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Police seek Newark man wanted on burglary charge

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Kareem Reed, 24, of Newark, is being sought by police

NEWARK -- Police have issued an arrest warrant for a Newark man who they say ran after burglarizing a city home in July.

Screen Shot 2016-10-05 at 12.55.25 PM.pngReed. (Courtesy Newark police)

Kareem Reed, 24, of Newark, is accused of breaking into a house in the area of Hunterdon and Bergen streets at about 1:30 p.m. on July 11, police said.

The resident returned to find a burglar inside and the man fled through the front door, police said.

Reed remains at large and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Once captured, his bail will be set at $50,000.

Anyone with information on Reed's whereabouts are asked to call 1-877-NWK-TIPS (877-695-8477) or 877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). 

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


Newark man fought with sheriff's officers, crashed car, cops say

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Arrest came after county narcotics detectives were conducting surveillance in Newark

NEWARK -- Essex County sheriff's detectives arrested a man after he punched and kicked officers, crashed a car into their vehicles, drove on the sidewalk and hit several trees in the city, authorities said Wednesday.

Reynaldo JackmanReynaldo Jackman, 37 (Photo: Essex County jail)

Reynaldo Jackman, 37, of Newark, was charged with 24 counts, including three counts of aggravated assault, eluding police and drug charges, according to Sheriff Armando Fontoura.

Narcotics detectives were conducting surveillance Tuesday near 1st Street and 7th Avenue in response to complaints about drug dealing in the area when they saw Jackman behind the wheel of a parked 2000 Lincoln LS, the sheriff said. A woman known from prior arrests, Deyidet Collazo, 37, approached and exchange cash with Jackman with an item in a sandwich bag, authorities said.

Sheriff's detectives stopped Collazo nearby and found she had a heroin, according to authorities.  

2 indicted on murder charges in killing of NJIT student

"When our officers moved in to further investigate the actions of Jackman, the suspect put his vehicle into reverse and then forward in an attempt to flee the scene," Fontoura said in a statement.

Jackman slammed his car into the sheriff's vehicles, drove on the sidewalk and hit two trees, Fontoura saod. Detectives used their cars to block Jackman before he hit another tree.

Jackman grabbed items from his car and tried to take off running, according to the sheriff. Jackman punched and kicked detectives as they tackled him, authorities said.

With Jackman subdued, detectives found he had 99 packets of heroin with "DEMOLITION" in red ink, 15 paper folds of crack cocaine, 48 Xanax tablets and $150, Fontoura said. Jackman was ordered held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $200,000 cash bail.

Collazo managed to escape during the chaos, but was captured a few hours later, authorities said. She was charged with drug possession and escape.

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

Polluter preps Passaic River for decade-long clean-up

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"We're dealing with over a century of pollution. We'll need a decade to clean it up."

Passaic river file newark.jpgPassaic River July 8, 2016 (File photo) 

NEWARK -- A $165 million agreement reached by the federal government with one of the companies potentially responsible for contaminating a stretch of the Passaic River will allow early stages of cleanup to begin on one of the nation's most polluted bodies of water, officials said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has negotiated a legal agreement with the Occidental Chemical Corporation to perform engineering and design work needed to begin the cleanup, a release from the EPA said. The work will take place in the lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic River, which runs from Newark Bay to the Newark/Belleville border.

OCC will spend $165 million, the release said, to create sampling and quality assurance plans, evaluate removal technologies, and carry out the engineering work necessary to move forward with the actual clean up.

The entire cleanup is estimated to cost about $1.38 billion, and OCC, while it won't be footing the entire bill, officials said, will not be immune to contributing additional funds toward the final amount.

"This is one of the largest cleanups to have taken place in the nation," said Judith Enck, regional administrator at the EPA, during a telephone press conference Wednesday.

To illustrate just how big of an undertaking the clean up will be, Enck said the amount of polluted sediment in the lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic, colloquially known as the "lower eight," could fill the Red Bull Arena in Harrison three times over.

The cleanup plan calls for sediment to be dewatered, transported by train for disposal, and the entire lower eight miles to be "capped," meaning a sand and stone barrier of about two feet will be laid above the contaminated sediment remaining after dredging.

While the EPA has identified more than 100 other companies that could be potentially responsible for the river's pollution, the release of dioxin, one of the most deadly toxins in the water, according to the agency, was caused by the former Diamond Alkali facility in Newark.

Diamond Alkali, later acquired by OCC in a corporate merger, produced Agent Orange and other pesticides during the 1960s, which generated dioxin that contaminated the land and river, the release said.

In a statement, Mayor Ras J. Baraka said the agreement reached by the EPA is another step in the Newark's long struggle to reclaim its Passaic waterfront.

"The clean up is still in its early stages, and much more needs to be done to completely remove the toxic residue from past industrial use of the River," Baraka said. "By cleaning up the Passaic and creating access to a beautiful waterfront of open space and parks, we are building the future of Newark."

The cleanup plan, the release said, requires the permanent removal of 100 chemicals, including about 24,000 pounds of mercury, 6,600 pounds of PCBs, 1,300 pounds of DDT, a pesticide, and 13 pounds of highly toxic dioxin.

The first stage of the clean up, which will be paid for and carried out by OCC, will take four years, Enck said. The actual dredging and capping of the river will take another six.

"The EPA will work to secure similar agreements with the other parties that polluted the Passaic River and have the legal responsibility to pay for the cleanup," Enck said. "We're dealing with over a century of pollution. We'll need a decade to clean it up."

Michael Anthony Adams may be reached at madams@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelAdams317. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Former anti-violence activist gets 5 years in prison in drug case

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The self-identified Bloods member had previously spoken out at community meetings and at demonstrations.

NEWARK -- A Bloods gang member who later became an anti-violence activist was sentenced Wednesday to more than five years in federal prison for his role in a drug dealing operation.

LamontVaughn.jpgLamont Vaughn, shown here at a 2012 community meeting in Roselle, was sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday. 

Lamont Vaughn, 33, pleaded guilty in June to his role in selling heroin and oxycodone out of Ballas Boutique, a downtown Newark clothing store.

Vaughn was arrested in August 2013 when FBI agents and the New Jersey State Police raided the store and his home, where they found cash, two guns and oxycodone pills.

Another man arrested in connection with the alleged drug ring, Jarez Baron, pleaded guilty to similar charges in August and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 21.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Mahoney told the court Wednesday that when the SWAT team burst into his home, Vaughn "ran to the bathroom with his hands full of drugs" in an attempt to flush them.

Investigators said they had made numerous undercover buys from the shop and a federal criminal complaint shows they intercepted a number of Vaughn's phone conversations in which he apparently discussed the drug transactions.

Vaughn, also known as "Mont" and "True V," previously was arrested in 2010 along with other members of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition when Irvington police broke up a peace rally.

At a 2011 community meeting, Vaughn -- who identified himself as a member of both the Bloods and the Anti-Violence Coalition -- said he was skeptical that anti-violence efforts involving law enforcement would be successful.

In a written statement to NJ Advance Media, Vaughn said he had been his own attorney since he was indicted in 2014.

"The hard fact is, the United States government has recognized the various flaws in its case against me, and there was an offer made to me that I could not refuse," he wrote.

"Why I could not refuse the offer, and why I took the offer, are questions for another forum."

In addition to his five year and four month term of incarceration, Vaughn will spend five years on supervised release.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Rapper Fetty Wap comes to court with $165K in cash, pays $360 fine (VIDEO)

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Paterson rapper Fetty Wap pled guilty Wednesday to several driving offenses, including tinted windows, showing up to court with his pockets overflowing with cash. Watch video

CEDAR GROVE -- Paterson rapper Fetty Wap pled guilty Wednesday to several driving offenses -- including having tinted windows that were too dark -- and left court flashing stacks of cash after paying a small fine.

Police pulled over the rapper, whose real name is Willie Maxwell II, on July 6. He was arrested and released.

Fetty Wap Cedar GrovePaterson rapper Fetty Wap outside Cedar Grove Municipal Court Wednesday after pleading guilty to several driving offenses on Oct. 5, 2016 

The rapper appeared in court Wednesday wearing black boots and an all-black sweatsuit with a stack of cash sticking out one of the pockets.

Maxwell, 25, pled guilty to failure to replace lost, destroyed or defaced license plates, having tinted windows that were too dark, and driving with a suspended license. He also pled guilty to a charge related to police responding to his home more than twice for false alarms.

The judge ordered Maxwell to pay $360 in fines. Maxwell said he was carrying about $165,000 in cash with him when asked outside the municipal building.

Navarro Gray, Maxwell's lawyer, told judge Nicholas S. Brindisi that the hip-hop star has applied for a special permit with the Motor Vehicle Commission to use tinted windows due glaucoma. Gray said the application was submitted and being reviewed.

Principal blamed for Fetty Wap video

"DWB-AR, driving while black and rich," Maxwell told reporters while carrying hands full of cash.

"Yeah, money. Benjamin," Maxwell said when asked if anyone was in the car with him.

Since 2010, the 25-year-old rapper has had his license suspended numerous times for driving while suspended, failure to appear and non-payment of child support. 

The multi-platinum selling rapper recently made headlines after he filmed a music video with numerous drug references and a stripper inside a Paterson high school. 

As the rapper got into a car with dark tinted windows fans honked from the street and asked for photos.

Gallery preview 

Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

122 workers at immigration detention facility get $4.8M settlement

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The settlement comes after a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit against Essex County and one of its subcontractors.

Delaney.jpgDelaney Hall, an Essex County-based private correctional facility for immigrant detainees. File photo. (Andrew Miller | The Star-Ledger)
 

NEWARK -- Essex County and one of the companies it hired to run an immigration detention facility in Newark will pay 122 employees $4.8 million in back wages and benefits -- a pricey settlement that sources say put an end to an ICE detention program that brought revenue into the county.

According to a release from the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, the county and Community Education Center, Inc. - a company it contracted with to provide re-entry and in-detention treatment services at Delaney Hall in Newark - were paying the facility's employees lower wages than is lawfully required.

The $4.8 million payout is a settlement reached between the county, CEC, and the Department of Labor after the federal agency sued the two employers to recoup the discrepancy in wages.

According to the Department of Labor, the county and company categorized 122 of the "detention officers" monitoring immigrant detainees as "operations counselors." The former job title is required to receive $30.97 per hour. The counselors were making $11.29 an hour, the announcement said.

The two also failed to pay fringe benefits and proper overtime, the Department of Labor said.

Delany Hall operations spark controversy

But, county sources say the payout and increase in wages prompted the end of the program in Essex, which was designed with federal ICE officials to house non or low-level criminal immigrant detainees in a non-jail setting.

Though the county still houses higher level criminal immigrant detainees at its jail, those who were housed at Delaney have been moved to other locations across the country, a source familiar with the settlement said. Those who were employed at the facility either lost their jobs or were transferred, the source said.

Still, the Department of Labor said the deal was a win for the affected employees.

"Enforcement of the prevailing wage laws levels the playing field for all contractors and protects the wages of hard-working, middle-class American workers," said David Weil, administrator of the Wage and Hour Division.

"The Wage and Hour Division will remain vigilant in its enforcement to ensure employees are paid in accordance with prevailing wage laws."

According to a statement from the Community Education Center, the company felt that the employees worked under a collective bargaining agreement and did not have the duties or skill sets of "detention officers." The settlement admits no wrongdoing on the company's part, and asserts that the original job classifications were made in good faith, the statement said.

"We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which resolves the matter to the satisfaction of all (involved) parties," said James E. Hyman, Chief Executive Officer of CEC.

In a statement to NJ Advance Media, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. echoed the company's reaction, saying the county is "pleased that all the parties involved were able to reach an amicable resolution."

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

Should N.J. lower qualifications for charter school teachers?

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A proposal from Gov. Chris Christie would create a special teaching certificate only valid at charter schools.

TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie may be ready to lower qualifications for charter school teachers and administrators, but the state Board of Education isn't quite ready to sign off on the proposal. 

The Christie administration on Wednesday provided an overview of its promised charter school deregulation plan, which, among other changes, would create a pilot program for a special teaching certificate valid only at charter schools. 

However, the state board said it needs to a hear a "deep dive" into the details of the proposal, President Mark Biedron said. The board may need several more meetings before it's ready to vote, he said. 

"We need a lot of the details," Biedron said. "We get the general ideas, but, as you can tell, there's a lot of questions." 

The fight over charter school regulations

Christie in May said New Jersey's charter schools are doing "God's work" and promised to provide regulatory relief to the state's 88 charter schools, which serve about 3 percent of the state's public school students. 

The governor's plan calls for helping charter schools gain access to better facilities, expediting the renewal process for high-performing charter schools and enacting a series of changes designed to free charter schools from what Christie considers burdensome red tape.

Perhaps most controversial is the proposal to create new teaching and administrative certificates valid only at charter schools. The plan would help charter schools hire individuals who would make good teachers or administrators but don't hold a certificate, state officials aid. 

Charter school teachers would still be required to hold four-year degree from an accredited college but wouldn't need to graduate with a teaching certificate or follow the already established alternative route for second-career teachers. 

Instead, they would need other proof they are qualified, such as their GPA, performance on skills tests or work experience in the field that they hope to teach.

Meanwhile, the Christie administration wants to allow someone with a bachelor's degree and "sufficient management and leadership experience in a public of private organization" to become a charter school administrator, if approved by the state.

Department of Education officials said the certificates would be awarded only in special circumstances and to individuals applying to work at high-performing charter schools.

State board members pressed for more significantly more detail at their next meeting.

"When you say high performing, what does that even mean?" Biedron said. "We would really like to know what that means." 

The board meets again on Nov. 2. 

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClarkFind NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Newark breaks ground on Riverfront Park expansion

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A $7.8 million third phase of the park will link the first two phases along the Passaic River.

NEWARK -- On a day tailor-made for a walk in the park, city and state officials joined open space and business leaders on a vacant lot along the Passaic River, where they donned hardhats, picked up shovels and ceremonially broke ground on the third phase of Newark's Riverfront Park.

"I often say, a city without a strong river is a city without a soul," said City Councilman Augusto Amador, who represents the Newark's Ironbound section, where the park is located. 

Amador was joined for the groundbreaking by officials including Anthony Cucchi, state director of the non-profit Trust for Public Land, which has been instrumental in the park's development, and Commissioner Bob Martin of the state Department of Environmental Protection, which is contributing $6.3 million of the $7.76 million cost of the expansion.

Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey CEO Robert Marino said he was proud that the Horizon Foundation was contributing $250,000 to the third phase, which will bring the park steps away from Hobizon's headquarters near the river on Raymond Boulevard.

"We're a greener, more beautiful, and certainly healthier Newark," thanks to Riverfront Park, Marino said.

Mayor Ras Baraka did not attend, but issued a statement saying, "our continued work on Riverfront Park allows the Passaic River to serve as a front door into the city."

The park's first phase opened in 2012, followed by a second phase in 2013. The park is widely praised as an oasis of active and passive recreation between the river and Raymond Boulevard in Newark's Ironbound section.

"One of the things about the park is how good people are to each other when they're there," said Leonard Thomas, a 69-year-old resident of nearby Somme Street and a member of the Friends of Riverfront Park volunteer group.

The park's third phase, due to be completed in Fall 2017, will be made up of two sections, East and West, which will link the first two phases and extend the park farther west, closer to downtown. 

A fourth and final phase, to begin next year and due for completion sometime in 2018, will extend the park a mile farther west, roughly to the Route 280 overpass. Design work on the fourth phase is now underway by James Corner Field Operations, which designed the High Line in Manhattan, an elevated greenway on an old rail line.  

The groundbreaking coincided with an announcement Wednesday by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that it had reached an agreement with Occidental Chemical Corporation to begin cleaning up an 8.3-mile stretch of the Passaic River from Newark Bay to the Newark-Belleville border, which includes the stretch that runs past the park. Occidental would pay $165 million for preliminary work to begin the cleanup, which is estimated to cost a total of $1.38 billion.

Officials gathered for the groundbreaking literally applauded the EPA announcement when Martin shared word of it.

"Making the river clean and making this access has got to be tied together," Martin said. "And today, I know EPA Region II is announcing an agreement with Occidental,  which we congratulate them on, a design for the cleanup of the river itself, so we thank them for that work. EPA, great job on that front."

Thomas Pankowicz, a 55-year-old Clifton resident, has worked for the past 20 years at Bell Containers, a corrugated box business on Ferry Street, a few blocks from the river. Until the park opened, Pankewicz said he never ventured over to the waterfront.

"I would stay in my office," he said as he paused on the yellow boardwalk that highlights Phase 2. "Stay at my desk."

Pankowicz said he was discouraged by some crudely spray-painted graffiti near the boardwalk, and the dozens of empty soda bottles floating in the river between a dock and a bulkhead. But otherwise, he said, the park had made a dramatic difference in his workday. 

"Sometimes I eat lunch here, sometimes I just come for a walk," he added. "It's a beautiful stretch of waterfront."   

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

 


Boys Soccer Top 20 for Oct. 5: Still topsy-turvy up top

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A new team a top the NJ.com Top 20

Families of teens shot dead by police rally for answers

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Families of two teens shot dead by police want case moved to U.S. Attorney's Office.

NEWARK -- Whenever you saw George Richards-Meyers, it was a good bet Najier Salaam wasn't too far behind.

The two teens, shot dead by Newark Police officers in the early morning hours of Sept. 30, grew up together in the city's Roseville neighborhood, said Nadia Miller, Richards-Meyers' cousin.

"That was his best friend," Miller said Wednesday night at a prayer rally held for the victims' families. "These two? They didn't deserve to die like that."

Salaam and Richards-Meyers, both 18, were fatally shot by police officers about 6:30 a.m. in the 500 block of North Seventh Street, according to a statement by acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray.

The two men were gunned down after police were called to the scene for criminal activity in the area, Mayor Ras J. Baraka said during a press conference hours after the shooting. Another teen, 18-year-old Jeremiah Bowser, of Newark, was arrested during the incident after he got out of a vehicle and ran from police.

James Stewart Jr., president of the Newark Fraternal Order of Police, said the officers were attempting to arrest three people suspected of being involved in multiple robberies around the city when the shooting occurred.

"Those guys were not interested in surrendering," Stewart said. "Our officers responded to that threat and Newark is a safer place today because of them."

But Quanna Rollins, Najier Salaam's mother, said Wednesday that her son was anything but dangerous.

"He was a very lovable child," Rollins said. "He loved hard. He loved his immediate family. He had a beautiful heart. He would give you the shirt off his back."

Under the warm, orange bloom of the street lamp light on North Seventh Street Wednesday, more than 60 friends, family members and activists gathered to pray for the teens' families and decry the actions taken by the six officers involved in the incident that morning.

IMG_8218.JPGA young man holds a candle while listening to a speaker at a prayer rally held for two teens shot dead by police on Sept. 30. Newark , NJ 10/5/2016 (Michael Anthony Adams | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

Holding small, white candles, the crowd chanted, "Stop the killings, stop police shootings, stop the violence."

"We want this case moved to the U.S. Attorney's Office," Salaam Ismial, a spokesman for the family, said. "We don't believe that the prosecutor's office is going to handle this (case) without bias. We believe a case of this magnitude--where you have two teenage individuals shot dead by cooperating police officers--it's something that's way beyond the scope of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office."

U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Matthew Reilly said Wednesday that the office had not received any letters from family members pertaining to the shooting or the investigation of it. Reilly declined to say whether or not the agency is also investigating the shootings. 

Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, said Murray had met with the families on Tuesday and that her office has been in "regular communications with both the State Attorney General and federal authorities."

"We expect to provide an update on this very active investigation as soon as we can do so while safeguarding the investigation," she said.

But waiting for those answers has family members, like Nadia Miller, worried about the transparency of the investigation.

"Nobody can tell us what happened," Miller said. "All these different stories. Everything is an investigation."

Michael Anthony Adams may be reached at madams@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelAdams317. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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

Out of the shadows: The 25 best N.J. players nobody knows

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You don't have to be on the recruiting board of a Top 25 power to be a good football player.

Boys XC: NJ.com runner rankings for Thursday, Oct. 6

16-year-old arrested with loaded gun in Newark, police say

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Officers spotted teen put gun in his waistband, according to authorities.

NEWARK -- Police arrested a 16-year-old after he was seen carrying a loaded handgun in the city late Wednesday, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.

Officers assigned to the Special Enforcement Bureau were patrolling an area around South 17th Street, near South Orange Avenue, when they saw the teen take a .40-caliber handgun from an exterior staircase and put the weapon in his waistband, according to Ambrose.

Newark man fought with sheriff's officers, crashed car, cops say

Police arrested the teen without incident, the statement said. He was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon. Authorities did not release the teen's name because of his age.

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

 

'Miraculous' no one was killed in wreck that mangled cars on Route 46, cops say

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Fairfield police investigating what caused four-vehicle crash on Route 46

FAIRFIELD -- Three people were hospitalized in a four-vehicle crash on Route 46 that left one car's engine on the roadway Wednesday night, township police said.

fairfield crashAn engine from one vehicle involved in the Route 46 crash (Photo: Fairfield Police Department) 

Officers rushed to 9-1-1 calls reporting a serious crash on the highway around 7:30 p.m. and found four vehicles involved in the wreck, according to Chief Anthony Manna of the Fairfield Police Department.

One car traveling on Route 46 west rear-ended another vehicle, the chief said in a statement. That car then crossed over the road's grass median and slammed head-on into a vehicle on Route 46 eastbound, Manna added. A fourth car tried to avoid the crash in the eastbound lanes, but instead hit a utility pole.

Newark man fought with sheriff's officers, crashed car, cops say

Three drivers were taken to area hospitals with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said. A passenger from the car that was rear-ended was also injured, but declined medical treatment.

"This was truly miraculous that no one was killed or even more seriously injured," Manna said.

Photos released by the police department showed badly damaged cars, including one vehicle's engine on the street outside of a store.

"In 31 years of policing, I never can recall a vehicle's entire engine coming out of the car," the chief added.

Police were continuing to investigate what caused the wreck.

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

562 people were killed on N.J. roads last year. Here's how they died.

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The 522 fatal car crashes in New Jersey last year led to 562 deaths. Here's how they happened.


Meet the 5 N.J. men on Forbes 400 richest people in U.S. list

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Bill Gates remained at the top of the list for the 23rd year in a row with a net worth of $81 billion

Five New Jersey men made the Forbes list of 400 richest people in America released this week.

Bill Gates remained at the top of the publication's list for the 23rd year in a row. The Microsoft co-founder has a net worth of $81 billion. 

The richest Garden State resident is Donald Newhouse, according to Forbes. Newhouse is the co-owner of Advance Publications, the parent company of NJ Advance Media, which is affiliated with NJ.com and The Star-Ledger, as well as dozens of other publications across the United States.

These are the richest people in N.J.

Newhouse, who is 86 years old and lives in Somerset County, has a net worth of $10.5 billion, which is up $1 billion from last year, according to Forbes. He is listed as the 42nd richest person in the country.

Former Livingston resident David Tepper, 58, previously held the title for the richest person in New Jersey until last year when he moved to Florida, along with his once-Short Hills-based company Appaloosa Management.

Other locals on the list released Tuesday include:

  • John Overdeck, 46, of Millburn. He was ranked 194th, with a net worth of $3.3 billion.
  • Leon G. Cooperman, 73, of Short Hills. He was ranked 204th, with a net worth of $3.2 billion.
  • Peter Kellogg, 74, of Short Hills. He was ranked 239th, with a net worth of $2.8 billion. 
  • Larry Robbins, 46, of Alpine. He was ranked 374th, with a net worth of $1.8 billion.

NJBIZ has a separate ranking of the wealthiest residents, which was released earlier this summer. 

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

 

Mother and boyfriend appear in court after boy's death

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The mother of Michael Moore Jr. and her boyfriend are charged with child endangerment after the 7-year-old boy died on Sunday. The boyfriend is also charged with assault.

court photo.jpegKhadejrah Rawls, 28, and boyfriend Christopher Spearman, 29, were charged in connection with the child's death (Photo: Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

NEWARK -- A mother and her live-in boyfriend facing charges following her 7-year-old son's death in Newark made their first court appearance on Thursday, when they were ordered held on bail.

Prosecutors announced Monday that the mother, Khadejrah Rawls, 28, had been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, following the death of her son, Michael Moore Jr., on Sunday morning.

During a brief hearing in Central Judicial Processing court in Newark on Thursday, Judge Sybil Elias set bail for Rawls at $75,000, cash or bond.

Prosecutor's said Rawls' boyfriend, Christopher Spearman, 29, had been charged with aggravated assault as well as endangering the welfare of a child, and the set bail for him at $100,000, cash or bond.  

Mother, live-in boyfriend charged in 7-year-old's death

Prosecutors said Monday that Rawls and Searman were changed "based on injuries sustained by the child," who was pronounced dead at 10:36 a.m. Sunday morning, 42 minutes after police responded to their North Munne Avenue home on a neighbor's call to report a child not breathing.

Rawls and Spearman are being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility, where they appeared by video for the 5-minute hearing, standing side-by-side in prison garb, hands bound behind their backs.

Authorities have not announced a cause of death in the case. 

Elias said their next apperance would be Nov. 14.

Rawls told the judge she believed her other children were staying "with family."

The public defender who handled the appearance for both defendants, Nick Bergamatto, declined to comment on the charges.

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

 

$4.7M in grants to fund cops in Essex County departments

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Sheriff's office, East Orange and Orange receive federal funds

essex sheriffEssex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said his department was among three agencies to receive federal community policing grant money (Star-Ledger file photo) 
NEWARK -- Three Essex County law enforcement agencies this week were awarded a total of $4.7 million in federal grant money to hire a combined 32 police officers.

The Essex County Sheriff's Office received $1.87 million for 15 officers, East Orange was awarded $1.375 million to fund 11 officers while Orange was awarded $1,408,050 for 6 police officers, U.S. Rep Donald M. Payne, Jr, Sen. Robert Menendez and Sen. Cory Booker announced Wednesday.

Officials said the money was awarded through the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program. In all, police departments across the state were given $13.7 million in community policing grants.

"With this funding, our local law enforcement departments will strengthen their capacity to work directly with community members to meet their needs and make our communities safer," Payne said in a statement.

Sheriff Armando Fontoura said the funding would be a boon to Essex County residents.

"It will bolster our department's ability to prevent crime through community policing programs and allow us to continue the protection of our youngsters as they travel to and from school via safe corridors," the sheriff added.

10 N.J. departments awarded $13.7M in community policing grants

In East Orange, officials said the grant money has previously been used to fund police officers in city schools, known as school resource officers. East Orange Mayor Lester E. Taylor III pointed to a host of new community policing initiatives announced under his administration, including joint patrols with nearby towns, reinstating the Police Athletic League and programs to address school incidents.

Menendez and Booker were among more than 30 senators who signed a letter pushing to give the grant program high funding, according to the announcement.

According to the Justice Department, the awards are part of a national effort to improve community policing programs.

"It's more than just about having more officers, but having them in the same community every day, patrolling the streets, getting to know the residents and business owners," Menendez said in a statement. "When we deepen positive relationships through community policing principles--built on trust and mutual respect--our communities are better served and better protected."

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

N.J. girl behind #1000BlackGirlBooks interviews Hillary Clinton

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Marley Dias, 11, is an editor-in-residence at Elle.com, where she has her own 'zine

It's been a whirlwind year for Marley Dias.

This past winter, the 11-year-old from West Orange saw her #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign go viral. Ellen DeGeneres then invited her on her talk show, and she met Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

This summer, Elle magazine invited Dias to launch her own 'zine, Marley Mag, as an editor-in-residence for Elle.com, for which she's interviewed such luminaries as writer-director Ava DuVernay and ballet dancer Misty Copeland.

Now Dias, a student at Thomas A. Edison Middle School, has interviewed Hillary Clinton. The interview with the presidential candidate, not on camera like the others, was conducted over email. Dias, who says she once dreamed of becoming the first woman president herself, focused on Clinton's childhood.

"If someone had to do it before I could, I'm happy that it will be her," Dias writes. "It's really no problem."

Dias started her #1000BlackGirlBooks project, a mission to collect and donate books featuring a black girl as the main character, after becoming frustrated by having to focus on a series of young adult books featuring white male protagonists ... and their dogs. 

The campaign was a resounding social media success, and has netted Dias more than 4,000 books. Clinton's favorite black girl book: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou. 

"An excellent choice," Dias writes.

Asked about the book she first "saw" herself in at a young age, Clinton writes that she identified with Jo in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women."

"The book was written at a time when there weren't as many options for women and girls as there are now," Clinton says. "Jo really struggled with that. She wanted to write, to work, to help her family. And eventually she found ways to do it, and to live the life she wanted, even though it wasn't what society expected of her. I loved that she wasn't afraid to chart her own course."

Clinton, who relays a story about a distracted local barber accidentally chopping off a chunk of her hair, also tells Dias about the time back in high school when she ran for class president and lost. The president-elect then asked her to be chair of the organizations committee. 

"This meant that he got to be president, but I had to do most of the work," Clinton says. "I said yes anyway - and it turned out to be a lot of fun, because I got to plan all the events I would have pushed for as president. (One of them was a mock presidential debate, if you can believe that!) In the end, I've always found credit isn't just something you take - it's something people give you when they see how hard you're working."

Read the rest of the interview at Elle

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

 

Hurricane Matthew disrupting flights from Newark, NYC and Philly

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Massive storm has forced the closure of 10 airports in Florida, cancellation of dozens of flights from the New Jersey region.

As Hurricane Matthew continues its push toward Florida, packing dangerous winds of 140 mph, nearly a dozen airports in the Sunshine State have already shut down, disrupting air travel plans for thousands of people across the nation.

So far, as of the late afternoon on Thursday, 47 flights that were scheduled to leave Newark Liberty International Airport bound for Florida or Georgia have been cancelled, according to a flight information website operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

About 120 Florida-bound flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport have been canceled as of 3 p.m., 11 flights from LaGuardia Airport have been canceled, and 18 flights from Philadelphia International Airport have been scrapped. 

Why Hurricane Matthew is so dangerous

All of these airlines have canceled flights out of Newark: Air Canada, Air China, American Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, JetBlue Airways, LAN Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandanavian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, TAM Brazilian Airlines, TAP Portugal and United Airlines.

Overall, airlines across the nation scrapped more than 2,800 flights that were scheduled on Thursday and Friday, many of them in or out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Matthew -- the strongest storm to threaten the Atlantic coast in more than a decade -- has also forced the early closure of three of Florida's most popular entertainment destinations: Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios. 

"Based on the most recent forecasts for Hurricane Matthew, Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, miniature golf courses and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will all be closed today by 5 p.m. and will remain closed through Friday, Oct. 7," an advisory on the Disney World website states.

The Federal Aviation Administration has reported the closure of 10 airports in Florida: Boca Raton Airport, Flager County Airport, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, North Perry Airport in Hollywood, Fla., Kissimmee Gateway Airport, Ormand Beach Municipal Airport, Pompano Beach Airpark, Orlando Sanford International Airport, Witham Field in Martin County and Vero Beach Municipal Airport.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, Miami International Airport was still operating, but a weather advisory posted on the airport's website said: "We are monitoring Hurricane Matthew. Generally, airlines don't operate in sustained crosswinds that exceed 35 mph -- please expect cancellations on Thursday."

The advisory also notes that the FAA and Miami airport control towers "do not operate in sustained winds of 55 mph," and advises travelers to contact their airline to check on their flight status before going to the airport.

Hurricane Matthew status

On Thursday afternoon, Hurricane Matthew was "relentlessly pounding the Bahamas" and continued moving northwest toward Florida, where the storm will have "potentially disastrous impacts," the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 p.m. advisory.

The center of the storm was about 65 miles south-southeast of Freeport in the Bahamas and about 125 east-southeast of West Palm Beach, Florida.

"Matthew should remain a Category 4 hurricane while it approaches the Florida coast," the hurricane center's advisory said, but the storm could strengthen even more.

Category 4 hurricanes pack sustained winds of 130 mph to 156 mph. The highest level of hurricanes, Category 5, have sustained winds as strong as 157 mph or higher. 

hurricane-matthew-track-oct-6-2pm.jpgThis map shows the forecasted track of Hurricane Matthew as of 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6. (National Hurricane Center)  

New hurricane in Atlantic

A smaller storm in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Nicole, was upgraded to a hurricane Thursday afternoon. Although it is not expected to impact any land, Nicole will likely cause ocean swells and rough surf conditions in Bermuda during the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Nicole, with sustained winds of about 80 mph, was about 345 miles south of Bermuda Nicole and was moving toward the north-northwest at about 7 mph Thursday afternoon. Forecasters said a turn toward the north-northwest is expected later Thursday, and a slow and meandering motion is forecast Thursday night and Friday.

"Some additional strengthening is likely over the next day or so, followed by slow weakening," the hurricane center said in an afternoon advisory. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 
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