Stepdad Shot, Killed Waretown Woman's Baby Frenchie While She Was At BFF's Wedding, Owner Says
Nicole Guarino did what she had done dozens of times before: she left her dog with her mom and stepdad. But this time, the 1-year-old French bulldog, Ruby, would never come home.
Guarino’s husband, Nick Guarino, dropped their pup at the Lentz family’s home in Toms River on Oct. 3, 2025, before heading to Spring Lake, where Nicole was a bridesmaid in her best friend’s wedding.
Sometime during the celebration, Nick Guarino received a phone call from his stepfather-in-law.
Ruby was gone.
The Guarinos rushed from the wedding back to her mom and stepdad’s home, where Nicole said they handed he…
Woman Admits Stealing $544K From Maywood Senior Housing Facility, Feds Say
A Bergen County woman admitted to embezzling more than $544,000 from a residential senior housing facility where she worked, federal officials announced.
Elaine Benanti, 69, of Garfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo on Tuesday, Jan. 20, to embezzling, stealing, and obtaining by fraud more than $544,000 from the Maywood Senior Citizens Housing Corporation, which operates Lydecker Manor in Maywood, according to Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello.
From January 2017 through December 2021, Benanti served as the managing director of Lydecker Manor, a residential faci…
$12.3M Pick-6 Jackpot Sold At Waretown ShopRite As Winter Storm Rolls In
A $12.3 million Pick-6 jackpot was won by an New Jersey Lottery player just hours before a winter storm swept across the region Saturday, Jan. 24.
The winning ticket matched all six numbers — 07, 09, 10, 17, 25, and 30 — and was sold at ShopRite #619, located at 501 Route 9 in Waretown, according to the New Jersey Lottery.
The player chose the cash option, which carries a value of $5,602,036, lottery officials said. The Waretown ShopRite will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
“This weekend will surely be unforgettable for one particular Lottery player,” New Jersey Lot…
Suspended DWI Driver, 40, Kills Another Motorist In Head-On Toms River Crash: Prosecutor
An intoxicated Toms River man driving on a suspended license has been charged in a motor vehicle crash that killed a 76-year-old man Friday, Jan. 23 on Route 37, authorities said.
Jamie Doyle, 40, was heading west on Route 37 in a white Nissan Maxima when he struck Ronald Bucher, who was heading south on Romana Lane in a Chevrolet Trax, head-on, at approximately 8:50 p.m. at the Romana Lane intersection in Toms River, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Bucher, of Toms River, was extricated from the vehicle with significant injuries, the prosecutor said. Life-saving…
