Fog/Mist 48°
Police & Fire
Toms River Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With State Trooper Was 'Sublimely Talented' Guitarist Toms River Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With State Trooper Was 'Sublimely Talented' Guitarist
Toms River Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With State Trooper Was 'Sublimely Talented' Guitarist They called him Frankie Fender. Frank Lando, that is: The 65-year-old Toms River motorcyclist, guitarist, and father killed in an April 9 crash in Southampton with a New Jersey state trooper. On Friday, April 19, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin released Lando's identity, as well as that of the trooper involved: Anthony Fernandes. Fernandes was conducting routine patrol duties along Route 70 around 11:35 a.m. in Southampton that day, when his marked patrol car collided with Lando's motorcycle near Burrs Mill Road, Platkin said. Lando was taken to Virtua Mount Holly …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Alert Neighbor Called 911 After Seeing Fire In Unoccupied Brick Twp. Apartment: Firefighters Alert Neighbor Called 911 After Seeing Fire In Unoccupied Brick Twp. Apartment: Firefighters
Alert Neighbor Called 911 After Seeing Fire In Unoccupied Brick Twp. Apartment: Firefighters An unoccupied apartment unit caught fire in Ocean County and a neighbor was credited with helping report the flames before they spread, officials said. Brick Township firefighters responded to the fire in the Maple Leaf Park apartment complex at 1142 Sawmill Road at around 3:54 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 18, the fire department said in a news release. The fire was upgraded to a second alarm when Brick police said smoke was coming from the roof. Police evacuated the apartment building and the fire was under control in about 40 minutes. No one was in the apartment that caught fire and no injuries…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Middlesex County Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Middlesex County
Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Middlesex County A pedestrian was struck and killed in South Amboy, authorities said. The person was struck at about 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17 on South Broadway, according to daily New Jersey State Police fatal crash data. South Amboy police were not immediately available with more details.

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Atlantic City Boardwalk Fire Investigated By County Prosecutor's Office: City Spokesperson Atlantic City Boardwalk Fire Investigated By County Prosecutor's Office: City Spokesperson
Atlantic City Boardwalk Fire Investigated By County Prosecutor's Office: City Spokesperson The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office is investigating a fire along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, according to an official. A city spokesperson said on Friday, Apr. 19, that the county prosecutor's office was now leading the fire investigation. The fire appeared to be in the area of Central Pier Arcade near South Tennessee Avenue and St. James Place on Thursday, Apr. 18. Heather Deegan Hires provided photos to the Daily Voice showing large flumes of black smoke over the pier and beachfront.  "This is at the end of my street," she said in a Facebook post. "I hope everyone is ok!! I f…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
News
Bomb Threats Disrupt Schools For Second Day In NJ District Investigating Teacher For Abuse Bomb Threats Disrupt Schools For Second Day In NJ District Investigating Teacher For Abuse
Bomb Threats Disrupt Schools For Second Day In NJ District Investigating Teacher For Abuse Bomb threats caused a scare for parents for a second straight day in a Monmouth County school district investigating sexual abuse accusations against a teacher. In a news release, the Marlboro Township School District said the FBI and other law enforcement agencies investigated the second emailed bomb threats on Friday, Apr. 19. All schools delayed the start of classes for two hours. The school district said investigators determined the threat was "non-credible." "Although we are dealing with another non-credible threat, the district takes any instance of this nature seriously and will con…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Obituaries
North Wildwood Restaurant Worker, 21, Dies From Fall North Wildwood Restaurant Worker, 21, Dies From Fall
North Wildwood Restaurant Worker, 21, Dies From Fall Melissa E. O'Malley, a Delaware County native and University of Tampa student, died "following a tragic fall" on Sunday, April 14, loved ones wrote in her obituary. She was 21.  Born in Philadelphia, O'Malley attended Marple Newtown High School and was a junior studying marketing and public relations at UT, her obituary says.  She held a part-time job at Dairy Joy, an ice cream shop in Tampa, and worked at the Surfing Pig in North Wildwood, NJ, according to the restaurant. Friends, coworkers, and loved ones posted tributes on social media.  It is with great sadness…

SHARE

by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
NJ Jail Officer Admits Bringing Inmate To 'Blind Spot' For Beating By Colleagues NJ Jail Officer Admits Bringing Inmate To 'Blind Spot' For Beating By Colleagues
NJ Jail Officer Admits Bringing Inmate To 'Blind Spot' For Beating By Colleagues 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Passaic County correctional officer admitted that he brought an inmate to a "blind spot" at the county jail so two colleagues could beat him for squirting one of them with urine. Officer Lorenzo Bowden, 39, initially agreed with Sgt. Jose Gonzalez and Sgt. Donald Vinales not to talk after they'd received federal grand jury subpoenas two years ago this month, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Bowden eventually had a change of heart. The pretrial detainee was "transported through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which correctional officers …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Politics
Former President Trump To Hold Beachfront Campaign Rally In New Jersey Likely Mid-Trial Former President Trump To Hold Beachfront Campaign Rally In New Jersey Likely Mid-Trial
Former President Trump To Hold Beachfront Campaign Rally In New Jersey Likely Mid-Trial Former President Donald Trump will hold a reelection campaign rally on a New Jersey beach while likely in the middle of a criminal trial up the Atlantic coast in New York City. Trump's rally will be held on the beach in Wildwood on Saturday, May 11, according to a news release from the city on Thursday, Apr. 18. City commissioners passed a resolution on Monday, Apr. 15 approving the 45th President's second campaign visit to Wildwood. The Trump campaign website listed the address for the rally as 3601 Boardwalk, which is next to Morey's Piers & Beachfront Waterparks. The event will …

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Teacher Who Posed As Woman To Lure 70 Boys Into Sending Him Nudes Gets 17½ Years: Feds NJ Teacher Who Posed As Woman To Lure 70 Boys Into Sending Him Nudes Gets 17½ Years: Feds
NJ Teacher Who Posed As Woman To Lure 70 Boys Into Sending Him Nudes Gets 17½ Years: Feds UPDATE: It's a measure of how despicably and disgustingly a former Union County grade-school teacher and youth soccer coach from Morristown abused dozens of boys he'd met online that a plea bargain got him "only" 17½ years in federal prison. Steven Brooks, 37, must serve at least 85% of the negotiated sentence handed down in federal court in Newark on Thursday, April 18, for posing as a woman to lure at least 70 underage boys into sending him nude photos and videos. That means he'll be in his early 50s before he'll be eligible to experience freedom again. FBI agents who investigated Brooks…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Man Found Dead With 'Several Wounds' Inside South Jersey Home Man Found Dead With 'Several Wounds' Inside South Jersey Home
Man Found Dead With 'Several Wounds' Inside South Jersey Home An Atlantic County man was found dead inside a home with several wounds, authorities said. The body of 42-year-old Shawn O'Neill of Galloway was discovered by township police at around 2:49 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 17, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. Officers found him with "several wounds to his body" in a home on the 400 block of South Odessa Avenue. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of O'Neill's death. The major crimes unit for the county prosecutor's office is helping Galloway police in the investigation. Anyone with …

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Teacher From Point Pleasant Beach Accused Of Sexual Assault Freed From Jail Until Trial Teacher From Point Pleasant Beach Accused Of Sexual Assault Freed From Jail Until Trial
Teacher From Point Pleasant Beach Accused Of Sexual Assault Freed From Jail Until Trial A Mercer County high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student several times at a Monmouth County wildlife preserve was released from jail to await her trial, authorities said. A judge denied a request on Wednesday, Apr. 17 to keep 37-year-old Jessica Sawicki of Point Pleasant Beach in jail through her trial, a Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson said. She was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault and five counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Sawicki was arrested on Monday, Apr. 8, according to an affidavit obtai…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Business
Trader Joe's Recalling Basil Sold In New Jersey Due To Salmonella Outbreak Trader Joe's Recalling Basil Sold In New Jersey Due To Salmonella Outbreak
Trader Joe's Recalling Basil Sold In New Jersey Due To Salmonella Outbreak Trader Joe's is recalling Infinite Herbs-brand organic basil that was sold across the country in 2.5-ounce clamshell packaging due to concerns of Salmonella contamination. This week, the supermarket giant issued an alert cautioning shoppers in 29 states, as well as Washington, DC, not to consume the product as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigates a reported outbreak of Salmonella. Trader Joes is recalling Infinite Herbs Organic Basil FDA According to the FDA, "Trader Joe’s has already voluntarily removed all Infinite Herbs-brand organic basil packed in 2.5-oz clamshell pa…

SHARE

by Zak Failla