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Monday, apr 29
Police & Fire
Gunshot Fired In Photo Booth At Urban Air, Police Seize Boys 12, 15
A steel plate prevented a potential tragedy at Urban Air in South Hackensack when a loaded gun brought into a photo booth by two boys -- one 12, the other 15 -- went off, authorities said. "If not for the steel plate, the round could have gone through the machine and struck an innocent victim," South Hackensack Police Detective Sgt. James Donatello said. The 6:30 p.m. shooting on Sunday, April 28, was another in a series of incidents that have recently drawn a massive law enforcement response to the all-ages Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park just off westbound Route 80. Surve…
Police & Fire
Bagel Break-In: Burglar Shatters Window, Opens Cash Register At South Jersey Shop (
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Police are looking for whoever was seen on surveillance video breaking into an Ocean County bagel shop. The break-in happened at All Star Bagel on Route 37 in Manchester Township at around 12:24 a.m. on Friday, Apr. 26. Manchester police shared video from inside the shop in a Facebook post. In the 16-second video, the suspect was seen shattering the front glass door and setting off the security alarm. The suspect then ran behind the counter and opened the cash register's drawer. Police didn't say how much money was stolen or if anything else was taken. Investigators were working to le…
Police & Fire
Ex-Convict Found With 17K+ Bags Of Heroin, Loaded Gun In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutors
An ex-convict from Atlantic County will spend several years in prison after admitting to selling heroin, authorities said. Alfred Fuller, 49, of Galloway Township, was sentenced on Thursday, Apr. 25 to ten years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. He pleaded guilty in December 2023 to first-degree possession with intent to distribute heroin and second-degree certain persons not to possess a weapon. Prosecutor's office detectives executed search warrants at Fuller's home, two units at Clayton Self Storage, and Fuller’s bl…
Police & Fire
Fire Nearly Destroys Central Jersey Family's Home: 'The Loss Is So Great'
A Monmouth County family's home was nearly destroyed by a fire, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page said the house in the Paddock Club in Marlboro caught fire on Thursday, Apr. 25. No one was reported injured but the Ditillo family's home and possessions "were almost completely destroyed." The GoFundMe had raised more than $55,000 from at least 714 donations as of Monday, Apr. 29. "The Ditillo family are known for their kindness and community spirit," wrote Alex Worth, a neighbor who created the GoFundMe. "They have always been the first to offer help to others in need. No…
Police & Fire
Former Code Enforcement Officer Who Stole $75K From Jersey Shore City Indicted: Prosecutors
A former code enforcement officer in Ventnor City was accused of stealing more than $75,000 in payments for city permits, authorities said. Michelle Calderon, 37, of Egg Harbor Township, was indicted on six counts on Thursday, Apr. 11, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a news release on Monday, Apr. 29. She was charged on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Investigators said Calderon kept cash that taxpayers and businesses gave to Ventnor City for permits. She was accused of pocketing more than $75,000 and altering the balance sheets to cover up the stolen m…
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Formerly Of Paterson Convicted Of Selling Fentanyl To Federal Operative At Jersey Shore
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An ex-con from out of state is facing a significantly long federal prison sentence after being convicted of selling fentanyl to a government cooperator at the Jersey Shore. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Trenton found former Paterson resident Djavon Holland, 37, guilty of possession with the intent to sell the deadly drug, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. As an ex-con with multiple convictions on his record, Holland, currently of Virginia, could be sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison. Holland served a majority of an eight-year state prison sentence after he was …
Police & Fire
Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Jersey Shore Road: Prosecutors
A Forked River man was convicted of strangling his wife to death and leaving her body on the side of a Monmouth County road, authorities said. A jury found 53-year-old Jeremy Cruz guilty of first-degree murder. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the conviction in a news release on Friday, Apr. 26. A driver saw 51-year-old Dawn Cruz with severe injuries on Colonial Avenue near the intersection with Asbury Avenue in Ocean Township just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Ocean Township police found her and she was pronounced dead at the scen…
Police & Fire
Atlantic City Teen Sentenced For Having Unlabeled Gun: Prosecutors
An Atlantic City teen will spend time in state prison after police found him with an unlabeled gun, authorities said. Angelo Williams, 19, was sentenced on Thursday, Apr. 25 to three years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced in a news release. He pleaded guilty to second-degree possession of a handgun without a permit on Thursday, Mar. 7, 2024. Atlantic City police responded to a report of a man with a gun in his waistband on North Arkansas Avenue on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Officers found Williams, whose description matched the one given to police. As po…
Police & Fire
Bathroom Ceiling Fan Blamed For House Fire In South Jersey Gated Community: Police
Firefighters quickly put out flames at a home in a gated community in Manchester Township, authorities said. Volunteer firefighters from Manchester, Ridgeway, and Whiting responded to the fire on Edinburgh Lane in the Leisure Village West community at around 3:35 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 27, Manchester police said in a news release. When firefighters arrived, they learned the fire was caused by a bathroom ceiling fan. The homeowners were not in the house during the fire and only a cleaning crew was there. No injuries were reported and the residents weren't displaced. The Oce…
Police & Fire
DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto In South Jersey Crash With Pedestrian: Police
A 40-year-old man from Vineland has been charged with assault by auto while being under the influence of alcohol in connection with a serious pedestrian crash last February, authorities said. Richard Earl III received the upgraded charge on Friday, April 26, according to Vineland police. He was released on a summons pending a court hearing at Bridgeton Superior Court. On Feb. 29, at approximately 7:20 p.m., Vineland police responded to North Main Road and East Landis Avenue for a crash involving a pedestrian. The preliminary investigation revealed that Earl was driving&…
Police & Fire
Felon Admits To Selling Heroin, Fentanyl, Meth In South Jersey: Prosecutors
A convicted felon admitted to selling heroin mixed with fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout Atlantic County, authorities said. Matthew Lynch, 33, of Galloway Township, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Apr. 23 to second-degree possession with the intent to distribute heroin/fentanyl. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced the guilty plea in a news release on Friday, Apr. 26. State police and the county prosecutor's office investigated Lynch for dealing drugs. Officers executed two search warrants on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Police arrested Lynch and found him with digital scale…
Police & Fire
Man Intentionally Set Fires At Central Jersey Property Since December: Police
A Monmouth County man was accused of intentionally setting fires on the same property over the past five months, authorities said. Albert Caporaso, 49, of Hazlet, was arrested on early in the morning on Friday, Apr. 26, the Hazlet Township Police Department said in a Facebook post. He was facing charges for several arsons since Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. A Hazlet officer was watching the South Laurel Avenue home at around 11:56 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25, when a man matching the suspect's description from previous arsons walked onto the property. The man, later identified as Caporaso, entered a…
Police & Fire
Teens Stabbed, Punched NYC Man At Atlantic City Hotel: Police
Two South Jersey teens were accused of taking part in the assault and stabbing of a New York City man at an Atlantic City hotel, authorities said. In a news release on Friday, Apr. 26, Atlantic City police said 19-year-old Julius Reed of Atlantic City and 18-year-old Tyreke Allen-Whittaker of Bridgeton were arrested. The announcement of their arrests came one day after police said 20-year-old Marquise Cottman of Millville was also facing charges in the attack. Police responded to a stabbing at Showboat Hotel Atlantic City on the 800 block of the Boardwalk at around 9 p.m. on Wedne…
Police & Fire
Woman Killed In Early Morning Crash In Central Jersey
A woman was killed in an early morning crash in Monmouth County, authorities said. Manalapan police responded to the crash near the intersection of Route 9 and Ryan Road just before 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. When officers arrived, they found two vehicles involved in the crash. A woman driving a 2017 Nissan Sentra was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. A man driving a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee stayed at the scene and was brought to a hospital with minor injuries. No charges or summonses have …
Police & Fire
‘Crypto Con Man’: Imprisoned Instagrifter Gets 7 Federal Years For $8M Fraud Scheme
UPDATE: Imprisoned Instagram influencer “Jay Mazini” apparently thought that rolling on his partners in crime could mitigate the damage of a conviction for scamming investors out of at least $8 million. Three years into a mandatory four-year New Jersey state prison sentence for kidnapping an online critic, the 28-year-old Instagrifter from Bergen County agreed to rat out his friends in exchange for leniency in a federal fraud case in Brooklyn. Trouble is: He didn’t deliver much, authorities said. Mazini, whose real name is Jebara Igbara, ended up sentenced to seven years in federal prison …
Police & Fire
National Guardsman Who Led 2-Day FBI Search In NJ Admits Pepper-Spraying Police At Capitol Riot
A military police officer who led federal officials in a two-day search across a New Jersey neighborhood has pleaded guilty for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Gregory Yetman, 47, of Helmetta, pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with physical contact before U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg. Yetman, an enlisted military police officer with the U. S. Army National Guard, traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan 6. 2021, and attended a rally for then-President Trump at the Ellipse, court documents show. After the rally, Yetman walked to…
Police & Fire
Accused Evesham Robber Arrested In PA Traffic Stop: Police
A routine traffic stop led to two arrests in Bensalem, township police said in a release. Officers stopped a Chevrolet Tahoe for a faulty brake light, a broken mirror, and a suspended registration on Saturday, April 13, authorities said. Police said the driver, 33-year-old Brittany Dougherty of Philadelphia, was found to have a warrant for theft at a Bensalem Kohl's, a warrant for burglary in Camden, New Jersey, and a warrant for robbery out of Evesham, New Jersey. The passenger, 30-year-old Omar Pedro of Philadelphia, was wanted for retail theft, authorities said.&n…
Police & Fire
NJ Killer With Manifesto, Step-By-Step Murder Plan Indicted By Grand Jury: Somerset Prosecutor
A Somerset County grand jury has indicted a 27-year-old man for the killing of a young woman in January. On Thursday, April 25, David C. Shroitman was indicted for the Jan. 30 murder of 27-year-old Mary Rose Fealey in Somerville, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald announced. Maryrose Fealey Maryrose Fealey Facebook Fealey, a Somerville resident, was found by Somerville police responding to a 911 call, outside a residential complex on North Bridge Street She had been returning home from a local business, the passenger door of her car wide open with her belongings spread …
Police & Fire
Former NJ Middle School Teacher Sexually Assaulted Student: Prosecutor
A 32-year-old former teacher from North Bergen has been charged with sexually assaulting a student at Carteret Middle School, authorities said. Jeffrey Munguia was also charged on Wednesday, April 24 with endangering the welfare of a child, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Carterest Police Chief Dennis McFadden. The investigation revealed that Munguia was the victim’s teacher at Carteret Middle School when the incident occurred in 2022, they said. He was arrested without incident on Wednesday. The investigation is active and continuing. An…
Police & Fire
Duo Found With Ghost Guns, Drug Equipment In Atlantic City Home Sentenced: Prosecutors
Two Atlantic City men will spend at least three years in prison after admitting to having two ghost guns in a home with three children inside, authorities said. A judge sentenced 33-year-old Robert Caro-Green and 31-year-old Lenardo Caro on Thursday, Apr. 25 to six years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. They had each pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a handgun without a permit in October and November 2023. Atlantic City police and the department's SWAT team executed a no-knock search warrant at a home on the 1500 block of Mediterra…
Police & Fire
Fugitive Arrested In Atlantic City Hotel Stabbing, More Suspects Wanted
A wanted man from Cumberland County was arrested and police were looking for more suspects after a man was stabbed at an Atlantic City hotel, authorities said. Marquise Cottman, 20, of Millville, was charged with aggravated assault, Atlantic City police said in a news release on Thursday, Apr. 25. Police responded to a stabbing at Showboat Hotel Atlantic City on the 800 block of the Boardwalk at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 24. An officer found a 25-year-old man from The Bronx, NY, heavily bleeding from a stab wound. The officer helped the man by applying a tourniquet to the man's…
Police & Fire
SUV Crash Knocks Out Power, Shuts Down Road In South Jersey: Police
An SUV crashed into a utility pole in Monmouth County, shutting down a road and knocking out power, authorities said. In a Facebook post, Wall Township police said a vehicle hit the pole along Hospital Road at around 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25. No injuries were reported in the crash. A photo from Wall police showed an SUV lying on its left side in the middle of the road. Two utility poles were leaning and there was also damage to a nearby fence. Emergency crews and Jersey Central Power & Light responded to the crash scene. According to the JCP&L outage map, 134 customers …
Police & Fire
South Jersey Thrift Store Reopening Three Months After Arson Fire Destroyed All Merchandise
A nonprofit thrift store in Atlantic County is about to reopen more than three months after it was significantly damaged in an arson fire. The Goodwill store on Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township will hold a grand reopening on Thursday, May 2. The shop in the Cardiff Plaza Shopping Center lost all of its merchandise in a fire on Monday, Jan. 15. Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia announced the celebration in a Facebook post on Thursday, Apr. 25. "Thanks to the generosity of the local community, we are back and better than ever," the post said. "Come shop for a…
Police & Fire
Slaves South Jersey FBI Illegal Immigrants
UPDATE: A South Jersey couple was convicted of forcing a pair of undocumented immigrants into slavery after luring them to America. Bolaji Bolarinwa, 50, and Isiaka Bolarinwa, 67, of Moorestown were discovered when one of the victims told her college professor, who alerted the FBI, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. Originally from Nigeria, the couple were living in New Jersey as U.S. citizens when they recruited two victims to follow them, Sellinger said. They "engaged in an egregious bait-and-switch, luring the victims with false promises of a life and an education …
Police & Fire
NJ Feds: Repeat Child Porn Collector Satisfied 'Deviant Desires' With Chats, More
A convicted NJ child porn collector had only just been released from federal prison when investigators said he tried buying kids’ shoes on Facebook Marketplace. And that wasn’t all they said that Andrew Chu, 33, of Edison was up to. Authorities who examined Chu’s laptop and cellphone reported finding more than 100 pornographic images of naked underage girls. They also found live chats that Chu had with naked underage minors while masturbating, a complaint filed in federal court in Newark by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations says. One of them was only 11 years old, agents sa…
Police & Fire
Local NJ Police Sergeant Took Child Porn Images From Investigation For Himself: AG
A local South Jersey police sergeant cherry-picked child porn images for himself from a case that his department was investigating, a grand jury indictment charges. Suspended Vineland Police Officer Christopher Ortiz, 39, of Estell Manor "requested from a subordinate and obtained via email" at least 17 images from a child pornography investigation for unauthorized use, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. All told, investigators found that Ortiz "possessed, viewed, or had under his control at least 100 items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of children," the attorney …
Police & Fire
'Chameleon': Wife-Killer Facing Charges In 33-Year-Old NJ Murder Case Featured On Dateline NBC
A convicted killer facing new charges in connection with his second wife's death in Mercer County will be featured in a two-hour broadcast titled "Chameleon" on Dateline NBC on Friday, April 26. John David Smith III has served 20 years in an Ohio prison for the murder of his first wife. Now, he faces murder charges in New Jersey for killing his second wife, Fran Gladden-Smith, 33 years ago in West Windsor. At 9 p.m. Friday, Dateline NBC said it will reveal a "gripping investigation exposing (the) man suspected of multiple murders." Victims' relatives and detectives who put Smith behin…
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Sentenced For Home Invasion, Sexually Assaulting Woman In Asbury Park: Prosecutors
An Asbury Park ex-convict will spend more than three decades in prison after he was convicted of a home invasion and sexual assault, authorities said. Shawn Connolly, 37, was sentenced on Tuesday, Apr. 23 to 40 years in prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced in a news release. He'll be eligible for parole after 34 years under the No Early Release Act. Asbury Park police responded to a home on Seventh Avenue just before 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. Officers immediately found Connolly, arrested him, and recovered what he stole from his pockets. Investigat…
Police & Fire
Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Questionable DNA evidence found under the fingernails of a 70-year-old Bergen County woman bludgeoned and burned in her home may have gotten her killer a new trial, but it didn't change the outcome. For a second time, a jury in Hackensack convicted Daniel Rochat on Wednesday of all charges in the brutal September 2012 slaying of real estate agent Barbara Vernieri in her East Rutherford home. Rochat, 48, of Wood-Ridge was originally convicted in June 2017 of beating Vernieri, then pouring gasoline on her and around her home before setting it on fire to cover up the crime scene. Pros…
Police & Fire
Toms River Woman Admits To Robbing Woman With Knife, Having Cocaine: Prosecutors
A Toms River woman admitted to robbing another woman with a knife, having cocaine, and spitting in the faces of officers, authorities said. Olivia Paige, 35, pleaded guilty on Monday, Apr. 22 to robbery, possession of cocaine, and aggravated assault. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the guilty pleas in a news release on Wednesday, Apr. 24. Brick Township police responded to a shoplifting report at a convenience store on Maple Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. Officers determined Paige took items from the store without paying for them. Police arrested Paige af…
Police & Fire
Video Shows Target Worker Interrupting Shoplifters In South Jersey
Three women nearly got away with $581 in merchandise before they were stopped by a Target employee in Camden County, authorities said. On Monday, April 22, at approximately 5:30 p.m. the three pictured suspects entered the Target store on Berlin Cross Keys Road, Gloucester Township police said. All three suspects gathered up merchandise and placed it into a cart, police said. A suspect with the pink coat exited the store and parked a silver Jeep SUV, with an unknown temporary NJ license plate and spare front right tire, out front of the store. The other two suspects approached the r…
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