Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Princeton man's foot was run over while he worked on Candlewick Lane.
A Princeton man suffered a probable foot amputation after it was run over by a car on Candlewick Lane Tuesday, according to a release from the Bridgewater Township Police. Eliezer Cruz, 38, was using a leaf blower on Candlewick Lane around 9:12 a.m. as a Ford F250 driven by Michael Sides of Manville traveled north up the road, police said. Cruz apparently stepped backward onto the street as Sides approached the area, and the vehicle ran over Cruz's left foot, police said. Cruz suffered what would probably be an amputation of his foot, the release said. Responding to the scene were the Somerset MICU, as well as Green Knoll Fire Department and North Branch Fire Department. Cruz was taken to the Somerset Airport by the Martinsville Rescue …
Three men were accused of stealing jewelry and causing property damage on Hodge Drive.
A Teaneck man and his nephew pleaded guilty Monday to a Hodge Drive home burglary in 2011. Jason Mikell, 43, and his nephew, Diandre Mikell, 26, both of Teaneck, admitted to causing property damage and stealing jewelry when they allegedly burglarized the home on April 4, 2011, according to NJ.com. The Mikells and a third man, Jerry Montgomery, 32, of Teaneck, were stopped driving in Green Brook and arrested after being forced out of their car by police. Montgomery was also indicted on burglary charges in April 2013 for his alleged involvement in the so-called "James Bond Gang," targeting homes in the Sussex County area to burglarize. Montgomery's case for the Bridgewater burglary is heading to trial, NJ.com reported. At the same time of …
Monday, June 17, 2013
Resident arrested on warrants and a second-degree robbery charge.
A Bridgewater man was arrested Friday on charges of stealing a wallet and money from a Branchburg resident earlier in the week, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano. Walter Erhardt, 22, was charged with second-degree robbery after he was arrested in Somerville on outstanding Superior Court warrants out of Somerset and Union counties. Soriano said a Shoshoni Way resident in Branchburg reported on June 11 that Erhardt grabbed his shirt and demanded his wallet and money. The victim, who knew Erhardt, handed his money over, Soriano said. Erhardt was taken to Somerset County Jail, with bail set at $100,000 cash only. Anyone with information about the alleged mugging is being asked to contact the Major Crimes Squad at 908-231…
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Warren woman who drove drunk pleads guilty to vehicular homicide, assault by auto charges.
A Warren woman pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in Superior Court on Tuesday after authorities said she was drunk when she crashed her car head-on into another in Bernards Township in January, killing the other driver. Lori Ann Weiss, 45, pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and third-degree assault by auto per a negotiated plea agreement with the state. In return, the state will recommend Weiss be sentenced to five years in prison on the vehicular homicide charge and an additional three years in prison on the assault by auto charge, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano. She would be forced to serve 85 percent in prison as per the No Early Release Act. Weiss' blood alcohol concentration was twice the …
Proposed bill would allow police officers to search cell phones after accidents. Supporters say it will help curb distracted driving-related incidents. Opponents say it violates drivers' rights.
When stopped by police, motorists usually are asked to present a driver's license and registration. If a bill just introduced before the state Senate becomes law, cell phones could be added to that list. The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. James Holzapfel (R-Ocean), would allow police to search a driver's cell phone without a warrant to determine if he or she was talking or texting immediately prior to a motor vehicle accident, according to an NJ.com report. Those in favor of the measure say it will give law enforcement officers—who must have "reasonable grounds" to demand the phone—an important asset in investigating crashes involving distracted driving, the article said. Using a cell phone while driving is a violation of New Jersey …
Monday, June 10, 2013
Fundraising efforts underway to aid Evan Holtz, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Evan Holtz, a Bridgewater 911 dispatcher, holds several positions helping those in need — but now he is one of those needing help. Brian Sujansky, also a dispatcher with the Bridgewater Township Police Department, said he and dispatcher Jo-Ann Petruzziello are looking to raise money to offset medical bills as Holtz deals with a recent diagnosis of a brain tumor. “It has been brought to our attention that Evan’s medical bills have begun to escalate, even though he has not yet had his surgery,” Sujansky said. So, Sujansky said, they have started the “Evan Holtz Recovery Fund” to raise money to help out their fellow dispatcher. Aside from being a dispatcher, Holtz is a volunteer with the Country Hills Fire Department and Branchburg Rescue …
Thursday, June 6, 2013
It is coming from Tropical Storm Andrea, which has made landfall over Florida.
Bridgewater Township Police are warning residents about the possiblity of areas of flooding Friday because of heavy rain. According to a Nixle alert from the department, heavy rain is expected to begin in the area Thursday evening and become steadier overnight. This, the alert said, is coming from Tropical Storm Andrea, which is currently hitting land over Florida. Although the rain will be lighter in the morning, it is expected to become heavier Friday afternoon through evening. During these hours, flash flooding may be a problem, particularly in low-lying and poor-drainage areas. In addition, the alert said, there is the possibility of small stream flooding with rainfall of about 1 to 3 inches around the area. The rain is expected to …
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Bridgewater investment advisor used clients' money to pay his mortgage, purchase a family home in Aruba and install granite counters, attorney says.
A Bridgewater man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after surrendering himself to the FBI Wednesday morning. Ralph Saviano, 72, pleaded guilty to stealing $138,000 from two elderly investors, while also using the money he claimed to be investing in conservative securities and his business to fund his lifestyle, according to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. He could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, if convicted. Saviano is an investment advisor who was working in the financial industry for more than 40 years, a release from Fishman's office said, and targeted clients through working with Centaurus Financial Inc. and Saviano Financial Group. From July 2007 through October 2012, Saviano had about 300 clients, many …
The council declined to vote on submitting a grant to pay for an additional officer.
With concerns over the possibility of having to add another police officer, the Bridgewater Township Council declined to vote recently on a resolution to apply for a 2013 Cops Hiring Program Grant. The grant would have been for $201,461.87, and provides for up to 75 percent funding of an entry-level salary and fringe benefits for a newly hired officer for three years. The township is required to pay the remaining 25 percent for those three years, as well as the full 100 percent of costs of a fourth year. The grant is made available through the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Currently, township ordinance allows for 74 Bridgewater police officers, and this grant would allow for one more. …
ACLU calls for the decriminalization of pot and an end to racial profiling.
Blacks in New Jersey and across the country are far more likely to be arrested on marijuana-related charges than whites even though both groups are almost equally likely to use the drug, according to a report released this week by the American Civil LIberties Union. “[T]he War on Marijuana, like the larger War on Drugs of which it is a part, is a failure. It has needlessly ensnared hundreds of thousands of people in the criminal justice system, had a staggeringly disproportionate impact on African-Americans, and comes at a tremendous human and financial cost. The price paid by those arrested and convicted of marijuana possession can be significant and linger for years, if not a lifetime,” the authors wrote in “The War on Marijuana in …
Jawce
1:08 pm on Sunday, June 16, 2013
Dear Amazing Grace: your "friend" is not sweet nor is she nice. She was a wine-imbibing self-absorbed moron who killed a man. more ›