A woman will receive $145,000 for injuries that is says occurred when an Elizabeth police officer threw her into a car window that shattered.

Elizabeth will pay $145,000 to settle a lawsuit from a woman who claims a city officer threw her against a car window, causing it to shatter. (NJ Advance Media file photo)

ELIZABETH -- A Newark woman who claims that a city officer grabbed her outside a restaurant and threw her against a car hard enough to break a window will receive $145,000 to settle a lawsuit against the city and the officer, according to court papers.

City council members voted Oct. 27 to settle the suit that Jazmine Fortenberry filed in U.S. District Court for an incident that occurred in Elizabeth five years ago, on a night when she was celebrating her birthday.

According to the court suit, on Oct. 8, 2010, Fortenberry went to the Dolce Restaurant and Lounge on Broad Street. Later in the evening she went to the rear exit of the restaurant to talk with a club bouncer about her missing keys, according to her complaint.

MORE: Union County pays $200K settlement over inmate's death

While at the rear exit, Fortenberry saw two women thrown out of the restaurant. While talking with the bouncer and speaking loudly over the noise of the establishment, Fortenberry was suddenly grabbed from behind by a city police officer, identified as Will Torres, and thrown against a car with enough force to break a door window, according to the lawsuit.

Fortenberry was put in the back of a police cruiser in handcuffs and taken to Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth for treatment of injuries suffered when the car window shattered, the suit states.

She was handcuffed to a hospital bed for five hours, charged with disorderly persons offenses, and received three sets of sutures in her face, the papers state.  

Fortenberry also alleged that Torres made "homophobic" statements about her, and that he smashed her cellphone and threw the pieces into water.

She was taken from the hospital to police headquarters, where she was held until the following morning, the lawsuit claims.

City officials declined to comment on the lawsuit or the settlement.

However, officials confirmed that Torres is a member of the police department and on active duty.

Fortenberry's lawyer did not return a call seeking a comment.

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

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

 

An investigation is underway after a headless body was found in the garage of a Newark residence, sources say.

NEWARK -- An investigation is underway after a body severed from its head was found in the garage of a Newark residence late Monday evening, NJ Advance Media has learned.

A source close to the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the body discovered by authorities Monday was mutilated.

MORE: Decapitated body ID'd as missing Newark woman

Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, declined comment on the state of the person's remains.

Newark police officers made the grim discovery late Monday evening after being called to a residence in the 800 block of South 11th Street on reports of a foul smell emanating from the residence, Carter said.

When they arrived, officers discovered the remains wrapped inside a blanket inside the garage, Carter said.

The remains have yet to be identified, Carter said. Authorities are working to identify the manner and cause of the person's death, she continued.

An investigation into the death by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office is underway, officials said. Investigators from the Newark Police Department and Essex County Prosecutor's Office could still be seen outside the residence early Tuesday morning.

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

Calling airfares at Newark Liberty among the highest in the country, the U.S. Justice Department Tuesday sought to block the proposed $14 million sale of additional landing and takeoff slots to United Airlines, the airport's dominant air carrier.

NEWARK--The U.S. Justice Department went to court Tuesday in an effort to kill a proposed deal that would allow United Airlines--already the largest air carrier at Newark Liberty International Airport--from buying up takeoff and landing slots it does not need.

In a civil antitrust lawsuit filed in federal court in Newark on Tuesday, the Justice Department said the proposed $14 million sale of additional landing and takeoff slots from Delta Airlines to United would "strengthen a barrier that diminishes the ability of other airlines to challenge United" at the airport.

"Airfares at Newark are among the highest in the country while United's service at Newark ranks among the worst," said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division. Allowing United to acquire even more slots at Newark would only fortify United's monopoly position, he charged, weakening rivals' ability to challenge that dominance, while leaving consumers to pay the price.

"A slot is essentially a license to compete at Newark," said Baer. "United already holds most of them, and as a result, competition at Newark is in critically short supply."

RELATED: United pulling out of JFK

A spokesman for United said with three major airports, the New York/Newark area is the most competitive air transportation market in the country.

"We firmly believe this transaction benefits our customers and the region by enabling us to enhance service at our Newark hub and manage congestion at the airport," said Rahsaan Johnson. "We will vigorously defend our ability to operate effectively, efficiently and competitively at Newark."

A spokesman for Delta--which was also named in the lawsuit--said the airline's agreement to lease slots at Newark to United is an independent transaction and does not affect a separate agreement by Delta to lease slots from United at New York's Kennedy International Airport. Delta began flights with those slots on Nov. 1 and continues to operate that expanded JFK service, said Trebor Banstetter.

A federal criminal probe

The antitrust complaint comes with United already the focus of federal prosecutors over its dealings with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls Newark Liberty.

Federal prosecutors are looking into whether former United CEO Jeff Smisek agreed to the scheduling a money-losing direct flight from Newark to South Carolina for the benefit of David Samson, the former chairman of the Port Authority. The twice-a-week flight from New Jersey, which would have made it easier for Samson to get to his summer home in Aiken, S.C., was put into service while United was negotiating with the Port Authority on an expansion of service to Atlantic City and a $1.5 billion extension of the PATH train to Newark Airport. The flights ended after Samson resigned.

The U.S. Attorney's office has subpoenaed records from the Port Authority and United, but an internal investigation by the airline itself led to the resignation in September of Smisek and two other high-level executives who met with Samson.

The landing slots deal with Delta came after United in June announced it was moving out of Kennedy F. Kennedy International Airport to shift all of its transcontinental flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco to its hub in Newark. That shift led Delta to take over United's slots at Kennedy, with United moving to acquire the Delta's slots at Newark

United is the largest airline by far operating at Newark Liberty and is only getting bigger. Last year, United carried nearly 25 million passengers in and out of Newark. About seven out of 10 planes landing or taking off from Newark is now a United flight.

Every major airport has a limited number of takeoff and landing authorizations, known as slots, allocated by the FAA to manage congestion. Those slots limit the number of flights in and out of Newark throughout most of the day, but also limit competition because no airline can fly in or out of the airport without a slot.

But according to the Justice Department's complaint, United now controls 902 of the 1,233 slots the Federal Aviation Administration has allocated to carriers at Newark Liberty, or 73 percent. It said that is more than 10 times more slots than its closest competitor. No other airline has more than 70 slots. The complaint also alleged that United does not use all the slots it controls at Newark. The airline "grounds" as many as 82 slots each day at Newark, essentially depriving Newark passengers of flight options that would exist if the slots were flown.

"United's large pool of Newark slots affords it tremendous flexibility to defend its dominance at Newark. It can neutralize rivals' efforts to enter or expand by adding flights to the route or routes that are threatened, making it difficult for rivals to attract enough passengers to operate profitably," the complaint said. "By contrast, United's existing competitors and new entrants with very few slots are limited in their ability to add service or shift flights to other Newark routes to counter United's initiatives."

Unused slots

The complaint said in the hands of anyone other than United, the additional slots would result in more competition for United at Newark. But the proposed acquisition by United will foreclose any such competition.

United officials disputed the Justice Department's assertion that its slots at Newark were going unused.

"United, like all airlines, varies flight schedules seasonally and by day of week to match changes in passenger demand. Our use of Newark Airport slots complies fully with FAA rules and enables us to offer the frequent flights and destinations travelers want while minimizing airport congestion, especially on bad-weather days," said Johnson.

Last week, though, five small airlines--Virgin America, Frontier Airlines, Allegiant Air, Spirit Airlines, and Alaska Air--petititoned federal aviation officials to open up takeoff and landing slots at Newark Liberty and other New York-area airports to let them compete with lower fares against the big carriers that dominate air travel in the region.

The Business Travel Coalition, an advocacy group, said it welcomed the news that the U.S. was looking to block the slot sale at Newark Liberty.

"This is an important day for business travelers who have been on the losing end of the Big Three U.S. carriers' stranglehold at Newark, where they control 91 percent of the slots and charge some of the highest fares in the country," said BTC founder Kevin Mitchell. "The highest and best use of those slots would be if they were in the hands of low fare airlines."

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

After initially rejecting the deal, two members of the council later changed or attempted to change their votes on the $50,000 deal for a company run by Sakina Cole

NEWARK — The Municipal Council has narrowly rejected a $50,000 no-bid contract for former city communications director Sakina Cole Tuesday — though that may not be the case for long.

The proposed deal, brought to the table at a special meeting Tuesday morning, would have brought Cole's company, Cole Media Inc., on board for "marketing and branding services."

Cole has a lengthy history working for Newark, beginning in 2006 with a stint as press secretary for former Mayor Cory Booker. She then worked under Communications Director Desiree Peterkin before briefly serving as an aide to former councilwoman Dana Rone. In 2008, Cole Media was awarded a $358,000 contract to perform public relations duties for the council.

That contract was eventually eliminated as the city was forced to cut costs, but Cole returned after Mayor Ras Baraka named her communications director after taking office in July 2014. She left after six months to resume working with Cole Media, working with the city of Morristown's and other clients.

On Tuesday, Communications Director Felipe Luciano said the new contract would be for work spread over two years, including the production of booklets and other materials for State of the City speeches and other events.

Council members, however, questioned why the Mayor Ras Baraka's administration was proposing the contract be awarded as an "Extraordinary Unspecifiable Service" — meaning it would forgo any competitive bidding process.

MORE: Baraka taps activist, Giuliani veteran, to lead communications department

"Are you suggesting that Cole Media has been vetted to the point that they have a unique perspective on how to market and brand the city of Newark?" asked Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins. "If she's so great why isn't she on the payroll still?"

Luciano, however, said Cole's time in his position and high level of skill justified stepping outside the normal process.

"She's formerly the communications director so she knows the infrastructure. She knows what's required by the mayor," he said. "Her booklets are exquisite."

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. noted that the city had just recent sought out bids from companies seeking to run its TV studio, and questioned why the same process would not be followed for marketing.

Sakina Cole with Mayor Ras Baraka. (Handout)

"I just think the argument for EUS is very weak here. I'm not questioning Cole Media's qualifications, but....I don't see the specialization that necessitates us doing an EUS," he said.

The council initially voted 5-1 to reject the contract, with President Mildred Crump casting the only vote in favor and Eddie Osborne abstaining. West Ward Councilman Joe McCallum later changed his vote to yes, however, and — after a lengthy absence in an office in the rear of council chambers — Chaneyfield Jenkins attempted to do the same.

City Clerk Kenneth Louis, however, said the vote could not be reopened because the voting portion of the meeting had already been adjourned and the matter would need to be reconsidered at a future meeting after proper notice had been provided to the public.

At-Large Councilman Eddie Osborne had abstained from the earlier vote, and members Carlos Gonzalez and John Sharpe James were absent.

Cole could not immediately be reached for comment.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the length of Cole's tenure working for former Newark councilwoman Dana Rone.

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

Krisla Rezireksyon, 34, is facing murder and related charges in the May 2011 death of 8-year-old Christiana Glenn

NEWARK — In the afternoon of May 22, 2011, Irvington police received reports of a child not breathing in a township apartment.

When officers arrived at the Chancellor Avenue home, they found the lifeless body of 8-year-old Christiana Glenn. The girl was emaciated and had an untreated broken leg, authorities said.

Her two younger siblings — Solomon and Christina Glenn — were discovered inside a nearby room, also malnourished with injuries that had not been treated, authorities said.

Nearly four and a half years later, the children's mother, Krisla Rezireksyon, is prepared to go on trial on charges of killing Glenn, and abusing and neglecting the other children.

Jury selection in the trial began today.

On Monday, Rezireksyon turned down a plea offer with a recommended 24-year prison sentence. Under that agreement, Rezireksyon would have to serve more than 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Her roommate, Myriam Janvier, also is charged in the case, but she is expected to be tried separately at a later date. The charges against both women include murder and endangering the welfare of a child.

The trial will delve into the controversial brand of Christian faith practiced by Rezireksyon, 34, and Janvier, 27.

The two women — both of whom reported speaking with "Christ" — have indicated their faith guided how they fed and disciplined the children. As forms of discipline, Janvier has said they would tie the children to radiators, make them kneel on salt, and sometimes delay feeding them.

RELATED: Mother rejects plea deal on charges of killing daughter

But Rezireksyon's attorney, Adrien Moncur, has argued she was under "delusional spells" due to her pastor's teachings.

At the trial, Moncur is expected to present a "diminished capacity" defense, meaning she was suffering from a "mental defect or deficiency" at the time of Glenn's death.

Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin, however, ruled in September that a defense expert could testify at the trial that Rezireksyon suffered from "diminished capacity," but he could not testify she belonged to a religious cult and had been brainwashed by her pastor.

Those findings of the expert are inadmissible, because they are not supported by factual evidence, the judge ruled.

In January, Ravin ruled that a statement Rezireksyon made to police would be admissible at her trial.

Christiana Glenn (right) appears in a photo taken in 2006. Her mother, Krisla Rezireksyon, is seen in the 2001 photo to the right.Courtesy of the family 

In the statement, Rezireksyon said that, two days before the child's death, Glenn fell in the bath tub and injured her leg. When the girl's leg became swollen, Rezireksyon said she applied "sea salt" and "cornmeal and salt" to the leg.

After she found her daughter not breathing, Rezireksyon said she, her two younger children and Janvier prayed over the girl's body for an hour to 90 minutes before she called 911.

Rezireksyon told police her faith led her to dress in white and that she changed her name from Venette Ovilde after speaking with "Christ." But Rezireksyon denied belonging to a cult or being brainwashed.

"I follow Christ," Rezireksyon said. "I try my best to follow Christ."

MORE: No 'cult' testimony at trial of mother accused of killing daughter, judge says

The trial comes while a lawsuit is still pending against the state over claims child welfare workers were negligent in protecting the three children.

The lawsuit is being pursued by the estate of Christiana Glenn with a family friend acting as the administrator, and Solomon and Christina Glenn, through their court-appointed representatives.

The defendants named in the lawsuit include the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, formerly the Division of Youth and Family Services, or DYFS, and its parent state agency, the Department of Children and Families.

DYFS workers responded to four separate complaints between 2006 and 2008 that the three children had been beaten and neglected by their mother. The workers investigated the complaints, but determined the charges were unfounded.

Nine days before Christiana Glenn was found dead, the state's child abuse hotline received an anonymous call suggesting the children may have been malnourished.

But the screener took incomplete notes and decided the call didn't merit an investigation or a visit to the house. The hotline manager was ultimately fired in the wake of the scandal surrounding the girl's death.

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

Rasheed Bohler, 33, of Newark, pleaded guilty to the robbery after he was sentenced to nine years in state prison in a separate robbery case

NEWARK -- About a month after being sentenced in a separate robbery case, a Newark man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to tying up his girlfriend, brandishing a handgun and stealing electronic items from her city home.

Rasheed Bohler, 33, pleaded guilty to a robbery charge and unlawful possession of a handgun in connection with the June 8, 2012 incident. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending a nine-year state prison sentence for Bohler.

That sentence would run concurrent to the nine-year prison term Bohler received on Oct. 5 for robbery and burglary charges related to a Feb. 21, 2012 home invasion robbery in Newark, according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

In that earlier case, a jury convicted Bohler of those charges on Aug. 10 and deadlocked on a kidnapping charge, which was related to allegations that Bohler tied up a 15-year-old boy with strips of cloth from pillow cases during the incident. Prosecutors have dismissed the kidnapping charge, Carter said.

As part of his overall prison sentence of nine years for both incidents, Bohler will have to serve nearly eight years before becoming eligible for parole, and he will receive credit for more than two and a half years of time served.

His sentencing in the second robbery is scheduled for Dec. 14 before Superior Court Judge Richard Sules.

The two incidents occurred while Bohler was on parole stemming from his previous conviction on attempted murder and weapons charges, according to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Olajide Araromi, who handled both cases.

MORE: Newark man gets 9 years for robbing teen in home invasion

In the first robbery on Feb. 21, 2012, Bohler was convicted of breaking into a Newark apartment and stealing electronic items while the teenager was home alone. The boy has said Bohler was wearing a mask, but he recognized Bohler's voice as being the acquaintance of his mother's whom the teenager had seen twice before.

The teenager claimed he was bound for about an hour with strips of cloth from the pillow cases, broke free after Bohler had left the residence and then called 911. He later identified Bohler as the assailant when he reviewed a photo array of potential suspects.

During the trial, Bohler's attorney, Ann Sorrel, claimed the teenager made up the allegations. Bohler had broken up with the boy's mother, and the child "fed into his own mother's acrimony...towards my client," Sorrel said.

Nearly four months after that incident, authorities said Bohler committed the second robbery on June 8, 2012 when he tied up the woman at her Newark home, brandished a handgun and stole more than $1,200 worth of items from her home, including flat screen TVs, a computer and other electronics, authorities said. Bohler and the woman were in a dating relationship, according to Carter.

Bohler was arrested later that month at a motel in Newark.

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

Work at the 22-story One Riverview tower on Rector Street has been stalled since officials held a high-profile ribbon cutting ceremony in September 2013

An artistic rendering of One Riverview, a high-rise condominium building to be built in downtown Newark by a group involving pro basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal. 

NEWARK - The city will kick in $2 million to the developers of the long-delayed One Riverview high-rise apartment tower in hopes of finally getting the project off the ground.

The Municipal Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to approve transferring the revenue collected via the city's car rental tax to New Brunswick-based Boraie Development, which officials say will help them begin work on the 22-story building sometime in the next month.

"We'll be able to start construction," said Baye Adofo-Wilson, the city's deputy mayor for housing and economic development. "We're going to have groundbreaking ceremony in two weeks."

Despite high-profile backing by Boraie and NBA great Shaquille O'Neal, the $68 million tower at the former Science High School site on Rector Street has been stuck in neutral for more than two years after a high-profile ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2013.

It has been billed as Newark's first new residential high-rise since 1962, and its blueprints call for a grand addition to the city's skyline.

RELATED: Why NJPAC's next big act is still a parking lot

The distinct facade and decorative entryway of the roughly 120-year-old former malt factory and high school would be preserved, with the 26-story glass-and-steel tower rising behind it. Retail shops would inhabit its ground floor, while residents of the 169 apartments above it would be treated to views of the Passaic River and the rest of downtown.

Adofo-Wilson said rising construction costs had prevented the project from progressing - its original price tag was pegged at $60 million - and the deal was the product of talks with Boraie President Omar Boraie intended to push through the financial challenges.

The would-be site of the high-rise apartment building, a 120-year-old former malt factory that was most recently home to Newark's Science High School. The school shut its doors in 2006. (Dan Ivers | NJ Advance Media)

"We've been though a lengthy negotiation on this to ensure that he would be shovel ready, and he has met conditions put before him," Adofo-Wilson said.

Boraie Vice President Wasseem Boraie said the project if being financed by $35 million in loans provided by Goldman Sachs and just under $24 million in Urban Transit Hub tax grants, with the remainder coming from the developer and other private sources.

The project will also benefit from a 30-year tax abatement granted by city officials in April 2013.

Rehabilitation work on the existing building is likely to take about 60 days, after which the tower should begin to emerge from behind the nearby New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Officials say the entire construction process is expected to last 15 to 17 months.

After two years of delays, news that work was finally imminent came as a great relief to council members at Tuesday's meeting.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," she said.

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

 

Authorities have identified the decapitated remains as a missing 50-year-old Newark woman.

NEWARK -- The remains found Monday inside the garage of a Newark residence have been identified as belonging to a missing 50-year-old Newark woman, officials said Tuesday afternoon.

The body of Pamela Davis was found wrapped inside a blanket at a residence in the 800 block of South 11th Street late Monday evening, said Thomas Fennelly, Chief Assistant Prosecutor for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Police have been searching for Davis since Oct. 30, when she was first reported missing, he confirmed.

The specifics of Davis' death were not immediately made available. It remains unclear whether Davis' body was dismembered before or after her death.

An investigation into the cause of her death is under investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Task Force, officials said.

MORE: Headless body found in Newark garage, sources say

Sources close to the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told NJ Advance Media that Davis' body was found decapitated.

Authorities declined to comment on the condition of Davis' remains. But Davis was a resident of a home located on the same block where her body was found, Fennelly said.

Reached at Davis' home Tuesday afternoon, a man who identified himself as her son declined to comment.

Newark police officers made the grim discovery late Monday evening after receiving reports of a foul smell emanating from a garage at the South 11th Street residence, officials said.

Investigators from the Newark Police Department and Essex County Prosecutor's Office were still at the scene Tuesday afternoon.

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

Andre Higgs, 43, of Watchung, was indicted on Friday on murder and related charges in the May 1 killing of Latrena May, 27, who also was a beloved teacher in East Orange

NEWARK -- A man has been indicted on charges of fatally shooting the mother of his daughter outside her East Orange home in May while the four-year-old girl was inside the residence.

Andre Higgs, 43, of Watchung, was indicted on Friday on murder and related charges in the May 1 killing of Latrena May, 27, who also was a beloved teacher in East Orange.

In addition to murder, Higgs was indicted on weapons charges, possession of heroin, endangering the welfare of a child, hindering his own prosecution and aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a gun at a police officer.

Higgs was released from custody on Aug. 14 after posting $1 million bail.

Higgs is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Nov. 30 before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler. Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab is handling the case.

MORE: Suspect released on $1M bail in killing of beloved teacher

The shooting occurred after Higgs and May were arguing on the porch of her home on the 100 block of Tremont Avenue in East Orange, authorities said. Their daughter was inside the home at the time, according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

As May flagged down a police officer patrolling the area, Higgs shot her and the officer then shot Higgs, authorities said. After he was shot, Higgs went into the house with the weapon before he was apprehended, Carter said.

May was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Higgs was treated at University Hospital in Newark and transferred on May 11 to the Essex County Correctional Facility, where he remained until posting the $1 million bail.

Latrena MayFile photo 

Before Higgs was released from the county jail, his attorney, Sebastian Bio, indicated in court that the bail would be posted in large part with a property bond covering about $706,000 in equity from Higgs's Watchung home. The house is worth nearly $1.2 million, Bio said at the time.

The 4,619-square-foot house in Watchung is located on one acre along Valley Road, public records show.

Higgs was previously convicted of aggravated assault and drug and weapons offenses, court records show.

A teacher at Pride Academy Charter School in East Orange, May has been remembered as a dedicated and passionate educator who showed "unconditional kindness" to others.

Fiona Thomas, the school's principal, previously said in a statement that May possessed a "beautiful spirit of unconditional kindness and service to others."

"Miss May was a dedicated and highly respected member of our staff, and her many contributions to our school over the past 6 years have strengthened and enriched all of us," Thomas said.

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

City resident was captured by fugitive unit Tuesday

NEWARK -- A 34-year-old city man was arrested by the police department's Fugitive Apprehension Team Tuesday morning on domestic-violence charges, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said. 

 

Tajiddin Rainey, who was picked up in the 100 block of South Harrison Street in East Orange, has been at large since Friday.

Police were called to a Prince Street home that day on a terroristic threat complaint. A 25-year-old woman told arriving officers her brother, Rainey, choked her during a dispute and threatened to kill her if she called police, Glover said. Rainey was allegedly holding a gun when he threatened the woman.

The woman broke free from Rainey's chokehold and ran from the apartment, Glover also said. Rainey had left the home before police arrived.  

Rainey, who Glover said was armed with a loaded .45-caliber handgun when he was arrested, has been charged with making terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

"I applaud the efforts of the members of Fugitive Apprehension Team who worked hand -in -hand with detectives from the Robbery Squad with the mutual purpose of removing this dangerous individual from our streets," stated Police Director Eugene Venable.

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

 

Driver stopped, found to have gun, police say

NEWARK -- Two city residents have been arrested on drugs and weapons charges in separate incidents.

Shortly before midnight Monday, members of the police department's violence reduction initiative -- which includes personnel from the FBI, State Police, the Essex County prosecutor's Office and Sheriff's Department, as well as city Gang and Ceasefire unit members -- were patrolling near S. 19th and Springfield avenues when the saw a motor-vehicle infraction, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said. 

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After pulling the vehicle over, officers approached and saw the driver remove something from his waistband and stuff it under his seat, Glover said. The driver, 32-year-old Gary Ward, was told to show his hands.

With Ward secured, police pointed a flashlight onto the front seat and found a .380 semi-automatic underneath, Glover said. Ward was charged with weapons offenses and issued summonses for motor-vehicle violations.

Another city man was arrested Sunday night after police received a tip that someone was dealing drugs out of a building near Garside and Kearny streets.
Officers, who had been tipped off on how to procure the drugs, knocked on the window of the abandoned structure, Glover said. When Dominica Carpio, 25, answered and saw the officer's badge, Carpio ran, stopping to grab several items from a nearby dresser, Glover said.

He added that Carpio was quickly caught and a search turned up the items from the dresser Carpio had tossed, including a silver handgun, cocaine and drug paraphernalia. Carpio was charged with multiple violations of the state's weapons and narcotics laws. 

"The officers in the field are just as invested in the safety of our citizens as the citizens are in helping the police to abate crime issues. I applaud the continued support from our residents via the anonymous tip line and the work that all the officers do every day here in Newark," said Police Director Eugene Venable.

Police are asking that anyone with information about this or any other crime call the department's 24-hour "Crime Stoppers" anonymous tip line at 877 NWK-TIPS (877 695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877 695-4867).

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

The nonprofit says it continued to provide mentors for Jersey City students because it hadn't been told the district wanted to halt the program after on year.

The Jersey City public-school district owes Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson and Union Counties more than $400,000 in back payments for a mentorship program that began in 2011, the nonprofit alleges in a new lawsuit.

The group alleges school officials said they wanted Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide mentors for public-school students for a minimum of three years starting in 2011 at an annual cost of $232,012 -- but then halted the program after one year without telling the Newark-based nonprofit.

Big Brothers Big Sisters says in its 26-page lawsuit, which it plans to file this week in Essex County Superior Court, that the group continued to provide mentors well into 2014 because various district employees spent 2012 and 2013 leading the nonprofit to believe that the program was still alive.

Even though the group did not receive payments after 2011, Big Brothers Big Sisters says in the suit that it thought the unpaid invoices resulted from administrative errors. The group says it was stunned to find out in 2014 that school officials had decided in 2011 to halt the program after one year.

"Building a strong and vibrant mentoring program, one that leads to tangible results for the young people of Jersey City, takes years to build," Michele Williers, chief operating officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, said in a statement. "Finding the perfect match between a child and a positive adult mentor and allowing that relationship to develop into one of trust and companionship is not something that can be done in a one-off year."

The initial contract, signed in 2010, was for one year, but Big Brothers Big Sisters says in its suit that school officials had said they envisioned the program lasting for another two years.

Vidya Gangadin, president of the school board, which is named as a defendant along with the district, referred all questions to district spokeswoman Maryann Dickar. Dickar told The Jersey Journal that Big Brothers Big Sisters "has been paid by the district for all services they provided under a contract that ended several years ago."

"The current dispute involves many thousands of dollars in payments sought by BBBS for services it allegedly provided by volunteers and others after a contract ended," Dickar said. "The district has hoped to resolve the dispute, however, settlement has not been reached."

Big Brothers Big Sisters is seeking more than $464,024 -- the annual sum it says it was promised for 2012 and 2013, plus an unspecified amount for work it did in part of 2014. The amount was intended to pay for background checks, teaching materials, recruitment, administrative costs and more, according to the lawsuit.

Dorothy Perry, 51, who lives on the West Side, told The Jersey Journal the program helped her son, Jaleel, when he was going through a rough time in his life. His older brother was shot and killed during a shootout in December 2009, and his father later died of cancer.

Without the mentorship program, which brought "big brother" Joel into his life, Jaleel "could have gone another way," Perry said.

"Having him made a big impact on his life," she said, adding that her son is now hoping to enroll in college.

Big Brothers Big Sisters say it has had to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to continue operating while it awaits payment from Jersey City's school district.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.

 

The court filings by attorneys for Bridgegate defendants Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, outlining their objections to the government's evidence in the 2013 shutdown of lanes at the George Washington Bridge that ignited a scandal.

NEWARK--Attorneys for Bridgegate defendants Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to the governor, filed their first major motions in court on late Tuesday in response to the government's disclosure of the evidence it will use in the high-profile political corruption case.

Here are the filings made in federal court in Newark:

Defense motion on behalf of William Baroni

Defense motion on behalf of Bridget Anne Kelly

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

The landing was the result of a scheduling snafu, a Prudential Center spokesman said. Watch video

NEWARK -- It wasn't what they expected as they were preparing to take the field Sunday night.

According to parents of the STA U13 youth soccer team, security personnel cleared the field at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark at 7:15 p.m., about 15 minutes before their sons' game against the Cedar Stars Pre-Academy team was supposed to start. The two teams are part of an elite soccer league, STA coach Sean Sweeney said.

The landing was the result of a scheduling snafu, a Prudential Center spokesman said. (Courtesy STA team parents)Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

The chopper, parents said they were informed, belonged to N.J. Devils co-owner Josh Harris. It was supposed to land on the field and wait for Harris to come from the Devils game at the nearby Prudential Center, they said.

But, Sunday night's Devils game went into overtime. By about 8 p.m., the parents and coaches said they decided to just cancel the game.

"I've never seen anything like that before," said Bruce Miller, an STA parent from Livingston who said he and his son got to the field at about 6:45 p.m.

"Is this really the only place in Newark that someone can land a helicopter?"

STA parents said they have never played a game on the St. Benedict's field before, as it is one of the fields rented by the Cedar Stars. Neither the school nor the Stars returned a call requesting comment, but according to the team's website, it has been partnering with the private school since 2014.

According to a Prudential Center spokesman, Harris regularly uses the field as a helipad, as do other helicopters that land in the area. Generally, he said, the helicopter landings are scheduled through the school so they don't conflict with other field uses.

The STA team. (Courtesy Sean Sweeney) 

Sunday night's game interruption was caused by a scheduling hiccup that Harris did not know about, the spokesman said.

Still, Sweeney called the interruption "quite disappointing."

"We have great, supportive families who invest a lot of time and money into their kids playing soccer...Many traveled quite a distance to the game, and they had to just turn around and go home." The coach said the game will be rescheduled, likely at a different field.

Harris plans to reach out to the players affected by the helicopter landing and invite them to a Devils game to help make up the time lost, the spokesman said.

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

 

Writer offers new take on the 'Mr. Men' and 'Little Miss' children's books

Thanks to the "Mr. Men" and "Little Miss" series of children's books created by the English author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves in the 1970s and '80s, the world knows Mr. Happy, Mr. Messy, Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Bossy. These brightly colored, round-faced caricatures relayed lessons about the human condition to the youngest readers.

Now, say hello to the smartphone-toting "Little Miss Basic," "Little Miss Overshare," "Mr. Humblebrag" and "Mr. Selfie." This string of 21st-century personalities, all heavily influenced -- and enabled -- by the culture of social media, are the first characters in the "Little Miss and Mr. Me Me Me" series (Three Rivers Press, October 2015), one New Jersey writer's stab at the now-thriving genre of adult children's book parody. 

To be clear, the book series, while playfully illustrated, is not for children. 

Dan Zevin, 51, the author of the four books, is a humor writer who lives in Westchester, N.Y., but hails from Essex County. He calls his characters "modern-day dysfunctional personality types."

Zevin used to read the original "Mr. Men" and "Little Miss" books to his own children, and has a Hargreaves collection at his parents' house in Short Hills. But he'll only allow his oldest, 12-year-old Leo, to see his new series. 

Coming in 2016: 'Little Miss Passive-Aggressive' and 'Mr. Emotionally Unavailable.' (Three Rivers Press)
 

"They're not dirty," Zevin says. "They're just sort of edgy." 

The market for children's books designed for adults has surged in recent years. One of the more successful children's book satires in recent memory, "Go the F--- to Sleep" (Akashic Books, 2011), a play on a bedtime story, was penned by former Rutgers professor Adam Mansbach. It reached the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list and hit No. 1 on Amazon before it was even released, leading to sales of more than 1.5 million copies and translation into 30 languages.

The author, Dan Zevin. (Courtesy Dan Zevin)
 

Zevin's "Mr. Men" and "Little Miss" parodies are written with a similar spirit of critical mockery but with more outright levity than Mansbach's exasperated parent. 

"The original ('Mr. Men' and 'Little Miss') books were meant to teach children lessons about bad behavior (i.e., don't be messy, a chatterbox, bossy, etc.) but what we loved about Dan's parodies is that they skewer today's regrettable, completely annoying adult behaviors," writes Amanda Patten, senior editor at Crown Publishing Group, in an email message. (Crown is the division of Random House of which Zevin's publisher, Three Rivers Press, is an imprint.)

"These children's book parodies for adults seem to be resonating because today's overworked, overtired parents need a laugh," Patten says. 

Zevin's formula for modern satire of the Mr. Men and Little Misses is as follows: dysfunction plus social media equals "comedy gold." His publisher started Twitter accounts for each character. ("Just ate 4 Girl Scout Samoas but meditated during it so the thought of what I was doing would pass thru my mind and I would gently let it go," Little Miss Basic recently tweeted.)

RELATED: Rad dad: Dan Zevin 'Gets a Minivan,' Thurber Prize for humor writing

Zevin, who won the Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2013 for his book "Dan Gets a Minivan: Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad" (Scribner, 2012), used the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to help him with his portrayal of personality types. 

Mr. Selfie, for example, may have his phone glued to his hand as a result of his penchant for taking and sharing self-portraits, but he also exhibits "a complete narcissistic personality disorder," Zevin says. 

Mr. Humblebrag -- the term was coined by "Parks and Recreation" writer Harris Wittels in 2010 -- is a boastful person who thinks it's OK to brag if he injects a little humility into his bragging. ("Everybody loves a winner, as long as he acts like a loser," Mr. Humblebrag says at the start of that book.)

A page from 'Mr. Selfie.' (Three Rivers Press)
 

Little Miss Basic, meanwhile, is similarly occupied with social media, but can be generally diagnosed as displaying questionable perceptions and priorities. For instance, she admires a homeless man for his sticklike body.

Zevin writes: "He is vegan, she thought. Or possibly paleo." The father of two first noticed the "basic" set -- the Urban Dictionary defines this type of person as possessing "obscenely obvious" behavior, wardrobe or actions -- by their identical Uggs and lattes. 

"Not everyone understands what that is," Zevin says, comparing this "type" to the valley girls of his youth. "Millennials know. I asked my babysitter for help." 

RELATED: 'Go the F--- to Sleep': An ode to childhood insomnia

Little Miss Overshare, however, is not necessarily defined by her age. The "TMI" problem isn't confined to one generation, but "often not millennials," Zevin says. "It's their mothers." The writer was recently horrified to see that a parent had thought it acceptable to share a photo of her child's tooth on social media, fresh out of the mouth and still bloody. 

The illustrator of the book, Dylan Klymenko, is also from Short Hills -- a fact Zevin discovered only after the two had been corresponding for weeks online. Klymenko, 29, wasn't as familiar with the original books, and found himself sitting hunched over on a chair for toddlers at the Millburn Free Public Library to do research. 

Little Miss Basic goes out on the town. (Three Rivers Press)
 

Klymenko, a former advertising writer, started the one-panel web comic "Upside Down Grin" in 2011. His dot-dot smile illustration style, which has been compared to the type of characters in the popular Cartoon Network series "Adventure Time," also has much in common with the innocent, whimsical "Mr. Men" and "Little Miss" characters drawn by Hargreaves.

And while children's book satires have proven to be popular with parents and other adult audiences, Klymenko thinks a certain nostalgia factor also drives those familiar with the original books to the "Mr." and "Little Miss" parodies. 

In March, Klymenko and Zevin will debut another lineup of misfits -- "Little Miss Passive-Aggressive," "Mr. Emotionally Unavailable," "Little Miss Hot Mess" and "Mr. Baller." 

The artist says the goal was to have "cute characters behave in non-cute ways." 

Mr. Selfie, for example, having been gored by a wildebeast at the zoo because he insisted on taking a selfie inside its cage, is hospitalized. He quickly snaps a selfie of his injuries to share on Facebook. 

The term 'humblebrag' didn't exist when Roger Hargreaves created the 'Mr. Men' series. (Three Rivers Press)
 

"At that moment, he felt like one lucky fellow," Zevin writes. "His sympathy selfie was killing it! Mr. Selfie had lost a leg, yet he'd gained something far more valuable. A sh-tload of Likes."

"Go the F--- to Sleep," which got a sequel last year called "You Have to F---ing Eat," made even more waves when Samuel L. Jackson performed a reading of the book (the sequel got treatments from Bryan Cranston and Stephen Fry). There was something especially compelling about such a well-known voice narrating the satire.

Legendary TV host Dick Cavett sat for a reading of "Mr. Humblebrag" for comedy website Funny or Die after Zevin happened to meet him at an event on Long Island. It's hard not to smile when Cavett utters the words "hashtag grateful" and "hashtag poor." 

And Klymenko says that even though the aim is comedy, there's a certain truth to the books -- for this reason, Little Miss Basic and Mr. Selfie are his favorites. 

"You're either an offender yourself or you know someone who is," he says. "I know someone for each one of those characters." 

Two women broke out in a fight at the supermarket Tuesday morning, police said.

Two women broke out in a fight at the supermarket Tuesday morning, police said. (File photo)
 

MILLBURN -- A ShopRite employee was taken to the hospital Tuesday after breaking into a fight with a co-worker at the Main Street supermarket, police confirmed Wednesday.

Two of the store's employees broke out into a fight during a work-related argument at about 9:58 a.m., Millburn Police Capt. Michael Mulligan confirmed. One of the women suffered "bumps to the head," and was transported to St. Barnabas Medical Center for treatment, he said.

Both employees were women - a 20-year-old from Vauxhall and a 22-year-old from Irvington, authorities said.

Police said they advised both women involved in the dispute that they could sign simple assault complaints in Millburn Municipal Court. The court offices were closed Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day, so could not answer a call for comment.

A spokesperson for ShopRite acknowledged but did not respond to a request for comment.

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

 

After allegedly being found asleep at the wheel, Demelo fled at a high rate of speed, police said

                                                                                  (File photo)
 

PARSIPPANY -- A 39-year-old man from the Haskell section of Wanaque in Passaic County faces numerous charges after he allegedly led police from Parsippany and neighboring communities on a chase along Route 46 on Saturday.

The incident started when Jason Demelo was allegedly seen "slumped to the right side" inside his car, just past the driveway apron of the Days Inn, with the car's blinker on and not parked in a parking space, Parsippany police said.

Demelo, whose stereo was playing at a high volume, woke up after "several attempts" by an officer, police said. 

Demelo was asked to produce his documents, and after he failed to do so, he "turned his vehicle on and fled down Route 46 east," police said.

RELATED: Parsippany police identify man killed in Rt. 46 accident

Police in two vehicles followed him, but soon terminated the pursuit, they said.

Police departments from outside Parsippany got involved and the vehicle was stopped, police said.

Demelo was charged by Parsippany police with 17 offenses, including eluding an officer, speeding, failure to observe traffic lanes, failure to maintain lane, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to give proper signal, failure to yield at an intersection and being an unlicensed driver, police said.

Demelo was also charged by other police agencies and was held at the Essex County jail on $25,000 bail, with no 10-percent option, Parsippany police said.

Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

 

After his brief "Fifth Beatle" stint, White went on to work with industry icons Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry, Herman's Hermits and more Watch video

CALDWELL -- Andy White, a Glasgow-born drummer who tapped the skins for The Beatles before Ringo Starr, died Monday, according to BBC News. The longtime Caldwell resident was 85. 

In 1962, the career session percussionist was called in to record "Love Me Do" -- what would become the band's first U.S. No. 1 single -- after a less than successful try-out with Starr. 

Andy White, in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Andy White) 

"It was Ringo's first time in a recording studio," said Mark Lewisohn, a British rock historian who spoke to The Star-Ledger in 2012 for a profile on White. "He was rather desperate to impress. He decided to play drums with maracas."

"I had vaguely heard of The Beatles," White said in 2012. "I liked the stuff they were doing." 

And on Starr's first impressions with the band: "He was playing a bit behind the beat, which is not what a drummer should do," he laughed. 

White took over the kit that day in '62, and worked with Paul McCartney and John Lennon on the rhythms while Starr played tambourine on the track. The same was the case for the Beatles tunes "P.S. I Love You" and "Please Please Me." The latter song would later be released with Starr's drumming, not White's. 

His three hours of work earned White a measly 5 pounds and no royalties. See more on White's time with The Beatles in an NJ.com video posted below. 

MORE: A full 2012 profile on Andy White with The Star-Ledger   

After his brief "Fifth Beatle" stint, White went on to work with industry icons Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry, Herman's Hermits and more. He was featured on Tom Jone's 1965 hit "It's Not Unusual." 

Later in life -- he moved to New Jersey in 1983 -- he took on the role of drumming instructor, and performed in Scottish pipe and drum bands. He helped teach the New York Metro Pipe Band, who spoke of White as "an all round gentleman" on its Facebook page. He also participated and instructed in the Friendly Sons of Shillelagh Essex Chapter pipe and drums band, based at Shillelagh Club in West Orange.  

"He was very dedicated teacher, and quite a humble man," said Barney Rafferty, pipe major for the band. "For all of his accomplishments, if you asked him about his time with The Beatles, he'd just say he was a session drummer and it was something he got paid for."

In 2012, Jersey rockers The Smithereens brought White on to record a version of "P.S. I Love You," for the group's new cover album.  

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

 

School was temporarily on lockdown, officials said.

School was temporarily on lockdown, officials said. (File photo)
 

MAPLEWOOD -- A ninth grade student was taken into custody Wednesday after police say he made an online threat to his high school that caused its students and staff to go on lockdown, police confirmed.

According to a statement from Maplewood Police Capt. Dawn Williams, the school was locked down shortly before 8 a.m., when Columbia High School officials alerted police to a threat made to the school via social media.

After an investigation into the threat, a 14-year-old student was arrested at his home in South Orange, Williams said. He was charged and released to a parent, police said. The exact charges were not immediately released.

ALSO: How a wrestling move and a tweet turned into an unfounded school shooting threat

Police did not release information on the contents of the threat, but according to a VillageGreenNJ.com report, a screenshot submitted to the police department showed a post saying, "When I get to 1K I'll post a video of me shooting up the school."

A school spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.

Police said they are continuing to investigate the incident.

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

 

East Orange General Hospital filed for bankruptcy Wednesday in the midst of a plan for it to be acquired by a national for-profit chain of health facilities.

TRENTON -- Buckling under nearly $26 million in debt, East Orange General Hospital has filed for bankruptcy protection - just as it is on the verge of being acquired by a national for-profit hospital chain.  

This is the second hospital in Essex County to declare bankruptcy in three months. Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark is scheduled to be in bankruptcy court Thursday to accept a $62.2 million bid from Prime Healthcare Services, another for-profit chain based in California.

East Orange General Hospital officials filed for bankruptcy Tuesday, according to an announcement from Interim CEO Martin Beiber Wednesday. The move was necessary, according to his statement, because "the organization's liquid resources have been depleted to a point that it is unable to complete the transaction without having the ability to financially restructure its operations."

Prospect Medical Holdings in Los Angeles signed an $84 million deal to buy the 211-bed independent community hospital in May 2014. The legally required review of the sale by the state Attorney General, the state Department of Health and a Superior Court judge was completed on Oct. 28, according to the hospital.

The operating losses are still sizable but have greatly diminished in the last year since Bieber became interim CEO, by hiring a financial consultant, cutting "unnecessary contracts with vendors and renegotiating contracts with physicians" among other measures, court records said. The hospital lost $200,000 last month, compared to the $1.1 million monthly in November 2014, according to court records.

Prospect emphasized its continued interest in buying the hospital.

"Prospect has invested in East Orange General Hospital for more than two years while we jointly went through the regulatory approval process. We believe Prospect is the best solution for EOGH in this rapidly changing healthcare environment, and we look forward to successfully concluding the transaction and becoming part of the East Orange community," according to Prospect's statement.

RELATED: For-profit company to buy East Orange General Hospital for $84 million

The hospital's attorney, Kenneth Rosen of Lowenstein Sandler, agreed.

"Although there has been much progress in the preceding year it was determined that the best way to successfully and rapidly address the financial difficulties of EOGH -- and to assure that the hospital would continue to provide uninterrupted critical care for the community -- was to commence a reorganization bankruptcy case," Rosen said. 

"Mission number one is preserve the health care asset for the community, get creditors paid, and job preservation," Rosen said. There are 860 employees.

A national hospital consultant hired by the state issued a report earlier this year saying there were too many hospital beds in the Newark region. The consultant, Navigant, recommended that Saint Michael's and East Orange be closed and turned into same-day care and surgery centers. Community and labor union leaders have fought to save these hospitals, however. Prime and Prospect have remained committed to the acquisitions. 

The hospital has been struggling "old debt," including about $13 million loaned byNew Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, the Bank of New York Mellon and PNC for capital improvements projects, the records said. 

Vendors are owed at least $10.6 million, including lawyers, energy companies, an information technology firm, and managed care company.

"This filing will enable the hospital to remain current with its ongoing obligations while we renegotiate some contracts and emerge stronger," Bieber said.

East Orange is Essex County's only independent acute care hospital, and a recognized "as a leader in behavioral health services, renal dialysis, wound care, diagnostic services, emergency services and family health care," Bieber's statement said. 

Linda Schwimmer, president and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, a consumer advocacy and research group, said the bankruptcy filings "makes a whole lot of sense" based on the court filings.

"They can keep the lights on; literally -- they are seeking a "utility" order requiring that the power be kept on" Schwimmer said. "They can use their cash on hand without their secured creditor taking it. They can enter into staffing contracts to keep the place running. And it gives them the breathing room they need to complete the sale -- which they say they will do in 60 days or so."

Health care experts have said the the turmoil in New Jersey's hospital industry has been created largely by the passage of the Affordable Care Act -- with its reliance on Medicare funds from hospitals to help pay for the program, and its overarching strategy of trimming costs by providing more preventive and outpatient care.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.