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Monday, feb 3
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Franklin Township, NJ
Police & Fire
Guilty
! Special Needs Girl Strangled As Bus Monitor Scrolled Instagram: Somerset Prosecutor
A 28-year-old New Brunswick bus monitor has been found guilty after a six-year-old child with special needs in her care was killed was strangled by her wheelchair harness in July 2023. On Monday, July 17, 2023, Amanda Davila was working as a bus monitor for the route to the Claremont School in Franklin Township, where she was responsible for the safety of Fajr Williams, a 6-year-old girl in a wheelchair, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said. ALSO SEE: NJ Mom Pushes For New Law After Bus Monitor Charged In 6-Year-Old Daughter's Death Williams was properly strapped in her wheelc…
Police & Fire
Teen Was Speeding, Blew Stop Sign In Crash That Killed NJ Girl On 1st Day Of School: Officials
A 17-year-old Clinton Township resident has been charged on Tuesday, Nov. 19, in connection with a crash in August in Franklin Township that killed 16-year-old Sophia Detorres on the first day of school. An investigation found that the driver was speeding and failed to stop at a designated stop sign just before the collision at Hogback Road and Lower Lansdown Road in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson and Chief of Detectives Timothy Drew, said. Detorres was among three juvenile passengers in the vehicle, and two other cars were involved in the crash…
Business
These 10 NJ Stop & Shop Stores Have Closed
New Jersey officially has 10 fewer Stop & Shop stores. The 10 underperforming locations closed were among 32 nationwide that the grocer announced would be closing by year's end. Stop & Shop has kept 350 stores open, including 47 in New Jersey. The stores that closed on or before Nov. 2 were: 1083 Inman Ave., Edison 1049 US Highway 1 South, Edison 4861 US Highway 9, Howell 1278 US Highway 22, Phillipsburg 581 Stelton Rd., Piscataway 625 Paterson Ave., Carlstadt 1221 State Route 27, Franklin Township 130 Skyline Dr., Ringwood 505 Richmond Ave, Point Pleasant Beach 2275 West County …
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Driving On 2 Flats Found With Gun, Hollow-Point Bullets At NJ School: Cops
A 49-year-old Burlington Township ex-convict was found with a loaded gun and drugs at a Somerset County school one early-morning this week, authorities said. Police in Franklin Township were notified around 6:10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, that someone was driving on two flat tires on the property of a local private school, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Arriving officers found Quincy K. Clark coming out of the bushes with his hands in his pockets, they said. Officers conducting the investigation found a high-capacity ammunition magazine on Clark, and a more extensive sea…
Obituaries
Dad Killed In NJ Crash Was Driving Home From Work, Loved Ones Say
Support is on the rise for a New Jersey family after their patriarch was killed in a crash after work. Alex Folnagy, 31, of Somerset, was the sole occupant of the 2010 Nissan Altima that crashed head-on with a 2018 Jeep Wrangler just before 7:25 a.m. on Amwell Road near South Middlebush Road in Franklin Township, Franklin Township police said. Folnagy was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver and passenger of the Wrangler sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said. A GoFundMe campaign says Folnagy leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter, Julianna, and his girlfriend, Dan…
Police & Fire
Dad Convicted In Route 287 Road Rage Shooting With Youngsters In Car: Prosecutor
A 41-year-old Middlesex County dad has been convicted of multiple charges in a road rage shooting on a Route 287 exit ramp in May 2023, authorities said. While driving in heavy traffic on Easton Avenue in Franklin Township by the Route 287 exit ramp, Gerald Chapman pulled alongside the victim's car and struck the passenger side mirror with his left hand, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said. Chapman then drove behind and around to the driver's side of the vehicle, pulled out a handgun and fired two shots at the car, striking the driver's window and the rear driver's side door while …
News
10-Year-Old Charged With Making Threats Against NJ District
A 10-year-old child is facing charges after posting a social media video that authorities said posed a threat to a school in Gloucester County. Police were made aware of the video on Wednesday, Sept. 18, that they said threatened a school in Franklin Township. Police "deployed all resources" to ensure the safety of the students, according to a release from the FTPD. All buildings were secured within minutes, and detectives identified the source of the video in ten minutes, police said. The 10-year-old student in the district from Franklinville was removed from the building and brought to p…
Police & Fire
Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty In Double-Fatal Off Duty DWI Wreck In New Jersey, Prosecutor Says
A 30-year-old former police officer has pleaded guilty to charges filed in connection with a double-fatal wreck he caused while off duty last summer, authorities announced. Amitoj Oberoi, 29, of Somerset, was employed as an Edison police officer at the time of the accident on Route 27 in Franklin Township that killed Carlos Perez-Gayan, a 24-year-old Somerset resident, and Victor Cabrera-Francisco, a 20-year-old North Brunswick resident, as previously reported by Daily Voice. Oberoi pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated, authorities said. His …
Weather
Fast-Moving Storm Knocks Power To Thousands Across North Jersey
A fast-moving round of thunderstorm knocked power to thousands of New Jersey residents Thursday morning, May 23. PSEG was reporting approximately 2,000 outages in Bergen County (1,156 in New Milford, 398 in Paramus); 2,341 in Essex County (983 in Caldwell, 448 in West Caldwell); 1,230 in Gloucester County (1,206 in Woodbury City). JCP&L was reporting approximately 1,300 in Franklin Township, where a downed tree closed Route 57. JCP&L also said 1,000 residents in Lebanon were in the dark, as were 1,000 in Bethlehem. Knowlton, Hope, Liberty, and Independence …
Lifestyle
Don't Miss NJ Teacher, Artist Competing For $1 Million On 'Survivor 46'
The Garden State is going to be well represented on the next season of "Survivor," which premieres Thursday, Feb. 28. Two contestants in the upcoming 46th season of the venerable reality show call New Jersey home- Soda Thompson, a Lake Hopatcong resident and Tiffany Nicole Ervin, a native of Franklin Township who lives in Elizabeth. Soda Thompson, 27 is a special education teacher who enjoys singing, talking walks and doing random crafts, according to a cast biography. She said she plans to play a game mirroring the 42nd season. "I can’t put into words what this experience has meant for me…
Police & Fire
Victim Confronts NJ Teacher 12 Years After Sexual, Romantic Relationship: Affidavit
At 26 years old, a woman is confronting her former New Jersey teacher who is accused of sexually abusing her 12 years ago, court documents show. Now, the same age as her abuser when they began a relationship, the victim told now-38-year-old Lydia Pinto this month she could never fathom doing what she did: Engage in a relationship with someone 14 or 15 years old, according to the affidavit obtained by Daily Voice. Pinto, of Newton, PA, was charged earlier this month with sexually abusing a former student. The victim, identified only as Jane Doe, was a freshman at Bridgewater-Raritan …
Police & Fire
15-Year-Old Girl Found Dead In Northern Westchester: Police Investigating Over 50 Years Later
Authorities are continuing to investigate the murder of a 15-year-old girl whose remains were discovered in a sleeping bag at the bottom of a Northern Westchester cliff more than five decades ago. More than 50 years after her murder, New York State Police are asking the public for help in solving the murder of 15-year-old New Jersey resident Alice Lezan of Franklin Township, whose remains were found in Cortlandt on Nov. 14, 1970. On this date, authorities found Lezan's body bound with rope inside a red sleeping bag that was discovered at the bottom of a 60-foot drop ne…
Police & Fire
NJ Teacher Had Sexual Relationship With High School Student For Years: Police
A former New Jersey teacher from Pennsylvania has been accused of sexually assaulting a former student, police said. Lydia Pinto, 38, of Newton, PA, is believed to have engaged in a relationship with the student — now an adult — when they were 14 and 15 years old, in Raritan Borough, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. The alleged victim was interviewed by detectives on Oct. 26, and said the relationship turned sexual and continued through their senior year of high school, McDonald said alongside other county and local officials. Pinto was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 8 i…
Police & Fire
Attempted Murder For Gunman Who Struck 'Unrelated' Vehicle In Central Jersey: Prosecutor
A 25-year-old New Brunswick man who has been held in Middlesex County following a separate incident last month has been charged with attempted murder in a Somerset County shooting, authorities said. Nate Rowell, of New Brunswick, is believed to have fired a weapon while leaving a parking lot of a business on Easton Avenue in Franklin Township on Wednesday, Sept. 13, around 6:45 p.m., Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. A Franklin Township resident was driving near Girard Avenue and Easton Avenue when a loud noise was heard. The driver assumed it was debris in the roadway…
Police & Fire
Gang Member Admits Planning Murder, Committing Gunpoint Robbery: NJ Feds
A member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips gang admitted his role in planning a murder and robbing a victim at gunpoint, federal authorities said. Federal prosecutors used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law to charge Tre Byrd, 22, and dozens of other reputed gang bangers rounded up by a collection of crime-fighting “supergroups.” Byrd, they said, belonged to the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips – a violent drug-selling gang -- for seven years. He was in on planning the rubout of a rival who was shot dead in March 2019 in Irvington, then more than a year later r…
Police & Fire
Four Die From Fentanyl Sold By NJ Dealer: Feds
Four people were killed by fentanyl peddled by a dealer from Somerset County who was captured in the middle of another sale, authorities said. A federal judge in Newark ordered Mauricio Gutierrez, 50, of Somerset held following an initial court appearance on charges of distributing drugs that killed users. Special agents of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Newark took custody of Gutierrez after he was busted selling coke in Piscataway on Thursday, Sept. 28, authorities said. One of the buyers shared it with two other people that fateful June 2022 day, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger…
Police & Fire
Sex Assault Strangulation Among Charges For Somerset County Attacker: Prosecutor
A 42-year-old Somerset County man has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman who he knew earlier this month, authorities said. Mateo Espinal-Brito, of Franklin Township, is accused of sexually assaulting the woman early Monday, Sept. 11, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. The alleged incident occurred in Franklin Township and was reported that day around 5 a.m., the prosecutor said alongside Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Maeweather. Following an investig…
Police & Fire
Gotcha
! Mahwah, Upper Saddle River PDs Nab Rockland Man In Commercial Burglary Spree
Police from Mahwah and Upper Saddle River teamed up to nab a serial burglar from Rockland County who broke into several well-known area businesses – including a local mini mart that was victimized twice, authorities said. Carlos M. Martinez Amaya wasn't only charged with burglarizing the Mahwah Bar & Grill, Ernie’s Ice Cream and the Fardale Deli & Mini Mart (twice). He's also accused of commercial burglaries in Upper Saddle River and Franklin Township and with pointing a gun at someone. Minimal proceeds were taken during break-ins the same night, March 31, at Ernie’s on Franklin Tu…
Police & Fire
Paterson Jewelry Store Robbery Part Of Multi-State Crime Spree Involving DC Rapper: Feds
Three masked men who robbed a Paterson jewelry store of more than $1 million worth of merchandise at gunpoint last year were part of a violent East Coast crime ring that included a Washington, DC-based rapper, federal authorities said Wednesday. Trevor Wright – aka “Taliban Glizzy” – was among 16 defendants named in an indictment unsealed by federal authorities in the nation’s capital on Aug. 30. Mohammad Sheik had only just opened the Paradise Jewelry Store at the corner of Main Street and Delaware Avenue in Paterson several weeks earlier when the place was robbed last fall. It was one o…
News
NJ Mom Pushes For New Law After Bus Monitor Charged In 6-Year-Old Daughter's Death
A New Jersey mother is pushing for a new law following the death of her 6-year-old special needs daughter, which led to the arrest of a bus monitor. Fajr A. Williams was apparently strapped incorrectly when her bus went over a series of bumps on Monday, July 17, as Daily Voice previously reported citing the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. Fajr, 6, died in July 2023 on the school bus.Najmah Nash Fajr's bus monitor, Amanda Davila, 27, of New Brunswick, had fastened the harness of the girl's wheelchair too tight, blocking her airway, authorities said. Davila was charged with manslau…
Police & Fire
Dad Drowns After Saving Three Kids In Somerset County River
A 42-year-old dad has died a hero. UPDATE: Police ID Dad Who Drowned Saving Kids In Millstone River The South River dad went into the Millstone River and brought his children, ages 8, 11, and 13 to shore, around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2, Franklin Township police said. He, however, struggled to maintain his balance. Thus began a search for the victim, as his children were treated at the scene and released without further medical attention. Members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office dive team found the man's body just before 5:30 p.m. His name was being withheld p…
Police & Fire
NJ Bus Monitor Charged In Death Of 6-Year-Old With Special Needs: Prosecutor
A New Jersey bus monitor has been arrested following the death of a 6-year-old girl who died during a bus ride this week, authorities said. Amanda Davila, 27, of New Brunswick, has been charged with second-degree Manslaughter, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, after fastening the harness of a child's wheelchair too tight, blocking her airway, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. An investigation found that Davila, who was assigned as the school bus monitor, had fastened the girl's 4-point harness that secures her to her wheelchair too "to become tight a…
Police & Fire
NJ Track Star Killed In 3-Car Somerset County Crash
Authorities have identified the victim of a fatal Somerset County crash as a 23-year-old high school graduate and track star. Mario Heslop, of New Brunswick, was behind the wheel of a 2013 Infiniti Q50S heading eastbound in the left lane of Hamilton Street when he crossed the centerline around 5:30 p.m. in Franklin Township on Monday, June 19, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Heslop struck a westbound vehicle in the left lane, at the intersection of Hillcrest Avenue, McDonald said. The second vehicle, driven by a Hillsborough resident, was then struck from the rear by a th…
Police & Fire
Trans Pedo Who Made Sadistic Sex Videos Of Daughter, 7, Moved To Infamous NJ Women's Prison
A transgender pedophile who produced sadistic sex abuse videos of her 7-year-old daughter has been housed since last summer in New Jersey's notorious women's prison along with her lover, state records confirm. Marina Volz, 34, originally was processed as a man and sent to serve a 25-year sentence at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton. But a check of state records -- prompted by recent published reports -- found Volz listed at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility along with Ashley Romero, a 30-year-old transgender inmate herself who was convicted of participating in the abuse. New Jerse…
Police & Fire
Brother Of NJ Bank Robber ‘Crazy Mike’ Arrested On Identical Charges: Prosecutor
The brother of accused Millstone bank robber “Crazy Mike” was arrested on identical charges, authorities announced on Wednesday, April 5. Ryan Gaboff, 37 of Millstone, was charged with second-degree counts of robbery and conspiracy in connection with the robbery of a bank on Route 27 in Franklin Township on Aug. 22, 2022, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said in a release. His brother, Michael, nicknamed "Crazy Mike,” evaded police for nearly three months with the help of family members, 66-year-old Alan Gaboff, 60-year-old Sharon Gaboff, and 23-year-old Jesse Gaboff, each of who…
Police & Fire
NJ Coach, Teacher Sentenced For Sexual Assault Of Student
A former teacher and coach has been sentenced to four years in New Jersey State Prison for sexually assaulting a student, authorities said. Matthew Rennie, 29, of Ringoes, in Hunterdon County, was sentenced on Friday, March 17, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald. Rennie was arrested on Oct. 6, 2021, after a 17-year-old girl reported to Franklin Township Police that she was sexually assaulted by Rennie, who is employed at a private educational institution in Somerset County, McDonald said. McDonald did not name the institution in Franklin Township. The victim dis…
Police & Fire
NJ Diner Worker Killed By Car Walking To Work Was 'Face Of The Diner'
Workers at a New Jersey diner are mourning the loss of a 54-year-old coworker struck and killed by a car on his way to work. Osbaldo "Ozzy" Perez-Ramos was struck by a vehicle while crossing Route 40 and 47 in Franklin Township early Friday, Feb. 10, as he was going to the Malaga Diner, according to a GoFundMe page launched by coworkers and Township Police Chief Matthew DeCesari. The breadwinner of his family, Perez-Ramos underwent multiple surgeries, but ultimately died of his injuries on Feb. 17, coworkers announced on the GoFundMe page. "Know that Ozzie was one of the kindest souls my w…
Politics
Two NJ Elected Officials Killed Week Apart
Just one week after the shooting death of a 30-year-old Sayreville councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, another elected official died the same way. Russell Heller, 51, a Republican councilman in Milford, was gunned down at work — a PSE&G parking lot — in Somerset on Wednesday, Feb. 8, authorities in Somerset County said. The suspect, former PSE&G employee Gary T. Curtis, 58, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound just more than an hour later, authorities said. An admired senior distribution supervisor, Heller had more than 11 years of service with PSE&G, the company said. …
News
Former PSE&G Worker Found Dead After Fatal Shooting Of Councilman At Somerset Facility
A former PSE&G employee shot and killed a supervisor outside the utility company's Somerset County facility early Wednesday before eventually turning the gun on himself, authorities confirmed. Gary T. Curtis, 58, shot Russell D. Heller, of Milford, of Washington, at PSE&G's Central Division Headquarters on Weston Canal Road in Franklin Township shortly after 7 a.m. Feb. 8, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Heller — who was a council member in Milford — died at the scene of a gunshot wound to the head, the State Police Regional Operations & Intelligence Center (…
News
Parents' Nightmare: Body Of Missing Son, 21, Found At Foot Of Palisades After They Trace Phone
The parents of a missing 21-year-old Somerset County man tracked his cellphone to the Palisades overlooking the Hudson River, where they found his backpack -- and responders eventually recovered his body, authorities said. The concerned Franklin Township parents called Palisades Interstate Parkway police on Saturday, Feb. 4, and told them their son had been missing for two days, Lt. Raymond E. Walter said. "They were able to track their son's cell phone to the area of the cliffs, located just south of Stateline Lookout in Alpine," the lieutenant said. The couple then went there, checked th…
Police & Fire
Man Falls Down Elevator Shaft Prompting
Osha
Investigation In Somerset County
Firefighters rescued a 38-year-old man who fell down an elevator shaft Thursday, Feb. 2 in Somerset County, authorities said. Responders found the Watchung man stuck in a building on Mettlers Road around 2:30 p.m. in Franklin Township, township police Lt. Vincent T. Wilson said. The victim was removed but had suffered multiple injuries, and was taken to the hospital by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital BLS and ALS. The building was ordered to be evacuated by the Franklin Township fire marshal and fire inspectors and the building will be closed pending an OSHA investigation.
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