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48°
Thursday, may 16
Police & Fire
NJ Postal Worker Admits Spending $54,000 On USPS Credit Cards
A post office worker in South Jersey admitted going on a $54,000 personal spending spree, buying power tools, gift cards, groceries and more with U.S. Postal Service plastic. Austin T. Mahan, 44, of Cape May Court House, was working at the Sea Isle and Somers Point facilities when he used postal service credit cards at retail stores in and around New Jersey over a six-month period beginning in 2022, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. "These purchases included thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards as well as various home décor items, home renovation materials, power and handhel…
Police & Fire
Police ID Electric Scooter Rider Struck, Killed On Route 1
A 22-year-old man on an electric scooter was struck and killed along Route 1 in Edison, authorities said. 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.
Police & Fire
Update
: Newark Woman, 21, Gets Dozen Years For Jersey City Robbery Spree, Clerk Shooting
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 21-year-old Newark woman is headed to federal prison for 12 years for her role in a violent robbery spree in Jersey City in which a fast-food clerk was shot in the chest. Siobhan Chandler will have to serve at least a decade before she'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system.Chandler had hoped for leniency when she took a deal from the government and admitted she was with ex-con Rodney Williams when he robbed a gas station and store at gunpoint and then shot a restaurant clerk during a third holdup last Nov. 14 Police captured bo…
Police & Fire
Disturbing Video Shows Infant Being Abused By 37-Year-Old NJ Woman, Police Say
Police have announced the arrest of a New Jersey woman seen in a disturbing video being circulated on social media. Multiple people called Trenton police on Wednesday, May 15, to report the video in which Vivian M. Harrell, 37, abuses an 8-week-old child, the department said. Harrell is seen covering an infant’s face, possibly blocking its airway, and speaking to the child in a vulgar and derogatory way, authorities said. Harrell was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The Division of Child Protection and Permanency is …
Police & Fire
Trafficker Who Mailed Hundreds Of Pounds Of Coke From PR To South Jersey, Philly Gets 10 Years
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A manager of a crew that purchased hundreds of pounds of cocaine in Puerto Rico that they shipped to South Jersey and Philadelphia via overnight mail was sentenced to a plea-bargained 10 years in federal prison. Philly resident Jose Gonzalez, 51, and his co-conspirators flew to San Juan on dozens of commercial flights from Philadelphia International Airport, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Phillip Sellinger said. They paid cash there for multi-kilo quantities of coke, then used overnight delivery from U.S. Post Office branches in San Juan to ship it to various addresses in Philade…
Police & Fire
Fugitive Hunters Bear No Responsibility For Accused Killer's Suicide In Newark Park: Grand Jury
UPDATE: A team of fugitive hunters bear no responsibility for the death of a Newark man who shot himself rather than be captured, a grand jury has found. Don Jones, 50, was wanted for a homicide in Union County when members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and city police chased him into West Side Park last Aug. 29, 2023. Jones pulled a handgun from his waistband, dashed to an open field and was surrounded by police, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Wednesday, May 15. He then dropped to his knees, pointed the firearm at his head and p…
Police & Fire
Jumper Survives Plunge Off Victory Bridge In Central Jersey: Police
A person who jumped from the Victory Bridge in Middlesex County miraculously survived on Wednesday, May 15, Daily Voice has learned. Marine units from Perth Amboy, Woodbridge, and the New Jersey State Police responded to the bridge that brings Route 35 over the Raritan River around 3:30 p.m., Sayreville Police Lt. James Novak said. They found the jumper — alive — and brought them to Raritan Bay Hospital in Perth Amboy. The jumper's name and injuries are unknown at this time. Ten years ago, fences were installed along the bridge to prevent suicides, NJ Advance Media reporte…
Police & Fire
'Patient Broker' From Balto Goes To Federal Prison For Preying On NJ Drug Addicts
A Baltimore man was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for paying people to bribe drug addicts in New Jersey to go to specific rehab centers -- some as far as California. John Devlin, 37, is one of seven people who took deals from the government and admitted participating in a plot to defraud health insurance companies through patient brokering in several states, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. The confessed schemers enlisted "recruiters" to pay users addicted to heroin and other drugs with "robust" private health insurance several thousand dollars to ent…
Police & Fire
Victim Who Withdrew $10K From VA Bank Followed By NJ Man Who Stole It, Cops Say
Warrants have been issued for a pair from New Jersey and New York who police said targeted a victim who withdrew a large amount of cash at a Virginia bank. Pedro Bernal Montoya, 43, of New Jersey, and Antonio Ramos Acevedo, 33, of New York, watched as the victim took out $10,000 from a Springfield, VA bank on March 21, at 3:13 p.m., Fairfax County police said. Police did not say where in NJ or NY the men were from. They then followed the victim to a shopping center, where they broke into their vehicle and stole the money, police said. Detectives obtained warrants for Montoya and Acevedo&nb…
Police & Fire
Exclusive
: Bergen Man Awaiting Trial For Child Porn Dies By Drinking Kerosene
An East Rutherford man awaiting trial on child porn charges took his own life by drinking kerosene in the parking lot of a machine shop in Ringwood, multiple sources told Daily Voice. Building employees found the body of Michael Thomas Scheuerman, 41, in his car around 7 a.m. Tuesday, May 14, according to a police report. "He burned himself from the inside," a law enforcement source said Wednesday. "He was found hugging another bottle, apparently in case the first didn't do the job." Ringwood officers who responded to Bach Tools on Executive Parkway early Tuesday found Scheuerman's body in…
Police & Fire
Construction Worker Killed In Trench Accident ID'd As Former Rutgers Wrestler, 29
The construction worker killed in a Kenilworth trench accident earlier this month has been identified as a 29-year-old former Rutgers University athlete. Corey Greg Stasenko, of Cranford, was killed on Monday, May 6, during a project on Monroe Street, Daily Voice has learned. Police at the time, without identifying the worker, said he was trying to install a storm drain in the back of a business using an excavator when he became trapped around 9 a.m. First responders attempted life saving measures but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Man, this really is heartbreak…
Police & Fire
School Bus Catches Fire In Sayreville
A school bus caught fire in Sayreville on Tuesday afternoon, May 14, authorities said. All seven passengers and the driver escaped safely, they said. Police and firefighters were at the scene of the fire reported at 3:55 p.m. on Louis Street, according to Lt. James Novak, a Sayreville police spokesman. Alternate arrangements were being made to bring the students home, Novak said. The cause of the fire had not been determined as of press time. Residents were urged to avoid the area.
Police & Fire
Trenton Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced In Jersey Shore Man's Overdose Death: Prosecutors
A Trenton man will spend several years in prison for his role in an Ocean County man's fentanyl overdose death, authorities said. Ryan Thompson, 35, was sentenced on Tuesday, May 14 to seven years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. He must serve nearly six years before he can be eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act. Thompson pleaded guilty on Monday, Mar. 4 to manslaughter in the death of a 55-year-old man in Berkeley Township. Police responded to a report of an unresponsive man in a home on Torrey Pines …
Police & Fire
Central Jersey Youth Soccer Coach Molested Players, Sent Sexual Photos, Prosecutors Say
A Monmouth County youth soccer coach has been accused of molesting two of his players and sending sexual pictures to several others, authorities said. Ryan Gunsauls, 32, of Union Beach, was arrested in Hazlet on Friday, May 11, The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced his arrest in a news release issued Tuesday, May 14. Investigators said one boy told police earlier in May that Gunsauls had been sending him "sexually explicit materials" and asking for them on social media. More victims between 11 and 17 years old were identified and interviewed. Prosecutors said Gunsauls sent…
Police & Fire
Kristen Drayton Killed In Crash
A 31-year-old Franklin Township resident was killed in a crash last week in Central Jersey. Kristen Drayton was identified as the driver of the southbound vehicle that had slammed into a tree on Route 27 near Reler Lane just after 8:05 a.m. on Thursday, May 9 in Franklin Township, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said. Drayton was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m., authorities said. A section of Route 27 was closed for approximately four hours, authorities said. The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Of…
Police & Fire
SWAT
Standoff
: Man Standing On Church Steeple Points Long Gun At Officers In Philly, Police Say
A barricade situation involving a man standing on a church steeple was unfolding Monday night, May 13 in Philadelphia, police said. Officers were dispatched to a church on the 700 block of E Cornwall Street around 8:15 p.m. for a man, believed be under the influence of drugs, standing on the steeple of a church, city police said. Google Maps Upon arrival, the man pointed a long gun at the officers, leading to the declaration of a barricade situation at 8:41 p.m., police said. The staging area is at G & Westmoreland, with SWAT and Tactical Air units on location. This is a devel…
Police & Fire
Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Juvenile Victim In NJ, Police Say
A 41-year-old Union man has been arrested on accusations he sexually assaulted a minor, authorities announced. Solomon Blay was arrested on Wednesday, May 8 in Newark and charged with one count first-degree kidnapping by unlawful confinement, one count first-degree aggravated sexual assault, one count second-degree sexual assault, one count third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and one count fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said. The arrest stemmed from a referral to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victi…
Police & Fire
'You Will All Die': FBI Seizes NJ Man Who Threatened White Massacre
FBI agents in New Jersey seized a discharged U.S. Marine who they said publicly threatened to massacre as many white people as he could. "I want to erase them," Joshua Cobb, 23, posted on social media, according to U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger. "All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can." Interviewed by law enforcement, Cobb admitted writing the posts and even identified what he'd considered potential targets, including a Jersey Strong gym and an Aldi grocery store in Robbinsville, the U.S. attorney said on Monday, May 13. He "also discussed hi…
Police & Fire
Truck Fire Brings Major Slowdown To NJ Turnpike
A truck fire stalled traffic along the New Jersey Turnpike in Middlesex County Monday, May 13. NDOT cameras show emergency response vehicles at the scene near milepost 84 and Interchange 9 in Edison as of 3:40 p.m. Truck fire on New Jersey Turnpike Outer Roadway southbound North of Interchange 9 - NJ 18 (New Brunswick) 1 Right lane and shoulder of 3 lanes blocked https://t.co/6SlxuQS3Ek — 511NJ TPK (@511njtpk) May 13, 2024 This is a developing story. Check back for details.
Police & Fire
'You Dead B***h': NJ Mom Shares Story Of Surviving Brutal Stabbing In Home Invasion
A Monmouth County woman is speaking about the night she was brutally stabbed by a teen boy who claimed he was high on psychedelic mushrooms. Brennan Doyle, now 28 years old, was sentenced to 15 years in state prison for attempted murder and carjacking, according to state Department of Corrections records. He pleaded guilty to the Tuesday, July 7, 2015 stabbing of Donna Ongsiako in her Colts Neck home. In an interview with CBS's "48 Hours", Ongsiako said she opened her door just after midnight to let her cat back in the house when she saw Doyle standing outside with a knife. "I tried to sla…
Police & Fire
Missing NYC Man Identified From Human Remains Found In South Jersey Woods: Prosecutors
A New York City man missing for more than a decade has been identified from human remains found in Atlantic County, authorities said. Kevin Morris was recently identified from the remains discovered in Galloway Township on Monday, June 7, 2021, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release on Monday, May 13. He was reported missing at 32 years old in Staten Island in October 2011. The skeletal remains were found in the woods at 187 South Pomona Avenue. The address is for the Pomona Gunning Club and is about a mile from the campus of Stockton University. Accordin…
Police & Fire
Landscaper Airlifted After Cutting Arm On Lawnmower In Somerset County: Police
A 33-year-old man was airlifted to a hospital after he cut his arm on a lawnmower in Somerset County on Wednesday, May 8, authorities said. At 3:15 p.m., officers responded to Mosle Rd. and South St. in Far Halls after a landscaper cut his arm with a zero turn walk behind lawnmower, Peapack & Gladstone police said in a release. The landscaper was bleeding heavily from his right arm and suffering from a severe traumatic laceration to his right forearm, police said. Officers applied a tourniquet to his right arm and applied additional pressure to stop the bleeding, police said. Additional…
Police & Fire
NJ State Trooper Who Died During Training Leaves Behind Wife, Daughter (
Service
Details
)
Arrangements have been finalized for New Jersey State Police Trooper II Marcellus E. Bethea, who died during training last week. Bethea, 33, had been training to join the TEAMS Unit, an emergency response unit "prepared to handle extra ordinary police emergencies," the NJSP website says. He died on Sunday, May 5. Gov. Phil Murphy said he died at headquarters in Ewing. It was not immediately clear how. According to his obituary, Bethea was born in Edison and grew up in Columbus, having graduated from Northern Burlington Regional High School in 2009 and Rowan Un…
Police & Fire
FedEx Driver Points Police To Bronx Thief On Quiet Bergen Street: Authorities
An alert FedEx driver pointed police in Waldwick to a Bronx man waiting on a quiet dead-end street for packages that he fraudulently had delivered there, authorities said. Officers Chris Sanchez, Dillon Sherman and Jake Wanamaker responded to her call and found the dark-colored sedan with Florida plates on Lee Court, just off Wyckoff Avenue, around 2 p.m. Friday, May 10, Lt. Troy E. Seifert said. They arrested the driver, Juan Soriano, 34, after Detective TJ Palaia discovered that he'd gone there to collect fraudulently ordered packages, the lieutenant said. Soriano, who lives 25 mile…
Police & Fire
Parent Picking Up Child At NJ School Arrested After Showing Up Hammered: Police
Police were called and a Montvale mom arrested when she showed up at her son's school hammered, authorities said. Mayowa Kubikisha, 28, "seemed a little off," according to staff, after she pulled into the parking at Memorial Elementary School after the end of the school day on Thursday, May 9, Montvale Police Chief Douglas McDowell said. They became concerned and called his officers, the chief said. They had reason to be: Kubikisha registered a blood alcohol level of 0.33%, he said, more than four times the legal limit to drive in New Jersey. "The child was never in danger and was no…
Police & Fire
Man Taken Into Custody In 'Active Distress'In Brick Township Dies At Hospital: AG
A man who police in Brick found "in a state of active distress" died at Ocean University Medical Center nearly 90 minutes later, authorities said. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office is reviewing the incident because state law and his own guidelines require him to investigate any death that follows an encounter with law enforcement. Preliminarily, Platkin said, it appears Brick Township officers handcuffed the man after finding him in the street in the area of Wisteria Drive and Vermont Drive, then brought him to a grassy area nearby and summoned EMS, shortly before 4:…
Police & Fire
1 Airlifted In Tractor Trailer Crash With 4 Other Vehicles On Route 78 (
Update
)
A crash between a tractor trailer and four passenger cars closed the westbound lanes of Route 78 in Hunterdon County for several hours on Thursday, May 9, authorities said. The crash at milepost 17.4 happened just after 3:40 p.m., and caused the tractor trailer to overturn, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said. Four occupants were hospitalized with minor injuries and one person was airlifted with minor non-life-threatening injuries, Lebron said. All westbound lanes were closed west of Exit 16 near Route 31 North in Clinton as of 4 p.m., the DOT said. As of 8:20 p.m., t…
Police & Fire
Thieves Throw Away 100+ Mayoral Campaign Signs In Central Jersey: Police
A mayoral candidate in a Monmouth County township had more than 100 campaign signs stolen from the ground and thrown away, authorities said. Howell Township police are investigating after about 130 signs for Republican mayoral candidate John Leggio were stolen, the department said in a news release on Thursday, May 9. The signs were taken on or around Tuesday, Apr. 23 and they were put in dumpsters behind Ramtown Plaza. Police shared two photos on Facebook of a 2018 to 2023 Toyota Camry suspected in the thefts. They also posted a 20-second video of a person taking a sign before being d…
Police & Fire
Woman From Infamous NJ Sheriff's Job Sting Busted For Burglarizing Post Offices
A woman who once made national headlines when she showed up for a job interview with the Hudson County Sheriff's Office only to be busted for nearly a dozen outstanding warrants was arrested for burglarizing a post office she'd been fired from, federal authorities said. Zyeama Johnson, 29, of Jersey City had been sacked by the U.S. Postal Service when she applied for a security guard's job with the county sheriff's office in the fall of 2022. She was also wanted on a fugitive warrant out of Monroe County, PA, and 10 outstanding traffic warrants out of Jersey City at the time. Johnson …
Police & Fire
NJ Flight Attendant Smuggled Millions In Drug Cash To The DR Through Special Airport Lane: Feds
A flight attendant from New Jersey smuggled $2.5 million of an estimated $8 million in drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic through a scheme that capitalized on flight crews’ easy access through airports, authorities charged. Charlie Hernandez, 42, of West New York and three other accused mile-high drug mules used code words such as “lotions” – meaning drug cash – and “los tigres” (for their drug-dealing partners), an indictment alleges. Each got a cut for slipping the cash through unscreened TSA security lanes for international commercial airline employees at JFK Air…
Police & Fire
Hoboken Murder Suspect Hid At Mom's House In Massachusetts, Sources Say
Details in the arrest of a man wanted in the slaying of a popular athlete in Hoboken, NJ, have come to light. Albert Morales, 33, was found at his mom's house in Chicopoee, MA, on Tuesday, April 30, according to sources with direct knowledge of the arrest. Morales, of North Bergen, NJ had been wanted in the cold-blooded killing of Damon "NuNu" Murray, 21, on Sunday, April 28, as previously reported by Daily Voice. According to a Daily Voice source, Morales' vehicle was picked up by a license plate reader on Monday, April 29 along Interstate 391 in Massachusetts. Local detectives discovered…
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