked Work, Billed For It Anyway: Feds
Two people hired by the City of Newark to replace 18,000 lead pipes are facing federal charges after they intentionally left the pipes in the ground, hid them from officials, and then collected payment for work that they didn't properly perform, federal officials said. Michael Sawyer, 57, of Burlington, and Latronia "Tee" Sanders, 55, of Roselle, are each charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said (click here for the complaint). Citing charging documents, NJ Advance Media says JAS Group Enterprise Inc. (JAS), the company in which Sa…
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…
News
High Bacteria Levels Shuts Swimming At NJ Beach For Rest Of Season
Swimming along one New Jersey beach has been closed for the rest of the season due to high bacteria levels, officials said. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection said only that a water sample from Beachwood Beach West exceeded the water quality standard. In a statement shared to the Beachwood website, the mayor and council said, "you may still sit and take in the lovely view of the scenery but no one will be permitted to swim."
News
55-Year-Old Dad Drowns In NJ Reservoir: 'Giving Heart, Crazy Antics'
A 55-year-old New Jersey father who drowned over the weekend in a Burlington County reservoir is being remembered for his good humor and good nature. Frank Guadagnini, of Point Pleasant Borough, was pulled by divers from the water in the Whitesbog section of Pemberton Township, according to Caryn Shinske, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Environmental Protection. Firefighters, EMS units, and dive teams responded to the water used for local cranberry operations within the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest around 7:35 p.m., Saturday, June 22, where Guadagnini's body was recovered by Man…
Weather
Air Quality Alert Issued Across These NJ, PA Counties
An air quality alert has been issued for several areas across New Jersey and Pennsylvania through late Friday, June 14. The most serious alert, an Air Quality Action Day, has been issued from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. across Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, and Union counties. An Air Quality Action Day means that Ground Level Ozone within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert Friday for North Central and Southwestern, NJ, along with Middlesex, Mercer, Camden, and G…
Legal
Groundwater Contamination Case In Bergen County Settled For $14M: State AG
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Two companies have agreed to pay the state of New Jersey $14 million to resolve groundwater contamination charges in Bergen County, authorities announced. The settlement with Cycle Chem, Inc. -- formerly known as Perk Chemical Co. -- and Handy & Harman resolves a 2019 lawsuit over the discharge of a degreasing solvent and other hazardous substances at an etching and surfacing facility on Craig Road in Montvale. The solvent, trichloroethylene (TCE), has been linked to cancer, in the liver and kidneys, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. It was used at the site from…
Police & Fire
Heroes
: Firefighters Free Trapped Driver After Tractor-Trailer, Pickup Collide On Route 17
Firefighters extricated a heavily trapped driver after a tractor-trailer and pickup truck collided on Route 17. Hasbrouck Heights firefighters were assisted by their Wood-Ridge colleagues in freeing the female pickup driver following the crash behind the Bendix Diner shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, March 17. The driver was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center. Nick’s Towing removed the vehicles. Northbound Route 17 was temporarily closed at Franklin Avenue during the operation. Mutual aid was provided by, among others, firefighters from Carlstadt, Lodi, Rutherford and Wallingto…
Police & Fire
NEW
Details
: Missing NJ State Park Hiker Found In Rockland, Thanks To Facebook, Ring
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 63-year-old hiker from Wayne who'd gone missing in Ringwood State Park was found a few miles away the next day across the state line in Rockland County, authorities said. Police say they can thank Ring and Facebook. Carol Fumiko Heimbach was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern after she was located in Sloatsburg around 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 4, said Caryn Shinske, the senior press officer for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. She was none the worse for wear, although still a bit disoriented from a night in the woods, responders said. Heimback, who r…
News
Mysterious Tar Balls Found On NJ Beaches Prompts Coast Guard Investigation
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the arrival of mysterious tar balls on beaches from Sea Bright south to Asbury Park. Areas affected include Gateway National Park at Sandy Hook and the shoreline at Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Deal, Allenhurst and Asbury Park. The Coast Guard received initial reports of tar balls ranging in size from approximately 1-2 inches and smaller near Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park on Tuesday, Nov. 28 and dispatched pollution response personnel to investigate. While the source of the tar balls remained unknown as of Thursday, Nov. 30, the the …
News
NJ Beach Town Forking Over $700K In Battle With Beach Erosion Caused By Storms
North Wildwood has begun $300,000 in emergency work to install a temporary sand dune, officials confirmed. The work follows $400,000 spent last month to install a steel bulkhead after damage by Tropical Storm Ophelia and Hurricane Ian, North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said, noting the structure surrounds and protects beach patrol headquarters. Near the 15th Avenue section of the beach, a breach stretching about 150 feet wide leaves an open hole at high tide to homes and businesses. Work approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will plug the hole with a t…
News
DEP To Jenkinson's: Open Your Beaches
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has ordered Jenkinson’s Boardwalk to reopen the public access points to its beaches in Point Pleasant Beach. The DEP on Tuesday, Sept. 19 sent a letter to the Ocean Avenue company saying it's not allowed to block the public from entering dry sand areas or keep them from using the areas "for intermittent recreational purposes connected with the ocean and wet sand." Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra announced the closings in a Tuesday, Sept. 12, post on Facebook, in which he said it was “very unfortunate.” Tuesday's warnin…
Police & Fire
NJ 'Firebomb' Death Of Worker, 69: Long Island Biz Owner Charged With Aggravated Manslaughter
UPDATE: A trucking and warehouse operator from Long Island ignited a “firebomb” at a waste management facility near Newark Airport that killed a 69-year-old worker, New Jersey authorities charged. Mark Cadieux of Lynbrook, NY, dumped more than 9,000 pounds of aerosol cans container pressurized dry shampoo into a rented trash bin, sparking the May 2022 fire, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The Dumpster had been taken to the Waste Management facility on Julia Street in Elizabeth, where its highly-combustible contents ignited “within minutes” of being dumped out, the attorney g…
Police & Fire
Tractor-Trailer Slams Into Signpost, Spills Wood Across Route 17 Near State Line In Mahwah
A tractor-trailer driver escaped injury when a load of wood shifted and his rig slammed into a signpost on northbound Route 17 near the state line in Mahwah. Mahwah police temporarily closed the highway in both directions following the crash where Route 17 meets Route 287 at the Mountainside Avenue overpass around 12:30 a.m. July 25. The collision with the metal signpost "opened nearly the entire side of the trailer and sent debris across all lanes, both north and south," Mahwah Police Chief Timothy O'Hara said. "The driver was initially trapped but freed himself and walked away unscathed…
News
High Fecal Bacteria Levels Put Three Jersey Shore Beaches Under Swimming Advisories
Three Jersey Shore beaches were placed under swimming advisories by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for high levels of fecal bacteria. The ocean beaches placed under swimming advisories on Tuesday, July 11 were: Albany Avenue beach in Atlantic City Philadelphia Avenue beach in Cape May Hollywood Avenue beach in Wildwood Crest In addition to the ocean beaches, six bay beaches in Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean counties and four river beaches in Ocean County also were placed under swimming advisories for high fecal bacteria levels. Click here for the complete list o…
Lifestyle
Nude Beach Ranked Among NJ's Best Secret Beaches
It's no longer a secret. Three Jersey Shore sites have made a list of the top “100 secret beaches” in the United States, according to the Family Destinations Guide. And you probably won't want to bring children to one of them: It's New Jersey's only nudist beach. The Guide said it surveyed 3,000 families nationwide to compose a list of hidden beaches that people liked the most. Ranked 5th on the list is Sedge Island, which the Guide calls “a truly exclusive destination.” Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, pointed out, however, that there i…
Police & Fire
More Than 100 Vultures Found Dead On North Jersey Trail Due To Bird Flu
More than 100 black vultures were found dead on a North Jersey trail due to bird flu, state officials said. The deaths off the Sussex Branch Trail in Lafayette in Sussex County date back to early August, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Black vultures are seemingly very susceptible to Avian Influenza, and they tend to scavenge the carcasses of dead vultures, which can prolong the duration of a local outbreak such as the one being seen in Sussex County, officials said. The birds have been left to decompose on site due to rough terrain causing accessi…
News
Environmentalists Seeing Red After Dye Dumped Into Waterway Taints South Jersey Creek
Environmental activists were seeing red after a South Jersey company improperly disposed of red dye, tainting a local creek (scroll for photos). TopTop Packaging was responsible for dumping the dye into the waste water system that turned the Pennsauken Creek bright red Tuesday, Aug. 2, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said. "The discoloration was caused by a discharge of food-grade dye from the TopPop Packaging Co. in Evesham that went to the Evesham MUA Woodstream Wastewater Treatment Plant, which discharges to the creek system," NJDEP spokesman Larry Hajna said. The…
News
GO
Free
: Murphy Waives Summer State Park Entrance Fee
As of Memorial Day Weekend, entry to all New Jersey state parks, forests, and recreation areas will be free of charge for the entire summer, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. The one-year state parks fee holiday is one of several fee waivers included in this year's budget, he said. Park entrance fees will be waived for all visitors, regardless of state residency. Anyone who already purchased a 2022 annual State Park Pass will automatically receive a full refund, the governor said in a press statement. Other individual park fees remain in place, including but not limited to camping, int…
News
Good
Riddance
: Abandoned Building Collapses In Lodi, Decades-Long Eyesore Reduced To Rubble
The saga of a long-abandoned eyesore that contaminated area groundwater and marred the look of one of Lodi's main thoroughfares finally came to an end Tuesday after the building partially collapsed into the street. Heavy machinery was used to take down the rest of the Garibaldi Avenue site after the partial late-morning collapse across from the Cynthia Gardens apartment complex. No serious injuries or major damage to other property was reported. The road, however, remained closed indefinitely between Mill and Short streets. The building at 199 Garibaldi Avenue was once owned by Gibraltar …
News
186K NJ Residents Are Getting Water Delivered Via Lead Service Lines: DEP
More than 186,000 New Jersey property owners will soon be getting letters notifying them that their water is being delivered through lead pipes, which must be replaced by state law. The letters — going out Feb. 22 — are required under the "Lead Service Line Replacement Law," passed last July. The bill package maintains that water systems are required to notify property owners and tenants of lead lines. Those lines — in hundreds of water systems all over New Jersey — must be replaced by 2031. While there are 186,830 known lead service lines, there are 1,084,258 unknown lead service lines, …
News
Update
: Massive Passaic Warehouse Blaze Stopped From Reaching 50 Tons Of Chlorine
UPDATE: Authorities on Saturday said they'd finally gotten a massive industrial complex fire in Passaic under control nearly a dozen hours after it broke out. More than 200 firefighters fought the 11-alarm blaze, which forced evacuations of nearby homes, sent potentially dangerous smoke into the air and prompted officials to urge residents to keep their windows closed. The smoke reportedly was spotted on weather radar. Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora called the fire “the worst that I’ve ever seen.” Fortunately, he said, firefighters were able to keep the flames from releasing toxic fume…
News
Potentially Harmful Chemicals Found In NJ Drinking Water
A New Jersey water company warned customers of potentially toxic chemicals in the drinking water Monday. The level of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in the water of all its customers in Carteret, Clark, Edison, Metuchen, South Plainfield and Woodbridge had exceeded acceptable regulatory standards, Middlesex Water Company said in a notice. Chemicals in PFOA have been linked to cancer. Middlesex Water in September was notified that PFOA samples were found at the treatment facility in South Plainfield. "Because we exceeded a drinking water standard, we were required to provide notice to custo…
News
5 NJ Beaches Under Swimming Advisories After Fecal Bacteria Tests
Swimming advisories were issued by the NJDEP for five New Jersey beaches after water samples showed high levels of fecal bacteria. The advisories were issued Tuesday afternoon to the following beaches: Brooklyn Avenue beach in Lavallette (Bay) Hancock Avenue beach in Seaside Heights (Bay) L Street beach in Belmar (River) South Bath Avenue beach in Long Branch (Ocean) Stockton Avenue beach in Long Beach Township (Bay) Beaches are placed under swimming advisories when samples exceed 104 colony forming units (cfu) of enterococci. The samples were taken on Monday.
Police & Fire
Authorities: Off-Duty North Jersey Officer Shot, Killed By Juvenile In Deer Hunting Accident
A 38-year-old off-duty police officer was shot and killed Tuesday when a juvenile accidentally fired off a weapon while the pair were hunting in Sussex County, Daily Voice has learned. Hamburg police officer Jason Franco, of Montague, was deer hunting near Havens and Lott roads in Wantage around 12:30 p.m. when the incident occurred, according to local and state police. Franco was pronounced dead at the scene, "after an unintentional discharge of a weapon held by a juvenile while deer hunting in a group," said Lawrence Hajna, of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Prot…
News
NJ Sues Honeywell Over Contamination From Notorious Hudson River Superfund Site
Decades of toxic pollution continues to contaminate not just a notorious Superfund site along the Hudson River in Edgewater but also the surrounding area, New Jersey state officials charged in a lawsuit against Honeywell International. Found in the groundwater, surface water, soil, wetlands and “well outside the physical boundaries” of the 15-acre of the Quanta Resources site are "vast quantities of contaminants" that include arsenic, asbestos, benzene, chromium, lead, PCBs, total petroleum hydrocarbons and other volatile organic compounds, the state alleges in its suit against the multi-na…
News
2 West Nile Virus Cases Reported In NJ
Two New Jersey residents were infected with West Nile Virus, state health officials said. The first was a man in his forties from Essex County, who tested positive earlier this month, and the other a man in his seventies from Monmouth County, the New Jersey Health Department said in a release. “While WNV activity in mosquitoes has been much lower than what we have seen in previous seasons, it is important that residents continue to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites especially since most WNV human cases occur in early September,” Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. Meanwhi…
Police & Fire
Store Owner Charged With Endangerment For Selling Homemade Sanitizer That Burned Bergen Boys
Authorities on Tuesday charged the owner of a Bergen County 7-Eleven with child endangerment for selling a sanitizer she mixed herself using a commercial cleanser that ended up burning four local boys. Manisha Bharade, 47, Wood-Ridge also was charged with deceptive business practices before being released on a summons pending court action. Bharade mixed "commercially available foaming sanitizer, which was not meant for resale," with water in pump bottles -- unwittingly causing a harmful chemical reaction -- then sold them for $2.50 each at her store in River Vale, authorities said. “She w…
Police & Fire
Store Owner Charged With Endangerment For Selling Homemade Sanitizer That Burned Bergen Boys
UPDATE: Authorities on Tuesday charged the owner of a Bergen County 7-Eleven with child endangerment for selling a sanitizer she mixed herself using a commercial cleanser that ended up burning four local boys. Manisha Bharade, 47, Wood-Ridge also was charged with deceptive business practices before being released on a summons pending court action. Bharade mixed "commercially available foaming sanitizer, which was not meant for resale," with water in pump bottles -- unwittingly causing a harmful chemical reaction -- then sold them for $2.50 each at her store in River Vale, authorities said.…
Obituaries
Morris County Native Jake Litus Remembered As Man Whose 'Love Knew No Bounds'
Several communities are mourning the death of a 26-year-old man with Morris County roots whose “loyalty and love for his family and friends knew no bounds," his obituary said. Jake Ryan Litus was born in Denville and died Monday, Dec. 30. He lived in Yardley, PA, and attended Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville. Jake earned an environmental science degree from Susquehanna University and went on to work as an environmental specialist at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, his obituary says Jake was known for loving nature, taking frequent trips and participating in at…
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