18-year-old and juvenile face charges including carjacking

NEWARK -- Law enforcement, including campus police from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, made two arrests Wednesday night in separate incidents, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said.

 

The first arrest involved personnel from the FBI, State Police, Essex County prosecutor's and sheriff's officers working through the city's Cease Fire unit, Violence Reduction Initiative and Gang Enforcement.

While patrolling in the 400 block of S. 17th Street, the officers saw an East Orange resident, Hakim McNair, 21, with another person. When police approached, McNair threw items down near the base of the tree, which were later determined to be plastic containers with a total of eight grams of marijuana and a .357 Magnum loaded with hollow-point bullets, Glover said. As police went to retrieve the items, McNair reportedly said "Yo that's not my gun."

McNair faces several narcotics and weapons charges. The other man at the scene, Randy Harris, 25, of Newark, was also charged after being found with two grams of marijuana.
Later, around 10 p.m., members of the Firearms Interdiction Team patrolling near S. 18th Street saw two people attempting to force open the driver's side door of a cab, Glover said, yelling as they did so. The two walked off when police approached, then one of them, 18-year-old city man Kaffa Smith, ran as he was holding a weapon, later determined to be a .177-caliber air gun, Glover said.

The driver returned to the scene and said the pair were attempting to rob him, Glover added.

Smith and the juvenile have both been charged with carjacking, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and conspiracy. Smith was additionally charged with resisting arrest.

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

 

Caldwell University's Visceglia Gallery will present "A Rising Tide: 4 + 4," an exhibition representing four artists who were each asked to identify a second artist with whom they share certain affinities in their artwork, studio process or shared inspiration.

"The Real Thing," 2015 by Suzanne Laura Kammin + Babette Herschberger 

CALDWELL -- Caldwell University's Visceglia Gallery will present "A Rising Tide: 4 + 4," an exhibition representing four artists who were each asked to identify a second artist with whom they share certain affinities in their artwork, studio process or shared inspiration.

The works will be on display Sept. 9 through Oct. 2 with an opening reception on Sept. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The four pairs of artists are Suzanne Laura Kammin and Babette Herschberger, Catherine LeCleire and Irena Pejovic, David Rios Ferreira and Felipe Baeza and Anker West and Stacy Smith.

The gallery hours are daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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.

Amid an ongoing investigation into a deadly pursuit, 20 Newark police officers received commendations for their roles into the apprehension of the five carjacking suspects who prompted it.

NEWARK -- With a county investigation into Tuesday's deadly carjacking pursuit underway, officials gathered at City Hall on Friday to honor the officers involved in the apprehension of the five juvenile suspects authorities said prompted the chase and subsequent police standoff.

Twenty Newark police officers received commendations for their roles in catching the suspects. Among them were several patrolmen, investigators and members of the department's emergency response team.

Speaking from the City Hall rotunda, Mayor Ras Baraka praised the officers, saying he was "proud" of their performance.

"All over the country, incidents like this are turning into media frenzies," he said. "Our men and women did an excellent job that day of making sure that that incident ended safely not just for the perpetrators but for our officers." 

But while the police standoff that followed the pursuit ended without injury or incident, the chase itself did not.

Tyree Crawford, 18, of Newark was struck by a police vehicle after bailing out of the vehicle along with five other occupants of the car, officials said. He was later pronounced dead at the scene. 

Three of the suspects were apprehended immediately, officials said. Another two fled on foot, taking refuge in a West Runyon Street residence and prompting the police standoff. 

Officials have declined to provide exact details of the chase, citing an ongoing investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards Bureau.

Asked if the ceremony was premature given the ongoing investigation, Baraka called the suggestion "ridiculous."

"We took these gentlemen off the street," he said. "Our officers are doing a great job." 

Other officials in attendance also praised the assembled officers. "These police did their jobs on that day," said city Police Director Eugene Venable

"We don't need a regional police department," he added, referencing recent suggestions by Governor Chris Christie that the city police department be refashioned into a county-controlled agency. 

"Today is a testament that there are partnerships with the Newark police, and that even with a depleted force the department can still do its job," said Essex County Prosecutor's Office Chief of Detectives Anthony Ambrose.

On Wednesday, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office announced charges against all five of the remaining suspects. Authorities have declined to release their names, citing their status as juveniles. The suspects ages range from 14 to 17-years-old, officials said.

Each now faces multiple theft and weapons-related offenses in connection with a series of robberies and shootings officials said took place following the carjacking that began the incident. Two handguns were found in the suspects' possession, officials said.

A police investigation into the incidents is ongoing, officials said. 

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

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka handed out book bags in the city Sunday.

NEWARK -- Hundreds of city children celebrated Labor Day weekend with free backpacks and school supplies doled out by the mayor.

Ras Baraka set out on a 13-stop "Back to School Bus Tour" Sunday to hand out the free supplies at houses of worship, housing complexes, and Centers of Hope around the city. He stopped at 10 spots Sunday and plans three more stops on Labor Day.

Newark kids began the 2015-16 school year on Thursday.

The giveaway was sponsored by several community groups, including Better Education for Kids, Inc., Black Alliance for Educational Options, the Foundation for Newark's Future, and the Newark Charter School Fund.

A motorist who appeared to be drunk was arrested after police found open beer cans and a flare gun in his car during a stop on Route 46, authorities said Saturday.

Police released a photo of a flare gun they said an officer seized during a traffic stop on Route 46 on Sept. 4, 2015.Fairfield Police Department 

Joseph Moore, 35, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was charged with having an imitation firearm and possession of a firearm by someone with a criminal record, according to township police Deputy Chief Anthony Manna. He was also cited for traffic violations.

The arrest stemmed from a 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' anti-drunk driving enforcement patrol Friday night when township Police Officer Jeffrey Dean spotted Moore's Dodge Charger not staying in its lane, Manna said.

During a traffic stop, the officer saw an open 12-pack of Bud Light beer in the car, according to police. Moore also had the smell of alcohol on his breath, slightly slurred speech and watery eyes.

As Moore got out to do a field sobriety test, the officer saw the butt of a gun sticking out of the driver's door pocket, police added.

"The officer examined the gun further and determined that it was a 9mm flare gun," Manna said in a statement. "It is alleged that also found in the vehicle was a fully loaded magazine for the gun and six empty, opened beer cans."

Moore couldn't explain why he had the flare gun, police said. He was later released on $20,000 bond.

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

 

Seton Hall University's Walsh Gallery, in collaboration with the Merton D. Simpson Gallery, presents "A River Depends on its Tributaries" Sept. 8 through Oct. 12.

"Confrontation C" 1963, by Merton Simpson (oil on canvas).Merton D. Simpson 

SOUTH ORANGE -- Seton Hall University's Walsh Gallery, in collaboration with the Merton D. Simpson Gallery, presents "A River Depends on its Tributaries" Sept. 8 through Oct. 12.

The exhibition combines traditional African masks from Merton D. Simpson's collection with contemporary drawings, paintings and sculpture.

Simpson, an artist, gallerist and art collector, championed a strategy to exhibit indigenous African art with contemporary art as a means of creating dialogue about old and new.

In addition to the masks, the show wil feature artists Chakaia Booker, Lucien Clergue, Willie Cole, Robert Lach, Mehdi-Georges Lahlou, So Yoon Lym, Ben Jones, Merton Simpson, Charlee Swanson, Ade Tugbiyele, Margaret Rose Vendryes and Adrienne Wheeler.

Walsh Gallery is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Fridays. For more information, visit shu.edu/walshgallery.com.

Seton Hall is located at 400 South Orange Ave.

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

After undergoing extensive replacement projects, two bridges have re-opened just in time for all the traffic that comes along with the start of a new school year.

The Kiel Avenue Bridge is one of two structures in Morris County that was replaced this summer due to age.Courtesy of the County of Morris 

MORRIS COUNTY - After undergoing extensive replacement projects, two bridges have reopened just in time for all the traffic that comes along with the start of a new school year. 

The Eagle Rock Bridge, which crosses the Passaic River and connects East Hanover and Roseland, re-opened Wednesday after being shut for a four-month replacement project, county officials said.

During construction the bi-county bridge was completely closed, which sent drivers on a five-mile detour to Route 280, Ridgedale Avenue, or Eisenhower Parkway as alternate routes.

Work was completed about three weeks ahead of schedule, although the contractor has some punch list items to address this coming week such as attaching posts, turning on traffic signals, and removing metal brackets, county officials said.

Morris County shared the cost of the $2.2 million construction job with Essex County but served as the lead agency on the project.

Just prior to the start of work in May, county officials were concerned about the structure's advanced deterioration and requested the contractor provide an accelerated schedule that would require a complete bridge closure while work was done.

PLUS: Five major roads in Morris Co. to close for repaving

The project was originally scheduled for 2012 but postponed due to utility work, as well the replacement of a bridge on Route 10.

The Kiel Avenue Bridge project is also nearly complete and partially re-opened to allow for school buses to access two nearby schools, county officials said.

The $343,810 project began in July and required a full closure of Kiel Avenue between Ricker Road and Louis Lane. 

The structure, which crosses over a Pequannock River tributary, was replaced because it had deteriorated beyond repair, county officials said.

Although less than 500 vehicles use the bridge daily, county officials said replacing it was important to the school district since Kiel Avenue provides the most direct and easy access to Kiel School and Pearl R. Miller School.

The contractor is expected to put the finishing touches, such as landscaping and line striping on the new 12-foot long bridge over the next few weeks, county officials said.

Kimberly Redmond may be reached at kredmond@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @kr0618. Find NJ.com on Facebook

 

Nakoma Jones, 38, was driving a 2009 Lincoln MKS east about 3:38 a.m. when she crossed into on-coming traffic near Mannino Park Drive, crashing into a 2011 Sonata, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief William Volkert of the Old Bridge Police Department.

Nakoma Jones, 38, was driving drunk in the crash that killed Gustavo Rodriguez, 30, Sunday in Old Bridge, authorities said.File photo 

OLD BRIDGE - A Neptune woman was charged with causing a drunken-driving accident Sunday in Old Bridge that killed her passenger and injured three others, authorities said.

Nakoma Jones, 38, was driving a 2009 Lincoln MKS east about 3:38 a.m. when she crossed into oncoming traffic near Mannino Park Drive and collided with a 2011 Sonata, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief William Volkert of the Old Bridge Police Department.

Gustavo Rodriguez, 30, of Neptune, died at the scene. Rodriguez was a rear-seat passenger in Jones' car, authorities said.

"Nakoma Jones was charged with death by auto and assault by auto after police determined she was intoxicated when she crossed into on-coming traffic and struck another vehicle head on," the prosecutor and police chief said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

The prosecutor said three people were injured:

• Jones is being treated at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Her bail is $160,000.
• Her front-seat passenger, a 36-year-old woman from Asbury Park, was treated at the hospital and released.
• The 19-year-old driver of the Sonata that was struck remains hospitalized at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. She was identified as a Cedar Grove resident.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call Old Bridge police at (732) 721-5600, or the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at (732) 745-3254.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The homicide occurred late Monday night on Rowley Street in Newark

NEWARK -- Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a man that occurred in Newark late Monday night, a law enforcement official said.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly confirmed the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Task Force is investigating a homicide on Rowley Street.

No arrests had been made as of 11:45 p.m., according to Fennelly. Additional details on the incident were not immediately available.

The shooting comes after what has been a bloody few weeks in the state's largest city.

Between Aug. 19 and Aug. 21, six killings occurred in Newark, the last murder taking the life of a "V.I.P." livery cab driver. On Aug. 29, two men were shot and killed in unrelated shootings.

On Wednesday, another man was fatally shot near Weequahic High School.

In response to the surge in violence, Newark officials have reassigned dozens of city officers from desk assignments to street duty. Those officers were to be joined by units from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey State Police.

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

 

Police say a loaded Glock handgun and a lit marijuana cigarette were found in a Dodge Dart the men had driven to the Budget lot

NEWARK -- A group of young men from Hillside and Irvington got stoned early Monday and took three Chevrolet Camaros and a Ford Mustang for a joy ride inside the Budget rental-car lot at Newark Liberty International Airport, police said.

Port Authority police were called to the lot at 3 a.m. on Monday, where police said the four men had just fled after being confronted by Budget employees.

The four men and two others were rounded up by police when they tried to flee in two cars they had arrived in, a 2009 Jaguar XF and a Dodge Dart, said Joe Pentangelo, a Port Authority Policed spokesman.

Pentangelo said there was a strong odor of burning marijuana coming from inside the Jaguar and the Dart, with a lit marijuana cigarette in the center console of the Dart.

The Dart also contained a .40 caliber Glock handgun, loaded with 11 rounds, laying in a child safety seat.

Two Hillside men, Devon Fields, 26, and Derrick K. Crenshaw, 22, were arrested on charges of possession of a weapon and possession of marijuana, Pentangelo said. He said charges were still pending against four others.

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

 

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To cap the summer season NJ.com users shared their favorite photos from Labor Day weekend

As the final days of summer approached we asked NJ.com users to help us cap the summer season by sending us their photos from Labor Day weekend.

Facebook follower Anneliese Rudoshko sent us a photo from high atop Mt. Tammany in the Delaware Water Gap while Facebook user Kathryn Lee Campo shared her view of the Delaware River during a cruise in a 1960's wildcat.

Whether showing off their summer tans or highlighting the Garden State's tomato harvest, New Jerseyans all over showed us how fun is done.

RELATED: Earth Day 2015: Photos of N.J.'s most unspoiled places

So, As you settle back into work and school, take a moment to remember the good times and enjoy these Labor Day weekend photos from around the state.

Do you have a photo to share? Post them in comments or tweet them to @njdotcom with the hashtag #LaborDayNJ and we'll add more user-submitted photos throughout the day.

Adya Beasley may be reached at abeasley@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @adyabeasley. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

DirtyDreamz partied the night away.

BROOKLYN -- A New Jersey dance group was among thousands of people who partied and paraded the night away at an NYC festival that made headlines for turning bloody.

Starting around 3 a.m. Monday morning, DirtyDreamz, from East Orange, was part of the crowd that marched at the J'Ouvert Festival in Brooklyn, N.Y. The group gathered with the band Steel XPlosion USA to celebrate with dancing and steel drums until about 10 a.m. The group coordinated their actions and dress, which members said was to reflect the theme "darkness of light."

J'Ouvert is a prequel to the West Indian American Day Parade & Carnival, which started at 11 a.m. Monday, and generally attracts close to 2 million people.

J'Ouvert's origins come from Trinidad. The ceremony is celebrated throughout the Caribbean, and also in other major American cities like Boston and Miami.

This year's Brooklyn celebration was marred by violence.

According to reports, a man was stabbed to death and four others were wounded during the event. A lawyer who works for NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Carey Gabay, 43, was shot in the head on Bedford Ave. and Sullivan Pl. in Crown Heights during the festival, reports said.

According to CNN, Gabay is in critical condition.

East Orange man was fatally shot Monday night, authorities said.

East Orange man was fatally shot Monday night, authorities said. (File photo)
 

NEWARK -- Authorities have identified the victim of a fatal Labor Day shooting in the city.

Walter Page, 39, of East Orange, was shot near 9 Rowley Street shortly before 11 p.m. Monday night, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Newark Police Director Eugene Venable announced in a release Tuesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:08 p.m., Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly said in the release.

An investigation into the fatal shooting  is ongoing, Fennelly said. Anyone with information is asked to call Essex County Prosecutor's Major Crimes Task Force detectives at (877) 847-7432 or (973) 621-4586.

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

 

Montclair teenager is writing for several music sites, thanks to some insightful advice from his mentor.

Montclair teenager Eli Zeger is writing for several music sites, thanks to some insightful advice from his mentor. (Courtesy School of Rock Montclair) 

MONTCLAIR -- Life for one New Jersey teenager has truly started to imitate art.

Eli Zeger, 17, is still in high school. He begins his senior year at Montclair High School Tuesday. But, his budding career as a music journalist began three years ago, thanks to inspiration from a movie about one of his idols.

Zeger said he's long been a fan of the 2000 movie "Almost Famous," a fictional account of director Cameron Crowe's experiences writing for Rolling Stone as a teenager in the 1970's.

"I have always loved music, and when I saw (that movie), I knew that's what I wanted to do," Zeger, who has been playing bass guitar at the School of Rock in Montclair since the age of 12, said in a phone interview.

So, he said he reached out to Crowe's production company, Vinyl Films, for some advice about how he could start his career.

Crowe sent Seger a complete package to help him get started - clippings of his Rolling Stone articles, a list of authors to study, some specific advice about how he could jumpstart a music writing career as a teenager, and some swag - including an autographed copy of the movie and a vinyl album of its soundtrack.

The advice has paid off.

Zeger said he started writing about what he loves, and submitting his articles to various music-related blogs and publications. He is now one of the youngest regular freelance contributors to outlets like Vice Media, the New York Observer, and Red Bull Music Academy.

The topics he writes about range from the local music scene in New Jersey, to a teenager's perspective on new tech music gadgets. He's even created his own blog with a long list of his published articles. Though he will be busy applying to colleges this year, Zeger said he will continue to write about music.

"It's great because I get to write about what I love...and to have this experience at my age is unbelievable," Zeger said.

And his work is not going unnoticed. Zeger's mentor has given his articles a stamp of approval.

"Eli is the future of music journalism," Crowe said in a statement to NJ Advance Media.

"His writing is filled with passion, precision and incredible taste. He sends his readers into musical directions that aren't just entertaining, they're inspiring."

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

 

Volunteers form Bayer and the Red Bulls volunteer on a Newark Farm.

NEWARK -- Digging in to lend a helping hand sometimes means bringing a shovel.

Volunteers from Bayer and the Red Bulls came to the Greater Newark Conservancy Hawthorne Farm to work on the 2.5 acre farm that has an orchard and more than 200 plots for local farming.

"It's helping feed people," said Ray Kerins a senior VP for Bayer as he wheeled mulch around the farm. 

"We are helping provide back to the community fresh fruit and vegetables to schools and pantries."

Bayer gives employees two days a year off from work to help in the community, and they had more volunteers for this project than they could handle, Kerlins said.

On the day after Labor Day under a hot sun, more than 70 worked to better the farm.

"It's a big day for us," said Marc de Grandpre, General Manager of the Red Bulls, as he helped fill raised growing beds with soil.

Twenty front office workers joined in, some down on their hands and knees pulling weeds.

"Eleven days of service in honor of Sept. 11, a way of giving back to the community," added de Grandpre.

"It's a tremendous help," said Michele Robinson of the Greater Newark Conservancy.

"Pulling weeds and spreading mulch is getting us ready for fall planting. Our two farms (Hawthorne Hawks Healthy Harvest Farm and Court Street Urban Farm) yielded 65-70,000 pounds of fruit and produce" said Robinson.

Ed Murray may be reached at emurray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Ed on Twitter at @EdMurrayphoto. Find NJ.COM on Facebook.

Newark man was arrested Tuesday, authorities said.

Newark man was arrested at the Essex County Hall of Records Tuesday, authorities said. 

NEWARK -- A city man was arrested Tuesday after authorities said he brought a handgun into a county court complex, and ran from the building when security personnel found it.

Leon Mack, 55, was arrested on various weapons charges, as well as on charges of resisting arrest, after allegedly arriving at the Essex County Hall of Records Tuesday morning with a handgun in his backpack, Sheriff Armando Fontoura announced in a release Tuesday afternoon. 

As the backpack went through the building's x-ray security machine, sheriff's officers found the defaced, fully loaded, .25 caliber, semi-automatic handgun, Fontoura said.

Mack, who authorities said was there to attend a pending tenant-landlord court matter, ran from the building immediately, officials said. He was quickly arrested, and is being held in the Essex County Jail on $100,000 cash bond, officials said.

"Our officers performed most admirably in immediately noticing and securing the weapon and in arresting the suspect," Fontoura said in the release.

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

 

Retired, rehired, rewarded. . . .and raking it in

Public service is supposed to be enriching work, and by now you know why: Many public servants turn this calling into a double-dipping obscenity, then justify it as an accepted Jersey tradition.

Hundreds of state employees simultaneously collect high salaries and retirement pay, gaming the pension system with impunity by exploiting a loophole in the law. They come in all forms: state police, county cops, attorneys general, school superintendents, firemen, Christie Administration officials, and legislators who look the other way and keep milking the cash cow themselves.

The only way this ends is if taxpayers - assuming they resist the impulse to drive their heads into a wall - voice their intolerance for charades like the one reported by New Jersey Watchdog last week. It showed that 16 of our 21 elected county sheriffs (and 37 undersheriffs) collect two incomes for one job. Their trick is to use the "special retirement provision" of their public pension plans: They cash out after 25 years, then return to a similar post that is covered by a different pension plan.

Watchdog nominates Michael Saudino as the dipping king: The Bergen County sheriff collects a $138,000 salary plus $130,000 from his Emerson Borough pension. The career champ is Armando Fontoura, who retired as Essex County undersheriff in 1990, took an identical job with a different title three days later, and has doubled down ever since - amassing $1.35 million in retirement income over the last 25 years while also collecting an annual six-figure salary.

Fontoura admits this much, to his credit: "Obviously, the loophole shouldn't exist," he says, "and I support the efforts to eliminate it."

But he'll continue to exploit it, as will Joe DiVincenzo, who makes $161,000 as Essex County Executive, plus $69,000 in pension as the retired county executive.

Few legislators are interested in prohibiting the practice, because at last count, 18 of them also double-dip.

One exception is Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth), who says, "Legal or not, it's an outrage, and a slap in the face to every taxpayer in the state. Retirement income should not be collected until you're not working anymore - that's the premise of a pension - and the fact that public employees exploit it is unconscionable. Worst of all, they brazenly brag about it."

Lawmakers tightened the loophole in 2011, but only to prevent officials like DiVincenzo from retiring from the elected posts they still hold. Joe D. still collects twice thanks to a grandfather clause, inserted to avoid legal challenges. Meanwhile, the double-dipping methods employed by Fontoura and others remain business as usual.

Beck's bill would change that, if it's enacted and survives legal scrutiny. It would suspend pensions for workers who resume public employment with a salary higher than $15,000 - no exceptions.

She knows it may never get out of committee, but there will be many rounds of reform talk in the future. So even if the bill gets stuck, "the loophole will be part of the discussion, because it's egregious to the general public," Beck says.

As for those pensioners who think about challenging it in court, they'll have two choices: They can cease their double-dipping voluntarily, or they can prepare for it to be a campaign issue.

No one begrudges a public employee's comfortable retirement - especially cops, who spend their lives on the front lines of violence. But as New Jersey's pension deficit grows more onerous each year, state employees concede they have to make sacrifices. Now it's time for the legislature to do its part, starting with a look in the mirror - the only way to prove that its desire for comprehensive reform is earnest.

Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.

Abdul Riley was pronounced dead at Newark Beth Israel Hospital around 11:35 p.m. Tuesday night

A Newark man was shot and killed in the city's South Ward Tuesday night, according to authorities. (Star-Ledger file photo)

NEWARK - A 37-year-old man was killed in a shooting in the city's South Ward late Tuesday night, authorities said.

Abdul Riley was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 11:35 p.m., according to Thomas S. Fennelly, a chief assistant prosecutor with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Police believe he was wounded after shots rang out in the area of Forest Place and Aldine Street about 30 minutes earlier, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Newark Police Director Eugene Venable said in a statement.

No arrests have been made, and police have released no information on any potential motive or suspects in the shooting. 

An investigation by the prosecutor's office's Major Crimes and Homicide Task Force remains active.

Anyone with information is asked to contact task force detectives at (877) 847-7432 or (973) 621-4586.

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

 

Local students are studying from southern California to New England and everywhere in between.

Last month, we asked NJ.com readers to tell us where New Jersey college students are matriculating this semester. Lots of you answered our call, and we plotted the info you gave us on the map below.

Each point on the map shows where a New Jersey high school grad is studying. Click the points to find out a little about each student, including their college and major.

If you're in college and you're not on our map, we want to see you there. Fill out the form below to get us your information.

John Shabe may be reached at jshabe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johndshaber. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Kasia Rivera, 38, of East Orange, pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter in exchange for a recommended sentence of five years in state prison

NEWARK -- An East Orange woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conducting a fatal penis enlargement procedure in 2011.

With jury selection about to start in her trial, Kasia Rivera admitted to delivering the silicone injection that ultimately killed Justin Street, 22, of East Orange, in May 2011.

"You injected the silicone into his penis?" Essex County Assistant Prosecutor William Neafsey asked Rivera during Tuesday's hearing.

Rivera replied, "Yes."

In exchange for her guilty plea to reckless manslaughter, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence of five years in state prison. Rivera would have to serve slightly more than four years before becoming eligible for parole.

Superior Court Judge Robert Gardner on Tuesday also reminded Rivera that, as a result of her guilty plea, she could be deported to her native Jamaica.

"I don't know whether that'll happen or not, but you understand that that in fact may happen," Gardner said.

Her sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 19.

In unrelated cases, Rivera, 38, also had been charged with possession of a stun gun and injecting silicone into another woman's buttocks and breasts up to four times. Under the plea deal, the charges related to those cases will be dismissed.

Authorities have said Rivera injected silicone into Street's penis when he visited her home on Glenwood Avenue in East Orange. The injection shot directly into Street's bloodstream, shutting down his organs, and he died as a result the following day, authorities said.

A medical examiner later determined Street died from a silicone embolism, and his death was ruled a homicide, authorities said.

Answering questions from her attorney, Olubukola Adetula, Rivera on Tuesday acknowledged she was not trained as a medical doctor and she was neither trained nor licensed to administer the silicone injection.

During Tuesday's hearing, Rivera also addressed the alleged jury tampering that occurred when jury selection was under way in her trial in May.

At that time, three jurors claimed they were approached on May 8 by a man associated with Rivera about influencing the outcome of the trial. Two of the jurors said they were offered bribes of $5,000.

One of those two jurors said he gave his phone number to the man and later received three calls from a woman whom he believed to be Rivera.

After hearing those allegations while interviewing 20 prospective jurors individually at a May 12 hearing, Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler dismissed all of them from serving on the trial. The judge found Rivera was complicit in the attempt to improperly influence the potential jury, revoked her bail and remanded her to the Essex County Correctional Facility.

But on Tuesday, Rivera asserted she did not participate in the alleged scheme and that the man had acted alone in approaching the jurors. Rivera said she didn't ask the man to approach the jurors or encourage him to do so. She described the man as a friend.

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