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Police & Fire
Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar
Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar Authorities who’ve charged four men with the brutal murder of a man outside a Garfield bar last month turned to the public for help finding a fugitive gang member from Pennsylvania who sources said repeatedly stabbed the victim in the chest. Ricky “Angel” Vargas, 35, of East Stroudsburg, PA, and his four companions confronted Richard Franceschi, 31, of Hawthorne outside JoJo's Bar & Grill on Monroe Street before dawn this past Feb. 4, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Vargas had a knife and co-defendant Jayson William Rivera, 23, also of East Stroudsburg, had a handgun, the pr…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Trio Accused Of 'Distract And Grab' Thefts In Tri-State Area Shopping Centers Trio Accused Of 'Distract And Grab' Thefts In Tri-State Area Shopping Centers
Trio Accused Of 'Distract And Grab' Thefts In Tri-State Area Shopping Centers Three people were accused of taking part in a "distract and grab" ring across the tri-state area, including outside of two stores on the Jersey Shore, authorities said. The three were arrested in connection with the incidents in July and August 2023, Stafford Township police announced in a Saturday, Mar. 2 news release. The department and nearby law enforcement agencies had received several reports of "distract and grab" thefts and credit card fraud. All three were charged with theft, burglary, fraudulent use of a credit card, and conspiracy to commit theft. They were 39-year-old …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark GOTCHA! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark
Gotcha! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark Authorities have charged five men with robbing three separate victims of wristwatches – stabbing one of them – in two Bergen County towns, thanks to an arrest by Port Authority police. Two of the robberies occurred in broad daylight on River Road in Edgewater last fall, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Friday, March 1. The third included a stabbing in the victim’s driveway in Palisades Park, the prosecutor said. One of two robbers brandished a handgun while a colleague stood lookout when they robbed the first Edgewater victim shortly after 3 a.m. Oct. 24, Musella said. The ro…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Pair Beat Man Then Set His Belongings On Fire At Rutgers, Campus Police Say Pair Beat Man Then Set His Belongings On Fire At Rutgers, Campus Police Say
Pair Beat Man Then Set His Belongings On Fire At Rutgers, Campus Police Say A man was beaten and his belongings were set on fire near the Rutgers University campus, authorities said. Two New Brunswick men were arrested Tuesday, Feb. 27 in the 2:30 p.m. Sunday attack, according to the Rutgers University Police Department. The attack reportedly followed a verbal dispute at a New Brunswick business earlier Sunday. The attackers allegedly followed the man near the Center for Vector Biology at 180 Jones Ave. at the edge of the Rutgers University campus and hit him with a blunt object, police said. The victim was not affiliated with Rutgers, they said. As the vict…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Three Arrested For Robbing Boy In South Jersey: Police Three Arrested For Robbing Boy In South Jersey: Police
Three Arrested For Robbing Boy In South Jersey: Police A man and two boys were accused of robbing another boy late at night, authorities said. Little Egg Harbor police said officers responded to the robbery report at around 10:26 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. It happened near the 7-Eleven on Radio Road. When police arrived, they found out that 21-year-old Christian Heri of Brick Township and two boys stole several items from the victim. The suspects left the scene in a black minivan. Tuckerton police eventually stopped the minivan. The three suspects were arrested and officers found a 9mm handgun inside the vehicle. Heri was charged wi…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! South American Theft Network Fugitive Pegged In $25,000 Dumont Home Burglary, More GOTCHA! South American Theft Network Fugitive Pegged In $25,000 Dumont Home Burglary, More
Gotcha! South American Theft Network Fugitive Pegged In $25,000 Dumont Home Burglary, More A wanted member of a notorious transnational group of thieves was tied by Dumont detectives to the theft of $25,000 in cash during a home break-in two months ago. Jhan Michael Rodriguez-Fonseca, 26, lives in Jersey City and most recently worked as a food delivery driver, Dumont Police Chief Brian Joyce said. He really belongs to what’s known as the South American Theft Group network and is tied to other burglaries in the state, the chief said. He was also wanted by the NYPD and by agents with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), he said. Primarily from Colombia, the members of the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Purse-Snatcher Caught With Help From Bystanders In Atlantic City: Police Purse-Snatcher Caught With Help From Bystanders In Atlantic City: Police
Purse-Snatcher Caught With Help From Bystanders In Atlantic City: Police A wanted man from New York City was accused of stealing a woman's purse in Atlantic City and police thanked two bystanders for helping catch him, authorities said. Atlantic City police said 27-year-old Jose Hernandez from The Bronx, NY, was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 1. Investigators said Hernandez walked up to the woman and tried to sell her a cigarette. Someone told an officer on North Arkansas Avenue at 10:12 p.m. that he saw a woman have her purse stolen. The officer saw Hernandez running away from the area and reported him to other officers.  As Hernandez ran away,…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing An Ocean County ex-convict and parolee once featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" admitted to his role in the stabbing death of a Seaside Heights man, authorities said. Angelo Grenci, 47, of Berkeley Township, pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to aggravated manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Grenci was charged in the killing of 50-year-old Carlton Williams. Prosecutors will pursue a prison sentence of 25 years for Grenci. He'd have to serve 85 percent of his term before being eligible for parole under the state's No Early Release…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions
Ocean Gate Mayor Paul Kennedy Sentencing A former mayor of Ocean Gate will spend time in state prison for pocketing money from government auctions, parking meter funds, and scrap metal sales, authorities said. Paul Kennedy, 68, of Ocean Gate, was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 26 to three years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced. Kennedy pleaded guilty on Friday, Sept. 22 to pattern of official misconduct. As part of his plea deal, Kennedy is banned from holding public office or employment. Investigators said that while he was mayor, Kennedy took money from borough assets sold on the government auc…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor
Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor A former executive for a low-income apartment building in Long Branch is accused of stealing more than $1.6 million from his company for more than a decade, authorities said. John O'Donnell, 57, of Scotch Plains is charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree forgery, and third-degree false uttering, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced. O'Donnell was charged by summons on Thursday, Jan. 11. O'Donnell is the former chief financial officer of the company that owns Washington Manor. The Ocean Boulevard highrise has 100 housing units for seniors …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Pro-Palestinian Stranger Who Tore Down Israeli Flag, Taunted Store Employees Found: Tenafly PD Pro-Palestinian Stranger Who Tore Down Israeli Flag, Taunted Store Employees Found: Tenafly PD
Pro-Palestinian Stranger Who Tore Down Israeli Flag, Taunted Store Employees Found: Tenafly PD Tenafly police arrested a woman who they said ripped an Israeli flag down from the awning of a downtown store and harassed employees last month with “pro-Palestinian taunts and antagonizing hand gestures.” Denisa Gjana, 31, of Lodi was identified after investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed area surveillance video following the Dec. 5, 2023 incident on West Railroad Avenue, Capt. Michael deMoncada said. Gjana ripped down the flag, threw it into a trash can down the street, then returned to the business and berated the employees, the captain said. Then she drove away. This we…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
FEDS: Serial Burglar Makes Bogus Calls To Divert Police Before Multiple NJ Drug Store Break-Ins FEDS: Serial Burglar Makes Bogus Calls To Divert Police Before Multiple NJ Drug Store Break-Ins
Feds: Serial Burglar Makes Bogus Calls To Divert Police Before Multiple NJ Drug Store Break-Ins A hapless burglar tried to keep police in a half-dozen Bergen County towns busy with bogus calls of carjackings, kidnappings and other threats to try and buy himself time to break into local drug stores, federal authorities said. Michael J. Gynegrowski, 34, hit pharmacies in Cresskill, Hackensack, Oradell, River Vale and Teaneck, usually by breaking a window, they said. Six of a reported 10 attempts failed, but Gynegrowski did swipe a significant amount of Oxy, promethazine and other medications from an Englewood drug store, investigators told Daily Voice. Police in the various towns …

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by Jerry DeMarco