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Cops Cleared In Killing Of Najee Seabrooks, Popular Paterson Activist
A state grand jury has declined to file criminal charges against the Paterson police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Najee Seabrooks, a violence interventionist who was killed during a police standoff in March 2023, authorities said.
The grand jury’s March 17 2025, decision came after reviewing witness statements, video evidence, autopsy reports, and ballistics analysis, according to the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
Seabrooks, 31, of Paterson, was a former high school basketball star and dedicated violence interventionist with the Paterson Heal…
‘Justice for Daniella’: Friends Rally Around Mother After Daughter’s Passaic Murder
A heartbroken Passaic mother is receiving an outpouring of support after launching a GoFundMe campaign to help bury her 31-year-old daughter who was fatally stabbed inside a Passaic home on Sunday, March 16, authorities said.
The fundraiser, started by Francesca Cwynar, has raised more than $2,800 as of press time to support Daniella Davis' grieving mother, Rose Mele. Mele's LinkedIn page shows she works as a secretary for the Clifton Board of Education.
“I am writing on behalf of a dear friend, Rose Mele, a resilient and selfless woman,” Cwynar wrote on the fundraiser. “On March 16, Rose’s…
DUI Mayor's Husband Seeks 'Compassion' After St. Patrick's Day Arrest With Child In Car: Report
The mayor of a South Jersey town has been charged with DUI, endangering a child, reckless driving, and more, as first reported by 6abc.
The outlet said that Gina LaPlaca, the mayor of Lumberton, admitted she had been drinking after officers tracked a vehicle unable to stay in its lane to her house on Monday, March 17, the outlet said.
The NJ Courts website shows LaPlaca has been charged with operating under the influence of liquor or drugs, driving with an expired license, possessing an open container of alcohol or unsealed cannabis in a motor vehicle, failing to maintain traffic in ma…
Woman Attacks, Bites Officers During Drug-Related Arrest In Teaneck: Police
A New York woman is facing multiple charges after police say she attacked Teaneck police officers, biting one and throwing bodily fluids at another, following a drug-related arrest.
Valeria Valencia, 24, of Bayside, NY, was taken into custody on Friday, March 14, at approximately 12:03 a.m. after officers responded to a disturbance inside a vehicle near Glenwood Avenue, by the Route 95 on/off ramp, according to Teaneck Police Chief McGurr.
When officers arrived, they were waved down by a man outside the vehicle. Inside, they found Valencia in the driver’s seat, appearing in distress and com…
Grieving Mother Hopes Cancer Won't Kill Her Before Daughter's Murder Trial Begins
“Mommy, tomorrow is going to be the most painful day of your life, and then it’s going to get better.”
That’s what Maryrose Fealey told her mother, Janet Pizzelli, on Jan. 30, 2024, the day before Pizzelli was set to begin chemotherapy for breast cancer.
“Well, she was wrong,” Pizzelli said of her daughter’s words. “It didn’t get better.”
It got worse.
That same night, Maryrose was stabbed to death by David Shroitman, who followed her home from the gym and killed her in her vehicle, prosecutors said.
David Shroitman
Somerset County Prosecutor's Office
More than a year later, Pizz…
