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Police & Fire
Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money
Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money š—Øš—£š——š—”š—§š—˜: 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. Prosā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors
Gas Attendant Stole Thousands From Customers At Central Jersey Wawa: Prosecutors A former Monmouth County gas station attendant was accused of stealing thousands of dollars from customers, authorities said. Patrick Brown, 48, of Newark, was indicted by a grand jury on 52 counts, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced in a news release on Wednesday, Apr. 24. He was charged with 13 counts each of third-degree credit card fraud, third-degree false uttering, third-degree theft, and fourth-degree credit card theft. Freehold Township police said the thefts at the Wawa on Route 9 North happened "during a limited amount of time" in August 2023. Broā€¦

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
WATCH THIS: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian WATCH THIS: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian
Watch This: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian An enraged New Jersey driver was recorded trying to run down a shirtless man in broad daylight on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk. The wild road rage pursuit continued up West 39th Street near Seventh Avenue before the driver left his Ford Taurus with three wheels on the sidewalk and confronted his target, footage shared by What Is New York on Instagram shows. "Call the cops! Calls the cops!" the man shouts. The pedestrian -- whose pants are down around his thighs, exposing red boxer shorts -- responds, then tries to duck into a building. A man at the door shoves him back onto the street. Tā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate š—Øš—£š——š—”š—§š—˜: Police were reviewing security video to determine who's responsible for a threat specifically mentioning Blacks and Hispanics that was found scrawled on a bathroom wall at Dwight-Englewood School. The K-12 school was closed on Wednesday, April 24, following the discovery earlier in the week of a message that investigators said threatens to "get even." The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office was alerted and police in Englewood are working the case, assisted by the county sheriff's forensics team, which collected evidence. "There's concern right now considering what just recently transā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Pedestrian Struck, Killed In South Amboy Pedestrian Struck, Killed In South Amboy
Pedestrian Killed South Amboy A 75-year-old pedestrian from South Amboy was struck and killed in a crash last week, authorities said. The man's name has not been released pending notification of next of kin, South Amboy police said on Wednesday, April 24. On Wednesday, April 17 at approximately 4:15 p.m. South Amboy police responded to the intersection of South Broadway and John Street for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Police found a male victim lying in the roadway and began life-saving efforts. The victim was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital where he was pronounced dead, pā€¦

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff'
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' A SWAT team and other tactical units responded to a Mahwah home Tuesday afternoon after a resident expressed concern over suicidal comments she told police her husband had made, authorities confirmed. Fortunately, they weren't needed. The woman went to police headquarters early Tuesday afternoon, April 23, concerned over her husband's response when she said she was leaving him, responders said. A quick check determined that there are weapons in the home in the northeast section known as Cragmere near the Rockland County border. Out of "an overabundance of caution," Mahwah Police Chief Timā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Motorcyclist Killed In Route 1 Crash, 2nd Fatal In Same Day In South Brunswick Motorcyclist Killed In Route 1 Crash, 2nd Fatal In Same Day In South Brunswick
Motorcyclist Killed Route 1 South Brunswick Two people were killed in separate crashes in South Brunswick including a motorist from South River and a motorcyclist from Pennsylvania, authorities said. At 5:56 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, officers were alerted to a single-car crash on Route 535.  The preliminary investigation shows a Nissan Maxima, operated by a 65-year-old man from South River, left the roadway and struck a utility pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and his identity is being withheld until notification is made to next of kin.  The investigation is still active and anyone with information is askedā€¦

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Organs Of NJ Crash Victim Will Help 9 Others Live: Family Organs Of NJ Crash Victim Will Help 9 Others Live: Family
Organs Of NJ Crash Victim Will Help 9 Others Live: Family An Ocean County woman died from her injuries in a crash and donated her organs to potentially save several people's lives, her family said. Catalina Reinoso was declared "brain dead" at around 2:19 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 19, according to an update to Catalina's GoFundMe page posted by Valentina Reinoso on Monday, Apr. 22. Catalina 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. The Brick Township woman's family made a heartbreaking decision to donate Catalina's organs. Valentina Reinoso wrote that Catalinā€¦

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
COLD CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech COLD CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech
Cold CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech UPDATE: Leroy Julious had planned on whipping up a celebratory dinner after cashing a bonus check from his cook's job at The College of New Jersey when his brutally beaten body was found in a gravel lot across the street from his Ewing home. Julious's murder went unsolved for 16 years -- until authorities announced that technological advances and a shared mission among various agencies and law enforcement forensic experts cracked the cold case. Breyon Goodman, 36, of Trenton, and Jason Howard, 41, of Providence, R.I. killed Julious during a robbery near his Ewing home on May 9, 2008, tā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
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
Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism Islamophobia Jacob Beacher 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 duringā€¦

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Pennsylvania BMW Driver, 30, Struck, Killed After Crash Along NJ Turnpike Pennsylvania BMW Driver, 30, Struck, Killed After Crash Along NJ Turnpike
Pennsylvania BMW Driver, 30, Struck, Killed After Crash Along NJ Turnpike A 30-year-old Pennsylvania man standing along the side of the New Jersey Turnpike after a collision was struck and killed by a passing car early Monday, April 22, authorities said. Alton Smith, of Levittown, PA, had bee driving a BMW 328i when he got into a crash with another BMW around 2:20 a.m. in Robbinsville, New Jersey State Police said. Smith was standing outside of his vehicle on the southbound side of the highway near milepost 64.1 on the inner roadway, when a passing Hyundai struck him and the back of his car, police said. Smith died while the driver of the Hyundai sustaā€¦

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Authorities Identify 3 Killed In Fiery Route 1 Crash In South Brunswick Authorities Identify 3 Killed In Fiery Route 1 Crash In South Brunswick
Charisse Nelson-Bailey Daniel Vida Maria Passalaris 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 victimā€¦

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by Jon Craig