NEWARK -- A 23-year-old North Carolina man was arrested Saturday after he was seen carrying a handgun, police said. Demitri Lewis, of Henderson, matched the description of a man seen carrying a weapon near Kent and Brenner streets, according to police. Lewis was arrested after he was found in possession of a loaded .357 caliber handgun. A subsequent search Lewis'...

NEWARK -- A 23-year-old North Carolina man was arrested Saturday after he was seen carrying a handgun, police said.

Demitri Lewis, of Henderson, matched the description of a man seen carrying a weapon near Kent and Brenner streets, according to police. Lewis was arrested after he was found in possession of a loaded .357 caliber handgun.

A subsequent search Lewis' rental car turned up two revolvers, a semi-automatic pistol and an AR-15 assault rifle, police said. Officers also found marijuana, Xanax, more than 100 rounds of hollow-point ammunition, a bulletproof vest and two high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Lewis faces several weapons and drug-related charges.

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

Who knew balogna had a first name?

Some had it goin' ON in the '70s ... and then, there were folks like me. 

I grew up in the '70s.

So, as a guy who went from pre-teen to adult during the decade, I'd like to share a few random facts about those good ole days:

* The population of the U.S. in 1970 was 204,879,000, the national debt was $450 billion and the average annual salary was approximately $7,800 per year.

* The Beatles kicked off the decade by announcing they were splitting up in April 1970. Bummer.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

* What could be termed the greatest one-hit-wonder of all time came in the 1970s with Don McLean's "American Pie" in 1972. Plenty of people know every word of the song, which runs 8 minutes, 33 seconds.

* Advertising led to catchphrases that were repeated ad nauseum, including "Please don't squeeze the Charmin," "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" "Flick your Bic," "Is it live or is it Memorex?" ... and we learned that our bologna had a first name, O-S-C-A-R.

* As if one oil crisis (1973) wasn't enough, we had another one in 1979, and, I'll admit it now, I switched license plates a couple of times so I could buy gas on "even" and "odd" days.

Here's a gallery of New Jersey in the 1970s. And here are links to other galleries you might find interesting.

Vintage photos of the 1940s in N.J.

Vintage photos of the 1950s in N.J.

Vintage photos of the 1960s in N.J.

Vintage photos of N.J. in the 1960s

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

Matthew Ballister is charged with running over April Wyckoff on the driveway of his Union Township home

ELIZABETH -- A man accused of intentionally running over his girlfriend with his Hummer, dismembering her body and hiding the parts is likely to take the stand Thursday in his own defense. 

Matthew Ballister, 47, told a judge Wednesday that he wants to testify in his trial, where he faces murder, desecration and related charges in the October 2013 death of April Wyckoff, then 43, on the driveway of his Union Township home. 

Investigators found Wyckoff's car and five black garbage bags with parts of her body in an industrial area of Newark days after her death, but her full remains have not been found. 

Ballister's decision came after Judge Stuart Peim denied his request to call expert witnesses to testify. Peim said he was respecting that Ballister's attorney, Thomas Russo, had made the tactical decision not to call any experts because he did not believe they would help Ballister.  

"We are moving on with this case," Peim told Ballister while the jury was out of the Union County courtroom. 

Russo has argued that Wyckoff's death was an accident. Ballister accidentally ran over her with his Hummer after she hid underneath the car while the pair were using cocaine, Russo said.

High and extremely distraught over his girlfriend's death, Ballister went to buy more drugs, the defense attorney said. He said what happened next was "gruesome," but he did not explicitly describe what Ballister did. 

Wyckoff's daughter, Ashley Purachev, testified Wednesday that she met Ballister on his first date with her mother in early 2012. Under direct examination by Assistant Prosecutor Scott Peterson, Purachev said she was 15 then and accompanied the pair to Olive Garden.

After her mom moved in with Ballister that summer, Purachev, who was living with her dad in Cranford, visited Ballister's home on Mercer Avenue many times, she said. 

Purachev told the jury that to watch the television at Ballister's house, she had to turn on the sound system in an upstairs closet by the master bedroom. A surveillance system, including a monitor showing the home's driveway and backyard, was also in that closet, Purachev said. 

She said she last went into that closet and saw the surveillance system in March or April of 2013. When Peterson showed her a photo taken of the closet after Wyckoff's death, Purachev pointed out that the surveillance system was gone. 

The defense then called Detective Terrance Harrison of the Union County Police Department, who in October 2013 was working for the Union County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Task Force. He testified that he was at Wyckoff's autopsy and wrote in a February 2014 report that the medical examiner had determined Wyckoff's cause of death was unknown.

Under cross-examination by Peterson, Harrison also said the medical examiner typically waits for a toxicology report to be complete, usually months after the autopsy, before he makes a final determination about the person's manner of death. 

Dr. Junaid Shaikh, Union County's medical examiner, testified Tuesday that he determined Wyckoff had died from purposefully inflicted blunt and sharp force trauma. Parts of her body were crushed, bruised and stabbed, Shaikh said. 

Ballister's mother, Eleanor Schofield, is accused of telling her son he should hide the evidence of Wyckoff's death and helping him get rid of her body. Schofield, of Mountainside, has pleaded not guilty to hindering the police investigation into Wyckoff's death.

Ballister's trial is expected to continue Thursday afternoon. 

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

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Mayor Ras Baraka signed what he said was a historic piece of legislation Wednesday to curb against coming gentrification

NEWARK -- The city is leading the way amid the country's housing affordability crisis, Mayor Ras Baraka said Wednesday as he signed a "groundbreaking" law to mandate low- and moderate-income housing set asides in new developments. 

"It's a daunting task to figure out how we can develop our community without leaving our community behind," he said during a press conference. 

The inclusionary zoning ordinance requires certain housing developments provide 20 percent affordable units. Guarding against gentrification has been a linchpin issue for Baraka, who for months urged the City Council to adopt the measure, through several amendments and iterations.

Residents and community groups have said it will help brace against future displacement as developers increasingly set their eyes on Newark.

Mayor @rasjbaraka signs inclusionary zoning ordinance after pushing the measure for months @CityofNewarkNJ pic.twitter.com/POYFVxX4DN

-- Karen Yi (@karen_yi) October 11, 2017

But hours before Baraka signed the inclusionary zoning ordinance, residents complained of a separate plan before the City Council that will boost building densities to 40-stories in sections of the Central and East wards.

The measure amends the redevelopment plan for the riverfront and allows buildings to increase their maximum heights from 10 to 25 stories in some areas and from 30 to 40 stories in another. Only three lots in the East Ward (along Raymond Plaza and Raymond Boulevard) will be allowed to go up to 40 stories, city officials said.

Higher densities, a walkable downtown?

The plan was adopted Wednesday with East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador voting no and Councilwoman Mildred Crump abstaining. 

"You can't create this massive development without looking at the impact that this will have in local communities such as the Ironbound," Amador said, asking what the impact would be on fire and police services, infrastructure and area schools. "It would be appropriate for those folks who are responsible for how the community is today to be part of this process."

The proposed Ironbound zoning map (left) and the proposed downtown zoning map (right) that would be affected by the amendment to the Newark river public access and redevelopment plan. (Courtesy: City of Newark)Karen Yi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Ironbound residents blasted the city for failing to seek community input. They worried zoning changes to the riverfront will erect a wall separating longtime residents from the river and its amenities.

"This has not been done in a way that the community can participate at all," said Ironbound resident Nancy Zak. "We just got the river back and now we're going to have a Riverfront Park for rich people who will be able to live in these high-rises."

Carmelo Garcia, acting deputy mayor for economic and housing development, said zoning changes would give the city more control over new high-rises. The density increases, he said, are coupled with sustainability requirements like creating public spaces in new developments. 

"We want to push for a walkable downtown, have more bike paths," he said. "The original master plan would have allowed any developer to build up to 30 stories without any givebacks."

Garcia said the changes mean high-density development will come with green roofs, at least 10 percent public space and meet other sustainability requirements. He added that the city's efforts to engage the community "seemed to be flawed" but that it would correct that moving forward. 

'We have to be prepared'

The same residents who railed against the riverfront changes were also core supporters of inclusionary zoning. Garcia said the inclusionary zoning ordinance would apply to the higher density buildings and create more housing opportunities for residents.

The law states that new or substantionally rehabilitated residential developments with 30 or more units that need Zoning Board approval will need to set aside housing for those earning from 40 percent of the area's median income to 80 percent. 

"Gentrification is not here yet but it doesn't mean that it's not coming," Baraka said. "That's why we have to be prepared."

Baraka additionally signed changes that would give long-term tax abatements only to developers building affordable housing and requiring they hire Newarkers, partner with a minority or female contractor and contribute to the city's schools. 

He also signed controversial proposal to to allow buildings near Penn Station to reach 12 stories, up from eight stories in exchange for the buildings meeting certain environmental standards. 

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

4 new teams break in amid latest shakeup

ESSEX COUNTY -- On Oct. 21, dog owners in Essex County are invited to bring their pets to "Strut Your Mutt," the county's annual canine Halloween costume parade and contest, with programs scheduled in Montclair and Maplewood. In Montclair, registration begins at 9:15 a.m. for the parade, which will start at 10 a.m. at the Brookdale Dog Park on Grove...

 

ESSEX COUNTY -- On Oct. 21, dog owners in Essex County are invited to bring their pets to "Strut Your Mutt," the county's annual canine Halloween costume parade and contest, with programs scheduled in Montclair and Maplewood.

In Montclair, registration begins at 9:15 a.m. for the parade, which will start at 10 a.m. at the Brookdale Dog Park on Grove Street.

In Maplewood, registration will start at 1:15 p.m. for the parade, which will begin at 2 p.m. at the South Mountain Dog Park on Crest Drive and Bear Lane.

Prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories, and the events are free and open to the public. For more information on the county-sponsored event, call 973-268-3500.

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.

This week's list of bold predictions features upset picks, winning streaks and close finishes that could affect playoff races.

A look at the top sophomores in New Jersey.

The Boy Scouts of America announced Wednesday it will start accepting girls

The retired security guard dug up the winning ticket after seeing a segment on the news about the unclaimed prize

A 68-year-old New Jersey man claimed a $24.1 million New York lottery jackpot two days before the ticket was due to expire after seeing a story on the evening news about how time was running out for the winner to step forward.

Jimmie Smith of East Orange won a $24.1 lottery jackpot in New York. (New York Lottery) 

Jimmie Smith, of East Orange, went to his closet where an old, favorite shirt with a pocket full of unchecked tickets was hung.

Remarkably, the retired security guard found the lucky ticket he had just seen discussed on television.

"I ended up with a stack - a pile of tickets, including the one they were talking about on the news," the father of two and grandfather of 12 told lottery officials. "I stood there for a minute thinking, 'Do I see what I think I see?' I had to stick my head out the window and breathe in some fresh air. I was in serious doubt. I really had to convince myself this was real." 

Though Smith stepped forward on May 23, New York lottery officials waited until Wednesday to announce him as the winner. Officials said in the spring that the prize had been claimed and that the winner would revealed "in the near future pending completion of the Lottery's security background review."

Smith told lottery officials he's been buying tickets in New Jersey and New York since the 1960s, but has never been in a rush to see if they're winners.

"I always told myself, 'I'll check them when I have the time,' " he said.

$1M Mega Millions ticket sold at convenience store

Smith decided to take the annuity, meaning he'll receive the money in laddered payments over 26 years instead of taking a lump sum for a lesser amount. 

The winning numbers were 5-12-13-22-25 and 35. Smith bought the ticket at a grocery and tobacco shop at 158 Church Street in the Tribecca neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.

Lotto is similar to the Pick 6 in New Jersey -- a player must match all six numbers to hit the jackpot. Smaller prizes aware awarded for matching three, four or five numbers. 

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

NJ Transit will regularly inspect crumbling concrete retaining walls on the Morris & Essex lines which commuter advocates say they fear could pose a danger to trains.

NJ Transit will regularly inspect crumbling concrete retaining walls on the Morris & Essex lines which commuter advocates say they fear could pose a danger to trains.

Concrete retaining walls will be inspected every 30 days in Summit and other locations where walls are "in close proximately to trains," said Steven Santoro, NJ Transit executive director, after Gladstone Branch service was shut down earlier this month and in September for emergency repairs.

That includes retaining walls supporting a long trench where the M&E line runs through the Roseville section of Newark, officials said.

"Some parts of the wall at Summit have already deteriorated and we don't know what will fail next," said David Peter Alan, Lackawanna Commuter Coalition president, who said the Lackawanna's poured concrete infrastructure was an "engineering marvel" of its day.

Loose concrete that hit two commuter trains in mid-September was initially blamed for shutting down NJ Transit's Gladstone Branch for emergency repairs. Debris hit a train again and service was suspended again between Oct. 3 and Oct. 4 for emergency repairs. NJ Transit officials later shifted blame to a wall-mounted electrical junction box. 

Santoro said that loose concrete has been removed from parts of the Summit retaining wall that are closest to trains. That work is ongoing, he said.

"That wall needed help for a long time, as does the wall approaching Newark Broad Street," said Len Resto, New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers president, who rides the line.

The Summit incidents focused attention of commuters and transit advocates on the condition of reatining walls along the M&E, including the "Roseville" retaining wall in Newark, where the railroad parallels Route 280.

"My fear is what happened if it collapsed while a train is passing or if pieces of concrete made one derail," Resto said. "They've got to keep on top of it."    

Long-term plans include reconfiguring tracks to and from the Gladstone line in Summit so trains can be diverted to other tracks to keep the line open when the retaining wall is repaired, Santoro said. Track designs are almost complete and retaining wall repairs are being designed, he said. 

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Roberto Reyes-Jackson indicted for allegedly supplying drug-dealing inmate with marijuana and fentanyl.

TRENTON -- A state corrections officer was indicted Thursday on charges he smuggled fentanyl and marijuana into Northern State Prison for an inmate who was dealing drugs behind bars, authorities said.

Roberto Reyes-Jackson, 28, is accused of taking more than $200 in bribes from the inmate's girlfriend to bring the drugs inside the Newark facility over a four-month period.

Roberto Reyes-Jackson, 28, of Irvington. NJOAG

He was indicted on charges including conspiracy, official misconduct, bribery and drug distribution.

Reyes-Jackson, of Irvington, was suspended from his post as a senior corrections officer following an internal investigation, which was launched in December after prison officials discovered some of the drugs inside the unidentified inmate's cell, authorities said.

The investigation found the officer allegedly smuggled multiple doses of a powder compound laced with fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid linked to a spike in overdose deaths in New Jersey and across the country.

Authorities claim Reyes-Jackson smuggled the drug in single-dose bags marked with a "panda face" logo, packaged like heroin. The inmate then distributed them to other prisoners, who paid for them by having friends or relatives wire money to his girlfriend. 

How fentanyl became N.J.'s most dangerous drug

"Any type of prison smuggling is a serious issue because of the threat to security inside the facility," said Elie Honig, the director of the state Division of Criminal Justice, which brought the charges. "But this case is particularly egregious because Reyes-Jackson allegedly supplied an inmate with one of the deadliest drugs fueling the opioid epidemic."

The officer was charged by summons and is out pending an arraignment, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office said. He could not be reached and had no listed attorney.

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

Agents used phone "selfies" to debunk passenger's statement, according to federal court papers.

NEWARK -- Two airline flyers face drug distribution charges after customs officers found more than 6 kilograms of cocaine sewn inside the neck pillows they were carrying at Newark Liberty International Airport, federal officials said Thursday.

Rafael Francisco Bautista Perdomo, and Brenda Alyssa Mancebo, both 20, were arrested Wednesday after they arrived on a flight from Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, according to authorities.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered approximately 3 kilograms of cocaine in each of two neck pillows, which the duo brought as carry on items on the flight, authorities said. Officers uncovered the contraband during routine baggage screening.

Perdomo admitted he agreed to transport the drug-filled pillow from the Dominican Republic to Newark in exchange for about $10,000, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. He claimed not to know Mancebo

She also initially told federal agents she didn't recognize Perdomo, but that claim was apparently debunked by photos that investigators found on her cell phone, the court document stated.

"Law enforcement conducted a lawful search of Mancebo's phone, where law enforcement discovered multiple pictures of Perdomo that appeared to have been taken by Perdomo himself," a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations said in court papers.

There was also a saved photo of the pair together days before the arrest, according to the compliant.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Perdomo and Mancebo were ordered detained without bail after a hearing in Newark federal court.

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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NEWARK -- The second-in-command of a notorious Newark street gang faces decades in prison after pleading guilty to a series of criminal offenses, including engineering a failed plot to kill a witness against him, Acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick said. Kwasi "Welches" Mack, 28, admitted to murder and attempted murder in connection with a criminal conspiracy, as well as assaults...

NEWARK -- The second-in-command of a notorious Newark street gang faces decades in prison after pleading guilty to a series of criminal offenses, including engineering a failed plot to kill a witness against him, Acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.

Kwasi "Welches" Mack, 28, admitted to murder and attempted murder in connection with a criminal conspiracy, as well as assaults with a weapon and conspiracy to distribute heroin while a member of the Grape Street Crips.

Mack's list of offenses include the August 2006 murder of a gang rival and a shooting during a cookout Oct. 10, 2011, in which eight people were wounded with an assault rifle. Mack was attempting to kill a gang member who had cooperated in a murder investigation, authorities said.  

Mack also tried to have a witness against him in the 2011 shooting killed, but the murder never happened.

Two years later, in 2013, Mack tried to kidnap a heroin dealer during a robbery attempt. That same year, he ordered an attempt on another person's life, and also took part in another murder attempt of a rival as revenge for an unrelated homicide.

Also in 2013, Mack and others planned to kidnap a major heroin-trafficker in order to rob him.

Mack faces 39 to 45 years in prison when he's sentenced in March 2018.

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

They crave a career, a pension, a 401k. Temp jobs don't cut it anymore. Hire Newark, an intensive boot camp job readiness program, gives city residents a future.

Sasha McCullough gets nervous talking to people she doesn't know. That didn't matter to job coach Sam Lynch.

After McCullough filled out 24 job applications with no response, Lynch knows that the laid-off security guard could benefit from solid interview skills to separate herself from the pack.

"Breathe slowly and tell me who you are,'' he said Tuesday.

She relaxed, then shook his hand. With convincing eye contact, McCullough, 24, nailed the introduction on day one of Hire Newark, an intense boot camp job-readiness program at the city's Training Recreation Education Center.

"That's what I'm talking about,'' Lynch said. "Now you've got nine more times to do this.''

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns 

McCullough laughed, but Lynch wasn't joking. It's about repetition and practice. So, off she went among 29 other classmates doing the same thing in front of several attentive job coaches determined to mold city residents into the ideal employee.

They haven't failed since the four-week course was created two years ago by Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and RWJ Barnabas Health in collaboration with Mayor Ras Baraka's Centers of Hope initiative.

Fifty-six graduates in three classes have been hired locally and class number four, "which says it wants more," is set on adding its name to the employment rolls of 12 companies that partner with Newark Beth.

"It is a life-changing, life-altering program," said Darrell Terry, president and chief executive officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBI) and Children's Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) in Newark.  "They (staff) really get into who these folks are, and they start to care in a manner that many of them had not experienced before.''

On day two, Jacqueline Oteng had child care issues when the babysitter for her 18-month-old son had a doctor appointment. Rather than miss class, the staff allowed Oteng to bring the toddler, stroller and all. When he became restless, they took turns taking care of the boy, reading and talking to him.

"I was amazed," said Oteng, who wants to get a master's degree in social work. "You don't get that everywhere.''

Atiya Jaha-Rashidi, director of diversity and inclusion at Newark Beth, gave Oteng a pep talk and a hug during the lunch break, telling her not to feel bad about having to bring her child.

"Everybody is proud of you for being here,'' Jaha-Rashidi said. "You got this.''

The motivation is constant.  It's about growth, as the coaches, working like a relay team, dispense professional advice to help the candidates land and keep a job. When speaking, they tell participants to get to the point, be assertive and make certain potential employers can hear them. Lessons move quickly from social skills and branding to exercises fostering teamwork and following basic instructions.

"I need to hear about what you want,'' Lynch said told Shaun King.

King hasn't had a steady, meaningful gig in two years. He said he was in the program "trying to do better'' for his two daughters when Lynch changed his thinking.

"You're here to get yourself together, so you will shine and so they can be what they want to be.''

While the end game is employment, Terry said, it's also about better health, which is why Newark Beth started the program.

"If you don't have a job, you can't feed your family, you're not going to get that mammogram, you're not going to get that colonoscopy,'' Terry said. "Providing economic opportunity for people changes those dynamics.''

Residents in the class understand the importance of this opportunity, even if the health ramifications haven't sunk in. More than 150 people applied for the 30 available slots, and trainings are only held twice a year.  Anyone interested in applying should go through the Newark2020 website at https://www.hirebuylive.com/hire-newark/   

In this group, the men and women crave a career, a pension, a 401k. Temp jobs don't cut it anymore. Neither does employment with sketchy hours.

They want the stability of 30-year-old Nasir Muhammad. The husband and father of five is a coach in the program and was a member of the inaugural class. He can identify with the residents' desire to succeed.

Muhammad was unemployed for two years until the program called, giving him hope. Passion and love was evident from the outset, he said, something that was missing in other workforce programs that didn't produce results for him.

"Whatever you need,'' he told the residents, "I'm here to do it.''

Karen Johnson, 54, was plugged in to what was being said. An inspirational quote in the class workbook spoke to her heart, too.

"When everything feels like an uphill battle, just think of the view from the top.''

MORE CARTER: Newark victims of violence find love and healing

Johnson said she belongs on the mountaintop, her ascension delayed by drug addiction. She held on to jobs, but grew tired of "chasing her demons,'' running the streets.

Drug-free for five years, Johnson said she has arrived.

"I'm in a roomful of people who want to see me do better, a roomful of people who are about Newark.''

Class ended the first day at 2 p.m., but  at 6:30 p.m., Alfred Elliott, 40, was still fired-up with enthusiasm.

"I'm ready to go back now,'' he said when we talked by phone. He returned Wednesday, early.

The class was there, too. All 30 of them.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or

nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

An Essex County school district is the latest to debate whether random drug testing is a deterrent or an invasion of privacy.

Matthew Ballister tearfully told a jury he accidentally ran over April Wyckoff on the driveway of his Union Township home

ELIZABETH -- By the time she died on a fall evening in 2013, her body later discovered under an SUV, April Wyckoff had been abusing drugs for two days straight, her former boyfriend testified Thursday. 

Matthew Ballister said he and Wyckoff had been making trips from his Union Township home to Newark and Elizabeth to buy cocaine before an argument broke out over alleged infidelity, Wyckoff called 911 and he accidentally ran over her with his Hummer.

"She wasn't moving," Ballister said, starting to cry. "Her eyes were closed, and she was making a sound. And then it stopped." 

In two hours of testimony before a packed Union County courtroom, Ballister told a jury he never meant to kill Wyckoff, his on-and-off girlfriend, on Oct. 22, 2013. He thought she was in the back seat of his Hummer when he started to back it out of the driveway to take them both to the hospital, he said. 

Ballister, 47, stands accused of intentionally killing Wyckoff, dismembering her and hiding the parts. Investigators found five black garbage bags with her remains by the Passaic River in Newark, but they have never found her full body. 

Dressed in a gray button-down shirt, Ballister told jurors in Judge Stuart Peim's courtroom that he met Wyckoff online in March 2012 and she moved in with him a few months later. Their lives started to spiral out of control the next year when they started abusing drugs, Ballister said under direct examination by defense attorney Thomas Russo.

He said he was using cocaine, heroin and prescription drugs, including Valium, while Wyckoff, then 43, used cocaine and heroin. 

Ballister said the events leading up to Wyckoff's death began on Oct. 18, 2013, when they visited the Benedict Motel in Linden, used drugs and alcohol, and started arguing about a photo on Wyckoff's computer that Ballister thought was of a person with whom she was having an affair. 

In the car on the way back to his Mercer Avenue home, Wyckoff denied Ballister's repeated requests to show him the photo, Ballister testified. He said she threatened that if he asked her again, she would stab her thigh with Ballister's pocket knife. When he asked again, she stabbed herself three times, Ballister said.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "She was bleeding profusely." 

Four days later, the pair got home around 6 p.m. from buying drugs, Ballister said. While they smoked crack in his bedroom, they started arguing again over the photo on Wyckoff's computer, Ballister testified. 

The argument migrated downstairs, and Ballister slapped Wyckoff's face to try to get her to snap out of what he thought was a drug-induced hysteria, he testified. In turn, Wyckoff hit him with a document scanner, Ballister said.

He said he stepped out of the room for about 10 minutes to take two work-related phone calls and saw Wyckoff lying face-down on the floor when he returned. She had called 911, and Ballister asked her who she was talking to because he didn't understand what was happening, he testified. 

Ballister said he then tried to electrocute Wyckoff with a stripped wire attached to a box fan.

"I was on drugs," he said. "I was out of my mind." 

But Ballister said he electrocuted himself instead, and after he blacked out for a few seconds, he decided he needed to go to the hospital for the electrocution and Wyckoff needed her stab wounds treated.

He said he helped her into the back seat of his Hummer, went back into the house to grab his keys and his cell phone, and came back to find two garbage cans had been placed behind the car.

Ballister moved the garbage cans out of the way, got in the Hummer and started to back out without checking that Wyckoff was still in the SUV, he testified. He said the front passenger tire hit something, and he got out of the Hummer to see his girlfriend lying on the driveway, blood spilling from her head. 

Ballister also testified that about a week before her death, he removed surveillance camera equipment that had been in his closet because Wyckoff kept telling him she thought he was using the cameras, which pointed at the driveway and the backyard, to watch her. Ballister said keeping the equipment was not worth the argument, so he threw it out. 

Wyckoff's daughter, Ashley Purachev, had testified Wednesday that she last saw the surveillance system in March or April of 2013, but that it was absent from a photo taken of the same closet shortly after her mother's death. 

The defense has said Ballister's mother, Eleanor Schofield, came over to Ballister's home after Wyckoff's death and suggested he get rid of the body. Schofield, of Mountainside, is charged with hindering the police investigation by helping Ballister get rid of Wyckoff's remains. She has vehemently denied and pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

Ballister is expected to continue testifying Friday. 

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

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BLOOMFIELD -- Kristy is a young female bloodhound/pit bull terrier mix at the Bloomfield Animal Shelter. Shelter workers describe her as "a very calm dog who loves to snuggle." Kristy can go to a home with large dogs, but she should not be around smaller dogs. To make an appointment to meet Kristy, call 201-945-0649. The Bloomfield Animal Shelter, located...

Kristy 

BLOOMFIELD -- Kristy is a young female bloodhound/pit bull terrier mix at the Bloomfield Animal Shelter.

Shelter workers describe her as "a very calm dog who loves to snuggle."

Kristy can go to a home with large dogs, but she should not be around smaller dogs.

To make an appointment to meet Kristy, call 201-945-0649. The Bloomfield Animal Shelter, located at 61 Bukowski Place, is open every day from noon to 5 p.m. (Wednesdays until 6:30 p.m.) For more information, call 973-748-0194 or go to njhumane.org.

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.

The Orange police officer was 'relieved of duty' pending an investigation into the altercation. Watch video

ORANGE -- An Orange police officer has been suspended after an apparent altercation with two girls outside the city's high school was caught on camera, authorities said.

In a statement released just after midnight Friday, the Orange Police Department and Mayor Dwayne Warren said the officer in the videos, Hanifah Davis, "has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an investigation."

In the videos, which have been posted on social media, the officer can be seen on top of the two girls, who others in the video identify as sisters. The nature of the dispute is unclear.

Later in one video, a man in a suit attempts to break up the scuffle, and becomes involved in an altercation with the officer.

"Contrary to rumors on social media, an Orange Board of Education staff member was not arrested; he was issued a ticket and the issuance of that ticket is part of the investigation," the city said in the statement.

A spokeswoman for the school district did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.

The Orange Police Department and Essex County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the incident, the statement said. A prosecutor's office spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While local residents expressed outrage at the incident over social media, the mayor urged calm.

"This matter is being taken seriously by the Orange Police Department and the Warren Administration. All the facts will be shared with the public as soon as they are available. Meanwhile, the OPD and Mayor Dwayne D. Warren ask that citizens withhold judgment and act responsibly until all the facts are known, at which time the Administration will take all appropriate action," the statement read.

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

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