Woman Whose 5-Year-Old Killed 4-Year-Old Convicted In Separate NJ Murder Case Woman Whose 5-Year-Old Killed 4-Year-Old Convicted In Separate NJ Murder Case
Woman Whose 5-Year-Old Killed 4-Year-Old Convicted In Separate NJ Murder Case A 30-year-old Newark woman whose 5-year-old son shot and killed his 4-year-old brother, has been convicted in the 2022 murder of a man, authorities said. Itiyanah Spruill was convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the fatal shooting of Lance Sally, Jr. in Nov. 2022, following a two-week trial, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens, II said. Spruill lured Sally to the location where he was shot by an unidentified individual and drove the vehicle used in the homicide, Stephens said. She faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison when she is sentenced in September. Spr…
NJ Murder Suspect Caught Up In 'Criminal Justice Overhaul' Convicted In 2016 Christmas Killing NJ Murder Suspect Caught Up In 'Criminal Justice Overhaul' Convicted In 2016 Christmas Killing
NJ Murder Suspect Caught Up In 'Criminal Justice Overhaul' Convicted In 2016 Christmas Killing A 40-year-old Newark man whose case happened in the midst of an overhaul of New Jersey's criminal justice system has been convicted in 2016 Christmas morning killing, authorities said. Habeeb Robinson was convicted of aggravated manslaughter, weapons possession and witness tampering in the death of Hassan Cobb-Jones, a 32-year-old Newark resident, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens, II said. Cobb-Jones was shot in a van on the 100 block of Parker Street, Stephens said. Robinson's case was more complicated, as it was happening at the turn of major changes under New Jersey's…
GOTCHA! Fleeing Check Forger Nabbed By Lyndhurst Patrol, Detectives: PD GOTCHA! Fleeing Check Forger Nabbed By Lyndhurst Patrol, Detectives: PD
Gotcha! Fleeing Check Forger Nabbed By Lyndhurst Patrol, Detectives: PD He showed the bank teller a driver's license with his photo on it. The name on the DL matched that on a $3,400 check he was trying to cash. But something didn't smell quite right. Lyndhurst police who responded to a call from the bank arrested Russel Fastnacht, 52, of Newark moments later. Officer Michael D’Alessandro was joined at the Citizen's Bank on Ridge Road by Detectives Tom McSweeney and Steve Batista shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. "They were advised at that time that the suspect had fled the bank after being challenged by a bank…
ATTEMPTED MURDER: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities ATTEMPTED MURDER: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities
Attempted Murder: Bergen Man Chokes, Tries To Sexually Assault Pre-Teen: Authorities A 33-year-old Ridgefield man choked a Fairview pre-teen “to the point of unconsciousness” and had removed both his and the incapacitated child's clothes before he was stopped, authorities said. Julio Amaro-Vasquez, who lives on Bergen Boulevard just off Oakdene Avenue, was charged with attempted murder, attempted aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, attempted sexual assault by contact and child endangerment. He wasn't the only person arrested in connection with the alleged incident, however. Amaro-Vasquez's girlfriend, Marlin Cervantes Santos, 30, of Fairview, “directed…
Newark Flight Attendant From PA Dies After Spinout Crash With Tractor Trailer On Route 78 Newark Flight Attendant From PA Dies After Spinout Crash With Tractor Trailer On Route 78
Newark Flight Attendant From PA Dies After Spinout Crash With Tractor Trailer On Route 78 Jennifer Friedel-Hoffman, a 60-year-old Pennsylvania resident, was killed in a crash on Route 78 in New Jersey on Wednesday, May 29. A tractor-trailer was parked and unoccupied on the right shoulder on Route 78 West in Lebanon when a Subaru driven by Friedel-Hoffman entered the area and struck the left rear of the truck just after 9 a.m., New Jersey State Police said.  The crash caused the Subaru to spin out and hit a Volkswagen passenger car traveling in the right lane, police said. Friedel-Hoffman was taken to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. A graduate of Northamp…
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Reality bit the ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Dina Manzo when he was convicted Tuesday of getting a mob soldier to throw her new beau a beating. Restaurateur Thomas Manzo, 59, who lives in the affluent Bergen County suburb of Franklin Lakes, rejected a plea deal from federal prosecutors and took his chances with a jury. That didn’t go so good. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Newark convicted Manzo on June 4 of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, along with conspiracy and falsifying documents during a grand jury investigation. Althou…
New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America
New Jersey Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America A Monmouth County cocktail bar picked up another national recognition after just one year of serving specialty drinks. Esquire named La Otra in Aberdeen Township on its list of 42 Best Bars in America for 2024. The bar is next to its sister restaurant Lita on Route 34, and both businesses are run by chef David Viana and his girlfriend Neilly Robinson. Bar manager Ricardo Rodriguez has a more "free-wheeling" approach to mixology at La Otra, compared to the Iberian classics at Lita. "Like the best bars attached to restaurants, the drinks are on the culinary side, such as the Tzatziki, which …
Newark Men Ditch Audi Stolen From Chatham Before Brief Foot Pursuit: NJSP Newark Men Ditch Audi Stolen From Chatham Before Brief Foot Pursuit: NJSP
Newark Men Ditch Audi Stolen From Chatham Before Brief Foot Pursuit: Njsp Two Newark residents were arrested and charged with stealing a vehicle out of Morris County on Wednesday, May 29, authorities said.  Omar Deas, 25, and Rahmir Singletary, 21, stole the 2012 Audi A5 from Chatham around 4:35 p.m., Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesman with the New Jersey State Police said.  The car was spotted in Newark where it was disabled to a prior deployment of a tire deflation device, Lebron said. The occupants abandoned the vehicle and police initiated a foot pursuit, Lebron said.  Police arrested charged the duo with receiving a stolen motor vehicle, consp…
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings
Reign Of Terror: NJ Ex-Con Gets 16 Years For Series Of Armed Robberies, Carjackings 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 25-year-old ex-con from Trenton who’s already served 2½ years in state prison is headed to federal prison for 16 more for a string of gunpoint carjackings and robberies. Joshua M. Perez was one of three armed robbers who commited a Oct. 10 carjacking, another on Dec. 5 and the robbery later than second night of a local gas station, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Surveillance cameras captured video of Perez and two other robbers emerging from a sedan, pointing handguns at occupants of another vehicle, Sellinger said. They then fled with money and cellphones in the victims…
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More
'King James': NJ Lawyer Gets 4½ Years, No Early Release For $2 Million Theft From Family, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A once-prominent New Jersey lawyer must spend the next 4½ years in federal prison for swindling a family he represented out of $2 million -- and then, while on pre-trial release, impersonating another attorney in applying for a loan. The family had retained James R. Lisa, 68, of Jersey City, to gather millions that had been moved into offshore bank accounts by relatives decades ago and to resolve any tax issues that arose as a result, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Soon after being retained, Lisa moved more than $6 million back into the United States but told the famil…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…
NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release NO CHOICE: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release
NO Choice: Ex-Con Who Shot Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Gets 10+ Years, No Early Release 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: There’s no trying to present a defense in court when the prosecutors have a video of you shooting someone, as well as the loaded gun you were carrying when they arrested you. So Ex-con Antoine Hawkins, 31, of Newark, took a deal from the government and was formally sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Friday, May 31, for shooting two victims five days apart in the Brick City in August 2020. Hawkins must serve no less than 10 years of his plea-bargained sentence before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Surveillance video…