Newark Unity Slate sweeps school board elections as school district is poised for local control.

NEWARK -- Three new faces, backed by an alliance of political and charter school heavyweights, will officially join the Newark School Advisory Board.

The Newark Unity Slate, endorsed by political leaders, charter school groups and Mayor Ras Baraka swept Tuesday's elections, earning nearly half of the votes among the 15-candidate field, according to preliminary results from the Essex County Clerk's Office. 

Reginald Bledsoe, Flohisha Johnson and Josephine Garcia will join the board as it readies to take back control of the 35,000-student district from the state. 

Bledsoe, 26, the legislative aide to Councilman Eddie Osborne, won 3,382 votes, or about 17 percent with 107 of 108 precincts reporting. 

Johnson, 39, who works for Local 108 as a project coordinator in Maplewood, earned 2,717 votes, or about 13 percent with 107 of 108 precincts reporting.

"I ran a clean campaign. I'm proud of myself and I'm proud of my team," Johnson told NJ Advance Media. "Now, it's time to get the real work done."

Garcia, 40, a parent of three and the legislative aide to Councilman Carlos Gonzalez, won 3,566 votes, or about 18 percent with 107 of 108 precincts reporting. 

The trio of candidates edged out incumbent board member Philip Seelinger, who won 1,177 votes.

They also faced off against former interim superintendent Deborah Terrell, who received 1,486 votes. Charles Love, who has worked in both traditional and charter public schools, received the next highest amount of votes after the Unity Slate candidates, earning 1,558 votes.

Seelinger was part of another slate called the Community Team, which also included Denise Cole and Ryan Talmadge.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

Several units responded to the scene in the West Ward Tuesday night

NEWARK -- Police shot and killed a man Tuesday night after police approached a vehicle during an investigation and one of the occupants had a gun, authorities said.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the 9 p.m. shooting in the area of South Orange Avenue and South 20th Street, as is required by law for shootings involving police officers. 

The name and age of the man who was killed was not released. There were no injuries to police officers, according to Thomas S. Fennelly, spokesman for the prosecutor's office. 

Suspect killed in shootout with police, authorities say 

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said the shooting involved detectives from the Major Crimes Division who were investigating shootings and robberies in the area when they approached a vehicle. 

One of the occupants of the vehicle was armed with a gun, Ambrose said. One of the detectives opened fire, striking the man, Ambrose also said. 

A gun was recovered at the scene, police said.

Several police and other vehicles, including an ambulance as well as at least one officer from nearby Irvington, responded to the scene. 

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

Franchising loans account for a major share of the U.S. Small Business Administration's loan approvals in New Jersey. A lot of those new businesses are not fast food restaurants.

MONTCLAIR--Colleen Carlee, a former Wall Street trader, was looking to start her own business when she came across what she thought was an unusual franchising idea that paired art lessons with drinking wine.

While it might sound like a recipe for really sloppy abstract expressionism, she was hooked.

"I thought it was an interesting concept. It's a really fun night out. It was something I would do with my girlfriends," she said.

Not long afterward, she opened up her own Pinot's Palette franchise in Montclair, a "paint and sip" studio that hosts wine and painting classes as well as and private parties.

The brainchild of a two friends from Houston batting around potential business idea, Pinot's Palette now has more than 180 studios open or under development, including Carlee's business on Bloomfield Avenue.

Art classes at Pinot's Palette in Montclair, a "paint and sip" franchise that now has more than 15 locations in New Jersey. (Photo by Pinot's Palette) 

"I didn't have experience in opening a business. It was a little daunting to me," recounted the Verona entrepreneur, who had no background in art. "But a franchise is different. They gave me a roadmap."

There are hundreds of retail franchises in New Jersey, from big, iconic fast food operations with familiar golden arches, to Carlee's downtown studio.

It's all big business. The U.S. Small Business Administration said, franchising loans accounting for 11 percent of the SBA's $806 million in loan approvals in New Jersey last year.

That represented 160 loans totaling $86.4 million in fiscal 2016, said a spokesman. In this fiscal year, it has so far approved 71 franchise loans for $32.3 million.

Elayne McClaine, regional director of the N.J. Small Business Development Center at Rutgers Business School-New Brunswick, said franchises offer more than just a roadmap. It is far easier to get financing for businesses that have an operating history, she said.

"That's the cold reality," remarked McClaine. "No bank is going to lend money to someone without a track history. You can have an idea with the best intentions. But most people in the lending business want to see financials in place."

The likelihood of success for those who start a business from scratch has always been small, she noted, with many under-capitalized and most never becoming a viable business entity. Not only are established businesses more attractive to a lender, but she pointed out that franchises themselves have vetted out the financial wherewithal of applicants before a contract is signed.

That's not to say franchising is a road to easy street.

Subway Restaurants, which are entirely owned by franchises, said it lost 359 U.S. locations last year--the first time the Milford, Conn.-based company had a net reduction. The third-largest franchise operation in New Jersey, Subway has the most outlets of any food chain in the country, although McDonald's Corp. is No. 1 by sales. It said in a statement said the decline reflected a "focus on international growth."

Some of the biggest growth in franchising these days is concentrated in the specialized segments of the market, according to Ritwik Donde a senior analyst with FRANdata, an Arlington, Va.-based data analysis company that tracks the franchising industry.

"That's where the money is right now," he said, pointing to the emergence of new players in fitness centers, trampoline parks and home health care services like senior care. Even tutoring has specialized franchises that teach robotics and STEM (science, technology and math) classes.

"There are medical marijuana concepts. Hair care is growing rapidly. One of the hot topics is wine and painting," he said. "I'm still amazed at how the business model allows itself to expand."

But the reasons relate to why people still look to buy fast food restaurants with recognizable names, rather than open up a place with its own unique character.

"You get a grand name recognition. You get the strength and support of marketing and supply," Donde said. "If I put a Dunkin' Donuts versus a Joe's Coffee Shop, Dunkin provides the brand recognition right from the start."

For customers, he said they know immediately what they will find if they go into a Dunkin' Donuts.

"There are quality standards, so Dunkin' Donuts tastes the same in New Jersey as it does in Virginia," the analyst said. "Then you have the pricing relationships. The economies of scale."

While one would think food franchises dominate franchising, 65 percent of the 3,400 franchise brands are not food related, including handyman and maid services, plumbing, commercial cleaning and hair care, which have a far lower cost of entry for those seeking to be their own boss, than a major fast food restaurant.

SBA officials say there are some who come up with their own franchise plans, pointing to Lucas Kovalcik and high school friend Timothy Walsh, who got their franchising idea from their love of climbing. It began after they opened The Gravity Vault, an indoor rock climbing gym in Upper Saddle River, in 2005.

Climbers at The Gravity Vault in Chatham, an indoor rock climbing gym. (David Gard | NJ Advance Media file photo)

"We had a number of people coming to us, asking advice," said Kolvalcik, who had studied hotel management in college. "There are a lot of mental and physical benefits to the sport and we wanted to share it with people."

Together, the two came up with a franchising concept and a business plan, helping investors with site selection, floor plans and wall design, instruction and marketing.

In addition to their own three gyms, there are now three Gravity Vault franchise locations in operation as well. It has become his full-time job.

In Montclair, Carlee said it took a while for people to understand the idea of "sip and paint," but in a downtown that has dozens of restaurants in walking distance, she has no shortage of foot traffic. She recently opened a second Pinot's Palette with a partner in Nutley.

"The biggest thing is finding great instructors with a good personality and make it great evening," she said.

At the same time, she said she would not have been able to do it without a franchiser holding her hand.

"Trying to do it on my own would have been overwhelming," Carlee said.

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

A Caldwell company is among 14 nationwide that have been cited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for selling fake cancer cures.

A Caldwell mail-order firm has been warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to stop claiming its nutritional pills can cure illnesses, including cancer.

Philip Failla, president of Landis Revin, received a written warning from the FDA that unless the company changed its claims, it would be listed on the agency's webpage for unapproved new drugs illegally marketed for serious diseases.

The company, which sells what it calls "neutraceuticals," appears to have removed most references to cancer in its promotional pitches for pills to help with joint stiffness and the similar ailments.

However, its website still says one product, TumorX, contains an ingredient that is "toxic to cancer cells." (That's in addition to being an appropriate pill to tackle warts, fevers, toothaches, syphilis and tapeworms.)

Failla said his company had tweaked the language on its website after receiving a warning letter from the FDA last February, and felt the product descriptions were not in violation. "We didn't make any claims that we could do anything besides normalize your enzymes," he said.

The TumorX product was made by another company and distributed briefly by Landis Revin, but Failla said he hadn't offered the product for about four years, and didn't realize a reference to it remained on Landis Revin's webpage.

He said he planned to explain that to the FDA, as well as assure the agency that the company will monitor any health claims made by its third-party distributors - chiropractors and the like.

"Look, this was an honest error on our part," he said of the TumorX listing.

A Landis Revin product 

"Consumers should not use these or similar unproven products because they may be unsafe and could prevent a person from seeking an appropriate and potentially life-saving cancer diagnosis or treatment," said Douglas W. Stearn, director of the Office of Enforcement and Import Operations in the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs.

"We encourage people to remain vigilant whether online or in a store, and avoid purchasing products marketed to treat cancer without any proof they will work. Patients should consult a health care professional about proper prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer," he said.

The Landis Revin website includes a disclaimer that its products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. At the same time, however, pill descriptions tout the curative properties of various enzymes included in the company's "proprietary blend."

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.  

The now-27-year-old suffered multiple complex fractures of his left foot and had to have a below-knee amputation, his lawyer said

SOUTH ORANGE -- A motorcyclist whose leg had to be partially amputated after he was struck by a vehicle in South Orange has settled his lawsuit against the driver, according to a report on NJLawJournal.com.

Alexander Rivera, 27, received $2.475 before his suit against Vernica Coote was to go to trial, the report said. 

Coote struck Rivera at the intersection of South Orange Avenue and Ward Place while attempting to turn left on Nov. 23, 2015, according to the report.

Nearly all of the skin on the sole of Rivera's left foot was ripped off and he was left with multiple complex fractures, his attorney told the New Jersey Law Journal. As a result, Rivera underwent a below-knee amputation of his left leg.

Rivera will need a new prostheses every 1-5 years, the lawyer said.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Father, son duo face charges.

NEWARK -- A team of Essex County Sheriff's detectives and Irvington police seized $35,000 worth of crack cocaine along with marijuana, and arrested three men on drug charges, officials said Wednesday.

Task force officers served a search warrant Tuesday at a Littleton Avenue apartment in Newark, where they found 21-year-old Derrick Efford, a city resident, carrying three clear plastic bags of marijuana, according to Sheriff Armando Fontoura. Efford had just left a first-floor apartment at the building when investigators spotted him.

In the apartment, Rajon Collins, 38, and Glenn Blackstone, 27, both of Newark, tossed a plastic bag and fled through the back door, the sheriff added. Officers quickly caught Collins and Blackstone as they tried to escape in a taxi on Fairmount Avenue.

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Detectives found 112 grams of marijuana and 21 grams of crack cocaine packaged for street sales in the bag, according to authorities.

Both men were charged with various drug offenses. Authorities said the target of the investigation, Blackstone's father Glenn Blackstone Jr. 48, remained at large and also faces drug distribution charges.

Officers found 2,746 grams of marijuana in Blackstone Jr.'s bedroom, according to Fontoura. Investigators also seized a pill bottle of crack cocaine in the living room and a home security monitoring system often used by drug dealers.

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

Opening statement are slated for Tuesday morning in the trial of a Montclair man charged with aggravated manslaughter after police say he slammed into a vehicle in the Lincoln Tunnel while traveling as fast as 91 miles per hour.

JERSEY CITY - Opening statements are slated for Tuesday morning in the trial of a Montclair driver charged with killing a man when he slammed into minivan in the Lincoln Tunnel while possibly going 91 miles per hour.

Jury selection began yesterday and continues today in the trial of Louis S. Pine, 41, who was driving about 55 mph over the Lincoln Tunnel's 35 mph speed limit when his Mercedes slammed into a minivan and propelled it into another vehicle at about 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2014.

A passenger in the minivan, Steven M. Benevento, 49, of Summit, went into cardiac arrest and was taken to a New York City hospital, where he died a few hours later.

When Pine made his first court appearance on aggravated manslaughter charges in Jersey City in July 2014 his lawyer said suggested his client may have fainted due to a medical condition, precipitating the crash.   

Aggravated manslaughter carries a possible sentence of 10 to 30 years upon conviction. Pine is also charged with vehicular homicide.

The trial is before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Martha Royster in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. The state is represented by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Lynne Seborowski. Pine is represented by attorney Joseph Hayden.

The Beach Boys' brilliant 'Pet Sounds' visits NJPAC this weekend

NEWARK -- If Brian Wilson ever ceases to perform, and Barbara Ann, Rhonda and all the other sun-kissed California girls finally leave the beach, fleeting passion won't be to blame.

"We just want to keep touring and making people happy," the venerable Beach Boy says simply in a recent interview, ahead of a concert aimed at highlighting Wilson's one true masterstroke.

The brilliant 1966 art-rock harbinger "Pet Sounds" will be played in its entirety Friday night at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, as part of a lengthy 50th anniversary tour that keeps Wilson surging forward.

The scope of this roadshow, which began in March 2016 and extends deep into summer, is nearly beyond belief for the 74-year-old -- all told the trek comprises more than 150 dates on four continents, playing well over two hours a night. For sake of scale, pop megastar Taylor Swift's globe-trotting 1989 world tour was a mere 85 stops. 

Each night on tour, Wilson and his 11-piece band, a cast that includes original Beach Boy Al Jardine and longtime friend and singer Blondie Chaplin, play a warmup set. It's a show in itself -- as many as 17 songs including "California Girls," "I Get Around" and "Help Me, Rhonda" rolled out before the 13 "Pet Sounds" tracks are touched. A half-dozen more fan favorites follow in the encore.

It's a load for Wilson, who notes he looks forward to the tour's conclusion so he can better focus on another project: "we are finishing a great rock n' roll album right now, and I mean rock n' roll," he says, without teasing anymore information.

But if there's any record, in The Beach Boys discography or elsewhere in rock's annals that deserves such fanfare and re-examination, it is "Pet Sounds," the pristinely produced, universally lauded work of chamber pop that Rolling Stone ranks No. 2 on its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list, bested only by "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."  

The Beatles-Beach Boys juxtaposition is fitting, considering it was the mid-'60s sonic evolution of The Beatles and 1965's "Rubber Soul" album that spurred Wilson to pen "Pet Sounds," a record that would wash away the Beach Boys' breezy veneer in favor of introspection and notch them not only as a group who could spin deeply enriching rock songs, but a band who could utilize Phil Spector's increasingly popular "Wall of Sound" recording style, with which Wilson was infatuated.

The making of "Pet Sounds" is well relived in the 2002 documentary "Pet Stories," where Wilson discusses how "I wanted to make something good, like Spector," and eventually latched on to the producer's famed "Wrecking Crew" musicians to create "Pet Sounds," an orchestral project that dealt with Wilson's own doubts and fears about love, drugs, the world and his place in it -- no sandy blondes need apply. Some of this period was captured in the excellent 2015 biopic "Love and Mercy," with Paul Dano portraying a young Wilson.

Fellow Beach Boys Jardine, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and Wilson's brothers Carl and Dennis only added their glittering harmonies after Wilson's meticulous arrangements were finished.

Today Love and Johnston tour separately under the Beach Boys moniker and Wilson tours under his own name, with a backing band that includes members of the Los Angeles group The Wondermints, a handful of Chicago musicians and Jardine and Chaplin. Wilson sits front and center at a baby grand piano on this tour.

The roadshow, moreover seeing Wilson happy and productive, is a treat for any fan who has followed Wilson's career closely, through his breakdowns, psychedelic drug abuse and mental illness, the effects of which leave the rock legend today as a rather reserved interviewee.

But he perks up when asked in hindsight if he would change anything about "Pet Sounds," now with an additional 50 years of studio time on his resume.

"No, no!" he says. "I wouldn't change one note!

"I feel very proud -- (the album) was recorded 51 years ago and people like it more now than ever," he adds. "It was definitely the best. I'll probably never made an album that good ever again." 

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.  

Panasonic donated 65 body-worn cameras and 15 dashboard cameras to Newark's police department.

NEWARK -- Come Monday, 65 of Newark's police officers in the South Ward will be equipped with cameras when responding to emergency calls. 

Panasonic executives are donating 65 body-worn cameras and 15 dashboard cameras, altogether worth $350,000, to the Newark Police Division. It's the first such donation by the company to a major city in the country, company executives said Wednesday.

The new gear is key to carrying out police department reforms and providing a starting point for the department to begin documenting -- through video -- how its force interacts with the community.  

"Today is about trust, transparency and truth," Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said during a press conference Wednesday at the Panasonic building. "Whenever you have two people or more, there's always three sides to a story. I think these cameras will help advance public safety, advance the police department and also put some trust into our good citizens in the city of Newark."

Ambrose said the department will launch a pilot program on Monday in the South Ward's 5th precinct. A $372,000 Department of Justice grant will allow the department to purchase more cameras in the future and spread the program across the wards. 

The dashboard cameras record 360 degrees -- including in the back seat and behind the police car -- and are programed to automatically begin recording when a siren is turned on. When a dashboard camera turns on, it will trigger a body-worn camera, and vice-versa. 

Officers who do not have a dashboard camera will have to manually turn on the body-worn cameras, officials said. 

Mayor Ras Baraka said the cameras were important for the city, for officers and for constitutional policing.

"It's also in alignment with the consent decree and the federal monitor and allows us to fulfill some of the requirements as stated in the consent decree," Baraka said. 

The DOJ reached the consent decree agreement with Newark in 2016 to drastically reform its police force after a federal probe uncovered civil rights abuses by officers. Between 2009 and 2012, 75 percent of pedestrian stops with a documented reason were unjustified, the probe found.

The donation announcement comes a day after Newark police shot and killed a 23-year-old man along South Orange Avenue and South 20th Street Tuesday night. The incident remains under investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. 

Ambrose said citizen complaints in the last year have decreased but there remained a long way to go. 

He said only uniformed officers will wear the cameras throughout their shift. They will have them on when they go into residences or businesses. Any sensitive video involving a child, a victim, or sexual abuse, will not be released.

In New Jersey, officers who intentionally shut off any dashboard or body-worn cameras could face charges, Ambrose said. Videos will be retained for 90 days and can be requested under the state's public record law, he added. 

"These officers will be ready to go out there Monday morning at 8 a.m. and Newark Police Division will be brought up to 21st century policing," Ambrose said. "This is a long time coming." 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

A Toronto-area woman with mobility issues said she was told to get off the plane when she moved to a seat with extra legroom.

A Canadian woman with mobility issues was reportedly kicked off a United Airlines flight in Newark a few weeks before another passenger was dragged off his flight.

Cathy Caride Watson asked for a seat with extra legroom on her flight to Aruba after she boarded and was told it would cost her an extra $149 which she refused to pay, Global News Toronto reported.

Watson said agents at the gate told her it was much less but didn't give her time to pay because she had to be rushed onto the plane.

The Toronto-area woman, who was on her way to Aruba to celebrate her birthday with her sister, said she moved to an open aisle seat when she was told to get off the plane.

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"Our crew worked with Ms. Caride to find a seat where she would be comfortable. We offered her the option to upgrade to EconomyPlus and she declined," the airline said to Global News. "When she did not follow crew member instructions, she was asked to leave the plane."

Watson ended up making her trip the next day after United booked her on another flight the next day and threw in extra legroom at no cost.

The incident happened a few weeks after United passenger Dr. David Dao was dragged off a plane when he refused to give up his seat on an overbooked flight. 

Rajeev Dhir may be reached at rdhir@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @googasmammoo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Andre Higgs is accused of fatally shooting the mother of his daughter in a dispute outside her South Orange home.

NEWARK -- The trial of a Watchung man accused of fatally shooting the mother of his daughter in front of a police officer has been delayed for nearly a month.

Opening arguments in the trial of Andre Higgs, 44, are expected to happen May 23 because of scheduling conflicts, although a jury was chosen Wednesday morning, an Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman said.

Higgs's trial before state Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler will see him answer charges of murder, hindering his own prosecution and endangering the welfare of a child.

Authorities have said Higgs shot Latrena May, 27, a beloved East Orange teacher, three times on May 1, 2015, after she got a police officer's attention during an argument outside her house on Tremont Avenue in East Orange. 

The officer then shot Higgs, who allegedly re-entered the home with a gun before he was taken into custody, authorities said. 

May, who taught at Pride Academy Charter School in East Orange, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Wigler previously ruled jurors in the case would be able to hear that Higgs allegedly choked May in front of their then 4-year-old daughter five weeks before the killing, but Remi Spencer, who is representing Higgs, said Wigler reversed his decision last week.

"Upon reconsideration, Judge Wigler decided that it would be unfair to Mr. Higgs in this trial for the State to present information it originally intended to present," Spencer said Tuesday in a phone interview.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Employees at the Newark Housing Authority say they're upset about coming mandatory furloughs and plan to protest the cuts.

NEWARK -- Employees at the Newark Housing Authority will be forced to take 12 furlough days for the rest of the year as the agency faces a budget crunch coupled with escalating costs.

"It's a tough year right now," NHA executive director Keith Kinard said. He said the forced furloughs -- which apply to all 340 employees -- will save about $1.2 million and avoid layoffs of any full-time staffers. 

Kinard said the plan was announced April 20 and lays out a furlough schedule for rest of the year.  

Wilfredo Larancuent, secretary treasurer of the Laundry, Distribution Food Service Joint Board Workers United Local, which represents about 200 NHA workers said the group planned to protest the furloughs.

The housing authority has slashed its workforce from more than 1,000 employees in 2006 to fewer than 400, Larancuent said. 

"The work hasn't been reduced, the buildings haven't disappeared," he added. "We're half the workers doing twice the work."

Kinard said the NHA, like other housing authorities across the country that depend on federal funding, are operating on thin budgets.

NHA receives about 85 percent of the federal dollars it's supposed to receive per the housing formula. That's a $7.5 million cut, Kinard said. 

"Congress decides every year, this is how much money we're going to get," Kinard said. "Most of the last dozen years, that number has gone down."

And workers could feel a tighter squeeze next year.

President Donald J. Trump's is proposing cutting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's budget by $6 billion. NHA would stand to lose another 13-14 percent of its federal funds, Kinard said. 

Larancuent said the union will also protest last year's layoffs of 26 per-diem workers. 

"They're the people who take care of the buildings and take care of the grounds. People who do plumbing," Larancuent said. "This is going to be reduced services for those tenants."

The protest will take place at 4:45 p.m. outside the housing authority building on 500 Broad Street on Thursday before the Board of Commissioners meeting. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

Details are emerging about a police shooting in Newark that claimed the life of a 23-year-old.

NEWARK -- The details surrounding the fatal police shooting of a 23-year-old city man Tuesday night were slowly emerging Wednesday, as sources and documents reveal the deadly encounter included a crash, a passenger in the car, and the victim pulling a gun on police.

Newark detectives encountered Hakim McNair as part of an investigation into a recent shooting at South Orange Avenue and South 16th Street, according to a law enforcement document obtained by NJ Advance Media.

Investigators learned Tuesday night the suspected shooter was in a Honda parked outside a house near South Orange Avenue on South 17th Street, where police found the car and boxed in the vehicle, the document said.

McNair and a passenger, who was not immediately identified, were in the Honda and refused orders to get out, according to the document. Using a flashlight, police saw the driver pull a gun from an area near the driver's seat and door.

Seeing the weapon, an officer fired two shots, according to the report. McNair then drove in reverse and hit a police vehicle, turned and accelerated toward the police when the detective fired two more shots.

McNair drove away from the shooting scene on South 17th Street with police in pursuit, according to the document and a law enforcement source. During the chase, the Honda crashed into a police car before hitting another vehicle.

Officers rushed to the crash and managed to remove a passenger from the Honda, the document stated. When the Honda's door wouldn't open, police smashed a window to reach McNair.

Emergency medical responders freed McNair from the wreck, but he was pronounced dead around 11 p.m. at University Hospital. There were no further details about the passenger in the document.

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Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly declined to comment Wednesday on many of the details outlined in the document. He did confirm that only one officer shot at McNair, though he declined to say how many times the man was shot.

After the shooting, Fennelly confirmed a "crowd" gathered at the University Hospital, and Newark and Rutgers police officers responded to the scene and "deescalated the situation." He declined to go into further detail about what happened at the hospital, but said that he was not aware of any arrests resulting from the incident.

A hospital spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Court records show McNair had a long criminal history, including a conviction in 2013 on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He had also pleaded guilty to weapons and heroin distribution charges, records show. On April 23, 2014 - exactly three years and two days before his death - he was sentenced to three years in prison. It is unclear how long he actually served, but had been arrested three times since then, with drugs, weapons, and resisting arrest and eluding charges all pending against him when he was killed.

His death came one day after after a federal monitor released an optimistic report on the progress the police department is making on reforming many of its policies and procedures, including use of force.

Reached by phone Wednesday, a man who declined to give his name but identified himself as McNair's grandfather, said he did not know much about the events that led up to his grandson's death.

"It was on the news," he said.

"It's not a very good feeling."

The man said McNair lived in Newark, but he wasn't sure why he was interacting with police Tuesday night.

"We are just dealing with this," he said. "But, there's nothing really you can do. The boy is dead."

Staff reporter Marisa Iati contributed to this report.

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

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

Man jumped into river Wednesday.

HARRISON -- Members of the Nutley crew team and police officers rescued a man who plunged into the Passaic River Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Officers responded to a call around 5 p.m. that a man was on the Bridge Street bridge and it appeared that he was going to jump, according to Lt. David Doyle, of the Harrison Police Department.

As officers approached, the man threw items on the ground and began to climb over the bridge railing, police said.

"One officer ran towards him and was able to grab his arm," Doyle added. "Unfortunately he broke free and fell into the river."

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"Coincidentally, members of the Nutley crew were rowing underneath the bridge," the lieutenant said. "They witnessed the event and grabbed the victim."

Nutley rowers brought the man to the river bank, where Harrison police pulled him to safety, Doyle said. The 45-year-old Maplewood resident was not seriously hurt and taken to St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark.

The Nutley crew team could not be immediately reached.

Last month, Newark police officers and University Hospital EMS responders rescued a man who tried to jump from the crossing between Harrison and the city.

Newark police and firefighters responded to assist at Wednesday's rescue.

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

Giovanna Castro has natural black hair that was dyed red at the time of her disappearance

Giovanna Castro (Newark police)  

NEWARK -- Police are asking for the public's help locating a 17-year-old city girl who has been missing for four months.

A closeup of Giovanna Castro's tattoo (Newark police)  

Giovanna Castro, who was last seen Dec. 24, is 5-feet, 2-inches tall, about 120 pounds with hair dyed red from its original black. She has a tattoo on her front right shoulder.

Anyone with information is being asked to call the department's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877- NWK-TIPS (1-877- 695-8477) or 1-877- NWK-GUNS (1-877- 695-4867). All anonymous Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward.

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

A lot of things would be considered "sketchy" activities by today's standards.

I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say, in all honesty, that they haven't participated in an activity (or, activities) that might qualify as "sketchy."

Now, I'm not talking about illegal behavior or risking life and limb; I'm talking about having fun, but fun that involved some questionable decisions.

Subtlety wasn't a big thing back then, either. 

A few years ago, I went to a cookout (I believe some people call it a barbecue) and some guests were taking turns riding a dirt bike. So, I felt inclined to hop on. Now, I'd ridden dirt bikes before, but some 40 years earlier.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Was it "sketchy" for me to climb on a bike so many years later? Probably, but it sure was fun. And, I didn't crash one time; I even did a wheelie!

The vintage photos in this week's gallery show people in New Jersey involved in what might be considered "sketchy" activities by today's standards.

Enjoy this gallery of folks demonstrating things we did in New Jersey "back in the day."

Want more? Click here for Vintage photos of New Jerseyans engaged in 'dicey' activities  and click here for Vintage photos of 'things we survived' in N.J.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

This crossing was the featured event of the 2017 Army National Guard Region 1 Best Warrior competition. Watch video

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP -- George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River was reenacted Wednesday morning - with a twist.

They were still soldiers, but wearing camouflage, not ragtag colonial militia outfits.

This crossing was the featured event of the 2017 Army National Guard Region 1 Best Warrior competition. 

Early in the morning, citizen-soldiers from the New Jersey Army National Guard boarded two inflatable rafts and paddled their way from Pennsylvania to New Jersey as part of a test of their warrior skills.

Brigadier General Michael L. Cunniff, the Adjutant General of New Jersey, was on hand to rally the troops.

After reenacting Gen. Washington's famous military tactic, the guardsmen - from New Jersey, New York and six New England states - further tested their skills on a 12-mile march with a 35-pound pack on their back.

The march was started with a musket shot by Clay Craighead, a resource interpretive specialist at nearby Washington Crossing State Park, who was dressed in colonial garb.

Sgt. Daniel Beachum, of Newark, finished first place in the march which tracked straight down the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath and back.

This was the second day of the competition, which saw the soldiers pass a physical fitness test, a day/night land navigation and weapons qualification.

The enlisted and non-commissioned officer overall winners will go on to a national event held later this year.

Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelmancuso Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

The 55-year-old filed false returns for four years

NEWARK -- The owner of a car exporting business admitted Wednesday that he cheated on his taxes for years and skipped out on paying approximately $461,085.

Okoro Ifeanyi, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts -- filing false tax returns and structuring financial transactions, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey said in a news release.

Ifeanyi will be sentenced July 19. He faces up to three years in prison for filing false returns from 2010 to 2013 and up to 10 years for the structuring count, which took place in 2007 and 2008.

In both 2007 and 2008, the Newark resident made 17 deposits of less than $10,000 to avoid having to report the income. 

The owner of Amiri Mbubu Auto Sales bought used cars around the state, often at auto auctions and exported the vehicles to Nigeria. 

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The victim was from Bloomfield in Essex County, state police say.

A 42-year-old Essex County man apparently hanged himself Tuesday afternoon at an Interstate 80 lookout in Warren County.

New Jersey State Police on Thursday confirmed the victim was from Bloomfield Township but did not identify him, which is standard policy with suicides.

The death was reported about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the overlook off the westbound lanes in Knowlton Township, about six miles east of the Pennsylvania border, according to a state police spokesman. Foul play is not suspected.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Three people charged after Newark raids.

NEWARK -- Three people face charges after Newark detectives found alcohol and gambling machines at two illegal bars in the city's Ironbound section, officials said Thursday.

The raids were carried out by members of the police division's Special Enforcement Bureau Wednesday in response to complaints, according to city Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

Police found six illegal gambling machines, 225 assorted beers and 22 bottles of various alcoholic beverages at the Portugal USA Soccer Club on Lafayette Street, Ambrose said in a statement.

Victor Pereira and Ana Paula Narciso were arrested on charges, including maintaining an illegal alcohol establishment and possession of a gambling device, police said.

Cops charge 3rd man in attack over $500 sneakers

In another raid, detectives discovered five illegal gambling machines, 163 beers and 26 bottles of alcohol at the Zig-Zag Cafe on Monroe Street, Ambrose added. Milena A. Barbosa was charged in that search with maintaining an illegal alcohol establishment and other offenses.

Police said they also seized a total of $655 in both establishments.

A Facebook page for the Zig-Zag Cafe described the business as a coffee shop and eatery. The locations targeted by authorities could not be reached by phone Thursday. The ages of the three people facing charges were not immediately available.

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