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Saturday, dec 21
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West New York, NJ
Police & Fire
Hudson Man Admits Posting Dark Web Sex Video Of Boy Who Ended Up Taking His Own Life: FBI
A Hudson County man admitted sharing sexual videos on the dark web that he got from a minor who subsequently committed suicide, federal authorities said. Authorities arrested Julio Albery Nunez, 27, West New York, for posing as a teenage girl to get an underage boy to send him video of himself masturbating and urinating for money, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. That particular boy wasn’t the only one, records show. Nunez admitted that he “communicated electronically with several other minors and requested and received sexual content from them, including one minor victim who ultima…
Police & Fire
NJ Flight Attendant Smuggled Millions In Drug Cash To The DR Through Special Airport Lane: Feds
A flight attendant from New Jersey smuggled $2.5 million of an estimated $8 million in drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic through a scheme that capitalized on flight crews’ easy access through airports, authorities charged. Charlie Hernandez, 42, of West New York and three other accused mile-high drug mules used code words such as “lotions” – meaning drug cash – and “los tigres” (for their drug-dealing partners), an indictment alleges. Each got a cut for slipping the cash through unscreened TSA security lanes for international commercial airline employees at JFK Air…
News
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 …
Police & Fire
Man Poses As Nurse To Kidnap, Sexually Abuse Women In NJ, NY: Feds
A Hudson County man who posed as a nurse on Facebook and the Hinge dating app kidnapped, assaulted and sexually abused several women in New Jersey and New York, federal authorities charged. Herman Calvin Brightman, 30, abducted one of the women and her 2-year-old child in the Bronx and brought them to his West New York home at knifepoint, said Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. It was only one of what NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban called many “deeply disturbing and heinous acts” that included threats to kill his victims. Brightman also stalked a wom…
Police & Fire
Man Crushed To Death Between Car, Garage In Princeton: Police
A 61-year-old man was killed when he was pinned against a garage by a backing car, authorities said. Meliton Hernandez-Morales of West New York died of his injuries at the scene of the crash at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, Princeton police said. Huimei Qiu, 53, of Princeton, was backing down a residential driveway on Red Hill Road when Hernandez-Morales, who was in the driveway, was struck, police said. Hernandez-Morales was pinned against a detached garage, they said. Qiu was not hurt and no summonses had been issued. The investigation is ongoing.
News
These 9 NJ Towns Failed To Correct Sick Leave Policies, State Comptroller Says
Towns throughout the Garden State have not addressed their sick and vacation leave policies, the state's comptroller said. In a letter sent to Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and State Comptroller Kevin Walsh said nine municipalities have refused to cooperate and develop a correction action plan and is requesting that Murphy's office withhold state funds if they do not cooperate within 30 days. "The failure of the nine municipalities to prepare a correction action plan creates risks that taxpayer funds will be wasted and that unlawful pol…
Police & Fire
Police Fully Justified In Shooting West New York Man Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Rules
It was as open-and-shut as a police shooting can possibly get. That’s why a state grand jury found that police were more than justified in shooting a West New York gunman who’d just wounded one officer while firing point-blank at them with a gun in each hand. Dramatic police bodycam footage shows Kevin Colindres, 32, opening fire after emerging from his 59th Street home on June 3, 2022. In a clip recorded through the front-door window, Colindres is seen entering the vestibule in a t-shirt and shorts with both hands behind his back as police investigate a domestic violence call. He sudden…
News
NY Dealer Gets 11 Years, No Parole, For Moving Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ
A dealer who admitted flooding four North Jersey counties with massive quantities of fentanyl, meth and coke is headed to federal prison for more than a decade. Juan Carlos Merced Moreno, 45, of Manhattan must serve out just about all of his plea-bargained 11-year sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Moreno and his partners operated a fentanyl mill in Washington Heights that supplied traffickers in New Jersey with at least 25,000 pills that were distributed throughout the Garden State, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Authorities disco…
Police & Fire
Done
AND
Done
: Hudson Pair Get 30 Years Each In Bergen Robbery Murder
UPDATE: Two Hudson County men who killed a Fairview pot dealer during an armed robbery at his home were sentenced to a plea-bargained 30 years each in state prison. Carlos Burgos of Jersey City and Raul Torres of North Bergen, both 23, must each serve 25½ years behind bars before they'll be eligible for parole under the terms of their respective plea agreements. The plot's mastermind, Lexie Burke, 24, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter last year in the June 2019 shooting death of David Duque-Soto. He's scheduled for sentencing on June 23, Bergen County Prosecutor Ma…
News
Hudson Pair Quickly Take Guilty Pleas After Jury Convicts Getaway Driver In Bergen Drug Killing
UPDATE: Two men charged with the cold-blooded killing of a Fairview man during an armed robbery at his apartment four years ago have taken plea deals not even three weeks after their getaway driver was convicted at a trial. Carlos Burgos of Jersey City and Raul Torres of North Bergen, both 23, took the same route as the plan’s mastermind, Lexie Burke of Jersey City, who pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter last year in the June 2019 shooting death of David Duque-Soto. Both men, like Burke, were originally charged with felony murder. Like him, they opted to plead guilty to lesser charg…
News
Getaway Driver In Fairview Drug Killing Convicted Of Felony Murder, Conspiracy, More
UPDATE: The getaway driver in an armed robbery turned cold-blooded killing in Fairview was convicted this week of felony murder, among other counts, following a trial in Hackensack. David Martinez of North Bergen will get a minimum 30-year state prison sentence, at the very least, for the June 2019 shooting death of David Duque-Soto at his Fourth Street apartment. Superior Court Judge Margaret M. Foti, who presided over the four-week trial, scheduled sentencing for April 21. Assistant Bergen County Prosecutors Suzanne Cevasco and Matthew Fitzpatrick presented 16 witnesses to prove that Ma…
News
Body Of Missing Hudson Man Found In His Van In Englewood, No Foul Play Suspected
The body of an audio engineer from West New York who'd gone missing earlier this month was found in his van parked outside an Englewood day care center on Friday, multiple responders said. Investigators said they don't suspect any wrongdoing in the death of Lestor Tabora, 31, whose body was found near the corner of William Street and West Linden Avenue. An autopsy scheduled Saturday morning by the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office will provide definitive results, they said. Tabora was last seen driving the white GMC van in Fairview on Feb. 8. Loved ones described Tabora as a "kind-h…
News
Dealer Admits Role In Major Ring That Moved Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ From NYC
One of three Manhattan men accused of flooding four North Jersey counties with massive quantities of fentanyl, meth and coke admitted his role in the organization, authorities said. Juan Carlos Merced Moreno, 45, and his partners operated a fentanyl mill in Washington Heights that supplied traffickers in New Jersey with at least 25,000 pills that were distributed throughout the Garden State, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. And that wasn't all. Authorities discovered the operation during what began as an investigation into the Hudson County crew, which flooded the str…
News
Update
: Mahwah Woman Jailed For Shooting Up SUV In Former Waldwick Neighbor's Driveway
UPDATE: A 40-year-old Mahwah woman was charged with shooting up an SUV parked in the driveway of a former neighbor in Waldwick. Megan Dzugay spent the night in jail after being seized in Mahwah by Waldwick detectives, assisted by Mahwah police and a Bergen County Regional SWAT team, Wednesday evening, Nov. 30, Waldwick Police Lt. Troy E. Seifert said. She's charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and criminal mischief resulting in property damage in connection with the 3:35 a.m. shooting on Grove Street in Waldwick. The 5-foot-4-inch g…
Police & Fire
16 Arrested, 39K Folds Of Heroin/Fentanyl Seized In Major Atlantic City Drug Sting: Police
A months-long investigation into the sale of drugs resulted in the arrest of 16 people and the recovery of multiple handguns and a huge quantity of heroin/fentanyl, authorities said. On Nov. 14, the Atlantic City Police Department, with assistance from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, DEA Atlantic City Resident Office, and the Liberty Mid-Atlantic DEA Atlantic County HIDTA Task Force, completed an investigation into a drug distribution network operating in the area of Florida Avenue, the Ducktown section of Atlantic City, and surrounding areas. The network, allegedly led by brothers…
News
Two NJ Powerball Players Win $150K, Nine Win $50K
Eleven New Jersey Lottery tickets matched four of the five white balls and the Power Ball drawn on Monday, Oct. 31, winning the $50,000 second-tier prize. Two of those tickets were purchased with Power Play, multiplying the prizes to $150,000. The Powerball jackpot now rolls to $1.2 billion for the next drawing to be held Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 10:59 pm. Those winning NJ tickets were sold at the following locations: Bergen County ($150,000): 7-Eleven #34523, 29 County Rd., Tenafly; Passaic County ($150,000): Jackpocket, 355 Warwick Tpke., Hewitt; Burlington County ($50,000): Acme #6…
News
Fatal
Shootout
: West New York Gunman Fires Point-Blank At Police, Shot Dead In Exchange (
Video
)
Dramatic footage shows a fully-armed man shooting point-blank at West New York police, then being shot dead himself. The incident is captured in a compilation of police bodycam footage and home surveillance video released late Tuesday, Sept. 6, by Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Several uniformed officers responding to a domestic dispute at the 59th Street home of Kevin Colindres, 32, of West New York on June 3, 2022 had their body cameras activated, Platkin said. Home security cameras in the neighborhood were working, as well. Bodycam footage video recorded throug…
Schools
Ex-NJ Assistant Principal Who Faked Reason For Slip-Fall Getting Job Back
A former assistant principal of a Hudson County school who faked her slip-and-fall in a stairwell will be getting her job back, the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division ruled. Amanda Sanjuan was hired as a bilingual education teacher in West New York in 1997, and was appointed assistant principal at Memorial High School in 2019. One night in February 2020, Sanjuan was attending an event at the high school when she fell down a flight of stairs and landed on the floor, according to court papers. After hearing a commotion, a teacher and a custodian rushed to the stairs wh…
Sports
Players Mourn Sudden Loss Of Beloved NJ Football Coach Brian Meeney, 46
Take a quick look at the posts from some of Brian Meeney's current and former players and students, and the impact he made becomes obvious. "I can never repay you for everything you taught me," one wrote. "Kept me out of trouble and made sure I stayed on the path of success, I wouldn’t be where I am today if you didn’t push me the way that you did." "You believed in me," said another, "and most importantly you never gave up on me. Coach Meeney I’ll always love you you were that second father-like figure in my life." The Maywood dad suffered a massive heart attack while on his way to work o…
News
West New York Killer Brutally Beat Inmate For Latin Kings 'Hit Squad,' Indictment Charges
A convicted killer from West New York sent a fellow inmate to the hospital with a severe head injury as part of a deal with a prison "hit squad" run by a Latin Kings leader, authorities said. Daniel Balbuena, 29, carried out the beating in exchange for an assault on a rival of the Gran Familiar Mexicana gang by hit squad members, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Trenton alleges. Authorities last year charged Frank “Lafay” Blake of Hillside and several other current and former shank-armed inmates with an assault at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, as well as with plans to carry …
News
MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes
Three ranking MS-13 members from El Salvador were convicted by federal jurors in Newark of the murder of an innocent 19-year-old dishwasher from West New York, among other charges stemming from their participation in the international gang. It was one of many offenses that jurors agreed were committed by Juan Pablo “Humilde” Escalante-Melgar, 31, Elmer “Locote” Cruz-Diaz, 33, and Oscar “Snappy” Sanchez-Aguilar, 25 – among them, extortion, witness tampering, and drug trafficking. Federal prosecutors told the jurors that Escalante-Melgar and Sanchez-Aguilar instructed an MS-13 member and an …
News
Teen Charged With Bias Attempted Murder For Savage Beating In North Hudson Park
A grand jury has indicted a Baltimore teen on bias attempted murder charges for savagely beating a learning-disabled man in a Hudson County park because he thought he was gay. José Tobias Carranza Serrano, 18, was captured by police in Bayonne who found him and his clothes covered in blood while arresting him on a trespassing charge hours after the June 21 attack in James J. Braddock Park in North Bergen, authorities said. The indictment returned Wednesday charges Carranza Serrano with attempted murder, bias intimidation, aggravated assault and robbery. The 37-year-old victim from West New…
News
NY Yankees Radio Voice John Sterling Rescued From Floodwaters In Edgewater
Among those rescued from rising floodwaters in North Jersey late Wednesday was "the voice of the Yankees," radio broadcaster John Sterling of Edgewater. The hero: His Spanish-language counterpart. Although the Bronx Bombers were playing the Angels in California, WFAN still has its game crew working remotely. While Sterling's partner, Suzyn Waldman, has often worked from home, he's been calling road games from his WFAN booth in the Bronx. Wednesday night's Yankees victory wrapped up shortly after 10 p.m. "Usually when we finish a game, John is the first one to leave," Yankees Spanish-lang…
News
West New York Motorcyclist, 25, Killed In Meadowlands Crash
UPDATE: A 25-year-old motorcyclist from West New York was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash near the Meadowlands in East Rutherford early Wednesday evening, authorities confirmed. The victim went down on the ramp from southbound Route 120 to eastbound Route 3 across from the American Dream shortly after 5 p.m., East Rutherford Deputy Police Chief Phillip Taormina said. His name was temporarily withheld pending next-of-kin notifications. Three lanes of Route 120 along with the ramp remained closed for several hours for clearing of the wreckage and the collection of evidence, the…
News
Motorcyclist Killed In Meadowlands Crash
A motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash near the Meadowlands in East Rutherford early Wednesday evening, responders said. The victim, 25, from West New York went down on the ramp from southbound Route 120 to eastbound Route 3 across from the American Dream shortly after 5 p.m., East Rutherford Deputy Police Chief Phillip Taormina said. Three lanes of Route 120 along with the ramp remained closed for several hours for clearing of the wreckage and the collection of evidence, the deputy chief said. All lanes were subsequently reopened, he said. East Rutherford police…
News
Sheriff: Attacker Admits Beating, Leaving Hudson Man For Dead Because He Thought He Was Gay
A Baltimore man admitted luring and then savagely beating a learning-disabled man from West New York in North Hudson Park, leaving him for dead, because he thought he was gay, authorities said. José Tobias Carranza Serrano, 18, was captured by police in Bayonne who found him and his clothes covered in blood while arresting him on a trespassing charge, it was revealed Wednesday. Carranza Serrano confessed to them that he lured the 37-year-old victim into a wooded area of the North Bergen park, where he tried to kill him because he "does not like homosexuals," an affidavit filed by the Hudson…
Police & Fire
Three Charged In $3 Million Burglary Of 50 Cent’s Bergen County Crib
A stolen car helped tie three ex-cons to the $3 million burglary of 50 Cent’s luxury apartment above the Hudson River, authorities said. The rapper, songwriter, TV producer and actor posted on Instagram that he was in Miami the third week of January, which law enforcement sources said afforded the thieves the opportunity. 50 – whose real name is Curtis Jackson – reported the break-in of his apartment to Cliffside Park police on Jan. 17. It “involved an estimated loss of approximately three million dollars in U.S. currency and jewelry,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday, wit…
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: NJ Man Sexually Assaulted Girl Between Ages 8, 10
A Hudson County man is accused of sexually assaulting a girl on multiple occasions when she was between the ages of 8 and 10 years old. Mario Villa, 62, of West New York, assaulted the now-13-year-old girl between 2016 and 2018, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The Special Victims Unit was notified by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency last month and launched an investigation in the alleged assaults. Villa was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, sexual assault, child endangerment and more on May 25, Suarez said. He was arrested at the Hudson Coun…
News
Ex-Mamajuana Café Co-Owner From Bergen Admits Bankruptcy Fraud
UPDATE: A Bergen County businessman who once co-owned the popular Mamajuana Café chain admitted in federal court that he concealed assets from a bankruptcy trustee. An investigation by the NYPD and New York City-based Homeland Security agents led to charges against Victor Osorio, 53, of Cresskill, who helped spark the Dominican restaurant chain's expansion to Paterson, East Rutherford, Secaucus, West New York and Woodbridge, as well as to New York and Florida. Osorio, a Dominican native who also co-owned a separate restaurant in Pennsylvania, filed for Chapter 7 relief in U.S. District Cour…
News
Major
Bust
: Authorities Smash Trafficking Ring, Seize $1 Million Worth Of Drugs, Arrest 20
A barber shop and used car lot were fronts for a large-scale North Jersey drug trafficking ring, said authorities who seized nearly 21 pounds of fentanyl, 7½ pounds of cocaine, a loaded gun and more while arresting 20 people in Hudson, Bergen, Essex and Union counties. Nearly two dozen locations in New Jersey and New York were raided and nearly four pounds of meth, more than a pound and a half of fentanyl and $118,395 in cash were seized by a team headed by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Narcotics Task Force working with federal Homeland Security Investigations and the NYPD, they said Wednes…
News
Feds: Multi-County Burglary Crew Broke Into 40 North Jersey Pharmacies Seeking Codeine
A gang of burglars used bricks and rocks to break into at least 40 pharmacies in Hudson, Bergen and several other counties, targeting specific prescription drugs that they could sell, federal authorities said. Ten men, all from Jersey City, were charged in the three-month spree following an investigation led by Secaucus police, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said Tuesday. Surveillance video captured images of the burglars breaking into some of the victimized pharmacies in North Bergen, Jersey City, Guttenberg, West New York, Secaucus, Lyndhurst, North Arlington, Linden, Iselin, Madis…
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