It was a bloody Halloween weekend in the Jersey City were six people were wounded by gunfire but all suffered non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

JERSEY CITY - In a Halloween weekend filled with real-life horrors, gunfire erupted in parts of the city and six people were sent to the hospital with bullet wounds, officials said. But in virtually every case, the shooting victims were uncooperative with officers or came down with sudden amnesia, according to the authorities.

A 22-year-old man walked into Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health shortly before midnight Friday seeking treatment for a graze wound to his face. The man, who was uncooperative with police, told officers he had been shot at Union Street and Ocean Avenue but police could not find the crime scene. 

Then at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, a 36-year-old Newark man was shot in his right leg on Martin Luther King Drive near Warner Avenue. After being shot, he flagged down a car on MLK near Orient Avenue and the driver contacted police, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

The Newark man was taken by ambulance to the Medical Center but he could not provide information to police as to what led to the incident and could not tell officers the specific location where he was shot. Police were not able to locate a crime scene, Morrill said.

Then shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, a 27-year-old Virginia Avenue man was shot in the buttocks and left ankle at MLK and Kearney Avenue and he fled the immediate scene but was located and then rushed by ambulance to the Medical Center.

In the same incident at MLK and Kearney, a 24-year-old Clerk Street man was grazed on the left calf and he was located three blocks away by police and also taken by ambulance to the Medical Center, Morrill said.  

At about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, a 39-year-old Claremont Avenue man sitting in his nephew's car parked at Pollock and Mallory avenues was shot in his right shoulder and right ear, Morrill said. 

The nephew drove his uncle to the Medical Center. The 39-year-old was uncooperative and refused to provide police with further information about the incident, Morrill said.

Finally, around 1 a.m. Sunday, a 23-year-old Union Street man was shot in his right knee and right ankle in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Claremont Avenue. He continued walking three blocks to Bostwick Avenue and MLK where he was found by police and taken by ambulance to the Medical Center. Police again, were unable to locate a crime scene, Morrill said. 

Anyone with information on any of these shootings is asked to call the Jersey City police tip line at (201) 547 - JAIL.

 

Terell Greene is being held on charges including aggravated assault and eluding

Terrell Greene, 23, was behind the wheel of a 2012 Nissan Sentra when two Bloomfield officers watched him go around traffic and speed through a red light on Grove Street at around 1:18 a.m., according to Bloomfield Police Director Samuel Demaio.

Terrell Greene (Essex County Corrections)

The officers gave chase, but Greene allegedly turned off the car's headlights and led them on a pursuit through East Orange and back into Bloomfield, eventually turning the wrong way onto Washington Street.

Demaio said he then collided head on with a cruiser driven by Officer Michael Malia, "causing both vehicles to come to an abrupt stop."

Greene was arrested, and Malia was taken to Mountainside Hospital for injuries to his neck, back, shoulder and knee. He was treated and released later on Sunday, Demaio said.

Greene told police he was not injured in the crash, and was booked on charges including assault by auto, aggravated assault, receiving stolen property and eluding.

He was arraigned by Bloomfield Municpial Court Judge John Paparazzo and ordered to be held on $100,000 bail.

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

 

Police are investigating a series of early-morning robbery attempts at three separate McDonald's restaurants, authorities confirm.

Investigators are searching for a man with dreadlocks and gray hooded sweatshirt, officials said (file photo).

NEWARK -- Police are investigating a series of early-morning robbery incidents at three separate McDonald's restaurants.

The first occurred just after 6 a.m. at a McDonald's located at 101 Clinton Ave., said Newark Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ronald Glover.

Employees at the restaurant informed arriving officers a person wearing a mask and armed with a handgun entered, demanded cash and then fled in a dark-colored vehicle, Glover said. 

Thirty minutes later, police arriving at a McDonald's restaurant at 561 McCarter Highway were informed by a cashier that she was approached by a male armed with a handgun while she was working the drive-through window, Glover said.

MORE: 48 charged in gang-fueled drug ring bust

The cashier told police that suspect demanded money, but fled the scene in a dark-colored vehicle before obtaining any cash, Glover said.

A third incident--and second attempted robbery--occurred just minutes later, authorities said. A cashier at the McDonald's at 334 West Market reported to responding officers that the restaurant was robbed just before 7:45 a.m. by two male suspects in a four-door vehicle, Glover said.

According to witness statements provided to investigators, one of the two men  exited the vehicle after arriving at the drive-through window, pointed a gun at the responding cashier and demanded money, Glover said.

When the cashier told him that she couldn't open the register, the suspect attempted to enter through the window, Glover said. Unable to gain entry, he and the driver fled the scene, he added.

Witnesses to the incidents described the suspect armed with the handgun as a male with shoulder-length dreadlocks dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt, Glover said. Authorities have not said whether the suspect has been identified.

None of the victims involved sustained injuries during the incidents, Glover said.

An investigation by the Newark Police Department is ongoing, Glover said. Authorities have asked that anyone with information about the crimes contact the Newark Police Department.

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

 

Developers hope that the long-delayed BURG will help revitalize downtown Newark

It's not every day a major force in New Jersey dining opens a restaurant in Newark. Heck, it's not every year. But Chris Siversen, the acclaimed chef behind Maritime Parc in Jersey City, has finally thrown open the doors of BURG, his casual restaurant in the newly rehabbed Military Park. 

After long delays (the restaurant was initially expected to open in the spring of 2014), BURG officially opens Monday. Siversen blames the hold-ups on "a complex and unfortunate combination of issues, including typical bureaucratic mishaps from a variety of agencies coupled with a kitchen supplier who was simply not competent."

For the first couple of weeks, the restaurant will only be open Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., but Siversen says BURG's regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. or so, seven days a week. That's in a city where upscale nightlife often struggles without a headliner at NJPAC or the Prudential Center. In fact, the flourishing Asbury Park-based Smith restaurant group just shut down the Monk Room, a block south of the Prudential Center, in September after two years. 

But Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, which oversaw the park renovation, believes that BURG could revitalize the area in much the same way Bryant Park Grill did for Bryant Park in the 1980s. (Although with President Obama in town, Monday might not be the best day to check it out.) 

RELATED: Where to eat now in N.J.: The 10 hottest restaurants for October

Burgers are, of course, the speciality of the house at the BURG, starting at $8.50 for a classic cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and special sauce. (The priciest item on the menu is the double burger for $15.)

The speciality burgers include the Korean, with kimchi relish, spicy gouchujang mayo, fried egg and a cucumber-scallion slaw; the Cowboy, topped with roast beef, barbecue sauce, griddled onions and lettuce; the Greek Lamb, with feta, black olive hummus, tzatziki and lettuce; and a veggie burger with curry mayo, apples, lettuce, tomato and onion rings. There's also Buffalo-style pork riblets, crispy broccoli, fried pickles, and, bien sur, disco fries. For dessert, check out the soft serve, bag o' doughnuts with cinnamon sugar or the coffee float with maple bourbon ice cream. 

There are eight beers on tap, currently including New Jersey's River Horse Hipp-O-Lantern Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and eight wines by the glass. 

The 40-seat BURG, styled like a vintage diner, will offer a daily happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will outdoor seating opening in the spring. 

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy or like her on Facebook. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook, and check out TV Hangover, the podcast from Vicki and co-host Erin Medley on iTunes, Stitcher or listen here.

Commuters can expect delays this afternoon and evening when President Obama travels between Newark and New York, but officials aren't saying what routes to avoid.

Drivers are going to have to roll the dice this evening to decide which routes home will be Obama-locked and which will have a normal commute.

Transportation officials are tight-lipped about what routes drivers should avoid when President Barack Obama travels from Newark to New York City late this afternoon, and tonight, when he returns to Newark airport to depart at 10 p.m.
 
"As policy, NJDOT does not provide specifics about road closures for dignitary visits for security purposes," said Stephen Schapiro, an NJDOT spokesman.

But it's likely that the presidential motorcade could compound normal commuting delays on highways in and out of Newark, the New Jersey Turnpike and Hudson River tunnels.  

I wish POTUS could just helicopter in and out of NYC to EWR. Oy...Thanks for the info, @CommutingLarry https://t.co/2UQul3z6Bs

-- Michael Burgi (@michaelburgi) November 2, 2015

What Schapiro did say is that drivers can expect closed roads, congestion, and delays on area roads for motorcades around the time of the President's arrival and departure from Newark Airport, as well as during the evening commute when he heads into New York City.

RELATED: What you need to know: Newark presidential motorcade traffic madness 

Obama arrives at Newark airport at 1 p.m., and after completing his schedule there, heads to New York City for a Democratic party fund raiser. The commuting fun won't be over after that, since the President still has to return to Newark airport. 

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Police are searching for a missing 76-year-old Linden woman who suffers from dementia

Linden police are trying to find Judith Williams, 76, who wandered away from her home this morning. (Linden Police Department) 

LINDEN -- Police issued a plea for the help from the public in locating a city woman who suffers from dementia and has been missing this early this morning.

Judith Williams, 76, was last seen about 6 a.m. at her home on Roselle Street, police Capt. James Sarnicki said. He said Williams was later reported missing by her son.

Williams, who is described as five-foot, six-inches tall and weighing 225 pounds, was last seen wearing a waist-length red jacket, a red baseball cap, purple sweatpants, and pink sneakers.

MORE: Elderly missing woman found walking in Route 24

Her son told police that she had wandered away in the past and was found on St. George Avenue in Woodbridge, Sarnicki said.

Police ask anyone with information to contact Linden Detective Daniel Sadowski at 908-474-8536 or the main police number at 908-474-8500.

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook

 

President Barack Obama has landed at Newark Liberty International Airport for a visit to Newark Watch video

NEWARK -- With their hands and legs wrapped around a metal gate, the children fixed their eyes on the sky as Air Force One descended from the air.

A few moments later, President Barack Obama emerged from the plane at Newark Liberty International Airport, with the presidential seal and the "United States of America" emblazoned across its side.

After walking down the stairs from the plane at about 1:30 p.m., Obama waved to the children and the other invited guests.

At the bottom of the stairs, the president was greeted by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.); U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10); Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage.

Obama then walked over to the more than 80 guests waiting behind the metal gate. He shook the children's hands as the adults snapped photos on their cell phones.

LIVE BLOG: Traffic, updates and latest developments during Obama's N.J. visit.

As one boy sat on a man's shoulders, he reached forward and gave Obama a high-five.

The president then got into a waiting limousine and made his way into New Jersey's largest city.

Obama is visiting Newark Monday to discuss criminal justice issues, including efforts to help former criminals with re-entering the community after getting out of prison. Obama also is slated to announce a series of related initiatives by his administration.

Over the next few hours, Obama will visit Integrity House, a Newark-based center that provides treatment and services for drug addicts, and he then will hold an hour-long roundtable discussion at the Center for Law and Justice at Rutgers University in Newark.

Following that discussion, the president will give a speech at the university. He is expected to be joined by Booker, Baraka and U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, among others.

Obama will then head to New York City to raise money for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The president is scheduled to depart from Newark Liberty International Airport a little after 10 p.m. 

With his motorcade winding through Newark, local officials have warned motorists to anticipate street closures and traffic delays in the area.

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

About 100 people gathered outside the Integrity House Monday during Barack Obama's visit.

NEWARK -- Crowds gathered outside of the Integrity House in the city Monday called President Barack Obama's visit to Newark inspiring.

About 100 people gathered outside the front entrance of the Integrity House, a rehabilitation center that works to re-enter addicts and ex-offenders into society. Neighborhood residents, teachers from the nearby Link Community School, and others lined South Street and Pennsylvania Avenue to catch a glimpse of Obama, who touched down at Newark Airport around 1:30 p.m.

Nytesha Dorch. (Vernal Coleman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
 

Nytesha Dorch and her two-year-old nephew were among the locals in the crowd. Dorch, who lives just a few blocks from the Integrity House, said she had initially planned on taking her nephew to the president's speech at Rutgers, before realizing Monday that he was going to be in her neighborhood.

ALSO: Check the live blog for up-to-the-minute updates on Obama's visit

"In 30 years, when (my nephew) looks back at this, I hope that he remembers that Obama came here," she said. "I hope that he can be inspired by that."

The crowd quickly shifted once they realized that the president had been brought into the facility through a back entrance. A crowd remained outside until he left, at about 2:50 p.m.

The Integrity House was only one of a few stops Obama made in Newark Monday in a trip that officials said was meant to highlight and discuss criminal justice system reforms. He is slated to speak at Rutgers-Newark about prisoner reentry after 4 p.m.

President Obama praised the work done by a Newark facility to help former prisoners become productive members of society

NEWARK -- President Obama on Monday praised Newark's Integrity House for the "good work" it has done in helping former prisoners, especially those with substance addiction problems, return to society.

"It's a model for the good work that is being done sporadically around the nation," Obama said before beginning a closed-door meeting at the center. He said his trip was designed to "highlight" successes. "We look forward to seeing more success."

Obama was accompanied by Robin Shorter, director of the Women's Outpatient Programs and director of the Women's Halfway House. He met with Daryl Rose, who has been released from prison and now lives in the facility, and two other residents, Stephanie Luna and Sharon Boatwright. 

RELATED: 5 things you need to know about Obama's trip to Newark

The stop was the first of two on the president's trip to Newark to focus on criminal justice issues. Later, he was scheduled to deliver an address on the subject at Rutgers-Newark.

Obama arrived Monday afternoon and was greeted by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th Dist.), Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

President Obama is scheduled to speak about criminal justice at Rutgers-Newark on Monday

TRENTON -- President Obama is scheduled to speak about criminal justice at Rutgers-Newark at about 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Watch a live feed of Obama's speech above. And read more about the event in NJ Advance Media's live blog.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Route 21 in Newark closed.

Currently, Route 21 in Newark is closed to traffic in both directions between Route 22 and I-280, due to "police department activity" according to NJ DOT traffic reports. 

The activity, is most likely due to the visit of President Barack Obama in Newark.

However, NJ Transit tweeted at 5:25 p.m., that bus service in the downtown Newark and Broad Street area had resumed normal operations after  "previous police activity."

Newark light rail also has resumed service on the Broad Street extension, Nj Transit reported 

Earlier today NJDOT officials said they weren't disclosing alternate routes or any information about the presidential motorcade route.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

President Obama came to Newark to discuss ways of successfully returning ex-prisoners to society. Watch video

NEWARK -- President Obama, who has embraced the cause of overhauling the nation's criminal justice system, used New Jersey's largest city as the backdrop Monday to call attention to programs designed to successfully return ex-prisoners to society.

Obama, making his third trip to the Garden State in a year, visited a Newark facility that provides services to 2,400 people each year, including drug treatment and help with housing and jobs. He held a roundtable discussion at Rutgers-Newark's Center for Law and Justice before speaking at the campus.

"There are people across the board -- folks who work inside the criminal justice system, folks who are affected by the criminal justice system, who are saying, "There's got to be a better way,'" Obama told a crowd of 226 at the university.

RELATED: Obama's Newark trip highlights Booker's criminal justice efforts

The president announced several steps along those lines, including naming Newark one of five new municipalities that will work with local colleges and employers to offer job training and placement for former prisoners.

He announced programs to help juveniles seal criminal records and to improve the chances of former prisoners to get government jobs, and grants to provide education and other help for ex-convicts returning to society.

"We need to make sure Americans who paid their debt to society can earn a second chance," Obama said. "We have seen people who are doing just that."

While Obama was announcing his initiatives in Newark. Gov. Chris Christie was highlighting his own efforts to overhaul the criminal justice system in Camden, which the president visited in May to discuss its progress in improving relations between police and the communities they are sworn to protect. Obama's trip came after several deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police.

Unlike during Obama's December visit to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Christie was not at the airport to welcome the president.

Obama's first step on his N.J. trip was Integrity House, a non-profit rehabilitation organization that works with drug-and alcohol-addicted criminals. Accompanied by Robin Shorter, director of the Women's Outpatient Programs and director of the Women's Halfway House, he met with three of the residents.

He then discussed criminal justice issues at Rutgers-Newark around a horseshoe-shaped table with some former prisoners and others involved in helping them return to society.

Rutgers-Newark's School of Criminal Justice hosts the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons program, which provides courses for prisoners and then helps them continue their education once released. The program works with the state Department of Corrections and State Parole Board.

In Newark, they are doing "extraordinary work," Obama said, singling out by name some of the people he met on his visit, both those who are trying to become productive members of society and those who are helping them do it.

Accompanying the president on his trip was Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who has made criminal justice a signature issue since being elected to the Senate. Booker, a former Newark mayor, helped broker a deal with Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and other senators of both parties on a compromise bill that reduces some mandatory sentences and provides certain federal inmates with job training, drug treatment and a chance to be released from prison early.

Obama endorsed that legislation. "This is an area where we have really seen some strong bipartisan work," he said.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Ernest Williams Jr., 24, was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter, robbery and related offenses in connection with the July 22, 2012 killing of Brian Schiavetti

NEWARK -- A Montclair man was convicted Monday of robbing and fatally shooting another man in 2012 after leading him into a township apartment building to buy drugs.

Ernest Williams Jr., 24, was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter, robbery and related offenses in connection with the July 22, 2012 killing of Brian Schiavetti. Williams was acquitted of a murder charge.

"I'm thankful to the jury for the verdict that they returned and it was the right verdict," Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Naazneen Khan, who tried the case, later said in a phone interview.

Williams's attorney, Sterling Kinsale, could not be reached for comment.

In addition to aggravated manslaughter and robbery, Williams also was convicted of felony murder, weapons offenses and conspiracy to distribute drugs. The jury began its deliberations on Wednesday.

His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14 before Superior Court Judge Carolyn Wright.

With the guilty verdict, the jury rejected the claims made by Williams that Schiavetti, 21, produced the handgun and that Williams was acting in self-defense. Williams claimed Schiavetti was killed when the two men wrestled over the weapon and the gun went off.

Khan said jurors likely based their decision on the totality of evidence, but she noted that the fatal gunshot wound to the back of Schiavetti's head "spoke for itself."

MORE: Self-defense or execution? Jury to decide in Montclair drug deal killing

The incident occurred after Schiavetti and his friend, Connor Gore, made the roughly 90-minute trip from their hometown of Ridgefield, Conn. to purchase oxycodone pills from Williams.

Schiavetti was put in touch with Williams that day through Williams's co-defendant, James Pitts, who is the son of Essex County Undersheriff James Pitts. Pitts pleaded guilty last year to a drug charge and is expected to be sentenced to 364 days in jail.

Pitts met Schiavetti as a fellow student at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and Pitts and Williams were neighbors in Montclair, according to Khan. After Williams contacted Pitts about selling the drugs, Pitts connected him to Schiavetti, Khan said.

Gore testified he and Schiavetti were hanging out with three other friends in Ridgefield when Schiavetti and Williams made arrangements to purchase the pills. The group then pooled together $900, and Schiavetti and Gore drove to Montclair to meet Williams, Gore said.

When Gore and Schiavetti met Williams on the street, Williams got in the back seat of Gore's vehicle and directed them to the building at 25 Williams Street, where Williams claimed the pills were located, Gore said.

Soon after Williams led Schiavetti into the building, Gore said he heard two gun shots. After calling Schiavetti's cell phone and getting no answer, Gore said he drove off.

Gore said he called 911 and the operator indicated police were already responding to the scene. Gore said he ultimately called his parents, and they picked him up in a parking lot at Montclair State University.

"I was hysterical, afraid for my life," Gore testified.

Schiavetti was later discovered in the hallway of the building with a trail of blood stretching from the back of his head and a chain resting in his hand, including a cross and a medallion his mother had given him.

During Williams's testimony, Williams said he later threw away the gun, along with his bloody T-shirt, because the weapon had his fingerprints. Williams ultimately surrendered to police.

"I was scared," Williams said.

But Khan has claimed Williams never had any drugs that day and said the incident was a "setup" to steal money from Schiavetti.

During closing statements last week, Khan noted how Pitts and Williams's cousin, Reyanna Williams, testified during the trial that Williams had confessed to them that he brought the handgun and tried to rob Schiavetti and, when Schiavetti tried to grab the gun, Williams fatally shot him.

Noting the gun shot to the back of Schiavetti's head, Khan told jurors Williams shot him as he was running away.

"This was not a tussle," Khan said. "This was an execution."

But Kinsale told the jury Schiavetti brandished the weapon and that he and Williams then engaged in "a life and death struggle." He suggested Schiavetti's injuries were consistent with the struggle described by Williams.

Kinsale also argued detectives coerced the cousin into telling the story about Williams's alleged confession. He also claimed Pitts was "totally biased" and only gave a statement after his plea deal was in place.

"Don't put it beyond these guys to bring a gun for protection, even if it's just to have it," said Kinsale, referring to Gore and Schiavetti, adding that "it's not beyond believability."

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

Several hundred people gathered outside the Newark campus Monday.

NEWARK -- They didn't have tickets to watch the president speak live. Most likely, they'd be huddled together watching a live stream of Obama's address on criminal justice reform at Rutgers-Newark Monday.

But, that was good enough for the several hundred people who lined up outside the city campus in the hours before his remarks, they said.

MORE: In a sea of 'movers and shakers,' few Rutgers students score spot at Obama speech

Bernice Greene, of East Orange, waited anxiously outside, holding a sign that said, "We love you, Mr. President." She said the visit to Newark was exciting not only because she supports Obama, but also because prison reform is an issue that impacts her community.

"It's bad," she said.

"A mother has to be a mother and a father...for nonviolent crimes, I don't think you should spend 20 years in jail.."

Some in the crowd were Rutgers students who said the presidential remarks were especially relevant, given what they were studying.

"I'll definitely be tuned in," said 23-year-old Ricky Stephens, a player on the Rutgers mens basketball team who attended the event with a few teammates. "I'm looking forward to what he has to say."

ALSO: Obama pushes to give ex-inmates a 'second chance'

Obama's talk at Rutgers was his second stop of the day, after a visit to the Integrity House, a rehabilitation center in the city. During his remarks, Obama highlighted some of the facility's success stories.

His visit Monday was generally well received in the city, a majority of which has supported the president's political career. Nearly 78 percent of Essex County voters supported Obama in his 2012 reelection campaign.

The city also runs Obama's 'My Brother's Keeper' Program, an initiative aimed at deterring young men of color throughout the United States from falling into lives of crime.

"I think it is a real problem for a city like this, a minority city like this," MBK-Newark Executive Coordinator Kisha Baldwin said of incarceration outside Rutgers Monday.

"We would love to have our young men back."

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

Ras Baraka released a statement Monday about Barack Obama's visit to the state's largest city.

NEWARK -- President Barack Obama's visit to New Jersey's largest city will add fuel to a fire that's already been burning there, according to a statement released by Mayor Ras Baraka moments before the President touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport Monday.

In the first official statement on the presidential visit released by the Baraka administration, the mayor said Obama's visit will serve to highlight work that the city has been doing to reform its criminal justice system.

"(W)e are addressing crime and violence in Newark as a public health issue, seeing that we must inoculate and vaccinate our residents to protect them from it," Baraka said in a statement.

ALSO: Ex-cons say Obama's speech at Rutgers 'strikes a chord deep down'

The mayor called welcoming the President an "honor," and said that his visit will shed a national spotlight on Newark's anti-crime initiatives and allow the city to "(set) the course for the entire nation to follow in breaking the cycle of tragedy and ending the contemporary culture of violence."

In the statement, Baraka alluded to an anti-violence tour he has been taking to high schools and prisons to engage with young and incarcerated people. The tour, he has said, is meant to inspire the Newarkers to rise above lives of crime.

As of Oct. 25, the city recorded an overall crime rate lower than that of 2014. However, homicides in the city are on pace to be higher than last year's total.

Baraka's comments contrasted with those of Gov. Chris Christie, who held his own anti-violence event in Camden on Monday.

"I think it's wonderful for the president to come to New Jersey and acknowledge the work that has been done in New Jersey, by leaders of New Jersey," Christie said in response to a reporter question at the Camden event.

"What's happening here and what he's celebrating today has nothing to do with anything the federal government's had anything to do with."

MORE: Newarkers at Obama visit say they'd 'love to have our young men back'

Baraka and U.S. Senator Corey Booker (D - New Jersey) were among the officials who joined Obama at his visit to Newark rehabilitation center Integrity House, and a round table session at Rutgers - Newark.

During the events, Obama outlined several reform initiatives that he said were aimed at re-incorporating ex-prisoners into society. During his speech, Obama singled out some of the locals he met during his trip, saying that in Newark, they are doing "extraordinary work."

Among the announcements was one naming Newark one of five municipalities that will work with local colleges and employers to offer job training and placement for former prisoners.

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

The Turtle Back Zoo hosted a unique trick-or-treating opportunity Saturday.

WEST ORANGE -- Lions and tigers and vampires, oh my!

The animal kingdom and the undead collided Saturday as trick-or-treaters made their way to Essex County's Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange for Halloween festivities.

"Howl-o-ween" invited families to visit the exhibits at the zoo while dressed up to simultaneously check out the animals and collect some candy. Other events, like a not-so-scary train ride, were set up throughout the zoo.

County officials lauded the event as one that was unique, and a safe way for kids to celebrate the holiday with their families.

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

President Obama praised Newark's efforts to remake the U.S. criminal justice system.

NEWARK -- Trying to remake the criminal justice system, President Obama went looking for programs to help former inmates return to society rather than prison. He wanted to look at efforts to treat drug addictions that helped fill up U.S. jails with nonviolent criminals. And he wanted allies in his effort.

He found everything he wanted in Newark on Monday. Groups in New Jersey's largest city are "accomplishing extraordinary things," the president said.

WHAT HE SAID: "Here in Newark, when it comes to rehabilitating prisoners and reintegrating former inmates into society, you've got organizations that are doing extraordinary work," Obama said. "They are accomplishing extraordinary things.  And when you meet folks who are taking that step to break addiction and overcome great odds, and you see what they've already accomplished and what more they're going to accomplish in the future, you cannot help but feel hopeful about the future."

RELATED: In N.J., Obama pushes for change to give ex-inmates 'a second chance'

WHO HE MET: He met with former prisoners. He spoke with people trying to overcome addition. He talked to law enforcement officers. And he spoke with public officials who support efforts to overhaul U.S. laws.

He visited Integrity House, which works with prisoners who have drug or alcohol addictions. Accompanied by Robin Shorter, director of the Women's Outpatient Programs and director of the Women's Halfway House, he met with three of the residents.

HIS CRIMINAL JUSTICE GOAL: "The goal is to prevent crime," Obama told a crowd of 226 at Rutgers-Newark. "The goal is to make sure that folks are fairly punished when they break the law.  But the ultimate goal is to make sure that folks are law-abiding, self-sufficient, good citizens.  And everything we do should be designed towards that goal.  And if we're doing a good job there, then crime will go down and it will stay down."

Obama held a roundtable discussion at Rutgers-Newark's Center for Law and Justice before speaking at the campus, where participants included U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a Senate leader in efforts to overhaul criminal justice laws; and Dquan Rosario, a participant in the Re-entry into Newark, or ReNew program, which is overseen by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and provides support services such as job training and searching, housing, education and transportation. Rosario was singled out by Obama in his Rutgers speech.

Also participating were Amarilis Diamond-Rodriguez, who participated in the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons program in which prisoners take college courses and then continue their studies after being released;  and U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, involved in the ReNew program.

"As a nation, we need to shift our focus from incarcerating non-violent offenders to rehabilitating those individuals and helping ex-offenders find jobs and become productive members of society," said U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th Dist.), who greeted Obama when he arrived aboard Air Force One at Newark Airport.

FROM THE COMMUNITY: Obama's efforts were particularly important to spectators Bernice Greene of East Orange, who said the issue had a negative impact on her community as residents were imprisoned for nonviolent offenses.

"A mother has to be a mother and a father," she said, "For nonviolent crimes, I don't think you should spend 20 years in jail."

NJ Advance Media reporters Kelly Heyboer, Dan Ivers, S.P. Sullivan and Bill Wichert contributed to this report.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Local officials gathered to discuss federal initiatives in Newark after President Barack Obama left the city Monday.

Mayor Ras Baraka commenting after Obama's visit to Newark Monday. (Vernal Coleman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

NEWARK -- Winning the city's ongoing battle against violent crime will depend, in part, on efforts to prevent recidivism, said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka following President Barack Obama's Monday visit.

Speaking just prior to an afternoon roundtable discussion at the Prudential Financial tower, Baraka drew a direct connection between crime prevention in Newark and the state, local, and federal anti-recidivism efforts Obama came to the city to discuss.

"We think that ultimately we can bring crime down without arresting as many people as we possibly can," he said. "We think we can do it holistically, by providing opportunities for people so that they don't go back to jail."

MORE: Obama visit adds to reforms already happening in Newark, Baraka says

Earlier in the day, Obama in a speech at Rutgers-Newark announced plans to work with the New Jersey Institute of Technology and local employers like Audible and Prudential, to offer coding and other job training programs designed to help former prisoners transition back into their communities.

Following Obama's visit, Baraka gathered with other dignitaries at Prudential Financial's new headquarters on Broad Street to discuss the federal My Brother's Keeper initiative and other support programs for the formerly incarcerated.

Specifics of the program and other efforts announced by Obama Monday were not immediately made clear.

Broderick Johnson, Cabinet Secretary and Chairman of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force, said the dignitaries gathered for the discussion were scheduled to talk about local My Brother's Keeper programs, and how the private sector can engage with them.

Since MBK launched, the private sector has donated a half-billion dollars in aid for crime prevention and community re-entry programs, Broderick said.

After a round of short remarks, city officials and others headed into a separate room to start the discussion, which was not open to the press. 

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

 

West Ward Councilman Joe McCallum accused Mayor Ras Baraka's administration of funneling tickets to the president's events to friends and family instead

NEWARK -- Members of the Municipal Council voiced anger and frustration after they were apparently left out of President Barack Obama's visit to the city Monday.

Obama's stop in the city included a visit to rehabilitation drug treatment facility Integrity House and Rutgers-Newark, where he announced plans to create new grants to help prisoners transition back into society and an effort to "ban the box" -- referring to a question on job applications asking potential workers whether they have a criminal history.

Dignitaries including Mayor Ras Baraka, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Congressman Donald Payne Jr. were along for much of the ride, but aside from Council President Mildred Crump, council members were nowhere to be found.

In a statement, Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins placed the blame with Baraka's office, saying she had been assured that members of the body would be included in the event, but that no invitation or further details followed.

"I am stunned and deeply offended that my colleagues and I were not formerly asked nor invited to participate in one of the most important discussions facing America since Reconstruction taking place in our own city," she said.

"Mayor Baraka said we were included. Then his staff turns around and said we aren't. They are obviously doing their own politics."

Baraka spokeswoman Majorie Harris did not immediately return a request for comment early Monday night.

At-Large Councilman Carlos Gonzalez called the apparent snub "disrespectful on the administration's part", noting that officials from other cities, such as Hillside Mayor Angela Garretson, were invited.

He said he received no information from the city about any events where Obama was participating in, and learned most of what he knew about the visit from the media.

"Some people from outside city of Newark were invited, and the governing body of the city was Newark was not," he said. "I'm not saying it was on the part of the mayor, but someone in his office did not know protocol enough to make sure the council was invited."

At-Large Councilman Luis Quintana also voiced his displeasure, saying he believed it was part of a pattern of poor communication from Baraka' office. As evidence, he cited the state's approval of the city's budget in September, which council members say they were never advised of.

"We were the last one to know," he said. "If nine members of the council can't come, then we can we talk about it. There's no communication, from the top to the bottom."

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. issued a statement of his own, saying he believed he was "disappointed" that the council was not included considering Obama's announcements potentially major impact on the city.

"We know it's a historic occasion for the president to be in Newark, especially to talk about such an important issue like prisoner re-entry and creating opportunities for former prisoners, especially coupled with important legislation sponsored by Senator Booker on this issue," he said.

In an interview, Ramos said he was granted an invitation to the events at Rutgers after contacting Booker's office last week, but declined to attend after learning his colleagues had been left out.

While some members declined to directly blame the mayor and found fault with other members of his administration, West Ward Councilman Joe McCallum said the move "had to be purposeful."

"I think there's people around him who just focus on the mayor, and don't understand the relationship between the council and the mayor, or just don't care. They were more concerned with getting their family members and their friends in there," he said.

"No matter how many tickets they had, nine should have been to the council. As hard as we all want to work with the mayor, its amateur hour around him."

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

President spent a day in in the Garden State.

NEWARK -- After a packed day in and around New Jersey, the president is headed back home.

President Barack Obama waved a goodbye before boarding Air Force One, which later took off from Newark Internaional airport Monday night at 10:20 p.m.

Obama's departure comes about 11 hours after he landed at Newark airport Monday, which kicked off a long day of activities surrounding the president's new criminal justice reform platform.

MORE: Crowds hope Obama visit will inspire Newark youth

Obama's first stop was at the Integrity House, a rehabilitation center in the city that works to help ex-addicts and convicts reintegrate into society. Obama said he was there to highlight the recoveries of the home's residents.

"It's a model for the good work that is being done sporadically around the nation," Obama said at the center. "We look forward to seeing more success."

Then, Obama went to Rutgers-Newark for a roundtable discussion on incarceration and recidivism. During the talk, Obama announced several initiatives, including work-training programs and grants to provide education to ex-cons.

After a short trip to NYC for a fundraiser, Obama returned to Newark for a departing flight.

See complete coverage of Obama's entire New Jersey visit here.

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