One of the victims was an inmate on a work release program heading into work, according to police

NEWARK -- Police are investigating the shooting of two people near the Logan Hall halfway house Monday morning. 

One of the victims was an inmate on a work release program heading into work, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said. 

"This shooting was not a random act," Ambrose said in a release. 

Police received the report of multiple shots fired in the Toler Place area of the city at about 6:45 a.m., according to the release. When police arrived they found two people shot. Both were taken to an area hospital and are in stable condition.

A gray 2003 Lincoln LS was also hit by the gunfire. 

No further details of the shooting was made available. 

Anyone with information can call 1-877-695-8477.

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

Montclair's own Buzz Aldrin explains how the United States ended up putting a man on the moon.

By Paul Brubaker | The Backgrounder

President John F. Kennedy, who challenged the nation to put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the 1960s, originally wanted to put a man on Mars, said Buzz Aldrin, who walked the moon during Apollo 11.

"The Bay of Pigs (invasion of Cuba) had not gone very well, so in April of '61 he went to NASA and said, 'I think we should plan on going to Mars,'" said Aldrin on the latest edition of The Backgrounder Podcast. "The guys at NASA, their jaws dropped."

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin visited his childhood home in Montclair this past October. (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

At that point, NASA lagged the Soviets in the space race. The Soviets already had successfully launched the Sputnik satellite and put a dog named Laika in orbit. Aldrin said he was attending a special event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he learned about the early exchange between JFK and NASA officials.

Long before Aldrin took his first steps on the moon, he took his first steps on Earth in Montclair where he grew up. On September 16, he will return to Montclair for the dedication of a middle school that will be renamed in his honor.

To hear Aldrin explain how JFK came to set his sights on the moon, and some of Aldrin's memories of living in Montclair, simply click on the orange button on the top of this page.

Paul Brubaker, former journalist and congressional spokesman, keeps it real with the people who make New Jersey the most fascinating place on Earth. Check back every week for a new episode of 'The Backgrounder.' 

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District officials say they are planning to reopen water fountains in October.

NEWARK -- The 35,000 students who returned to the city's public schools Tuesday were greeted by a nearly full staff, new buildings upgrades, and a lot of bottled water.

District officials confirmed that the 30 school buildings in which water sources tested high for lead levels this spring will remain on bottled water, at least for now.

23 ways Newark schools are set to improve

In preparation for the new school year, officials said the district put a "specific emphasis on water testing," taking about 8,500 samples from 70 locations throughout the district.

Officials said they expect all of the fountains to be back in use by October. They plan to hold community meetings over the next month to explain the testing results before reopening the water sources.

The schools have been on bottled water since March, when testing revealed that aging pipes created elevated lead levels in dozens of the schools.

Thousands of bottles of water have been donated to the school district by various organizations. (File photo) 

The anticipated water fix is only one of hundreds of facilities projects the district undertook over the summer, officials said Tuesday. Those projects included the re-launch of the new North 10th Street School, relocation of the South Street School building, and the launch of the South Ward Community Schools program.

"One of the main priorities...has been to ensure that every student throughout the city of Newark is able to enter a safe, healthy, and welcoming learning environment on the first day of school," School Business Administrator Valerie Wilson said in a statement about the first day of school.

"The district is excited about the substantial steps that have been taken this summer to reach our goal that will have a positive effect on student achievement."

Along with students, about 5,500 employees also went back to school Tuesday, including 250 new teachers. The district's school buildings are starting off the year at 98 percent staffing - which school officials said is a marked improvement over years past. Schools are working to fill the remaining vacancies, they said.

"Newark Public Schools is committed to ensuring that high quality educators are at the front of every classroom leading our children--they deserve nothing less," said Larisa Shambaugh, chief talent officer of Newark Public Schools.

"We all remember meeting our new teachers on the first day of school. To this end, our office continues to work with each and every principal to ensure that our students have the best educators to experience a positive learning environment from the very first day of school."

The changes are all in line with the reform efforts announced in two reports over the summer, both aimed at returning the district to local control by the start of the next school year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

Orange leaders pledged their support at a town hall meeting last week.

ORANGE -- State Senate President Stephen Sweeney is on a mission to squash Gov. Chris Christie's school funding reform proposal, and parents and politicians in cities that would stand to lose the most funding under the governor's formula are joining his fight.

Sweeney (D-Gloucester) is travelling up and down the state asking opponents of Republican Gov. Chris Christie's "fairness formula" to sign on in support of his alternative, an amended version of the the 2008 School Funding Reform Act, which was rolled out by then Gov. Jon Corzine.

That funding plan, Sweeney argued Thursday at a town hall meeting in Orange, was thwarted by state legislators who changed the funding allocations it laid out. His plan focuses on getting every district 100 percent of the funding amount laid out in that formula.

Sweeney pushes '100 percent' school funding

"We made a mistake, and now we need to fix it," he said, referring to the funding changes made since 2008 by the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly.  

At the meeting, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren and Superintendent Ronald Lee vowed to support Sweeney's plan, which initially calls for a committee to study school funding.

"We are in a state of crisis in terms of education funding," said Warren, who took a group to Trenton in June to push for greater funding for urban school districts like Orange.

Christie's formula proposes a flat rate of $6,599 per student in every district, a change he said would significantly lower property taxes in many towns across the state.

But, under the plan, Sweeney said Orange schools stand to lose about $38.5 million a year. His plan would add about $16 million to the school's budget, he said.

Some districts across the state are underfunded, based on the numbers laid out in the 2008 funding formula, while others get as much as 40 percent more than they were initially allotted, Sweeney said. His plan involves redistributing money from the "overfunded" districts, getting every district to about 88 percent of the amount laid out in Corzine's plan. Sweeney's proposal then calls for $500 million in additional funding over the next five years to get every district to 100 percent of what its owed under the 2008 formula.

According to Lee, Orange has been "underfunded" by about $13 million a year. Though no cuts had to be made this year, if funding stays flat next year, about 50 to 60 staff members in the 5,700-student district will be out of their jobs, he said.

"If everybody was underfunded, we wouldn't be having conversations about inequality," Lee, who said he would support Sweeney's plan for redistributing state aid, said at the town hall meeting. "(Though), we might still want more money." 

Democratic politicians and urban school districts have blasted Christie's plan as unfair to school systems with high percentages of low income and English language learning students. But, the governor has argued that it would solve two problems at once.

"It is time to change the failed school funding formula and replace it with one that will force the end of these two crises -- the property tax scandal and the disgrace of failed urban education," he said in June when proposing the new formula. Christie's plan, he said, would result in an aid increase for about 75 percent of schools across the state.

Though they said they were against Christie's proposal, some of the about 50 residents who attended Thursday's meeting questioned aspects Sweeney's plan that the state senator admitted still need to be worked out, like a funding plan for charter schools. But, he argued that his plan would create a more balanced distribution of state funds.

"If everyone is at 100 percent, how can we point fingers at anybody?" he asked during the forum. "We are trying to create fairness."

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

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Officers seized a loaded handgun, sheriff says

Brian Wolfe, 29 (Photo: Essex County Sheriff's Office) 

A woman flagged down Essex County Sheriff's Office patrol officers Monday night on 17th Avenue and reported that she was just threatened by an armed suspect, according to Sheriff Armando Fontoura.

Brian Wolfe, 29, reportedly pulled up in the passenger's seat of a Kia van and brandished a handgun while threatening to harm the woman, Fontoura said in a statement. Sheriff's officers stopped the van minutes later near Springfield Avenue and South 12th Street.

Officers smelled marijuana coming from the van and spotted a loaded .38 caliber Rossi revolver between the front passenger seat and the center console of the vehicle, the sheriff added. Wolfe was also found with a zip-lock bag of marijuana, authorities said.

Wolfe was ordered held at the Essex County jail in lieu of $100,000 on charges, including unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of illegal hollow point ammunition, according to authorities. He was also issued summonses for the drugs. Fontoura said the van driver was released without charges.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

City and county authorities said two of the cases, one of them fatal, were solved thanks to tips from the public, whose trust in the Newark police seems to be strengthening

NEWARK -- Newark and Essex County authorities announced a slew of arrests made in 15 shootings in the city, six of them fatal, and thanked the public for tips that led to two of the cases being cracked.

The authorities said the tips appeared to have resulted from a strengthening of the public's trust in law enforcement after implementing measures intended to enhance community relations, like adding 80 new cops with walking beats this June.

"There's no secret that the relationship between the Newark Police and the public is at an all-time low -- we have a consent decree," said the city's public safety director, Anthony Ambrose.

"But we're here to thank the public for helping us take criminals off the streets."

The charges and arrests announced Tuesday involved a total of 15 shooting incidents, including 5 fatal shootings that resulted in six deaths.

A total of 9 people have been charged in the fatal shootings, with six of them under arrest and three at large as of Tuesday. In the ten non-fatal shootings, 6 people were arrested, while one person was charged but had not been caught.

According to Ambrose and Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, the people charged include:

• Jhamid Love, 26, and Isaiah Jackson, 22, who were arrested on murder and related charges in the Jan. 28 shooting deaths of Terrence M. Moore, Jr., 23, of East Orange, and Derrick Valentine, 22, of Newark, in the 300 block of New Street. Jackson is incarcerated in the Union County jail on unrelated charges, authorities said. Love is at large, they said. Bail for both has already been set at $1 million.
• Earl Behlin, 33, of Newark, who was arrested on murder and other charges related to the Aug. 19 shootings of Robert Harrison Jr., 24, of Irvington and Jessica Tosco, 27, of Flemington. According to authorities, Harrison died at the scene of the Willoughby Street shooting, and Tosco died several days later at the hospital. Behlin is being held on $2 million bail.
• Brothers Adrian and John Madera, 30 and 23 respectively, and Nelson Rodriguez, 23, all of Newark, have been arrested in the Aug. 26 murder of 40-year-old George Negron of Belleville. Negron was shot outside of the 4th Avenue Pharmacy, and was transported to a hospital, where he later died, authorities said. Rodriguez, who was arrested on murder and robbery charges, is being held on $750,000 bail. The Madera brothers were arrested on murder and weapons charges, with Adrian's bail set at $750,000 and John's at $1 million.
• Khalil Harris, 49, of Newark, has been charged with murder and other offenses related to the Aug. 27 fatal shooting of 42-year-old Curtis Thomas on Belgium Street. Although he remains at large, authorities said Harris was identified thanks to a tip from the public. Keith Oliver, 51, of Newark, was charged with aggravated assault in connection with Thomas's murder. He, too, remains at large.
• A 17-year-old has been charged in the July 1 shooting that claimed the life of Anthony Gettis, 25, of Newark. Gettis was shot multiple times on North 7th Street and pronounced dead several days later. The teenager is currently being held at the Essex County Juvenile Facility on unrelated charges, pending a court appearance.
• The other case in which investigators identified a suspect thanks to the public's help involved the non-fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman on Aug. 26, at Littleton and 12th Avenues. In that case, investigators were still searching for 19-year-old Leshawne McGee, one of four teenagers charged in the non-fatal shootings announced Tuesday.
• Another teen, Raquan Tillery, 18, of Newark, was arrested Aug. 30, charged in a shooting on Leslie Street on Aug. 27 that wounded a 16-year-old male. Tillary was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and weapons possession charges. Police also charged Tillary in 2 other non-fatal shootings, one on Aug. 28, on South 11th Street, and the other on Aug. 29, on Avon Avenue.
• And 19-year-old Amin Hines of Newark, was arrested on Aug. 30, charged with aggravated assault, unlawful weapons possession and conspiracy, after investigators said he shot and wounded an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old on South 11th Street. Hines faces similar charges in a shooting police say took place two days earlier, on 15th Avenue.
• Jahquil Bethea, 19, of Newark was arrested on Aug. 29 and charged with aggravated assault and unlawful weapons possession in a shooting that wounded a 40-year-old male on Bergen Street.
• William E. Reese, 20, of Newark, was arrested on Aug. 29, in the shooting of two 17-year-old males on Fabyan Place, charged with aggravated assault and unlawful weapons possession.
• Shyteisha McCargo, 23, of Newark, was arrested Aug. 23, in the shooting of a 32-year-old male on Central Avenue, charged with aggravated assault and unlawful weapons possession.
• Jahmeen Stallings, 36, of Elizabeth, was arrested on Aug. 23, in the shooting of a 30-year-old male on South 18th Street, charged with aggravated assault and unlawful weapons possession.

Apart from the charges and arrests, authorities also announced a $10,000 reward in the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Haniyah Woods of Newark, who was gunned down on South 10th Street at 12:55 a.m. on Saturday morning, three days before she was supposed to start her sophomore year at West Side High School.

Along with Ambrose and Mayor Ras Baraka, Murray asked the public's help in identifying Woods' assailant, and all criminals. "As acting prosecutor, I can't tell you how critical that is for the job that we do," Murray said. As evidenced by the charges in the two recent cases, she added, "public trust is increasing this year."

Newark and Essex County authorities on Tuesday announced arrests in recent shootings int eh city. Detectives investigated a separate shooting earlier this summer in this file photo.

Ambrose said shootings overall were down 17 percent in Newark for the year to date. However, he noted that the number of homicides -- committed overwhelmingly with guns -- was up for this time of year, to 68, compared to the same point in 2015, when there were 63.

Ambrose said the motivation for most shootings involved personal disputes or the drug trade.

The shootings happen, Ambrose and Baraka said, because there are so many guns in circulation. Despite New Jersey's tough gun laws, they said, weapons are easily purchased in other states, mainly in the South, and transported and sold in Newark and other cities in New Jersey. The solution, they said, is tougher national gun laws that must be approved by Congress and the president.

"We're at their mercy," Baraka said.

Murray, an appointee of Gov. Chris Christie, declined to comment on Baraka and Ambrose's proscription for fewer shootings. But she said her office enforces the law, including prosecuting "hundreds" of illegal weapons possession cases each year against convicted felons and others legally barred from having a gun.

To provide a tip, authorities urged the public to call the county Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force at 877-847-7432.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A Pittsburgh man was arrested in July after allegedly lying to police

Jaunelle McNeal (Newark police)  

NEWARK -- Jaunelle McNeal arrived at University Hospital in late July with a gunshot wound, appearing to be yet one more of the city's large annual tally of victims injured by firearms.

But authorities say McNeal wasn't, in fact, shot in Newark, or even in New Jersey, and now he faces a number of charges, including obstruction and filing a false police report.

When officers interviewed McNeal after he turned up at University shortly before midnight July 27, he allegedly identified himself as 27-year-old Curtis Jefferson and told police that he had been the victim of an armed robbery on Stratford Place.

But according to police, further investigation revealed that "Curtis Jefferson" was an alias for McNeal, of Pittsburgh. McNeal had also been shot in Allentown, Pa., on July 27, and was wanted for robbery in Kittanning, Pa., authorities said.

It was not immediately clear Tuesday if McNeal remained in custody.  

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

Police believe at least 3 people struck early in the morning Monday

NUTLEY -- Police are searching for at least three people who broke into several cars this Labor Day weekend, including one man who was seen fleeing by a resident Monday morning, police said.

Police began to investigate when the N. Spring Garden Avenue resident reported seeing a man in his car around 6 a.m. Monday, as the car was parked in the driveway. The resident yelled to the man, who exchanged a few words with the resident before running away. The victim also told police he saw a silver sedan with a loud exhaust head west on the street shortly afterwards.

Teens burglarized dozens of cars: cops 

The man's car had been burglarized, police said, along with vehicles on Wayne Place, Edgar Enclosure, South Spring Garden Avenue, Garden Avenue and Alexander Avenue. All told, 20 vehicles were entered between 3 and 6 a.m., according to home surveillance video and other evidence.

Police have released stills from surveillance video in an attempt to identify the suspects. Residents are also urged to keep their vehicles locked and to avoid leaving valuables inside them. 

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

New Jersey exemptions sought on religious grounds has grown from 1,641 in the 2005-06 academic year to 9,506 in the 2014-15 year.

TRENTON -- The American Academy of Pediatrics last week issued a dramatic statement to its members: It's OK to stop seeing families who refuse their shots.

The Academy also urged states to repeal laws that have allowed parents to use religion as an excuse for not getting their children inoculated. 

New Jersey has a liberal religious exemption policy, allowing parents and guardians to submit a signed statement indicating "immunization interferes with the free exercise of the pupil's religious rights." No other documentation is required.  The number of unvaccinated students is slowly climbing in the state. 

An attempt to make it tougher for New Jersey families to get the religious exemption by requiring they explain how vaccines "would violate, contradict, or otherwise be inconsistent" with their religion failed in the last legislative session.

The number of New Jersey children whose parents have requested a religious exemption has grown nearly 600 percent, from 1,641 in the 2005-06 academic year to 9,506 in the 2014-15 year, according to the state Department of Health.

Children who skipped vaccines on religious grounds represent just 2 percent of the 506,000 preschool, kindergarten, first and sixth graders in the state, according to state data.

Severing ties with patients and their families should be a last resort, according to the academy's report, "Countering Vaccine Hesitancy," published in the September issue of the journal, Pediatrics.

Pediatricians ought to invest the time listening to parents, discussing the data that show the safety of vaccines, and even "personalize" the conversation by describing their own choices as a parent.

AMA: No vaccine exemptions for religious or personal reasons

Fortunately, most vaccine-hesitant parents are responsive to vaccine information, consider vaccinating their children, and are not opposed to all vaccines," according to the report.

"The decision to dismiss a family who continues to refuse immunization is not one that should be made lightly, nor should it be made without considering and respecting the reasons for the parents' point of view," the report continued. 

"Nevertheless, the individual pediatrician may consider dismissal of families who refuse vaccination as an acceptable option," according to the report. "In all practice settings, consistency, transparency, and openness regarding the practice's policy on vaccines is important."

The academy's report is the strongest statement yet on vaccine refusal. The issue intensified after a measles outbreak in Disneyland sickened 147 people, including 131 people in California from December 2014 to April 2015.

In 2010, 75 percent of pediatricians surveyed said their patients' families had reservations about vaccines. By 2013, 87 pediatricians said they had been met with resistance, the report said.

Margaret Fisher, a pediatric disease specialist who works at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, embraced the academy's decision to confront the issue.

"I think it will be helpful. I can easily see both sides of the story. We never want to punish a child for the family's behavior. We want to be sure the child gets the best possible care," Fisher said. "I could also see how (a pediatrician) may not want these patients in their practice."

The pediatrician must explain how unvaccinated children who share a doctor's waiting room with other kids are at risk, Fisher said. Infants are born with maternal antibodies that guard against diseases like measles, whooping cough, but every month the baby loses some of those antibodies until they are depleted at six months, Fisher said.

The schedule of shots may seem excessive, but the academy reviews it every year for its efficacy and safety, Fisher said. "it's not because we want to use them a pin cushions. It's because we want to be sure they will always be protected," she said.

But Nutley pediatrician Barry Prystowsky said he "resents" the academy's "hidden message" that says, " 'We don't trust you to talk to your patients and deal with them. We don't want you to have that liability risk.'"

For years, he has counseled anxious parents who have reservations about vaccines, Prystowsky said.

"Eventually I won most of them over, although not all of them. Sometimes it took more than a year or two." If the parents requested that he alter the schedule of the recommended vaccinations, "whatever they were comfortable with, I did."

"I would never ever leave a patient over a personal decision," added Prystowsky, a 30-year pediatrician who carried on his father's practice. "That is slap in the face."

The highest concentration of children excused from vaccines on religious grounds are in Hunterdon County (4.8 percent of the student population), Monmouth County (3.5 percent) and Sussex County (3.4 percent), according to health department.

Clusters of unvaccinated children poses a risk to children who are too young to get all the required vaccines, or can't have them because their immune systems are too weak, the academy said.

"People today may not remember that before vaccines, disease like whooping cough, meningitis and diphtheria sickened and claimed the lives of thousands of children and adults each year in the United States," said Kathryn Edwards, an academy member who co-authored the report.

Sue Collins, co-founder of the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice said she was troubled by the academy's singular focus on vaccines.

"This statement has taken away the ability of pediatricians to provide individualized medical care and what is best for their patients," Collins said. "When did pediatric medicine become only about administering vaccines? One size does not fit all in medicine and in life, vaccination included." 

Deputy Health Commissioner and pediatrician Arturo Brito declined to comment directly on the academy's advice. 

"The Department encourages parents who have concerns about vaccines to discuss their health care providers," Brito said. "The Department's goal is to have as many people as possible vaccinated to protect against the spread of disease."

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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A summary judgement has been issued in favor of former Orange Police Director Hakim Sims.

ORANGE -- A lawsuit alleging that the former director of the Orange police department sexually harassed a lieutenant has been dismissed.

In a summary judgment issued Aug. 5, Superior Court Judge Thomas Vena ruled in favor of former Orange Police Director Hakim Sims in the 2015 lawsuit filed against him by veteran city police Lt. Deborah Upchurch.

The decision was based on written materials provided by both sides, and did not go to trial.

"My client is relieved and happy that his good name has been restored," said Gina Mendola, who represented Sims in the suit. Vena found that there was "no legal basis...(and) no proof" for charges to be filed against Sims, Mendola said of the ruling.

"Legally, the judge was right on."

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Mendola said Upchurch's related suits against the city and police department were also dismissed.

Eldridge Hawkins, Upchurch's attorney, said the ruling is not the end of the legal battle, as the lieutenant plans to appeal the decision.

"The judge stated his interpretation of the law...of course, we disagree with it," Hawkins said in a phone interview.

Among other allegations, Upchurch claimed Sims repeatedly made suggestive and inappropriate remarks and advances toward her, including saying she "reminds him of a porn star."

Sims has denied the allegations, calling them "patently false." He filed a $2.5 million lawsuit against Upchurch and the city, alleging that the suit filed by the lieutenant was part of a coordinated, politically-motivated campaign to defame him.

That suit is still pending, the attorneys said.

Sims was suspended during an investigation into the allegations, but Mendola said he since retired from the department in good standing.

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

Nutley police said they found the man in possession of a fake gun and other police paraphernalia.

NUTLEY -- Taking photos of himself dressed up as a police officer and posing with a fake gun has gotten a New Jersey man arrested, authorities said.

Nutley police said they received reports last week that 19-year-old Christopher Ciccone, of Jackson, was impersonating a police officer, and might be in possession of a gun. Police said they were given photos of Ciccone wearing "police attire" and a badge around his neck.

On Sept. 2, police pulled Ciccone over when they saw his silver Ford Crown Victoria near a Nutley home he used to live in. He was found to be in possession of the badge, handcuffs, a dash cam, flashing light, police scanner, and replica 9 mm Beretta, with two magazines filled with blanks, police said.

20 cars burglarized in Labor Day spree

Ciccone was arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer and possession of prohibited weapons and released pending a court hearing, authorities said.

According to police spokesman Det. Sgt. Anthony Montanari, Ciccone did not attempt to interact with anyone while dressed up as a police officer, or "do anything other than share photographs."

Officers pursued the case in an effort to get the gun, which turned out to be a fake, off the streets, police said.

This "was a young man that took the wrong route in his desire to be a police officer," Police Director and Mayor Alphonse Petracco said in a statement about the incident.

"It could've been possible for Ciccone to actually get into law enforcement, however an arrest like this makes it unlikely now."

Authorities declined to release the photos that prompted the investigation.

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

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John Warnock was an Essex County Sheriff's Officer when he was convicted of harassment, but acquitted of more serious charges in connection with a 2012 incident at a West Orange night club.

NEWARK -- An appellate court has upheld a 2014 decision to not strip a sheriff's officer convicted of harassment of his ability to hold a public job.

The ruling supports Superior Court Judge Mitzy Galis-Menendez's decision to allow John Warnock - who was found guilty of harassing a woman outside a West Orange night club in 2012, but acquitted of more serious charges related to the incident - to keep the job he held with the Essex County Sheriff's Office.

"The offense was a petty disorderly persons offense committed while (Warnock) was off-duty," the appellate decision, which was released Tuesday, reads.

And although Warnock did admit to identifying himself as a police officer to the woman, "the offense was not directly related to the performance of his job and (Warnock's) status as a law enforcement officer was irrelevant to any of the essential elements of the offense."

Judge tosses 'porn star' suit against top cop

Two years ago, Warnock was acquitted of official misconduct, criminal restraint and making terroristic threats charges in connection to allegations that he had offered to help a woman get home from the club in the early morning hours of Oct. 6, 2012, but then threatened her inside his car and refused to let her get out.

The woman ultimately jumped from the moving vehicle in Nutley, authorities said. Warnock denied that the woman was ever in his car.

A jury initially could not reach a decision on a coercion charge levied against Warnock in connection to the incident, but it was eventually dismissed. He was found guilty of only a harassment charge, and ordered to pay a $325 fine.

During the proceedings, Warnock was suspended from his job without pay. He is no longer employed by the Sheriff's Office, a spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

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

Jury selection began today for the trial of a Newark man charged with others in the homicide of a man whose body was dumped behind a North Bergen gas station in 2012.

JERSEY CITY -- Jury selection began today for the trial of a Newark man charged with others in the homicide of a man whose body was dumped behind a North Bergen gas station in 2012.

Mark Browne is one of six people charged in the death of 24-year-old Darryl Williams whose body was found by a passerby behind the Getty gas station on Tonnele Avenue near Route 3 on Dec. 31, 2012.

Williams was partially clothed, his hands were bound behind his back and he was beneath a mattress with cinder blocks on it, officials said.

Two of Brown's five co-defendants have already been sentenced for their roles in the murder. Brown faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of murder. 

During last year's sentencing of Daeshawn Jennings for his part in the killing, authorities said Jennings was asking for money outside of a Newark chicken restaurant when people inside the restaurant offered to pay him to help with a "cleanup." 

Jennings said he got into a car with the people who had been in restaurant, drove to the victim's home, and attacked him with a table leg. After Williams was beaten, he was tied up and driven to the gas station, officials said.

Jennings was sentenced to 18 years in state prison for aggravated manslaughter, while Kathleen Jones was sentenced to 12 years in prison in July after pleading guilty to the same charges.

Also charged in Williams' death are Qudeera Adams, Nydia Mozee, and Latoya Mozee, all of Newark. They await trial. 

Officials previously said Latoya Mozee was in a relationship with the victim. It was believed the couple had been in a physical altercation prior to Williams' fatal beating. 

Brown's trial is before Hudson County Superior Court Judge John Young in the Hudson County Administration Building in Newark. Jury select was set to began just before noon.  

Newark police charged a 28-year-old New York man with drug possession and child endangerment on Saturday

Newark police say the area of Lincoln and Mercer streets is where a 28-year-old New York man was arrested Saturday afternoon with heroin, needles and a 3-year-old child in his car.Google 

NEWARK -- A 28-year-old New York man was arrested with heroin, a hypodermic needle, and a 3-year-old child in his car, police said Wednesday. 

Jacob Vandijk of Rocky Point, N.Y., was charged Saturday with possession of CDS and paraphernalia, as well as endangering the welfare of a child, Newark Police announced.

It was about 1 p.m., when officers patrolling the area of Lincoln and Mercer streets, at the Oscar Miles Village public housing complex, saw Vandijk in his car with what they later confirmed to be a hypodermic needle, police said.

Upon searching the car, officers found needles and glassine envelopes containing what they believed was heroin, police said.

"A 3-year-old child, seated in a child seat, was also in the vehicle with Vandijk," the announcement stated.

Vandijk was arrested without incident, and the child was taken to University Hospital in Newark to be examined, police said.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Emergency call centers in all 21 counties are equipped with software to receive text messages to 911. Watch video

PISCATAWAY -- New Jersey is joining a growing number of states that allow people in emergency situations to send a text message to 911, officials announced on Wednesday.

The new technology is one way law enforcement officials are trying to keep pace with a growing number of emergency calls placed by cell phones. Seventy percent of 911 calls are placed from a cell phone, said Attorney General Christopher Porrino, citing data from the Federal Communications Commission.

But there are moments when people can't talk on the phone for various reasons, but can send a text message, Porrino said. For instance, if a person is deaf or hard of hearing, it could be more efficient for them to communicate via text message.

"This is an important advancement for the 911 system, for law enforcement, for anyone who lives, works and travels here in New Jersey," Porrino said.

More than 650 emergency call centers in nearly 40 states have the capability to field text messages, the FCC reports. Approximately 200 of those call centers made the text-to-911 upgrades in 2016.

Camden County was the first in New Jersey to unveil its text-to-911 system in March. By July, call centers in each of the state's 21 counties were equipped with software to field text messages, said Dave Weinstein, chief technology officer and head of the state's Office of Information Technology.

"There is perhaps no greater reason than public safety for government to keep pace with today's technology trends," Weinstein said.

He said the cost for the text-to-911 project is "virtually nothing" of the total operating expenses for the Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services, which is under $1 million. "We're talking about negligible expenses for the software," Weinstein said.

While the text-to-911 program advances the current 911 system's technology, it's still not equipped with the most up-to-date 911 software, known as Next Generation 911. Among other 911 enhancements, NextGen offers dispatchers the capability to not only receive text messages but photos and videos as well.

Weinstein said the state is hoping to start taking bids for NextGen either this year or next year.

Chris Rodriguez, director of New Jersey's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, said text-to-911 could be especially beneficial in active-shooter situations where people are unable to speak on the phone. He cited the night club shooting in Orlando as an example.

"The text-to-911 capability will allow, in the event that the unthinkable happens in our backyard, the public to be able to, in a safe way, text to 911 and provide vital information to first responders arriving on the scene," Rodriguez said.

He said about 70 percent of active-shooter situations end in less than five minutes before first responders can get to the scene.

These cases, however, are rare and extraordinary. Emergency officials stress that a voice call is a preferred method of calling 911. A call to 911 allows the dispatcher to collect vital information faster than texting, which is crucial in emergency situations, Porrino said.

"We recognize there are circumstances in which people are witnessing suspicious activity, people in danger or people desperately in need of medical help simply cannot talk but are able to text," he said. 

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.