Fair 63°
Police & Fire
Fentanyl Trafficking Network Dismantled In Pre-Dawn NJ Bust: Prosecutor Fentanyl Trafficking Network Dismantled In Pre-Dawn NJ Bust: Prosecutor
Fentanyl Trafficking Network Dismantled In Pre-Dawn NJ Bust: Prosecutor A fentanyl trafficking network was dismantled by authorities who seized nearly a quarter-pound of the highly-lethal drug, two handguns and several thousand dollars in suspected drug money, the Union County Prosecutor's Office announced. The three-month investigation concluded before dawn on June 20 with the execution of search warrants across Phillipsburg, Middlesex Borough and in homes on Charles and Hussa streets in Linden, according to Assistant Prosecutors Peter DeRose and Megan Tomlinson, who are prosecuting the case. Seized were approximately 100 grams of raw fentanyl, hundr…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Staten Island Motorcyclist Seriously Injured In Linden Crash Staten Island Motorcyclist Seriously Injured In Linden Crash
Staten Island Motorcyclist Seriously Injured In Linden Crash A 37-year-old Staten Island motorcyclist was hospitalized with serious injuries in a Linden crash Tuesday, June 28, authorities said. The man was struck by a Jeep Cherokee leaving the CVS parking lot at 1000 W. St. George Avenue onto N. Stiles Street around 7 p.m., local police said. The motorcyclist was in serious condition while the Jeep driver, 26, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation by the Linden Police Traffic Bureau, and anyone with information is urged to contact Inv. Ryan Zaccaro at (908) 474- 8505.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Linden Woman Stole $350K In Years-Long Medicaid Fraud Scheme: Prosecutor Linden Woman Stole $350K In Years-Long Medicaid Fraud Scheme: Prosecutor
Linden Woman Stole $350K In Years-Long Medicaid Fraud Scheme: Prosecutor A 39-year-old Linden woman was arrested on accusations she stole nearly $350,000 through bogus Medicaid claims, authorities said. Leslie K. Lassen filed numerous falsified documents with Medicaid in which she under-reported her household income between January 2015 and December 2019, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced. In June 2020, the Prosecutor’s Office received a trip from the New Jersey Medicaid Fraud Division pertaining to the theft of Medicaid funds by Lassen, said Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Spagnoli, who is handling the case.  Based upon those bogus sub…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
North Jersey Bank Robber Pretended She Had Gun Then Made Off With $3.8K Cash: Police North Jersey Bank Robber Pretended She Had Gun Then Made Off With $3.8K Cash: Police
North Jersey Bank Robber Pretended She Had Gun Then Made Off With $3.8K Cash: Police A 41-year-old Rahway woman was arrested for pretending to be armed while robbing a Linden bank earlier this week, authorities said. Quiana Nobles told the teller at Northfield Bank on N. Wood Avenue she had a gun and reached into her pocket pretending like she did, as she demanded cash around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, Linden Police Capt. Christopher Guenther said. Nobles was stopped on W. Blancke Street by police with $3,800 in cash, Guenther said. Nobles was charged with first-degree armed robbery and possession of an imitation firearm. She was remanded to the Essex…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Woman Left Elderly Disabled Person In Sun Causing Heatstroke: AG Woman Left Elderly Disabled Person In Sun Causing Heatstroke: AG
Woman Left Elderly Disabled Person In Sun Causing Heatstroke: AG A 28-year-old woman from Union County has been indicted for allegedly neglecting an elderly disabled person in her care, authorities said. Valerie Pinchinat, of Linden, was indicted for third-degree neglect of an elderly or disabled person., they said.  The indictment was returned by a grand jury on Wednesday, May 11, according to Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. The victim purportedly suffered heatstroke and second-degree burns as a result of the defendant’s alleged neglect, Plotkin said. On July 4, 2019, Pinchinat allegedly left the elderly disabled person in her ca…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
NJ Woman Who Strangled GF With Power Cord, Buried Her Body Learns Her Fate NJ Woman Who Strangled GF With Power Cord, Buried Her Body Learns Her Fate
NJ Woman Who Strangled GF With Power Cord, Buried Her Body Learns Her Fate A New Jersey woman who killed her girlfriend by strangling her with a power cord then buried her body in the backyard has learned her fate. Jennifer Sweeney, 38, of Tinton Falls, was sentenced to 95 years in prison for the murder of 41-year-old Tyrita Julius in 2015, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey said Saturday, May 7. She won't be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. The Daily Mail says Sweeney acted out of jealousy when she hired someone to have Julius shot, but months later when she didn't die, Sweeney wrapped her girlfriend's neck in a power cord then bur…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Elizabeth Driver Charged In Linden Crash That Killed Newark Brothers Elizabeth Driver Charged In Linden Crash That Killed Newark Brothers
Elizabeth Driver Charged In Linden Crash That Killed Newark Brothers A 33-year-old Elizabeth man has been charged with reckless vehicular manslaughter in a crash that killed two brothers from Newark last summer in Linden, authorities said. Jose Reyes-Morales was heading north in a 017 BMW 330I northbound on Route 1 when he struck a 2004 Mazda 3, making a U-turn from Interstate 278 at Morses Mill Road around 11:30 p.m., on Jun 15, 2021, Linden Police Chief David Hart said. The Mazda then collided with a 2002 Honda SUV and continued off the roadway. The occupants of the Mazda — Manuel Green, 22, and his brother Clarence Green, 15 — were both ki…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NJ Auto Shop Finds Human Teeth Stuck In Car After Deadly Shopping Cart Crash: Report NJ Auto Shop Finds Human Teeth Stuck In Car After Deadly Shopping Cart Crash: Report
NJ Auto Shop Finds Human Teeth Stuck In Car After Deadly Shopping Cart Crash: Report An auto body shop found human remains stuck in a car's undercarriage more than a month after a crash that killed a man pushing a shopping cart on the New Jersey Turnpike, local police confirmed. A driver involved in the crash brought her car to the Goodyear Auto Shop in Linden on Monday, Feb. 7 for service, when mechanics noticed some human remains stuck in the undercarriage, Lt. Christopher Guenther said. "She may have thought she ran over some kind of debris, but as it turned out it was some remains," Guenther told NBC News. "She wasn't the initial striking vehicle, and for whatever reaso…

SHARE

by Nicole Valinote
Business
Another NJ Walmart Closes Due To COVID-19 Another NJ Walmart Closes Due To COVID-19
Another NJ Walmart Closes Due To Covid-19 Another New Jersey Walmart will be temporarily closed due to COVID-19. The Phillipsburg location announced on Saturday that it would be closed until Monday at 6 a.m. for deep cleaning and sanitization. Several other New Jersey Walmart stores closed due to COVID-19, as well. Three of those stores closed earlier this week and will reopen Sunday. They are: Hamilton on Nottingham Way  North Bergen on Tonnele Avenue  Teterboro on Route 46 The Walmart Supercenter in Linden was briefly closed after several employees tested positive for COVID-19. It has since reopened.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
3 NJ Walmart Stores Close Due To COVID 3 NJ Walmart Stores Close Due To COVID
3 NJ Walmart Stores Close Due To COVID Three Walmart stores across New Jersey have closed due to COVID-19. The latest store to close was in Manville (Somerset County), which was shut temporarily Sunday for cleaning, NJ Advance Media reports. It was expected to reopen Tuesday, Walmart officials told the outlet. The Linden Supercenter closed last week after an employee tested positive for the virus.  Kearny's store was closed Thursday for sanitization, although it was unclear if anyone tested positive. Click here for more from NJ Advance Media.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Dramatic Video Shows Linden Teacher Jump In Rolling SUV Headed Toward Students Dramatic Video Shows Linden Teacher Jump In Rolling SUV Headed Toward Students
Dramatic Video Shows Linden Teacher Jump In Rolling SUV Headed Toward Students Dramatic video footage shows a fast-acting Linden Public School jump into an SUV to stop it from rolling into students. Health and physical education teacher Valerie Tauriello was on drop-off duty in front of Soehl Middle School when she spotted a frantic dad get out of a car to drop off an iPad that his child forgot Wednesday morning, Linden school officials said. Keen-eyed Tauriello noticed the car start rolling toward a group of students on a sidewalk. Without hesitation, she jumped in the driver's seat to avert tragedy on the first day of school. Middle School Principal …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
Cranford Mom Magdalena Janucik Dies, 43 Cranford Mom Magdalena Janucik Dies, 43
Cranford Mom Magdalena Janucik Dies, 43 A Cranford mother died unexpectedly at home on Aug. 28. She was 43. Born in Bialystok, Poland, Magdalena Z. Janucik came to the United States in 2004 and lived in Linden, NJ before settling in Cranford four years ago, her obituary says. She was remembered as a "caring, hardworking woman who loved her only daughter so much," according to a GoFundMe in her name. Over $7,700 had been raised on the fundraiser as of Wednesday afternoon. The funds collected are intended to go into a savings account for her daughter Nicole to use as financial needs arise or when she turns 18, organizer Ula Ula wr…

SHARE

by Nicole Acosta