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Police & Fire
South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors
South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors A registered sex offender in Atlantic County will spend more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting a child, authorities said. Marcelino Cruz, 35, of Mullica Township, was sentenced on Tuesday, June 4 to 16 years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. A jury found him guilty on Wednesday, Feb. 7 of second-degree sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of child sexual abuse material. An investigation began when a 13-year-old's mother found disturbing text messages on the child's phone. Police co…

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by Chris Spiker
Sports
Jersey Shore HS Football Player Battling Rare Form Of Cancer: Fundraiser Jersey Shore HS Football Player Battling Rare Form Of Cancer: Fundraiser
Jersey Shore HS Football Player Battling Rare Form Of Cancer: Fundraiser An Atlantic County high school football player is battling a rare form of pediatric cancer, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page was created for a boy named Chris who's a junior at Pinelands Regional High School in Little Egg Harbor Township. Chris plays football for the Pinelands Wildcats and also is a player in the South Jersey Flag Football Association. Chris was recently diagnosed with stage three rhabdomyosarcoma. The childhood disease causes cancerous cells to form in muscle tissue, according to the National Cancer Institute. The GoFundMe page had raise…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Accused Of Deadly Shooting After Guilty Plea Sentenced: Prosecutors South Jersey Man Accused Of Deadly Shooting After Guilty Plea Sentenced: Prosecutors
South Jersey Man Accused Of Deadly Shooting After Guilty Plea Sentenced: Prosecutors An Atlantic County man accused of killing another man while awaiting sentencing will spend several years in prison on his original charge, authorities said. Kalief Lyons, 35, of Galloway Township, was sentenced on Tuesday, May 28 to 10 years in prison on a gun charge, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. His sentence was given more than two weeks after he was arrested in the separate shooting death of 38-year-old Baseem Taliaferro of Galloway. Lyons was originally charged after he was identified as the suspect who pulled a gun on another man on Wedn…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Corrections Officer Accepted Money In South Jersey Jail-Smuggling Scheme: Prosecutors Corrections Officer Accepted Money In South Jersey Jail-Smuggling Scheme: Prosecutors
Corrections Officer Accepted Money In South Jersey Jail-Smuggling Scheme: Prosecutors An Atlantic County corrections officer was among three people accused of a scheme to smuggle contraband into the county's jail, authorities said. In a news release, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said 33-year-old Christopher Piccioni of Swedesboro was charged on Monday, May 20. Piccioni is an officer at the Atlantic County Justice Facility. The county prosecutor's office said it learned in January about contraband being smuggled into the jail in Mays Landing. Piccioni was identified as a suspect during a four-month investigation. Investigators said Piccioni conspired wit…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Awaiting Prison Sentence Shot, Killed Another Man In South Jersey: Prosecutors Man Awaiting Prison Sentence Shot, Killed Another Man In South Jersey: Prosecutors
Man Awaiting Prison Sentence Shot, Killed Another Man In South Jersey: Prosecutors An Atlantic County man was accused of killing another man while waiting to be sentenced to prison, authorities said. Kalief Lyons, 35, of Galloway Township, was arrested on Friday, May 10, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release on Thursday, May 16. He was facing charges in the shooting death of 38-year-old Baseem Taliaferro of Galloway. Pleasantville police responded to a ShotSpotter alert of several shots fired at 9 West Pleasant Avenue at around 11:02 p.m. on Thursday, May 9. Officers found Taliaferro inside a first-floor apartment with a gunshot wound to his …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Wanted Woman Used Sister's Identity During Stolen Vehicle Arrest In Atlantic City: Police Wanted Woman Used Sister's Identity During Stolen Vehicle Arrest In Atlantic City: Police
Wanted Woman Used Sister's Identity During Stolen Vehicle Arrest In Atlantic City: Police An Atlantic County woman was accused of using her sister's identity when she was arrested in a stolen vehicle investigation, authorities said. Caitlin Rainey, 33, of Northfield, was arrested on Sunday, May 12. The Atlantic City Police Department issued a news release on Thursday, May 16 to update the original information it released about the arrest on Tuesday, May 14. An officer found an empty and stolen minivan on the first block of Tennessee Avenue at around 6:57 p.m. on Sunday. Shortly before police arrived, surveillance video showed two people leaving the minivan, which had been report…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Unregistered Machine Guns Found In Raid, South Jersey Man Facing Federal Charge: Prosecutor Unregistered Machine Guns Found In Raid, South Jersey Man Facing Federal Charge: Prosecutor
Unregistered Machine Guns Found In Raid, South Jersey Man Facing Federal Charge: Prosecutor An Atlantic County man was given a new federal charge after he was accused of having unregistered machine guns and modified firearms, authorities said. Michael James, 30, of Somers Point, was charged on Wednesday, May 15 with possessing unregistered machine guns and other firearms, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced in a news release. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine under the National Firearms Act.  Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted two packages with suspected drugs addressed to James' home in February, acco…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Emaciated Dog Among 120 Rescued From NJ Compound, New Litter Of 6 Almost Ready For Adoption Emaciated Dog Among 120 Rescued From NJ Compound, New Litter Of 6 Almost Ready For Adoption
Emaciated Dog Among 120 Rescued From NJ Compound, New Litter Of 6 Almost Ready For Adoption Kirsten Peek remembers the first time she laid eyes on Janet Jackson. "She was very friendly, eager for attention," said Peek, the public informations officer for the Humane Society of the United States.  "She was standing at the edge of this baron kennel [in Cumberland County] wagging her tail, giving 'pet me' eyes. I could see everyone one of her vertebrae and hip bones over a huge, pregnant belly." Janet Jackson was among 120 abused dogs rescued from a large-scale nationally-known dogfighting enterprise run by a convicted Atlantic County druglord on April 3, as previously repo…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Missing NYC Man Identified From Human Remains Found In South Jersey Woods: Prosecutors Missing NYC Man Identified From Human Remains Found In South Jersey Woods: Prosecutors
Missing NYC Man Identified From Human Remains Found In South Jersey Woods: Prosecutors A New York City man missing for more than a decade has been identified from human remains found in Atlantic County, authorities said. Kevin Morris was recently identified from the remains discovered in Galloway Township on Monday, June 7, 2021, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release on Monday, May 13. He was reported missing at 32 years old in Staten Island in October 2011.  The skeletal remains were found in the woods at 187 South Pomona Avenue. The address is for the Pomona Gunning Club and is about a mile from the campus of Stockton University. Accordin…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Girl Run Over By Tow Truck During Bicycle Ride Gone Wrong In Atlantic County: Police Girl Run Over By Tow Truck During Bicycle Ride Gone Wrong In Atlantic County: Police
Girl Run Over By Tow Truck During Bicycle Ride Gone Wrong In Atlantic County: Police A 15-year-old girl is in critical condition after falling off her bike into the path of tow truck in Atlantic County last week, police said. The girl was hiding in the shoulder of Ocean Heights Avenue heading north, the same direction as the 2021 Ford tow truck next to her, when she lost her balance and fell off her bike around 4:50 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, Egg Harbor Police Chief Frederick Spano said. The girl fell into the path and underneath the rear tires of the vehicle, Spano said. Investigation revealed no contact was made between the truck and bicycle prior to the accident, police said…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
South Jersey Truck Driver Killed In Garden State Parkway Crash South Jersey Truck Driver Killed In Garden State Parkway Crash
South Jersey Truck Driver Killed In Garden State Parkway Crash An Ocean County man was killed when his tractor-trailer went off the Garden State Parkway in Atlantic County, authorities said. Brian Ross, 60, of Brick Township, died in the crash on Thursday, May 9, a state police spokesperson said. Troopers responded to the wreck near milepost 43.3 on the Garden State Parkway North in Galloway at around 12:05 p.m. Investigators said Ross's Kenworth tractor-trailer went off the parkway and crashed into several trees. He was pronounced dead at the scene. State police are investigating the crash.

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Drunk Driver Killed South Jersey Bicyclist In Hit-And-Run Crash: Prosecutors Drunk Driver Killed South Jersey Bicyclist In Hit-And-Run Crash: Prosecutors
Drunk Driver Killed South Jersey Bicyclist In Hit-And-Run Crash: Prosecutors An Atlantic County man was accused of driving drunk when he killed a bicyclist and left the scene of the crash, authorities said. Shawn Duffy, 39, of Egg Harbor Township, was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced the charges in a news release on Wednesday, May 8. Neil Burman, 68, of Egg Harbor Township, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Steelmanville Road near Beaver Drive on Tuesday, Feb. 6. According to his obituary, he was born i…

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by Chris Spiker