He immediately forfeited his first-ward council seat as a condition of the plea.

NEWARK -- Bloomfield First Ward Councilman Elias Chalet pleaded guilty Tuesday to a second-degree bribery charge, admitting he took $15,000 from a resident trying to sell his property to the township.

Former Bloomfield First Ward Councilman Elias Chalet. (File photo)

Asked by defense attorney Peter W. Till whether he accepted the payments, Chalet, standing before the court in a dark suit, responded: "I sure did."

Chalet, a Democrat, was arrested in November 2015 by investigators with the state Office of Attorney's General, which later obtained an indictment against him on charges of official misconduct, bribery, evidence tampering and hindering apprehension.

Chalet, who previously faced a recall attempt, was ordered to give up his council post and faces a lifetime ban on public employment. Speaking to reporters outside court, Till said Chalet's forfeiture of the council seat was in effect as of the plea. 

Chalet had been scheduled to stand trial later this year, after previously rejecting plea offers from state prosecutors.

Till did not directly address why his client had decided to take the plea deal after rejecting previous offers, but pointed to health problems Chalet has experienced since his arrest, and told reporters he felt the plea "was the appropriate conclusion under the circumstances."

"(Chalet) has accepted responsibility," he said.

While Chalet pleaded guilty, Till handed Deputy Attorney General Brian Faulk a check from his client, made out to the state for $15,000, which he also had been ordered to forfeit as a condition of the plea.

"The act of handing the state back the money today was something (Chalet) felt very strongly about," Till told reporters.

The now ex-councilman faces a sentence of five years in state prison, and will be ineligible for parole for at least two years, Faulk said.

Chalet left the building immediately after entering the plea, and did not comment to reporters outside the courtroom.

Superior Court Judge Martin G. Cronin scheduled Chalet's sentencing for July 10.

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

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A Montclair man charged with aggravated manslaughter after a 91-mile-per-hour crash in the Lincoln Tunnel in 2014 testified today that he began feeling ill on the on the tunnel approach and has no memory of the crash other than airbags deploying.

JERSEY CITY -- A Montclair man charged with aggravated manslaughter after a 91-mile-per-hour crash in the Lincoln Tunnel in 2014 testified today that he began feeling ill on the tunnel approach and has no memory of the fatal crash.

As the defense presented its case this morning, Louis S. Pine, 42, testified that as he drove to work on Sept. 2, 2014, "I got hit with this incredibly quick rush of nausea and a cramping feeling. I really thought I was going to throw up in the car."

He told the court he tried to stop, but he doesn't remember anything before regaining consciousness in his crumpled BMW with injuries that included collapsed lungs and a fractured sacrum. The driver-side door was pinned against the tunnel wall, so he climbed into the passenger seat, but stopped there due to difficulty breathing and pain, he testified. 

His attorney, Joseph Hayden, claims Pine suffered a medical episode that caused his vehicle to accelerate to roughly 55 miles per hour over the tunnel's 35 mph speed limit when it slammed into a minivan and propelled it into another vehicle at about 8:30 a.m. that day.

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

Bolstering Pine's testimony was a NJ Transit bus driver who testified earlier that when he ran to the BMW, Pine "was out of it. He didn't know what happened. First thing he asked me, was everybody OK? He had no idea what happened."

Pine testified that a week before the crash he saw his doctor because he was recovering from flu-like symptoms and was being cautious because he contracted pneumonia the two previous years. He then spent Labor Day weekend with his family in Cape May and said he felt fine.

The defendant said he felt fine on the drive to work on the morning of the crash, prior to the tunnel approach, and that he had no reason to speed to get to work.

Pine, who spent five days in Manhattan hospitals after the crash, also testified about numerous visits to his doctor and to specialists in the months after the crash.

Under cross-examination, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Lynne Seborowski noted that Pine was not diagnosed as suffering from possible syncope (fainting) or vertigo until doctor visits after he was indicted and arrested in 2015. He is also charged with vehicular homicide.

During testimony in the state's case, an expert in biomechanics testified that if Pine had passed out and his body had gone limp, the dead weight of his lower leg and foot alone would not have been sufficient to push the accelerator pedal to the floor and hold it there until impact, as the car's computer recorded.

Testimony in the defense case ended just before noon today and the defense intends to call at least two more witnesses when the trial resumes at 11 a.m. on Friday.

On Friday morning, Hudson County Superior Court Judge Martha Royster is expected to rule on a motion filed by the defense seeking dismissal of the charges. 

Brian Klasner, a social studies teacher at East Side High School, was named Newark's Teacher of the Year on Tuesday. Watch video

NEWARK -- Walk into Brian Klasner's classroom and odds are, you won't find him sitting at his desk or lecturing at the front -- he'll be among his students. 

On Tuesday, when a dozen school administrators, members of the media and fellow colleagues surprised Klasner to crown him Newark's Teacher of the Year, he was sitting near the back of the room with a group of students. 

"These are my parents guys," Klasner, 29, said as he stood up to greet Schools Superintendent Christopher Cerf and his parents, Lisa and Joe Klasner.

"It's validation of years of people telling me 'No, you can't do this,' 'No, that doesn't work, use a textbook, don't break the mold,'" said Klasner, a social studies teacher at East Side High. "I've always had these ideas and I've pushed as much as I could."

Students sit in groups peering over iPads and talk about the internships they've landed at the East Orange Animal Hospital or as a physical education instructor. Their business cards are displayed along a wall.

"Coming from elementary school for me, it was difficult to adjust to high school," said junior Romaine Johnson, 16. "He was always there for me and making sure I was on the right track ... if it looks like if you have a bad day, he'll say a pointed joke and just brighten your day."

"Other teachers won't take time out of their day to help you even with your personal issues," said student Destiny Diaz, 16. "We're learning in a different way." 

Diaz said the Klasner is always finding new ways to learn through technology. She looked around the room and said, "I don't even know where the textbooks are." 

Klasner's classroom is coated in posters of history icons like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., but also quirky images like a photo of a viral cat meme with the words "Mr. Klasner's caring face." 

"I can never see myself sleeping in his class," Johnson said -- partly because Klasner will draw on your face with a dry-erase marker if you do, Diaz added.

Students say Klasner is always making jokes and showing funny pictures. The classroom Smart Board on Tuesday was projecting a picture of a baby elephant. 

"If you're singing a song, he'll ask who sings it and say, 'Let's keep it that way,'" Johnson added.  

Klasner was chosen from a pool of 22 other educators who were nominated by their principals. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, Klasner has taught for seven years and leads the school's first Comic Book Club.

"This is a tremendous honor and a very well deserved one. We are incredibly impressed," Superintendent Cerf said.

Klasner is an advisor for the school's Big Picture Learning program, a national model that challenges traditional forms of schooling and lets students to take control of their learning through practical applications, such as internships. 

The Big Picture academy enrolls 110 students at East Side and requires every student complete an internship.  

Newark's Teacher of the Year gets surprised at East Side High @NPSvoices pic.twitter.com/7gsqRp4bQE

-- Karen Yi (@karen_yi) May 9, 2017

"You don't need a textbook to teach," said Klasner who has taught at East Side for four years. "I also want to take them outside of the school, outside of class. Every one of my students has a business card, everyone has a resume, everyone has a cover letter, everyone has interviewed ... there's great traditional teachers, but I've been supported with every one of my crazy ideas."

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

Attorney General Christopher Porrino also offering up a limited-time waiver of prosecution to conspirators but it doesn't apply to elected officials.

NEWARK -- For a limited time only, the state Attorney General's Office is offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to convictions in public corruption cases.

The state is also giving some whistleblowing conspirators a chance to avoid prosecution in exchange for revealing previously unknown schemes.

Speaking to reporters at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday morning, following the guilty plea of a Bloomfield councilman who admitted taking bribes, Attorney General Christopher Porrino said the pending resolution of Elias Chalet's case comes on the heels of progress in other corruption cases, including the March indictment of former Paterson mayor Joey Torres.

But investigators know there are more cases out there they still don't know about. "The message is we want tipsters to come forward now," he said.

The attorney general said both programs will run only through July, adding that his office is looking for "swift results."

"Both programs will expire on Aug. 1 of this year," he said.

To be eligible for the waiver of prosecution, a whistle-blowing conspirator would have to meet a three-prong test, Porrino said:

"One you can't be an elected official. Two, you can't be the mastermind of the crime. Three, you have to be the first in the door," he said.

Noting that the whistleblower program is intended for secondary, lower level conspirators in corruption schemes, Porrino said he wasn't aware of anything like it "that we can see, anywhere else in the country."

Both the reward and the prosecution waiver offer will generally to the first person to come forward with information about a previously undisclosed scheme, although authorities said in a prepared statement that the rewards may be divided between two or more people when appropriate.

'I sure did' take $15K bribe, councilman admits

In the case of Chalet, who pleaded guilty to a bribery charge and forfeited his seat on Bloomfield's township council, Porrino said the tipster -- a local business owner from who Chalet demanded a $15,000 bribe -- would have been eligible for the reward but wouldn't have needed a prosecution waiver, as they weren't criminally culpable.

The Attorney General's Office said tipsters and whistleblowers can call the Division of Criminal Justice hotline at 1-866-TIPS-4CJ, submit an online report at www.njdcj.org or write to investigators at Division of Criminal Justice, 25 Market St., P.O. Box 085, Trenton.

Porrino said would-be whistleblowers wondering if they're eligible for a waiver of prosecution can reach out anonymously or through an attorney for an opinion on whether they qualify.

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

City, federal authorities locate two wanted men, police say.

(Photo: Dept. of Public Safety) 

NEWARK -- One of Newark's "most wanted" fugitives was captured Tuesday, weeks after he shot at a man and fled from police in the city's West Ward, authorities said.

Officers with the Newark police fugitive unit and FBI Fugitive Task Force arrested Timothy Lester without incident, city Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.

Lester, 25, of Newark, was wanted on aggravated assault, weapons and cocaine possession charges.

Police said Lester opened fire at a 31-year-old man around 10:25 a.m. April 12 near South 7th Street and 11th Avenue. A police officer heard the shots and saw a man run into a nearby residence, according to authorities.

The officer called for backup, but Lester managed to escape, Ambrose previously said. No one was hurt in the gunfire and authorities did not disclose a possible motive for the attack.

Authorities said the incident landed Lester on Newark's list of top "most wanted" fugitives.

In a separate case, authorities said officers with the city police fugitive unit and U.S. Marshals Service arrested Westley A. Conover, 24, of Orange, who was wanted for a Jan. 17 assault. Conover allegedly attacked a 20-year-old woman near Broad and South streets, but additional details on the assault were not immediately released.

Conover was charged with aggravated assault and criminal mischief.

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

Carimer Andujar, a Rutgers student and an undocumented immigrant student, was released following her meeting with immigration officials Tuesday.

NEWARK -- A Rutgers University student and immigrant activist who some people feared could have be detained walked free Tuesday after meeting with immigration officials in Newark.

Carimer Andujar, 21, is expected to receive a work permit and protection from deportation in the next week, her attorney Jason Scott Camilo told NJ Advance Media. He said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement interviewed Andujar and fingerprinted her but did not ask her to return. 

"It was very satisfying to see the movement that was created," said Josue Hildalgo, Andujar's friend and fellow Rutgers student. He said hundreds rallied outside the federal immigration building for Andujar, including students, clergy members and other activists. 

"It opens the door for us to not only advocate for Carimer but for other people," he added.

Andujar, a junior at Rutgers and president of a UndocuRutgers, a student organization supporting undocumented students, was summoned by ICE officers while she was applying to renew her protected status. Her supporters said Andujar's meeting with ICE was an "intimidation tactic" because of her activism in the community. 

In a response to questions from NJ Advance Media, ICE spokesman Luis Martinez said in an email: "all requirements for those reporting regularly to ICE are determined on a case by case basis. The frequency and duration are dependent on many factors including, but not limited to, pending appeals or petitions, issuance of travel documents, or awaiting to go before an immigration judge."

Under Obama's executive order, known as deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), undocumented youth who came to the U.S. before they were 16 years old can obtain a two-year work permit and deferred action from deportation.

The paperwork for DACA is processed by a separate government arm, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, not ICE. 

Camilo said it was the first time any of the hundreds of DACA recipients he works with were called in to meet with ICE.

"I've never seen any others," he said, adding, "she's the only activist client that I have."

About 20,000 young undocumented immigrants in New Jersey benefit from DACA protections, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. President Donald Trump insisted last month the so-called "Dreamers" can "rest easy" under his immigration policies. 

Andujar came to the U.S. when she was four years old from the Dominican Republic and is studying engineering. 

"The people who showed up were the ones who contributed to her release," Hidalgo said. "It does open a greater door for people to act on this, to not be afraid, to understand that there's a lot of resources available."

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

Mayor Ras Baraka joined developers from Edison Properties on Tuesday to kick off the Ironside Newark commercial and retail project

NEWARK -- In what could be called a wall breaking ceremony for a warehouse redevelopment project, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka hoisted a sledgehammer and laid into a 4-foot-high section of cinder block wall.

Dressed in a suit and hard hat, Baraka took several wacks at the demonstration wall, before finally breaking through, prompting cheers from dozens of city officials, developers and other onlookers inside the 108-year-old Newark Warehouse Company on Edison Place.  

Over the next 18 months, Newark-based developer Edison Properties will transform the vast concrete warehouse into a 456,000-square-foot commercial and retail center, just across Mulberry Street from the Prudential Center arena, and a few blocks from Newark Penn Station.

"It felt good," Baraka said of the pounding he gave on the wall, carrying the sledgehammer as a memento of the occasion. "It released some of the tension that builds up."

The warehouse conversion is yet another development or re-development project Baraka has helped launch as mayor, presiding over a building boom in the city's downtown section fueled by the ongoing economic recovery and, the mayor said, his friendly attitude toward business as a source of jobs and local economic growth.

Edison Properties will receive a 30-year tax abatement on the warehouse project worth $1 million, said Baye Adofo-Wilson, the city's director of economic and housing development.

Designed by global architects Perkins Eastman, the $80 million privately financed warehouse redevelopment project will feature modern, loft-style and penthouse office space on its six upper floors, with a rooftop green space offering views of Manhattan, Edison said. The building will be linked to the city's Newark Fiber fiber optic network providing high-speed internet access.

The 1907 concrete warehouse, also known as the Central Graphic Arts Building, overlooks a broad expanse of parking spaces that Edison is in the early stages of redeveloping into a park to be named Mulberry Commons.

Baraka said Ironside and Mulberry Park will anchor the rebirth of an area of the city's downtown between Broad Street and McCarter Highway, west of Raymond Boulevard. The redeveloped warehouse, he said, will be an ideal location for the kind of technology companies Newark is seeking to attract or nurturing in its tech incubators.  

Adofo-Wilson said it would be about 18 months before the first tenants of the redeveloped warehouse would move in.

On Tuesday, project participants and boosters gathered on an broad, vacant floor of the warehouse, listening to speakers as renderings of the redeveloped space appeared on video monitors.  

Michael Sommer, Edison's executive vice president of development, called the poroject a "truly unique opportunity" for businesses seeking space, with the availability of low-cost, hi-speed internet service, as well as Newark's highway, and mass transit.

"Since Edison's beginnings in Newark more than 60 years ago, the company has remained deeply committed to the city and its success," Sommer said in a statement. "We could not be happier to announce this groundbreaking project."   

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

A boy donated thousands of his comic books to a military base in Fort Dix.

FORT DIX -- Wanting to do something for the troops, a 10-year-old boy has donated thousands of comic books to the military.

Carl Scheckel, of Montclair, donated around 3,000 comic books last month to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The comics were acquired through donations and from his extensive personal collection, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Master Sgt. Dominick Griego, center NCO in charge at the base's Military and Family Support Center, commended Carl's generosity, and ensured the comic books were shipped to deployed locations around the world, abcnews.com reported.

The comics were shipped with a flier that encourages recipients to send a photo back to Carl, the report said.

Carl, who has a website dedicated to comic books, was given a tour of the base when he dropped them off last month, according to The Associated Press.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The 12-term congressman, criticized for ducking protesters, held his 4th telephone town hall of 2017

MORRISTOWN -- U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen was about halfway through his telephone town hall Tuesday when news broke that President Trump had fired FBI Director James Comey.

Within minutes, one of about 20 callers selected to ask a question, sounding shocked, told Frelinghuysen she was shelving the topic she had planned to explore and pressed him about Comey.

Frelinghuysen, R-11th District, seemed aware of what had just happened. He offered non-specific praise for Comey but did not mention Trump, or express an opinion on the ex-FBI director's dismissal.

"I do think he was an honorable man and ran an amazing department. I'm surprised that he's gone, but I guess in this business, nothing is too surprising," Frelinghuysen said of Comey.

It was the only mention, during the 63-minute town hall, of Comey.

About half of the questions focused on Frelinghuysen's vote, last Thursday, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, with the Republican-backed American Health Care Act.

It passed, 217 to 213, and awaits a vote in the Senate.

Frelinghuysen backed the bill despite opposing, in March, a prior Republican proposal.

"I voted for an improved health care act," Frelinghuysen said.

He reiterated his objections to the 7-year-old Affordable Care Act.

"Obamacare seems to be collapsing across the nation," Frelinghuysen said, echoing Trump's characterization of the law that Democrats dispute.

Continuing later, Frelinghuysen said, "I fully support the notion that we must protect those with pre-existing conditions."

The American Health Care Act, though, would allow for exemptions from rules preventing those with pre-existing conditions from being charged more for their insurance.

It also would allow states to request waivers from federal requirements that all insurers cover specific benefits such as hospitalization, mental health treatment and maternity care.

A caller, identified as Leah from Denville, asked why the House voted last Thursday without waiting for a report from the Congressional Budget Office on its potential impact.

"I don't understand why this bill was pushed through in such a hurry," she said.

In response, Frelinghuysen said, "I think there was a feeling that we needed to act and get the bill to the Senate so we can get them to act on it."

The CBO report on the prior bill, which Frelinghuysen opposed, said would leave 24 million more American uninsured, including 500,000 in New Jersey.

Frelinghuysen appeared to welcome the comments of one caller who lamented a purported lack of "truthful reporting" on the subject.

"We've been getting phone calls from across the country. Full of vitriol. Lots of anger," Frelinghuysen said.

Frelinghuysen and Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd District, were the only two members of the state's congressional delegation to vote for the American Health Care Act.

Three other Republicans, including Rep. Leonard Lance of the neighboring 7th District, opposed it.

Frelinghuysen acknowledged, at least indirectly, the sentiments that have prompted weekly protests since January outside his district office in Morristown.

"I know feelings are strong. I've heard from a lot of people," he said.

Frelinghuysen has resisted calls to hold a traditional, in-person town hall. He is scheduled to address the Morris County Chamber of Commerce on Friday.

Tuesday's town hall, his fourth of 2017, began at 5:12 p.m. Frelinghuysen attributed the 12-minute delay to "technical difficulties." 

In addition to Comey and health care, Frelinghuysen also fielded questions on wide-ranging topics, including tax deductions, the future of Social Security and U.S. foreign policy on Israel.

Asked about sanctuary cities in the U.S. for undocumented immigrants, Frelinghuysen expressed disapproval.

"If you're going to be receiving federal funds, you ought to obey the law," he said.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook

PETA was protesting the UniverSoul circus in Newark

NEWARK -- Nakia Ford had goose bumps on her zebra skin.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, was in Newark on Tuesday to protest the use of animals by the UniverSoul Circus, which is making its regular stop in New Jersey's largest city for 13 shows Tuesday though Sunday.

So PETA, which is known for risque tactics, on behalf of creatures who can't advocate for themselves, enlisted Ford to pose as a 'zebra,' in black-and-white body paint in front of Newark City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm a vegan bikini model," Ford, 31, who lives in Atlanta, said in a brief interview in front of City Hall, where the temperature only reached into the high 50's on Tuesday. "It's chilly, but it's really not that bad. The sun is out, and it's worth it to be out here to demonstrate what's going on with the circus."

PETA says UniverSoul is exploiting zebras, elephants, tigers and other animals by making them perform stunts unnatural to them, keeping them in constant confinement, and trained and controlled with whips, bullhooks, electric prods and other painful implements.

PETA was among animal rights groups whose legal and public relations campaigns targeting Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus contributed to a decision by its owners to close The Greatest Show on Earth for goo this month, after 146 years.  

Ringling Brothers made is final stop in Newark in March, with a series of performances at the Prudential Center arena.

PETA's associate director of campaigns, Ashley Byrne, who was with Ford at City Hall, said UniverSoul should take a cue from Ringling Brothers and drop its animal acts, an element of the circus that she said is becoming less and less popular among audiences increasingly sympathetic to animals.

"In the wake of Ringling, we hope that smaller circuses will look at the biggest circus in the country folding because they failed to modernize," Byrne said.

UniverSoul issued a statement in response to PETA's assertions, insisting its animals were treated humanely and in accord with federal, state and local animal welfare laws. 

"We care about the well-being of each of the animals that travels with and performs in our shows," the statement read. "And we regard all of them as valued members of our performing cast delivering high quality, family friendly entertainment that brings joy, happiness and laughter to audiences around the world."

Ford's zebra-painted body drew the attention of passersby on Broad Street, including some who posed for pictures with her, and other who shook their heads in surprise.

One of them, Lorelei Kears, said she had bee looking forward to the circus this week, and was troubled by what PETA was saying. 

"Why abuse animals?" Kears, 20, wondered out loud. "Because we're mammals, too."

A few blocks away, at the UniverSoul box office outside the big top on Broad Street, Wayne South had just bought four tickets to Tuesday night's show for his two daughters, ages 3 and 6, his girlfriend, and himself. South, 26, who lives in Newark, had seen UniverSoul on one of its past stints in Newark, and thought the animals looked happy and healthy enough to him.

South was looking forward to the show -- the lions were his favorite act last time -- especially for his daughters, and PETA's views would not sway him.

 "As long as the kids have fun," he said.

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

Violent crime in New Jersey is down in most of the state, even in many of the urban areas known for dangerous streets. Will the trend continue?

NEWARK--Last week, police arrested Jahil Logan, 26, of Irvington on charges related to a succession of carjackings and an armed robbery the weekend before.

Violent crime is down in most of the state's cities and across New Jersey, according to an analysis of 2016 crime data. Statewide, violent crime offenses--homicide, rape, robbery and assault--dropped 4.3 percent over the past year, and nearly 15 percent since 2012.

"Spikes and drops are to be expected, but what's most important is that violent crime, overall, continues to trend downward," said state Attorney General Christopher Porrino.

Still, the news was not good in all of New Jersey's urban areas. Violent crime was up by 3.6 percent in Camden, one of the most dangerous cities in America, and nearly 11 percent in Trenton, the state capital. However, the crime numbers in both cities are down over the past five years.

Click to see list of top 15 places for violent crime in NJ

In Newark, violent crime is down significantly for the fourth straight year. Anthony Ambrose, the city's public safety director, said part of that is due to an increase of police on the streets. He said the department is also targeting known offenders.

"It's intelligence based targeting those known to create havoc," he said.

Ambrose said the city increased its shooting response team, trying to head off retaliation on the street. Murders in Newark were down 6.5 percent last year. The number of reported rapes down 4.8 percent. Robberies dropped by a quarter. Only assault cases were up.

In Camden, where the police force was disbanded in 2013 and replaced by a new department, violent crime has dropped by more than 21 percent in the past five years, but saw an increase last year, including a sharp spike in murders.

The story was similar in Trenton, where the number of murders went to 21 in 2016 from 17 the year before.

"In both Camden and Trenton, we have ongoing initiatives involving all levels of law enforcement working collaboratively to combat violent crime," said Porrino.

The attorney general said those efforts are having "a significant impact" on gun violence, noting that preliminary violent crime statistics for 2017 show Camden and Trenton are trending down.

But Wayne Fisher, former chairman of the New Jersey Police Training Commission and senior policy advisor to the Police Institute at Rutgers School of Criminal Justice, said the battle against crime is not just about more police.

"It's not as simple as getting the cops on the streets," he said.

It's about making neighborhoods less conducive to the activities that lead to violent crime, he explained, such as commercial shopping areas and places of commerce and employment.

Camden, he said, has proportionately fewer of those kinds of locations.

Murders in New Jersey on the rise

"It may just be is what were observing is a higher proportion of areas that are likely to engender violent activity," he said.

A Camden County Police spokesman did not respond to queries about the city's crime rate, nor did the mayor's office.

Fisher said if there is a bright spot in Camden, it is that robberies are down.

"Robbery is the biggest indicator of predatory crime," he said.

In Newark, Ambrose worries that bail reform, aimed at cutting the number of people held in jail on minor charges, is going to impact crime in the city.

One day after Dante Hobson-Taylor of Plainfield was released on bail from the Essex County Jail, Newark police last week said he robbed a Dunkin' Donuts in Newark. He remains at large.

"We're locking people up with ankle bracelets," he said, referring to the electronic monitoring devices some who have been criminally charged are required to wear as a condition of their release. "Bail reform is going to kill us."

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

The 30-year-old suffered a head injury

NEWARK -- A 30-year-old man was hurt after falling down an escalator in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday morning, police said.

Emergency workers took the man to Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth with a head injury. He was conscious and alert following after falling at about 6:30 a.m. 

It's not known yet how the man fell, a Port Authority police spokesman said.

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

The man's lengthy rap sheet led a judge to give him a first-degree sentence for a second-degree crime.

NEWARK -- A 30-year-old city man with a lengthy criminal history was deemed a "persistent offender" and sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for attacking a woman in 2015 during a robbery.

John Howard. (Essex County Prosecutor's Office)

John Howard was found guilty at trial in March of second-degree robbery and simple assault, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Howard confronted a woman near Frelinghuysen Avenue and Emmett Street in Newark on Nov. 1, 2015, and demanded her pocketbook. He hit her in the face when she refused and fled with her bag.

The second-degree charge would normally carry a sentence of five to 10 years in prison, but Assistant Prosecutor Vander Woude successfully argued before Superior Court Judge Richard Sules to sentence Howard -- who had previously been convicted of escaping from detention, among numerous other offenses -- under the first-degree range of 10 to 20 years.

Howard will have to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before he's eligible for parole, according to the Prosecutors Office.

He also pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of second-degree burglary and conspiring to commit aggravated assault, which prosecutors say arose from an unspecified Nov. 4, 2015 incident.

Prosecutors say they've asked he be given seven years on those charges when he's sentenced on June 30. 

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

The 50-year-old from Newark has had his license suspended or revoked eight times

A 50-year-old New Jersey man with a history of driving under the influence was arrested for allegedly being drunk when he struck a pedestrian in New York, according to a report.

Larry D. WootenLong Beach (N.Y.) police

Larry D. Wooten, of Newark, drove into a 46-year-old woman as she crossed a street in Long Beach on Long Island just before 1 a.m. Monday, Patch reported. She suffered minor injuries. 

Wooten has six previous drunk driving convictions. His license has been suspended or revoked eight times, the report said.

Police on Long Island charged Wooten with driving while intoxicated with previous convictions, unlicensed operation and driving without an interlock device.

Long Beach police didn't immediately return a call from NJ Advance Media seeking additional information.

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

After stability for nearly a month, the NJ.com Baseball Top 20 has a new No. 1 for the second week in a row

Carson Weis of Pascack Valley fist bumps with Mike Kissane during high school baseball action Pascack Valley plays Bergenfield. BERGENFIELD, NJ 5/3/2017 ( George McNish| For NJ Advance Media)George McNish * 

Authorities say their father has a history of drug addiction.

UPDATE: N.J. kids who went missing with homeless dad found safe in Boston

NEWARK -- Police are searching for two young children who went missing Tuesday afternoon during a supervised visit with their father, who is homeless and has a history of drug addiction, authorities said.

The children, 5-year-old Sammy Tene, and his 4-year-old sister, China, were visiting their father, Moso B. Tene, 30, at the New Jersey Family Court building in the Wilentz Justice Complex on Washington Street around 4 p.m., Newark police said.

A New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency worker who was supervising the visit left the room and when the worker returned, the father and two children were gone, police said.

Newark police officers are helping the state's Human Services Police in the search, and asking for the public's help in finding the man and children.

Moso Tene is clean-shaven, has bleached blonde hair, and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, white sneakers and dark jeans.

Sammy was wearing a black Star Wars shirt, dark jeans and light-up Spider Man sneakers. China, who has short hair and is missing her two front teeth, was wearing a purple and pink hoodie, and purple and pink tights with black hearts, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 877-695-8477 or 877-695-4867.

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

As a gesture of solidarity with alumni who claim they were sexually abused by former teachers, Pingry School grads about to attend their 25th reunion requested the changes.

In the wake of an internal report alleging three former teachers sexually abused students, the Pingry School has quietly removed two honors bestowed on one of those teachers.

Long-time music teacher Anthony duBourg had both a rehearsal room and the annual spring concert named after him when he retired in 2002 after 46 years at the private school.

An investigation commissioned by the school recently alleged duBourg "engaged in multiple incidents of inappropriate sexual and unwelcome physical contact," as well as made "inappropriate statements of a sexual nature" to students.

The administration's decision to remove a plaque outside the choral room, as well as renamed the concert, came as members of the Class of '92 were circulating a petition seeking those changes.

The class also intends to wear teal ribbons - the color designated for child sexual abuse awareness - at its 25^th reunion later this month, according to Christa Tinari, one of the organizers of the petition.

She and classmate Emily Goldberg also reached out to a group of at least 18 men who claim they were sexually abused by a Pingry teacher. Those men, calling themselves the "Pingry Survivors," have retained an attorney and leveled public accusations that the school turned a blind eye to abuse by former teacher Thad Alton, and others, nearly four decades ago.

"During the year of our 25^th reunion, we join you in demanding that all future Pingry students are ensured a safe school environment," the Class of 92 letter states. "Our reunion celebration will be tempered by the knowledge that the same school that gave so much to many of us, also took away so much from others."

Tinari said she and Goldberg reached out to as many classmates as they could locate. Altogether, three dozen signed the letter, including Alton's son, who attended Pingry a decade after his parents divorced and his father left the state.

Ted Alton was eventually arrested and tried on charges of sexually assaulting a teen in a kayak club he had founded in upstate New York. He served four years in prison and is now a 70-year-old registered sex offender living in Manhattan's financial district.

Tinari said the concept of the letter came about this past March, after Pingry issued the report it commissioned when it went public about the allegations of abuse.

"It occurred to me that we shouldn't just speak among ourselves, that it's important we speak publicly," she said. "I felt if people felt as strongly about this as I did, we should reach out and let the Pingry Survivors know they have our support."

The men were gratified to hear that younger alumni believed and supported them, said Howard Penney, a 55-year-old financial analyst who says he was one of Alton's victims.

"We're all just thrilled, because we sort of felt cast out onto an island," he said.

"All of us are so honored that members of the greater Pingry community are recognizing what happened, and working towards making sure that doesn't happen and the school's behavior changes."

The letter asks Pingry for assurances that faculty and staff will be trained on their obligations to report abuse; that students be given age-appropriate education about how to recognize, respond to, and report abuse; and that parents be given guidance about how to report any concerns.

The report's revelation about duBourg's questionable behavior came as no surprise to Tinari, who was very active in the school's music program while a student.

When she read in in school newsletter that the Spring concert had been renamed in his honor, she said she felt compelled to write to the school about the many instances of his physical and verbal abuse - name-calling and the like - she had witnessed. (She said she did not see any acts of sexual abuse.)

"I felt a little guilty that I didn't do more, but when you're a student, you don't know," she said. "I don't have any doubt that what's in the report is what people experienced."

She got no reply from the school, she said.

DuBourg died in 2011, and left no survivors. The alleged incidents detailed in the report include multiple examples of his grabbing the buttocks of students, asking them to bend over from the waist, and making genital jokes. Several former students reported seeing duBourg fondle young male students at his house in Summit.

The report also said investigators learned that allegations were made against duBourg sometime in the 90s, and as a result, the N.J. Division of Youth and Family Services conducted its own investigation. However, there was nothing in duBourg's personnel file about any allegation, so the outside investigators said they could not verify it.

A Pingry spokeswoman said the headmaster had received the Class of 92's letter and would be responding shortly. In the meantime, the school wanted its community to know its examination of past abuse remains open-ended. It urged anyone with information to contact the investigator it hired,

Tinari said that at the time the letter was written, she was unaware the school was contemplating changing the name of both the room and the concert. The school's March 28 letter to alumni accompanying the report made no mention of any pending name change.

"I'm glad to hear those changes have been made," she said. "If our letter prompted Pingry to make those changes, that's a positive outcome of us reaching out to the survivors."

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

The federal government is investigation allegations of hazing incidents by officers at Newark airport.

NEWARK -- Federal officials are investigating allegations that U.S. Custom and Border Protection officers at Newark airport have been hazing and sexually abusing fellow officers by duct-taping them to a "rape table," according to a report by NBCNewYork.com.

Several officers spoke publicly about the alleged incidents, telling NBC that the alleged attacks have made them fearful for their lives.

Some alleged being taken into a secure room in Terminal C of Newark Liberty International Airport and being watched as fellow officers grab them, according to the report. Officers also described a conference table in the room they called the "rape table" -- in which officers allegedly use to grind on the genital areas of their fellow officers. The officers who spoke out said no clothing was ever removed, according to NBCNewYork.com.

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Another officer alleged being restrained by other officers and taped to a chair, the report said.

The U.S. Customers and Border Protection said in a statement Wednesday that it does not "tolerate corruption or abuse within our ranks, and we cooperate fully with all criminal or administrative investigations of alleged misconduct by any of our personnel, whether it occurs on or off duty."

The agency confirmed an investigation was underway by the Department of Homeland Security.

"An investigation of the hazing allegations is ongoing, led by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General with the assistance of the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility," the statement said.

The officers who came forward allege that the behavior has been going on for years, according to NBCNewYork.com. Internal complaints have been filed and three officers have sought attorneys to file a lawsuit, the report said.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.