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Police & Fire
Shot Fired In Photo Booth At Urban Air, Police Seize Boys 12, 15 Shot Fired In Photo Booth At Urban Air, Police Seize Boys 12, 15
Shot Fired In Photo Booth At Urban Air, Police Seize Boys 12, 15 A steel plate prevented a potential tragedy at Urban Air in South Hackensack when a loaded gun brought into a photo booth by two boys -- one 12, the other 15 -- went off, authorities said. "If not for the steel plate, the round could have gone through the machine and struck an innocent victim," South Hackensack Police Detective Sgt. James Donatello said.  The 6:30 p.m. shooting on Sunday, April 28, was another in a series of incidents that have recently drawn a massive law enforcement response to the all-ages Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park just off westbound Route 80. Surve…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bagel Break-In: Burglar Shatters Window, Opens Cash Register At South Jersey Shop (VIDEO) Bagel Break-In: Burglar Shatters Window, Opens Cash Register At South Jersey Shop (VIDEO)
Bagel Break-In: Burglar Shatters Window, Opens Cash Register At South Jersey Shop (Video) Police are looking for whoever was seen on surveillance video breaking into an Ocean County bagel shop. The break-in happened at All Star Bagel on Route 37 in Manchester Township at around 12:24 a.m. on Friday, Apr. 26. Manchester police shared video from inside the shop in a Facebook post. In the 16-second video, the suspect was seen shattering the front glass door and setting off the security alarm. The suspect then ran behind the counter and opened the cash register's drawer. Police didn't say how much money was stolen or if anything else was taken. Investigators were working to le…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Ex-Convict Found With 17K+ Bags Of Heroin, Loaded Gun In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutors Ex-Convict Found With 17K+ Bags Of Heroin, Loaded Gun In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutors
Ex-Convict Found With 17K+ Bags Of Heroin, Loaded Gun In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutors An ex-convict from Atlantic County will spend several years in prison after admitting to selling heroin, authorities said. Alfred Fuller, 49, of Galloway Township, was sentenced on Thursday, Apr. 25 to ten years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. He pleaded guilty in December 2023 to first-degree possession with intent to distribute heroin and second-degree certain persons not to possess a weapon.  Prosecutor's office detectives executed search warrants at Fuller's home, two units at Clayton Self Storage, and Fuller’s bl…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Fire Nearly Destroys Central Jersey Family's Home: 'The Loss Is So Great' Fire Nearly Destroys Central Jersey Family's Home: 'The Loss Is So Great'
Fire Nearly Destroys Central Jersey Family's Home: 'The Loss Is So Great' A Monmouth County family's home was nearly destroyed by a fire, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page said the house in the Paddock Club in Marlboro caught fire on Thursday, Apr. 25. No one was reported injured but the Ditillo family's home and possessions "were almost completely destroyed." The GoFundMe had raised more than $55,000 from at least 714 donations as of Monday, Apr. 29. "The Ditillo family are known for their kindness and community spirit," wrote Alex Worth, a neighbor who created the GoFundMe. "They have always been the first to offer help to others in need. No…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Former Code Enforcement Officer Who Stole $75K From Jersey Shore City Indicted: Prosecutors Former Code Enforcement Officer Who Stole $75K From Jersey Shore City Indicted: Prosecutors
Former Code Enforcement Officer Who Stole $75K From Jersey Shore City Indicted: Prosecutors A former code enforcement officer in Ventnor City was accused of stealing more than $75,000 in payments for city permits, authorities said. Michelle Calderon, 37, of Egg Harbor Township, was indicted on six counts on Thursday, Apr. 11, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a news release on Monday, Apr. 29. She was charged on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Investigators said Calderon kept cash that taxpayers and businesses gave to Ventnor City for permits. She was accused of pocketing more than $75,000 and altering the balance sheets to cover up the stolen m…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Formerly Of Paterson Convicted Of Selling Fentanyl To Federal Operative At Jersey Shore Ex-Con Formerly Of Paterson Convicted Of Selling Fentanyl To Federal Operative At Jersey Shore
Ex-Con Formerly Of Paterson Convicted Of Selling Fentanyl To Federal Operative At Jersey Shore 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An ex-con from out of state is facing a significantly long federal prison sentence after being convicted of selling fentanyl to a government cooperator at the Jersey Shore. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Trenton found former Paterson resident Djavon Holland, 37, guilty of possession with the intent to sell the deadly drug, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. As an ex-con with multiple convictions on his record, Holland, currently of Virginia, could be sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison. Holland served a majority of an eight-year state prison sentence after he was …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Jersey Shore Road: Prosecutors Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Jersey Shore Road: Prosecutors
Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Jersey Shore Road: Prosecutors A Forked River man was convicted of strangling his wife to death and leaving her body on the side of a Monmouth County road, authorities said. A jury found 53-year-old Jeremy Cruz guilty of first-degree murder. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the conviction in a news release on Friday, Apr. 26. A driver saw 51-year-old Dawn Cruz with severe injuries on Colonial Avenue near the intersection with Asbury Avenue in Ocean Township just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Ocean Township police found her and she was pronounced dead at the scen…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Atlantic City Teen Sentenced For Having Unlabeled Gun: Prosecutors Atlantic City Teen Sentenced For Having Unlabeled Gun: Prosecutors
Atlantic City Teen Sentenced For Having Unlabeled Gun: Prosecutors An Atlantic City teen will spend time in state prison after police found him with an unlabeled gun, authorities said. Angelo Williams, 19, was sentenced on Thursday, Apr. 25 to three years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced in a news release. He pleaded guilty to second-degree possession of a handgun without a permit on Thursday, Mar. 7, 2024. Atlantic City police responded to a report of a man with a gun in his waistband on North Arkansas Avenue on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Officers found Williams, whose description matched the one given to police. As po…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Bathroom Ceiling Fan Blamed For House Fire In South Jersey Gated Community: Police Bathroom Ceiling Fan Blamed For House Fire In South Jersey Gated Community: Police
Bathroom Ceiling Fan Blamed For House Fire In South Jersey Gated Community: Police Firefighters quickly put out flames at a home in a gated community in Manchester Township, authorities said. Volunteer firefighters from Manchester, Ridgeway, and Whiting responded to the fire on Edinburgh Lane in the Leisure Village West community at around 3:35 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 27, Manchester police said in a news release. When firefighters arrived, they learned the fire was caused by a bathroom ceiling fan. The homeowners were not in the house during the fire and only a cleaning crew was there.  No injuries were reported and the residents weren't displaced. The Oce…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto In South Jersey Crash With Pedestrian: Police DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto In South Jersey Crash With Pedestrian: Police
DWI Driver Charged With Assault By Auto In South Jersey Crash With Pedestrian: Police A 40-year-old man from Vineland has been charged with assault by auto while being under the influence of alcohol in connection with a serious pedestrian crash last February, authorities said. Richard Earl III received the upgraded charge on Friday, April 26, according to Vineland police. He was released on a summons pending a court hearing at Bridgeton Superior Court. On Feb. 29, at approximately 7:20 p.m., Vineland police responded to North Main Road and East Landis Avenue for a crash involving a pedestrian. The preliminary investigation revealed that Earl was driving&…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Felon Admits To Selling Heroin, Fentanyl, Meth In South Jersey: Prosecutors Felon Admits To Selling Heroin, Fentanyl, Meth In South Jersey: Prosecutors
Felon Admits To Selling Heroin, Fentanyl, Meth In South Jersey: Prosecutors A convicted felon admitted to selling heroin mixed with fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout Atlantic County, authorities said. Matthew Lynch, 33, of Galloway Township, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Apr. 23 to second-degree possession with the intent to distribute heroin/fentanyl. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced the guilty plea in a news release on Friday, Apr. 26. State police and the county prosecutor's office investigated Lynch for dealing drugs. Officers executed two search warrants on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Police arrested Lynch and found him with digital scale…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Intentionally Set Fires At Central Jersey Property Since December: Police Man Intentionally Set Fires At Central Jersey Property Since December: Police
Man Intentionally Set Fires At Central Jersey Property Since December: Police A Monmouth County man was accused of intentionally setting fires on the same property over the past five months, authorities said. Albert Caporaso, 49, of Hazlet, was arrested on early in the morning on Friday, Apr. 26, the Hazlet Township Police Department said in a Facebook post. He was facing charges for several arsons since Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. A Hazlet officer was watching the South Laurel Avenue home at around 11:56 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25, when a man matching the suspect's description from previous arsons walked onto the property. The man, later identified as Caporaso, entered a…

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by Chris Spiker