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Union County Prosecutor’s Office

Ringwood Woman Stole $700K From Law Firm: Union County Prosecutor Ringwood Woman Stole $700K From Law Firm: Union County Prosecutor
Ringwood Woman Stole $700K From Law Firm: Union County Prosecutor A 54-year-old Ringwood woman was arrested and charged on Thursday, Dec. 12 with stealing more than $700,000 from the law firm she worked at, authorities said. Between 2018 and 2024 Colleen Hallenbeck, who was employed as a paralegal for a Union County-based law firm, misappropriated funds from various estates handled by the firm, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said. Hallenbeck was responsible for distributing funds from estate accounts to beneficiaries. However, she wrote hundreds of unauthorized checks, totaling in excess of $700,000, for deposit into accounts s…
Father, Three Sons Killed Daughter: Union County Prosecutor Father, Three Sons Killed Daughter: Union County Prosecutor
Father, Three Sons Killed Daughter: Union County Prosecutor A father and his three sons were indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday, Oct. 9 with manslaughter in the death of his daughter, a  28-year-old Union Township woman last May, authorities said. On Friday, May 10, the Union Police Department responded to the 300 block of Greenbriar Drive for a welfare check and found Kerline Joseph Charles dead at the scene, Union County Prosecutor William  Daniel and Union Police Director Christopher Donnelly said. The Union County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be cardiac arrest following physical restraint and…
'Hot Boys Mafia' Gangster Was Being Served In NJ Shooting That Injured Him, Detective: Cops 'Hot Boys Mafia' Gangster Was Being Served In NJ Shooting That Injured Him, Detective: Cops
'Hot Boys Mafia' Gangster Was Being Served In NJ Shooting That Injured Him, Detective: Cops A Perth Amboy detective remains in stable condition after he was shot while executing an arrest warrant in Rahway on the evening of Wednesday, July 24, authorities said. At 8:32 p.m., the detective, who has not been identified, was shot by 20-year-old Rahway resident Angel Santiago, who is a suspect in an aggravated assault that occurred in Perth Amboy Tuesday, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel and Rahway Police Director Nicholas Breiner said. The detective was shot multiple times in the leg, while Santiago sustained a single gunshot wound to the lower leg, authorities said. …
Arrest Made In Warinanco Park Killing, Prosecutor Says Arrest Made In Warinanco Park Killing, Prosecutor Says
Arrest Made In Warinanco Park Killing, Prosecutor Says A Linden man has been arrested in the Warinanco Park killing of a 29-year-old man last weekend, authorities said. Gerald O. Walker, 47, shot Shakir Manns, also of Linden, at the park in Roselle around 7:50 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, the county prosecutor's office said. Manns was found dead at the scene and Walker surrendered to the Elizabeth Police Department on Friday, May 24, authorities said. He's charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. This…
Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Juvenile Victim In NJ, Police Say Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Juvenile Victim In NJ, Police Say
Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Juvenile Victim In NJ, Police Say A 41-year-old Union man has been arrested on accusations he sexually assaulted a minor, authorities announced.  Solomon Blay was arrested on Wednesday, May 8 in Newark and charged with one count first-degree kidnapping by unlawful confinement, one count first-degree aggravated sexual assault, one count second-degree sexual assault, one count third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and one count fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said. The arrest stemmed from a referral to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victi…
Hidden Camera Found In NJ Chiropractor's Office Days Before 55th Birthday, Cops Say Hidden Camera Found In NJ Chiropractor's Office Days Before 55th Birthday, Cops Say
Hidden Camera Found In NJ Chiropractor's Office Days Before 55th Birthday, Cops Say The days leading up to Gary Hecht's 55th birthday could have gone better for the Springfield chiropractor who is facing charges for being a Peeping Tom, authorities said. On May 6, Springfield police received a report of a hidden camera discovered in a bathroom of Gary Hecht's Mountain Avenue office, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said. On Tuesday, May 7, Hecht, of Livingston, was lodged in the Essex County Jail on charges of invasion of privacy and child endangerment, the prosecutor's office said. The Hecht Family Chiropractic Office Google Maps street view Hecht was charge…
Feds: Nine Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Fentanyl, Coke, More At Open-Air Drug Market Feds: Nine Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Fentanyl, Coke, More At Open-Air Drug Market
Feds: Nine Sex, Money, Murder Members Nabbed With Fentanyl, Coke, More At Open-Air Drug Market Nine reputed members and associates of the Sex, Money, Murder street gang were charged by Homeland Security agents in New Jersey with peddling fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine at an open-air drug market. Working with local law enforcers, agents with HSI Investigations Newark homed in on a neighborhood on West 3rd Street in Plainfield where the subset of the Bloods controlled the drug trade, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. For months, they witnessed and recorded sales, conducted undercover buys -- some by confidential informants -- and analyzed phone records, the U.S. attorney said. …
'Ruthless' Brick City Brims Druglord From Montclair Convicted Of Three Murders, More 'Ruthless' Brick City Brims Druglord From Montclair Convicted Of Three Murders, More
'Ruthless' Brick City Brims Druglord From Montclair Convicted Of Three Murders, More The leader of a notorious Essex County street gang that dominated the region's drug trade was convicted by a federal jury of three murders, among other counts, authorities said. Michael Healy, 43, of Montclair, "ruthlessly ordered murders so that he could protect his narcotics operation and continue to sell large quantities of dangerous [drugs],” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said after federal jurors in Newark returned their verdicts on Wednesday, April 3. Healy "recruited men to kill someone he thought was an informant, and even when they killed the wrong person – a bystander – he ord…
GOTCHA! NJ Duo Charged With Beating Gas Station Attendants In Armed Tri-County Robbery Spree GOTCHA! NJ Duo Charged With Beating Gas Station Attendants In Armed Tri-County Robbery Spree
Gotcha! NJ Duo Charged With Beating Gas Station Attendants In Armed Tri-County Robbery Spree Two men wanted for beating attendants during a two-day spree of quick-stop armed gas station robberies in three New Jersey counties were captured by federal agents, authorities said. Ex-con Ahmad Singletary, 24, and Joseph Young, 26, both of Newark, committed three of the robberies last Sept. 5, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Four more holdups -- also in a single day -- followed exactly a week later, the U.S. attorney said. Singletary "threatened, assaulted, and struck victims in the head" with a Ruger 9 mm P95 handgun, injuring all of them, a complaint filed by the ATF says. Th…
Authorities ID Cabbie, Fare Killed In Elizabeth Police Chase Crash Authorities ID Cabbie, Fare Killed In Elizabeth Police Chase Crash
Authorities ID Cabbie, Fare Killed In Elizabeth Police Chase Crash Authorities officially identified a cab driver and passenger who were both killed when a sedan driven by a suspect fleeing police crashed head-on into the taxi at an Elizabeth intersection. Juan Carlos Albear, 54, who was behind the wheel, and Ysabell Gonzalez, 63, were killed in the violent collision at Grand Street and Routes 1&9 shortly before 6 a.m. last Dec 10. Elizabeth police had responded to a report of gunfire minutes earlier in the area of Fourth Avenue and Center Street, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Officer Michael White ended up following a Hyundai …
Plainfield Man Indicted In Fatal Shooting Of Star Football Player: Prosecutors Plainfield Man Indicted In Fatal Shooting Of Star Football Player: Prosecutors
Plainfield Man Indicted In Fatal Shooting Of Star Football Player: Prosecutors A 23-year-old Plainfield man was indicted by a grand jury for murder in the shooting death of a former college football player last August. Maurice Pierce shot Jameer Outsey, of Bridgewater, on North Broad Street and Magnolia Avenue in Elizabeth on Aug. 27, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel, Elizabeth Police Director Earl Graves, and Elizabeth Police Chief Giacomo Sacca said. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. Pierce was charged with murder in the first degree and multiple weapons offenses. Outsey, a three-year letterman at Fra…
Lyft Passenger Wakes Up To Driver Sexually Assaulting Her In New Jersey: Affidavit Lyft Passenger Wakes Up To Driver Sexually Assaulting Her In New Jersey: Affidavit
Lyft Passenger Wakes Up To Driver Sexually Assaulting Her In New Jersey: Affidavit A ride in a Lyft took a terrifying turn for a woman who said she woke up to her 39-year-old New York driver sexually assaulting her in the vehicle, according to police paperwork obtained by Daily Voice. The 26-year-old woman called 9-1-1 at 5:40 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9 in Union, saying she woke up in her Lyft and found the driver, Yidou Ding, of Queens, NY, penetrating her vagina with his finger, according to the complaint from the Union County Prosecutor's Office.  The woman said her dress was up to her neck and her underwear was slid over while Ding was penetrating her, the police p…
Feds: Digital Fingerprints Lead NJ Agents To Convicted Sex Offender's Child Porn Collection Feds: Digital Fingerprints Lead NJ Agents To Convicted Sex Offender's Child Porn Collection
Feds: Digital Fingerprints Lead NJ Agents To Convicted Sex Offender's Child Porn Collection Federal agents working a child porn investigation traced digital fingerprints to a convicted sex offender living in Union County who was downloading more horrifying illegal images when they came busting in, authorities said. Matthew T. Williams, 43, was seized during a raid of his Westfield apartment on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Homeland Security Investigations agents from Newark reported more than 40 child sexual abuse videos found on a drive attached to Williams's computer that was pulling more from the Internet when they arrived. Williams was living in New York State when he was previously con…
Newark Ex-Con Gets 19 Years, No Parole, On Federal Gun, Drug Convictions Newark Ex-Con Gets 19 Years, No Parole, On Federal Gun, Drug Convictions
Newark Ex-Con Gets 19 Years, No Parole, On Federal Gun, Drug Convictions An ex-con from Newark was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for trafficking cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl while carrying a loaded gun. Ricky Hubbard, 46, was convicted by jurors in U.S. District Court in March. He'll have to serve out the entire 19-year term because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Hubbard was talking on a cellphone when Union Township police stopped him in a 2012 Kia Sedona with tinted windows in the eastbound lanes of Route 22 near Ball Avenue on Nov. 6, 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. They immediately smelled pot while noticing a b…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea UPDATE: A burglar from a crew that targeted Asian and Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware took a deal from the government rather than risk the outcome of a trial, federal authorities said. James Hurt, 47, of New York, was part of a second-story outfit that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in four states based on “stereotype and opportunity." One of Hurt's associates told detectives that Asians were targeted “because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences,” an FBI c…
Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison
Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison UPDATE: A member of a second-story crew who targeted Asian and Asian-American homeowners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware for burglaries was sentenced to a plea-bargained four years and two months in federal prison, authorities said. Randi Barr, 42, of Union County, NJ, was part of a group that worked from a hit list of dozens of homes based on “stereotype and opportunity,” federal authorities said. Local, state and federal law enforcement authorities who teamed up to smash the ring found notes in the defendants’ cars that had the home addresses of individuals of Asian des…
Kosher Bergen Chef Arrested At JFK Airport Days After Sex Assault Charges Dismissed: Officials Kosher Bergen Chef Arrested At JFK Airport Days After Sex Assault Charges Dismissed: Officials
Kosher Bergen Chef Arrested At JFK Airport Days After Sex Assault Charges Dismissed: Officials Just days after a judge dismissed charges against him, Bergen County kosher chef Shalom "Sal" Yehudiel was arrested again on similar, new ones, authorities said. Shalom "Sal" Yehudiel, 41, was arrested at Terminal One of JFK Airport on Tuesday, Aug. 8, Port Authority Spokesperson Lenis Valens said. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol notified PAPD that they had a fugitive in custody with a warrant out in New Jersey, Valens said. Yehudiel was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, announced Union…
3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster 3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster
3 Brick City Brims Get 100 Years Combined For Murdering Informant, Bystander, Rival Gangster A trio of ruthless Essex County gang members who admitted gunning down a government informant after killing an innocent bystander they mistook for the snitch were sentenced to nearly 100 years combined in federal prison. There’s no parole in the federal prison system, which means the East Orange trio will all have to serve out their plea-bargained sentences: Thomas Zimmerman, 28, was sentenced to 37 years; Tyquan Daniels, 27, got 35 years; Ali Hill, 30, was sentenced to 25 years. That means Daniels and Zimmerman will both be pushing 65 when either tastes freedom again. Hill would be approa…
Colombian Nationals Nabbed After NJ Home Break-In Nets Jewelry, Furs, Cash, More Colombian Nationals Nabbed After NJ Home Break-In Nets Jewelry, Furs, Cash, More
Colombian Nationals Nabbed After NJ Home Break-In Nets Jewelry, Furs, Cash, More Three Colombian nationals remain in federal custody and a fourth has already been deported after the government said they stole jewelry, a Rolex, an antique rifle, furs and cash in a home burglary in Union County. The quartet also took a stamp collection, luxury bags and more after breaking into the Cranford home shortly before 5 p.m. last Nov. 30, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. They then loaded the valuables into a red Honda Accord that they'd driven there, an FBI complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. Sellinger, who put the total value of the loss at more than …
CHOPPED: Passaic, Bergen Garages Doubled As Destinations For Stolen Vehicles, Authorities Say CHOPPED: Passaic, Bergen Garages Doubled As Destinations For Stolen Vehicles, Authorities Say
Chopped: Passaic, Bergen Garages Doubled As Destinations For Stolen Vehicles, Authorities Say A group of towing and mechanic business owners in Bergen and Passaic had a lucrative moonlighting operation going before New Jersey State Police shut them down, authorities said. Workers at the off-hour chop shops in Paterson, Passaic and Elmwood Park altered stolen vehicles for resale and disassembled others to be sold as parts, state authorities said on Friday, June 2. Fourteen people in all were arrested during quick-strike raids last week by the NJSP, assisted by the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, Paterson police and several other local, county and federal law enforcement agencies. R…
Hotel Homicide: Bergen County Man Gets 25 Years Behind Bars Hotel Homicide: Bergen County Man Gets 25 Years Behind Bars
Hotel Homicide: Bergen County Man Gets 25 Years Behind Bars A 32-year-old Bergenfield man was sentenced to 25 years in state prison for stabbing a man at a hotel in Elizabeth in 2022. The sentence for aggravated manslaughter was handed down to Javan Johnson on Thursday, May 25 by Judge Thomas Isenhour, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said. In March 2022, Elizabeth Police responded to the Country Inn and Suites and found Marlon Pantin critically injured from being stabbed, Daniel said. The man was transported to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Daniel said. 
Video Of YouTuber Antagonizing Officers At Rahway MVC Probed By Prosecutor Video Of YouTuber Antagonizing Officers At Rahway MVC Probed By Prosecutor
Video Of YouTuber Antagonizing Officers At Rahway MVC Probed By Prosecutor A 27-minute video posted by a YouTuber who calls himself a constitutional activist and investigative journalist is under investigation by the Union County Prosecutor's Office. The YouTuber, identified only as Sean from Long Island Audit, explains at in the video that he was exercising a "constitutional right" at the Rahway Motor Vehicle Commission Center when he was confronted by security. He did not say why. He did say that when failed to "bow down" to the guard's "unconstitutional orders," Rahway police were called. "We have a right to record on public property and record the government …
Kidnapper Coaxes 12-Year-Old Into His Car, Sexually Assaults Her At His NJ Home: Prosecutor Kidnapper Coaxes 12-Year-Old Into His Car, Sexually Assaults Her At His NJ Home: Prosecutor
Kidnapper Coaxes 12-Year-Old Into His Car, Sexually Assaults Her At His NJ Home: Prosecutor A Union County driver coaxed a 12-year-old girl into his car while she was walking home from the movies in Essex County and sexually assaulted her at his home the following day, authorities said. Keith Ashley-Drake, 52, pulled over and convinced the Irvington girl to take a ride from him around 10 p.m. on March 17, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said. Ashley-Drake brought the girl to his home in Fanwood, and sexually assaulted her the following day, Daniel said. It wasn't immediately clear how the girl got away, however, an investigation launched March 24 identified Ashley-…
Detective Found Justified In Shooting NJ Man Now Paralyzed For Life Detective Found Justified In Shooting NJ Man Now Paralyzed For Life
Detective Found Justified In Shooting NJ Man Now Paralyzed For Life A Mercer County Grand Jury found that police use of force was justified in the February 2022 shooting of a 29-year-old Trenton man that left him paralyzed, authorities announced. Jajuan Henderson had been accused of ramming a police car and other vehicles in an alleged attempt to flee from police on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, before Trenton Det. Michael Gettler opened fire, according to a release from the Union County Prosecutor's Office. The UCPO handled the investigation due to a conflict between Trenton police and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. The incident unfolded on Centre Str…
Pair Charged In Shooting Death Of Union County Man: Prosecutor Pair Charged In Shooting Death Of Union County Man: Prosecutor
Pair Charged In Shooting Death Of Union County Man: Prosecutor Arrests have been made in the shooting death of 22-year-old Emmanuelle Florestal, which occurred last October, authorities in Union County said. Ahmad Conde, a 19-year-old Elizabeth resident, and Ducarmel Georges, a 19-year-old Brooklyn resident, have each been charged with first degree murder, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said. Following an investigation by the Union County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force and numerous other agencies, Georges was arrested in Brooklyn on Monday, March 20, while Conde remained at large until he was found and apprehended on Tuesday, M…
Major NJ-Based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out Major NJ-Based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out
Major Nj-based Fentanyl Ring Smashed: 20+ Pounds, 9,000 Doses Seized, Eight Men Out More than 20 pounds of fentanyl and an additional 9,000 doses of the deadly drug were seized with the arrests of eight members of a major trafficking ring that operated on both sides of the Hudson River, authorities said. Those charged in the federally-led offensive range in age from 37 to 60. They come from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania but operated primarily in and around Union County, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. The multi-pronged, eight-month operation relied on all levels of law enforcement, from federal agents to local police who watched and document…
Elizabeth Dog Fighting Accident Leaves 2 Pit Bulls Dead, 3 Women Hospitalized Elizabeth Dog Fighting Accident Leaves 2 Pit Bulls Dead, 3 Women Hospitalized
Elizabeth Dog Fighting Accident Leaves 2 Pit Bulls Dead, 3 Women Hospitalized Police opened fire on two of five fighting pit bulls who bit three women Tuesday morning, March 21 at their Elizabeth home, authorities said. Police were called to the Amity Street home when the dogs attacked a person who tried separating them, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Police shot and killed two of the dogs. The three women who were bitten were hospitalized in unknown condition, authorities said. Their condition was not immediately known.
Police ID Union County Murder Victim, 44 Police ID Union County Murder Victim, 44
Police ID Union County Murder Victim, 44 A 44-year-old Roselle man was shot and killed in broad daylight over the weekend in Rahway, authorities said. Jack Harris was found suffering gunshot wounds on the 1400 block of Witherspoon Avenue around 12:40 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Detective Patrick Bradley at 908-418-2187 Or Rahway Police Department Detective Sidra Colvin at 732-827-2200. Tip…
'Distance Was His Sanctuary': 2003 Murder Suspect Who Fled To Guatemala Captured By US Marshals 'Distance Was His Sanctuary': 2003 Murder Suspect Who Fled To Guatemala Captured By US Marshals
'Distance Was His Sanctuary': 2003 Murder Suspect Who Fled To Guatemala Captured By US Marshals A fugitive who's been on the lam for years and captured last March is back in New Jersey after being extradited, authorities said. Fausto Ramiro Santos Carillo, 56, fled to Guatemala sometime after the Plainfield murder of 49-year-old Martha Morales in July 23, 2003, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Plainfield Police Director James T. Abney said. She was found in the East Third Street apartment she shared with Carillo, having suffered multiple stab wounds, authorities said. Following the murder, Fausto Carillo fled the area. In February 2018, the Union County Prosecutor’…
Feds: 'Extensive' Video Shows Gunman Robbing Trio Of NJ Phamarcies For Drugs Feds: 'Extensive' Video Shows Gunman Robbing Trio Of NJ Phamarcies For Drugs
Feds: 'Extensive' Video Shows Gunman Robbing Trio Of NJ Phamarcies For Drugs Three different pharmacies in Elizabeth were robbed of medications by an Irvington man with the same MO, federal authorities charged. Charles Johnson, 28, was arrested after investigators reviewed "extensive" surveillance video following the holdups in June and July, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Johnson took a similar approach each time, including "using a firearm, committing the robberies in the morning, demanding that employees of the pharmacies provide Johnson with oxycodone, promethazine, and other prescription medication, and threatening to shoot individuals i…
Jersey City Killer Learns His Fate For Elizabeth Murder Jersey City Killer Learns His Fate For Elizabeth Murder
Jersey City Killer Learns His Fate For Elizabeth Murder A 28-year-old Jersey City man has received his punishment for the 2019 killing of an Elizabeth man. Anthony Reciofigueroa was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 6 to 55 years in New Jersey state prison for the shooting death of Carlos Rodriguez, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said. Reciofigueroa in June was found guilty of murder and unlawful weapon possession after a three-week trial before Union County Superior Court Judge John Deitch.  Reciofigueroa's sentence requires him to serve at least 85% of the 55-year term on the murder charge before the possibility of pa…