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Meek Mill Joins NJ Gov. Murphy To Celebrate Landmark Clemency Effort On Juneteenth Meek Mill Joins NJ Gov. Murphy To Celebrate Landmark Clemency Effort On Juneteenth
Meek Mill Joins NJ Gov. Murphy To Celebrate Landmark Clemency Effort On Juneteenth Gov. Phil Murphy celebrated Juneteenth by announcing a historic initiative in an effort to improve racial justice in New Jersey. The governor signed an executive order on clemency at Saint James AME Church in Newark on Wednesday, June 19. The order establishes standards for people to receive expedited consideration for pardons and commutations. Gov. Murphy said the goal is to fix the racial inequalities that have existed in the criminal justice system. "As we celebrate Juneteenth and reflect on our nation’s ongoing journey toward racial justice for Black and Brown …

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by Chris Spiker
Lifestyle
Jon Stewart Plays Drums In Band's Surprise Performance At Asbury Park Music Festival Jon Stewart Plays Drums In Band's Surprise Performance At Asbury Park Music Festival
Jon Stewart Plays Drums In Band's Surprise Performance At Asbury Park Music Festival Comedian Jon Stewart is finding time to rock out on the Jersey Shore after returning to host 'The Daily Show' on Mondays in 2024. Stewart played the drums for the band Church and State at Asbury Park Brewery on Saturday, June 15. The appearance was during the Asbury Underground arts and music crawl that was part of the statewide North to Shore Festival.  The comedian who owns a Colts Neck animal sanctuary said the band made its "premiere performance" at the Cookman Avenue brewpub. "We have never played in public," Stewart said at the beginning of the band's set. "I certainly have nev…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
ATTEMPTED MURDER: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities ATTEMPTED MURDER: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities
Attempted Murder: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities A 33-year-old Ridgefield man choked a Fairview pre-teen “to the point of unconsciousness” and had removed both his and the incapacitated child's clothes before he was stopped, authorities said. Julio Amaro-Vasquez, who lives on Bergen Boulevard just off Oakdene Avenue, was charged with attempted murder, attempted aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, attempted sexual assault by contact and child endangerment. He wasn't the only person arrested in connection with the alleged incident, however. Amaro-Vasquez's girlfriend, Marlin Cervantes Santos, 30, of Fairview, “directed…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Dad, Motorcyclist Killed In Crash On NJ Turnpike: State Police Dad, Motorcyclist Killed In Crash On NJ Turnpike: State Police
Dad, Motorcyclist Killed In Crash On NJ Turnpike: State Police A 37-year-old Monmouth County motorcyclist was killed in a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in Newark on Saturday June 8, authorities said. At 2:31 a.m. Ryan Schamlz, a Keyport resident, was opearting a Harley Davidson south on the ramp of the Turnpike by Interchange 14 when he crashed into an international truck hauling a utility trailer that was stopped on the access road at the intersection, Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police said. Schmalz suffered fatal injuries, Lebron said. The crash remains under investigation, Lebron said.  I have no words right no…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Reality bit the ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Dina Manzo when he was convicted Tuesday of getting a mob soldier to throw her new beau a beating. Restaurateur Thomas Manzo, 59, who lives in the affluent Bergen County suburb of Franklin Lakes, rejected a plea deal from federal prosecutors and took his chances with a jury. That didn’t go so good. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Newark convicted Manzo on June 4 of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, along with conspiracy and falsifying documents during a grand jury investigation. Althou…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America
New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America A Monmouth County cocktail bar picked up another national recognition after just one year of serving specialty drinks. Esquire named La Otra in Aberdeen Township on its list of 42 Best Bars in America for 2024. The bar is next to its sister restaurant Lita on Route 34, and both businesses are run by chef David Viana and his girlfriend Neilly Robinson. Bar manager Ricardo Rodriguez has a more "free-wheeling" approach to mixology at La Otra, compared to the Iberian classics at Lita. "Like the best bars attached to restaurants, the drinks are on the culinary side, such as the Tzatziki, which …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Three Children Ejected From SUV With 11 Passengers In Garden State Parkway Crash: Police Three Children Ejected From SUV With 11 Passengers In Garden State Parkway Crash: Police
Three Children Ejected From SUV With 11 Passengers In Garden State Parkway Crash: Police Ten children were hospitalized, including a seriously injured toddler, after an SUV crashed on the Garden State Parkway in Monmouth County, authorities said. A state police spokesperson said troopers responded to the wreck at around 3:56 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. The crash happened in the southbound lanes near milepost 114.8 in Holmdel. Investigators said a front-seat passenger and 10 children were riding in a Subaru Forester when it hit a metal guardrail and overturned. Three of the children were ejected from the SUV. A two-year-old girl was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries. A 34-…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 25-year-old ex-con from Trenton who’s already served 2½ years in state prison is headed to federal prison for 16 more for a string of gunpoint carjackings and robberies. Joshua M. Perez was one of three armed robbers who commited a Oct. 10 carjacking, another on Dec. 5 and the robbery later than second night of a local gas station, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Surveillance cameras captured video of Perez and two other robbers emerging from a sedan, pointing handguns at occupants of another vehicle, Sellinger said. They then fled with money and cellphones in the victims…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A once-prominent New Jersey lawyer must spend the next 4½ years in federal prison for swindling a family he represented out of $2 million -- and then, while on pre-trial release, impersonating another attorney in applying for a loan. The family had retained James R. Lisa, 68, of Jersey City, to gather millions that had been moved into offshore bank accounts by relatives decades ago and to resolve any tax issues that arose as a result, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Soon after being retained, Lisa moved more than $6 million back into the United States but told the famil…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release
NO Choice: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: There’s no trying to present a defense in court when the prosecutors have a video of you shooting someone, as well as the loaded gun you were carrying when they arrested you. So Ex-con Antoine Hawkins, 31, of Newark, took a deal from the government and was formally sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Friday, May 31, for shooting two victims five days apart in the Brick City in August 2020. Hawkins must serve no less than 10 years of his plea-bargained sentence before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Surveillance video…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark
Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark A local man was seized when he tried to bring not only a loaded gun but also two magazines onto a flight at Newark Airport over the holiday weekend, authorities said. A TSA officer detected the 9mm handgun and the 30 rounds of ammo at they passed through a Terminal A security checkpoint X-ray machine in the Newark resident's carry-on bag on Saturday, May 25, the Transportation Security Administration's Lisa Farbstein said. Port Authority police were summoned and seized the gun, ammo and traveler, she said. In addition to criminal charges, he faces up to $15,000 in civil penalties, she said…

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by Jerry DeMarco