Mostly Cloudy 48°
Police & Fire
Hillsborough Man Crushed To Death By Lawnmower Hillsborough Man Crushed To Death By Lawnmower
Hillsborough Man Crushed To Death By Lawnmower A 74-year-old Hillsborough man was crushed to death by a commercial lawnmower the weekend, authorities said. Police found John Levinski under the machine on the 400 block of Township Line and not breathing after neighbors called 911 just before 5 p.m., Hillsborough police said. The mower had been hoisted in the air by a cable that was attached to a Kubota tractor when the cable broke and the mower fell on Levinski, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident has been ruled accidental in nature.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Authorities: Car Burglar Admits Breaking Into 2,000 Vehicles In New Jersey, Pennsylvania Authorities: Car Burglar Admits Breaking Into 2,000 Vehicles In New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Authorities: Car Burglar Admits Breaking Into 2,000 Vehicles In New Jersey, Pennsylvania Authorities have arrested a suspect who admits breaking into about 2,000 vehicles in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Keith A. Johnson, 33, of Yardley, in Bucks County, PA, is charged with numerous counts of theft and burglary, as well as 76 counts of loitering/prowling at night, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's office. Johnson also admitted to stealing $140,000 in cash during a burglary in Philadelphia, detectives said in court papers, according to NJ Advance Media. When police searched Johnson's home, they found $30,000 in cash, plus items stolen from cars, they said. Johns…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
TRAGEDY AVOIDED: PA Man Who Stole Dog From NJ Home Drops Handgun After Pursuit TRAGEDY AVOIDED: PA Man Who Stole Dog From NJ Home Drops Handgun After Pursuit
Tragedy Avoided: PA Man Who Stole Dog From NJ Home Drops Handgun After Pursuit A tragedy was avoided when a Pennsylvania man who led police on a wild chase after stealing a dog from a New Jersey home got out of his car holding a gun -- which he dropped at officers' orders, authorities said. Nico Rogers, 31, of, Irwin, PA, was being held in the Somerset County jail on charges of eluding, unlawful possession of a weapon and burglary, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said. Hillsborough police got a 9-1-1 call reporting a suspicious car trespassing near Wertsville Road around 11:20 a.m., Robertson said alongside Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Dozen Men Who Thought They Were Meeting Teens For Sex Busted In Undercover NJ Sting Dozen Men Who Thought They Were Meeting Teens For Sex Busted In Undercover NJ Sting
Dozen Men Who Thought They Were Meeting Teens For Sex Busted In Undercover NJ Sting The president of a financial institution and software engineer were among a dozen men who thought they were meeting a child for sex but instead, were arrested on the spot in an undercover New Jersey sting, authorities announced Tuesday, (scroll down for the complete list of defendants). The 12 men in "Operation Spotlight" thought they were meeting up with children they'd met on various social media platforms, but instead, were arrested at various pre-arranged locations across Somerset County between Oct. 15 and Oct. 18, Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson and U.S. Attorney/District of …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Fire That Destroyed Historic NJ Retreat For Celebrities Under Investigation Fire That Destroyed Historic NJ Retreat For Celebrities Under Investigation
Fire That Destroyed Historic NJ Retreat For Celebrities Under Investigation Authorities are investigating a fire that broke out at a historic Somerset County home once a retreat for New Jersey celebrities. Fire companies from several towns responded to 751 River Road in Hillsborough around 4 a.m. after 9-1-1 calls came in Thursday, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said.  The home -- which was being renovated -- was nothing but a pile of rubble after firefighters extinguished the two-alarm blaze. No injuries were reported. Investigators from the Somerset County Fire Investigation Unit (FIU), along with detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
More Business Owners Across NJ Defy ‘Murphy’s Law’ More Business Owners Across NJ Defy ‘Murphy’s Law’
More Business Owners Across NJ Defy ‘Murphy’s Law’ Across New Jersey, from the Ramapo Mountains to the Pine Barrens, business owners are defying Gov. Phil Murphy’s coronavirus emergency closure orders. The overwhelming majority of merchants are sticking to the governor’s plan, say state authorities. Then there's a group of others. All had been warned by police in their towns, then opened their doors again, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Friday. A day after reminding local businessman Kenneth Spilatro, 59, of Morris Plains that the governor’s order allowed him only curbside pickup, Parsippany police reported finding 20 to 30 …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'Help Me! Help Me!': Former Marine Surrenders To SWAT In Second Bergen Hotel Standoff In Month 'Help Me! Help Me!': Former Marine Surrenders To SWAT In Second Bergen Hotel Standoff In Month
'Help Me! Help Me!': Former Marine Surrenders To SWAT In Second Bergen Hotel Standoff In Month A SWAT team standoff at a Saddle Brook motel ended Friday night with the arrest of a former Marine from Somerset County who'd been seized with a gun by the same unit at an Elmwood Park hotel last month. Ronnie Shertel, 37, of Hillsborough called 911 from the Crowne Plaza hotel off Route 80 in Saddle Brook around 10:30 p.m. Friday, saying he'd heard shots in the next room, Police Chief Robert Kugler said. "Help me! Help me!" he shouted before hanging up, Kugler said. When police arrived, Shertel shouted from inside for them to break down the door, the chief said. They established a perimet…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Authorities: NJ Mom Set Apartment On Fire Then Fled With 3 Kids To Perth Amboy Authorities: NJ Mom Set Apartment On Fire Then Fled With 3 Kids To Perth Amboy
Authorities: NJ Mom Set Apartment On Fire Then Fled With 3 Kids To Perth Amboy A Hillsborough mom was charged with intentionally starting three fires inside of her apartment before fleeing the scene to Perth Amboy with her three kids, authorities said. Hillsborough police got a 9-1-1 call around 11:10 p.m. April 20 for a fire at a Treeman Drive apartment, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announced in a joint release. A neighbor told police she saw Jacklyn McLoughlin, 33, fleeing the unit where she lived with her kids just before fire companies and police responded, Robertson said. An investigation found that the fires were planned and deliber…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
These NJ ShopRite Stores Imposing Customer Limit Amid Coronavirus Spread These NJ ShopRite Stores Imposing Customer Limit Amid Coronavirus Spread
These NJ ShopRite Stores Imposing Customer Limit Amid Coronavirus Spread More than two dozen New Jersey ShopRite stores have implemented customer limits in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. The maximum number of customers will be roughly 30 percent of the store’s regular maximum occupancy, ShopRite said in a statement. A security guard will be stationed at entrances and exits to track the number of customers coming in and out. Only one entrance per store will remain open. The guard will allow customers into the building, counting them along the way. Once the store is at capacity, ShopRite will ask customers to form a line outside. The following…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine