Newark, NJ
Police & Fire
Fugitive Hunters Involved In Fatality In Newark Park: AG Fugitive Hunters Involved In Fatality In Newark Park: AG
Fugitive Hunters Involved In Fatality In Newark Park: AG UPDATE: What witnesses said was a fatal shooting involving law enforcement at West Side Park in Newark is being reviewed by state authorities. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office confirmed Wednesday night, Aug. 30, that members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and "additional local law enforcement agencies" were involved in the death of a man at the park on Tuesday. Attempts were made to revive the man, who the attorney general said was pronounced dead at 3:49 p.m. at nearby University Hospital. Platkin didn't identify the man. He also …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Jersey City, NJ
Police & Fire
UPDATE: New Details Emerge In Police Shooting Of Jersey City Man With Mental Health History UPDATE: New Details Emerge In Police Shooting Of Jersey City Man With Mental Health History
Update: New Details Emerge In Police Shooting Of Jersey City Man With Mental Health History One of a group of specially-trained Jersey City police officers shot and killed a knife-wielding city man after he charged at them in his apartment, authorities said. An EMS unit was the first to respond to 2:15 p.m. call at the Randolph Avenue residence in the Bergen-Lafayette section of the city on Sunday, Aug. 27, according to a release issued late Monday by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. "Upon arrival, they requested the assistance of the Jersey City Police Department," the attorney general said. Patrol officers arrived just before 2:30 p.m. and tried to communicate with …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Jersey City, NJ
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Jersey City Man With Mental Health History Shot By Police UPDATE: Jersey City Man With Mental Health History Shot By Police
Update: Jersey City Man With Mental Health History Shot By Police One of a group of specially-trained Jersey City police officers shot and killed a knife-wielding city man after he charged at them in his apartment, authorities said. An EMS unit was the first to respond to 2:15 p.m. call at the Randolph Avenue residence in the Bergen-Lafayette section of the city on Sunday, Aug. 27, according to a release issued late Monday by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. "Upon arrival, they requested the assistance of the Jersey City Police Department," the attorney general said. Patrol officers arrived just before 2:30 p.m. and tried to communicate with …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Jersey City, NJ
Police & Fire
Motorcyclist Fleeing Stop In Secaucus Crashes, Dies Motorcyclist Fleeing Stop In Secaucus Crashes, Dies
Motorcyclist Fleeing Stop In Secaucus Crashes, Dies A motorcyclist who fled a traffic stop in Secaucus died after colliding with another civilian's vehicle, authorities said. The as-yet-unnamed motorcyclist was stopped by a Hudson County sheriff's officer on County Avenue shortly before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The motorcyclist fled north on County Avenue, then struck an SUV at the Charles Street intersection, ejecting him, Platkin said. He was pronounced dead at Jersey City Medical Center at 1:13 p.m., the attorney said. The SUV's occupants weren't injured, he said. State law and hi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Edison, NJ
Police & Fire
DRUG FRAUD: Crimebusters Smash Statewide NJ Ring That Stole, Forged Prescriptions For Codeine DRUG FRAUD: Crimebusters Smash Statewide NJ Ring That Stole, Forged Prescriptions For Codeine
Drug Fraud: Crimebusters Smash Statewide NJ Ring That Stole, Forged Prescriptions For Codeine An elaborate drug fraud ring operating in more than half the counties in New Jersey stole doctors’ prescription pads as part of a scheme to stock up on opioid-boosted cough syrup, authorities charged. Medical offices in various parts of the state – including Wayne, Morristown and Bridgewater – were broken into by Divinete Jeffries, 30, of East Orange, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Jefferies snatched prescription pads that were then forged and given to accomplices who submitted them to various pharmacies using stolen IDs and bogus driver’s licenses, according to an indictment return…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Franklin Township, NJ
Police & Fire
NJ Officer Justified In Shooting Man Who Charged At Police Swinging Large Knife: Grand Jury NJ Officer Justified In Shooting Man Who Charged At Police Swinging Large Knife: Grand Jury
NJ Officer Justified In Shooting Man Who Charged At Police Swinging Large Knife: Grand Jury A Hillsborough police officer was justified in shooting a 19-year-old man who charged at him and his colleagues while swinging a large knife, authorities said. "Take your gun and shoot me," Joshua Mathis told several police officers before he charged at them and was shot dead in an apartment on Corporal Langon Way on Jan. 9. Bodycam videos released by Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office clearly captured the confrontation. Despite the circumstances, state law and his own guidelines required Platkin to investigate the incident and present it to a grand jury. The panel earlier this we…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Middletown, NJ
Police & Fire
Suspect Fleeing Pre-Dawn Home Invasion Dies In Crash With Long Branch Police Car: NJAG Suspect Fleeing Pre-Dawn Home Invasion Dies In Crash With Long Branch Police Car: NJAG
Suspect Fleeing Pre-Dawn Home Invasion Dies In Crash With Long Branch Police Car: Njag UPDATE: A passenger in a vehicle fleeing a home invasion died after a collision with a Long Branch police cruiser driven by an officer responding to the call, authorities said. The call of an armed break-in on Elmwood Avenue near MacArthur Avenue came in at 3:59 a.m. Monday, Aug. 14, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said Tuesday. "As officers were responding in marked police vehicles, one of the law enforcement vehicles was involved in a collision with a vehicle believed to be operated by a suspect from the reported incident," the attorney general said. Witnesses said the fleei…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Elizabeth, NJ
Police & Fire
Elizabeth Man In Domestic Dispute Swings Knife Before He's Shot By Officer, Video Shows Elizabeth Man In Domestic Dispute Swings Knife Before He's Shot By Officer, Video Shows
Elizabeth Man In Domestic Dispute Swings Knife Before He's Shot By Officer, Video Shows UPDATE: It was over in seconds. An Elizabeth police officer fired a single shot to neutralize a man who swung a long-bladed knife at him inside a multi-family home, video of what became a fatal encounter shows. Officer Steven Lazo and his partner were responding to a 911 call of an unwanted person involved in a dispute on Amity Street shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday, July 29, when the incident occurred. After entering through a front door, they moved through the house toward the sounds of a woman screaming in a rear room, where two men were trying to restrain Estiben Alegria-Hurtado, a 42-ye…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Villas-Lower Township, NJ
Legal
Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Reindicted For Scamming Health Benefits Program Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Reindicted For Scamming Health Benefits Program
Current, Former Wildwood Mayors, Commissioner Reindicted For Scamming Health Benefits Program State authorities rebounded from a dismissed case with a new indictment against Wildwood’s mayor, a former mayor, and a city commissioner on health fraud charges. Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury, Jr. cited a technicality in deep-sixing the state’s initial case against Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron, former Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. and current City Commissioner Steve Mikulski nearly six weeks ago. The judge left the door open for state prosecutors to take another crack at it. A grand jury, in turn, returned a new indictment that New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said “demonstrates …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Elizabeth, NJ
Police & Fire
Elizabeth Man, 42, Armed With Knife In Domestic Dispute Shot, Killed By Police Elizabeth Man, 42, Armed With Knife In Domestic Dispute Shot, Killed By Police
Elizabeth Man, 42, Armed With Knife In Domestic Dispute Shot, Killed By Police A civilian shot and killed by an Elizabeth police officer responding to a domestic dispute this past weekend had a knife, authorities said. Estiben Alegria-Hurtado, 42, of Elizabeth, was shot within a minute of the arrival of city police responding to a call of an "unwanted individual" on Amity Street shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday, July 29, a release from the office of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin on Wednesday says. Officers rendered aid to Hurtado, who was taken by an EMS unit to University Hospital in Newark, the release says.He was pronounced dead at 11:36 p.m. Sunda…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Edison, NJ
Police & Fire
Officer Not At Fault In Death Of Pedestrian Hit By Police Car On Route 18, NJ Grand Jury Finds Officer Not At Fault In Death Of Pedestrian Hit By Police Car On Route 18, NJ Grand Jury Finds
Officer Not At Fault In Death Of Pedestrian Hit By Police Car On Route 18, NJ Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A state grand jury has cleared an East Brunswick police officer who was responding to a crash when he struck and killed a 55-year-old Edison man as he stood on darkened Route 18 in the middle of the night. Julius Filep had gotten out of his disabled car after it struck debris scattered across the highway when a sleeping driver slammed into a utility pole on the northbound side shortly after 3:30 a.m. Aug. 1, 2021, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. A third vehicle, as well as an 18-wheel truck, drove over the debris, igniting fiery, arching electrical wires, the attor…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Marlton-Evesham, NJ
Police & Fire
Authorities ID Fleeing Motorcyclist Killed In South Jersey Crash Authorities ID Fleeing Motorcyclist Killed In South Jersey Crash
Authorities ID Fleeing Motorcyclist Killed In South Jersey Crash A motorcyclist lay dead and his passenger seriously injured in the middle of a South Jersey intersection following a crash during a police chase, footage released by state authorities shows. Despite the obvious circumstances, state law and administrative guidelines require New Jersey Attorney Matthew Platkin to investigate the death of John R. Nutt, 41, of Mount Laurel in Pemberton Township that early April evening. Platkin's office released video from both the dashcam of the pursuing officer and the bodycam of a colleague who arrived from the opposite direction after the crash. Also rele…

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by Jerry DeMarco