Overcast 76°
News
Man Admits Role In NJ/NY Network That Laundered $27M For International Drug Cartels Man Admits Role In NJ/NY Network That Laundered $27M For International Drug Cartels
Man Admits Role In NJ/NY Network That Laundered $27M For International Drug Cartels The takedown of a New Jersey and New York network that laundered more than $27 million for Central and South American drug cartels has produced another guilty plea, federal authorities announced. Gilberto Martinez, 33, formerly of Clifton, "cleaned" more than $1 million himself, both by buying and directing others to buy cashier's checks using drug money, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Morristown police helped the DEA and IRS crack the case, in which more than 1,000 cashier’s checks were bought, he said. The buyers typically were paid a fee of $150 to $200 for each check…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Volunteer Firefighter From NJ Busted With Child Porn: Prosecutor Volunteer Firefighter From NJ Busted With Child Porn: Prosecutor
Volunteer Firefighter From NJ Busted With Child Porn: Prosecutor A 36-year-old volunteer firefighter from South Jersey has been arrested on child porn charges, authorities said. Jay J. Howe of Bordentown Township was charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Bordentown Township Police Chief Brian Pesce. Howe, who is a member of a volunteer fire department in Bordentown City, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 9  Howe was taken into custody at his residence after a warranted search, the prosecutor said. Electronic devices seized during the search will be examined by…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
NJ Resumes COVID Early Inmate Release Program NJ Resumes COVID Early Inmate Release Program
NJ Resumes COVID Early Inmate Release Program As many as 1,200 New Jersey prison inmates and at least 10 sex offenders could be freed during another round of early pandemic releases, state corrections sources say. No public notice was given by Gov. Phil Murphy’s office of the latest releases, which corrections officials said resumed Thursday with 260 inmates freed. These come at a time when “violent crime me in some of our cities has gotten so bad” that “many urban mayors who supported bail reform are demanding a new law that would keep dangerous criminals in jail until trial,” state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) said. An estimated 40%…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Missing Carlstadt Man Found Missing Carlstadt Man Found
Missing Carlstadt Man Found A hearing-impaired Carlstadt man who’d gone missing nearly two weeks ago was found at University Hospital in Newark, authorities confirmed. Carlstadt detectives found James Dugan II on Tuesday, Feb. 8, while checking area hospitals, Deputy Police Chief Thomas Cox said Wednesday. "Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all you have done for my brother and my family," his sister, Sarah, posted on Facebook. "So many people have reached out to offer love and support. We are so grateful and relieved. Thank you so so so so so much." Tattoos and facial recognition helped identify Dugan, …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Transit Bus Crashes On Atlantic City Expressway, 5 Injured NJ Transit Bus Crashes On Atlantic City Expressway, 5 Injured
NJ Transit Bus Crashes On Atlantic City Expressway, 5 Injured Five people were hurt early Tuesday, Feb. 8 when a New Jersey Transit bus crashed into the woods along the Atlantic City Expressway westbound in South Jersey, authorities said. The route 551 bus was en route from Atlantic City to Philadelphia when it careened off the expressway and hit several trees at about 4 a.m, in Hamilton Township, a New Jersey Transit spokesman said. NJ Transit bus crashTwitter/ Carissa Lawson Four of the nine passengers as well as the driver sustained injuries and were brought to area hospitals for treatment, New Jersey State Police said.  The driver was entrapp…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
ID Released In Suspicious I-76 Fatal Shooting, Philly Road Rage Incident: NJ State Police ID Released In Suspicious I-76 Fatal Shooting, Philly Road Rage Incident: NJ State Police
ID Released In Suspicious I-76 Fatal Shooting, Philly Road Rage Incident: NJ State Police New Jersey State Police seek the public's help in a Philadelphia road rage incident that turned deadly on Interstate-76 in South Jersey. State Police released the name of the driver found shot to death behind the wheel of his Mercedes Benz, which crashed along I-76 in Camden County. On Jan. 24, at approximately 10:32 p.m., troopers from Troop “A” Bellmawr Station responded to a single-vehicle crash on I-76 eastbound at milepost .4 in Mount Ephraim Borough. When troopers arrived, they found the driver of a black 2004 Mercedes Benz 500, identified as Louis E. Ciccanti Jr. had been shot and k…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
FOUND: Missing NJ Man Who Left Home Without Cell Phone Located Safely, State Police Say FOUND: Missing NJ Man Who Left Home Without Cell Phone Located Safely, State Police Say
Found: Missing NJ Man Who Left Home Without Cell Phone Located Safely, State Police Say UPDATE: Vanassen has been located safely, police confirmed. ------------------------------ State Police have issued an alert for a missing North Jersey man who suffers from depression and left home without his cell phone. Bryan T. Vanassen, 42, was last seen at his home in Harmony Township, NJ, around 7 a.m. Monday, New Jersey State Police said. Vanassen left his home without his cell phone and is thought to be driving a black 1988 Ford Bronco with a 4-inch lift, a large black antenna on the rear, and a chrome grill guard with New Jersey license plates reading A87NZY, police said. He is…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
News
Missing South Jersey Man Found Dead Missing South Jersey Man Found Dead
Missing South Jersey Man Found Dead New Jersey State Police say the body of a man missing from Cumberland County has been found. "The body of Jonathan Morris II, 23, has been located and identified," Trooper Brandi Slota said Tuesday morning.   Morris had last been seen early Friday morning in the Bridgeton area, according to State Police. “NJSP Bridgeton Station considers him missing and possibly in harm’s way,” State Police had posted on social media. Morris reportedly went out with friends after work on Thursday night, and then communication suddenly stopped, his family said at a Sunday afternoon news conference in Hope…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
CLOSE CALL: Hero Tow Truck Driver Rescues Motorist From Burning Sedan On NJ Turnpike CLOSE CALL: Hero Tow Truck Driver Rescues Motorist From Burning Sedan On NJ Turnpike
Close CALL: Hero Tow Truck Driver Rescues Motorist From Burning Sedan On NJ Turnpike HERO: A passing tow truck driver helped a motorist from his burning car on the New Jersey Turnpike seconds before it was engulfed in flames. Nick's Towing Service driver John Tashian of Paramus was returning from a job in Newark when he saw the burning vehicle just off the road in Kearny at 2:15 a.m. Sunday, said his boss, Nicholas F. Testa. Tashian called a Nick's Towing Service dispatcher who, in turn, notified the Turnpike Authority. He then ran to the car to help get the driver out. They had gotten a safe distance away when it went up in flames, Testa said. Kearny firefighters doused…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Paterson Officer Indicted In Accused Beating Of Arab-American Resident Paterson Officer Indicted In Accused Beating Of Arab-American Resident
Paterson Officer Indicted In Accused Beating Of Arab-American Resident A Paterson police officer beat a 19-year-old Arab-American man and then lied about it, a federal grand jury charged. Officers Kevin Patino, 29, violated the civil rights of the victim, according to the indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Newark, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Osamah Alsaidi was walking with his hands in his pockets the night of Dec. 14, 2020 when Patino and Officer Kendry Tineo-Restituyo approached him, the U.S. attorney said. What they didn’t know was that area surveillance cameras were recording the incident (see below). “Patino grabbe…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ State Trooper Hospitalized After Being Struck On Route 80 By DWI Driver From PA NJ State Trooper Hospitalized After Being Struck On Route 80 By DWI Driver From PA
NJ State Trooper Hospitalized After Being Struck On Route 80 By DWI Driver From PA A New Jersey state trooper has been released from the hospital after being struck by a drunk driver from Pennsylvania responding to a crash on Route 80 over the weekend, authorities said. Dennis Clark, 25, was behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer when he struck the back of a marked troop car that had its emergency lights on in the westbound lanes near milepost 17.8 in Allamuchy Township just before 3:40 a.m., New Jersey State Police Trooper Alejandro Goez said. The trooper was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries, while Clark, of Saylorsburg, PA, was charged with D…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
2 Dead, 2 Injured In Burlington County Crash 2 Dead, 2 Injured In Burlington County Crash
2 Dead, 2 Injured In Burlington County Crash Two people died and another two were injured in a crash involving a box truck Sunday in Burlington County, according to New Jersey State Police. Tyshaun Carter, 24, was heading south on Route 628 in a BMW 325xi when he struck a box truck turning left out of a driveway around 4:15 a.m. in Springfield, NJSP Sgt. Philip Curry said. The vehicle struck a utility pole and a tunnel carrying a drain under the road. Carter, of Mount Holly, and back-seat passenger Christopher Blackmon, 53, of the Browns Mills, were ejected and pronounced dead at the scene near milepost 3.3, police said. Carter'…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine