VIDEO: Witness Recalls Young Water Skier's Drowning On Lake Hopatcong, Search Continues VIDEO: Witness Recalls Young Water Skier's Drowning On Lake Hopatcong, Search Continues
Video: Witness Recalls Young Water Skier's Drowning On Lake Hopatcong, Search Continues Police on Monday continued to search for a distressed Lake Hopatcong swimmer, identified by authorities as a 32-year-old Parsippany man. Avinash Kuna was water skiing on a pontoon boat with three friends in Jefferson when he fell, panicked and slipped out of his life jacket, according to state police and witness Tom Davis, who posted a video on YouTube. "Nobody jumped in the [expletive] water," he said. "Everyone's just screaming his name." Kuna had been under water for nearly 10 minutes when local police and dive teams arrived, Davis said. "Attempts to pull Kuna to safety were unsuc…
Warwick Driver Among Three Seriously Injured When Teen Tries Passing Car, Crashes Into Traffic Warwick Driver Among Three Seriously Injured When Teen Tries Passing Car, Crashes Into Traffic
Warwick Driver Among Three Seriously Injured When Teen Tries Passing Car, Crashes Into Traffic Three people, including an Orange County resident, were hospitalized with serious injuries sustained in a head-on crash in Jefferson, New Jersey, authorities said. Naiomy Rivera, 18 of Somerset, was headed eastbound on Berkshire Valley Road when she attempted to pass another car, striking a 2015 Honda CRV headed westbound head on around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jefferson Police Sgt. Joseph Kratzel said. Rivera, her 15-year-old passenger and the 29-year-old Honda driver from Warwick were all taken to Saint Clare's Denville and Dover with serious injuries, Kratzel said. The Morris County Pro…
3 Seriously Injured When Teen Tries Passing Car, Crashes Into Oncoming Traffic: Jefferson PD 3 Seriously Injured When Teen Tries Passing Car, Crashes Into Oncoming Traffic: Jefferson PD
3 Seriously Injured When Teen Tries Passing Car, Crashes Into Oncoming Traffic: Jefferson PD Three people were hospitalized with serious injuries sustained in a head-on Jefferson crash, authorities said. Naiomy Rivera, 18 of Somerset, was headed eastbound on Berkshire Valley Road when she attempted to pass another car, striking a 2015 Honda CRV headed westbound head on around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jefferson Police Sgt. Joseph Kratzel said. Rivera, her 15-year-old passenger and the 29-year-old Honda driver from Warwick, N.Y., were all taken to Saint Clare's Denville and Dover with serious injuries, Kratzel said. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Jeffers…
Lane Closures Planned On I-80 In Morris County Saturday Night Lane Closures Planned On I-80 In Morris County Saturday Night
Lane Closures Planned On I-80 In Morris County Saturday Night Lanes on I-80 in Rockaway, Roxbury and Jefferson will be closed overnight this weekend as part of the first phase of a bridge replacement project, the state Department of Transportation said.  One lane eastbound will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. and a second at 10 p.m. Later Saturday, a westbound lane will be closed, followed by a second westbound lane.  When the lanes are reopened Sunday morning, traffic on both sides will be shifted to the right shoulder so as to maintain three lanes in both directions while work begins in the center of the roadway. The lane configuration is ex…
FOUND! Search Team Finds Hopatcong Man Reported Missing By Wife FOUND! Search Team Finds Hopatcong Man Reported Missing By Wife
Found! Search Team Finds Hopatcong Man Reported Missing By Wife UPDATE: A search-and-rescue team that numbered in the dozens on Saturday found a 34-year-old Hopatcong man whose wife reported him missing the night before. Kevin Fawthrop was hospitalized for hypothermia after members of the Ramapo Search and Rescue Team and co-workers from Blue Diamond Waste Removal found him in a heavily wooded area about a mile and a half from his home, responders said. "He was confused, disoriented and hypothermia had set in," Hopatcong police said. Also participating in the five-square-mile search were Hopatcong police and firefighters, Jefferson firefighters, the Su…
North Jersey Communities Named To List Of 100 Safest Places To Live In America North Jersey Communities Named To List Of 100 Safest Places To Live In America
North Jersey Communities Named To List Of 100 Safest Places To Live In America Safewise put several Bergen, Morris and Passaic County communities on the map as the safest places to live in America using newly-released crime data. The website considered crime rates and what people in these areas fear the most to compile its list of 100 cities, which saw 504 total offenses in 2017, the report says. New Jersey claimed 30 percent of "America’s 100 safest cities" list while Connecticut took second place with 14, and two of those are in the top three. Assault was the most common violent crime, but more people fear robbery, according to the State of Safety. The sa…
Murphy's Proposed School Funding Plan Would Help, Hurt These North Jersey Districts Most Murphy's Proposed School Funding Plan Would Help, Hurt These North Jersey Districts Most
Murphy's Proposed School Funding Plan Would Help, Hurt These North Jersey Districts Most Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed education investment plan for New Jersey would give millions to underfunded districts -- but would also take away hundreds from those that are thriving (about $90 million altogether). State lawmakers will see Murphy's 2020 state budget proposal by June 30. If approved, these Bergen, Passaic and Morris county districts would benefit the most, according to preliminary figures (for complete list of New Jersey schools click here). The first figure is the 2019-20 aid, the percentage is the increase. South Hackensack: $345,738 (16.78 percent) Elmwood Park: $9,89…
Wayne Man Charged With Liability For User's Fentanyl, Heroin Death Wayne Man Charged With Liability For User's Fentanyl, Heroin Death
Wayne Man Charged With Liability For User's Fentanyl, Heroin Death A Wayne man initially arrested on a minor drug charge is facing much more severe consequences for providing the heroin and fentanyl that killed a Jefferson user, authorities said. Norberto Rodriguez, Jr., 20, is charged with strict liability for a drug-induced death, they said. Police found Eric Malmberg dead last June 21 after overdosing on drugs given to him by Rodriguez, authorities said. Under state law, someone who sells illegal drugs that kills the user can be charged with his or her death. Anyone convicted of the offense can be sentenced to from 10 to 20 years in state prison. A ple…
2 Charged With Assault By Auto, Terroristic Threats After Jefferson Bar Fight 2 Charged With Assault By Auto, Terroristic Threats After Jefferson Bar Fight
2 Charged With Assault By Auto, Terroristic Threats After Jefferson Bar Fight One man hit a Jefferson bar patron in the head with a beer bottle and another threatened to kill him and a companion before hitting their car at two separate intersections, authorities said. Geidi Munoz-Gonzales, 26, of Stockholm, wielded a knife while threatening to kill the victim and his companion after Ryan McCabe, 24,of Franklin, hit him with the bottle at Daily Planet on Feb. 16, Sgt. Joseph Kratzel said. The 25-year-old victim, who was cut on his forehead, left the bar with his friend, 28 but was followed by Munoz-Gonzales and McCabe, Kratzel said. The pair then rammed their car i…
Delayed Openings: These Morris County Schools Have Late Starts Wednesday Delayed Openings: These Morris County Schools Have Late Starts Wednesday
Delayed Openings: These Morris County Schools Have Late Starts Wednesday Rain and ice Tuesday night will make for slippery conditions Wednesday. These schools/districts will have delayed openings on Feb. 13: Butler Borough Public Schools 90-minute delay Craig School Boonton, Mountain Lakes 10 a.m. Dover Public Schools (check schedule) East Hanover 2-hour delay Edith Decker, Mount Arlington 2-hour delay Hanover Park Regional 90-minute delay Jefferson 2-hour delay Kinnelon 90-minute delay Lincoln Park 2-hour delay Madison 2-hour delay Mendham 2-hour delay Montville Twp 2-hour delay Morris Hills Regional 2-hour delay Morris Plains 2-hour delay Mount Arlington Publ…
Jefferson Apartment Destroyed By Fire; Dog Home Alone Survives Jefferson Apartment Destroyed By Fire; Dog Home Alone Survives
Jefferson Apartment Destroyed By Fire; Dog Home Alone Survives A dog that was home alone survived a Jefferson house fire Friday. Police responded to a rental unit behind  Chabons Liquor & Bar on Espanong Road on reports of smoke just before 10:30 p.m., local police said. A dog that was home alone ran out the front door as Jefferson Township Fire companies put out the blaze, police sergeant Joseph Kratzel said. An investigation found that the fire may have been caused by hot ash outside of the window, Kratzel said. The apartment suffered significant damage, making it inhabitable, police said. Jefferson Township OEM as…
DELAYED: These Morris County Schools Have Delayed Openings Thursday DELAYED: These Morris County Schools Have Delayed Openings Thursday
Delayed: These Morris County Schools Have Delayed Openings Thursday Sub-zero wind chills and extreme cold has prompted delayed openings for many Morris County schools Thursday. Calais School, Whippany  Celebrate the Children, Denville Chancellor Academy, Pompton Plains Chapel Hill Academy, Lincoln Park Craig High School, Boonton and Mountain Lakes Denville Public Schools Dover Public Schools Jefferson Public Schools Lincoln Park Public Schools Madison Public Schools Morris Hills Regional, Rockaway Morris School District, Morristown Mount Arlington Elementary  Netcong Elementary Randolph Public Schools Rockaway Public Schools Ro…