Fog/Mist 48°
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism
Gotcha! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism UPDATE: An elite law enforcement team captured a 24-year-old local man on Monday who authorities said broke in and trashed the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick earlier this month. Jacob Beacher was due for an initial afternoon appearance on federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court in Newark on April 22. Beacher broke into the CILRU shortly after 2:30 a.m. April 10 and did an estimated $40,000 worth of damage, state and federal authorities said. It was during the Eid-al-Fitr -- the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Five Men Arrested On Drug Charges As Atlantic City Police Target Areas Of Violence Five Men Arrested On Drug Charges As Atlantic City Police Target Areas Of Violence
Five Men Arrested On Drug Charges As Atlantic City Police Target Areas Of Violence Five men were arrested in Atlantic City during a police operation targeting areas of violence, authorities said. In a news release, Atlantic City police said detectives conducted surveillance in the first block of South Florida Avenue on Thursday, Apr. 18. Four men were arrested for having or selling drugs. Isaiah Brown, 19, of Atlantic City, was taken into custody after running away from police. Once he was arrested, he continued to be uncooperative and struggled with detectives. Because of statements Brown made to police, he was brought to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Cente…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Authorities ID Three Young Adults Killed In Fiery Route 1 Crash Authorities ID Three Young Adults Killed In Fiery Route 1 Crash
Authorities ID Three Young Adults Killed In Fiery Route 1 Crash Authorities have identified the three people killed in a fiery crash on Route 1 in South Brunswick earlier this month. Charisse Nelson-Bailey, 24, Daniel Vida, 28, and Maria Passalaris, 25, all died in the Friday, April 12 crash near Ridge Road, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said. Just after the 9:40 a.m. accident, police said a van had been struck by a tractor-trailer before the van collided with two other vehicles. Both the tractor-trailer and van then caught fire.  Nelson-Bailey, of Princeton Junction, was identified as the van's driver. The other two victim…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Toms River Man Who Had 1K+ Child Porn Pictures Facing More Charges: Prosecutors Toms River Man Who Had 1K+ Child Porn Pictures Facing More Charges: Prosecutors
Edward Lynch Of Toms River Charged A Toms River man is facing more charges after investigators claimed he used several apps to distribute child pornography, authorities said. Edward Lynch, 52, was charged on Sunday, Apr. 21 with distribution of child pornography and an additional count of possession of child pornography, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. Lynch was previously charged with possession of child pornography about eight months earlier. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received tips about someone downloading pictures of child pornography on the in…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Three Teens Crashed Stolen Vehicle In Atlantic City: Police Three Teens Crashed Stolen Vehicle In Atlantic City: Police
Three Teens Crashed Stolen Vehicle In Atlantic City: Police Three teens from Galloway were accused of crashing a stolen vehicle in Atlantic City, authorities said. The boys were arrested on Friday, Apr. 19, the Atlantic City Police Department said in a news release on Monday, Apr. 22. The teens are 17, 16, and 15 years old. The city's automatic license plate reader system detected that a vehicle stolen from Neptune entered Atlantic City from Route 30 at around 4:51 p.m. Officers tried to stop the vehicle but the driver sped away and the pursuit was ended "due to the safety of the public." The city's surveillance center spotted the vehicle…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Plainfield School Employee Pocketed $13K Meant For Program: Complaint Plainfield School Employee Pocketed $13K Meant For Program: Complaint
Plainfield School Employee Pocketed $13K Meant For Program: Complaint An employee with the Plainfield School District and a board of education trustee in Montgomery was arrested last month and charged with stealing money meant for a school program, authorities said. Between March 2021 and May 2023, Zelda Spence-Wallace, 54, pocketed $13,000 meant for the Plainfield Board of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Center Program and used it for her own personal gain, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Daily Voice. Spence-Wallace was charged with theft by deception and theft of moveable property. The mother of five served as project director for…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Family Of Eight Displaced After Central Jersey House Fire Family Of Eight Displaced After Central Jersey House Fire
Family Of Eight Displaced After Central Jersey House Fire A family of eight people was displaced after a home caught fire in Monmouth County, authorities said. Manalapan police responded to the fire at a home on Paddington Court at around 7:38 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 19, a department spokesperson said. Flames and smoke were reportedly coming from the house's laundry room. Firefighters from Gordons Corner, Englishtown, Freehold, and Marlboro were able to put out the fire. No injuries were reported. The New Jersey chapter of the American Red Cross said a family of eight was displaced. Volunteers were helping the family with immediate needs like tempor…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Jackson Man Drunkenly Crashed Pickup Into Tree, Injuring Two People In Toms River: Prosecutors Jackson Man Drunkenly Crashed Pickup Into Tree, Injuring Two People In Toms River: Prosecutors
Erick Perez-Ramirez Charged An Ocean County man was accused of driving drunk in a crash that injured two people, authorities said. Erick Perez-Ramirez, 40, of Jackson Township, was arrested after the crash on Saturday, Apr. 20, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. Perez-Ramirez was charged with two counts of assault by auto. Toms River police responded to the crash near the intersection of Bay Avenue and Ethan Court at around 4:45 a.m. Perez-Ramirez drove a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado with three passengers from Toms River. Investigators said Perez-Ramirez failed to m…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Arrested For Cutting Another's Fingers Off In Central Jersey: Police Man Arrested For Cutting Another's Fingers Off In Central Jersey: Police
Man Arrested For Cutting Another's Fingers Off In Central Jersey: Police A 24-year-old man has been arrested for slashing a man and cutting off some of his fingers during an attack under the Victory Bridge in Perth Amboy, authorities said. Ziyare Palmer, of Perth Amboy, was charged with attempted murder, weapons offenses and motor vehicle theft in what Perth Amboy police described as a domestic violence assault. Palmer attacked a 39-year-old Woodbridge man at about 11:15 p.m. on April 14, police said. The victim was yelling for help when police arrived. He was brought to an area hospital. “This incident was a targeted act of domestic violence, and there is no …

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Teenage Driver Struck By School Bus After Running Red Light: Montgomery Police Teenage Driver Struck By School Bus After Running Red Light: Montgomery Police
Teenage Driver Struck By School Bus After Running Red Light: Montgomery Police A 19-year-old Skillman resident ignored a red light and was hit by a school bus in Montgomery on the afternoon of Friday, April 19, authorities said. At 3 p.m., a white Acura was traveling west on Skillman Road when it failed it to stop for the red traffic signal at the intersection of Route 601, Montgomery police said. The Acura entered the intersection and was struck by a small school bus traveling south on Route 601, police said. After striking the Acura, the school bus impacted the traffic signal on the southwest corner of the intersection, police said. First responders evaluated the si…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Brick Township Woman 'Deceased For 17 Minutes' Revived, In ICU After Manchester Crash: Campaign Brick Township Woman 'Deceased For 17 Minutes' Revived, In ICU After Manchester Crash: Campaign
Catalina Reinoso GoFundMe UPDATE (Tuesday, Apr. 22 at 9:40 a.m.): Catalina Reinoso's family has confirmed she has died and her organs were donated to potentially save nine people's lives. You can click here to read the updated story. --- A woman was revived after suffering brain trauma in an Ocean County crash and was fighting for her life in a hospital, according to a fundraising campaign. Catalina Reinoso was airlifted to a trauma center hospital after the crash on Lacey Road in Manchester Township at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 14, a GoFundMe page said. Reinoso's Facebook profile said she is from Brick T…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Early Morning Crash Injures Person, Snaps Utility Pole In Point Pleasant Beach Early Morning Crash Injures Person, Snaps Utility Pole In Point Pleasant Beach
Early Morning Crash Injures Person, Snaps Utility Pole In Point Pleasant Beach A person was injured after a car crashed near the Ocean County beachfront and broke a utility pole, officials said. In a Facebook post, the Ocean Fire Company said it responded to the crash near the intersection of North Ocean and Washington avenues early in the morning on Saturday, Apr. 20.  Police arrived at the scene and confirmed one SUV was involved in the wreck. A photo from Ocean Fire Company showed the utility pole split into two pieces and severely bending. One person was treated at the scene for their injuries. The SUV was removed from the area and emergency crews cleared t…

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by Chris Spiker