Ranking the counties

WOODLAND PARK - East Side High School held its 2017 prom on May 31st at the Westmount Country Club. The students danced to the music played by DJs Unlimited. Be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom. SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @njdotcom and on Instagram @njdotcom. Then tag your photos #njprom. We'll retweet and repost the best pics!  Aristide...

WOODLAND PARK - East Side High School held its 2017 prom on May 31st at the Westmount Country Club. The students danced to the music played by DJs Unlimited.

Be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom.

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @njdotcom and on Instagram @njdotcom. Then tag your photos #njprom. We'll retweet and repost the best pics! 

Aristide Economopoulos can be reached at aeconomopoulos@njadvancemedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @AristideNJAM and Instagram at @aeconomopoulos  Find NJ.com on Facebook

Andre Higgs is charged with murder and other offenses in the woman's death

NEWARK -- The day prosecutors allege Andre Higgs shot Latrena May, Juliet Kerr was looking out the window of her East Orange home, she told an Essex County jury Wednesday.

"I can't get that sound out of my head," said Kerr, who described May falling down on the steps of her Tremont Avenue home. "Hell broke loose after she fell."

Higgs, 45, of Watchung, is on trial before Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler in Newark on charges of murder and other offenses in the May 1, 2015 killing of May, a 27-year-old charter school teacher and the mother of Higgs' daughter.

Higgs, who owned the apartment building May lived in, is accused of shooting her three times with a .45-caliber pistol after she flagged down a passing police officer, Detective Kemon Lee of the East Orange Police Department, who subsequently shot Higgs.

Higgs' defense team, Remi Spencer and Joseph P. Rem Jr., have presented an alternate theory: That Lee shot first, causing Higgs to inadvertently fire his gun into May.

Kerr, who lived next to May, testified she saw May talking to Lee from the steps when she heard the woman say "stop," and the officer tell someone to "put the gun down."

She heard a loud noise and saw smoke drifting upward from near the apartment's doorway. After May fell, Kerr said there was rapid gunfire.

"I can't tell if it's 10, if it's 100, if it's 2, because it's a lot," she said.

An assistant medical examiner previously told the jury May was shot three times with one of the bullets puncturing both lungs and major arteries. Lee testified he fired his own weapon nine times. Five of those bullets are said to have struck Higgs.

Kerr could hear the him yelling "shots fired" into his radio after the gunfire erupted, she said.

Joseph Jackson and Reshanda Richmond, who lived upstairs in May's building at on Tremont Avenue with Richmond's son, both testified to having heard yelling downstairs prior to the shooting.

Richmond said she heard May yelling for police prior to the shooting, and Higgs addressing the officer as "my man."

Like Kerr, Jackson said he remembered hearing May say, "No, stop," prior to the first shots, although he told Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab he didn't know who she was speaking to.

Jackson said Higgs' then 4-year-old daughter later came upstairs and knocked on their door after the family barricaded themselves for safety.

"I moved the couches, opened the door and pulled her in," he said. The girl was unharmed.

In a 911 call played for the jury, Jackson can be heard telling a dispatcher that a wounded Higgs has retreated back into the building.

"He's on the first floor making noise -- he's hurt," he said. "I can't see where he is."

Higgs ultimately was arrested inside the building after it was surrounded by East Orange police.

When Jackson later went downstairs, he said, he saw a "trail of blood" through the hallway between the front door and May's apartment.

Attorneys spar over cop's shooting of defendant

Lt. Randolph Root, a prosecutor's office detective who supervised crime scene investigators, testified Wednesday that surveillance video he obtained from a nearby property didn't capture the events at May's building.

The video did capture a person getting out of a pickup across the street and walking toward May's home, as well as a police car coming down the street.

On cross examination, Spencer pressed Root on why he didn't prepare a report on the actions of his crime scene detectives, and on whether he had sent an email to his superior summarizing the investigation.

The lieutenant said he could not recall exactly what he had done on May 2 when he returned to the Prosecutor's Office following the on-scene investigation.

"That's why you're trained to write reports, right," Spencer asked.

"We're definitely trained to write reports," he said.

On redirect examination by Edwab, Root explained a report of the crime scene investigation was prepared by one of his subordinate detectives at his direction, as is customary in the unit, and identified the report he personally had signed off on.

The trial is expected to resume Thursday.

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

There were 16 sectional champs crowned Tuesday and Wednesday. Now the non-publics get their turn.

Who shined on Tuesday and Wednesday?

Arrest came after pursuit, according to authorities.

ORANGE -- A man was arrested after he accidentally shot himself in the foot as he fled from Orange police near the South Orange line Wednesday night, officials said.

Shafonn Wertz, 20, of Orange, was charged with eluding and weapons-related offenses, according to a city spokesman.

A vehicle pursuit began near Orange Park after police responded to a report of a "suspicious person" in the area, city spokesman Keith Royster said. It was not immediately clear what led officers to chase Wertz.

Wertz shot himself during a foot chase that followed the vehicle pursuit, according to officials.

There were no other reported injuries, according to police. Wertz was wearing a monitoring bracelet when he was arrested.

Orange Mayor Dwayne D. Warren praised the coordinated effort between Orange and South Orange police in making the arrest.

"The coordinated efforts by the Orange and South Orange police to apprehend this suspect sends a clear message to criminals; you can't avoid justice by fleeing to a neighboring city," the mayor said in a statement. "We will pursue you, arrest you and prosecute you to the limits of the law."

Records show Wertz was released from the Essex County jail in March after he was arrested on charges of receiving stolen property.

Additional details on the arrest were expected to be released Thursday.

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

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The number may surprise you

Cedar Grove High school students turned out in their finest for their prom night held at The Venetian in Garfield on Thursday night. Prom season is in full swing and NJ.com is capturing the moments for many New Jersey high schools. Check back at nj.com/essex for other local high school prom coverage in the coming weeks. Be sure to check...

Cedar Grove High school students turned out in their finest for their prom night held at The Venetian in Garfield on Thursday night.

Prom season is in full swing and NJ.com is capturing the moments for many New Jersey high schools. Check back at nj.com/essex for other local high school prom coverage in the coming weeks.

Be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom.

BUY THESE PHOTOS

Are you one of the people pictured at this prom? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a link in the photo caption to purchase the picture. You'll have the ability to order prints in a variety of sizes, or products like magnets, keychains, coffee mugs and more.

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Let's see your prom photos. Post your pictures on Twitter and Instragram with #njprom. We'll retweet and repost our favorites on Twitter @njdotcom and Instagram @njdotcompix.

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

Prosecutors say he faces 10 to 20 years in prison for the new conviction.

NEWARK -- An Essex County jury on Thursday convicted a city man of plotting a murder less than two years after a state appeals court overturned his conviction and 30-year sentence for two other homicides in 2003.

Wali Williams. (Essex County Prosecutor's Office)

Following a trial before Superior Court Judge Martin G. Cronin, the jury found Wali Williams, 32, guilty of conspiracy but acquitted him of murder in the March 3, 2014 death of Anthony Flowers, 22, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

In the 2014 case, which was tried by assistant prosecutors Carlo Fioranelli and John Anderson, authorities alleged Williams shot Flowers on Avon Avenue at South 11th Street, after Flowers and his brother confronted him over an assault on a third brother.

The Prosecutors Office previously said that Williams and two other men attacked Flowers' brother when he tried to return a woman's ID Flowers had found, which Williams and his co-conspirators accused him of stealing.

Williams was later indicted on murder, conspiracy and weapons charges in Flowers' death.

Williams had been released from state prison the previous May after a judge overturned his conviction for murder in the Nov. 13, 2003 shooting deaths of Alonzo Brown and Shafadine Sutton.

Authorities at the time said Williams shot Brown, 15, and Sutton, 22, in separate incidents during a robbery spree through South Orange, East Orange and Newark.

One of Williams' co-defendants, Johnnie Davila, later appealed his conviction to the state Supreme Court, which found key evidence in the case may have been illegally seized in a warrantless search, which police justified as a "protective sweep" for potential dangers.

The high court ordered a new hearing on the search by a state Superior Court judge, who threw out Williams' conviction.

Prosecutors say Williams, who also has a previous conviction for aggravated assault, faces 10 to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 17.

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

Barringer High School students celebrated their prom at The Manor in West Orange.

WEST ORANGE -- It was a night to remember for Barringer Academy of the Arts & Humanities students as they celebrated their prom on Friday at The Manor in West Orange.

Dressed in elegant gowns and stylish tuxedos prom-goers socialized, posed for photos and danced the night away.

Check back at nj.com/essex for other local high school prom coverage. And be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom.

BUY THESE PHOTOS

Are you one of the people pictured at this prom? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a link below the photo caption to purchase the picture. You'll have the ability to order prints in a variety of sizes, or products like magnets, keychains, coffee mugs and more.

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Let's see your prom photos. Post your pictures on Twitter and Instragram with #njprom. We'll retweet and repost our favorites on Twitter @njdotcom and Instagram @njdotcompix.

Patti Sapone may be reached at psapone@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Instagram @psapo,  Twitter @psapone.  Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Prom season continues in Essex County

Cedar Grove High school students turned out in their finest for their prom night held at The Venetian in Garfield on Thursday night.

Prom season is in full swing and NJ.com is capturing the moments for many New Jersey high schools. Check back at nj.com/essex for other local high school prom coverage in the coming weeks.

Be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom.

BUY THESE PHOTOS

Are you one of the people pictured at this prom? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a link in the photo caption to purchase the picture. You'll have the ability to order prints in a variety of sizes, or products like magnets, keychains, coffee mugs and more.

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Let's see your prom photos. Post your pictures on Twitter and Instragram with #njprom. We'll retweet and repost our favorites on Twitter @njdotcom and Instagram @njdotcompix.

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

They can always blame Amtrak. Watch video

The so-called Summer of Hell will soon commence, and perhaps you are wondering whether New Jersey Transit - the eye-gouging bane of our daily travels and travails - is up to this challenge.

The nation's third-largest commuter railroad is off to an inauspicious start, which is only partly related to its decision to place the entire burden of the Penn Station repair on riders of the Morris-Essex Line, who will be redirected to Hoboken Terminal and then shuttled across to Manhattan via ferry or PATH trains for six weeks.

It's the way the plan was rolled out that echoes the credibility and accountability problems that have turned NJT into the transit equivalent of the '62 Mets, starting with its unique approach to community relations: When elected officials from six towns along the Morris-Essex line showed up in Newark Tuesday for some fact-finding, Executive Director Steve Santoro hid in his office and refused to meet them.

Then came a joint committee hearing chaired by Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Bergen) and Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), which admittedly was not going to mollify anyone, because there is no easy way to explain how the agency will shoe-horn 7,400 more commuters into Hoboken during the morning and evening rush.

What stood out, however, was NJ Transit's continued carping about the dysfunctional landlord-tenant relationship it has with Amtrak, which owns Penn Station. Indeed, it is a problem that screams for a permanent solution, in the form of some new managerial entity that improves the quality of service for the vortex of the Northeast Corridor.

But what NJT omits is its own contribution to the morass buried beneath Madison Square Garden, largely by short-changing its maintenance obligation in the joint benefits agreement it has with Amtrak. NJT used to pay $45 million a year in this capital program. In 2015, it paid nothing. Still, Amtrak - drastically underfunding by Congress itself - is now Gov. Christie's favorite pinata.

Christie made N.J. Transit worse. Can the next gov clean it up? | Editorial

"It's the height of hypocrisy for the governor to blame everything on Amtrak, when most problems stem from his starving NJ Transit of the resources it needs," Sen. Gordon said. "And now we see the manifestations of it."

We cannot say there were better diversion alternatives to the one NJT devised for the impending ordeal, which involves closing three of Penn Station's 21 tracks for eight weeks.

But New Jersey Transit always seems to careen from crisis to crisis, and now the riders from its Midtown Direct Line have to pay the price, in the form of a commute that will take an extra 30 to 45 minutes each way.

"And then, there's the lack of communication, a lack of transparency, and poor decision-making," McKeon added.

Yes, NJ Transit is going to have to be at the top of its game from July 10 to Sept. 18, but it doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Nor did the hearings erase skepticism, especially when Santoro said he was unaware of the conditions at Penn Station until his trains started falling off the tracks in March.

The pros and cons of privatizing Penn Station, explained

It is hardly surprising that Santoro would try that one, given that his boss has raised governmental standards for dodging and demagoguery - always shoving the needle deeper into the red zone on a transportation legacy that includes annual shortfalls, inept patronage hires, alarming breakdown records, federal fines, derailments, rate hikes, and, yes, a fatal crash.

All that was somebody else's fault, in case you haven't heard.

So maybe it's too much to expect NJ Transit to perform like a competent commuter carrier again, now that it has officially adopted the shuck-and-jive technique mastered by our governor. But we'll keep our fingers crossed anyway.

Make our summer, NJT. Dazzle us.

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Car theft continues to dramatically decline in New Jersey. But more than 17 percent of the cars stolen in Newark this year were taken while the vehicles were left running, police say.

NEWARK--In April, a woman parked her 2016 Lexus IS 350 outside a 7-Eleven convenience store on McCarter Highway in Newark. Leaving the car running, she went inside. When she returned, the luxury sedan was gone.

In March, the owner of a 2004 Saab left his car running in front of a barbershop on Irvine Turner Boulevard and went inside for a moment. He turned around to see someone hop into the car, driving away with his wallet, his driver's license and Social Security card.

And in February, the owner of a 2017 BMW X4 left her SUV running while she unloaded groceries. She carried a case of bottled water to the front steps of her home on a tree-lined street in the Weequahic neighborhood of Newark and when she turned around, the BMW was gone.

The fastest way to steal a car these day may not involve hot-wiring it or towing it away. For a lot of thieves, it's just a matter of waiting for opportunity to knock.

Of the more than 770 cars stolen so far in Newark this year, 135 simply had been left running when somebody drove off with it, according to Anthony Ambrose, the city's public safety director.

"They're hard to steal otherwise," he said, noting the sophisticated anti-theft devices now installed in most new cars.

Nationally, one out of every eight thefts came after the driver left the keys or electronic fob in the vehicle. It is not known how many of those cars had been left running.

"It's the easiest way to steal a car," said Roger Morris, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an industry group which tracks insurance fraud and vehicle theft.

Over the past three years, the theft of cars with a key left inside, or a vehicle left running unattended, grew by 31 percent nationwide, but Morris said the number is likely much higher.

"People don't want to admit to making a foolish mistake," Morris remarked. "And it increases each year."

While drivers with a keyless remote start system might feel secure leaving a vehicle running because the car remains locked, Morris said there are electronic devices available that can still open the car.

The number of car thefts have dropped significantly in recent years, in large part due to the introduction of anti-theft systems that make it difficult to make off with a set of hot wheels without the electronic fob that has replaced the key in most new vehicles.

Last year, 11,308 cars, buses and other vehicles were stolen in New Jersey--a decrease of nearly 4 percent and more than half the number of a decade ago.

Yet while that number continues to fall, with the number of stolen vehicles in New Jersey down another 13.9 percent statewide for the first quarter of 2017, Newark has seen a spike this year that police officials attribute almost entirely to the owners of cars left running unattended.

Although many of the grab-and-go car thefts are little more than a crime of opportunity, Morris said there are groups of car thieves in some cities who specifically target places where people are likely to leave key fobs accessible.

"They steal cars and use them to commit other crimes," he said.

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

WOODLAND PARK - Bloomfield High School held its 2017 prom on June 1st at the Westmount Country Club. The students danced to the music played by Jimmy Hemp Productions. Be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom. Bloomfield 2016 prom (PHOTOS) Bloomfield 2015 prom (PHOTOS) Bloomfield 2014 prom (PHOTOS) SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @njdotcom and on Instagram @njdotcom....

WOODLAND PARK - Bloomfield High School held its 2017 prom on June 1st at the Westmount Country Club. The students danced to the music played by Jimmy Hemp Productions.

Be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom.

Bloomfield 2016 prom (PHOTOS)

Bloomfield 2015 prom (PHOTOS)

Bloomfield 2014 prom (PHOTOS)

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @njdotcom and on Instagram @njdotcom. Then tag your photos #njprom. We'll retweet and repost the best pics! 

Aristide Economopoulos can be reached at aeconomopoulos@njadvancemedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @AristideNJAM and Instagram at @aeconomopoulos  Find NJ.com on Facebook

Everything you need for this weekend's action

Andre Higgs is on trial for murder in the shooting death of his child's mother.

NEWARK -- An Essex County jury on Thursday heard from a police supervisor about officers' response the night Andre Higgs is alleged to have fatally shot Latrena May on the steps of her East Orange apartment building, where Higgs himself was shot by a police officer.

Recounting the events of May 1, 2015, Capt. Berkely Jest of the East Orange Police Department told an assistant prosecutor that despite repeated requests from police over a public address system, Higgs -- wounded by the officer's gunfire -- refused to come out of the building where his 4-year-old daughter was sheltered by tenants upstairs.

"If the suspect continued not to comply, at some point we were going to make the decision to go in and get him," Jest said.

Higgs, 45, of Watchung, is on trial before Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler on charges of murder and other offenses in the May 1, 2015 killing of May, the mother of Higgs' daughter and a teacher at Pride Academy Charter School.

Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab has said Higgs shot 27-year-old May three times around 10 p.m. after she flagged down the passing officer, Detective Kemon Lee, who subsequently shot Higgs.

Higgs' attorneys, Remi Spencer and Joseph P. Rem Jr., are attempting to show Lee shot first and caused Higgs to inadvertently fire his own weapon into May.

A dashcam in Lee's patrol vehicle captured him arriving on scene, and later firing at Higgs, but does not show May being shot. The officer's shooting was later reviewed by the state Attorney General's Office, which ruled Lee's use of force was justified.

In a recording of police radio traffic played in the courtroom, Jest and other officers could be heard discussing tactical plans to evacuate neighbors and to arrest Higgs.

The captain also called for the department's Professional Standards Unit, which he said is standard protocol when an officer fires his or her weapon on duty.

Jest told Edwab that, as the on-scene incident commander, he was concerned about possible crossfire between officers if shooting started, and worried that Higgs' standoff could become a hostage situation involving his daughter and May's upstairs neighbors.

Officers later saw blinds in one of the windows move, and the building's front door open and close, he said.

Dashcam footage played for the jury shows officers clad in body armor and carrying ballistic shields making entry into the home, after police learned from tenants that a wounded Higgs was in the downstairs hallway and his daughter was safely upstairs.

"When they brought (Higgs) outside, he appeared to be seriously injured," Jest said.

Joseph Householder, a University Hospital paramedic who treated both May and Higgs, testified that his unit arrived on scene at 10:24 p.m. After emergency personnel were unable to find any signs of life, May was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m.

"There was no potential positive outcome," Householder said. "That's why we performed the pronouncement."

Householder said that by the time he was made aware of the second patient, Higgs had already been loaded into an ambulance. Higgs had been shot multiple times in his lower extremities, but his vital signs were within a normal range, he said.

Higgs was transported to University Hospital for treatment, and later transferred to the Essex County Correctional Facility.

Neighbors describe scene of teacher's killing

On cross-examination, Jest told Spencer that at the time of the incident, he didn't know the extent of Higgs' injuries, or that his gun was empty.

When Spencer questioned his description of Higgs as a "barricaded" suspect, the police captain said the man was hiding in the building to avoid arrest.

"So he should have thrown a gun out with numerous police officers standing in front of the house," she asked.

"Ma'am, I would've," Jest said.

Higgs has been jailed at the Essex County Correctional Facility since January 2016, when Wigler changed the conditions of his $1 million bail to cash-only following an arrest on drunk-driving charges.

The trial is expected to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

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

BELLEVILLE -- Layla is a kitten who was rescued from a motel parking lot in Belleville and is in the care of Dap's Animals. She is FIV-positive, but veterinary professionals point out that FIV cats typically live long lives with few symptoms and can only infect other cats through a deep wound; they cannot infect dogs or humans. Layla, who...

Laylar 

BELLEVILLE -- Layla is a kitten who was rescued from a motel parking lot in Belleville and is in the care of Dap's Animals.

She is FIV-positive, but veterinary professionals point out that FIV cats typically live long lives with few symptoms and can only infect other cats through a deep wound; they cannot infect dogs or humans.

Layla, who has been described as sweet and playful, needs to be an only-cat in a home. She had been declawed, has been spayed and is up-to-date on shots.

For more information on Layla and other adoptable pets, call 973-902-4763 or email dapsanimals@gmail.com. Dap's Animals is a volunteer foster/rescue organization currently caring for 45 animals. For information on other animals adoptable through Dap's, go to petfinder.com/pet-search?shelterid=NJ694.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email essex@starledger.com.

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

Man last seen heading toward Penn Station.

NEWARK -- Authorities asked for the public's help finding a man suspected of robbing a bank in downtown Newark last week.

Tyrone Anderson, 46 (Photo: Dept. of Public Safety) 

Police identified Tyrone Anderson, 46, as the suspect in the May 26 robbery at a TD Bank branch on Mulberry Street. 

The robbery occurred around 10:30 a.m., when the thief handed a note to a teller that demanded money, according to Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose. After taking an unspecified amount of cash, the robber fled and was last seen walking north on Mulberry Street toward Penn Station.

"I commend the hard work of the Major Crimes detectives who worked diligently to help identify this suspect," Ambrose added in a statement.

Anyone with information about Anderson was asked to call the Newark police tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). Police said anonymous tips would be kept confidential and could lead to a reward.

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

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There have been delays, but 16 sectional champions will be crowned on Friday. NJ.com gets you ready with a preview and prediction for every title game.

Man faces drug distribution charges.

NEWARK -- A search of an apartment in Newark's North Ward led Essex County Sheriff's detectives to seize heroin and crack, and arrest the resident on various drug charges, authorities said Friday.

Shannon 'Shake' Wheeler (Essex County jail) 

Narcotics investigators served a search warrant at the Broadway residence of Shannon 'Shake' Wheeler Thursday as part of an ongoing drug investigation, according to Sheriff Armando Fontoura. 

Detectives found 710 heroin-filled envelopes stamped with "BUTTER" in red ink, 49 vials of crack cocaine and a bag holding $3,500, the sheriff said.

Wheeler, 40, was charged with drug offenses, including possession with the intent to distribute narcotics within 1,000 feet of Rafael Hernandez School and within 500 feet of the Janice Cromer Village public housing complex. 

Records show Wheeler remained held at the Essex County jail Friday morning.

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

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