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Police & Fire
Pair Beat Man Then Set His Belongings On Fire At Rutgers, Campus Police Say Pair Beat Man Then Set His Belongings On Fire At Rutgers, Campus Police Say
Pair Beat Man Then Set His Belongings On Fire At Rutgers, Campus Police Say A man was beaten and his belongings were set on fire near the Rutgers University campus, authorities said. Two New Brunswick men were arrested Tuesday, Feb. 27 in the 2:30 p.m. Sunday attack, according to the Rutgers University Police Department. The attack reportedly followed a verbal dispute at a New Brunswick business earlier Sunday. The attackers allegedly followed the man near the Center for Vector Biology at 180 Jones Ave. at the edge of the Rutgers University campus and hit him with a blunt object, police said. The victim was not affiliated with Rutgers, they said. As the vict…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Three Arrested For Robbing Boy In South Jersey: Police Three Arrested For Robbing Boy In South Jersey: Police
Three Arrested For Robbing Boy In South Jersey: Police A man and two boys were accused of robbing another boy late at night, authorities said. Little Egg Harbor police said officers responded to the robbery report at around 10:26 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. It happened near the 7-Eleven on Radio Road. When police arrived, they found out that 21-year-old Christian Heri of Brick Township and two boys stole several items from the victim. The suspects left the scene in a black minivan. Tuckerton police eventually stopped the minivan. The three suspects were arrested and officers found a 9mm handgun inside the vehicle. Heri was charged wi…

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by Chris Spiker
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Purse-Snatcher Caught With Help From Bystanders In Atlantic City: Police Purse-Snatcher Caught With Help From Bystanders In Atlantic City: Police
Purse-Snatcher Caught With Help From Bystanders In Atlantic City: Police A wanted man from New York City was accused of stealing a woman's purse in Atlantic City and police thanked two bystanders for helping catch him, authorities said. Atlantic City police said 27-year-old Jose Hernandez from The Bronx, NY, was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 1. Investigators said Hernandez walked up to the woman and tried to sell her a cigarette. Someone told an officer on North Arkansas Avenue at 10:12 p.m. that he saw a woman have her purse stolen. The officer saw Hernandez running away from the area and reported him to other officers.  As Hernandez ran away,…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing An Ocean County ex-convict and parolee once featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" admitted to his role in the stabbing death of a Seaside Heights man, authorities said. Angelo Grenci, 47, of Berkeley Township, pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to aggravated manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Grenci was charged in the killing of 50-year-old Carlton Williams. Prosecutors will pursue a prison sentence of 25 years for Grenci. He'd have to serve 85 percent of his term before being eligible for parole under the state's No Early Release…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions
Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions A former mayor of Ocean Gate will spend time in state prison for pocketing money from government auctions, parking meter funds, and scrap metal sales, authorities said. Paul Kennedy, 68, of Ocean Gate, was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 26 to three years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced. Kennedy pleaded guilty on Friday, Sept. 22 to pattern of official misconduct. As part of his plea deal, Kennedy is banned from holding public office or employment. Investigators said that while he was mayor, Kennedy took money from borough assets sold on the government auc…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor
Former CFO Of Low-Income Jersey Shore Apartments Stole $1.6M From Employer: Prosecutor A former executive for a low-income apartment building in Long Branch is accused of stealing more than $1.6 million from his company for more than a decade, authorities said. John O'Donnell, 57, of Scotch Plains is charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree forgery, and third-degree false uttering, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced. O'Donnell was charged by summons on Thursday, Jan. 11. O'Donnell is the former chief financial officer of the company that owns Washington Manor. The Ocean Boulevard highrise has 100 housing units for seniors …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Pro-Palestinian Stranger Who Tore Down Israeli Flag, Taunted Store Employees Found: Tenafly PD Pro-Palestinian Stranger Who Tore Down Israeli Flag, Taunted Store Employees Found: Tenafly PD
Pro-Palestinian Stranger Who Tore Down Israeli Flag, Taunted Store Employees Found: Tenafly PD Tenafly police arrested a woman who they said ripped an Israeli flag down from the awning of a downtown store and harassed employees last month with “pro-Palestinian taunts and antagonizing hand gestures.” Denisa Gjana, 31, of Lodi was identified after investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed area surveillance video following the Dec. 5, 2023 incident on West Railroad Avenue, Capt. Michael deMoncada said. Gjana ripped down the flag, threw it into a trash can down the street, then returned to the business and berated the employees, the captain said. Then she drove away. This we…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
FEDS: Serial Burglar Makes Bogus Calls To Divert Police Before Multiple NJ Drug Store Break-Ins FEDS: Serial Burglar Makes Bogus Calls To Divert Police Before Multiple NJ Drug Store Break-Ins
Feds: Serial Burglar Makes Bogus Calls To Divert Police Before Multiple NJ Drug Store Break-Ins A hapless burglar tried to keep police in a half-dozen Bergen County towns busy with bogus calls of carjackings, kidnappings and other threats to try and buy himself time to break into local drug stores, federal authorities said. Michael J. Gynegrowski, 34, hit pharmacies in Cresskill, Hackensack, Oradell, River Vale and Teaneck, usually by breaking a window, they said. Six of a reported 10 attempts failed, but Gynegrowski did swipe a significant amount of Oxy, promethazine and other medications from an Englewood drug store, investigators told Daily Voice. Police in the various towns …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Thieves Take Advantage Of Broken Lock At Jersey Shore Wawa: Police Thieves Take Advantage Of Broken Lock At Jersey Shore Wawa: Police
Wawa Wall Township New Year's Incident Police are looking for the people responsible for taking advantage of a broken lock at a Wawa store in Wall Township early New Year's Day. Wall Township police say it happened in the Wawa at the corner of New Jersey Route 35 and Lakewood Road. Officers arrived at the store at around 2 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1. When officers got to the store, they found a note on the front door saying it was closed from 11 p.m. on New Year's Eve to 6 a.m. on New Year's Day. Wawa's website lists the store as open 24 hours every day.  Wawa management told police it was an "oversight" due to the broken lock…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Arrested For Scamming Victim Of $100K On Jersey Shore Man Arrested For Scamming Victim Of $100K On Jersey Shore
Man Arrested For Scamming Victim Of $100K On Jersey Shore A 31-year-old man from Jersey City has been arrested in an email scam totaling nearly $100,000, authorities said. Shiva Penmetsa was charged with theft on Tuesday, Dec. 19, according to Wall Township police. Penmesta allegedly sent the woman an email on May 5 thanking her for a $400 subscription, police said. The woman called the number listed on the email and Penmetsa convinced her to give electronic access to her computer, they said.  Penmesta instructed the woman to write two cashier checks — one for $39,600 and one for $60,000 — which she deposited into a Bank of America account. …

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Woman Stole $15K From GoFundMe Campaign For Motorist Who Lost An Arm In Crash: Prosecutor Woman Stole $15K From GoFundMe Campaign For Motorist Who Lost An Arm In Crash: Prosecutor
Woman Stole $15K From GoFundMe Campaign For Motorist Who Lost An Arm In Crash: Prosecutor A Tinton Falls woman has been charged with stealing $15,000 from a GoFundMe fundraiser that she set up for a severely injured motorist, authorities said. Nicole C. Weidelman, 46, is charged with theft by deception, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago. GoFundMe said it delivered funds directly to the intended beneficiary An investigation led by Tinton Falls Police Department Detective William Rodriguez revealed that in November 2022, the intended fundraiser recipient was involved in a serious motor vehicle collision on I-95 in Florida. The recover…

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by Jon Craig