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Tuesday, apr 30
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Tuesday, apr 30
Police & Fire
Owner Of Exotic Candy Store, 33, Killed In NJ Crash
Friends and loved ones are remembering a 33-year-old Passaic County resident who was killed in a crash in Atlantic County, days after cutting the ribbon on his brand-new candy store. Craig Doka of Oak Ridge was found dead in a vehicle that was on fire off Route 30 in Absecon on Sunday, Apr. 28, according to the Absecon Police Department. He was 33 years old. According to his LinkedIn profile, Doku was the CEO of the website Order Exotic Snacks, which specializes in selling international foods and beverages. He also ran a store in Randolph called Exotic Sweets, which celebrate…
Police & Fire
Luis Alberto Serrano Diaz Perth Amboy Stabbing Jason Torres
A 24-year-old Perth Amboy man has been arrested for fatally stabbing a 32-year-old man he knew, authorities said. Luis Alberto Serrano Diaz has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and weapons offenses in connection with the death on Sunday, April 28, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Lawrence Cattano of the Perth Amboy Police Department said. At approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, police responded to Smith Street and Maple Street in Perth Amboy for a stabbing. Police found Jason Torres, of Perth Amboy, who had multiple stab wounds and had co…
Police & Fire
Big Purple NJ 'Bud Bus' Owner Arrested For Money Laundering, Deceptive Biz Practices: Cops
A 46-year-old Rockland County, NY man has been arrested for illegally selling marijuana out of a big purple van in New Jersey, authorities said. Bud Bus Inc. Founder William Schlette, of West Nyack, was charged with deceptive business practices, money laundering, and drug offenses, according to Warren County Prosecutor Anthony Picone. Two search warrants on Schlette's Bud Bus Inc, a van parked at 1077 State Highway 94 in Frelinghuysen Township, on March 7, culminated in the seizure of $1,900, a Ram Promaster van, a 2024 Loom trailer, suspected raw marijuana, and suspected cannabinoid i…
Police & Fire
Police ID Driver, 33, Killed In Fiery Atlantic County Crash
A Passaic County man died in a fiery crash in Atlantic County, authorities said. An Absecon officer saw the vehicle on fire off Route 30 near Delilah Road just before 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Apr. 28, the police department said in a news release. The vehicle was spotted near the former site of Bayview Motel. ALSO SEE: Owner Of Exotic Candy Store, 33, Killed In NJ Crash Craig Doka, 33, of Oak Ridge, was found dead inside the vehicle. Absecon firefighters also arrived and put out the flames. Doka's vehicle was the only one involved in the crash. Anyone who saw the crash or has information…
Police & Fire
NJ Driver, 33, In Deadly Hit-Run Made U-Turn Before Returning: Prosecutor
A Flemington man has been arrested in a deadly pedestrian crash, authorities in Somerset County said. Andres Estaban Silva, 33, was in a 2019 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck heading north on Veterans Memorial Drive and turning left onto Somerset Street in Somerville, when he struck a 72-year-old resident on Friday, April 26 around 6:10 p.m., Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Following the crash, Silva made a U-turn and fled east on Veterans Memorial Drive, McDonald said. It wasn't long before he returned to the scene and parked in a lot on Somerset Street near the crash site…
Police & Fire
Drivers Were 'Intoxicated' In NJ Crash That Killed Man, Ejected Toddler: Prosecutor
Two Monmouth County drivers were accused of being intoxicated during a deadly crash, authorities said. Zyasia Henson, 28, of Long Branch, and Edgar Marcial-Diaz, 32, of Red Bank, were charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and two counts of third-degree assault by auto. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced their charges in a news release on Monday, Apr. 29. Eatontown police responded to the crash at the intersection of Route 35 and Broad Street at around 7:50 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24. Marcial-Diaz was the only person in a 2002 Dodge Durango, whil…
Police & Fire
Hoboken Two-Sport Star Shot Dead: Rutgers Football Walk-On, 21, Returned Home To Help Family
A fugitive from North Bergen accused of shooting and killing a Rutgers University football walk-on from Hoboken who left school to care for his family was captured in Massachusetts on Tuesday, authorities said. Albert Morales, 33, will be extradited to New Jersey to face murder and illegal weapons charges in the cold-blooded killing of Damon Murray, 21, at a Hoboken public housing project shortly after 11:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Murray was pronounced dead of an abdominal gunshot wound after being brought to Jersey City Medical Center via a priv…
Police & Fire
Shot 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
Perth Amboy Fatal Stabbing Jason Torres
A 32-year-old man from Perth Amboy was stabbed to death Sunday, April 28, authorities said. Jason Torres was found collapsed at about 9 p.m. at Smith and Maple streets in Perth Amboy, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Lawrence Cattano of the Perth Amboy Police Department. Torres was taken to Hackensack Merdian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, they said. Anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area is asked to call Detective Jose Santiago of the Perth Amboy Police…
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
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
Fatal Stabbing Perth Amboy
There was a fatal stabbing Sunday night, April 28 in Perth Amboy, authorities said. The stabbing occurred near Smith and Maple streets, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed. UPDATE: Police ID Man, 32, Stabbed Dead In Perth Amboy An office spokeswoman said Monday, April 29 that a press statement was being prepared and was waiting on notification of next of kin. Perth Amboy local scoop posted video on Facebook of the crime scene.
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
Fire Destroys Pizzeria, Food Mart In Jersey Shore Town
Two Ocean County businesses are recovering after a major fire on Saturday, April 27. Photos show flames shooting from the roof of Jays Food Mart and Cuzzin's Pizzeria in the strip mall on Herbertsville Road. Firefighters say the blaze broke out around 5 p.m. Firefighters are operating at a 3rd alarm structure fire at Cuzzins Pizza on Herbertsville Rd. In Brick. Numerous... Posted by Jersey Coast Emergency News on Saturday, April 27, 2024
Police & Fire
Machete-Wielding Man Chases Another Driver Through Toms River, Crashes In Brick Township: Cops
A 29-year-old Beachwood man has been arrested in a Toms River road rage incident, police announced. The victim was stopped at a red light on Water Street around 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 when a man later identified as Austin Martinez pulled up in a Blue Jeep Liberty, and tapped on the window with a machete, police said. The victim tried to flee from Martinez, but he followed the victim to the Ocean County Mall, chasing them through the parking lot, Toms River police said. The victim called 911 and drove to the Toms River Police Department. The Jeep Liberty continued north on Ho…
Police & Fire
'Large-Scale' PA Burglary Ring Targeted Home In NJ: Prosecutors
Half a dozen people are charged in connection with a "large-scale" home burglary scheme, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office. At a press conference on Friday, April 26, prosecutors and law enforcement said an organized ring of thieves stole more than $160,000 in goods from homes in Lehigh, Berks and Northampton counties. They also targeted at least one home in Warren Township, New Jersey, authorities said. Beginning in 2019, a team of state and local police agencies began investigating burglaries and attempted burglaries in Allentown, Bethl…
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
Lawrence Green Marcus Hook Motorcyclist South Brunswick
Police in Central Jersey have identified the 38-year-old Pennsylvania motorcyclist killed in a Route 1 crash earlier this week. Lawrence Green of Marcus Hook, PA, was operating a Honda motorcycle near Major Road during the 7:40 a.m. crash on Tuesday, April 23, according to South Brunswick police. Green was driving on the shoulder of Route 1 northbound when he was struck by a Chevy Malibu attempting to merge onto the Major Road off-ramp, police said. Police did not release the name of the Chevy Malibu driver and no summonses had been issued. The investigation is still active and anyone wit…
Police & Fire
Curtis Bryant 3rd South River South Brunswick Route 535
South Brunswick police have released the name of the driver killed in a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday, April 23. Curtis Bryant 3rd, 65, of South River was driving a Nissan Maxima on Route 535 when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a utility pole, police said. The crash occurred just before 6 a.m. The investigation is still active and anyone with information is asked to call the lead investigator PFC Jason Gassman at (732) 329-4000 ext. 743.
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
New Brunswick Man Facing Murder Charges After Body Dumped In NYC: Prosecutor
The two men who killed a 46-year-old Somerset County resident and then dumped his body in Brooklyn last December were indicted on Thursday, April 25, with first degree murder, authorities said. A grand jury in Somerset County levied the indictments against Daniel Matthews, a 44-year-old Brooklyn resident, and and Andrew Mumby, a 47-year-old New Brunswick resident in the murder of Artis Young, a Franklin Township resident, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Franklin Township Public Safety …
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 Helmetta Admits Pepper-Spraying Police On Jan. 6
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
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
Jeffrey Munguia Sexual Assault Carteret Teacher
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
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
Driver Runs Red Light Causing Somerset County Crash: Police
A 32-year-old Hillsborough resident was injured in a car crash in Montgomery on the morning of Tuesday, April 23, when the driver of the other vehicle ran a red light, authorities said. At 7:35 a.m., a 2017 Mini Cooper was driven by a 40-year-old Princeton resident was heading westbound on Cherry Valley Road when it failed to stop for a red light and struck a 2023 Kia Forte that had entered the intersection going southbound on Great Road, Montgomery police said. The driver of a Kia complained of head pain and was evaluated on scene by EMS, police said. The Princeton resident was issued a su…
Police & Fire
NJ Couple Convicted Of Turning Immigrants Into Slaves
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
Child Porn Child Sex Deviant Edison HSI
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…
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