Fair 63°
Police & Fire
NJ Man Admits Using Postal Workers, Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks NJ Man Admits Using Postal Workers, Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks
NJ Man Admits Using Postal Workers, Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks A Union County man admitted recruiting postal service employees to steal federal COVID stimulus checks and then paying high school students to help cash them, authorities said. Tashon Ragan, 21, of Hillside was among a group of thieves associated with a group called “The Members” who paid US Postal Service employees in cash to steal credit cards and blank checkbooks from the mail, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. They then “forged the signatures of the accountholders and negotiated the checks by making them payable to individuals,” Honig said. Some were New Jersey high school st…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
NJ Man, 29, Studying To Become Priest Killed In NYC Hit-Run Crash NJ Man, 29, Studying To Become Priest Killed In NYC Hit-Run Crash
NJ Man, 29, Studying To Become Priest Killed In NYC Hit-Run Crash A 29-year-old man studying to become a priest was struck and killed in New York City by a drunken hit-and-run driver late Tuesday night, according to Catholic Church officials. Ngu Quoc Tran, who went by Peter, was walking on Manhattan’s East Side when he was struck by the driver, who was arrested after he car was involved in another collision, the Diocese of Metuchen said. Born and raised in the An Giang Province in the south of Vietnam, Tran moved to the U.S. in August 2017 and lived at the Saint John Vianney House of Discernment in Highland Park. Tran began pre-theology in Spring 2…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Business
'America's Hottest Start-Ups': Magazine Says These NJ Eateries Are The Next Big Thing 'America's Hottest Start-Ups': Magazine Says These NJ Eateries Are The Next Big Thing
'America's Hottest Start-Ups': Magazine Says These NJ Eateries Are The Next Big Thing Some of the best up-and-coming eateries are right here in North Jersey, according to a list compiled by one website. "QSR Magazine" named several local joints among the 40 best startups in America. The restaurants on the list have less than 40 locations and survived the COVID-19 pandemic.  All are "primed for success," the magazine says. The Salad House: Sandwiches, soups, toasts, small plates and more are on the menu at the Salad House -- which, of course, has big customizable salads. Locations in Millburn, Morristown, Westfield, Livingston, Montclair and soon Englewood. Wings Over…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Released Video Shows Fatal Newark Police Shooting Released Video Shows Fatal Newark Police Shooting
Released Video Shows Fatal Newark Police Shooting Home surveillance video shows a South Orange man being shot and killed by a Newark police detective after rushing the officer. Captured from across the street, the video released this week by state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal shows Carl Dorsey III, 39, running at Detective Rod Simpkins as the plainclothes investigator got out of the passenger side of an unmarked police vehicle just after midnight on New Year’s Day. The pair collide and spin around, as Simpkins shoots Dorsey with his service weapon as he falls backwards. SEE: Dorsey Shooting The video is the only footage of the fatal…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Authorities ID Man Killed In Newark Police-Involved Shooting As South Orange Resident Authorities ID Man Killed In Newark Police-Involved Shooting As South Orange Resident
Authorities ID Man Killed In Newark Police-Involved Shooting As South Orange Resident Authorities on Tuesday identified a man killed in a police-involved shooting in Newark just minutes into the new year as a South Orange resident. Carl Dorsey III, 39, was taken following the shooting near Woodland Avenue and South 11th Street to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced deceased at 1:37 a.m., state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Officers were responding to a shots-fired call when they encountered Dorsey, responders said at the time, adding that a gun was recovered at the scene. Grewal said Tuesday that an officer fired a 9mm service wea…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Business
NJ Ethiopian Restaurants Crowned Among Best In U.S. NJ Ethiopian Restaurants Crowned Among Best In U.S.
NJ Ethiopian Restaurants Crowned Among Best In U.S. A pair of New Jersey Ethiopian restaurants were named two of the best in America. Yelp's 100-restaurant rundown includes Ada’s Gojjo in Asbury Park and Walia Ethiopian Restaurant in South Orange. The unique dining experience is colorful and fosters friendship. Just be sure to wash your hands before ripping off a piece of the bread and using it as a utensil to scoop up the sauces and stews. Ada's came in at No. 27 and Walia at No. 35. Ada's combines Dominican and Ethiopian flavors, and offers an array of classic dishes including daily specials. The chef, Adanech Asghedom, "is dri…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Feds: NJ Crew Used Postal Workers, High School Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks Feds: NJ Crew Used Postal Workers, High School Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks
Feds: NJ Crew Used Postal Workers, High School Students To Steal, Forge COVID Stimulus Checks A group of criminals recruited New Jersey postal service employees to steal federal COVID-19 stimulus checks and paid high school students to help cash them, authorities said. The defendants -- who were associates of a group calling itself “the Members” -- recruited U.S. Postal Service employees to steal checks, checkbooks, debit cards, and credit cards from the mail in exchange for cash, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. They then forged the signatures of the account holders and made the checks payable to high school students and others who’d given them access to their accounts, also in …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Two Critically Burned Victims Rescued After Porch Candle Ignites Maplewood House Blaze Two Critically Burned Victims Rescued After Porch Candle Ignites Maplewood House Blaze
Two Critically Burned Victims Rescued After Porch Candle Ignites Maplewood House Blaze UPDATE: Two men were clinging to life with critical burns after firefighters rescued them from an overnight blaze that engulfed a Maplewood home. The two-alarm fire broke out on a porch of the 2½-story wood-frame house on Essex Avenue, trapping three residents inside, around 3:20 a.m., responders said. A candle left burning on the front porch apparently was to blame, fire officials said. Police were first on the scene and got an elderly woman out, they said. Firefighters located one of the men on the first floor and rescued the other from the second floor with a ground ladder. Both were…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Morning Blaze Guts Orange Multi-Family Home Morning Blaze Guts Orange Multi-Family Home
Morning Blaze Guts Orange Multi-Family Home A morning fire ravaged an Orange multi-family home Tuesday. Firefighters found heavy flames on all floors of the three-story Park Street home shortly after 6:30 a.m. The blaze went to three alarms less than an hour later and was knocked down about a half-hour after that. No serious injuries were immediately reported. ALL PHOTOS: Rob Munson The Park Street blaze in Orange went to three alarms less than an hour after it broke out.ALL PHOTOS: Rob Munson Among those assisting their Orange colleagues at the scene or in coverage were firefighters from Newark, Bloomfield, Montclair, West Or…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Garfield PD: Ex-Con Who Ran After Car Burglary Claims He Was Just Exercising Garfield PD: Ex-Con Who Ran After Car Burglary Claims He Was Just Exercising
Garfield PD: Ex-Con Who Ran After Car Burglary Claims He Was Just Exercising A Morris County ex-con chased down by Garfield police after a vehicle burglary told them he was running to get some exercise, authorities said. Officer Nicholas Kopacz spotted Scott P. Cuskaden, 48, in a River Drive parking lot Wednesday night minutes after a man who fit his description broke into a vehicle on nearby Hobart Place, Capt. Richard Uram said. Cuskaden took off as Officer Jonathan Librizzi pulled into the parking lot in his marked police vehicle, the captain said. Librizzi chased down Cuskaden, who told the officer that he’d begun running for exercise, Uram said. Cuskaden, of …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Food Network Names South Orange Deli Among Best In America Food Network Names South Orange Deli Among Best In America
Food Network Names South Orange Deli Among Best In America Food Network is breaking down the best delis in every state. In New Jersey, that's Town Hall Deli in South Orange. The deli opened in 1927 and has since relocated twice, most recently in 2013 to its current location at 74 1st St. Town Hall's claim to fame is that it's the birthplace of the Sloppy Joe. And no, Food Network clarifies, that's not the ground hamburger meat between two buns. The Sloppy Joe Sandwich from Town Hall Deli.Town Hall Deli It's the New Jersey classic Sloppy Joe sandwich: Layers of two different meats, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and homemade Russian dressing on baked …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Dozens Have Been Charged In Carjacking, Car Theft Investigations Dozens Have Been Charged In Carjacking, Car Theft Investigations
Dozens Have Been Charged In Carjacking, Car Theft Investigations Authorities have placed dozens of people behind bars in disrupting a pipeline that delivered luxury vehicles from North and Central Jersey to customers in West Africa via ports in Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island, the Attorney General's office said Monday .  Panel Dalce was sentenced Friday, becoming the last person put behind bars as a result of a pair of investigations, dubbed "Operation Jacked" and "Operation 17 Corridor" aimed at carjackers and car thieves operating in Somerset, Bergen, Essex and a number of other counties.  More than 50 people have been arrested and charge…

SHARE

by Paul Milo