Overcast 71°
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…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street
Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street A floral deliveryman with a criminal history was convicted of grabbing a woman on a Leonia street and trying to sexually assault her in Leonia after harassing her 20 minutes earlier in Fort Lee. Randy Gallman of Jersey City was on the clock when he harassed the woman the afternoon of Dec. 29, 2020, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He caught up to her a short time later, dragged her into an alleyway and tried to sexually assault her, the prosecutor said on Friday, Dec. 16. The victim said she screamed and Gallman ran off as she dialed 911. Local police notified detectives with M…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Convicted Jersey City Killer Indicted In Brutal Pickup Truck Murder Of Ex-GF Convicted Jersey City Killer Indicted In Brutal Pickup Truck Murder Of Ex-GF
Convicted Jersey City Killer Indicted In Brutal Pickup Truck Murder Of Ex-GF 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A convicted killer from Jersey City was indicted for deliberately running down his ex-girlfriend and dumping her body off Route 440 last Mother's Day. Gregory Mallard, a 35-year-old reputed gang member who had two children with 32-year-old Norelis Mendoza, is charged with her murder, as well as desecration of her remains and evidence tampering, among other counts. Mallard is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment in Superior Court in Jersey City on Monday, Feb. 12. He's been held since detectives arrested him last May 19 -- five days after surveillance cameras captured images …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
The Stone Pony Turns 50: Iconic NJ Music Club Prepares For Anniversary Celebration The Stone Pony Turns 50: Iconic NJ Music Club Prepares For Anniversary Celebration
The Stone Pony Turns 50: Iconic NJ Music Club Prepares For Anniversary Celebration A historic concert venue on the oceanfront of Asbury Park known for launching the careers of Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi is celebrating its golden anniversary. The Stone Pony said it will kick off its 50th anniversary celebration on Thursday, Feb. 8, a half-century to the day the music club opened on North Ocean Avenue. The kickoff event starts at 7 p.m. and will include a special set by Lee Mrowicki, an original DJ at the venue. The anniversary celebration will also include a concert by Asbury Park rock band The Parlor Mob on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. The kickoff weekend wr…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Driver Who Did 100MPH+ In Wrong-Way Crash That Killed Three In Jersey City Indicted: Prosecutor Driver Who Did 100MPH+ In Wrong-Way Crash That Killed Three In Jersey City Indicted: Prosecutor
Driver Who Did 100MPH+ In Wrong-Way Crash That Killed Three In Jersey City Indicted: Prosecutor 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Jersey City driver who authorities said was doing over 100 miles an hour before a head-on crash on a treacherous stretch of road that killed three people was indicted on major charges. Ziyang Wang, 23, was behind the wheel of a BMW X5 M50i that collided with a Kia Amanti after it came around a blind curve on the wrong side of Paterson Plank Road, just south of Congress Street, on Oct. 16, 2023, authorities said at the time. Wang had four other people in the car with him, two of whom died in the crash along with the Kia driver, Dylan Weidenfeld, 26, of Jersey City, who was pronounc…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Just Salad Sets Opening For First Jersey Shore Location Just Salad Sets Opening For First Jersey Shore Location
Just Salad Sets Opening For First Jersey Shore Location A restaurant chain specializing in fresh salads and other healthy food options is opening its first location on the Jersey Shore this week. Just Salad will hold the grand opening for its location in the Brook 35 shopping plaza on Route 35 in Sea Girt on Friday, Feb. 2, the company said. The restaurant had a soft opening on Friday, Dec. 8. This will be Just Salad's seventh New Jersey restaurant. There are also locations in Hoboken, Jersey City, Morristown, Paramus, Pompton Plains, and Totowa. The company also said it's preparing to open an eighth location in West Windsor Township. The resta…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lifestyle
Kelsey Grammer Pours Drinks At Ellery's Grill & Pub Kelsey Grammer Pours Drinks At Ellery's Grill & Pub
Kelsey Grammer Pours Drinks At Ellery's Grill & Pub The good doctor is in the house. Kelsey Grammer will be pouring drinks at Ellery's Grill & Pub on Friday, Jan. 26. He's expected to show up about 7:30 p.m. and stay for a couple of hours, according to Ben Hydo, the pub's general manager. It's all part of a Garden State tour promoting Faith American Brewing Company. Hydo said Grammer makes it a point to try to meet every guest. "We do have a ton of people coming tonight," he said. This will be Grammer's fourth formal appearance at Ellery's on Lincoln Boulevard in Middlesex in the past year. He also drops by informally, Hydo said. Gra…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Indian Immigrant Stabbed In Jersey City Park, Local Man Charged In Random Attack Indian Immigrant Stabbed In Jersey City Park, Local Man Charged In Random Attack
Indian Immigrant Stabbed In Jersey City Park, Local Man Charged In Random Attack Jersey City police have charged a 22-year-old city man with repeatedly stabbing an Indian immigrant at a local park in what the victim's friends called a "senseless act of discrimination." The victim, 28-year-old Ojas Junnarkar, was walking alone on the running track at Pershing Field when he was assaulted shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, friends said. Junnarkar suffered wounds to his kidneys and colon, they said. Jersey City police subsequently announced the arrest of Santos Camacho on aggravated assault and illegal weapons charges. Camacho, who remained held in the Hudson Count…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Toms River Company Among 19 NJ Businesses Who Owe $1.1M In Unpaid Dues, State Says Toms River Company Among 19 NJ Businesses Who Owe $1.1M In Unpaid Dues, State Says
Toms River Company Among 19 NJ Businesses Who Owe $1.1M In Unpaid Dues, State Says Nineteen businesses who owe a total of $1.1 million have been barred from public contracting until they pay back their dues, the New Jersey Department of Labor said. R.A. Florio Building Contractors Inc., of Toms River, for example, has been ordered to pay $39,555.57 to the state, according to the department of labor and workforce development. The final judgment was given on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020.  The contractor is one of 101 total businesses on New Jersey's Workplace Accountability in Labor List, also known as the WALL. According to the state, Florio Building Contractors violated …

SHARE

by Chris Spiker & Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Couple's NJ Restaurant, 2 Area Chefs Nominated For James Beard Awards Couple's NJ Restaurant, 2 Area Chefs Nominated For James Beard Awards
Couple's NJ Restaurant, 2 Area Chefs Nominated For James Beard Awards A Monmouth County restaurant and two Garden State chefs are among the nominees for the prestigious James Beard Awards. The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for the 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards on Wednesday, Jan 24. The awards recognize the nation's best restaurants, chefs, food writers, and others in the hospitality industry. Lita, an Iberian cuisine restaurant in Aberdeen by Chef David Viana and his girlfriend Neilly Robinson, was among the 30 semifinal nominees for the best new restaurant award. According to its website, the Route 34 restaurant spe…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Jury Awards $5.3M To Worker Injured At Site Of 45-Story Jersey City High-Rise Jury Awards $5.3M To Worker Injured At Site Of 45-Story Jersey City High-Rise
Jury Awards $5.3M To Worker Injured At Site Of 45-Story Jersey City High-Rise A jury in Jersey City awarded $5.3 million to an ironworker who underwent a series of surgeries and was left disabled by an accident at the site of a downtown luxury high-rise condominium project, his lawyers announced. Attorneys with the Clark Law Firm argued that AJD Construction Company created the hazardous condition by using pieces of a building it was replacing as fill on the site of the 235 Grand complex in downtown Jersey City. “This left large chunks of concrete, wood, and glass strewn about the site, including on the job access road which was used by everyone to walk around the si…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Train Death Reported On Journal Square PATH tracks Train Death Reported On Journal Square PATH tracks
Train Death Reported On Journal Square PATH tracks A woman was struck and killed by a PATH train at Journal Square, authorities said. The person was struck by a westbound train and pronounced dead at the station in Jersey City shortly after midnight Monday, Jan. 22, said Lenis Valens of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The authority's Emergency Services Unit, Jersey City firefighters and an EMS unit were among the responders, Valens said. Power to the tracks was temporarily shut down, she said, adding that train service resumed at 3:04 a.m. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was an accidental or intentional incident, alt…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco