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Former Edison Basketball Coach Loses Teaching License After Fatal DWI Former Edison Basketball Coach Loses Teaching License After Fatal DWI
Former Edison Basketball Coach Loses Teaching License After Fatal DWI The former head basketball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison has lost his teaching license after he was convicted of causing a fatal crash while drunk, state officials said. Darius Griffin Jr., 27, of Piscataway, lost his health and physical education certificate after a January hearing of the State Board of Examiners. The board said Griffin’s assault by auto and vehicular homicide convictions made him an inappropriate role model for children. Through a lawyer, Griffin disputed the revocation of his teaching license, calling his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash q…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Toms River Driver Was High, Drunk In Double-Fatal Porsche Crash Prosecutor: Toms River Driver Was High, Drunk In Double-Fatal Porsche Crash
Prosecutor: Toms River Driver Was High, Drunk In Double-Fatal Porsche Crash A driver was drunk and high when his Porsche careened into the second story of a Toms River building, killing himself and his passenger, authorities said Friday. Braden De Martin, 22, had a blood-alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit during the Nov. 10, 2019 crash that also killed his passenger, Daniel Foley, 23. De Martin was speeding northbound on Hooper Avenue when he lost control of his 2010 Porsche Boxster, a Toms River police investigation found.  The sports car struck an embankment and was sent airborne into the second-floor of an office building…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Drunk Driver Pleads Guilty In Rear-End Newark Crash That Killed Teen Drunk Driver Pleads Guilty In Rear-End Newark Crash That Killed Teen
Drunk Driver Pleads Guilty In Rear-End Newark Crash That Killed Teen A 39-year-old Newark man pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide for killing another motorist earlier this year, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.  Gustavo Palomo was under the influence of alcohol March 17 when he slammed his pickup truck at a high rate of speed into the back of a vehicle that was stopped for a red light at First Street and the I-280 exit ramp. Palomo left the scene but was quickly caught.  Jaleel McCauley, 19, suffered serious injuries in the crash. He died March 23.  Under the terms of his plea, Palomo is expected to be sentenced to 10 years …

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by Paul Milo
News
NJ Has Least Severe Drunk-Driving Problem In Tri-state Area, Among Lowest In Nation NJ Has Least Severe Drunk-Driving Problem In Tri-state Area, Among Lowest In Nation
NJ Has Least Severe Drunk-Driving Problem In Tri-state Area, Among Lowest In Nation Drunk driving fatalities and arrests have plummeted nationwide in in the last 40 years, with New Jersey ranked 47th for the severity of the problem based on a number of statistics, according to a report by Background Checks.org released Wednesday.  Neighboring New York was ranked 44th in the survey of all states last year, while Connecticut came in at 38th. Among the country's regions, the drunk driving problem was deemed least severe in the Northeast and the Midwest.  "In 2018, 29 percent of total motor vehicle fatalities were a result of alcohol impairment, wherein an operator o…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
State Trooper From Livingston Charged With DWI In Indiana: Report State Trooper From Livingston Charged With DWI In Indiana: Report
State Trooper From Livingston Charged With DWI In Indiana: Report A trooper with the New Jersey State Police who was in Indiana for the funeral of a law enforcement officer was arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving, the Lafayette Journal & Courier newspaper reported.  MIchael Kulick, 26, of Livingston, was one of several officers from around the country who planned to attend the funeral of Indiana State Police Trooper Peter "Bo" Stephan on Friday. Married with a baby daughter, Stephan was killed in a crash responding to a call.   But early on the morning of the funeral, police said Kulick was seen driving slowly and hugg…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Edgewater Man Charged In National Park Crash That Killed 3 Edgewater Man Charged In National Park Crash That Killed 3
Edgewater Man Charged In National Park Crash That Killed 3 An Edgewater man who authorities said spent the night drinking at a local bar was charged with manslaughter after he crashed his car into a tree, killing three people, in Maine. The vehicle driven by Praneeth Manubolu, 28, veered off the road shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday in Acadia National Park, documents on file in U.S. District Court in Portland say. The three passengers who died in the accident were identified as Lenny Fuchs, 36, Laura Leong, 30, and Zeeshan Mohammed, 27, all of New York City. Federal authorities said Manubolu, who called in the accident to police, is an Indian natio…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Arrested UPDATE: Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Arrested
Update: Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Arrested UPDATE, Aug. 5: Michael Hansen was arrested. For more, click here.  Original story is below:  A former Hudson County corrections officer who pleaded guilty to two counts of death by auto in June failed to appear for his sentencing hearing in Jersey City Friday morning, NJ.com reported.  Michael Hansen, 40, was under the influence of alcohol when he entered the intersection of Paterson Plank Road and Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen April 2, 2017. He struck Marie Tauro and Russell Maffei and fled.  Hansen was arrested the following day at the North Bergen home of …

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Accused Drunk Driver Indicted In Death Of TCNJ Student From Clark: Report Accused Drunk Driver Indicted In Death Of TCNJ Student From Clark: Report
Accused Drunk Driver Indicted In Death Of Tcnj Student From Clark: Report A man who was allegedly driving drunk was indicted on first-degree manslaughter and other charges for allegedly killing a 20-year-old Clark man in a vehicle collision late last year, NJ.com reported Wednesday.  Michael Sot, a student at The College of New Jersey, was the designated driver for a group of friends on Dec. 2 when his vehicle was struck on Pennington Road in Ewing Township.  Police say 23-year-old David Lamar of West Windsor had crossed the center line and was under the influence after spending hours drinking at a bar on the TCNJ campus. He had been trying to pass othe…

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by Paul Milo
Neighbors
Fundraiser For Family In Crash That Killed 4-Year-Old, Mom, Grandma Fundraiser For Family In Crash That Killed 4-Year-Old, Mom, Grandma
Fundraiser For Family In Crash That Killed 4-Year-Old, Mom, Grandma A GoFundme campaign has been launched on behalf of a family that lost members of three generations over the Memorial Day weekend. Ordina Castro De La Cruz, 47, Mayelin Brito-Castro, 32, and her 4-year-old daughter Kiara Hernandez died when their minivan was struck by another vehicle in Sheldon, N.Y., May 26. Six other people, who all belonged to the same Perth Amboy family, were hurt in the crash, which occurred as they were traveling to Niagra Falls over the Memorial Day weekend. Police said the family’s minivan was hit by a drunk driver who ran a stop sign. Among those injured were fou…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Victims In Crash That Killed Child, 4, Believed To Be From Perth Amboy Victims In Crash That Killed Child, 4, Believed To Be From Perth Amboy
Victims In Crash That Killed Child, 4, Believed To Be From Perth Amboy UPDATE: A GoFundMe campaign has been started on behalf of the family.  A Perth Amboy man told NBC 4 his daughter was fatally injured along with two other family members when a suspected drunk driver ran a stop sign in upstate New York early Sunday and crashed into the side of their SUV.  Robinson Hernandez told the station that Kiara Hernandez, 4, was killed alongside the girl’s mother and grandmother in Sheldon, N.Y., near Buffalo. The Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that the family is believed to be “from the Perth Amboy area” but added that the nature of the r…

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by Paul Milo
News
3 New Jersey Family Members Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver In Memorial Day Weekend Crash 3 New Jersey Family Members Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver In Memorial Day Weekend Crash
3 New Jersey Family Members Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver In Memorial Day Weekend Crash Three members of a New Jersey family headed on vacation to Niagara Falls were killed when an alleged drunk driver hit their SUV Sunday morning, authorities said. Richard Sawicki, 20, apparently blew a stop sign and hit the family's car around 6:40 a.m. in Sheldon, N.Y., Wyoming County Sheriff Greg Rudolph said. ** UPDATE: The Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the family is believed to be “from the Perth Amboy area” but added that the nature of the relationships among the victims was still being determined Monday afternoon. ** Two women who were ejected were pro…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Denville Man Charged With Driving Drunk, Reckless After Crash Denville Man Charged With Driving Drunk, Reckless After Crash
Denville Man Charged With Driving Drunk, Reckless After Crash A 33-year-old township man was charged with drunk and reckless driving after crashing his car in Denville, authorities said. Sean R. O'Hara was intoxicated when he crashed around 8:45 p.m. Saturday, near Florence Avenue and Cedar Lake East, Denville Police Capt. Jeffrey Tucker said. O'Hara was arrested and taken to police headquarters where he was issued a DWI and charged with reckless and careless driving, and failure to report a motor vehicle accident. He was released pending a hearing in municipal court.

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by Cecilia Levine