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Police & Fire
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Car On Route 21: Prosecutor Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Car On Route 21: Prosecutor
Pedestrian Struck, Killed By Car On Route 21: Prosecutor A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle along Route 21 in Passaic on Tuesday, Oct. 22, authorities said. The unidentified male was struck by an Acura sedan while trying to cross the roadway in the northbound lanes around 8:05 p.m., Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Department Chief Luis A. Guzman said. The victim was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at approximately 8:50 p.m. The driver of the vehicle that struck the victim remained on scene and called 911. This investigation is active and ongoing. More i…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NJ Under Mandatory Fire Restrictions, Drought Watch Amid High Risk For Wildfires: What To Know NJ Under Mandatory Fire Restrictions, Drought Watch Amid High Risk For Wildfires: What To Know
NJ Under Mandatory Fire Restrictions, Drought Watch Amid High Risk For Wildfires: What To Know New Jersey officials have implemented high-level fire restrictions due to extremely dry conditions, making forests extremely vulnerable to wildfires. The Stage 3 restrictions prohibit all fires unless they are contained in an elevated stove using only propane, natural gas or electricity, according to the Department of Environmental Protections, which mandated Stage 3 fire restrictions earlier this week. No wood or charcoal fires are allowed, and the use of kerosene or gas torches of any kind is prohibited during the Stage 3 restrictions. The fire ban is in place on all public lands and priv…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Driver, 33, Charged In Crash That Killed Passaic County Grandmother: Prosecutor Driver, 33, Charged In Crash That Killed Passaic County Grandmother: Prosecutor
Driver, 33, Charged In Crash That Killed Passaic County Grandmother: Prosecutor A 33-year-old Clifton man has been charged in the April crash that killed a 58-year-old grandmother from Passaic, authorities announced. Grzegorz Wolak was in a red Ford Explorer when he struck Rachel McNeil on Passaic and Aycrigg avenues around 11:15 p.m. April 10, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Chief of Police Luis A. Guzman said. McNeil died two days later at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. McNeil, who worked at nearby St. Mary's General Hospital, had two sons, a daughter, and 13 grandchildren, as previously reported by Daily Voice. W…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Union County Man Arrested For DUI After Striking Curb: Police Union County Man Arrested For DUI After Striking Curb: Police
Union County Man Arrested For DUI After Striking Curb: Police A 43-year-old Union County man was arrested and charged with drunk driving after he struck a curb in Denville on Monday, Oct. 21, authorities said. Officers responded to 3056 Route 10 West after a black Honda struck a curb, Denville police said. The driver, Brian Sharkey, a Mountainside resident, was found to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, police said. Sharkey was arrested and transported to police headquarters for processing, police said. Sharkey refused to submit to a chemical test and was charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving, among other off…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Video Shows DUI Flying Jeep Driver Chatting With Cops In Hospital Bed After Wild NJ Wreck Video Shows DUI Flying Jeep Driver Chatting With Cops In Hospital Bed After Wild NJ Wreck
Video Shows DUI Flying Jeep Driver Chatting With Cops In Hospital Bed After Wild NJ Wreck Newly released bodycam footage shows the arrest of a 39-year-old man who police say was intoxicated when he blew a stop sign and sent a Jeep Wrangler airborne and onto the back deck of a New Jersey homeowner. Video shared to YouTube by Transparency Bodycam this week shows the massive police and fire response in Holmdel on Aug. 31, caused by Anthony Hernandez, of North Plainfield. “I just feel below myself,” Hernandez told officers from the hospital (around the 2-hour mark in the video). "I'm just happy you’re okay," the officer responded, saying things could've been a lot worse given the n…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Undercover Operation Busts NJ Smoke Shop Worker Selling Vapes To Underage Customers: Cops Undercover Operation Busts NJ Smoke Shop Worker Selling Vapes To Underage Customers: Cops
Undercover Operation Busts NJ Smoke Shop Worker Selling Vapes To Underage Customers: Cops A 24-year-old Passaic County smoke shop employee was arrested after he sold a flavored vape e-cigarette to an officer who was under 21 years old, local police said. Prospect Park police had gotten several complaints regarding activities at Moe's Smoke Shop on North 6th Street, particularly selling restricted products to underage customers, they said in a press release. Aluwyn Gomez-Amarante, an employee at the shop, was charged with one count of selling a flavored vape e-cig to an officer under 21 years old following an investigation that concluded on Wednesday, Oct. 16, police said. Gomez…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
18-Year-Old Arrested After Throwing Firework, Causing Brush Fire: Mt Olive PD 18-Year-Old Arrested After Throwing Firework, Causing Brush Fire: Mt Olive PD
18-Year-Old Arrested After Throwing Firework, Causing Brush Fire: Mt Olive PD An 18-year-old Flanders resident was arrested and charged on Monday, Oct. 21, after causing a brush fire by throwing a firework, authorities said. At 4:35 p.m., police responded to Flanders Road for a report of an active brush fire, Mount Olive police said. A passerby extinguished the fire prior to the officer’s arrival, police said. A witness to the incident said a white vehicle was traveling down the road when the passenger threw a lit firework from the vehicle, police said. The firework set the grass and leaves on the side of the road on fire., police said. The 18-year-old came to pol…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Vernon Woman Falsely Claimed Her Car Was Stolen: Franklin PD Vernon Woman Falsely Claimed Her Car Was Stolen: Franklin PD
Vernon Woman Falsely Claimed Her Car Was Stolen: Franklin PD A 54-year-old Vernon resident was arrested last month after she falsely told police her car was stolen, authorities said. On Saturday, Sept. 28, Dawn Flanagan told officers her car was stolen, Franklin police said in a release. Surveillance footage showed Flanagan driving her own vehicle from the area where she claimed it had been stolen with Joseph McGaughran following behind in his vehicle, police said. McGaughran drove Flanagan to the station to file a police report, officers said. Both Flanagan and McGaughran were unable to explain several inconsistencies in the original report and wer…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
NJ Police Officer John Paul Patrick Dies Weeks After On-Duty Medical Episode: Chief NJ Police Officer John Paul Patrick Dies Weeks After On-Duty Medical Episode: Chief
NJ Police Officer John Paul Patrick Dies Weeks After On-Duty Medical Episode: Chief The Springfield Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their own. Officer John Paul Patrick suffered a medical episode while on duty on Oct. 6, which Chief John Cook said ultimately led to his passing on Monday, Oct. 21. On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Patrick was posthumously promoted to the rank of detective. He is survived by a wife, two young children, a host of caring family members and colleagues. Officer Patrick joined the SPD in May 2007 after graduating from the Cape May County Police Academy. After spending the early part of his career as a patrol officer, Patrick was assigned as…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NJ Man Fights Officers While Violating Protection Order In CT: Cops NJ Man Fights Officers While Violating Protection Order In CT: Cops
NJ Man Fights Officers While Violating Protection Order In CT: Cops A 41-year-old New Jersey man got into a fight with multiple Connecticut police officers trying to stop him as he violated a protective order in New Haven County, authorities said.  Jose Valentin Duran-Castillo, of Phillipsburg, NJ, faces several felony charges following his arrest on Friday, Oct. 18, East Haven Police said. A judge ordered him held on a $250,000 bond.  Police were called to a Highland Avenue home in East Haven around 5:45 p.m. to reports of an unwanted man on the property. Officers arrived to find Duran-Castillo, who immediately became hostile with authoritie…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
NJ Passenger Killed In Crash At PA State Line ID'd: Coroner NJ Passenger Killed In Crash At PA State Line ID'd: Coroner
NJ Passenger Killed In Crash At PA State Line ID'd: Coroner A New Jersey man was killed in a Bucks County crash on Saturday, Oct. 19, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. Michael Amend, 34, of High Bridge, NJ, was the passenger in a vehicle that struck a tree in the 800 block of River Road in Tinicum Township, Bucks County at 1:08 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, the coroner's office said. Amend was pronounced dead at Saint Luke's University Hospital in Bethlehem at 6:25 p.m. the same day, according to the coroner's office.  The cause of death was "Blunt Force Injuries due to Motor Vehicle Collision," Lehigh County Coroner Dani…

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by Merriell Moyer
Police & Fire
Driver Was Spinning Tires Before Killing NJ Lawyer In Nashville Crosswalk: Police Driver Was Spinning Tires Before Killing NJ Lawyer In Nashville Crosswalk: Police
Driver Was Spinning Tires Before Killing NJ Lawyer In Nashville Crosswalk: Police A 58-year-old New Jersey attorney and lobbyist was killed in Nashville, TN on Saturday, Oct. 19 after he was struck by a vehicle, authorities said. Michael O'Connell, of Belmar, was crossing the street with the walk light when he was struck by 2009 Dodge pickup truck attempting to make a left turn, Nashville police said in a release. The driver, Joey Nixon, 36, had a green light but failed to yield to the pedestrian, police said. O’Connell died at the scene, police said. Nixon was spinning his tires and speeding prior to the crash, witnesses told police. O'Connell was a lawyer and a l…

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by Sam Barron