SWAT STANDOFF: Barricaded Man Seized After Assault SWAT STANDOFF: Barricaded Man Seized After Assault
SWAT Standoff: Barricaded Man Seized After Assault UPDATE: An ex-con smashed his way into his girlfriend's home overnight with a sledgehammer, then beat her and held her captive at knifepoint -- at one point cutting her hair -- before he was captured following an hours-long SWAT standoff this weekend, authorities said. "I wasn't going to make it to see tomorrow," the Oakland victim said Owen R. Harshaney, 30, of Dunnelen, told her during the horrifying overnight ordeal, court papers show. The woman, who'd lost consciousness and suffered severe head injuries during the attack, managed to escape to a family member's home after Harshaney fell…
NJ Dating App Serial Killer Gets 160 Years In State Prison NJ Dating App Serial Killer Gets 160 Years In State Prison
NJ Dating App Serial Killer Gets 160 Years In State Prison A New Jersey man who used dating apps to lure and kill three women -- and tried to kill a fourth -- was sentenced to 160 years behind bars. Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, now 25, of Orange, was sentenced for three murders, an attempted murder and other counts of aggravated arson, desecration of human remain and kidnapping. Weaver was convicted in 2019 in on three counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Sarah Butler, 20, Robin West, 19, and Joanne Brown, 33.  He was also found guilty of the kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempted murder of a fourth woman, Tiffany Taylor, who surviv…
ARSON SPREE: Fair Lawn Man Charged In Series Of Overnight Car Fires ARSON SPREE: Fair Lawn Man Charged In Series Of Overnight Car Fires
Arson Spree: Fair Lawn Man Charged In Series Of Overnight Car Fires An unemployed Fair Lawn man deliberately set a series of overnight fires that damaged three vehicles in town, authorities charged. Yauheni Liakhnovich, 27, remained in custody at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus on Monday following his arrest by borough police. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Liakhnovich set the first fire around 1 a.m. Sept. 11, igniting flames on wooden pallets that spread to a vehicle behind the B&B deli on River Road. Liakhnovich struck again at 4:15 a.m. last Monday, setting fire to a vehicle at a home on Hopper Avenue off Edward Street, the …
Morris County Man, 51, Tried To Set Ex’s New Partner’s Pickup Truck On Fire, Prosecutor Says Morris County Man, 51, Tried To Set Ex’s New Partner’s Pickup Truck On Fire, Prosecutor Says
Morris County Man, 51, Tried To Set Ex’s New Partner’s Pickup Truck On Fire, Prosecutor Says A Morris County man seeking vengeance was charged with attempted aggravated arson after he allegedly tried to set a pickup truck on fire that belonged to the new partner of his ex-wife, authorities said. Devin Markowitz, 51, was identified through surveillance footage and DNA testing when he inserted a fuse into the gas tank of a pickup truck and attached a cigarette to the end at the Lake Shore Village Clubhouse in Mount Arlington just before 8:30 p.m. on April 13, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said in a Friday release. Markowitz ran from the scene about five minutes…
Arson Units Probe Morris County House Fire Arson Units Probe Morris County House Fire
Arson Units Probe Morris County House Fire Arson units are investigating a fire that ravaged a Morris County home late Tuesday night. The fire was spotted by a Chester Township patrol officer at 25 Lamerson Rd. in Chester Township just before 10:45 p.m., police said. The blaze was extinguished by the Chester Township Volunteer Fire Department with help from fire companies in Peapack-Gladstone, Far Hills, Bernardsville, Liberty Corner, Pottersville, New Vernon, Ralston, Mendham Borough, Brookside, Fairmount, Flanders, Budd Lake and Randolph, police said. The scene was cleared about four hours later, the Fairmount Fire Company said.…
Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court
Last Of Trenton Police Car Firebombers Pleads Guilty In Federal Court A Trenton man caught on video torching a police car during a riot in the city took a guilty plea in federal court. Earlja J. Dudley, 28, is the last of four men to plead guilty for their roles in the incident following what had been a peaceful day of protest against the death of George Floyd on May 31, 2020. Surveillance and bystander video show Dudley and another man opening the vehicle’s engine and igniting a fire during the unrest, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. In the video, Dudley is wearing a tank top and baseball cap with the Roman numerals “XIV” in red l…
ARSON: Phillipsburg Man, 20, Accused Of Starting 4 Area Fires, Warren County Prosecutor Says ARSON: Phillipsburg Man, 20, Accused Of Starting 4 Area Fires, Warren County Prosecutor Says
Arson: Phillipsburg Man, 20, Accused Of Starting 4 Area Fires, Warren County Prosecutor Says A 20-year-old Phillipsburg man has been charged with aggravated arson after authorities say he started four area fires over the weekend. Alfredo Gomez, aka Kevin Chavez of South Main Street, is accused of starting the following fires in Phillipsburg between 12 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. Saturday: A piece of lawn furniture was lit on fire and put underneath the entry door at 102-104 Sitgreaves St. around 12:03 a.m. A Nissan parked at the back lot of 459 S. Main St. next to the River of Life Church was lit on fire and sustained body damage The back wall of a private residence at 471 S. Main St. wa…
Man Set Off Molotov Cocktails 3 Times In Jersey Shore Costco, Theater Parking Lot: Prosecutor Man Set Off Molotov Cocktails 3 Times In Jersey Shore Costco, Theater Parking Lot: Prosecutor
Man Set Off Molotov Cocktails 3 Times In Jersey Shore Costco, Theater Parking Lot: Prosecutor A Jersey Shore man was arrested for setting off molotov cocktails in a local Route 35 parking lot three nights last week, authorities said. Brendan J. Dunne, 24, of Holmdel, set off a series of fires believe to have started in a glass bottle containing charred pieces of cardboard in the Route 45 Costco and Cinemark parking lot July 19, 21 and 22, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said. Hazlet police responded to the scene around 10:10 p.m. July 19, where an officer extinguished the fire and determined the source to be a homemade Molotov cocktail, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor…
Father Arrested In NJ Arson Fire That Killed Baby Daughter, Grandparents, Prosecutor Says Father Arrested In NJ Arson Fire That Killed Baby Daughter, Grandparents, Prosecutor Says
Father Arrested In NJ Arson Fire That Killed Baby Daughter, Grandparents, Prosecutor Says A 23-year-old Trenton man has been arrested in connection with a fatal fire that killed has baby daughter and her grandparents, authorities said. Michael Sanders, 23, of Trenton, was charged on Monday with three counts of first-degree felony murder, arson and assault in the early Friday fire that killed three relatives, the Mercer County prosecutor said.  Sanders was arrested on Monday morning at a hotel in Plainsboro, Middlesex County, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. Multiple surveillance cameras  placed Sanders at or near the scene of the fatal fire shortly…
UPDATE: Newark Firefighter Injured Battling Blaze That Displaced 7 Families UPDATE: Newark Firefighter Injured Battling Blaze That Displaced 7 Families
Update: Newark Firefighter Injured Battling Blaze That Displaced 7 Families A Newark firefighter was injured while battling a Thursday morning blaze that spread to a pair of three-story homes and displaced seven families, officials said. The two-alarm fire broke out at 817 South 14th Street — a vacant 2 1/2 story residence — just after 11 a.m., prompting a response from about 70 firefighters, Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said. The fire spread rapidly to 813-815 and 819 South 14th Street, both occupied 3-story wood frame residences, O’Hara said. One firefighter sustained a minor neck injury but was treated at the scene and remained on duty, authori…
Arson Investigators Probe Post-Graduation Fire At St. Joseph's Regional HS Field Arson Investigators Probe Post-Graduation Fire At St. Joseph's Regional HS Field
Arson Investigators Probe Post-Graduation Fire At St. Joseph's Regional HS Field Authorities suspect a fire on the field where St. Joseph’s Regional High School in Montvale had held its 2021 graduation ceremony hours earlier was set. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Arson Investigations Unit was investigating the fire along with borough police and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification, which collected evidence. Initial details remained sketchy, although unconfirmed reports were that the grandstand caught fire sometime around midnight. There were no injuries, Montvale Police Chief Joseph Sanfilippo said. Park Ridge firefighters assisted their Mont…
Ex-Con Sent To Prison For Setting Fire To Paterson Home Ex-Con Sent To Prison For Setting Fire To Paterson Home
Ex-Con Sent To Prison For Setting Fire To Paterson Home UPDATE: An ex-con with a lengthy criminal record must spend at least 2½ years in prison before she’ll be eligible for parole after deliberately setting fire to a Paterson home occupied by squatters. Erin Micco, a Florida native who recently lived in Rutherford, was arrested soon after the two-alarm blaze destroyed the 2½-story Pearl Street home and damaged a neighboring residence last Nov. 17. None of the squatters were injured in the fire, which took nearly six hours to douse. Micco already had a criminal history that dates back to 2012. She served time for grand theft and trafficking in…