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Police & Fire
Toms River Mom Looking For 'Fresh New Start' Loses Home In Fire, Fundraiser Says Toms River Mom Looking For 'Fresh New Start' Loses Home In Fire, Fundraiser Says
Toms River Mom Looking For 'Fresh New Start' Loses Home In Fire, Fundraiser Says A family was rallying for support after the home of a Toms River mother of two was severely damaged in a fire, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page said a woman named Kristin, her daughter, and her son "lost everything" in the fire on Coolidge Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 10. The American Red Cross posted on social media that it was helping a family of five with immediate needs like food, clothing, and housing. Kristin's sister and the fundraiser's organizer Kelly Celentano said the family had just moved into the home in May. "They were looking forward to a fresh new start a…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Soda Executive Confesses To Sharing Secret Formulas With Competitors, Feds Say NJ Soda Executive Confesses To Sharing Secret Formulas With Competitors, Feds Say
NJ Soda Executive Confesses To Sharing Secret Formulas With Competitors, Feds Say An executive from North Brunswick admitted to sharing secret soda formulas with his company's competitors, authorities said. Andrew Blum, 63, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 12 to conspiracy to possess stolen trade secrets and possession of stolen trade secrets, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. Blum was the vice president of product development for an unnamed North Jersey-based maker of oil products and proprietary flavors from 2013 until Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. The parent corporation of Blum's company was one of the world’s largest produc…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Teen Accused Of Arson In Wildfire That Threatened 15 South Jersey Homes, Police Say Teen Accused Of Arson In Wildfire That Threatened 15 South Jersey Homes, Police Say
Teen Accused Of Arson In Wildfire That Threatened 15 South Jersey Homes, Police Say A Marlton boy was accused of starting a wildfire that threatened more than a dozen homes in Burlington County, authorities said. The 14-year-old was charged with second-degree aggravated arson and causing or risking widespread injury or damage, the Evesham Township Police Department said in a news release on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Officers responded to the forest fire off Sycamore Drive near the border with Berlin Township at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30. It took firefighters several days to extinguish the roughly 52-acre wildfire. The blaze threatened 15 homes…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Newark Man Followed Woman, Broke Into Car: Raritan PD Newark Man Followed Woman, Broke Into Car: Raritan PD
Newark Man Followed Woman, Broke Into Car: Raritan PD A 27-year-old Newark man was arrested and charged on Tuesday, Nov. 12, after he followed a woman and then broke into her car in May 2023 in Raritan, authorities said. On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, officers responded to Janssen Pharmaceuticals for a burglary to a motor vehicle, Raritan police said. A woman reported her 2017 Kia Sportage had been broken and a tote bag containing $544 was missing, police said. The woman had withdrawn money from a bank in Somerville and was followed to the pharmacy by Nicholas Florez-Sanchez, police said. Flores-Sanchez broke into her vehicle after she exited to go…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Man Admits To Critically Stabbing Woman Near Jersey Shore Bike Trail, Prosecutors Say Man Admits To Critically Stabbing Woman Near Jersey Shore Bike Trail, Prosecutors Say
Man Admits To Critically Stabbing Woman Near Jersey Shore Bike Trail, Prosecutors Say A Manchester Township man admitted to stabbing a woman, critically injuring her near a Brick Township bike trail, authorities said. Harry Bray Jr., 37, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 12 to attempted murder, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. A Brick Township police officer noticed a vehicle with two flat tires while conducting a routine check off Cherry Quay Road at around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. The officer found a woman on the ground near the vehicle with several stab wounds. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital and was listed in cri…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Englishtown PD Chief Helped Shoplifter While Suspended For Improper Database Use: Prosecutors Englishtown PD Chief Helped Shoplifter While Suspended For Improper Database Use: Prosecutors
Englishtown PD Chief Helped Shoplifter While Suspended For Improper Database Use: Prosecutors A New Jersey town's police chief was accused of improperly using law enforcement databases and helping someone shoplift, authorities said. Chief Peter Cooke Jr., 58, the chief in Englishtown, was charged with third-degree computer theft and third-degree conspiracy to commit shoplifting, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Investigators said Chief Cooke used a law enforcement database to look up information about two people without "any legitimate law enforcement purpose." The searches happened multiple times between February 2019…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Northeast Corridor Train Kills Woman In Central Jersey, NJ Transit Says Northeast Corridor Train Kills Woman In Central Jersey, NJ Transit Says
Northeast Corridor Train Kills Woman In Central Jersey, NJ Transit Says A woman died when she was hit by a train in South Brunswick on Veterans Day, officials said. The woman was struck between Jersey Avenue and Princeton Junction at around 9:35 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, a New Jersey Transit spokesperson said. Her identity wasn't released as of Tuesday, Nov. 12. None of the 110 customers and crew members on the train were injured. They were transferred to a following train. The Northeast Corridor train had left New York Penn Station at 8:37 p.m. It was due to arrive in Trenton at 10:07 p.m. Amtrak and NJ Transit police were investigating the crash.

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
'Apocalyptic:' Smoke From NJ Wildfire Triggers 911 Calls, Sets Off Carbon Monoxide Alarms 'Apocalyptic:' Smoke From NJ Wildfire Triggers 911 Calls, Sets Off Carbon Monoxide Alarms
'Apocalyptic:' Smoke From NJ Wildfire Triggers 911 Calls, Sets Off Carbon Monoxide Alarms Residents across Gloucester County woke up to thick smoke from the 133-acre Pheasant Run wildfire in the Glassboro Wildlife Management Area last week, causing widespread smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to sound off early Friday morning, Nov. 8. The Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management warned that changing wind directions could further affect surrounding communities, including Glassboro, Washington Township, and Williamstown, where local fire departments have been fielding an “unprecedented” number of emergency calls. A TikTok video that shows smoke covering the area is title…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Illegal Shotgun Round Sparked 350-Acre Jackson Wildfire, Brick Man Charged: Officials Illegal Shotgun Round Sparked 350-Acre Jackson Wildfire, Brick Man Charged: Officials
Illegal Shotgun Round Sparked 350-Acre Jackson Wildfire, Brick Man Charged: Officials A massive wildfire that scorched 350 acres in Jackson Township was ignited by an illegal shotgun round that authorities said was fired by a 37-year-old Brick Township man. Authorities charged Richard Shashaty, 37, with arson after an investigation revealed that magnesium shards from a prohibited Dragon’s Breath 12-gauge shotgun round sparked the blaze on Nov. 6, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The fire, known as the Shotgun Wildfire, erupted shortly after noon on November 6 near the Central Jersey Rifle Range on Stump Tavern Road. Investigators determined that the incendi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
15-Year-Old Carjacked, Ran Over Victim: Somerset County Prosecutor 15-Year-Old Carjacked, Ran Over Victim: Somerset County Prosecutor
15-Year-Old Carjacked, Ran Over Victim: Somerset County Prosecutor A 15-year-old has been arrested for a carjacking and assault that left a man with life-threatening injuries on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 6 in Bernards Township, authorities said. At 11:35 a.m., officers responded to o a gas station located in the area of Valley Road and found the teenager had tried to take possession of a vehicle after assaulting the driver, a Bernards Township man, who was putting air in his tires, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Bernards Township Police Chief Jon Bur…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
AG Names Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed By South Jersey Police Officer AG Names Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed By South Jersey Police Officer
AG Names Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed By South Jersey Police Officer Authorities identified the Pennsauken man who was wielding a knife when he was shot and killed by a police officer. Keith Edelin, 46, was named as the man who died in the shooting, the state Attorney General’s Office said in a news release on Friday, Nov. 8. The shooting happened in the Westmont section of Haddon Township on Sunday, Nov. 3. Haddon Township police responded to an attempted burglary report at an apartment complex on West Crystal Lake Avenue at around 1:07 a.m. Officer Luke Falkenberg and his partner encountered Edelin in the stairwell armed with a knife. …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Five Wildfires Rage Across NJ: Here's The Latest Update On Each One Five Wildfires Rage Across NJ: Here's The Latest Update On Each One
Five Wildfires Rage Across NJ: Here's The Latest Update On Each One New Jersey is actively managing five wildfires across multiple counties, sending smoke into surrounding towns and worsening the air quality. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) continues efforts to contain the flames under a Red Flag Warning issued through Saturday, Nov. 9, by the U.S. National Weather Service.  HIGH Fire Danger Today! A Red Flag Warning is in effect today into this evening as very dry conditions and gusty winds... Posted by US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly on Friday, November 8, 2024 Here's the updated status for each of the five wi…

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by Cecilia Levine