Jersey City, NJ
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Exec Fired By NJ Company After Maternity Leave, Breastfeeding Request Gets $195,000 Settlement Exec Fired By NJ Company After Maternity Leave, Breastfeeding Request Gets $195,000 Settlement
Exec Fired By NJ Company After Maternity Leave, Breastfeeding Request Gets $195,000 Settlement A Hudson County company agreed to pay $195,000 to a former executive who was fired after taking maternity leave and seeking breastfeeding accommodations when she returned, state authorities said. The marketing director was on federal leave time when VCNY Home, a North Bergen-based manufacturer and importer of bedding, bath textiles and other home products, told her she couldn't take an additional 12 weeks allowed under state law to bond with and care for her newborn, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. VCNY contended that the time she was taking under the federal Fam…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Hamilton Township, NJ
News
NJ Attorney General Co-Leads National Probe Into Whether TikTok Harms Kids, Teens, Young Adults NJ Attorney General Co-Leads National Probe Into Whether TikTok Harms Kids, Teens, Young Adults
NJ Attorney General Co-Leads National Probe Into Whether TikTok Harms Kids, Teens, Young Adults New Jersey law enforcers are co-leading a multi-state investigation into whether TikTok puts youngsters at physical and emotional risk, Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced. The probe centers on what Platkin called techniques used by TikTok to "increase both the frequency and duration of engagement by young users – children, teenagers and young adults – and on the potential harms that may result from such engagement." It will also explore "what TikTok knows about such harms," the attorney said in announcing the endeavor on Wednesday, March 2. A coalition of attorneys genera…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Edison, NJ
News
Authorities ID Man Killed In Police-Involved Shooting In Plainsboro Authorities ID Man Killed In Police-Involved Shooting In Plainsboro
Authorities ID Man Killed In Police-Involved Shooting In Plainsboro UPDATE: Authorities identified a man who was shot and killed by a Middlesex County sheriff's detective outside a Plainsboro housing complex earlier this month as resident Atiba Lewis, 45. The shooting occurred on Ravens Crest Drive at the Crest at Princeton Meadows Apartment Complex off Plainsboro Road between Routes 1 and 130 during what witnesses said began as the serving of an eviction notice around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16. "Law enforcement officers, including members of the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, were outside a residence when they encountered Mr. Lewis," Acting New Jer…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
News
Authorities Smash Atlantic City-Based Operation That Trafficked Guns, Drugs Authorities Smash Atlantic City-Based Operation That Trafficked Guns, Drugs
Authorities Smash Atlantic City-Based Operation That Trafficked Guns, Drugs Authorities seized nine guns, 14 large-capacity ammo magazines, seven bricks of heroin and more in the takedown of a crew that they said sold large amounts of drugs and guns in and around Atlantic City. Four men were arrested following a joint investigation by local, state, county and federal law enforcers that included nearly two dozen undercover buys of heroin, fentanyl, meth and firearms, Acting Attorney New Jersey General Matthew J. Platkin announced Thursday, Feb. 24. Arrested were: Ricardo Lugo Jr., 21, of Egg Harbor Township; Jamal M. George, 26, of Mays Landing; Rashawn S. Parks, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Marlton-Evesham, NJ
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NJ Correctional Officer Admits Assaulting, Breaking Wrist Of Detainee, 16, With No Cause NJ Correctional Officer Admits Assaulting, Breaking Wrist Of Detainee, 16, With No Cause
NJ Correctional Officer Admits Assaulting, Breaking Wrist Of Detainee, 16, With No Cause UPDATE: A retiring New Jersey correctional officer admitted breaking the wrist of a detainee during an unprovoked attack at a state facility for juvenile offenders, authorities said. Lt. Edward Day, 52, of Paulsboro, assaulted the 16-year-old without cause or justification at the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission's medium-security facility in Bordentown on Oct. 25, 2020, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The boy had his arms handcuffed behind his back during a transfer from his room to another location at the facility when Day "grabbed the victim’s ankle from …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Paterson, NJ
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CLEAN SHOOT: Passaic Sheriff's Sergeants Legally Killed Suspect Who Pulled, Pointed Gun CLEAN SHOOT: Passaic Sheriff's Sergeants Legally Killed Suspect Who Pulled, Pointed Gun
Clean Shoot: Passaic Sheriff's Sergeants Legally Killed Suspect Who Pulled, Pointed Gun A trio of Passaic County sheriff’s sergeants were justified in shooting a man who’d pulled a gun and pointed it directly at them following a foot chase in Paterson, a state grand jury has found. A gunshot detection sensor brought city police and sheriff’s officers to Park Avenue near Straight Street shortly after 1 a.m. on May 23, 2020. No victim was found, but police did recover three 9mm casings. A short time later, sheriff’s Sgts. Americo Escobar, Helman Fava and Jose Vargas spotted a large group of people gathered at Summit Street and Park Avenue. Attention there was focused on a man …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Paterson, NJ
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Dealer Who Produced Deadly Opioids In Basement Across From Paterson Mayor's Home Gets 10 Years Dealer Who Produced Deadly Opioids In Basement Across From Paterson Mayor's Home Gets 10 Years
Dealer Who Produced Deadly Opioids In Basement Across From Paterson Mayor's Home Gets 10 Years A dealer who produced lethal opioids in a fortified basement drug mill across the street from the mayor of Paterson's house was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, authorities said. Silk City police had seized 17,000 folds of heroin and fentanyl -- as well as packaging and distribution materials -- while arresting Rafael “Chiquito” Brito and his girlfriend, Rosanny Prado, during a March 2020 raid on their East 36th Street residence across from Mayor Andre Sayegh's home. The drugs were linked to at least 10 overdose deaths of both local and suburban buyers, authorities said at the time. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Edison, NJ
News
Officer-Involved Shooting At Apartment Complex Near Princeton Undergoes State Review Officer-Involved Shooting At Apartment Complex Near Princeton Undergoes State Review
Officer-Involved Shooting At Apartment Complex Near Princeton Undergoes State Review A knife-wielding man was shot and killed by law enforcement officers at a Plainsboro housing complex, state authorities said. The shooting occurred on Ravens Crest Drive at the Crest at Princeton Meadows Apartment Complex off Plainsboro Road between Routes 1 and 130 during what witnesses said began as the serving of an eviction notice around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16. "Law enforcement officers, including members of the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, were outside a residence when they encountered the decedent," Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. "During …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Jersey City, NJ
News
NJ-Based Crypto Firm Will Pay SEC, States Unprecedented $100M Penalty NJ-Based Crypto Firm Will Pay SEC, States Unprecedented $100M Penalty
Nj-based Crypto Firm Will Pay SEC, States Unprecedented $100M Penalty A Jersey City-based cryptocurrency company will pay a record $100 million to settle alleged violations of investor-protection laws, state and federal authorities jointly announced. BlockFi Lending LLC neither admitted nor denied any wrongdoing when it agreed to the highest fine ever by a cryptocurrency company, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Monday, Feb. 14. However, it did take a different course than many of its crypto rivals by not fighting the fine. Of the total, $50 million will be paid to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and up to $50 millio…

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by Jerry DeMarco