The two U.S. Senators marked the anniversary at the annual Essex County Remembers ceremony.

WEST ORANGE -- With a background view of the New York City skyline as a somber reminder, state and county officials marked the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The county's September 11 Memorial at Eagle Rock Reservation -- a spot that attracted a large crowd of horrified citizens looking across the river in 2001 -- hosted the memorial ceremony.

The event included a reading of the names of the Essex County victims of the 9/11 attacks, remarks from some of their family members, performances of patriotic songs, and speeches from elected officials.

Speakers at the ceremony included some of the most prominent Democratic politicians in the state. 

In addition to County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, this year's ceremony included remarks from U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker. Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., and Assemblywoman Shelia Oliver, the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy, were among the other speakers.

After the ceremony in West Orange, Menendez made his way to the third day of his ongoing federal corruption trial in Newark.  

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

A body found floating in the Hackensack River on Saturday afternoon has been identified as a missing Nutley man.

SECAUCUS -- A body found floating in the Hackensack River on Saturday afternoon has been identified as a missing Nutley man. 

Bhavesh Sangani, 33, was found near the Amtrak Bridge north of Laurel Hill Park, Secaucus Police Capt. Dennis Miller said. 

The recovery comes days after a multi-county water search was conducted off the shore near the New Jersey Turnpike.

Sangani had been reported missing out of Nutley and was tracked to Secaucus. His phone and car were found at Laurel Hill Park on Wednesday. 

Additional details about the investigation were not immediately available. 

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.

Same bank was robbed twice last year, feds say.

NEWARK -- A Newark man was sentenced Monday to 14 years in federal prison for robbing four banks -- including the same branch twice -- within a month last year.

James Lockwood, 39, previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to four counts of bank robbery for heists in Lyndhurst, Clifton and two robberies of the same Kearny bank, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He admitted that he threatened to use force while demanding money from bank workers.

Lockwood was under federal supervised release for an unspecified prior crime when he committed the robberies, officials said.

Kearny police arrested Lockwood Sept. 23 for Aug. 25 and Sept. 8 robberies of Schuyler Savings Bank on Davis Avenue, according to authorities.

He also admitted to robbing an M&T Bank branch Aug. 16 and a Capital One Bank in Clifton Sept. 16.

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

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John Gowdy is an Atlantic City native and retired firefighter.

No arrests after Sunday night attack.

EAST ORANGE -- Authorities on Monday identified the 29-year-old man who died after he was stabbed in East Orange.

Karl Laroche, of Irvington, was stabbed by an unknown assailant in the 300 block of Central Avenue around 8:20 p.m. Sunday, according to Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly, of the homicide unit.

Laroche died at University Hospital around 9:40 p.m., according to Fennelly, who said additional details were not immediately available.

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

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NJ.com's football writers highlight 31 players who made a major mark on their games this past week

Visitors to the interactive music exhibit will see one-of-a-kind artifacts and get a hands-on music education. Watch video

NEWARK -- The wait will soon be over for New Jersey music-lovers: The Grammy Museum Experience: Prudential Center is on the verge of opening in Newark. 

The Grammy Museum Experience opens on Friday, October 20 at 11 a.m. It will be open to the public six days a week, Tuesday through Sundday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets will cost between $9 and $12.

Grammy Museum coming to Newark's Prudential Center

First announced in February, the 8,200-square-foot showcase will have an exhibit centered on the rich musical history of New Jersey, from Newark's influential jazz to Frank Sinatra to Whitney Houston to Bruce Springsteen and everything in between. The museum will also display iconic fashion, including pieces worn by Michael Jackson and Jennifer Lopez. A hands-on section of the museum will allow visitors to play instruments.

"The Experience highlights the power music has to inspire, educate and celebrate," said GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Bob Santelli in a press release. "There is something for everyone - from exhibits designed to educate to those that underline the history of music and its special place in our culture."

"We look forward to honoring both the musical legacy of many of the acts, who have graced our stage at The Rock; as well as the performing legends who have inspired movements that have shaped our industry," said Scott O'Neil, CEO of the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center, in the same press release.

The privately-funded museum will be on the first floor of the Prudential Center, near the Mulberry Commons development that has been central to Newark's revitalization efforts.

The three other Grammy Museums in the U.S. are in Los Angeles, Nashville and Cleveland, Mississippi.

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Who were the best players across the state during the season's opening weeks?

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez is on trial in Newark, facing charges that he accepted lavish gifts from an ophthalmologist friend in exchange for political favors.

NEWARK -- A former senior policy advisor for U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said he wasn't trying to conceal what he was doing when he used his personal email account to discuss visa applications sought by Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen.

On the witness stand in U.S. District Judge William H. Walls' fourth-floor courtroom Tuesday morning, Mark Lopes told defense attorney Raymond M. Brown that was no "nefarious intent," in Brown's words, behind the use of his private email account.

Menendez, D-N.J., and Melgen, both 63, are on trial in U.S. District Court on an indictment accusing the men of swapping government favors for private plane flights, luxury hotel stays and $750,000 in financial contributions.

The government has alleged Menendez used his office to help obtain visas for four of Melgen's foreign female acquaintances: three girlfriends, and one of the women's sisters.

Lopes testified Monday that he was part of the senator's intervention in the 2008 visa applications of two of the girlfriends, Juliana Lopes Leite and Rosiell Polanco, and that of Polanco's sister, Korall.

After the visas for the Polanco sisters were approved -- after initially being denied -- Lopes used his personal email account to write to Danny O'Brien, then the senator's chief of staff.

"In my view, this is only due to RM," Lopes wrote, referring to the senator.

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A year after the visa applications, Lopes said, he met Melgen in Valencia, Spain at a meeting with Menendez and international business leaders from Spain, the U.S. and other countries.

Lopes said that at the time he met Melgen, he did not reemember he had helped with the women's visa applications, as such visa interventions were -- in Brown's words -- a "sufficiently routine" part of his duties.

Mark Lopes, former senior policy adviser to Senator Robert Menendez leaves after testifying. Menendez (D-N.J.) is in US Federal Court facing trial on federal bribery and corruption charges, on Monday in Newark, NJ. 9/11/17 (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

The former staffer on Monday denied there was anything improper about the office's support for the visa applications, and that other staff members were working on other visa issues during that time.

On redirect, government prosecutor J.P. Cooney asked whether an initial letter Menendez's office sent to the consul general in the Dominican Republic, where the Polanco sisters lived, was successful in securing their approval.

"Apparently not, no," Lopes said.

Only after Menendez asked Lopes to call the U.S. ambassador to the country -- the consul general's boss, "for practical purposes" -- did the women clear the approval process, he testified.

The judge would not let Cooney ask Lopes whether he was aware of the senator's flights on Melgen's private plane, ruling it was "immaterial as to whether he was aware or not aware."

The trial before Walls was originally expected to last six to eight weeks, but a new trial schedule approved by the judge Tuesday has the proceedings slated to continue through Thanksgiving.

"I'm surprised the way this case is going you didn't carry it to Martin Luther King Day," Walls told prosecutors.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached by email at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. MaryAnn Spoto may be reached by email at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto.

Sir Paul McCartney was a much-needed pick-me-up on this somber day

NEWARK -- There's a certain level of gravity to any Paul McCartney concert.

Everyone in attendance knows they are seeing one of rock's consummate songwriters -- perhaps the single greatest harbinger of modern pop -- revisit some of the most transcendent tunes ever penned.

On his ongoing One-on-One tour, Sir Paul plays in succession: "Back in the U.S.S.R.," "Let It Be," "Live and Let Die," "Hey Jude," and "Yesterday." 

Is there a more significant 15 minutes of live music left to be heard on this planet?

But Monday night at Prudential Center felt particularly momentous; it was Sept. 11, a day that affected and still connects all Americans in remembrance, but not quite like an audience in Newark, comprising New Jerseyans and New Yorkers who saw the smoke and panic firsthand in 2001, and who likely saw the two beams of light blasted from the WTC site as they drove home from the arena last night.

"We are going to dedicate this show to the people involved in what happened 16 years ago," McCartney said at the outset, to a swell of cheers from the sold-out crowd, his first of back-to-back nights at The Rock. "We are against prejudice, oppression and violence, and we are for friendship and freedom." 

Paul McCartney performs during his 'One on One' tour at the Prudential Center. Newark, N.J., 9/11/2017. (Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

And then, on a day that typically unifies us in grief, McCartney -- a human rights activist dating back to "Blackbird" and The Beatles -- united 15,000 fans in three hours of happy song.

There was no intermission, only a smartly drawn set plan to keep the 75-year-old singer fresh; after a pair of bluesy guitar jams on "Let Me Roll It" and "I've Got A Feeling," McCartney sat at his baby grand piano for the softer "My Valentine" (written for current wife Nancy) and "Maybe I'm Amazed" (written for late wife Linda). A tight four-piece band played along, each member singing back-up to boost the vocals. 

The sprawling 38-song set was virtually identical to the one McCartney rolled out on his first U.S. leg last summer, which visited MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford Aug. 7, 2016: it was a fair balance of Beatles staples, Wings cuts and solo stuff, but the staging in the arena was a little different. A rising platform that ascended two stories high while McCartney strummed "Blackbird" and "Here Today," the latter written for John Lennon in 1982, with "a conversation we never got to have." 

Perhaps the most marked change between the MetLife and Prudential shows was the venue size; an arena isn't exactly intimate but it felt like an old Liverpool parlor compared to the enormity of a football stadium. The rock legend felt much closer. 

Per the "One-on-One" tour moniker McCartney was candid and quick with a story, telling tales of how when the Beatles became the first rock band to play the Red Square in Cold War-era Russia, government officials told him they learned English through the band's records, or when the group first entered the Abbey Road studio to record with George Martin, a young Paul was petrified to sing the lead chorus. 

"I can still hear the terror in my voice," he joked.  

#paulmccartney #oneononetour

A post shared by Anna Ksenzenko (@annaksenzenkophoto) on Sep 12, 2017 at 8:00am PDT

McCartney was affable all night -- it's obvious he still loves the spotlight -- shaking his rear-end for "And I Love Her," making a "fake news" joke about The Beatles' and Rolling Stones' supposed rivalry (but otherwise avoiding Trump talk), and mocking the crowd's indifference to the newer songs like 2013 tracks "Queenie Eye" and "Save Us": "We know which songs you like and which songs you're iffy on," he said, noting that when he plays a classic, he sees the phones light up. "But when we do a new song it's like a black hole. But we don't care, we're gonna do it anyway!" 

It was a light, sing-along sort of night, the "Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da's" and "na-na-na-na's" of "Hey Jude" ringing out with joy. For the encore, he and his band emerged with a series of flags: an American flag, a Gay Pride flag, a New Jersey state flag, and a Sept. 11 flag that read "Never Forgotten." It was a stance of solidarity, and a moment on this somber day we maybe didn't realize we needed. 

But it felt good. 

Paul McCartney plays Prudential Center Sept. 12; Madison Square Garden Sept. 15 and 17; Barclays Center in Brooklyn Sept. 19 and 21. 

#neverforget #OneOnOne #paulmccartney #newark

A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney) on Sep 11, 2017 at 8:35pm PDT

Paul McCartney's set list 

Sept. 11, 2017 -- Prudential Center, Newark, N.J. 

• "A Hard Day's Night" (The Beatles song)
• "Save Us"
• "Can't Buy Me Love" (The Beatles song)
• "Letting Go" (Wings song)
• "Temporary Secretary"
• "Let Me Roll It" (Wings song)
• "I've Got a Feeling" (The Beatles song)
• "My Valentine"
• "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" (Wings song)
• "Maybe I'm Amazed"
• "We Can Work It Out" (The Beatles song)
• "In Spite of All the Danger" (The Quarrymen song)
• "You Won't See Me" (The Beatles song)
• "Love Me Do" (The Beatles song)
• "And I Love Her" (The Beatles song)
• "Blackbird" (The Beatles song)
• "Here Today"
• "Queenie Eye"
• "New"
• "Lady Madonna" (The Beatles song)
• "FourFiveSeconds" (Rihanna and Kanye West and Paul McCartney cover)
• "Eleanor Rigby" (The Beatles song)
• "I Wanna Be Your Man" (The Beatles song)
• "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" (The Beatles song)
• "Something" (The Beatles song)
• "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (The Beatles song)
• "Band on the Run" (Wings song)
• "Back in the U.S.S.R." (The Beatles song)
• "Let It Be" (The Beatles song)
• "Live and Let Die" (Wings song)
• "Hey Jude" (The Beatles song)
• Encore:
• "Yesterday" (The Beatles song)
• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (The Beatles song)
• "Hi, Hi, Hi" (Wings song)
• "Birthday" (The Beatles song)
• "Golden Slumbers" (The Beatles song)
• "Carry That Weight" (The Beatles song)
• "The End" (The Beatles song)

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

The testimony is one of the most anticipated moments in the ongoing trial.

NEWARK -- Rosiell Polanco, one of four women who prosecutors say got to the U.S. only after U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez intervened in their visa processes, took the stand Tuesday in a trial alleging the Democratic senator traded political favors for gifts and trips from a wealthy Florida doctor.

Earlier testimony focused on Menendez's assistance in getting Polanco and her sister, as well as two other women, to the U.S, on behalf of Salomon Melgen, an opthamologist and close friend to the sneator. 

Menendez has not denied helping the women get visas, but denies that there was anything illegal about his action. His defense has also pointed to others he helped gain access to the U.S. While testifying Monday and earlier Tuesday, former Menendez staffer Mark Lopes told the jury there was nothing "nefarious" about his work on behalf of the senator to help get the women visas.

Rosiell Polanco, who has been described in the indictment as Melgen's girlfriend, was also interviewed by agents and testified in front of a grand jury, according to a motion filed by prosecutors to seal transcripts of the interviews and grand jury testimony.

The trial is continuing in federal court in Newark.

One of Dr. Melgen's girlfriends testified she got a visa to US. after #SenRobertMenendez intervened when 1st applic. was denied.

-- MaryAnn Spoto (@MaryAnnSpoto) September 12, 2017

Thomas Moriarty may be reached by email at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. 

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached by email at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto.

Jerry Gottesman was the chairman and co-founder of Edison Properties.

RANDOLPH -- Jerome W. "Jerry" Gottesman, the longtime Newark property developer and noted philanthropist, has died at the age of 87. 

Gottesman, the chairman of Edison Properties and a philanthropist who focused on expanding Jewish education, died in Israel with his wife and family at his side on Sunday, according to his obituary. 

Edison Properties, which he co-founded with his brother, Harold, is the parent company of ParkFast garages and lots, as well as Manhattan Mini Storage.

According to NJBIZ, Edison controls more than 3 million square feet of property in Manhattan and Brooklyn and several million more square feet in Newark, including six sites near the Prudential center slated for more than 400,000 square feet of mixed-use development, as well as Baltimore and other major cities.

"We will miss Jerry dearly and deeply appreciate all that he has done for Edison Properties during his lifetime," Edison Properties said in a statement. "This business is his legacy and we are all honored to have been able to work with him and learn from him. While his presence and influence will be missed, the company will continue to operate as usual and continue to focus on honoring his memory." 

In an opinion piece published nearly two weeks before his death, Gottesman said his company was betting heavily on Newark's resurgence.

"In 1956, Edison Properties collected its first dollar at a single parking lot on Edison Place - the very same street where Ironside Newark is now being developed," he said. "In the years since, we've remained dedicated to Newark as the city's prospects have wavered. We have always regarded it as a great American metropolis, and we're ready to put our money where our heart is."

Gotteman and his wife, Paula, were also actively involved "in various philanthropic initiatives over his lifetime and deeply valued the act of giving back to his community," according to his obituary.

"Among many accomplishments, Paula and Jerry have shaped the present and future of their local Jewish community in New Jersey and created national model programs that have transformed the fields of Jewish day-school education and Jewish camps across North America," his obituary stated.

Dov Ben-Shimon, executive vice president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, said the Gottemans "have transformed lives, secured institutions, and changed the way we think about Jewish education, formal and informal." 

"The Gottesmans have literally reshaped our community in profound and lasting ways that impact thousands of Jewish children and their families today, particularly in the fields of Jewish day school education and Jewish overnight camp," he said.  

"We have lost a dear friend, and a giant in our community," Scott Krieger, president of the Greater MetroWest NJ Federation said. "Thinking through the lens of real estate, Jerry understood that building Jewish community meant deep investment today, but always with an eye to the future." 

The Gottesman foundation gave a $15 million challenge grant to the Hebrew Academy of Morris County in 2014, which changed its name to the Gottesman RTW Academy, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

In 2015, the news outlet reported the Gottesman foundation gave a $10 million grant to attract new students and keep tuition flat for 10 years at four New Jersey Jewish day schools: the Golda Och Academy, the Gottesman RTW Academy, the Jewish Educational Center and the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School.

Funeral services for Gottesman will be held on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at The Gottesman RTW Academy in Randolph, to be followed by a week of shiva.

Gottesman is survived by his wife, his four children, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

According to his obituary, contributions can be made to The Gottesman RTW Academy or to a charity of one's own choosing in his memory.

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

Get a look at who made their mark during the first week of the season.

The City Council agreed to pay the outside legal costs to defend three municipal employees named in a lawsuit filed by the city's ex-attorney

NEWARK -- The city council on Tuesday approved $200,000 in outside legal fees for three Newark officials named in a whistleblower lawsuit by the city's former corporation counsel. 

Ex-city attorney, Willie Parker, filed a suit in June against Mayor Ras Baraka also naming as defendants Chief of Staff Amiri "Middy" Baraka, Business Administrator Jack Kelly and Personnel Director Kecia Daniels. Parker alleged he was wrongfully fired for refusing to sign off on a development deal that would be detrimental to Newark. 

Kenyatta Stewart, the city's current corporation counsel, said the city has covered legal expenses for municipal employees in the past. 

"The city's past practice has always been to pay for the legal representation in reference to elected officials or employees if it's a civil matter," he told council. "I think these employees are entitled to representation and I think we should go forward with it."

The council approved a $125,000 contract with Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, LLP to represent Middy Baraka and a $75,000 contract with Tompkins McGuire Wachenfeld & Barry, LLP for Kelly and Daniels.

Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins was the lone vote against the two measures. The contracts stalled last week when Jenkins raised concerns about whether paying employees' legal fees was permitted and what type of precedent it set for the city. 

The council's attorney, Elmer Hermann, who reviewed the matter at the request of the council said it was "legally permissible" to have the city foot the bill in this case. 

"This is for the defense of active municipal employees in a civil lawsuit and I see no impediment to that here," he said. "I see no prohibition in any legislation that I have. As far as I'm concerned, it is legally permissible."

In his suit, Parker said he was terminated after he refused to sign a development contract that the city began negotiating in August 2016. Parker claimed a provision in the contract would cause the city to lose money while benefitting private interests, the lawsuit states. 

When Parker refused to sign, he said he got into a disagreement with Middy Baraka, who allegedly told him the deal needed to be pushed through for "political reasons," according to the lawsuit. Parker then informed Mayor Baraka of the incident.

Middy Baraka allegedly confronted Parker outside his home "on why he had snitched" to the mayor, according to the lawsuit. In the weeks that followed, Parker claims in the suit he was subjected to repercussions and even surveillance before suffering a heart attack last October that he attributed to high levels of stress.

Mayor Baraka and the other defendants listed in the lawsuit have denied any allegations of wrongdoing, according to court records.

In a statement on the lawsuit the city said Parker was fired over performance issues. 

"Mr. Parker failed to attend council meetings, and failed to supervise the individual attorneys within the law department, which ultimately lead to the city receiving default judgments in significant cases," the statement said. "As a result, the Mayor indicated that Mr. Parker should begin looking for other employment opportunities within the immediate future."  

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

The new instruments donated to Camden Street School will allow students in grades K-4 to learn to play the violin and supplement the school's music program.

NEWARK -- Students stood with their mouths wide open. Dozens of shiny black cases opened to reveal brand new violins. No dings, no scratches, no snapped strings.

On Tuesday, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation unveiled its donation of 250 instruments to Newark Public schools including about 30 new instruments to students at Camden Street School. 

"The word is fascination," said Camden Street School Principal Sam Garrison describing his students' reaction to the donation. "It was electric."

The instruments were donated along with new music stands and supplemental music material to help enhance music education in school. Seven Newark schools will receive a share of the instruments. 

At Camden Street School, students in grades K-4 will be able to learn to play the violin. Garrison said the school has only been able to offer guitar classes through a partnership with Little Kids Rock, another organization dedicated to expanding music education in public schools.

"When budget situations across the nation put school systems in crisis and cuts are being made and the arts get cut, we take the heart of why we do what we do," Garrison said. "The contribution of VH1, they helped to bridge the gap with funding ... performing arts is one of those ways to give relevance to learning."

Actor-singer Algee Smith was also on hand to unveil the instruments on Tuesday.

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit that aims to restore music education programs in public schools. Since its inception in 1997, the group has donated $53 million worth of new instruments to more than 2,000 public schools.

"We're very much visual learners, audio learners and the arts, that's presentation, it's how you bring an idea and something amazing across and when we cut that from schools, we cut the ability of our kids to communicate in powerful ways," Garrison said. 

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

Two of the four women the senator allegedly helped get visas to the U.S. took the stand in his ongoing trial.

The crash occurred at 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, but a police spokesman said no charges had been filed as of late that afternoon.

Police say a U.S. Marshal's Service SUV and a stolen vehicle collided at the intersection of Market Street and University Avenue early Tuesday.Google 

NEWARK -- A U.S. Marshal, a Newark Police officer and the driver of a stolen vehicle suffered minor injuries early Tuesday, when the marshal's SUV collided with the other vehicle at a Newark intersection, police said.

The marshal and the police officer were working together as part of a fugitive task force, and were responding to an emergency with the SUV's lights flashing as they headed west on Market Street at 5:50 a.m., said Capt. Derek Glen, a Newark Police spokesman. 

Glen said the other vehicle was headed south on University Avenue, when the two collided at the intersection of Market and University. The other vehicle, a Ford F-450 heavy duty pickup truck, had been reported stolen in Rutherford earlier on Tuesday, Glen said.

Glen said the marshal, the officer and the driver of the Ford all complained of pain following the crash, though their injuries did not appear serious.

Glen said the case remained under investigation and no charges had been filed  either in the crash or in the theft of the Ford as of late Tuesday afternoon, when Glen said prosecutors were reviewing the case.  

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

Ohio business owner previously pleaded guilty in the scam.

NEWARK -- An Ohio man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 33 months in prison for using an Essex County company's credit card information to fraudulently bill the firm for nearly $1 million.

John Tekulve, 44, of Milford, owned a medical supply company that sold products to the business, according to filings in the case. Tekulve used the New Jersey company's credit card information to bill for products and services that he did not deliver.

Authorities said Tekulve used the ill-gotten gains for his own purchases, including buying high-end vehicles and jewelry. The scheme lasted from January 2011 to October 2012.

Tekulve previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to a wire fraud charge. He must also pay restitution of $977,418.75 and serve three years of supervised release.

In a statement, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick credited special agents with the U.S. Secret Service's Newark division for handling the investigation.

Officials did not name the company targeted in the scam. 

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

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Agents used monitored phone communications, confidential sources to uncover drug scheme, according to authorities.

NEWARK -- Two North Jersey residents admitted their roles in a drug trafficking scheme that involved obtaining prescriptions for oxycodone and selling the narcotics for profit, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Rhonda Musallam, 41, of Fairview, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Newark federal court to an oxycodone distribution charge, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced in a statement.

Another member of the scheme, Robert O'Brien, 60, of Bloomfield, pleaded guilty Aug. 15, to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, officials said.

Fifteen of the 16 people charged in the drug conspiracy have been convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The 16th person died in April 2015.

Those involved in the scheme obtained prescriptions for oxycodone and other drugs from New Jersey doctors, filled them at pharmacies in Belleville and other areas to sell the narcotics for profit, officials said.

Musallam admitted she supplied others in the plot with oxycodone between June and July 2014, according to documents filed in the case. She confessed to selling 70 pills for $1,000.

For his part, O'Brien admitted that he received and paid for filled prescriptions for oxycodone pills on behalf of others in the drug scheme.

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration uncovered the drug trafficking operation in an investigation that involved confidential sources, surveillance and intercepted text messages and phone calls.

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

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