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47°
Tuesday, may 21
Police & Fire
Update
: Convicted ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Jailed Ahead Of Sentencing
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A convicted con man from Bergen County known as the "Bling Bishop" was jailed on Monday after violating terms of his release before this summer's sentencing, federal authorities said. Federal jurors in lower Manhattan convicted Lamor Whitehead of Paramus two months ago of swindling the elderly mom of a parishioner from New Jersey out of her $90,000 life savings, among other counts. They also found him guilty of using ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams in an attempt to extort a business owner into loaning him $500,000 and of lying to hide a second cellphone from FBI agents as the…
Police & Fire
Luke Lyons, Police Officer In Essex County Town, Killed In Crash, 31
Luke Lyons, an officer in the Millburn Police Department, was killed in a car crash on May 19, according to the NJ State PBA. He was 31 years old. Our hearts go out to Millburn Police Officer Luke Lyons' family and friends. His sudden passing in a motor vehicle crash... Posted by NJ State PBA on Monday, May 20, 2024 A former marine and cancer survivor, Lyons was the lead instructor of the department's drone unit and an active member of the Millburn Policeman Benevolent Association, according to a fundraiser set up to support his family. As of Tuesday, May 21, more than $32,00…
Police & Fire
Two Injured After Cars Hit By Falling Poles Struck By Train In Elizabeth: Authorities
Two people were injured after a train hit overhead wires which then struck three cars in Elizabeth on Monday, May 20, authorities said. At 1 p.m., a freight train heading westbound hit overhead wires on Division Street, causing multiple poles to be pulled down, a spokesman for the City of Elizabeth said. Three cars were hit by falling wires and poles and two people suffered minor injuries and were transferred to a nearby hospital, authorities said. Another person refused medical attention, authorities said. Several buildings lost power and PSE&G was on scene, authorities said. Th…
Police & Fire
Route 46 DWI Driver's Passenger Cuts Himself Out Of Seatbelt Of Police Car: Cops
A drunken driver and his passenger are both facing charges after a traffic stop on Route 46, authorities said. A Mount Olive officer was on routine patrol around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 when he saw a gray Ford F-150 traveling east on at a slow rate of speed, with only one working headline, the department said in a news release. As Smith followed the pickup truck, they passed two other patrol vehicles on that were stopped in the right Lane of travel on a different call for service. The pickup, driven by Idelsi Arguetaportillo, 41, of Flanders, nearly struck the patrol cars befo…
Police & Fire
Thieves Snatch Teaneck Residents' Checks From Postal Boxes, Forge Them For $240,218
A criminal crew stole checks mailed by Teaneck residents from postal boxes, then changed the amounts to more than 100 times the totals and cashed them, federal authorities said. Noah Aranzamendi, 25, of Brooklyn, and his associates used universal (or "arrow") keys to open the outdoor mailboxes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. They then shared images via an encrypted message app of the checks, which were then altered, the U.S. attorney said. The four checks, which were initially written out for a total of $1,896.59, ended up fetching a whopping $240,218, he said. The crew sold the …
Police & Fire
23-Year-Old Taiwanese Operator Of $100 Million Dark Web Drug Market Seized By Feds At JFK
Federal agents at JFK Airport seized a 23-year-old Taiwanese national who the Justice Department said owned and operated a dark web drug bazaar that produced well over $100 million in sales. The “Incognito Market” created by Rui-Siang Lin enabled its users to anonymously buy and sell drugs around the globe for nearly 3½ years, US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and other federal officials announced on Monday, May 20. Lin -- also known as Ruisiang Lin, 林睿庠, Pharoah, and faro – mastermineded a clandestine e-commerce network where buyers could browse thousands of listings for heroin, LSD, …
Police & Fire
Irish Traveler Posing As Repairman Tears Hole In Glen Rock Resident's Roof: Police
A con man contractor was charged by Glen Rock police after he and an accomplice ripped a hole in a resident’s roof, authorities said. Jimmy Jones, 42, and his partner knocked on the victim’s door, unsolicited, claiming to be contractors who could tend to what appeared to be necessary roof repairs, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. The victim reviewed a handout, agreed to an estimate and then went inside, the chief said. Moments later, the resident heard banging on the roof and hustled outside to find the two on the roof, which suddenly had a hole in it, Ackermann said. The resident demand…
Police & Fire
DUI Driver Charged In Hit-Run Crash With Pedestrian In Central Jersey: Prosecutor
A 31-year-old man from Central Jersey was driving under the influence when he fled the scene of a pedestrian crash, authorities said. Abel Bustos-Medel, 31, of New Brunswick, was charged with assault by auto, leaving the scene of an accident and DUI in the crash, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Vincent Sabo of the New Brunswick Police Department. On Monday, May 20, at approximately 1:25 a.m., New Brunswick police responded to 100 Jersey Ave. for a pedestrian hit and run. Police found a man, 25, of New Brunswick, who sustained serious&…
Police & Fire
Car Fire Jams Route 78 In Summit
A vehicle fire on Route 78 has closed two lanes in Union County on Monday, May 20, according to the state Department of Transportation The fire occurred on Exit 45 westbound near Glenside Avenue in Summit. Two right lanes out of three are closed and drivers can expect delays, the state Department of Transportation said.
Police & Fire
Handcuffed Woman, 21, Rescued By Franklin Lakes Firefighters
"Kids playing around" brought firefighters to a Franklin Lakes home where a 21-year-old woman was unable to free herself from a pair of handcuffs. Franklin Lakes firefighters and police responded to the $2 million home off Pulis Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, May 18, Police Capt. Robert Grassi said. The borough's bravest cut off the bracelets without injury to the woman, the captain said.
Police & Fire
Bergen Man Collected 3,700 Child Porn Images: Authorities
An East Rutherford resident was busted with 3,700 child porn files, authorities said. Noel Q. Ricketts, 25, was seized by Cyber Crimes Unit detectives who raided his Main Street apartment just off Railroad Avenue this past Friday, May 17, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. “Ricketts used the Internet to view, download and possess 3,700 items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” the prosecutor said. Ricketts, who was charged with possession of child pornography, remained held Monday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in …
Police & Fire
Teen Arrested After Pursuit Leads To Officer Injury In Montclair, Police Say
A 16-year-old was arrested in Montclair on Saturday, May 18, after a police pursuit led to an officer being injured, authorities said. At 6:52 a.m., officers received a complaint of people hiding behind vehicles in a parking lot at 50 Greenwood Ave, Montclair police said. Both vehicles, a white Range Rover and a silver Kia Optima, left the parking lot as police arrived, officers said. The Kia Optima was revealed to have been stolen from East Orange earlier that day, police said. Officers attempted to stop vehicles but they refused and a pursuit was initiated at Greenwood Avenue and Gl…
Police & Fire
Teenager Killed In Double-Shooting In Trenton: Prosecutor
A teenager was killed and a second teen was wounded in a shooting in Trenton on Sunday evening, May 19, authorities said. Stephon Fisher, 18, of Trenton, was pronounced dead shortly after the 5:50 p.m. shooting, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri. Trenton police received a ShotSpotter activation for multiple rounds and several calls reporting two individuals shot at 2 Kingsbury Square, Onofri said. Both shooting victims were transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center. The second 18-year-old victim, also a city resident, sustained three gunshot wounds a…
Police & Fire
Man Shot Dead In Warinanco Park, Prosecutor Says
A man was found shot to death in Warinanco Park on Sunday, May 19, authorities said. At 7:51 p.m., Union County police responded to the Roselle area of the park in response to a shooting and found the male victim, who has not been identified, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jersey Talks (@jerseytalks) The investigation is active and ongoing, authorities said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Sergeant Keyla Live at 908-370-6793…
Police & Fire
Mail-order
Meth
: NJ Man Who Shipped 100 Pounds Gets 14+ Years In Fed Pen
A New Jersey man who shipped more than 100 pounds of crystal meth for sale cross-country through the U.S. mail was sentenced to more than 14 years in federal prison as part of a plea deal. Michael Venditti, 39, of Camden, was arrested during a controlled delivery of a package in September 2021. It had been intercepted on its way from Calexico, a Southern California town at the Mexican border, federal authorities said. Inspectors got a warrant to open the package after a drug-detection dog reacted to its arrival at a South Jersey postal facility, they said. Inspectors swapped some of the m…
Police & Fire
Gotcha
! Fleeing Driver Who Hit Teaneck Woman, 18, On Sidewalk Turns Out To Be Repeat Offender
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A motorist who struck and injured an 18-year-old Teaneck woman when he drove onto the sidewalk to avoid police turned out to be a violent ex-con, authorities said. Michael Anthony Hammond, 32, of Paterson has a violent criminal history that stretches back well over a decade. He'd been arrested in Passaic County this past March on charges of choking a victim and endangering a child, but was released by a judge the very same day, records show. A little over two weeks later, on April 16, Teaneck Police Officer Kyle Rosen stopped Hammond on Palisade Avenue near Votee Park for several …
Police & Fire
Hero
: Civilian Rescues Woman From Serial Groper Who Tried To Drag Her Behind Garfield Church
UPDATE: A serial groper who was captured by a SWAT team after a civilian stopped him from dragging a woman behind a church in Garfield earlier this month had been stalking the victim at least since April, authorities said. Garfield police have surveillance video of Michael Hernandez, 25, following, running up and grabbing the woman outside Praise Assembly church at the corner of Main Street and Banta Avenue shortly after 12 noon May 8, investigators said. Grabbing her by her neck and backpack, Hernandez tries to drag the woman behind the church, they said. But a good Samaritan comes to her…
Police & Fire
Driver Hospitalized After Striking Utility Pole In Warren County:
Njsp
A driver was hospitalized after he struck a utility pole in Warren County on Saturday, May 18, authorities said. At 9:37 a.m., a Toyota passenger vehicle lost directional control and crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of Belvidere Road and Dutt Lane in Harmony Township, Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesman for the New Jersey State police said. The driver sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital, Lebron said. The crash remains under investigation, Lebron said
Police & Fire
Body Pulled From NJ River ID'd As Woman Who Vanished 14 Years Ago, Family Says
The family of a New Jersey woman who disappeared finally has some closure. The body recovered along with three cars from the Cooper River in Pennsauken last week has been identified by her daughter as Bernadine Gunner, who went missing in July 2010. AFTER 13 LONG YEARS WE HAVE CLOSURE, MY MOM WAS FOUND 💔😢. SIP MOM I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FEEL RIGHT NOW…... Posted by Julia Young on Thursday, May 16, 2024 In a Facebook post shared Saturday, May 18, Julia Young says United Search Corps was behind the recovery operation in Pennsauken on Thursday, May 16, in which dive teams …
Police & Fire
Sextortion
: Out-Of-State Fugitive Freed After NJ Senior Looking For Love Loses $20,000
A fugitive from Maryland charged with sextorting a New Jersey senior out of $20,000 online after getting him to take compromising selfies was immediately freed by a judge after surrendering to police. Posing as a woman, Ali H. Maman, 59, of Frederick, MD, communicated with an elderly Glen Rock resident through Instagram and WhatsApp, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. The victim was convinced to share the risqué photos, then was contacted by someone else who demanded a $20,000 bank wire transfer in exchange for not posting them online, Ackermann said. The victim wired the money last July to…
Police & Fire
Woman In Teaneck Street Fight Arrested, Victim Douses Her, Several Others With Pepper Spray
Teaneck police responding to a street fight between two women arrested one of them and summoned EMS after the other discharged pepper spray, authorities said. Fransheska Liriano-Benitez, 32, of Palisades Park had punched the other woman in the head outside a Palisade Avenue home between Griggs and Sherman avenues shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, Police Chief Andrew R. McGurr said. The victim then tried to blast her with pepper spray, which affected Liriano-Benitz and several bystanders, the chief said. Members of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps treated Liriano-Benitez and t…
Police & Fire
George Washington Bridge Climber, Not Protestors, Jams
Nyc-b
ound Traffic For Hours
Police expected a protest that would throw the George Washington Bridge into chaos on Saturday and got something else entirely. A 24-year-old climber partially caused massive delays when he started climbing the Manhattan tower's south side shortly before noon May 18. What began as half-hour backups quickly stretched to more than 90 minutes on both levels during one of the busiest times of the average GWB weekend. All eastbound lanes were eventually closed at one point as Port Authority and NYPD emergency services officers with rappelling ropes and other rescue gear eventually got him down …
Police & Fire
Hackensack Man Throws Bleach In Mechanic's Face, Smashes Windshield: Rochelle Park PD
Surveillance cameras recorded a Hackensack man throwing bleach in the face of a mechanic at a Rochelle Park service station, then smashing his windshield, authorities said. Alonge Jones, 33, went to the station at the corner of Rochelle and Central avenues after his girlfriend purportedly had some type of “negative interaction” with the mechanic a day earlier, Rochelle Park Police Capt. James M. DePreta said. Jones then assaulted the victim and smashed the windshield with a tool when he showed up, the captain said. The worker as taken to a local hospital with an eye injury. Meanwhile, Det…
Police & Fire
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A confessed member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison. Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, NJ, must serve a little over two years before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Jackson was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. One of Jackson's associates told detectives t…
Police & Fire
Scooter Rider Killed By SUV On Route 1 Survived By Son, Wife, Campaign Says
Support is on the rise for the family of a 22-year-old man struck and killed by a vehicle on Route 1 in Edison. Raul Montoya-Chavez, of Edison, was hit in the southbound center lane of Route 1 at about 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15 as he tried to cross at Plainfield Avenue, Edison police said. Montoya-Chavez died of his injuries at an area hospital, police said. The 61-year-old Rahway man driving the SUV had a green light and is not expected to be charged, police said. A GoFundMe page raised for his funeral expenses had raised more than $3,400 as of press time. The page was laun…
Police & Fire
Video Shows Serial Groper Trying To Drag Woman Behind Garfield Church, Hero Saving Her
UPDATE: A serial groper who was captured by a SWAT team after a civilian stopped him from dragging a woman behind a church in Garfield earlier this month had been stalking the victim at least since April, authorities said. Garfield police have surveillance video of Michael Hernandez, 25, following, running up and grabbing the woman outside Praise Assembly church at the corner of Main Street and Banta Avenue shortly after 12 noon May 8, investigators said. Grabbing her by her neck and backpack, Hernandez tries to drag the woman behind the church, they said. But a good Samaritan comes t…
Police & Fire
Giant Among Volunteers, Ramsey's Charles Schucht, 75, To Be Laid To Rest
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗨𝗧𝗘: It's a measure of Charles Schucht's well-known dedication to helping others that he volunteered for the Ramsey Ambulance Corps in his late 60s. "Many people knew Chuck volunteered at RAC, but few realized the extent of his involvement due to his humility," Corps Chief Marc Greenwood said. "Chuck prided himself on participating in almost every single birthday drive by during COVID," Greenwood said. "When he wasn’t spreading cheer, he was helping transport critically ill COVID patients when many other volunteers had to step back for their families." Schucht was on duty in uniform wh…
Police & Fire
Plainfield Man Gets 20+ For Fatal Shooting: Prosecutor
A 34-year-old Plainfield man was sentenced to 23 years in state prison on Thursday, May 16, for fatally shooting a man in 2022, authorities said. At 4 p.m. on March 11, Plainfield police responded to Johnston Avenue and East 2nd Street and found Eric Williams, a 50-year-old Plainfield resident hit with multiple gunshot wounds, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel and Plainfield Police Director James Abney said. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. Haneef Welch was sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter, autho…
Police & Fire
Gotcha
! Arrest Made In Theft Of $62,000 Worth Of Parts From BMW HQ: Woodcliff Lake PD
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Thieves stole and then sold $62,000 worth of parts from vehicles at BMW North America’s corporate headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, police said in announcing the arrest of a suspect. Joseph Domenico Varano, 21, of Bloomfield and his cohorts hit the parking lot of the campus off Chestnut Ridge Road near the Garden State Parkway on May 4, Woodcliff Lake Police Chief Stephen Regula said. Borough police identified Varano and arrested him at his home on Thursday, May 16, with help from Bloomfield police. They charged him with six counts of motor vehicle burglary, theft, criminal misc…
Police & Fire
Plainfield Man Gets 40 Years For Strangling Girlfriend: Prosecutor
A 24-year-old Plainfield man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Wednesday, May 15, for strangling his 19-year-old girlfriend to death in 2020, authorities said. On July 6, 2020, Plainfield police conducted a welfare check and found the body of 19-year-old Brenda Montoya-Cruz, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel and Plainfield Police Director James T. Abney said. Bryan Gonzales-Martinez was convicted of first-degree murder last June, authorities said. He must serve 85% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, authorities said.
Police & Fire
Woman Robbed Salvation Army, Assaulted Employee: Newark PD
A woman robbed a Salvation Army in Newark, assaulting an employee on Wednesday, May 15, authorities said. At 4 p.m., police responded to the Salvation Army Thrift Shop and Donation Center at 74 Pennington St. in Newark on a report of a robbery, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said. The woman attempted to leave the store with $100 in merchandise without paying for it, so employees locked the door to prevent her from leaving, Fragé said. The woman shoved an employee to the floor, unlocked the door and fled westbound on Pennington St., Fragé said. The employee&n…
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