Fair 68°
Police & Fire
South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors
South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors A registered sex offender in Atlantic County will spend more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting a child, authorities said. Marcelino Cruz, 35, of Mullica Township, was sentenced on Tuesday, June 4 to 16 years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. A jury found him guilty on Wednesday, Feb. 7 of second-degree sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of child sexual abuse material. An investigation began when a 13-year-old's mother found disturbing text messages on the child's phone. Police co…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Central Jersey Man Sentenced In Fatal Hit-Run Crash Central Jersey Man Sentenced In Fatal Hit-Run Crash
Central Jersey Man Sentenced In Fatal Hit-Run Crash A 23-year-old man from Woodbridge has been sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for a fatal hit-and-run crash, authorities said. Antonio Rivera was sentenced on Monday, June 3 in connection with a fatal crash that occurred on August 31, 2023, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. At 5:40 p.m. that day, Woodbridge Police responded to the intersection of Woodbridge Center Drive and Plaza Drive following the report of hit and run.  Police found the victim, Kristen Bruschi, 45, of Fords who was struck by a black Ford Mustang while she …

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by Jon Craig
News
Giant Joro Spiders With 4-Inch-Long Legs Headed To NJ, Pest Control Company Previously Warned Giant Joro Spiders With 4-Inch-Long Legs Headed To NJ, Pest Control Company Previously Warned
Giant Joro Spiders With 4-Inch-Long Legs Headed To NJ, Pest Control Company Previously Warned Large yellow-and-gray spiders with 4-inch-long legs that can fly through the air are heading to the Northeast and could show up this summer, according to multiple reports. Sightings of the Trichonephila clavata species known as "Joro spiders" have already been reported in 10 Eastern states, CBS News says. A New Jersey pest control company in January had warned that this might happen. 4NJ Pest, based in Flanders, said the spiders act as "pest controllers" in their natural habitats, however, their introduction to not-native species could be detrimental to the balance of local ecosystems.…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
5 First Responders Injured In Massive Somerville Fire (UPDATE) 5 First Responders Injured In Massive Somerville Fire (UPDATE)
5 First Responders Injured In Massive Somerville Fire (Update) Sixteen people from eight different families were displaced and five responders were injured by a fire that swept through Somerville's downtown on Tuesday, June 4, officials said. Firefighters responded to West Main Street for the four-alarm blaze just after 2:30 p.m., the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said. A Somerville police officer and four firefighters suffered minor injuries, officials said. Everyone injured was released from a nearby hospital, authorities said. Two residents and commercial structures were heavily damaged. 6/4/2024 W. Main Street, Somerville Credit: S. Bi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Reality bit the ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Dina Manzo when he was convicted Tuesday of getting a mob soldier to throw her new beau a beating. Restaurateur Thomas Manzo, 59, who lives in the affluent Bergen County suburb of Franklin Lakes, rejected a plea deal from federal prosecutors and took his chances with a jury. That didn’t go so good. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Newark convicted Manzo on June 4 of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, along with conspiracy and falsifying documents during a grand jury investigation. Althou…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Apartment Maintenance Worker Who Stole $4,500, Smartwatch In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutor Apartment Maintenance Worker Who Stole $4,500, Smartwatch In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutor
Apartment Maintenance Worker Who Stole $4,500, Smartwatch In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutor A maintenance worker will spend nearly a year in jail after he was convicted of stealing $4,500 and a smartwatch at an Ocean County apartment complex, authorities said. Troy Jones, 58, of Jackson Township, was sentenced on Friday, May 31 to 364 days in the Ocean County Jail as a condition of a three-year probation term, county prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, June 4. A jury found him guilty on Wednesday, Mar. 20 after a nearly two-week trial. Jackson Township police responded to a reported theft at an apartment in The Ga…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
10-Year Prison Minimum Awaits NJ Catholic School Teacher Who Took Upskirts Of Girls In Class 10-Year Prison Minimum Awaits NJ Catholic School Teacher Who Took Upskirts Of Girls In Class
10-Year Prison Minimum Awaits NJ Catholic School Teacher Who Took Upskirts Of Girls In Class UPDATE: A North Jersey school teacher who took upskirt photos and videos of female students faces at least 10 years in state prison when he’s sentenced next month. Michael F. Wagner, 41, of Hopatcong took a deal from prosecutors rather than risk the potential outcome of a trial, admitting that he recorded female 8th graders of his at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta during class and collected child porn. In order to secure the agreement – and whatever leniency may come at his July 26 sentencing in Newton -- Wagner had to plead guilty earlier this month to first-degree child en…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Teen Drove Drunk, High On Marijuana In South Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger: Prosecutors Teen Drove Drunk, High On Marijuana In South Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger: Prosecutors
Teen Drove Drunk, High On Marijuana In South Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger: Prosecutors A Toms River teen was accused of driving while drunk and high on marijuana in a crash that killed one of her passengers, authorities said. Kailyn Gorga, 18, was charged on Friday, May 31 with vehicular homicide and assault by auto, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, June 4. Her charges were from an early morning crash in Manchester Township on Sunday, Apr. 14 that killed 18-year-old Catalina Reinoso of Brick Township. Manchester police responded to the one-car crash on Lacey Road in the Whiting section of the township at around 2:50 a.m. G…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Long Branch Woman Charged With DWI After NJ Transit Train Hits Empty Vehicle Long Branch Woman Charged With DWI After NJ Transit Train Hits Empty Vehicle
Long Branch Woman Charged With DWI After NJ Transit Train Hits Empty Vehicle A Long Branch woman was accused of driving while intoxicated after an empty vehicle was struck by a New Jersey Transit train, authorities said. North Jersey Coast Line train No. 4384 hit an unoccupied vehicle in Long Branch at around 8:59 p.m. on Monday, June 3, an NJ Transit spokesperson said. The vehicle was struck at the Cedar Avenue crossing between the Long Branch and Elberon stations. The train left the Bay Head station at 8:28 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Long Branch at 9:06 p.m. None of the 25 passengers or crew members were injured.  Investigators said Lisa Doren…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Aberdeen Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America Aberdeen Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America
Aberdeen Cocktail Bar Named Among Best In America A Monmouth County cocktail bar picked up another national recognition after just one year of serving specialty drinks. Esquire named La Otra in Aberdeen Township on its list of 42 Best Bars in America for 2024. The bar is next to its sister restaurant Lita on Route 34, and both businesses are run by chef David Viana and his girlfriend Neilly Robinson. Bar manager Ricardo Rodriguez has a more "free-wheeling" approach to mixology at La Otra, compared to the Iberian classics at Lita. "Like the best bars attached to restaurants, the drinks are on the culinary side, such as the Tzatziki, which …

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by Chris Spiker
Real Estate
Affordable Housing Complex With Fitness Center, Support Services Opening In South Jersey Affordable Housing Complex With Fitness Center, Support Services Opening In South Jersey
Affordable Housing Complex With Fitness Center, Support Services Opening In South Jersey A premium apartment complex promising affordable housing and resources in Manahawkin is close to welcoming its first residents, officials said. The first building of the Cornerstone at Grassy Hollow II is expected to open its first building in mid-September, the developer Walters said in a news release on Monday, June 3. Construction was on track to be completed for the community at 200 Back Road in November. The income-restricted development will have 34 one-to-three-bedroom apartments in two buildings. "Creating high-quality affordable housing that meets the needs of residents is a real …

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by Chris Spiker
Obituaries
IT Consultant, NJ Dad Suffers Stroke, Dies While Hiking, Campaign Says IT Consultant, NJ Dad Suffers Stroke, Dies While Hiking, Campaign Says
IT Consultant, NJ Dad Suffers Stroke, Dies While Hiking, Campaign Says Support is on the rise for the family of a 50-year-old New Jersey man who suffered a stroke and died on Friday, May 31. Umashankar Bandi was seemingly the epitome of health, having participated in Olympic qualifiers in rowing, run countless marathons, and conquered numerous sections along the Appalachian Trail, according to a GoFundMe campaign. "It was during one of these hikes that he experienced the heart attack," reads the campaign, launched by a group of friends of the Monmouth Junction dad, "a testament to his adventurous spirit and love for the great outdoors." Left to mourn his…

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by Jon Craig