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Police & Fire
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By 70-Year-Old Driver In Monmouth County, Prosecutor Says Pedestrian Struck, Killed By 70-Year-Old Driver In Monmouth County, Prosecutor Says
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By 70-Year-Old Driver In Monmouth County, Prosecutor Says A pedestrian was struck by a 70-year-old driver on Saturday, May 25 in Monmouth County, authorities said. The woman, 85, was crossing Allaire Road in Spring Lake Heights when she was struck by the 2023 Nissan Rogue attempting a left-hand turn from the southbound side of Old Mille Road onto eastbound Allaire around 1:20 p.m., Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said. As a result of the crash, the woman was pronounced dead at 1:56 p.m. The driver remained on scene. An investigation involving members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Serious Coll…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Driver Used Phone During South Jersey Crash That Hospitalized Motorcyclist For Months: Police Driver Used Phone During South Jersey Crash That Hospitalized Motorcyclist For Months: Police
Daniel Abbott Of Lakewood Arrested A Lakewood man was accused of using his cellphone during a crash that severely injured a Monmouth County motorcyclist, authorities said. Daniel Abbott, 48, turned himself in to Wall Township police on Monday, May 13, the department said in a news release. He was charged with fourth-degree assault by auto. Wall police responded to a crash on Lakewood Allenwood Road on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. A 73-year-old Belmar man suffered severe injuries in the wreck. Investigators said Abbott was driving west in a Ford "full-size van" when he crossed the center line and hit the Belmar man who was…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Central Jersey Youth Soccer Coach Molested Players, Sent Sexual Photos, Prosecutors Say Central Jersey Youth Soccer Coach Molested Players, Sent Sexual Photos, Prosecutors Say
Ryan Gunsauls Of Union Beach Arrested A Monmouth County youth soccer coach has been accused of molesting two of his players and sending sexual pictures to several others, authorities said. Ryan Gunsauls, 32, of Union Beach, was arrested in Hazlet on Friday, May 11, The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced his arrest in a news release issued Tuesday, May 14. Investigators said one boy told police earlier in May that Gunsauls had been sending him "sexually explicit materials" and asking for them on social media. More victims between 11 and 17 years old were identified and interviewed. Prosecutors said Gunsauls sent…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Family Seeks Help Returning NJ Drowning Victim's Body To Native Ecuador: Fundraiser Family Seeks Help Returning NJ Drowning Victim's Body To Native Ecuador: Fundraiser
Wilmer Lalvay GoFundMe A family is asking for help returning an Essex County man's body to his native Ecuador after he drowned at a beach along the Jersey Shore, a campaign fundraiser said. According to a GoFundMe page, 23-year-old Wilmer Lalvay of Belleville drowned on Saturday, May 4. The fundraiser was created by Lalvay's cousin Norma Minchala Perez. The GoFundMe has raised nearly $400 from at least six donations as of Tuesday, May 7. "My cousin came to this country to look for a better future and provide for his family in Ecuador," Perez wrote in Spanish. "Wilmer died on the beach drowning and…

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by Chris Spiker
Obituaries
Mom Who Enjoyed Beauty Vlogging Killed In Central Jersey Crash, 25: 'Your Energy Was Unmatched' Mom Who Enjoyed Beauty Vlogging Killed In Central Jersey Crash, 25: 'Your Energy Was Unmatched'
Amani Gilliam Obituary Family and friends were mourning a Monmouth County mother who was killed in an early morning crash. A spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office confirmed that Amani Gilliam, 25, of Freehold, was the woman who died in a crash in Manalapan on Thursday, Apr. 25. It happened near the intersection of Route 9 and Ryan Road just before 4:30 a.m. Manalapan police found a 2017 Nissan Sentra driven by Gilliam and a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by an unidentified man. Gilliam was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Gilliam enjoyed posting video blogs for makeup and h…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Jersey Shore Road: Prosecutors Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Jersey Shore Road: Prosecutors
Jeremy Cruz Of Forked River Found Guilty A Forked River man was convicted of strangling his wife to death and leaving her body on the side of a Monmouth County road, authorities said. A jury found 53-year-old Jeremy Cruz guilty of first-degree murder. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the conviction in a news release on Friday, Apr. 26. A driver saw 51-year-old Dawn Cruz with severe injuries on Colonial Avenue near the intersection with Asbury Avenue in Ocean Township just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Ocean Township police found her and she was pronounced dead at the scen…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Intentionally Set Fires At Central Jersey Property Since December: Police Man Intentionally Set Fires At Central Jersey Property Since December: Police
Albert Caporaso Arrested A Monmouth County man was accused of intentionally setting fires on the same property over the past five months, authorities said. Albert Caporaso, 49, of Hazlet, was arrested on early in the morning on Friday, Apr. 26, the Hazlet Township Police Department said in a Facebook post. He was facing charges for several arsons since Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. A Hazlet officer was watching the South Laurel Avenue home at around 11:56 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25, when a man matching the suspect's description from previous arsons walked onto the property. The man, later identified as Caporaso, entered a…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Woman Killed In Early Morning Crash In Central Jersey Woman Killed In Early Morning Crash In Central Jersey
Route 9 Crash A woman was killed in an early morning crash in Monmouth County, authorities said. Manalapan police responded to the crash near the intersection of Route 9 and Ryan Road just before 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. When officers arrived, they found two vehicles involved in the crash. A woman driving a 2017 Nissan Sentra was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. A man driving a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee stayed at the scene and was brought to a hospital with minor injuries. No charges or summonses have …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Sentenced For Home Invasion, Sexually Assaulting Woman In Asbury Park: Prosecutors Ex-Con Sentenced For Home Invasion, Sexually Assaulting Woman In Asbury Park: Prosecutors
Shawn Connolly Of Asbury Park Sentenced An Asbury Park ex-convict will spend more than three decades in prison after he was convicted of a home invasion and sexual assault, authorities said. Shawn Connolly, 37, was sentenced on Tuesday, Apr. 23 to 40 years in prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced in a news release. He'll be eligible for parole after 34 years under the No Early Release Act. Asbury Park police responded to a home on Seventh Avenue just before 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. Officers immediately found Connolly, arrested him, and recovered what he stole from his pockets. Investigat…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors
Patrick Brown Of Newark Indicted A former Monmouth County gas station attendant was accused of stealing thousands of dollars from customers, authorities said. Patrick Brown, 48, of Newark, was indicted by a grand jury on 52 counts, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced in a news release on Wednesday, Apr. 24. He was charged with 13 counts each of third-degree credit card fraud, third-degree false uttering, third-degree theft, and fourth-degree credit card theft. Freehold Township police said the thefts at the Wawa on Route 9 North happened "during a limited amount of time" in August 2023. Bro…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Foul play was not suspected after human remains were found at a Jersey Shore construction site, authorities said. An analysis of the skeletal remains hasn't shown any evidence of the people's deaths being suspicious, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago and Wall Township police Chief Sean O'Halloran said in a news release on Friday, Apr. 19.  The remains were found on the 1100 block of Narrumson Road in Wall Township on Tuesday, Mar. 12. Work had just started on the foundation of a new home when the remains were discovered. A state police anthropologist perf…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors
Kenneth Knapp Jr. Sentenced A Monmouth County man will spend more than 20 years in prison after admitting to killing his father and hiding his body in their home almost two years ago, authorities said. Kenneth Knapp Jr., 32, of Matawan, was sentenced on Thursday, Apr. 18 to 30 years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree desecration of human remains. Matawan police were called to the family's home on Matawan Avenue on Sunday, May 1, 2022, for a welfare check on 58…

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by Chris Spiker