Euthanasia Of NY's 'Peanut The Squirrel' Sparks Viral Outrage; Lawmaker Demands Investigation Euthanasia Of NY's 'Peanut The Squirrel' Sparks Viral Outrage; Lawmaker Demands Investigation
Euthanasia Of NY's 'Peanut The Squirrel' Sparks Viral Outrage; Lawmaker Demands Investigation Outrage is swirling after New York wildlife officials seized and later euthanized beloved social media sensation “Peanut” the squirrel. Chemung County resident Mark Longo, of Elmira, took to Instagram Wednesday, Oct 30, telling his 581,000 followers that Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officers had seized the animal, which he rescued in 2017 after its mother was struck by a car. “Well internet, you WON. You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness,” he wrote. “To the people who called (DEC), there’s a special place in hell for you.” In a…
Why New Jersey Is Suing TikTok Why New Jersey Is Suing TikTok
Why New Jersey Is Suing TikTok New Jersey has joined a group of states suing social media giant TikTok, alleging the video-sharing app is highly-addictive and harmful to children. The complaint, filed temporarily under seal in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Essex County, alleges multiple violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (CFA), New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Other AGs are filling similar lawsuits across the country Tuesday, Oct. 9, including those in Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina,  Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington.…
'Gas Station Heroin' Killed Toms River Man, Family Says In Lawsuit 'Gas Station Heroin' Killed Toms River Man, Family Says In Lawsuit
'Gas Station Heroin' Killed Toms River Man, Family Says In Lawsuit The family of a Toms River man has filed a lawsuit claiming he was killed by a supplement known by many as "gas station heroin." The suit, filed on Thursday, Sept. 5 by the family of 32-year-old Matthew Cornier, names Neptune Resources, LLC; Super Chill CBD Products; and Hometown Market. Philadelphia-based law firm Feldman Shepherd announced the legal action in a news release on Thursday, Sept. 12. Cornier died on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, after consuming Neptune's Fix Elixir purchased from a store in Point Pleasant, the suit claimed. The product is marketed as a dietary supplement…
NJ Women Drugged With Meth-Infused Tequila, Sexually Assaulted By 'Sugar Daddy,' Complaint Says NJ Women Drugged With Meth-Infused Tequila, Sexually Assaulted By 'Sugar Daddy,' Complaint Says
NJ Women Drugged With Meth-Infused Tequila, Sexually Assaulted By 'Sugar Daddy,' Complaint Says A newly obtained criminal complaint details how a 40-year-old Pennsylvania man drugged and sexually assaulted six women during their dates from hell at his home. All of the women, including two from New Jersey, met Andrew Gallo, of Levittown, PA on sugardaddymeet.com. Gallo appeared to have followed the exact same playbook, police papers show: He'd brag about his bartending skills then pour them a drink from open bottles and hop in the shower shower. When he got out, he'd give the women a tour of his home, telling them how he rebuilt it after a fire. It was somewhere around this point …
Middlesex County Men Indicted In Alleged $7M Fuel Investment Scheme: AG Middlesex County Men Indicted In Alleged $7M Fuel Investment Scheme: AG
Middlesex County Men Indicted In Alleged $7M Fuel Investment Scheme: AG A New Jersey grand jury has indicted two Middlesex County men for allegedly defrauding fuel investors out of approximately $6.7 million, authorities said. The scheme used sham companies and false identities to deceive investors into believing they would receive large guaranteed returns from investments in fuel products, according to Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Instead, the defendants diverted investor funds for their own benefit, Platkin said. Shahid Javed, 39, of Old Bridge, and Wilfredo Topacio, 64, of Woodbridge, were charged in an indictment with first-degree conspiracy, …
NJ Teen Recruited Undercover Agent To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities, Nabbed At Newark Airport: Feds NJ Teen Recruited Undercover Agent To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities, Nabbed At Newark Airport: Feds
NJ Teen Recruited Undercover Agent To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities, Nabbed At Newark Airport: Feds A teenager from Middlesex County is facing federal charges for asking an undercover agent to destroy PSE&G electrical facilities in New Jersey, officials announced this week. Andrew Takhistov, 18, of East Brunswick, was arrested Wednesday, July 10 at Newark Liberty International Airport where he was planning to travel to Paris on his way to Ukraine, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Takhistov is charged with one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct that involved destroying a public service enterprise group circuit breaker and substation, fede…
Racial Discrimination, Sexist Language Rampant Within NJ Ironworkers Union Facing Lawsuit: AG Racial Discrimination, Sexist Language Rampant Within NJ Ironworkers Union Facing Lawsuit: AG
Racial Discrimination, Sexist Language Rampant Within NJ Ironworkers Union Facing Lawsuit: AG A local ironworkers union is facing a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office alleging discrimination against Black members. Ironworkers Local 11 — a labor union with a Springfield-based training facility — that operates a hiring hall, is accused of "systematically bypassing Black union members for jobs and giving such workers less desirable assignments," Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Monday, June 24. The complaint accuses the union's business manager from 2008 to 2022, Raymond Woodall, its leadership and its members of repeatedly using racist slurs…
Man Left Scene Of South Jersey Crash That Seriously Injured Pedestrian, Prosecutors Say Man Left Scene Of South Jersey Crash That Seriously Injured Pedestrian, Prosecutors Say
Man Left Scene Of South Jersey Crash That Seriously Injured Pedestrian, Prosecutors Say A Jackson Township man was accused of seriously injuring a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash in Lakewood, authorities said. Brian Huerta-Tochihuitl, 20, was charged on Thursday, June 20 with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident which resulted in serious bodily injury to another person, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. The charge was related to a crash on Route 9 on Sunday, June 16. Lakewood police responded to the crash at the intersection of Route 9 and First Street at around 12:30 a.m. Officers learned a white four-do…
LAWSUIT: Former Warren County Prosecutor Wants His Job Back LAWSUIT: Former Warren County Prosecutor Wants His Job Back
Lawsuit: Former Warren County Prosecutor Wants His Job Back James Pfeiffer, who abruptly retired as Warren County Prosecutor in April, has filed a lawsuit claiming he was unlawfully removed from the position.  The complaint, filed against New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy in Superior Court of New Jersey, said he remains the duly appointed Prosecutor for Warren County and wants his job back. In April, Platkin took over the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, forcing out Pfeiffer amid a state ethics probe. Pfeiffer was replaced by Anthony Picione.  A spokesman said it resulted over an investigation from the…
NJ Sikhs Terrorized By Texas Man Who Threatened To 'Show Them Heaven': Feds NJ Sikhs Terrorized By Texas Man Who Threatened To 'Show Them Heaven': Feds
NJ Sikhs Terrorized By Texas Man Who Threatened To 'Show Them Heaven': Feds A Texas man threatened to forcibly shave the “top and bottom hair” of a South Jersey Sikh activist, make that person smoke and eat tobacco and “show [them] heaven,” federal authorities charged. Bhushan Athale, 48, left seven voicemails of hate over the course of a single hour on Sept. 17, 2022, threatening to kill his primary target -- along with fellow members of a Sikh nonprofit organization in Burlington County – with a razor blade, they said. The voicemails, from Dallas, were “filled with violent imagery and obscenity” and “contained references to places, people and tenets that are part…