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Schools
Dramatic Video Shows Linden Teacher Jump In Rolling SUV Headed Toward Students Dramatic Video Shows Linden Teacher Jump In Rolling SUV Headed Toward Students
Dramatic Video Shows Linden Teacher Jump In Rolling SUV Headed Toward Students Dramatic video footage shows a fast-acting Linden Public School jump into an SUV to stop it from rolling into students. Health and physical education teacher Valerie Tauriello was on drop-off duty in front of Soehl Middle School when she spotted a frantic dad get out of a car to drop off an iPad that his child forgot Wednesday morning, Linden school officials said. Keen-eyed Tauriello noticed the car start rolling toward a group of students on a sidewalk. Without hesitation, she jumped in the driver's seat to avert tragedy on the first day of school. Middle School Principal …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
US Marshals Capture Linden Man In Woodbridge Hotel Room Shooting That Injured 4 US Marshals Capture Linden Man In Woodbridge Hotel Room Shooting That Injured 4
US Marshals Capture Linden Man In Woodbridge Hotel Room Shooting That Injured 4 Members of the US Marshals captured a Linden man charged in a shooting that left four victims injured at a Woodbridge hotel last month, authorities announced. Khalil Burns, 27, was being held in the Middlesex County ail after his arrest Aug. 10, and charged with attempted murder, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said. Burns and three other Linden men -- Antoine Morgan, 25, Gasim Kromah, 26, and Isaiah Gregory, 22 -- were previously charged with weapons offenses in connection with the July 12 shooting at the Delta Suites hotel, Ciccone said alongside Woodbridge Police Directo…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: Online NJ 'Romeo' Conned Woman Out Of $300,000 Feds: Online NJ 'Romeo' Conned Woman Out Of $300,000
Feds: Online NJ 'Romeo' Conned Woman Out Of $300,000 She met him on an Internet word game, then gave him her heart. Before she knew it, he’d taken more than $300,000 of her money. And she didn’t even know who her online Romeo really was. Eseosa Obaseki, 36, of Linden, was trying to dodge justice when FBI agents grabbed him this week at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, authorities said. Obaseki used a bogus persona to reach out to the Washington State victim in late winter/early spring of 2019, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Their online exchanges continued for a couple of months before Obaseki “convinced [her] of his rom…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Share Your Spare': NJ Mom's Kidney Donation Saves Life Of 37-Year-Old Patient 'Share Your Spare': NJ Mom's Kidney Donation Saves Life Of 37-Year-Old Patient
'Share Your Spare': NJ Mom's Kidney Donation Saves Life Of 37-Year-Old Patient Linden's Naava Hess is part of loving family devoted to helping others in need.  She and her husband, Rabbi Joshua Hess, have encouraged their children -- Daniel, Akiva, Esti and Dalia -- to always look for opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. That opportunity for Naava would ultimately come through living organ donation. “I have a few friends and acquaintances that have been living donors, and it was always something that intrigued me,” said Hess said.  “When there was a member of our synagogue who was in need of a kidney, I signed up for a drive to test t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Train In Elizabeth Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Train In Elizabeth
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Train In Elizabeth A pedestrian was struck and killed by a train Friday in Elizabeth. Northeast corridor train 3838 struck the pedestrian at the Elizabeth station around 11:45 a.m., NJ Transit spokeswoman Lisa Torbic said. The train had left Trenton Transit Center at 10:41 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Penn Station New York at 12:17 p.m. None of the approximately 350 customers and crew on board were injured. Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line eastbound rail service will bypass Elizabeth and North Elizabeth due to the incident. Eastbound customers are advised to transfer at Newar…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man Struck, Killed By Train In Elizabeth Man Struck, Killed By Train In Elizabeth
Man Struck, Killed By Train In Elizabeth A man was struck and killed by a train Thursday night in Elizabeth, responders said. Northeast Corridor train 3891 struck the man near W. Grand Street station around 10:45 p.m., NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith said. The train had left New York Penn Station at 10:11 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Trenton at 11:42 p.m.  There were no injuries to the approximately 300 customers or crew on board the train.  Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line rail service was temporarily suspended in both directions between Linden and Newark Penn Station but has since resumed. …

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by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
NJ Mom Who Lost Battle With Ovarian Cancer Had Unique Request For Funeral Service NJ Mom Who Lost Battle With Ovarian Cancer Had Unique Request For Funeral Service
NJ Mom Who Lost Battle With Ovarian Cancer Had Unique Request For Funeral Service A New Jersey mom of two who lost her battle with ovarian cancer at the age of 42 had a quirky request for guests attending her funeral. Melissa Anne Nancy Rhodes died May 16 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018, according to a GoFundMe that documented her difficult journey. Born in Hoboken, Rhodes was a lifelong resident of Roselle Park, her obituary says. Rhodes earned an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts Secondary Education from Union County College and a Bachelor’s in history from the College of NJ. Rhodes later worked in Human Resources at Target in Clark and Linden — an…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Linden Man, 68, Touched Himself While Making Sexual Comments To Child At Local Park Prosecutor: Linden Man, 68, Touched Himself While Making Sexual Comments To Child At Local Park
Prosecutor: Linden Man, 68, Touched Himself While Making Sexual Comments To Child At Local Park A 68-year-old Linden man has arrested on charges of sex assault and related offenses after making explicit comments to a child at a local park while touching himself, authorities said. Paul J. Schappe, Jr. is facing second- and third-degree charges, respectively, after approaching a child playing basketball at Clifford Lawson Memorial Park and making sexual comments while touching himself over his clothing around 1 p.m. on May 2, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in a joint release with Linden Police Chief David Hart. The victim was under 13 at the time of the incident,…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Union County Con Who Had Jersey City Murder Conviction Overturned Pleads Guilty To Lesser Count Union County Con Who Had Jersey City Murder Conviction Overturned Pleads Guilty To Lesser Count
Union County Con Who Had Jersey City Murder Conviction Overturned Pleads Guilty To Lesser Count A convict from Union County who's spent the past 13 years behind bars will be eligible for release in four years after pleading guilty to a lesser charge for killing a Jersey City man. Zia Berisha, 46, of Linden, had his murder conviction for the Nov. 6, 2007 shooting and beating death of Michael Marro Jr. of Jersey City in a downtown high-rise killing overturned in 2019 by a state appeals court that sent the case back to Hudson County for a do-over. Jurors found in 2010 that Berisha killed Marro, 39, during a robbery at his Portside Tower home that involved high-grade marijuana. In addit…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Releases Hate Crime Totals By Town, Race, More: Guess Which County Had The Most NJ Releases Hate Crime Totals By Town, Race, More: Guess Which County Had The Most
NJ Releases Hate Crime Totals By Town, Race, More: Guess Which County Had The Most Nearly 40% of all hate crimes reported in New Jersey last year were against Blacks, more than the combined total against whites, Jews, Latinos and Muslims, according to State Police crime figures released Tuesday. The town with the most reported bias incidents in 2020 was Lakewood, the figures show. More than half of all reported bias incidents in New Jersey last year involved straight harassment, as opposed to vandalism and other related crimes. More than 13% occurred at schools, parks or playgrounds. The county with the most, overall, was Monmouth. The preliminary data released Tuesday…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Weather
PHOTOS: Possible Tornado With Gusts Up To 70 MPH Tears Through NJ, PA PHOTOS: Possible Tornado With Gusts Up To 70 MPH Tears Through NJ, PA
Photos: Possible Tornado With Gusts Up To 70 MPH Tears Through NJ, PA Homes and businesses across New Jersey and Pennsylvania were destroyed following a quick-hitting storm that ripped across the area Sunday evening. "Several wind damage reports were received and focused mainly along the I-95 corridor, including some measured wind gusts in the 60 to 70 mph range," the National Weather Service said. Streets around the America's Best Value Inn near Route 35 in Neptune was fully evacuated with several surrounded streets closed due to downed poles, wires and extensive debris. The NWS is investigating whether the damage might have been caused by a small tornado. …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
COVID-19: NJ Drug Manufacturer Merck Says New Antiviral Drug Shows Quick Reduction In Virus COVID-19: NJ Drug Manufacturer Merck Says New Antiviral Drug Shows Quick Reduction In Virus
Covid-19: NJ Drug Manufacturer Merck Says New Antiviral Drug Shows Quick Reduction In Virus Experimental antiviral drug molnupiravir being developed by New Jersey drug manufacturer Merck with Ridgeback Bio shows a quick reduction of the infectious virus in a study among participants with early COVID-19. Molnupiravir is being tested in a Phase 2/3 trial set to be completed in May. Merck will be provided with up to  $268.8 million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine William Fis…

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by Cecilia Levine