MILLBURN - "Lapse," a film by burgeoning filmmaker and Millburn High School senior Jasen Aziz, has been selected for the 13th annual International Student Film Festival Hollywood, a student film showcase and competition. Jasen's film will be among 57 films produced by students -- from junior high through graduate school -- that will be screened for film industry professionals...

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MILLBURN - "Lapse," a film by burgeoning filmmaker and Millburn High School senior Jasen Aziz, has been selected for the 13th annual International Student Film Festival Hollywood, a student film showcase and competition.

Jasen's film will be among 57 films produced by students -- from junior high through graduate school -- that will be screened for film industry professionals Nov. 14 and 15 in North Hollywood, Calif. The festival will conclude with an awards ceremony to honor the best films of the year.

"Lapse" tied for Grand Prize in the Visionaries category for grades 10 to 12 at the 2015 Montclair Film Festival. Another of Jasen's films, "iShrink," won the MonaVision Films Student Film Contest in July 2014.

To submit school news send an email to essex@starledger.com.

Allison Cantor, 42, allegedly told officers she had "a few drinks" at a Billy Joel concert Saturday night

Allison Cantor, 42, was behind the wheel of a 2015 Mercedes Benz sedan that struck a 2002 Mercedes station wagon around 3:30 a.m. on Varick Street in Manhattan, according to Port Authority spokesman Joseph Pentangelo.

Officers stationed at the nearby Holland Tunnel saw the crash, and looked on as Cantor got out of the car to look for damage, and then return to the driver's seat. The officer ordered her to stop, but she pulled off and headed west into the tunnel, Pentangelo said.

Police gave chase, and eventually pulled Cantor over in Jersey City. They noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath, and she admitted that she had had "a few drinks" earlier at a Billy Joel concert earlier that evening, according to Pentangelo.

She failed a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer test, and was charged with DWI, reckless driving and fleeing the scene of a crash.

Pentangelo said the 54-year-old river of the Mercedes station wagon refused medical attention.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Gov. Chris Christie needs to end the sabotage of the Election Law Enforcement Commission by filling vacancies. And Walter Timpone, the toothless commissioner, needs to step down.

Neither political party seems a bit perturbed by the fact that the watchdog charged with enforcing the rules on campaign money in New Jersey is facing sabotage on its most important case, the long-stalled investigation of Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, better known as Joe D.

The reason is clear: DiVincenzo has friends in both parties, and they are protecting him. Let's hope it doesn't work.

The chief villain in this story is DiVincenzo himself, who has been Gov. Chris Christie's closest ally in the Democratic Party and endorsed the governor for re-election in 2013.

DiVincenzo has spent lavishly from his campaign funds on trips to luxury hotels in Puerto Rico, expensive meals with people he won't name, tickets to the U.S. Open, a gym club membership, and so on. He charged his campaign for more than $250,000 in expenses like that over a decade, claiming they were "political" in nature.

The Election Law Enforcement Commission disagreed, charging him with violating campaign finance law over the most egregious $16,000 of that money.

So far, so good.

But the case has dragged on for nearly four years, during which time DiVincenzo won re-election. And a new court ruling last week could add to the delay.

Who knows? If this keeps up, maybe Joe D can run out the clock on this and retire before the ax finally lands.

The latest twist is that a judge in Essex County ruled that ELEC cannot act against DiVincenzo unless at least one Democratic member of ELEC votes against him.

Here's the problem: There are no Democratic votes.

Christie has left one of the two Democratic seats on ELEC vacant since 2011. His office has offered no credible explanation as to why. It just happens to work to the advantage of his buddy, Joe D.

The one surviving Democrat on ELEC, attorney Walter Timpone, is no help. He's a buddy of Joe D's as well, and has recused himself from the case because DiVincenzo once hired his nephew, at Timpone's request.

How convenient for DiVincenzo. With no Democrats on this case, this procedural hurdle could save him. ELEC will fight that, and has argued that no Democratic vote is needed. But it's a safe bet this dispute will add delay as the case drags on in court.

Here's a better solution: Let's get serious about fixing ELEC.

Timpone should step down and make way for a new commissioner who can do the job. And Christie should divert his attention from New Hampshire long enough to fill all the ELEC vacancies.

Meanwhile, legislators from both parties should stand up and bang the table over this. ELEC needs more staff so it can act quickly, and it needs a full board so its legal authority cannot be challenged like this.

Anything less invites corruption.

Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @starledger. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

One person was fatally shot and, law enforcement sources said, two others were wounded in the gunfire.

UPDATE: Authorities ID victim in fatal Newark shooting; 2 others hurt

NEWARK -- One person was shot and killed on Spruce Street in Newark Sunday, authorities said.

Thomas Fennelly, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, said the Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the shooting. 

Law enforcement sources told NJ Advance Media that two others were wounded in the gunfire. 

More information about the shooting was expected later Sunday. 

NJ Advance Media reporter Vernal Coleman contributed to this report. 

Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Theodore Norwood, 48, was shot and killed outside an apartment building Sunday.

NEWARK -- Authorities have identified the victim in a fatal shooting Sunday afternoon. 

Theodore Norwood, 48, of Newark, was pronounced dead at University Hospital after a 2:30 p.m. shooting on the 100 block of Spruce Street, according to Thomas S. Fennelly, chief assistant prosecutor in the Essex County prosecutor's office. 

Two other men, a 31-year-old and a 21-year-old, suffered injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. They are being treated at University Hospital. Their identities are being withheld. 

PREVIOUSLY: 1 fatally shot in Newark

The three men were standing outside an apartment building when they were shot, authorities said. 

Authorities said the investigation is active and ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Major Crimes Task Force detectives at (877) 847-7432 or (973) 621-4586.

Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The officials are expected to advocate for millions of refugees fleeing war, discrimination and poverty

Ignatius Youssef III Younan, the leader of the Syriac Catholic Church, is scheduled to visit Newark Monday to highlight the plight of Christians in the Middle East. 

On the heels of a U.S. papal visit that focused heavily on the plight of migrants, leaders of an Eastern Rite branch of Catholicism will visit the Archdiocese of Newark Monday to highlight what they call the persecution and dire living conditions of Christians in the Middle East.

Ignatius Youssef III Younan -- bishop of the Syriac Catholic Church, one of world's oldest Christian communities -- will join with other religious leaders at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark for the afternoon event.

Jim Goodness, a spokesman for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, said Younan is expected to address both the plight of Christians who remain in the Middle East and his concern for millions of refugees who have fled war or discrimination.

Younan, Goodness said, is expected to note that the continuing upheaval in Syria, Iraq and other nations coincides with the centennial of the Armenian genocide, in which an estimated 1.5 million Christian Armenians were slaughtered by the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

In recent months, a tide of migrants fleeing deep poverty and violence has convulsed European governments, raising broad questions about how to manage the crisis.

Pope Francis, before and during his six-day U.S. visit, has challenged governments to open their borders and to support those in need.

The Syriac Catholic Church is one of nearly two dozen Eastern Catholic churches under the authority of the Roman Catholic pope. In 2010, the church had an estimated 159,000 followers in the Middle East, India, the United States and Canada.

The only North American diocese, Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Diocese, is based in Bayonne. Younan served as bishop of the diocese before Pope Benedict XIV elevated him in 2009 to his current position, titled Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.

Joining Younan will be Archbishop Myers, the Syriac Catholic archbishop of Baghdad and the current bishop of the U.S. diocese.

In 2003, a Star-Ledger reporter and photographer chronicled the rise of Christian persecution in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein, who offered them a measure of protection, if not religious freedom.

Mark Mueller may be reached at mmueller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJMueller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The Montclair Art Museum is hosting this exhibition devoted to the art of children's writer Eric Carle

If you haven't read Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," you haven't known a pre-schooler for nearly half a century. Through Jan. 3, the Montclair Art Museum is showing a selection of Eric Carle's children's illustrations, all of them done in his signature style: painting tissue paper with watercolor and then cutting it up to glue on archival paper, making collages in the shape of animals and children. 

Carle -- he was born in 1929, in Syracuse -- grew up in Stuttgart, Germany, where his parents returned in 1936. His education during the war was stressed and sketchy, but he had an art teacher in high school who showed him Nazi-"forbidden" Modernists, like Henri Matisse, Paul Klee, and Pablo Picasso. High school students can rarely resist the allure of the forbidden.

In 1952, Carle returned to the U.S. and went to work in advertising. Those were the years when the commercial media exploded into color, leaving the black-and-white pre-war world in the shade. Modernist optimism simplified forms and reduced emotions to their most direct expression, and animals made a good subject for that. (Klee and Picasso were fond of animals, too, precisely for their lack of self-consciousness). Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," first published in 1969, hit that moment dead-on.

Painting on fragile, nearly fugitive tracing paper and then gluing those hand-made scraps to archival paper to create an image may seem like a minor innovation. But it introduces a certain randomness, and a crafts-like homeliness, to the result.

In 1973, Carle married Barbara Morrison, who shared his interest in children's book illustration, and they moved to Northampton, Massachusetts. In 2002 they opened the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in nearby Amherst, from which this show is drawn.

The Carle Museum (which collects the work of other artists, too) never lets the illustrations for "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" travel because they are so fragile. The core of "Animals and Friends," then, is taken from two much more recent books, "Let's Be Friends" (2013) and "The Artist Who Saw a Blue Horse" (2011), both of them made up of tissue-paper collages, and from posters and other books.

Carle's phenomenal success has made him something of a celebrity -- there's a photo of the artist with naturalist Jane Goodall, and a video interview with Mister Rodgers, in the entrance to the exhibition. But the impetus of all his books is as deceptively simple as his style.

"The Artist Who Saw a Blue Horse," for instance, is about German Expressionist Franz Marc, who painted all kinds of inappropriately hued animals in his day, and therefore a kind of artistic homage for Carle. Earnestly friendly, and shyly aware of the animal risks that making friends entails -- that seems to be the essence of Carle's work.

"Eric Carle: Animals and Friends" shares the museum with a show drawn from the collection, "Work and Leisure in American Art," which among many other things features a recent museum purchase of Vik Muniz's recreation of Gustave Courbet's "The Stone Breakers,"

Artist Rachel Perry Welty photographs her "Lost in my Life" series by showing herself obliterated by consumer products she uses as a housewife--in this case, aluminum foil--in "Work and Leisure" at the Montclair Art Museum through January (photo lent by Pat Bell).Courtesy Montclair Art Museum 

 which was destroyed in World War II. Muniz, who was born in Brazil but lives much of the year in Brooklyn, photographs collages made from torn scraps of magazines, auto parts, chocolate sauce -- really a wide range of things, often with labor or religious themes.

"Work and Leisure in American Art" is a survey of over 80 works of art in addition to Muniz's  "The Stone Breakers, After Gustave Courbet (Pictures of Magazines 2)" (2013). Some are familiar, but many have been brought out of storage for the first time in years, even for the first time ever. It's a broad theme, and a popular one in American art, in part because it defines the essential dichotomy of American life. The dream is good as long as Americans have more "leisure" than folks in any other country. But the reality is Americans are often defined by working harder, and for longer hours, than citizens of any other Western culture.

"The Stone Breakers" was a controversial picture when it first appeared, as Courbet was himself a controversial (and socialist) artist for most of his career. The original's sympathy for hard work is clear, but Muniz's conceit, remaking the lost masterpiece with bits of commercial advertising, is rife with ironies.

So is the rest of "Work," at least as seen in art. If we define work not as back-breaking labor, as Courbet did, but as artist's "work," as in Nell Booker's "Jim Lechay Painting Moses Soyer" (1948) or in local-boy-makes-good "George Inness Sketching Outside his Montclair Studio" (1889) by his son, the two themes of the title seem almost to be one.

Leisure is a more natural subject in American art, especially before the Great Depression. But the examples here that jump are all, like "The Stone Breakers," near-contemporary, like Chicago-based Dawoud Bey's "Smokey" (2001), a C-print of a black man in a park holding a beer can, or Bronx-based sculptor John Ahearn's 1986 "Toby and Raymond," a life cast of a young man in a hoodie with his pit bull.

Rachel Perry Welty's self-portrait, "Lost in my Life (wrapped books)," is a large format photo of the artist on a stool in a room in which every object--mostly books--is wrapped in aluminum foil. Welty makes photos of herself swallowed up by Pop consumerist objects, and this one, with its Minimalist austerity, meets Carle on his own ground of shy innocence.  

Dan Bischoff may be reached at danbischoff55@gmail.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

 

The funeral will be private, but the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center will hold a memorial for fans. Watch video

MONTCLAIR -- Legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra will be laid to rest Tuesday.

His funeral, which is going to be a private ceremony in Montclair, will be broadcast on the YES Network, the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center has confirmed.

"In response to the tremendous outpouring of love and condolences from Yogi's friends and fans, the Berra family has decided to have his funeral services broadcast live exclusively by the YES network," the museum wrote in a statement on its website. 

The service is set to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, the post said.

According to NorthJersey.com, the ceremony will be held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Montclair, where he and his late wife, Carmen, were members.

Though fans of the late player will not be admitted to the private service, the museum announced that it will be hosting a memorial tribute from 12 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 4.

Berra, who has been as beloved for his charisma off the field as his skill on it, died on Sept. 22 of natural causes. He was 90 years old.

"While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom," his family said in a statement.

"We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed."

Flags will be lowered in New Jersey on Tuesday in Berra's memory.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Authorities said they are investigating the death of a 57-year-old man as a homicide.

Authorities said they are investigating the death of a 57-year-old man as a homicide. File photo.
 

NEWARK -- Authorities are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in Newark as a homicide, officials said Monday.

A 57-year-old man's body was found outside in the 200 block of Astor Street at about 7:37 a.m. Monday, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Newark Police Director Eugene Venable announced in a release.

The cause of his death will be determined by an autopsy, but it is being investigated as a homicide, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said in the release.

His identity is not being released pending the notification of his family members, officials said.

No other details were immediately available.

The homicide marks the second in as many days in the city. Theodore Norwood, 48, was shot and killed on the 100 block of Spruce Street Sunday afternoon, authorities said. Two others were injured in that shooting, officials said.

A 68-year-old's body was found in the city Saturday night, officials said. Authorities confirmed that they are investigating that death, as well, but have not indicated whether or not it appears suspicious.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

"We believe this is an important step to evolve Whole Foods Market in a rapidly changing marketplace," said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market.

Whole Foods file photo

In an effort to reduce prices in its stores, Whole Foods announced Monday it will cut roughly 1,500 jobs over the next two months. 

"We believe this is an important step to evolve Whole Foods Market in a rapidly changing marketplace," said Walter Robb, the co-CEO of Whole Foods Market.

The grocery store chain said in a statement it has added more than 9,000 jobs over the past year and expects many of those affected by the job reduction, which accounts for 1.6 percent for its total workforce, to find employments elsewhere within the company.

The affected workers were also offered the option of transition pay or a severance package, according to Robb.

The company also said the cuts will allows the stores to "invest in technology upgrades while improving its cost structure."

The cuts come two months after the grocery chain's brand took a hit in an overcharging scandal at some of its food stores in New York.

In another customer cost-reduction initiative, the company announced over the summer it would be launching a new smaller and more affordable set of concept stores, 365 by Whole Foods Market, to compete in the growing organic food industry. 

The grocery store chain employs about 91,000 people at its 431 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada -- 10 of which are located in New Jersey.

In June, officials broke ground for a new location in Newark. Another store is also in development in Closter, according to the company's website.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Rutgers University was plagued with computer problems again Monday.

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Rutgers University's computer network was crippled by a cyber attack Monday, leaving much of the state university without internet access for the fifth time in less than a year.

It is unclear if the hacker responsible for the attack was the same cyber criminal or criminals who targeted Rutgers with similar "denial of service" attacks last fall and during the spring semester.

The attack is affecting Rutgers' websites, internet connectivity and wifi access, said E.J. Miranda, a Rutgers spokesman.

"IT is working to resolve the issue," Miranda said.

The university community will be notified when the system is back online, Miranda said.

Rutgers University's main campus in New Brunswick. (Star-Ledger file photo) 

A "denial of service" attack uses a series of "bots," or compromised computer addresses, to flood an institution's  servers with requests, slowing the network and crippling the website.

The attacks are considered an annoyance and rarely result in a company or institution losing data or information.

The FBI was called in to investigate the four "denial of service" attacks at Rutgers in the fall 2014 and spring 2015 semesters. Neither the FBI nor Rutgers officials have commented on the status of the investigation.

Rutgers hired at least three consulting firms in the last year to help upgrade its cyber security efforts. The university planned to spend $2 million to $3 million this year to strengthen its online security and protect the university's computer systems.

Diamond Direct Foods is hoping to open its commissary catering to mobile restaurants sometime next year

NEWARK - Officials helped break ground Monday on a new facility they hope might send a fleet of new dining options speeding to the city's streets.

Mayor Ras Baraka and East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador were among those who helped mark construction on a new commissary owned by Diamond Direct Foods, which will provide food, ice, fuel and other necessities for food trucks hoping to operate in Newark.

The former printing factory at 105 Avenue L, set to open sometime next year, will replace the company's current kitchen facility down the road.

City officials noted that the groundbreaking was just one of several ceremonies to celebrate the openings or expansions of city businesses this week, including events for the new Prudential Tower downtown and a Shop-Rite supermarket on Springfield Avenue. However, Baraka said the possibility of providing resources for an untold number of culinary options in the city made it stand out.

"These are a bunch of small businesses, and small business is really the backbone of the country and the backbone of our city," he said. "Our city is going to grow with the help of small biz development."

Diamond CEO Johann de Villiers said the company employs 76 employees at its facility further down Avenue L, all but two of which are Newark residents. The new building will serve as the company's new national headquarters, however, and would spur "significant additions" to its roster, he said.

Deputy Mayor for Economic and Housing Development Baye Adofo-Wilson said he was particularly excited about the commissary was indicative of a revitalized market for dining in various parts of the city, and a positive sign for the city's fortunes as a whole. 

"It's a sign of where the economy is going that there's desires for food all over," he said. "This to me, having this here, means that the economy is about to explode, and you're going to be in the center of it."

Adofo-Wilson also noted that Diamond did not ask for a tax abatement, which he joked was "not what normally happens."

Jon Hepner, president of the New Jersey Food Truck Association, said the state has between 200 and 300 registered food trucks, including his own Aroy-D The Thai Elephant truck, based in Verona.

He estimated that around 50 trucks currently operate in Newark, a number that could climb much higher thanks to the new commissary that could make it far easier for restaurateurs to serve their meals on wheels.

"New Jersey has never had a state-of-the-art facility like this,' he said. "This is going to be a hub for us. This will legitimize our industry."

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Two-thirds of Christians have been driven from Iraq and Syria, a religious leader warns

Ignatius Youssef III Younan, leader of the Syriac Catholic Church, warns Christians in the Middle East are at a period of 'destruction.' Younan addressed the media at a briefing in Newark Monday (Mark Mueller | NJAdvance Media for NJ.com). 

Saying he represents a "forgotten people," the leader of one of Catholicism's oldest branches on Monday implored the United States and Europe to intercede in what he described as the systematic purging of Christians from the Middle East.

Ignatius Youssef III Younan -- bishop of the Syriac Catholic Church, one of nearly two dozen Eastern Rite churches in union with the Roman Catholic pope -- issued his plea during a press conference at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.

Younan spoke as scores of world leaders gathered at the United Nations, less than 15 miles away, to find common ground on the most pressing international issues, including the plight of millions of migrants who have fled war, discrimination and economic upheaval.

"We are at a period of destruction, of devastating events that really put our future in jeopardy," said Younan, a guest of Newark Archbishop John J. Myers. "... My people are endangered. We need a miracle."

The press briefing came one day after Pope Francis' departure from Philadelphia following a six-day U.S. trip in which the pontiff repeatedly urged the international community to help those who have fled their homelands.

Christians have long been a tiny minority in the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. But since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Younan said, their numbers have been cut by two-thirds or more, primarily in Iraq and Syria.

"I am not talking about a story of the past," said Younan, who was visiting from Beirut. "I am talking about a catastrophic hate of our people. ... Their survival is at stake."

Violence, repression and persecution have driven an estimated 600,000 Christians from Iraq, he said. Tens of thousands of more have fled the civil war in Syria amid kidnappings, murders and the destruction of centuries-old Christian holy sites, Younan said.

He laid part of the blame on the rise of the the Islamic State, the terrorist organization also known as ISIS or ISIL.

After seizing the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in August 2014, he said, the group killed or expelled Christians who refused to convert to Islam.

"We were there for centuries," Younan said. "Now Mosul is empty of its history."

In Baghdad, the number of active churches has been cut by two-thirds, a consequence of continuing sectarian violence and rising fundamentalism, he said.

"Chaos does not help the minorities," Younan said. "The Sunni and Shiite majorities, they fight it out. We Christians have no means to defend ourselves."

He challenged western governments and the United Nations not only to support those who have fled, but to work toward ensuring that those Christians who remain in their homes can continue to do so without threat.

"We really think we have been forgotten by the United States and the European Union," Younan said. "We feel betrayed. ... The Western countries have forgotten their principles."

Christians who fled have found refuge in Kurdistan, an autonomous region in northern Iraq, as well as in Lebanon and Jordan. Others have crossed through Turkey to reach Europe.

Younan said he fears the Middle East will ultimately be emptied of Christians if influential nations don't take swift action. Asylum in the United States, he added, is a "last option."

"We don't want to leave," he said.

Myers joined Younan in calling for international action, saying more "can be done and should be done."

"We are in solidarity with them," Myers said, adding that Christians from the Middle East would be welcomed by the archdiocese if the U.S. government allows it.

Also present Monday were Yousif Abba, the Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Baghdad; and Yousif Habash, bishop of Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Diocese, based in Bayonne.

The Bayonne diocese is the only Syriac Catholic diocese in North America, serving members of the faith throughout the United States and Canada.

Younan served as bishop of the diocese before Pope Benedict XVI chose him to lead the church, granting him the title Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.

The Syriac Catholic church had an estimated 159,000 followers in the Middle East, India and North America.

Mark Mueller may be reached at mmueller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJMueller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The increase in sexual assaults may because more victims are reporting the crimes to law enforcement agencies.

TRENTON -- Crime declined in New Jersey last year but the number of rapes reported by law enforcement agencies in the state rose sharply, according to statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday.

The more than 23,300 violent crimes in New Jersey last year represented a 9.3 decline overall in murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults compared to 2013, the data from the FBI's annual "Crime in the United States" report shows. The state's violent crime rate also fell to 261 offenses per 100,000 residents, lower than the rates in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the nation as a whole.

Wayne Fisher, a criminal justice professor at Rutgers University and the former chairman of the New Jersey Police Training Commission, said the reduction in violent crime "continues a trend that we've seen when it comes to New Jersey and again New Jersey is reflective of the entire region and to some extent the entire nation."

But Fisher noted that's it important not to make broad conclusions based on statewide data.

"There is important differences when you go from region to region in our state and from municipality to municipality," he said.

While the FBI report offers some insight into crime at the local level, State Police release a more comprehensive report on an annual basis. The most recent report, which was released in April, showed a 7 percent drop in crime in 2013 but an uptick in murders, more than half of which occurred in the state's six major cities.

The number of murders in New Jersey dropped to 349 in 2014, according to the report, down from 404 the previous year. The state's murder rate also fell to 3.9 per 100,000 residents, a nearly 14 percent drop from 2013.

Newark, the state's largest city, accounted for 93 of the murders in the state in 2014. Though that was the highest number of murders in the state, it represented a decline from the number of murders recorded in the city in 2013.

MORE: Declines in Newark, Camden drive N.J. homicides to 5-year low in 2014 

The number of rapes in New Jersey, meanwhile, spiked in New Jersey in 2014, according to the FBI report. The FBI revised its definition of rape in 2013 to include male victims, as well as "various forms of sexual penetration understood to be rape," including nonconsenting acts of sodomy and sexual assaults with objects.

The FBI said in a statement that the 2014 report includes estimates based on both definitions of rape and that due to a programming oversight some estimates may be higher or lower than anticipated in some instances. While the oversight predominantly affected estimates for New York, the statement said it "may have a slight impact on estimates for other states as well."

The number of rapes in New Jersey jumped by 7.1 percent in 2014 to 1,274 under the revised definition. New Jersey saw a 10.7 percent rise in rapes under the old definition. The rate of rape also increased by both definitions.

Patricia Teffenhart, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said rapes and sexual assaults have been historically underreported so, in a way, the increase in the number of reported rapes represents a step forward for advocacy groups.

"It means there are more survivors who are trusting the system, who are reporting a crime," she said, and who will have a chance to seek justice.

Now, Teffenhart said, it is important to make sure advocates and the law enforcement community work together to "support [survivors] in their healing and get these perpetrators hopefully behind bars."

Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's office, said in a statement that "we take the increase in reported sexual assaults very seriously, however, we would hope that some of the uptick in reported incidents has to do with increased awareness efforts by law enforcement and the victim advocacy community."

Loriquet noted a new statewide directive that was issued by the Attorney General last year  requires longer retention of evidence from medical examinations of sexual assault victims who choose not to initially report the crime.

Crime in New Jersey was otherwise down across the board, including property crimes.

The number of property crimes dropped by 7.5 percent compared to the previous year. The rate of property crimes, including burglaries, larceny-thefts and motor vehicle thefts, also fell to 1,734 offenses per 100,000 residents in 2014.

Property crimes also fell at a regional level and nationwide.

NJ Advance Media reporter Carla Astudillo contributed to this report.

Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Exfocus, an alleged hacker, posted a series of messages on Twitter before Monday's attack on Rutgers' computer network.

NEW BRUNSWICK -- An alleged hacker appeared to taunt Rutgers University officials Monday as a cyber attack paralyzed the school's computer network.

The university was hit with a "denial of service" attack Monday morning that crashed Rutgers' websites and cut off internet and wifi access to tens of thousands of students, faculty and employees.

An alleged hacker who uses the screen name Exfocus took credit for several similar attacks on Rutgers' computer networks during the 2014-2015 school year.

Several taunting tweets appeared on Exfocus' Twitter account Monday before and after the latest attack.

"where internet go?? 3m dollar gone?" read one tweet, posted around noon.

The tweets were later removed, but several students captured screen shots of Exfocus' Twitter page while the tweets were still visible to the public.

The $3 million referenced in Exfocus' tweet appears to refer to the $3 million Rutgers officials recently said they plan to spend upgrading the university's cyber security system in reaction to the series of "denial of service" attacks over the last year.

The university also hired at least three consulting firms in recent months to help test its networks and upgrade its computer security.

In another tweet posted shortly before Monday's cyber attack began, Exfocus wrote "RIP rutgers cas 2k15."

The tweet appeared to refer to crashing Rutgers' Central Authentication Service, the site where Rutgers students and staff enter their identification names and passwords to access the university's networks.

It is unclear if Exfocus is responsible for the cyber attacks or an elaborate hoax. However, the taunting tweets appeared to begin shortly before the latest cyber attack began.

A Rutgers spokesman said the university began to experience computer and internet problems early Monday.

"The Office of Information Technology is working to resolve the issue and we will inform the Rutgers community as soon as we have more information," said E.J. Miranda, a Rutgers spokesman.

The university's internet technology department identified the problem as a "denial of service event," or an attack in which a hacker uses "bots," or compromised computers, to flood a network with requests. The bots overwhelm the network, crashing websites and affecting internet access.

By Monday afternoon, Rutgers' websites and internet access appeared to be returning to normal.

The attack was at least the fifth "denial of service" attack at Rutgers since last fall.

The FBI was called in to investigate the earlier attacks. But neither FBI investigators nor Rutgers officials have commented on the case.

Exfocus appeared to taunt Rutgers on Twitter, Reddit and other social media sites during last spring's cyber attacks.

In an interview with a local tech blogger, a hacker claiming to be Exfocus said he or she was paid $500 an hour in Bitcoin by a client with a grudge against Rutgers.

"Normally I don't show myself, but the entity paying me has something against the school. They want me to 'make a splash,'" Exfocus said in the interview, according to a transcript posted by the tech blogger.

Though it remains unclear if Exfocus was responsible for Monday's internet outage and website disruptions, many Rutgers students directed their frustration at the alleged hacker's Twitter account (@ogexfocus).

"Please stop. There are graduate students, including myself, who need the Internet to do research that can't happen with this," one student wrote on Twitter.

Other students directed their anger at Rutgers officials, who said in July the university was raising tuition partly to help cover the rising cost of cyber security.

"Please tell me why my tuition was raised if @ogexfocus is still able to hack our internet," another student wrote in a tweet directed to Rutgers' Twitter account.

Rutgers hired three cyber security consultants -- FishNet Security, Level 3 Communications and Imperva - over the last year to do behind-the-scenes work to upgrade cyber security on campus.

The firms are doing a variety of work, including testing Rutgers' networks for possible areas vulnerable to hackers. Rutgers also paid Imperva $160,000 for specialized filters to help protect against denial of service attacks, according to records obtained through the state Open Public Records Act.

Dubbed "Operation Family Tides," the 10-month investigation by several county and local law enforcement agencies revealed the members obtained large quantities of heroin in raw undiluted form and then recruited people to package the opiate for sale primarily in the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen.

FREEHOLD -- A Monmouth County grand jury on Monday indicted 20 people as part of a drug distribution network that included several members of the same family who recruited others to package heroin and cocaine flowing through the county's Bayshore area.

Four of those indicted are charged with being the leaders of that network, which acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said sold large quantities of heroin almost daily.

Seven others are accused of conspiring with the alleged leaders to distribute heroin and cocaine in a network that Gramiccioni said operated out of houses and apartments in Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

Dubbed "Operation Family Tides," the 10-month investigation by several county and local law enforcement agencies revealed the members obtained large quantities of heroin in raw undiluted form and then recruited people to package the opiate for sale primarily in the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen.

The 136-count indictment names Gregory "IA" Moore, 34; Terrence "T9" Brown, 38; Edward "Head" Guttridge II, 30, all of Cliffwood, and Halee Wing, 37, of East Orange, as leaders of the narcotics ring. The four men are charged with leading a narcotics trafficking network, conspiracy, drug possession with intent to distribute and drug distribution.

Those charged as being co-conspirators are Isaiah "Zeke" Edwards, 25, of Old Bridge; Raymond "Hood" Jackson, 30, of Keyport; Bianca Edwards, 22, of Old Bridge; Joseph "Rule" Jackson Jr., 44, of Matawan, Krystal Mell, 26, of Keansburg, Alina Alma, 24, of New York City and James, "King James" Hemenway, 37, of Woodbridge. They were charged with conspiracy, drug possession with intent to distribute and drug distribution. Brown, Isaiah Edwards, Gutridge, Raymond Jackson, Mell and Joseph Jackson, Jr. also face additional drug distribution charges. Additionally, Gutridge and Jessica German, 21, of New York City, were each charged with drug possession.

Members of the operation also sold powder and crack cocaine, Gramiccioni said.

He said the investigation also uncovered two locations - an apartment in Perth Amboy and another apartment in Woodbridge - where heroin and cocaine were processed and packaged.

In the indictment, Gutridge, Wing, Alma, and Timothy Davidson, 38, of Old Bridge, are charged with maintaining or operating a drug production facility, drug possession with intent to distribute in connection with the apartment in Perth Amboy. Hemenway is charged with maintaining or operating a drug production facility and drug possession with intent to distribute related to the Woodbridge apartment, Gramiccioni said.

The indictment also named seven people who are accused of buying drugs from members of the narcotics ring. They were identified as Ryan Murphy, 26, and Taheem Brown, 22, of Cliffwood; Jason Remp, 21, of Hazlet; James Mitchell, 57, Shannon Lecomte 21, and Denise Giuriceo, 41, of Keansburg and Christine Owens, 44, of the West Keansburg section of Hazlet. They are charged with drug possession and conspiracy to possess drugs.

Newark is the second N.J. city admitted to the two-year-old program.

NEWARK -- The state's largest city has been chosen as one of five across the country that will be added to the Department of Justice's "Violence Reduction Network," a year-old program that brought a federal spotlight to crime-reduction efforts in Camden last year.

"The selection of Newark as a VRN city will enable us to build on the success we've already achieved in Camden over the past year," U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in a release Monday afternoon.

"This program ensures that federal resources are carefully targeted to the areas where they will provide the greatest benefit."

According to the release, Newark was selected - along with Little Rock and West Memphis, Ark., Compton, Calif., and Flint, Mich. - to be a part of the program's second cohort this year. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates made the announcement Monday at the second annual VRN Summit in Detroit, Mich., Hoffman said in the release.

City officials acknowledged but did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the announcement.

The VRN connects cities with federal crime fighting agencies like the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service. During the announcement, Yates gave examples of initiatives instituted at first year sites, the release said.

Camden was one of six cities chosen for the VRN's inaugural class last year, officials said. In that city, they said, VRN projects included displaying wanted felons' information on digital billboards, helping local police obtain National Integrated Ballistic Information Network equipment and training, and initiating eTrace, an online firearms tracing and analysis tracking process.

The announcement is one of many local, state, and federal interventions targeted at safety initiatives in the city. Officials are also in the midst of choosing a federal monitor to oversee operations of the Newark Police Department - the result of a scathing DOJ investigation into police practices.

However, despite recent spikes in homicides in the city, federal data released Monday showed an overall reduction in violent crime in Newark in 2014.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Most towns in Essex County saw deceases in violent and property crimes between 2013 and 2014, according to FBI's Uniform Crime Report

NEWARK -- Newark and most of the other Essex County municipalities saw decreases last year in the numbers of violent and property crimes, according to a federal report released on Monday.

The FBI's annual "Crime in the United States" report shows Newark had 3,008 violent crimes in 2014, marking a roughly 14 percent decline from the 3,516 violent crimes recorded in 2013. That decrease in Newark includes a drop in murders from 112 in 2013 to 93 in 2014.

The state's largest city also saw a reduction in the amount of property crimes from 8,965 in 2013 to 7,958 in 2014, the report shows.

The Newark Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Newark Police Director Eugene Venable previously credited the drop in murders last year to various measures, including the reassignment of dozens of officers away from desk postings onto regular patrols and the creation of specialty units that target violent gangs and other persistent problems.

The violent crime totals included in the report are composed of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault offenses. Property crimes included in the report totals consist of burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft.

Newark still had the most violent and property crimes of any municipality in the county last year, according to the report.

In addition to Newark, the report indicates only five other municipalities had more than 100 violent crimes in 2014 - Irvington (686); East Orange (458); Orange (318); Belleville (102); and West Orange (102), the report shows.

While Newark led the county in murders last year, the following four municipalities had homicides as well: Irvington (18); Belleville (2); East Orange (2); and West Orange (1), according to the report.

As for property crimes, four municipalities besides Newark had more than 1,000 such offenses - Irvington (1,836); Bloomfield (1,115); Orange (1,102); and East Orange (1,100), the report shows.

Between 2013 and 2014, the following 16 municipalities saw decreases in the number of property crimes: Belleville, Caldwell, North Caldwell, West Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Livington, Millburn, Maplewood, Montclair, Newark, Nutley, East Orange, South Orange, Roseland and Verona, according to the report.

Five municipalities - Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Orange and West Orange - saw increases in property crimes over the two years, the report shows.

In terms of violent crimes, six municipalities saw increases between 2013 and 2014, the report shows. Those towns were Livingston, Maplewood, East Orange, West Orange, Roseland and Verona.

The following 14 municipalities saw decreases in the number of violent crimes: Belleville, Bloomfield, Caldwell, North Caldwell, West Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Montclair, Newark, Nutley, Orange and South Orange, according to the report.

Millburn had the same number of violent crimes with nine offenses each in 2013 and 2014, the report shows.

Based on the report, West Orange was the only municipality in Essex County to see increases in violent crimes and property crimes, but township spokeswoman Susan Anderson said the municipality is on track for a reduction in both categories in 2015, as compared to last year.

"Right now our numbers are on track for a reduction. So anything we saw in the prior two years we've implemented steps to remedy and those methods are working," Anderson said.

"West Orange has benefited from a reduction in crime over the past 20 years, and it still remains at a relatively low rate."

RELATED: Rapes up in N.J. despite decline in violent crime in 2014, FBI report shows

Of the 22 municipalities in Essex County, Essex Fells was the only one whose 2014 statistics were not included in the report.

Here's how the increases and decreases in the two crime categories broke down for the other municipalities, according to the report:

Belleville

Violent crimes in Belleville decreased from 112 to 102 between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes dropped from 839 to 831. Belleville had two murders in 2014 and none in 2013.

Bloomfield

In Bloomfield, violent crimes dropped from 137 in 2013 to 98 last year. Property crimes in the township increased from 1,094 to 1,115.

Caldwell

In Caldwell, violent crimes dropped from eight to four between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes decreased from 66 to 58.

North Caldwell

North Caldwell had one violent crime in 2013 and none in 2014. Property crimes dropped from 38 to 18.

West Caldwell

Violent crimes in West Caldwell decreased from six to five between 2013 and 2014. Property crimes dropped from 99 to 51.

Cedar Grove

In Cedar Grove, violent crimes dropped from four in 2013 to two in 2014, and property crimes decreased from 91 to 73.

Fairfield

Fairfield saw its number of violent crimes drop from 11 in 2013 to seven last year. Property crimes went from 228 to 226.

Glen Ridge

In Glen Ridge, violent crimes decreased from seven to three between 2013 to 2014, and property crimes increased from 156 to 165.

Irvington

Violent crimes in Irvington dropped from 815 to 686 between 2013 and 2014. The number of murders went from 17 to 18 over the two years.

Property crimes increased from 1,613 to 1,836.

Livingston

In Livingston, there were 15 violent crimes in 2013 and 16 in 2014. Property crimes dropped from 384 to 309.

Millburn

The number of violent crimes remained the same in Millburn with nine offenses each in 2013 and 2014. Property crimes decreased from 473 to 344.

Maplewood

In Maplewood, the number of violent crimes increased from 41 to 45 between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes dropped from 485 to 402.

Montclair

In Montclair, violent crimes declined from 73 to 46 between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes dropped from 571 to 566.

Newark

Newark saw its violent crime total drop from 3,516 in 2013 to 3,008 in 2014, and its property crimes decreased from 8,965 to 7,958.

Nutley

In Nutley, violent crimes decreased from 20 to 15 between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes went down from 285 to 252.

East Orange

The number of violent crimes in East Orange increased from 405 to 458 between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes dropped from 1,205 to 1,100.

Murders in East Orange declined from six in 2013 to two in 2014.

Orange

In Orange, violent crimes dropped from 377 in 2013 to 318 in 2014. Property crimes increased from 871 to 1,102.

South Orange

Violent crimes in South Orange dropped from 35 to 24 between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes decreased from 327 to 253.

West Orange

Violent crimes in West Orange increased from 79 in 2013 to 102 in 2014, and property crimes increased from 685 to 706. The township had one murder each in 2013 and 2014.

Roseland

In Roseland, the number of violent crimes increased from one to three between 2013 and 2014. Property crimes dropped from 48 to 38.

Verona

Violent crimes in Verona increased from three to four between 2013 and 2014, and property crimes dropped from 118 to 65.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Another youth with a gun also arrested this weekend, police said

NEWARK -- Two teenaged boys were arrested after they were found in possession of loaded handguns this weekend, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said.

 

The first arrest occurred Friday, when members of the Newark Violence Reduction Initiative -- an inter-agency effort consisting of personnel from the State Police, FBI, Essex County Sheriff and State Parole -- "developed information relevant to a shooting that occurred earlier in the week in the West Ward," Glover said.

After conducting an investigation into the tip, law enforcement responded to the 600 block of 15th Avenue in search of the 16-year-old suspect. Detectives in an unmarked vehicle watched as the teen remove a handgun and other items from his pocket and place them in the hallway of a building, Glover said.

The unnamed suspect was held as police retrieved the items, a 40-caliber handgun, a 38-caliber handgun and a stash of drugs. He was uncharged with unlawful possession of weapons as well as other offenses.

At noon the following day, Officer Pedro Rivera, who was off-duty, was in a North Ward restaurant when he saw someone with a gun. Rivera "discreetly" contacted police, who apprehended the suspect based on Rivera's description, Glover said. The 17-year-old, who was eating when police entered, was arrested on weapons charges after police found him in possession of a loaded .40-caliber handgun, Glover said.

"Whether the arrests were the result of a tip or the alert actions of an off duty Newark officer frequenting a local business, police are out in the field working feverishly to make our city safer. I applaud the Newark officers and our partners assigned to the NVRI for their dedicated and outstanding police work," said Newark Police Director Eugene Venable.

Police ask that anyone with information about these or any other crimes call the department's 24-hour Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 877-NWK-TIPS (877 695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877 695-4867).

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook

 

The 57-year-old man was found in an industrial area of the city's East Ward Monday morning

NEWARK - A man found dead in the city's East Ward Monday morning was the victim of an apparently grisly crime.

According to multiple law enforcement sources, the 57-year-old was shot in the head and severely burned before being discovered on the 200 block of Astor Street at around 7:37 a.m.

It is unclear exactly when the man died, or whether he had been intentionally set on fire.

The industrial neighborhood lined with auto mechanics and welding shops was quiet and free of any law enforcement presence when a reporter arrived early this afternoon.

Thomas S. Fennelly, a chief assistant prosecutor with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, said this morning that an autopsy would determine the exact cause and manner of death, but that the case was being treated as a homicide. Authorities have declined to provide any additional details.

Sources said the man is believed to have been homeless, and authorities have been attempting to contact a relative before identifying him.

If ruled a homicide, the death would mark the 76^th in Newark so far this year, and the second in as many days.

Authorities have also yet to announce a cause of death for a 68-year-old man found dead outside his home on Sherman Avenue Saturday night.

Law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation, however, said he appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma, and surveillance video captured him being assaulted and kicked in the head before medical responders arrived on scene.

Newark totaled 93 homicides during all of 2014.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.