Authorities said the children were found with their father

NEWARK -- Two children who went missing during a supervised visit with their homeless father on Tuesday have been found safe in Boston, authorities said.

The children, 5-year-old Sammy Tene and his 4-year-old sister, China, were found ifound with their father, Moso B. Tene, 30, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.

No information was immediately available on where the three were Wednesday morning, or if the father, would face any charges.

Police had been searching for the kids since Tuesday afternoon, when they went missing during a visit with their father at the New Jersey Family Court Complex in the Wilentz Justice Complex on Washington Street in Newark.

A Division of Child Protection and Permanency worker had been supervising the visit, but left the room, police said.

Police said Moso Tene was homeless, and had a history of drug addiction.

A spokeswoman for the state's Human Services Police, which was leading the search, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Additional details were not immediately available.

Carolyn A. Murray was sworn in as acting prosecutor in 2011.

NEWARK -- Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray is among Gov. Chris Christie's five newest nominees to the state Superior Court bench, the governor's office announced Tuesday.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray in a May photo. (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

Murray, a resident of Chatham, is a career prosecutor who held posts in the prosecutor's office and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey before moving to the Attorney General's Office and serving as chief counsel to then-Attorney General Paula Dow.

Dow, under who Murray served in Essex County as first assistant prosecutor, nominated her to the top Essex County post in 2011.

Also nominated for the bench are Stanley L. Bergman Jr., of Margate, Benjamin Podolnick, of Northgate; Martha D. Lynes, of Kearny, and Barbara J. Stanton, of Mendham.

All of the nominees require confirmation by the state Senate.

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

There are six group titles up for grabs before we hit the Tournament of Champions.

Michael Eargle, a former Elizabeth High School football standout, was shot and killed in broad daylight on a city street. Watch video

ELIZABETH -- Union County officials Wednesday issued a plea for the public's help in identifying a man wanted in the shooting death of a former high school football standout last month and released a video of a suspect in the killing.

Michael Eargle, 28, of Elizabeth, was gunned down in broad daylight on a city street on April 11.  

Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park released a video Wednesday showing a man who is a suspect Eargle's killing recorded by a security camera at a convenience store shortly after the shooting.

The video shows a man wearing a vintage, Starter brand University of North Carolina hockey jersey, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park said. The man is shown casually making a purchase.

Eargle was killed on the 1800 block of Lafayette Street shortly after 4:40 p.m.

Friends said Eargle had a son, and he and his girlfriend were expecting the birth of another child.

Two days after the shooting, more than 100 people attended a vigil to morn Eargle's death and call for an end to the violence.

Authorities asked anyone with information to contact Homicide Task Force Sgt. Jose Vendas at (908) 358-3048 or Detective Rudolfo Correia at 908-418-5800. 

The Union County Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case. Tips can be given anonymously by phone at (908) 654-TIPS (8477), or via text message by texting "UCTIP" plus a message to 274637 (CRIMES), or online at www.uctip.org.

Habeeb Robinson is accused of murder. How much evidence should the state provide to lock him up?

TRENTON -- New Jersey's highest court on Wednesday enacted new rules requiring prosecutors provide more evidence up-front when they ask a judge to lock someone up under the state's new bail system.

In a 5-2 ruling, the state Supreme Court largely upheld a lower court decision ordering prosecutors in Essex County to cough up witness statements and other evidence against an accused murderer, Habeeb Robinson.

The case was one of several stemming from New Jersey's massive criminal justice overhaul that took effect in January, pitting defense attorneys who said authorities were withholding key evidence against the prosecutors who accused them of turning preliminary hearings into "mini-trials."

Habeeb RobinsonEssex County Sheriff 

The ruling was a blow for prosecutors, who warned it would be difficult for them to quickly turn over key evidence and might undermine active investigations and lead to witness intimidation. Civil liberties advocates praised the court and said the decision would protect defendants under a new system in which they can be thrown in jail with no recourse.

The new system almost entirely did away with cash bail in the Garden State, and now prosecutors must convince a judge to order someone accused of a crime thrown in jail before trial.

When that request is made, the judge holds a pre-trial detention hearing to determine whether a defendant presents enough of a danger or flight risk to be locked up, or whether he or she should be released under a monitoring program run by the courts.

If prosecutors move to have somebody detained, the defense is entitled to discovery, which is the legal term for the process by which the state gives someone accused of a crime access to the evidence against them.

"We now have this system where, in rare instances, the government can say you are so dangerous, present such a risk, that we think you cant be released under any circumstances," said Alexander Shalom, a senior attorney for the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "When the government is doing that, they have to make their case. They have to explain, both to the defendant and to the court, why this person is so dangerous"

Under the old system, defendants were only entitled to discovery later in court proceedings, often months after their arrest. But bail reform pushed up that timeline, and the Supreme Court dispute centered on how much discovery a defendant should get immediately after their arrest, when they have a right to due process under the constitution because the judge can now order them held without bail.

In Robinson's case, prosecutors wrote in court documents they had two eyewitnesses who saw Robinson shoot the victim and picked him out of an array of mugshots. They also claimed they had surveillance footage from the scene.

Prosecutors asked the judge to lock Robinson up based on documents describing the evidence against him, but public defenders asked for the actual proof, including the witness statements and surveillance tape. 

Robinson has remained locked up as the appeal in his case made its way through the court system, according to state public defenders. He faces murder and weapons charges. 

Bail reform sparks Supreme Court fight

A state appellate panel ordered prosecutors to release the video tape and other evidence, but county prosecutors asked the Supreme Court to take another look, and they were joined by the state Attorney General's Office in their challenge. 

Writing for the majority, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said the court was "clarifying" court rules to require the release of certain evidence, noting that prosecutors can apply for protective orders in cases where they think releasing documents might jeopardize the safety of witnesses. 

The court said prosecutors must release most of the evidence Robinson requested, though it said the video evidence did not have to be released. In his dissent, Justice Barry Albin argued that decision created "artificial distinctions" between types of evidence and encouraged prosecutors to release second-hand reports rather than primary documents and other raw material. 

Elizabeth Jarit, an assistant deputy public defender who worked on the case, said she agreed with Albin that the video evidence should be fair game. But she also praised the ruling, calling it "a significant win for us and for all defendants who the state seeks to detain pre-trial."

Elie Honig, a top state prosecutor and director of New Jersey's Division of Criminal Justice, said he was "pleased that the Supreme Court has narrowed and clarified the scope of the rule governing discovery at the pre-trial detention phase."

Honig said the ruling struck a balance between providing evidence to defendants "without jeopardizing victims and witnesses and without imposing unrealistic burdens on prosecutors and police."  

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Drug was being distributed near Newark Penn Station, according to investigators.

PATERSON -- Authorities on Wednesday said eight people face drug charges after investigators traced synthetic marijuana distribution at a Paterson park to Newark, where the substance has sickened dozens.

Passaic County authorities, working with Newark police and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, conducted surveillance at Lou Costello Park in Paterson Monday in an effort to find who was peddling the synthetic marijuana in Newark, officials said.

Investigators launched the probe after authorities said at least 70 people were sickened by the synthetic pot, also known as K2 or Spice, in Newark over two days last month. Many of the overdoses occurred among homeless people near Penn Station in the city.

"It was believed that individuals would obtain the synthetic marijuana from within Lou Costello Park in Paterson and then transport it to the City of Newark for distribution within the area of Pennsylvania Station," the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release.

Toll of those sickened by synthetic pot in Newark rises to more than 3 dozen

Authorities charged James Ward, 42, of Woodland Park, Aaron Alexander, 34, of Paterson, Melvin J. King, 45, of Newark, Germaine J. Ali, 41, of Paterson, Victor Tafirenyika, 32, of Paterson, with drug possession in the case.

Three others -- Richard McKinnis, 34, of Newark, Luis E. Percyruiz, 26, of East Rutherford, and Chico E. Stevens, 40, of Paterson -- were charged with possession and distribution of synthetic marijuana.

The prosecutor's office could not be immediately reached for more details on the investigation Wednesday night.

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

Authorities say the man told an FBI informant he was trying to build a weapons collection.

NEWARK -- A city man who authorities say tried to trade his illegally possessed handgun to a confidential informant in exchange for an assault weapon was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in federal prison.

Brehon Widgeon, 29, previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to a charge of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to a statement from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick.

Prosecutors say U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo on Wednesday sentenced him to 46 months in prison, and three years of supervised release.

Widgeon, who previously was convicted in 2008 of a gun possession charge, was arrested in July 2014 after he told an FBI informant he wanted to trade his 9mm pistol for an AK-47 rifle, or another more powerful weapon he could conceal, according to a criminal complaint filed with the court.

When investigators later searched his home, the complaint says, they found body armor, ammunition and a machete along with the handgun.

Widgeon told the informant he hoped to amass a gun collection similar to one he had seen in an internet video.

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

The Newark man is facing multiple charges after authorities found him and his two children in Boston.

NEWARK -- The homeless man who allegedly took his children during a supervised visit has been charged with kidnapping and other crimes, officials said Wednesday.

Moso B. Tene, 30, was arrested on endangering the welfare of a child, interfering with the custody of a child, and kidnapping charges, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.

Tene, police said, allegedly took his two kids, ages 4 and 5, from a supervised visit with them at the family court building in Newark Tuesday. After a brief search, police located the kids with their father, in Boston.

Tene is being held in Boston, awaiting extrication back to New Jersey, the spokeswoman said.

Authorities Wednesday said Tene was being supervised by a state Department of Children and Families worker who left the room when he left with the children.

Ernest Landante, a spokesman for the division, declined Wednesday to comment on the specifics of this case, but said that generally, court ordered supervised visits are allowed between children and parents who have lost custody of them.

"The protocol is to have such supervised visits observed by a supervisor designated by DCF and/or Family Court, and designated supervisors may include a parent or guardian not suspected of abuse or neglect, a relative, a family friend, or even DCF staff," he said.

Landante declined to comment on the worker involved in this alleged incident.

"When questions or claims arise regarding whether a designated supervisor neglectfully supervised a visit, DCF conducts an investigation. If the supervisor is a member of DCF staff, the investigation is conducted by the Conflicts Unit in the Office of the Law Guardian within the Office of the Public Defender to avoid any conflicts of interest," he said.

Details on why the man brought the children to Boston, or how they got there, were not immediately available.

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

Mikie Sherrill, a mother of four, plans to run in the Democratic primary in the 11th congressional district next year

MONTCLAIR -- A township woman who piloted helicopters in the Navy and worked as a federal prosecutor will throw her hat into the 11th Congressional District race next year, with the goal of unseating longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen.

Mikie Sherrill, a mother of four, told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday she plans to run in the Democratic primary next year.

"I've always fought hard for this country for my entire adult life," Sherrill said. "I think after 22 years in Washington, Rodney Frelinghuysen has stopped listening and stopped talking to his constituents." 

In response to criticism from constituents over his support of President Donald Trump's agenda, Frelinghuysen has been dodging their requests for an in-person town hall for months.

Instead he's held town halls over the phone, and, last month, agreed to meet with about three dozen constituents so long as they traveled 200 miles to his Washington D.C. office.

Sherrill, who flew missions in Europe and the Middle East as a Sea King helicopter pilot, said the issues on which she's most focused are "an economy that supports the middle class, national security and veterans' issues, and women's health and work place issues."

In terms of national security, Sherrill said she believed the United States should focus on its traditional allies. 

"We don't need to be turning to dictators and strongmen," she said. 

Sherrill, who received her law degree from Georgetown University and later went to join the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey, also took issue with Trump's recent firing of FBI Director James Comey.

"As a former federal prosecutor, I find the timing of his firing suspicious," she said, adding. "I think its time for Republicans like Rodney Frelinghuysen to insist upon an independent prosecutor into the (Russia-Trump campaign investigation)."

She added: "I think it's important to send people to Washington that are willing to work across the aisle. I know there are some who would be willing to work with Democrats to continue this investigation." 

Sherrill said she would also stand as a stark contrast from Frelinghuysen in her support of Planned Parenthood, which in addition to family planning also provides cancer screenings and other health services. 

Women, she said, make an integral part of the economy, and when their health or employment opportunities are affected it has a domino effect.

"When you're shortchanging women, you're shortchanging families," she said. 

Sherrill and her husband, Jason, a fellow Naval Academy graduate, live in Monclair with their four children, ages 11, 10, 7 and 5. 

Sherrill may not be the only Democrat weighing a run against Frelinghuysen. Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex) is also apparently being wooed for a bid but he has said he won't formally announce or raise money until after the November election for the legislature.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

"Nothing is really lost until your mom can't find it." -- unknown

Some thoughts on Mom for Mother's Day and every other day of the year:

"Mothers are such a part of us that it can be hard to talk about them. We love them. We get mad at them. They teach us, even when we don't realize it. We resist them. No matter what, they are part of us." -- Jane Gilgun

"Nothing is really lost until your mom can't find it." -- unknown

"Mama does everything for the baby, who responds by saying Dada first." -- Mignon McLaughlin

"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." -- Cardinal Mermillod

"The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God
is the heart of a mother." -- St. Therese of Lisieux

"A mom forgives us all our faults, not to mention one or two we don't even have." -- Robert Brault

Louise Hatala; 92 years young 

"Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease." -- Lisa Alther

"Most mothers are instinctive philosophers." -- Harriet Beecher Stowe

"Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends--but only one mother in the whole world." -- Kate Douglas Wiggins

"There will be so many times you feel like you failed. But in the eyes, heart and mind of your child you are super mom." -- Stephanie Precourt

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

"When you are a mother you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always thinks twice, once for herself and once for her child." -- Sophia Loren

"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power." - Maya Angelou

"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." -- Tenneva Jordan

"The world needs our mothers." -- Liya Kebede

Happy Mother's Day!

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

Floors 6-22 of One Newark Center are for sale. The first five will remain owned and occupied by Seton Hall Law School

NEWARK -- The downtown Newark skyscraper that houses Seton Hall Law School is for sale, though the school is not, and will remain in the first five floors of the Raymond Boulevard building.

One Newark Center, with its mostly-glass exterior set in a white windowpane grid, had also been home to another one of the city's most vaunted institutions, this one literally: the Newark Club, a private dining club and venue for countless weddings, political gatherings and other occasions, with spectacular views of the New York metropolitan region from the building's 22nd floor. The club was closed in March by its owners, who also own One Newark Center.

The owners are Mack-Cali Realty Corporation of Jersey City and an affiliate of the Manhattan-based Praedium Group. They own the property jointly.

One Newark Center has been on the market for some time, though its sale status was announced publicly this week by the Chicago-based business services firm Jones Lang LaSalle, which was hired to help market the building and is promoting it as an opportunity for investors to share in downtown Newark's recent building boom.

"Jersey City, Hoboken, Metropark and Morristown are all experiencing historically high occupancy and rental rates, which puts Newark in an ideal position to entice transit-minded tenants," Joseph Garibaldi, a JLL managing director, said in a statement.

The building is three blocks from Newark Penn Station, served by Amtrak, PATH and NJ Transit trains, as well as buses. It's also within easy walking distance of the Prudential Center arena and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, sports and cultural venues customarily cited in sales pitches for downtown commercial and residential properties.

Seton Hall Law School will continue to own and occupy the five-floor base of the building, including the school's bowl-shaped lecture hall, a distinctive architectural feature of the building along Raymond Boulevard.

The portion being offered for sale includes 423,028 square feet of office space, and has its own entrance apart from the law school at the corner of Raymond and Mulberry. A 10-story, 945-space parking deck connected to the building is part of the deal.

Mack-Cali and the Praedium affiliate have been trying to sell the property since 2012 to pay off a $91.7 million loan on the property, according to a March report in Commercial Real Estate Direct, a subscription website. The report said the owners were initially asking $115 million, before dropping the price to $95 million in 2015.

A spokesman for JLL, Mark Faris, could not immediately say when the owners had bought the building or how much they paid for it.

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

There are plenty of reasons why New Jersey is known as the Garden State, but do you know which crop is king?.

The latest NJ.com Top 20 is here.

Who's caught the eye of NJ.com's reporters at the halfway point of the year?

Actor Ron Cephas Jones sent word the night before the ceremony that he was unable to attend, school officials said.

NEWARK -- More than 1,600 Ramapo College graduates were awarded their degrees at the Prudential Center in Newark Thursday, but their commencement speaker failed to make it to the ceremony.

Ron Cephas Jones, a veteran actor best known for starring on NBC's critically-acclaimed drama "This is Us," informed Ramapo officials late Wednesday night that he could not make it to Newark to deliver his speech due to "unforeseen travel complications."

The complications were related to "travel security" and "health issues," said Angela Daidone, a Ramapo spokeswoman. She did not immediately respond to additional questions.

Instead, Cephas Jones sent an audio message that was played along with a slideshow at the ceremony. The actor apologized for the "series of unfortunate events with airline security and my health" that kept him from getting to New Jersey.

Ron Cephas Jones (Los Angeles Times file photo) 

"I guess what I want to say to all of you is that a lot of times that's what life does. It throws you a curveball," Cephas Jones said in the recording.  

Cephas Jones, who grew up in Paterson, graduated from Ramapo in 1978. He has had a long career in the theater and on television, including his role playing William on "This is Us." He said the "spark" that led him to acting was set at Ramapo.

"I hope that all of you have found your spark. The thing in your heart that drives you. The thing that you love to do and hopefully someday you get paid to do it. That's the goal of our lives," Cephas Jones said in his message. 

When students learned of their speaker's last-minute cancellation, some tried to revive an earlier plan to invite actor Danny DeVito to be their commencement speaker. Graduates reached out via social media Wednesday night to the actor, who is wrapping up a run starring in "The Price" on Broadway.

But, DeVito did not show up at the ceremony either.

@DannyDeVito I'll pay for your bus or train or Uber or whatever it takes to get you to our commencement tomorrow morning in Newark

-- Nick D'Ambrosia (@nickwuzheree) May 11, 2017

Hey @DannyDeVito if you could surprise us at @RamapoCollegeNJ commencement in Newark tomorrow, I'll name my first born child after you.

-- Nick Perez (@Nick4Perezident) May 11, 2017

The Newark school district and its teachers union reached an agreement over how to pay its teachers.

NEWARK -- The city's public school teachers will vote Thursday on a new four-year contract with the district that maintains tying salary increases to classroom performance. 

Five years ago, the teachers union and the district agreed in a landmark contract to base teacher pay on performance, a departure from automatically increasing pay for every year of experience.

It was the first such contract to be ratified in the state and covered Newark's nearly 4,000 teachers, clerks and aides.

The new agreement -- if ratified Thursday -- gives clerks, aides and full-time teachers who earn effective or highly-effective ratings an average salary increase of 2.43 percent from 2015 to 2019.

That means for 2015-16, they will receive a retroactive 1 percent annual wage increase, a 2.8 percent increase this year, a 2.95 percent increase in 2017-18 and a 2.95 percent increase in 2018-19. 

Teachers who earn a "highly effective" rating will also receive a $5,000 bonus. Those bonuses are non-pensionable. 

Per diem teacher aides will earn $15 an hour by 2018-19. Next year, per diem aides will receive a $0.50 hourly increase and another $0.50 increase in 2018-19.

"We are proud to see our members' hard work and commitment to Newark's students recognized with pay raises to help them catch up after years of state-imposed austerity and increased health insurance costs," Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon said.

"We always wish we could get better for teachers who have given so much to the children in so many ways and continue to advocate for the best possible learning conditions in their schools including a return to full local control of Newark Public Schools," Abeigon said.

Teachers have been working without a contract since 2015. District officials said retroactive pay increases and this year's salary increase will be paid by July. 

"I think this contract is great for teachers, it's great for the district and most importantly it's great for the students we all serve," Schools Superintendent Christopher Cerf said. 

Due to budget constraints, the deal eliminates additional pay for highly effective teachers who work in low-performing schools or hard-to-staff subjects.

"These are all public dollars, there's no philanthropic dollars," Cerf said. The 2012 contract included donated funds from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

More prep time, benefit changes

K-8 teachers will receive an additional prep period for a total of four prep periods a week. Once a month, students across the district will also be dismissed early to give teachers time for professional development. 

Teachers will receive more personal days in exchange for fewer sick days that require a medical reason. They will have a total of 17 days, instead of 18 days off during the school year. 

Teachers will also work 188 days, down from 191 days and be given an additional four days prior to the school year to prepare and train. The school year will be 182 days next year, down from 185 days, but the schools will still exceed state requirements that mandate 180 days of instruction.

The 33 schools that have extended school days will keep the longer days. Teachers can vote by majority to extend the day on their campus or else schools can be designated a "turnaround" school by the district to get longer hours. 

The district is also creating a pool of per-diem professionals who can provide counseling, speech therapy and physical therapy for students with special needs. The pool of professionals will replace outside private service providers and help the district cut costs. 

"It is all very important that we all keep our eyes on why we go to work everyday, there are a lot of values that are served by public education and they're all important but all of them have to be subordinate to our central goal of giving every child an equal opportunity for a successful launch into adulthood," Cerf said. "When we keep our eye on the ball, we care about how effective we are."

Union members have until 7 p.m. to vote on the contract. The union released a frequently asked questions page on their website for their members. 

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

Authorities say the man was carrying a gun.

NEWARK -- Undercover officers arrested two teenagers Wednesday afternoon after seeing the two deal crack cocaine on a city street, authorities said.

Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said the officers allegedly saw a 17-year-old boy and Okbar Gillen, 19, both of Newark, dealing crack near South 9th Street and Central Avenue Wednesday. The task force was in the area responding to resident complaints of drug dealing, Fontoura said.

When the officers tried to stop the two, authorities said Gillen took a loaded 9mm handgun from his waistband, threw it in a bush, and ran. Officers caught up with and arrested both of them, Fontoura said. Authorities said they found 13 vials of crack on the duo.

The 17-year-old was arrested on drug charges and is being held at the county youth detention center, authorities said. Gillen is being held at the Essex County jail on drug and weapons charges, officials said.

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

A 42-year-old Newark man faces a possible 20-year prison term after admitting he robbed clerks at 2 stores at knife-point.

ELIZABETH -- An Essex County man faces 20 years in prison after admitting he robbed two Roselle convenience stores over a period of three days, threatening store employees with a knife in each hold-up, authorities said Thursday.

Alteguan Robinson, 42, of Newark pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery when he appeared before Superior Court Judge Lisa Walsh on Monday, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park said in a statement.

The first hold-up occurred last Aug. 25, at the Krishna General store on East Second Street in Roselle, where Robinson walked behind the counter and grabbed a clerk, threatening him with a large kitchen knife and demanding he empty the cash register, said Union County Assistant Prosecutor Bryan Tiscia, who handled the case.

After taking money from the clerk, Robinson fled, riding away on a bicycle, Tiscia said.

Two days later Robinson entered the One Stop Shop on East Ninth Avenue in Roselle and attempted a similar robbery, Tiscia said.

However the clerk at that store fought with Robinson and suffered some minor injuries before breaking free and running out of the store, closing the security gate behind and briefly trapping Robinson inside, the assistant prosecutor said.

He said Robinson managed to force open the gate and fled the area on a bicycle.

Moments later, Roselle police received reports from a residents who said a man was hiding in the backyard of their Drake Avenue home, Tiscia said. He said officers investigating the reports found Robinson and arrested him.

Tiscia will recommend that Robinson receive a 20-year prison when he appears before Walsh for sentencing on June 16.

First-degree robbery charge carry a maximum 20-year sentence upon conviction.

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

Man charged with forgery and credit card theft

Wurie Jalloh (Photo: Port Authority police) 

NEWARK -- A Brooklyn man faces charges after he was identified by his San Antonio Spurs hat and sweatshirt that he left behind on a bus at Newark Liberty International Airport Wednesday, police said.

Wurie Jalloh allegedly tried to use a fraudulent South Carolina driver's license and credit card to rent a car from Hertz at the airport, according to Port Authority police spokesman Joe Pentangelo.

Witnesses gave police a detailed description of the suspect, including his San Antonio Spurs gear, the spokesman added.

Officers saw Jalloh walking from a nearby bus stop and stopped to question him, Pentangelo said. During the stop, a bus pulled up and the driver handed Jalloh his distinctive Spurs clothing that he left on the bus.

The clothing matched a description given to police and Jalloh was arrested, authorities said.

Jalloh, 27, initially gave officers a false name, the spokesman said. He was charged with forgery, credit card theft and hindering his own arrest.

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

Police said the pair were among 1,095 confirmed gang members or associates out of 1,378 arrested.

Olufemi Odeyami (left) and Brenda Jackson. (Essex County Correctional Facility)

NEWARK -- Two associates of the Crips street gang busted in Irvington with more than 6 pounds of heroin were among more than 1,000 people arrested in the past six weeks as part of a nationwide anti-gang operation, federal authorities announced Thursday.

Olufemi Odeyemi and Brenda Jackson were arrested April 7 by investigators from Homeland Security Investigations, the Union County Prosecutor's Office and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, according to a statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Investigators found just over 6 pounds of raw heroin when they served search warrants on Jackson's vehicle and Odeyemi's home, according to ICE.

Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies taking part in the gang surge, which specifically targeted gang members, made 1,378 arrests, 1,098 of which were on federal or state criminal charges, according to ICE.

The other 280 arrested during the operation, which ran from March 26 to May 6, were on administrative immigration violations, the agency said.

1,095 of those arrested during the operation were confirmed as gang members or associates, authorities said.

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