Other suspects arrested during burglary investigation

NEWARK -- Four people were arrested over the course of several hours beginning Thursday night, including a city man who was charged shortly after he was wounded in a shooting, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said.

The first of the arrests, all in the North Ward, were carried out by personnel working on the Newark Violence Reduction Initiative, a multi-agency effort consisting of personnel from the FBI, Essex County Prosecutor's Office, the Sheriff's Department, the State Police and the state parole agency, as well as the city's gang and Ceasefire units.

 

The officers received a tip regarding someone armed with a gun on Norfolk Street, where police set up surveillance in the 200 block around 8 p.m. Ismael Mojica, 22, who matched a description provided by the tipster, was stopped after he was spotted in front of a corner and began to enter a car.

As officers approached, Mojica tried to hide a loaded, .22-caliber handgun in his pocket, Glover said. He has been charged with multiple weapons offenses, including unlawful possession of a handgun.

Several hours later, patrol officers responded to a reported burglary in the 100 block of 1st Street, where they began searching for suspects. Two men who matched a description were seen nearby at Dickerson and Duryea streets.

When the two officers approached, one of the suspects turned, grabbed something in his waistband and ran, Glover said. As the other suspect was being held, police, including backup officers, quickly caught the fleeing man, Glover added. The suspect, 20-year-old Davon Greely, allegedly threw away a loaded .25-caliber handgun during the chase, which was recovered.  

Greely was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and other weapons offenses. The other man, Devante Rouse, 23, was held on outstanding warrants.

A third arrest occurred around 2 a.m. Friday, when a man was found shot in an apartment near Orange and 1st streets. Arriving officers aided the victim, Donald Scott, 20, with one officer using a shirt to apply pressure to the wound, Glover said. The officer also noticed bullet fragments on the dresser when he grabbed the shirt, Glover also said.  

As Scott was being prepared for transport by EMS, officers also noticed a loaded 9-mm handgun and quantities of heroin and marijuana in the room, Glover said. Scott, who was taken to University Hospital, was told he was under arrest for drug and weapons offenses.  

"Newark officers, alongside our partners from several local, state and federal agencies, are exemplifying what this administration is committed to, that is the safety and well being of the citizens. This, combined with the residents' commitment to help the police by reporting crime to our anonymous tip line, is helping pave the way to that safer Newark," said Police Director Eugene Venable

Police are asking 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

 

Lacordaire Academy students visit the Gallery at Hillside Square.

Lacordaire Academy students Saydi Callahan Keefe, art teacher, Emily Costagliano, Emi Sato, Sofia Wright, Jen Storms, Elizabeth Genzale, Catherine Worth, Jahquasia Harrell, artist Janet Taylor Picket, Olivia Dent, Nya Ridley, Allya Jaquez and exhibit curator Kathy Imlay at the Gallery at Hillside Square.

MONTCLAIR - On Sept. 30 artist and former Montclair resident Janet Taylor Picket took the junior and senior Fine Arts students from Lacordaire Academy on a private tour of her work, "Stanzas of Metaphor & Meaning," at the Gallery at Hillside Square in Upper Montclair. The exhibit will run at the gallery through Jan. 8, and proceeds from the show will benefit CASA, a legal advocacy group for foster kids, and the Jersey Battered Women's Services.

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

Students at Arts High School can now start the school day with a healthy meal in the school's newly restyled cafeteria.

Arts High School students Sarah Goncalves and Yeimy Castillo grab breakfast in the school's newly restyled cafeteria. 

NEWARK -- Students at Arts High School now have an opportunity to start each school day with a healthy meal in the school's newly restyled cafeteria.

The district was able to expand the school's breakfast service to include grab-and-go breakfast kiosks and a "breakfast in the classroom" program thanks to a grant from the School Superintendents Association.

The food service improvements at the school include a redesign of the old cafeteria with a grant from the American Dairy Association and the New York Jets' Fuel Up to 60 Play Program. The cafeteria received a new color scheme along with new furniture, merchandising equipment and new signage that gives information on nutritious food choices.

The new cafeteria was officially opened Sept. 30 during a ribbon cutting ceremony held at the school.

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

One Theater Square, unveiled at the NJ Performing Arts Center five years ago, was intended to spark the creation of a new community. Today, the site remains a parking lot, construction has yet to begin and a bailout bill has been quietly introduced in the state senate to extend its critical tax credits.

NEWARK--It was called a "game changer" for the state's largest city.

One Theater Square, unveiled at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center five years ago, was intended to spark the creation of a new community around NJPAC.

With its curved glass tower and striking architecture, the ambitious $190 million development plan proposed a luxury residential high-rise, new stores and retail space, trendy restaurants, a conference center and a parking garage, to be built on a 1.2-acre parcel of land owned by the non-profit center in downtown Newark. The state put up $38 million in tax credits and NJPAC invested millions in pre-construction planning.

Today, the site remains a parking lot. Construction has yet to begin and the scale of the project sharply reduced. A special bailout bill has been quietly introduced in the state senate to extend its critical tax credits, which could begin to expire before the building opens--even if work were to begin today.

John Schreiber, president and CEO of NJPAC, which has been working on the development deal in partnership with Dranoff Properties of Philadelphia, said the arts center remains committed to the long-planned project.

"The real estate landscape has changed since this project was first envisioned," he said. "Five years ago the economy was soft and many projects were delayed. The good news is that Newark is more popular than ever. Now is the time to move forward."

Schreiber predicted One Theater Square would play "a key role" in Newark's future as a place to live, work and play. "We are confident that our developer, Dranoff Properties, is on track to a closing and groundbreaking in the very near future," he said in a statement.

Delay, though, has been a hallmark of a project first put on the table a decade ago, in a city that has yet to fully capitalize on the promise not only of the arts center itself, but of the Prudential Center sports arena several blocks away. Hobbled by the recession and recast by major design changes over the years, One Theater Square ran into ongoing financing difficulties that have still yet to be resolved.

A new community

Long a vision of former NJPAC president and CEO Lawrence P. Goldman, One Theater Square was first proposed as far back as 2005. Goldman wanted the arts center to expand its footprint with a vibrant residential community in the blocks surrounding it that would include shops, galleries and cafes.

The city of Newark declared the site adjacent to the Robert Treat Hotel as part of a redevelopment zone and conceptual designs were drafted. Dranoff Properties, which had built a high-rise near the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia and converted the historic RCA Victor factory on the Camden waterfront into luxury loft apartments, was selected as the developer in 2008.

Initial plans depicted a 28-story building featuring 30,000 square feet of retail space, 640 parking spaces and 250 rental apartments that would include artists' studios eligible for federal tax credits. By 2010, though, the concept had grown into a 44-story tower soaring 480 into the skyline, making it the tallest building in the city. It was to include 328 residential rental units, a pool and a spa, and a grand lobby.

The new plans were made public at a May 2010 press conference on the arts center's Prudential Hall stage, attended by Gov. Chris Christie and then-Mayor Cory Booker. "This isn't just housing in Newark. This is a game changer," Goldman announced at the time. "The notion is to create a new center of gravity for the city and the state."

Under the plan, NJPAC would grant a long-term ground lease to Dranoff as the developer and equity holder. The state approved $38 million in tax credits and while financing was still a question even then, there were bold predictions for the start of construction.

"I pledge to you we will build this building," declared Booker.

But the project heralded on the stage of Prudential Hall never was able to secure financing, according to the state Economic Development Authority, which said it was subsequently "abandoned" not long afterward "due to the economic downturn." The tax credits, so important to the project, were lost.

Financing troubles

James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School for Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, said the financing snags were unsurprising, given the burst in the housing bubble at the time.

"Credit disappeared," he noted. "Probably it was a good thing they didn't go forward. It would have been a 'zombie' building."

NJPAC ultimately was forced to scale down the project, significantly reducing the height of the tower, cutting the retail space and taking as much as $90 million out of the projected price tag. With state and local support, NJPAC and its developer sought new state funding through the Urban Transit Tax Credit program in April 2013. EDA records, however, show the credits were denied because NJPAC and its developer still could not "provide a financial commitment for the debt part of the project's capital structure."

The state, though, gave the project another chance. Under a second round of funding approved that year, the EDA awarded One Theater Square up to $33 million in tax credits in November of 2013. The city of Newark also approved a long-term tax exemption and redevelopment area bond financing. And according to the project application, pre-construction was expected to start in June 2014 with a targeted completion date of 2016, the EDA documents reported.

NJPAC tax filings show the arts center has spent $3.16 million of real estate pre-development costs since 2010. Schreiber said not all of the costs represented in the tax filings can be attributed to Theater Square, "but we have invested over $2 million to advance the project."

He said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, the municipal council, Essex County and the state of New Jersey "have all been supportive partners and advocates in the road to active construction."

Now, some 10 years after it was first proposed, the arts center project appears to remain in limbo and its tax credits are again in jeopardy.

Will the show go on?

According to EDA spokesman Virginia Pellerin, the capital investment for Theater Square must be made by April 26, 2017, with the tax credits paid out over ten years.

"If the project is completed after the deadline, the developer will lose eligibility for the equivalent of one year of tax credits for each year the project is delayed," she explained.

Development experts question whether Theater Square could be completed by 2017. Meanwhile, in an effort to keep those credits intact, state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) recently introduced a bill to delay the construction deadline by a year.

"John Schreiber and his team reached out to me," she said, calling the tax credits "a critical piece" in the financing.

NJPAC officials say without the tax credits, they would face a major hole in the project's financing. Anthony Coscia,the chairman of Amtrak and a former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who serves on NJPAC's council of trustees, said all the financing contingencies must be in place before construction can start.

"They have all their financing. The tax credit is a piece of the capital stack. But there is a question that construction will complete by the sunset date and both parties are not risk takers," he said of the tax credit extension.

Coscia's law firm, Windels Marx, represents NJPAC, providing legal support to the organization and negotiating the lease with Dranoff Properties.

"If getting the Legislature to extend the sunset by 12 months is going to make it less risky, it's good for the project," Coscia said.

Carl Dranoff, founder and CEO of the company that bears his name, said they are on track to targeting a start to the project in the fourth quarter 2015 or first quarter 2016.

"We believe that this will happen, and are making plans based on those targets," he said.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating an incident involving an off-duty Newark police officer who fired his service weapon on Saturday night. (Star-Ledger file photo) 

NEWARK -- An off-duty Newark police officer fired his service weapon on Saturday night in an incident that is now under investigation.

ALSO: Newark shooting victim had gun, drugs, cops say 

No one was injured, according to Thomas Fennelly, chief assistant prosecutor for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, but few other details were released.

Fennelly said in a statement that the prosecutor's office is "investigating an incident in which an off-duty Newark police officer discharged his service weapon."

He said the incident occurred just before 10:30 p.m. on Saturday near 43 Clifton St. in Newark. 

The investigation is active, Fennelly said.

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

Sgt. Jamie Velez, of Irvington, happened to see the getaway, police said.

EDISON -- A bank robbery suspect and his alleged accomplice were arrested Thursday after an alert off-duty Irvington cop happened upon the getaway, police said. 

Dwight Halls, 23, of Piscataway, and Khaliah McGruder, 20, of Plainfield, are charged in connection with the robbery at the Investor's Bank in Wick Plaza. 

Halls walked into the bank wearing a long dark wig and a hat around 12:15 p.m., police said. He handed the teller a note demanding cash, then jumped on the counter, scooping money into a bag, authorities allege. 

Irvington Police Sgt. Jamie Velez, off duty at the time, spotted Halls running out of the bank while McGruder was waiting in a getaway car, according to police. Velez thought it appeared suspicious, so the sergeant followed the car onto Route 1 and called local dispatchers. 

Edison cops were able to follow the car and later arrest the suspects when it came to a stop. Sgt. Thomas Lacik, Officers Chris Pedana, Joseph Luistro, David Stern and Scot Sofield helped bring Halls and McGruder into custody, according to authorities. One of the occupants of the car threw a bag of cash out the window, police said. 

Halls is charged with robbery, weapons possession and making terroristic threats. McGruder is charged with eluding police and conspiracy to commit robbery.

An investigation by Detectives Jeff Tierney and Sean Forker identified Halls as a suspect in the May 28 armed robbery of the same bank, police said. He's also a suspect in a July bank robbery, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact police Detective Tierney at (732) 427-0472.

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

 

Dominique Lee, CEO of BRICK Academy, launched his education reform in the state's largest city to address the real problems in the city's schools.

By Paul Brubaker | The Backgrounder

Before Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg gave $100 million to Newark schools, Dominique Lee's education reform had begun.

Dominique Lee 

Lee, the 30-year-old CEO of BRICK Academy, talks about how his teaching experience at Newark's Malcolm X Shabazz High School drove him to establish a school aimed at meeting the needs of children growing up in poverty.

"The children that were in my classroom, 90 percent of them wanted to learn and were willing to do what it took to get to the next level. But unfortunately those basic fundamental skills they did not receive," said Lee on the latest edition of The Backgrounder Podcast. "What do you do with children who have the energy and the passion and want to try if you tap into their soul and tap into their mind, what do you do when they're reading at a first and second grade reading level?"

Lee also discusses Dale Russakoff's book, The Prize: Who's In Charge of America's Schools, which includes several references to Lee as it examines the politics surrounding Zuckerberg's gift, and he shares his thoughts on Mayor Ras Baraka's "Occupy The Schools" initiative.

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.' 

Caldwell University's Theology/Philosophy Department will present the Sister Maura Campbell Lecture Series in celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Order of the Preachers.

Sister Honora Werner will present on "The Homilies of Fra Angelico" on Nov. 12. 

CALDWELL -- Caldwell University's Theology/Philosophy Department will present the Sister Maura Campbell Lecture Series in celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Order of the Preachers.

Sister Maura was a Sister of St. Dominic of Caldwell and a theologian, philosopher, professor, researcher and national leader in education whose scholarship and teaching spanned 50 years. She died Jan. 29, 2011, at age 99.

The series, which will explore the "richness of the Catholic Dominican tradition," will kick off Oct. 19 with Carol J. Dempsey, O.P., speaking on "Hearing the Prophets from the Bowels of the Earth: A Dominican Perspective" from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Alumni Theatre. Dempsey is a Sister of St. Dominic of Caldwell and Professor of Theology at the University of Portland in Portland, Ore.

On Nov. 12, Honora Werner, O.P., will present on "The Homilies of Fra Angelico" from noon to 1 p.m. in the Alumni Theatre. Werner is a Sister of St. Dominic of Caldwell and Director of the D.Min. in Preaching program at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.

On Feb. 1, Father Innocent Smith, O.P., of St. Vincent Ferrer Priory in New York City will speak on "Aquinas, Liturgy, Prayer" from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Alumni Theatre.

Rounding out the series on April 12 will be Sister Judith Miryam Boneski, O.P., who will present "Dominic's First Daughters: In the Heart of the Holy Preaching" from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Student Center Gym. Boneski is the director of advancement at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit.

All of the lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, call 973-618-3931.

Caldwell University is located at 120 Bloomfield Ave.

If you would like to submit news pertaining to your college, please send an email to essex@starledger.com.

The attorney for Officer Rajheher Massenburg said she maintains she had no knowledge of the alleged drug enterprise involving her co-defendants, Andrew Jones and Wendy Rhea

East Orange Police Officer Rajheher Massenburg.Essex County Prosecutor's Office 

NEWARK -- An East Orange police officer accused of participating in a drug dealing operation out of her city home is looking to separate her case from her two co-defendants.

Charles Sciarra, the attorney representing Officer Rajheher Massenburg, indicated on Monday during a brief hearing that he would file a motion to sever her case. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Dec. 4 before Superior Court Judge John Zunic.

Outside the courtroom afterward, Sciarra declined to elaborate on the reasons behind the severance motion.

But Sciarra said Massenburg maintains she had no knowledge of the alleged drug enterprise involving her co-defendants, Andrew Jones and Wendy Rhea.

"My client maintains...she did not know that drugs were being sold by Mr. Jones, who lived with her," Sciarra said.

Sciarra also noted how Massenburg's two young children, including one with autism, lived in the residence.

"With two young children, one with significant disabilities, it's outrageous to think that she would allow that kind of dangerous circumstance to persist," Sciarra said.

Massenburg, 36, has been charged with official misconduct and conspiracy to distribute narcotics. An East Orange police officer since 2003, Massenburg has been suspended from her position.

Jones, 38, and Rhea, 49, both of East Orange, are charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, multiple counts of distribution of cocaine, and distribution of cocaine within 500 feet of a public park.

Authorities have alleged Jones operated out of and stored narcotics in Massenburg's North Maple Avenue home in East Orange. Jones lived with Massenburg and is the father of her children, authorities said.

On eight different occasions between October and December of 2013, undercover detectives purchased narcotics from Jones, authorities said.

In a raid on the residence, investigators discovered crack cocaine packaged for distribution, and paraphernalia that indicated cocaine was being packaged on the property, among other items, authorities said.

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

 

Angelo Lorenzi, who was shot to death Oct. 9, was killed in the midst of a dispute over a controlled substance, according to police reports.

Angelo Lorenzi was killed following an argument over a controlled substance, according to a police report. (File photo)

NEWARK -- Angelo Lorenzi, who was shot to death Oct. 9, was killed in the midst of a dispute over a controlled substance, according to police reports.

The exact reason for the argument has not been disclosed. But according to a Newark police report on the incident, Lorenzi was shot in the chest in the backyard of a residence in the 500 block of South Orange Avenue following the dispute.

A spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office declined to comment. 

Two men identified as brothers Rayquan Tubbs and Khalil Thomas were later arrested and charged in connection to the killing, authorities said. 

According to the report, one of the two men was observed by Newark police officers allegedly firing a gun at an unidentified target while fleeing the scene of the shooting. No other injuries were reported in the incident.

Hours after the killing, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said Tubbs, 19, of Irvington had been charged with killing Lorenzi. Authorities charged Thomas, 21, of Newark with two weapons offenses.

Following a bail hearing, both men were remanded into custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, authorities said. Tubbs is being held on $750,000 bail. Thomas is being held on $75,000.

Additional details of the killing were not immediately made available. An investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force is ongoing, officials said.

Lorenzi's death marked the city's 79th homicide of 2015.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The suit marks the second filed by a female employee claiming they were subjected to unwanted touching and advances by recently retired police director Hakim Sims

ORANGE -- The city is facing another lawsuit claiming it failed to protect a female employee from unwanted advances and other sexual harassment by former police director Hakim Sims.

In the suit filed Oct. 2 in Essex County Superior Court, the worker alleges that Sims repeatedly "touched her body without permission and made statements about having sex with him" while she worked in the city's Division of Community Affairs.

The city, Mayor Dwayne Warren and Division of Community Affairs Director Adrienne Wooten are also named as defendants. The plaintiff claims that Warren and Wooton either witnessed the alleged harassment or were informed of it, but failed to intervene or establish adequate controls to stop it.

She claims Sims' "despicable conduct" created a hostile working environment, and she continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result. NJ Advance Media is declining to identify her because she is an alleged victim of a sex crime.

City spokesman Keith Royster acknowledged a request for comment, but did not immediately offer any response to the allegations.

The lawsuit is at least the second filed by against the city over Sims' alleged sexual conduct.

In January, a veteran female police officer also lodged a complaint in Essex County court, accusing him of consistently making suggestive and inappropriate remarks and advances toward her, including saying she "reminds him of a porn star." The suit also claimed that she was hit with administrative charges after rebuffing him.

An investigation by the city led to Sims' suspension with pay in May, but he opted to retire shortly thereafter. City officials have declined to comment on what led to the suspension, but multiple sources said the probe led them to other employees who corroborated the harassment allegations.

Sims, who was appointed director after Warren's election in 2012, has filed a $2.5 million tort claim against the city and the female lieutenant, calling the allegations "patently false" and accusing her of working on behalf of former mayor Eldridge Hawkins Jr., with whom Sims had publicly battled.

The status of that claim is unclear. Sims' attorney, Gina Mendola Longarzo, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Wooten is also a political ally to Warren, who appointed her as community affairs director after she lost a bid for a City Council seat.

The plaintiff's Passaic-based attorney, Jose Torres, did not immediately return a request for comment. It is unclear whether she remains employed by the city.

She is seeking unspecified damages.

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

Four buses of students gathered at the high school junior's home earlier this month.

WEST ORANGE -- It definitely wasn't a typical pep rally.

Before heading to an away game on Oct. 9, four bus loads of kids from the West Orange football team, cheerleading squad, and marching band made a special stop to a home on Luddington Road. They weren't there to play a game, or cheer on the school. They were there for their classmate, West Orange High School junior Mackenzie Fitschen.

"The people in this community are just unbelievable," Mackenzie's mom, Dawn Duca-Fitschen said in a phone interview about the show of support. "Just look at what the school has done...it's amazing."

Over the summer, Mackenzie went to the doctor after experiencing a persistent pain in her side, and developing a small lump near her lymph nodes, her mother said. After a series of tests and exams, she was diagnosed with a rare form of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

"The floor literally falls out from under you when you hear (a diagnosis like that)," Duca-Fitschen said. But the shock of learning that she has cancer has proven only to show her daughter's strength, she said.

"She is a rock star," Duca-Fitschen said of Mackenzie. "What doctors don't understand is that medicine is only one part of it. Your mind is such an important part of your healing...and, she's so positive. She's been amazing."

Mackenzie, a WOHS cheerleader, has been out of school since starting chemo and other treatments in September, her mom said. Members of the community have rallied around the family in countless ways, Duca-Fitschen said. The cheer team has been wearing "believe" bracelets in support of Mackenzie, and selling them around school in her name.

The pep rally was what the district called in a statement an "incredible show of love and support" for one of its own.

"We are here for you," Cheerleading Coach Kim Topping said in a post on the district website about the message she hoped the rally would send to Mackenzie.

"We love you and we can't wait to have you back with us next year."

In addition to Mackenzie's determination, her mom credited moving displays like the pep rally with helping the family battle cancer together.

"All of these things are helping," she said. "West Orange really is a special place."

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

 

Police said James Glenn, 59, uses a threatening note passed to tellers and has been able to flee in all five robberies.

UNION -- A serial bank robber is behind three recent robberies in Union Township and two robberies in Essex County, police today confirmed.

Union Police said they have identified James Glenn, 59, as the man who robbed three banks in the Five Points area over the past three months, including in the most recent incident on Friday.

After identifying Glenn, authorities were able to connect him to two other robberies in Essex County.

In all three Union robberies, Glenn used a threatening note passed to tellers and was able to flee before police arrived, they said.

RELATED: Bank robbery in Union makes 3 in 3 months, authorities say

On Friday, police said Glenn robbed the Santander Bank at 324 Chestnut street.

On Sept. 28 and Aug. 28, he robbed the Connect One Bank at 356 Chestnut Street, they said. The two banks are located within eye-shot of each other.

Glenn is still at large. Union Police today released photos of Glenn and asked anyone with information on Glenn to contact police or submit an anonymous tip by texting "UCTIP" and a message to 274637 (CRIMES), or submitting online at www.uctip.org.

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

"The Bandstand" is a bold, uncompromising musical that jumps and swings with heart and energy.

In an era dominated by new musicals built on well-known commodities -- see "Wicked," "Spider Man: Turn off the Dark," and so forth -- it takes a certain amount of daring to put on an entirely original show.

So all hail the Paper Mill Playhouse, whose risky new bet pays off thrillingly. "The Bandstand" is a bold, uncompromising musical that jumps and swings with heart, energy, and a refreshing resistance to schmaltz. It refuses to shy away from its own weighty subject matter, while also delivering a rousing score of big-band swing complemented by frenetic dance numbers.

To be at once moving in the portrayal of its characters' struggles and also a great deal of fun is an impressive balancing act. This show never once loses that balance. 

The story focuses on Donny (Corey Cott, most recently of Broadway's "Gigi"), a World War II veteran returning home to Cleveland, where before the war he had made a name for himself as a musician. Smiles and well-wishes quickly dissolve, though, leaving Donny adrift: Why is everyone so eager -- in the words of the show's opening number -- to get back to "just like it was before"?

Yet Donny's frustration turns to optimism when he hears of a nationwide radio contest searching for the best original song saluting the troops. He sets out to assemble a band of ex-GIs and take the nation by storm with instant stardom.

On the surface, "The Bandstand" may seem like a romanticized story of proud boys in uniform coming home and making good, but it defies such expectations by exploring the demons haunting these soldiers. Donny manages to find five other vets in Cleveland with musical chops to join his band, but these guys haven't made peace with the horrors they witnessed during war. Drummer Johnny (Joe Carroll) was shelled in a vehicle, and now his mind is weak. Bassist Davy (Brandon J. Ellis) liberated Dachau and keeps himself perpetually drunk in order to keep the memories of the camps at bay.

And there is also Julia (Laura Osnes, a Tony nominee in 2013 for "Cinderella"), the beautiful war widow who finds no consolation in the designation "Gold Star Wife." Shortly after meeting her, Donny finds that she has pipes to match his own, and recruits her as a featured vocalist in a band that is now seven damaged and volatile souls.

All of this surprisingly nuanced psychological exploration plays out to a lively and wonderful soundtrack of original swing (music by Richard Oberacker, book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Oberacker). The songs sound authentic to the era, but feel uniquely fresh, and they infuse "The Bandstand" with a palpable energy. (Among the first act highlights is "I Know a Guy," an exuberant and jaunty account of putting together the band.)

Director and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler ("Hamilton," "In the Heights") does impressive work to integrate the musical numbers -- many of which feature nearly two dozen performers onstage simultaneously -- smoothly within the plot. Once the band assembles, they quickly begin to gain a huge following in Cleveland -- and we are treated to a number of sequences set at nightclubs. As the stage fills with leaping and twirling dancers, the band plays with a vigor that has its roots in the music's ability to help them process their difficult journey back into society. (The actors all play their respective instruments themselves.) 

The swing-inspired dance sequences are among the best moments in "The Bandstand," now playing at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. (Jerry Dalia)Christopher Kelly | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

As the show's leads, Cott and Osnes are both excellent portraying characters who are struggling to mask their considerable inner-turmoil Cott's Donny is charming and talented, but often brusque with people who are close to him. (Cott also has a phenomenal singing voice -- it is obvious that a band with this guy at the center could go very far.) Osnes gives us a Julia who understands all that a war widow is supposed to say and do, but who falters in playing that part as society expects.

RELATED: 'Hamilton' on Broadway: It's even better than the hype suggests

Emerging at a cultural moment where people are quick to thank veterans for their service but less eager to press the issue any further, "The Bandstand" also proves unusually timely. The devastating finale, "Welcome Home," is a song that illuminates the complexities of post-traumatic stress; it's a powerful, show-stopping number that brings down the house. 

Full of feverish music and dance, the energy here never flags. The company has talked about how it isn't necessarily aiming for its new shows to go on to Broadway -- as its productions of "Honeymoon in Vegas" and Newsies" have in recent years -- but "The Bandstand" clearly deserves a long afterlife.

The Bandstand

Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, through Nov. 8

Tickets: $37 - $120. Available online or by phone, (973) 376-4343

Patrick Maley may be reached at patrickjmaley@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter @PatrickJMaley. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

 

Authorities investigated a series of alarming tweets at an N.J. school last week.

NORTH CALDWELL -- An unfounded threat that jeopardized a New Jersey school's pep rally and homecoming game can be traced back to a social media miscommunication, school officials say.

"It was kind of like that game of telephone," West Essex Regional School District Superintendent Barbara Longo said in a phone interview Monday.

According to North Caldwell Police Chief Mark Deuer, a freshman student was talking to a group of seniors at school on Wednesday saying he had a surprise for them during pep rally. Rumors, that police say turned out to be unfounded, spread around the school saying that the surprise was a school shooting, Deuer said.

Another student tweeted a message Wednesday evening saying he hoped the rumors about pep rally were true, with several gun emoticons, Deuer said. That, and other messages about the rumor, got retweeted by a large percentage of the student body, he said.

"Once it started being retweeted...it reached almost the entire school within half an hour," Deuer said. "That was obviously what caused the mass hysteria."

As kids received tweets about the threat, they alerted their parents, who called school administrators, Longo said. The school district and local police launched an all-night investigation into the threat, officials said.

Police interviewed the tweeters and their families until they traced the original source of the rumor, the freshman boy with the surprise. As it turned out, he had been planning to perform a wrestling move on his friend in front of the school during the pep rally, Deuer said.

What the students originally said "ended up being something so totally different" from what was being tweeted, Longo said. "It was just a complete miscommunication that (turned into something else) on social media."

"The boys involved are getting some help," and "creating a false public alarm" charges are pending against one of them, Deuer said.

The district posted an announcement to parents on its website Thursday indicating that the threat was not deemed credible, and that the school day and the events would proceed as planned.

"The original threat was largely circumstantial and propagated and exacerbated by social media," the post said.

Police and school officials met parents outside the school Thursday morning to assure them that the threat was not viable, and to answer their questions about what happened, police said.

According to Deuer, the police department is investigating an increasing number of incidents involving social media.

"We can't take anything too lightly," he said. The spreading of online rumors "happens all too often."

To help combat it, local police departments have annual conversations with the student body about the permanency of online postings, Deuer said. According to Longo, they are part of ongoing conversations West Essex has with students about the risks associated with online communication.

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

 

A Reuben 'handwich,' a Jersey burger with Taylor ham and chicken tenders with a maple bourbon bacon sauce are on the menu

David Burke's Reuben "handwich" with bacon sauerkraut, a "Jersey Burger" with Taylor ham, white American cheese and a runny fried egg, and a chicken tender bar with sauces ranging from sticky Thai to maple bourbon bacon are among the new offerings at the Prudential Center -- yes, even for regular ticket-holders like you and me.

Burke, the celebrity chef who hails from Hazlet, has opened the Handwich shop on the main concourse, serving mini-sandwiches, sides and desserts, including the Bacon Bar Reuben and the stuffing-topped turkey called the Gobbler.

New to the concourse are two locations of the Chicken Coop, for chicken tenders and signature sauces, also available in a souvenir bucket. Goya has taken over the Taste of the Ironbound District, with a mojo rotisserie chicken with rice and beans, a Cuban sandwich, and beef empanadas among the offerings, and will also operate  Goya Street Tacos, serving chipotle chicken or barbacoa beef tacos on steamed corn tortillas with toppings. 

The Jersey Grind, which opened last season, has added the Jersey Burger exclusively at the Prudential Center's restaurant bar -- it also comes with cracked black pepper aioli and smoked ketchup and is served on a sweet bun. Also new to the restaurant bar: The Devils Float, an adult dessert made with root beer-infused ale and vanilla ice cream and served with a cookie straw.

RELATED: David Burke selling Rumson's Fromagerie after 9 years

And there are upgrades for club season ticket members, including a baked potato bar with toppings that include chili and short ribs, and for sweet potatoes, brown sugar, marshmallows and maple syrup. The club menu will also feature a chimichurri petite beef tenderloin. Members of the Platinum Lounge can look forward to alligator, wild boar and duck sausages paired with craft mustards and beer-braised cabbage. 

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy or like her on Facebook. You can also check out her podcast TV Hangover with co-host Erin Medley here. 

Terry Saunders allegedly stole an SUV, flung a trooper from a car in a struggle last year

TRENTON -- A Newark man who was shot twice while allegedly stealing two cars and sent a state trooper tumbling out of a moving vehicle was indicted on a series of charges by a state grand jury Monday, the attorney general's office announced. 

Terry Saunders, 27, sparked a multi-state manhunt when he allegedly stole an SUV from a car rental facility near Newark Airport last year, wrecking the vehicle and nearly killing the trooper while attempting to steal the second car, authorities said. He was later arrested at a New York City hospital after seeking treatment for his injuries.

The 14-count indictment handed up in Superior Court in Mercer County includes carjacking, robbery and aggravated assault charges. State Police had initially charged Saunders -- who also goes by Tarik Smith -- with attempted murder of a police officer, but he was not indicted on that charge.

Authorities said Saunders' crime spree started in the early hours of Sept. 30, 2014, when he allegedly pulled into the lot of the Alamo Rent A Car on U.S. 1 & 9. A security guard, believing Saunders to be an employee there, let him past the gates, where he allegedly entered a Chevrolet Tahoe, according to a statement released Monday by the state Attorney General's Office.

When Saunders tried to exit the lot with the stolen SUV, the guard grew suspicious, authorities said, and approached the vehicle. Saunders then allegedly rammed the gate and backed into two other cars on the lot.

Another guard, who was armed, ran in front of the SUV and yelled for him to stop, authorities said. Instead, Saunders allegedly drove toward the guard, who fired a single shot through the windshield, hitting Saunders in the shoulder. Saunders then allegedly rammed the SUV into the gate again, wrecking it, before fleeing on foot.

Police put out an alert with Saunders' description that also stated he was armed, though investigators later determined he did not have a gun.

Not long after, a State Police detective spotted Saunders allegedly jacking another car, a Chevy Monte Carlo.

The detective claimed he saw Saunders open the passenger door of the Monte Carlo at a traffic light on Frelinghuysen Avenue and order the driver to get into the back seat. The trooper parked his unmarked Jeep behind the car and snuck up on the driver's side, authorities said.

As the two struggled in the car, the trooper pulled his service weapon and repeatedly ordered Saunders to show his hands, the statement said. In the struggle, Saunders put the car into reverse.

The trooper, "who could not maintain his balance and feared he would be tossed from the vehicle," fired several shots, "none of which appear to have hit him," the report said.

As the car backed up, the trooper fell from the vehicle, hitting the driver's side door, the statement said. He was dragged several feet before the car crashed into his Jeep, and the trooper landed on the road with his head "inches from both a rear wheel of the Monte Carlo and a front wheel of the Jeep," the statement said.

When the car began to move forward, the trooper -- "fearing the car would reverse over him and seeking to stop the carjacking and kidnapping" -- fired seven or eight shots at Saunders, striking him once in the back, the report said.

Saunders allegedly fled in the Monte Carlo with the car's driver still in the back seat, driving for another 10 minutes before ditching the car and fleeing on foot. He was later admitted to the Harlem Hospital Center in New York, where he was arrested after receiving treatment.

The trooper was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for multiple broken bones and received "numerous staples and stitches," the statement said.

Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said the trooper has since returned to duty "with certain restrictions," but declined to identify him.

The Attorney General's Office shooting response team investigated the incident and Elie Honig, director of the state Division of Criminal Justice, said Monday investigators determined the use of force was justified.

Saunders is being held at the Essex County jail on $750,000 bail. Jail records indicate he is also being held on murder charges, though state authorities said they were unrelated to the Sept. 30 incident.

A message left with the public defender's office in Newark, which is representing Saunders, was not returned Monday.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Special police credited with arrests this weekend

NEWARK -- Police called to Malcolm Shabazz High School Friday stopped a student from attacking a vice principal and made arrested a second student on a weapons charge, Sgt. Ron Glover said in a statement.

 

Special Police Officers David Paige and Abdul Muhammad were sent to the school around 2:30 p.m. on a report that two students were seen with a handgun.

While investigating, Paige and Muhammad were called to the gym, where another student was assaulting a vice-principal, Glover said. When officers attempted to subdue her, the student began swinging her arms and legs, sending her fanny pack to the floor. The pack contained a loaded .25-caliber handgun, Glover also said.

After the gun had been secured and the 16-year-old student placed under arrest, a second student, also 16, approached police and said the gun belonged to him and that he had asked the first student to hold it for him.

Both students were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and conspiracy, while the girl was also charged with resisting arrest and aggravated assault. They were both being held at the Essex County Juvenile Detention Facility.
Later that day, at 9:15 p.m., a special officer patrolling in the 200 block of Cathedral Court spotted Nasir Williams, 18, holding a clear plastic bag containing what was later determined to be heroin and cocaine, Glover said. Williams was seen taking part in a hand-to-hand sale, Glover added.

As police handcuffed Williams he also allegedly tried to remove a loaded 9-mm Taurus handgun from his waistband. He was charged with weapons and narcotics offenses, including unlawful possession of a weapon.

Last night, detectives from the Rapid Response Team patrolled the hallways of the building at 195 First St., where they saw Dombayah Gbor, 33, on the 11th floor with a gun in his waistband, Glover said.

Gbor pulled the gun out of his waistband and tried to run into a nearby apartment but was caught. He has been charged with possession of a loaded and defaced .45-caliber handgun.

"The city of Newark has Special Law Enforcement Officers, some of whom who work alongside our full time police officers in our fight against crime in the city. The arrest of three teenagers over the weekend for gun possession is a testament to what our special officers are able to do if necessary -- they have the same arrest powers as our regular police officers and will not hesitate to use that arrest authority if need be," said Newark Police Director Eugene Venable.

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

 

The food pantry at St. Barnabas Church in Newark is closing after 27 years of feeding those in need.

Her right foot had swelled to the size of an eggplant, with bruising the same shade. 

But Louise Meggett can handle limping around - the result of a heavy table falling on her foot last month. What she can't deal with is the thought of not being able to operate the food pantry at the parish hall of her former church in Newark.

 "Even though my health is  important, I want to make sure the people have something to eat,'' Meggett says.

So there she was on Tuesday, dedicated as always, in the parish hall of St. Barnabas Church. People began to line up at 10 a.m., some with shopping carts, as she opened the gate.  

They are senior citizens, getting by on Social Security and disability checks, and the working poor, who don't earn enough to pay bills and buy food. They come every Tuesday and, by the end of the month, the pantry has fed 600 to 700 people with food supplied by the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside.

Meggett's foot will eventually heal, but the health of the food pantry is not in good shape. It's closing at the end of December, much to the disappointment of the needy and the volunteers who have been serving them for 27 years.

"This is going to hurt," says Barry Simpson, a Newark resident who receives disability and regularly visits the pantry. " I look forward to places like this."

The pantry, located on Market Street, is owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. Many of the volunteers were longtime members of the church, which was closed three years ago.

The diocese says the church, which has a history of fighting for social justice, didn't have enough members and revenue to remain open.

The former church members still cringe at that explanation, but the diocese allowed them to stay as long as they were willing to keep the pantry a food ministry.

With the pantry open, members could continue to help  people and stay connected to a church that some of them joined as children.

Meggett and company took that as a promise from Diocese Canon Gregory Jacobs, and now they think he's going back on his word.

Here's the deal. The parish hall and the church are up for sale, which members figured out when a"for sale" sign popped up on the property. There's a difference of opinion as to when the sign appeared and that's important to the members.

They are there every week and say the sign was put up in September, which gives them little time to prepare to leave. They received an email from Jacobs on Sept. 11 that their last day was Nov. 1.

Nina Nicholson, director communications for the diocese, says the sign was up this past spring and that members knew the property would be sold one day.

"They have been encouraged to be in conversation with neighboring food pantries about the possibility of combining services at another location,'' Nicholson says.

After members complained about the Nov. 1 deadline, the diocese pushed the closing back to Dec. 31. 

The relationship with the diocese, as you can see, hasn't been great.  There's nothing the members can do now, except serve.  And even though there are other food pantries in the area, the people who utilize this one to stretch their food budget have an affinity for it.

Two women in wheelchairs come, even though the pantry is not handicapped accessible. Since they cannot get inside, volunteers bring the food to them, placing it in their laps.

"See how nice they are to you here,'' says A. Saab. " I hate to see them leave. They care about you here.''

No one is allowed to cut the line. Sometimes, there are as many as 50 people with shopping bags or carts. Once inside, they show their identification and agency referral to get the food that has to be accounted for by the pantry.

Roslyn Richardson, of Newark, was there last week, picking up a box of food - grateful for the pantry foods, but sad that it is closing.

"This may not take you through the month, but at least it will take you through a couple of weeks,'' Richardson says.

Every staple helps, says another woman, who would only identify herself as C. Culley. The Newark woman says she never thought she'd be in this situation. She's a grandmother on disability, raising two grandchildren after their mother died four years ago.

"I have to come here,'' she says. "My check is not enough.''

The church members will miss  the work and may try to start a pantry somewhere else."We'll do the best we can to serve the people,'' says Delano Cooper. "If we don't have a place, then we'll just let it go."

But that's hard for them to do.  As long as the people are in need, Meggett says she will still try to bring them food, especially the senior citizens who live across the street.

She'll do anything to feed her flock -- even if  she has to limp around to do it.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

The Central Planning Board voted 6-1 to approve the six-story NorthStar Academy building as hundreds of residents looked on

NEWARK - The city's Central Planning Board approved plans for a new NorthStar Academy charter school on a former Star-Ledger property before a packed City Hall chamber Monday night.

The board passed the proposal 6-1, with Chairman Wayne Richardson and Jacqueline Ceola abstaining from the vote.

The only nay came from Alex Jurgelevicius, who called for an "impact review" to help weigh arguments that the new building might have an adverse effect on the city's public schools.

"Until all Newark students can be given the same opportunities for a wonderful, wonderful building....it seems that until that can happen, it's going to be no," he said.

Hundreds of NorthStar students, teachers and other supporters cheered when the decision came down more than three hours after the meeting began.

Representatives of the schools' parent organization, New York-based Uncommon Schools, presented their plans for the currently vacant lot and adjacent parking garage at the corner of Court Street and University Street in the Central Ward.

Ahkilah Johnson, the network's director of real estate facilities, stressed that the six-story school would serve students in grades K-12, and would serve as a replacement for many of those in its 11 current facilities in Newark, rather than an expansion.

She also cited the property's central location and proximity to various mass transit options, providing convenience for students and employees alike.

"This site is a godsend," she said.

But architects and lawyers eventually gave way to dozens of speakers who, despite pleas to the board from Uncommon Schools attorney Glenn Pantel, launched into a full-fledged debate over the perceived merits and pitfalls of charter schools.

Residents such as Denise Cole argued against the project, saying it would unnecessarily siphon precious dollars from the city's neighborhood schools, which have been steadily losing students and school space to charters, which many blame for a persistent budget deficit.

"This is not about charters doing more with less, because charters are funded by hedge funds," she said. "I'm financially inclined here, and it don't add up."

The decision drew mixed reaction from public officials. Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins issued a statement shortly after it was delivered, praising the board for "putting the children and families of Newark first over politics."

"By approving North Star's application tonight to build a new public school on a vacant parking lot, the members of this board courageously took a stand for the children of this city, who can look forward to a bright future," she said.

Municipal Council President Mildred Crump spoke against the plan at a rally organized by the Newark Teachers Union prior to the hearing.

During a brief speech, she relayed a story about the stark inequities she was confronted with when entering a longtime public school that now shares space with a charter. On one side, she said she found carpeting, air conditioning, up-to-date technology and books, while the other struggled to round up the most basic of resources.

"The difference is unbelievable," she said. "It's time for it to end."

Newark School Advisory Board members Dashay Carter and Marques-Aquil Lewis, who had opposed the plan, declined to comment after the meeting, saying only that it was "disappointing."

Johnson said work on the school, which sits across Court Street from the Star-Ledger's longtime headquarters, is expected to begin early next year and open sometime in 2018.

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