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Getaway Driver In 7-County North Jersey Holdup Spree Heads To Federal Prison Getaway Driver In 7-County North Jersey Holdup Spree Heads To Federal Prison
Getaway Driver In 7-County North Jersey Holdup Spree Heads To Federal Prison The wheelman in nearly two dozen gas station and convenience store armed robberies in North Jersey was sent to federal prison for at least nine years. Meshach Whagar, 31, of Newark must serve just about all of the 110-month sentence handed down in U.S. District Court in Newark on Wednesday because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Whager admitted late last year that he drove the getaway car during the 20 predawn holdups in seven counties -- Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Middlesex, Morris and Union -- in November and December of 2017 (see list of locations below). The gunman…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds: Morris County 'Proud Boy' Bragged To His Mom That He Led Capitol Breach Feds: Morris County 'Proud Boy' Bragged To His Mom That He Led Capitol Breach
Feds: Morris County 'Proud Boy' Bragged To His Mom That He Led Capitol Breach A Morris County man and self-described “Proud Boy” arrested in connection to the Jan. 6 breach of the US Capitol building claimed that he “led the storm” while bragging to his mother and others on Facebook the same day, authorities said. Rockaway resident Shawn Price, 26, appeared in court Tuesday on federal charges including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, and obstruction of justice, the US Attorney’s Office said. Price allegedly held a leadership position in the northern New Jersey Proud Boys chapter and atte…

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by Valerie Musson
Obituaries
Rockaway Single Mom Killed In Crash Had Recently Relocated To PA For Better Life Rockaway Single Mom Killed In Crash Had Recently Relocated To PA For Better Life
Rockaway Single Mom Killed In Crash Had Recently Relocated To PA For Better Life A Morris County single mom who was killed in a Pennsylvania crash over the weekend had recently relocated to the area in search of a better life, those who knew her say. Samantha Garcia, 24, of Rockaway, died in in a fiery crash in Bucks County Friday night. As of Monday morning, more than $4,762 had been raised for her family on a GoFundMe page launched by Melanie Zuravnsky. "Samantha grew up in Rockaway Township with her parents and sister, only recently relocating to Royersford, PA," the page says. "She was a devoted single mother working hard to support and raise her 2-year-old d…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Clifton PD: 100 MPH Driver Who Eluded Police In Newark Arrested At His Morris Home Clifton PD: 100 MPH Driver Who Eluded Police In Newark Arrested At His Morris Home
Clifton PD: 100 MPH Driver Who Eluded Police In Newark Arrested At His Morris Home It's probably best not to flee the police if you're not off the grid. A driver who topped 100 miles an hour on Route 21 before eluding pursuing Clifton police on the streets of Newark was later arrested as his Morris County home, authorities said. Officers tried to stop Christopher J. Allan, 39, of Rockaway, on the southbound highway shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. He "refused to stop and led the officers on a chase through the streets of Newark," Bracken said. Concerned for public safety, the officers pulled back. Detectives investigated and arrested A…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Mud-Soaked Morris Driver Flushed From Brook After Fleeing Rochelle Park Traffic Stop Mud-Soaked Morris Driver Flushed From Brook After Fleeing Rochelle Park Traffic Stop
Mud-Soaked Morris Driver Flushed From Brook After Fleeing Rochelle Park Traffic Stop A speeding Morris County driver who ran from a traffic stop was flushed from a nearby brook by Rochelle Park police before dawn Thursday, authorities said. Tajay Turner, 25, of Rockaway at first tried to elude Officer Chris Kiszka on Rochelle Avenue in his Honda Accord but eventually pulled over on West Passaic Street shortly after midnight, Detective Lt. James DePreta said. Turner told the officer that he didn’t have any ID, then began sweating profusely while providing what appeared to be a false name, DePreta said. After following Kiszka directive to step out of the car, Turner bolted, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Popular Morris County Restaurant Owner Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His 17-Year-Old Staffer Popular Morris County Restaurant Owner Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His 17-Year-Old Staffer
Popular Morris County Restaurant Owner Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His 17-Year-Old Staffer The owner of a popular Morris County restaurant was arrested on accusations he sexually assaulted his 17-year-old employee, authorities said Wednesday. Robert Grow, 61 -- the owner of Potbelly's Riverside Cafe in Rockaway -- was arrested March 8 and charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, Acting Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said. Grow engaged in sexual acts with the female victim between Dec. 1, 2018 and March 8, 2019, Carroll said alongside Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker and Rockaway Borough Police …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Feds: Newark Wheelman Cops Plea In 7-County Armed Robbery Spree Feds: Newark Wheelman Cops Plea In 7-County Armed Robbery Spree
Feds: Newark Wheelman Cops Plea In 7-County Armed Robbery Spree An ex-con from Newark told a federal judge on Thursday that he was the getaway driver in a string of overnight convenience store and gas station robberies in Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Middlesex, Morris and Union counties. Meshach Whagar, 31, admitted during a video-conferenced plea hearing that he was the wheelman during the 20 predawn holdups in November and December of 2017, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. It included robberies in Lodi, Mahwah, Elmwood Park, Clifton, Hoboken, Bayonne, Kearny, Parsippany, Rockaway, Morris Plains, West Orange, East Brunswick, South River, Edison, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Schools
COVID-19: Morris County Regional District Reports 1 Case In Each High School COVID-19: Morris County Regional District Reports 1 Case In Each High School
Covid-19: Morris County Regional District Reports 1 Case In Each High School A Morris County regional school district will remain open with hybrid learning in place after two COVID-19 cases were reported. One case each was reported at Morris Knolls High School and Morris Hills High School, and are not connected, according to a letter sent by Morris hills Regional Superintendent James Jencarelli Friday night. Public health officials in Rockaway and Denville -- the students' hometowns -- are monitoring the cases closely, Jancarelli said. Contact tracing is expected to continue in the next few days. Several other schools in Morris County have reported positive COVID-…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Morris County Authorities Nab ShopRite Masturbator, 68, Who Told Woman He Was Touching Himself Morris County Authorities Nab ShopRite Masturbator, 68, Who Told Woman He Was Touching Himself
Morris County Authorities Nab ShopRite Masturbator, 68, Who Told Woman He Was Touching Himself A Wharton man was charged with lewdness and harassment for telling a woman in a ShopRite parking lot he was masturbating, authorities said. Jorge Rivera, 68, was driving a white Chevy Astro van through the Rockaway ShopRite parking lot when he approached the woman in early September, Rockaway Police Lt. Paul Reilly said. Rivera looked at the woman and told her he was performing a lewd act on himself, which was unspecified by police. Rivera was charged with harassment on Sept. 17 following an investigation. A second similar incident occurred at the same location on Oct. 19, leading to addi…

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by Valerie Musson
News
COVID-19: Morris County District Delays Classroom Learning Until 2021 COVID-19: Morris County District Delays Classroom Learning Until 2021
Covid-19: Morris County District Delays Classroom Learning Until 2021 Some students in one Morris County district will have to wait until 2021 before they can return to in-person learning. Students in grades six through eight at the John Hill School and Boonton High School students can return Feb. 1, while K through 5th grade students can start on Jan. 19, Boonton Public Schools Superintendent Robert Presuto said. In-person learning will resume on a hybrid schedule, he said. Presuto in an email sent Wednesday night said a "sizable portion" of teachers refused to return over COVID-19 fears. There were also not enough substitute teachers to make…

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by Valerie Musson
Schools
NEW RANKINGS: Website Runs Down Top Public Schools In Morris County NEW RANKINGS: Website Runs Down Top Public Schools In Morris County
NEW Rankings: Website Runs Down Top Public Schools In Morris County We’ve seen the top public schools throughout New Jersey, but what about Morris County? Niche.com graded every school across the U.S. based on a "rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education," it said. According to the newly-released set of rankings, the top public high school in Morris County is The Academy for Mathematics, Science & Engineering in Rockaway. Here are the other top-rated high schools in Morris County, according to Niche.com. State test scores, college readiness, graduation rat…

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by Valerie Musson
Business
'We Are Heartbroken': Beloved Route 46 Butcher Shop Schwind's Shutters 'We Are Heartbroken': Beloved Route 46 Butcher Shop Schwind's Shutters
'We Are Heartbroken': Beloved Route 46 Butcher Shop Schwind's Shutters A Route 46 butcher and specialty meat store that opened in 1935 has closed for good. Schwind's Marketplace and Smokehouse BBQ in Rockaway shuttered Sept. 5, the store announced in a Facebook post. Schwind's first opened in 1935 and quickly developed a reputation as an area staple, selling ribs, barbecue and other meats by the pound. Others knew Schwind’s as a generous business that often gave back to the Rockaway community — its furry friends included. The news was received with a heavy heart from many of the store’s longtime customers. “We are all heartbroken but me especially,” one cu…

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by Valerie Musson