Fair 31°
Police & Fire
Authorities Smash California-To-NJ Pot Smuggling Ring Following Hackensack Traffic Stop Authorities Smash California-To-NJ Pot Smuggling Ring Following Hackensack Traffic Stop
Authorities Smash California-To-NJ Pot Smuggling Ring Following Hackensack Traffic Stop It began with a driver who Hackensack police said they caught with three large bags of pot and some THC during a traffic stop. It ended in the takedown of a Somerset County-based operation that authorities said shipped marijuana by the pound from California to New Jersey. Hackensack police said they found a five-gallon bucket containing bags of pot, along with the THC cartridges, when they stopped Victor I. Chihimie, 22, of Madison last month for a traffic violation. City police detectives quickly found that Chihimie “was receiving multiple suspicious packages [at] a residence on Edgew…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Somerset Teen Struck, Killed By Train Somerset Teen Struck, Killed By Train
Somerset Teen Struck, Killed By Train A teenage boy from Bridgewater was struck and killed by a commuter train on Memorial Day. The boy, described only as a minor, was struck by an eastbound Raritan Valley Line train west of the Bridgewater station shortly before 4:30 p.m. Monday, responders said. Six people were aboard the train, which left Raritan at 4:16 p.m. and was due to arrive at Newark’s Penn Station at 5:15 p.m. Services was suspended for more than 2½ hours between Raritan and Bound Brook. NJ Transit police were investigating.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
KNOW ANYTHING? 2 Injured In Somerset County House Fire KNOW ANYTHING? 2 Injured In Somerset County House Fire
Know Anything? 2 Injured In Somerset County House Fire Authorities in Somerset County are investigating a fire in North Plainfield that displaced and injured two residents -- one of who is critical but stable, police said. North Plainfield Fire Department and North Plainfield Police responded to a report of a residential fire on Grove Street shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 12, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said in a joint release. Two men were injured in the three-alarm blaze and were taken to an undisclosed trauma center where one remains in critical condition, authorities said. Fire crews from Somerset (North Plainfield,…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Lottery Ticket Good For $50K Sold In Somerset County Lottery Ticket Good For $50K Sold In Somerset County
Lottery Ticket Good For $50K Sold In Somerset County A winning New Jersey Lottery ticket was sold in Somerset County. The winning ticket from Wednesday's Powerball drawing was sold at ShopRite, 611 West Union Ave. in Bound Brook. One ticket matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball The winning numbers were: 18, 43, 58, 60 and 68. The Red Power Ball number was 14. The winner will take home $50,000.  The Powerball jackpot rolls to $100 million for the next drawing to be held Saturday.

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
SEEN HIM? Bound Brook Man Wanted For Two Separate Police Pursuits, Burglaries SEEN HIM? Bound Brook Man Wanted For Two Separate Police Pursuits, Burglaries
Seen HIM? Bound Brook Man Wanted For Two Separate Police Pursuits, Burglaries Authorities are seeking the public’s help locating a Bound Brook man wanted by police in two separate vehicle pursuits and a car burglary. Bridgewater Township Police say Nigel Hill, 22, led officers on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle on Hillcrest Road Tuesday, Feb. 4 after he was identified as a suspect in other home and vehicle burglaries. Hill did not obey officers’ commands to pull the vehicle over and was speeding, police say. The pursuit was ended on Washington Valley Road, and a follow-up investigation identified Hill as the suspect. The following day, Franklin Township Police locate…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Bound Brook Man, 28, Charged With Arson In Massive Downtown Fire Bound Brook Man, 28, Charged With Arson In Massive Downtown Fire
Bound Brook Man, 28, Charged With Arson In Massive Downtown Fire A 28-year-old Bound Brook man was charged with arson following a massive fire that tore through the downtown district Sunday night. Juan Hector Padilla, of East Second Street, was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree arson and hindering investigation apprehension, along with providing false information, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said. Investigators said Padilla was seen walking near the building several times before the seven-alarm blaze broke out around 7:55 p.m., at the site of the Meridia II building on East Main Street and Mountain Avenue. The Bound Brook F…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
AFTERMATH: Bound Brook Recovers From Massive Fire AFTERMATH: Bound Brook Recovers From Massive Fire
Aftermath: Bound Brook Recovers From Massive Fire A seven-alarm fire tore through downtown Bound Brook Sunday night. The blaze broke out just before 8 p.m. in an unoccupied pair of buildings under construction on East Main Street near Mountain Avenue in the commercial district. Firefighters continued to douse hot spots into Monday morning. Several streets were closed and some residents remained without power morning, prompting a two-hour school delay. One firefighter suffered a sprained ankle but otherwise, no injuries were reported. Neighbors said it was a matter of seconds before flames consumed the structures. "This is a disastrous…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
4 Charged In Theft, Trespassing At Rahway Firehouse 4 Charged In Theft, Trespassing At Rahway Firehouse
4 Charged In Theft, Trespassing At Rahway Firehouse The four men police said were captured on video rummaging through Rahway fire department headquarters while firefighters were out on a call early Friday have all been located and charged.  On Friday afternoon, police released images on social media of the men inside the firehouse and asked for the public's help identifying them. "Tips from all over the state" soon helped police to "quickly identify" the men.  Before being identified, two of them went back to the fire department in an attempt to return the items and were later arrested, police said. The other two suspects eventuall…

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by Paul Milo
Obituaries
Shannon Gutches, 33, Ran Academy Of Dance In Union Shannon Gutches, 33, Ran Academy Of Dance In Union
Shannon Gutches, 33, Ran Academy Of Dance In Union Shannon Reilly Gutches of Bound Brook, previously of Elizabeth, died unexpectedly on Sunday. She was 33 years old.  Described as a loving and compassionate woman, she earned a Doctor of Psychology degree from Hofstra University and worked as a child psychologist at Piscataway High School and most recently for the Hillsborough Board of Education. Deeply involved with the Hi-Step Social Skills Program, she also served as a the director of the Academy of Dance in Union.  She is survived by her parents, Garry and Donna Gutches; her fiancé, Jason Lucre; her sister, Caitlin Camuccio and…

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by Paul Milo