Which boys have already given their verbal commit to play men's soccer?

MONTCLAIR -- Montclair recyclers Donald Freedland and Walter Gibson gather newspapers in this photo from 1976. MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey According to information from the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum at the Georgia Institute of Technology, 1993 was the first year in the U.S. when more paper was recycled than was buried in landfills. If you would like...

MONTCLAIR -- Montclair recyclers Donald Freedland and Walter Gibson gather newspapers in this photo from 1976.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

According to information from the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum at the Georgia Institute of Technology, 1993 was the first year in the U.S. when more paper was recycled than was buried in landfills.

If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to essex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history in our online galleries on nj.com.

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

Get caught up instantly on NJ.com's high school football coverage of Week 6 with the mega-coverage guide

Below is NJ.com's mega-coverage guide for Week 6. Keep track of schedules, predictions, previews, features and breaking news from around the state all the way up until kickoff.

ESSENTIALS 
• Midseason awards: N.J.'s best at midway point
• 25 must-see high school football games for Week 6
• Week 6 schedule/scoreboard
• Schedule/scoreboard by conference
• Statewide stat leaders through Week 5
• NJSIAA football power points after Week 5
• Statewide standings through Week 5

UPDATE: ‘They tried to kill my son.’ Frosh parents say star players caused PC brawl

RANKINGS 
• Top 20
• Group and conference rankings

PICKS 
• NJ.com predicts every winner in the state
• Scores and predictions for Top 20 teams
• Picks for each of N.J.'s six conferences 

PLUS: Midseason awards: N.J.'s best at midway point

MUST-READ CONTENT 
• Midseason awards: N.J.'s best at midway point
• ‘They tried to kill my son.’ Frosh parents say star players caused PC brawl
• Playing with heart: How N.J. teen went from death’s door back to football field
• Piscataway survives a scare and 21 more bold predictions for N.J. football Week 6
• ‘The whole town is ready for football’: Michael Cipot ignites No. Brunswick
• SJT Game of the Week: Highland's challenging schedule continues with improved Sterling
• New Jersey's 43 undefeated football teams after Week 5
• Concussions in football: 21 recent developments you need to know in 2017
• West Deptford's Collier has grown -- literally and figuratively
• Hunterdon County football update: South Hunterdon breaks 16-game losing streak; County stat leaders
• The 12th Man TD Club of Trenton announces weekly football honors
• Times of Trenton Football Players of the Week: Hun's Henderson, Trenton's Alfred
• After 200th win, South River coach Rich Marchesi more focused on 5th state title
• High school football triple-header scheduled for Saturday at Rutgers
• Times of Trenton Football Notebook: Lawrence gets back on the right track
• Former 'benchwarmer' WR, soph Kavon Lewis puts up elite stats as Penns Grove QB
• WATCH: Bosco football player's vicious hit on ex-teammate intensifies feud with SJR

A LOOK BACK AT WEEK 5
• Results and links for Week 5
• Who were the best N.J. football players last week? Here are 50 Week 5 stars
• N.J. football hot takes: Thrilling finishes highlight wild Week 5
• Week 5 stat leaders 
•  Best photos from Week 5

RECRUITING NEWS  
• Film review: Breaking down Rutgers QB commit Zamar Wise's junior mid-season highlights
• Which Rutgers football recruits put forth top performances this past weekend?
• Film review: Breaking down 5-star N.J. junior DL Antonio Alfano's 2017 debut
• What have N.J.'s top 50 football recruits been up to?

Joe Zedalis may be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephzedalis. Like NJ.com HS sports on Facebook.

Twin sisters Nyasia and Kyasia Sorrells say they were attacked by a now-suspended Orange police officer outside a pizza shop near their high school Watch video

ORANGE - More than 1,000 Orange High School students walked out of class and marched in protest to police headquarters Friday morning after an officer was caught on video grabbing two students by the hair and pulling them to the ground.

The students chanted "justice for the twins" and held signs as they remained at police headquarters for more than 45 minutes until the sisters Nyasia and Kyasia Sorrells arrived and urged them to return to class.

The twins were at a loss to explain how they got swept up in the incident outside a pizza shop near Orange High School where students frequently gather after the school day. The video led officer Hanifah Davis to be suspended and authorities have launched an investigation.

"We got attacked," Kyasia Sorrells said with her sister Nyasia standing at her side at the protest Friday. "He was, I guess, trying to clear the ave. He was bumping into people and grabbed me."

Nyasia said she came to her sister's aid.

"I'm trying to get him off of her, and he grabbed my hair and started like slamming me into the floor." Nyasia said. "It was crazy. He needs to get fired."

As the struggle continued to unfold, an official from the school attempted to intervene and Davis became physical with him as well. Kyasia and Nyasia said the official, wearing a dress shirt and tie on the video, was Vice Principal Mohammed Abdelaziz, who also serves as the school's athletic director.

"He was saying you need to stop, you need to get off," Kyasia said.

"(Davis) punched him, tried to mace him," Nyasia said.

City officials said in a statement that the school staff member involved was issued a ticket, but not arrested in the incident. "The issuance of that ticket is part of the investigation," the Orange Police Department and Mayor Dwayne Warren said in a statement.

Nyasia and Kyasia said they face multiple charges.

"They charged us with aggravated assault, obstruction of justice and three other things," Kyasia said.

Both are seniors at the high school and said they have not been involved with the police before. They were accompanied by their father at the protest.

The Orange Police Department and Essex County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the incident, the city's statement said.

"This matter is being taken seriously by the Orange Police Department and the Warren Administration," the statement said. "All the facts will be shared with the public as soon as they are available."

A prosecutor's office spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for the school district also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

City officials and Police Director Todd Warren, brother of the mayor, addressed the crowd at the rally.

"Your issues are real, your problems are real, your concerns are real, your feelings are real," Warren, speaking through a bullhorn, told the large crowd.

"The same way you're upset, so are we."

He also commended the students for assembling peacefully, and assured the crowd that after the investigation into the incident is concluded, the department will "take the necessary action."

In an interview after the rally, Warren told reporters it appears the officer's conduct was concerning.

"I would not engage a young person physically," he said, referring to Davis's interaction with the twins.

"Our young people are very intelligent. We can engage them verbally, have a dialogue...we want to know why that transpired."

Nyasia and Kyasia, who were soft-spoken in answering questions from the media, received applause as they thanked the crowd for the support.

"It makes us feel really loved," Kyasia said. "Thank you everybody."

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

Who has impressed at midway point of the soccer season?

A look at how New Jersey alums did on the diamond during the 2017 season.

A look at some of the hot topics around N.J. HS girls soccer.

Racioppe will not be on the sidelines for tonight's game against North Warren.

Verona’s Lou Racioppe has been suspended from his football coaching position while the school district carries out an investigation, according to two parents of former players and another North Jersey Super Football Conference coach with knowledge of the situation.

Assistant coach Ray Bowse will coach Verona on Friday night when the Essex County school travels to North Warren for its game at 7 p.m, according to the parents and coach.

The specific nature of the investigation is not clear to the sources, but the parents said current players were interviewed by administrators and were asked to write answers to a printed set of questions, including questions about Racioppe’s conduct during football practice. A parent of a current player confirmed that such questioning had occurred. That parent didn’t wish to be identified to protect the standing of his son on the team.

“Based on the questions, I would say that someone complained based on a couple of things: running, hydration, cursing and coaches using foul language,” the parent said.  

The parent went on to say that three of the specific questions included: 
• “Do the coaches ever curse?” 
• “Do they make you run too much?” 
• "Do you feel like coming to practice?"  

Messages left for Verona Superintendent Rui Dionisio and athletic director Robert Merkler were not returned Friday. Racioppe, who is in his 20th year as the head coach at Verona, also did not return a call asking for comment.

Frank Ferrari, whose twin boys were two of the standout players for Verona’s championship team in 2014, said, “It’s an investigation and maybe nothing will come out of this, but they have to go through the process.”

George DePaul, another father of a former player, didn’t like how the situation was unfolding. “It’s deplorable that you would do this without notifying the players first or the coach,” DePaul said.

In his 20th seasons as head coach, Racioppe has led Verona to four section titles, including back-to-back undefeated championship seasons in 2014 and 2015. Racioppe also spent five years coaching at Montclair Immaculate, two years at Rahway and two years at Pascack Hills.

Pat Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, meanwhile, called on Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno to apologize for the ad.

KEARNY -- A day after Joe Biden made a pair of high-profile public appearances in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie unleashed a torrent of criticism on the former vice presiden. 

Christie, a Republican, said Friday that comments Biden made about Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno's controversial new campaign ad were just an attempt by the Democrat to "remain relevant so he can run for president again." 

Then, Christie dismissed a speech Biden made at Rutgers University criticizing Harvey Weinstein, saying he should have spoken out about the disgraced movie producer and Democratic donor sooner. 

Campaigning for Phil Murphy, the Democratic nominee to succeed Christie as New Jersey's governor, in Edison on Thursday, Biden denounced the new ad by Guadagno, the Republican nominee. 

Joe Biden slams Kim Guadagno ad as 'gutter politics'

The commercial criticizes Murphy, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany, for saying he might turn New Jersey into a "sanctuary state" to protect undocumented immigrants. It also suggests that Murphy would "have the backs of deranged murders" like Jose Carranza, an undocumented immigrant from Peru convicted of killing three teenagers in Newark in 2014. 

Biden called the ad "the return of Willie Horton" -- a reference to an infamous commercial from the 1988 presidential campaign that blamed Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis for crimes committed by black inmate Horton while he was on a weekend furlough from prison in Massachusetts, the state of which Dukakis was governor.  

Christie on Friday noted that Biden is being mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for president in 2020.

"Vice President Biden is trying to continue to be relevant because he wants to run for president, so he has to say outrageous things so that you all will cover him," Christie said during an unrelated news conference in Kearny. "Otherwise you know the old story: 'A woman had two sons, one went to sea and the other became vice president and neither were ever heard from again.'"

Political experts say it's also possible that Christie could run for president again in the future. 

Multiple Democrats have denounced Guadagno's ad, calling it racist and deceitful. At the same news conference Friday, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said it's "despicable" and invokes President Donald Trump, a Republican. 

"That belongs in the gutter," Booker added. "It doesn't belong in New Jersey."

Booker added that he knows Guadagno and called on her to apologize. 

"Kim is actually a really good person," he said. "But for her to take on Trump-like tactics and engage in that kind of vile fear-mongering and demagoguery, this is not becoming of her or her campaign."

But Christie stood up for his lieutenant. He said the ad was "fair game."

"Ambassador Murphy is the master of the cliche," Christie said. "So I think Lt. Gov. Guadagno is raising a very important and appropriate issue and it is unfortunate for Ambassador Murphy that he is going to have to answer something beyond a cliche. There are still three weeks left in this campaign, he might have to get beyond the cliches that he 'has our back.' Nobody knows what the hell that means."

Biden calls Weinstein 'disgusting and immoral' in Rutgers speech

Hours after his appearance stumping for Murphy, Biden told students at Rutgers in New Brunswick that Weinstein  "used his power in a disgusting and immoral way" and that he should face "more consequences."

The movie mogul has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by multiple women. Weinstein has denied the assault allegations. 

Christie noted that Biden took "five days to say something" about Weinstein, even though he has "taken all kinds of money from" the producer over the years. 

"He wasn't nearly as vocal about that, and I didn't hear him talk too deeply about the corruption of that, the corruption of allowing a powerful man to sexually harass what appears to be dozens and dozens of women over time and use his power to either have sex with them or to ruin their careers in the alternative," Christie said. 

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

The symphony performs a program featuring Beethoven and Tchaikovsky through Sunday.

Strings are in the air this weekend in the Garden State.

For its second concert series of the new season, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is presenting a program that shows off both its own string instrument section -- and features a distinguished cellist as well.

The first performance of the series took place on Thursday afternoon at NJPAC. The program began with a premiere for the orchestra, "Musica Celestis," a 1990 piece by Pennsylvania-born composer Aaron Jay Kernis.

The title in Latin means "Heavenly Music," but Kernis prefers what he calls the "medieval conception of the phrase which refers to the singing of the angels in heaven in praise of God without end." I'm not sure that the 12-minute piece quite evokes that, but "Musica Celestis" was a welcome addition to the NJSO repertoire.

It starts with an airy, all-string chord that sounds very similar to the opening A-major of Wagner's overture to "Lohengrin." These ethereal heights eventually descend, and the violas take over, producing softer, lower pillows of sound. Next the concertmaster gets a lush melody to play, and then the piece dawdles for a bit before amping up to a big, almost "Psycho"-shower-scene string crescendo. The piece glides back down to a relaxing bath of shimmering string sounds -- and then silence.

Under the baton of NJSO Music Director Xian Zhang, it all sounded lovely, if not exactly heavenly; occasionally, the score drifts dangerously close to sounding like white noise at a spa resort. Still, the maestra kept the tempi firm and accentuated subtle rhythmic transitions to keep the proceedings from slouching towards relaxation music. The NJPAC crowd responded with a warm hand. Composer Kernis was not on hand for a bow, but is expected to be in attendance at Friday night's concert in Princeton.

Next up were more strings in the form of Tchaikovsky's 1876 crowd-pleaser, "Variations on a Rococo Theme." Zhang and her band were joined in this by German soloist Alban Gerhardt. The maestra opened her tenure here just over a year ago with a concert of all-Tchaikovsky and her efforts with the romantic, Russian composer's music continue to impress. She presided over the courtly string opening, a finely played horn solo, then brought in Gerhardt smoothly to perform the piece's elegant theme.

 The Berlin-born cellist favors a coppery, earthy tone, but it meshed well with the NJSO's sound, and in his solo moments his playing was rich and soulful. Gerhardt, dressed in black pants and shirt (matching Zhang's customary black-on-black) added a crushed velvet vest, and earned enough applause to merit an encore.

For that, he performed the prelude from Cello Concerto #6 by Bach. This 4-minute piece is more intricate than expressive or showy, and Gerhardt's straightforward focus made the 300-year-old work seem almost modern and minimalistic.  And -- with his rugged tone -- certain passages called to mind Hendrix on an electric guitar.  

A woman seated nearby whispered to herself: "Wow, that was wonderful."  It was.

After intermission, Gerhardt was back, Zhang announced, not for another encore but to sit in with the band for Beethoven's 6th "Pastoral" Symphony.  A nice gesture, and it brought the whole program together.

Beethoven's 6th is all about nature, and indeed the programmatic bird chirps and evocations of Arcadian, Germanic glades all could be heard. But most impressive was Zhang's careful sensitivity to the piece's majestic architecture. Beethoven's epic romanticism can sometimes be abused as an excuse to just be big for the sake of effect.  Zhang made sure that the NJSO sounded full, but never blaring.

In the first movement, with the concise title, "Awakening of cheerful feelings on arriving in the country," you could feel a slow build in the pacing of the music. In an assured second movement, you could hear the crisp articulation of all the bucolic color and effects. All of this led naturally and gracefully to the fourth movement thunderstorm, which brings in the timpani and truly gave the effect of being in a mountain tempest.

In the final fifth movement (with another brief title) "Shepard's Song -- Happy, grateful feeling after the storm," Zhang emphasized the cellos, playing the gallant melodies that begin to bring the piece to the close. You could hear the soloist, Gerhardt, thoroughly incorporated with the whole cello section. It was an artful touch of programing by the Music Director that brought the concert beautifully full circle. 

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Zhang Conducts Beethoven

Reviewed Oct. 12, New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Center 

Additional performances: 

Oct. 13, 8 p.m.: Richardson Auditorium, Princeton

Oct. 14, 8 p.m.: Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank

Oct. 15, 3p.m.: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark 

To purchase tickets, go to www.njsymphony.org.

James C. Taylor can be reached writejamesctaylor@gmail.com. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. 

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WEEK 6 ESSENTIALS 
• Mega-coverage guide 
• Midseason awards
• 22 bold predictions
• 25 can't-miss games
• Top 20 picks and schedule
• Picks for all 6 conferences
• Week 6 schedule/scoreboard
• Rankings: Top 20, Group & conference

RELATED: ‘They tried to kill my son.’ Frosh parents say star players caused football brawl 

FRIDAY LIVE UPDATES
• Mahwah at Northern Highlands, 6:15
• Mountain Lakes at Whippany Park, 7
• Paterson Kennedy at Clifton, 7
• Camden Catholic at Shawnee, 7
• No. 18 Howell at No. 10 Manalapan, 7
• Summit at Cranford, 7

FRIDAY'S FEATURED GAMES 
Mountain Lakes at Whippany Park, 7
• Live updates
• Game of the Week preview
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Paterson Kennedy at Clifton, 7
• Live updates
• Game story
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Camden Catholic at Shawnee, 7
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• Game story
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No. 18 Howell at No. 10 Manalapan, 7
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• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Mahwah at Northern Highlands, 6:15
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• Game story
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MIDSEASON AWARDS: N.J.'s best at halfway point

Summit at Cranford, 7
• Live updates
• Game story
• Box score

St. Joseph (Hamm.) at Allentown, 7
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Dickinson at North Bergen, 7
• Gamey recap
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Princeton at West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 7
• Game story
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• Box score

Kingsway at Delsea, 7
• Game story
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Voorhees at Delaware Valley, 7
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Sterling at Highland, 7
• Game story
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RELATED: Who is N.J.'s best mascot? Nominations open 

Middlesex at Shore, 7
• Gamey story
• Box score

Mainland at Bridgeton, 7
• Game story
• Box score

Palmyra at Bordentown, 7
• Game story
• Box score

Moorestown at Hightstown, 7 
• Game story
• Box score

TOP 20 SCOREBOARD
• Hammonton at No. 7 Millville, 6
• Winslow at No. 8 Rancocas Valley, 7
• No. 18 Howell at No. 10 Manalapan, 7
• No. 16 River Dell at Ridgefield Park, 7
• Old Bridge at No. 19 Piscataway, 7
• Teaneck at No. 20 Old Tappan, 6

RELATED: The 43 N.J. football teams that remain unbeaten

SATURDAY LIVE UPDATES
• No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep at No. 2 Bergen Catholic, 1
• No. 6 Pope John at No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.), 1
• No. 17 Westfield vs. Elizabeth at Rutgers, 1
• Seneca at No. 12 Lenape, 7

SATURDAY'S FEATURED GAMES 
No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep at No. 2 Bergen Catholic, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

No. 6 Pope John at No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.), 1
• Live updates
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• Box score

Orange at Nutley, 1
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Paulsboro at Haddonfield, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
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Seneca at No. 12 Lenape, 7
• Live updates
• Game story
• Box score

Gloucester at Salem, 12
• Game story
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No. 17 Westfield vs. Elizabeth at Rutgers, 1
• Game recap
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Clearview at Vineland, 2
• Game story
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Hamilton West at Northern Burlington, 2
• Game story
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Rumson-Fair Haven vs. St. John Vianney at Rutgers, 4
• Game recap
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Notre Dame at Nottingham, 12
• Game story
• Box score

Hopewell Valley at Steinert, 12
• Game story
• Box score

Lawrenceville at Peddie, 3
• Game story
• Box score

TOP 20 SCOREBOARD
• No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep at No. 2 Bergen Catholic, 1
• No. 3 DePaul at Delbarton, 1
• No. 6 Pope John at No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.), 1
• Morristown at No. 11 Montclair, 1
• Seneca at No. 12 Lenape, 7
• No. 17 Westfield vs. Elizabeth at Rutgers, 1
• Long Branch vs. Red Bank Catholic at Rutgers, 7

STATEWIDE SCOREBOARD

City officials detailed information about the officer caught on camera apparently fighting with two teen girls outside their high school Watch video

ORANGE -- Thursday afternoon's scuffle in which Police Officer Hanifah Davis was caught on video pulling teen girls' hair outside the city high school marks the second time this year the officer has been involved in controversy in the community, police officials said.

About 45 days ago, Davis -- who has been a police officer in Orange for about three-and-a-half months -- was caught on camera while breaking up a large group of people in Orange who were allegedly loitering and gambling, Police Director Todd Warren told reporters Friday.

While trying to break up the crowd, one man allegedly refused to move, Warren said. While Davis was arresting the man, the group began moving toward him, prompting Davis to flash his gun, and wave it at the crowd, "to stop them from approaching him," Warren said.

The incident, which was spread around social media, prompted an investigation, which Warren said is still ongoing.

PHOTOS: Students rally to support the twins, demand answers

Davis was suspended Friday, pending a separate investigation into his caught-on-video altercation with twin high school seniors Nyasia and Kyasia Sorrells. City officials said a determination has not yet been made as to whether or not Davis will receive pay while he is suspended.

In an interview Friday, the 17-year-old twins said they had seen the officer around town before, but hadn't had any interaction with him before Wednesday night, when they were driving home in an Uber car with their mother and cousin.

Davis pulled over the Uber driver, and according to the twins and their cousin, insinuated they were prostitutes, by asking them if they were "working tonight."

They girls filmed the traffic stop, too.

City officials said Friday afternoon they were unaware of the prostitution-suggestion allegation, but said the department was investigating the stop as part of its probe into the altercation, which happened after school the next day.

Davis only started working in Orange earlier this year, Warren said.

"I think he's still feeling his way...he hasn't been here very long," Warren said.

Previously, city officials said, he worked for the Union County Sheriff's Department.

He moved to the Orange department, officials said, via an intergovernmental transfer, which the city said was a way to bolster its police ranks without sending new cadets to the academy. The state describes the transfer program as a "voluntary program which offers New Jersey's Civil Service employees the opportunity to transfer from one jurisdiction to another."

The city was not previously privy to Davis's disciplinary record in Union County, officials said. As part of its current investigation, those records will become available, they said.

The Union County Sheriff's Office did not immediately reply to a request for comment. State pension records show Hanif Davis as a Union County employee beginning in July 2015.

A call to the Orange Police Benevolent Association was not immediately returned. Calls to numbers listed for Davis were not answered.

Friday morning, hundreds of Orange High School students and community members marched from the school to police headquarters to protest Davis' altercation with the twins, and demand his firing.

Officials urged calm as the investigation, which is being carried out by the Orange police and overseen by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, is complete.

But, Warren told reporters, Davis's actions are concerning.

"We don't condone that type of behavior," he said.

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

The Orange cop was suspended after he was caught on video tossing twin sisters by their hair

There was a chill in the air, but the action on the football field was hotter than ever.

Matthew Ballister, accused of intentionally killing his girlfriend and dismembering her remains, admitted Friday he used a knife and saw

ELIZABETH -- A 47-year-old man charged with killing his girlfriend admitted in court Friday that he dismembered her remains, saying he cut off her head and limbs with a knife and saw. 

Matthew Ballister, who is accused of intentionally running over and killing April Wyckoff with his Hummer in October 2013, testified he dismembered her remains in the garage of his Union Township home and dumped them in Newark because her body was a reminder that she had died.

"I was completely distraught," he said. "Her body was a constant reminder that she was dead. I decided to remove the constant reminder that my girlfriend was dead." 

Prosecutors said Ballister knowingly killed his on-and-off girlfriend because he thought she was having an affair. Ballister, however, has maintained that Wyckoff's death was an accident, saying he ran her over with his Hummer as she hid under the vehicle.

One of the most powerful moments during the more than three hours of testimony Friday came when Assistant Prosecutor Scott Peterson asked Ballister if he caused any of Wyckoff's injuries. He showed the jury photographs of her recovered remains.

Peterson questioned Ballister about at least 50 stab wounds, bruises or scratches found on her limbs, some of which Ballister said he could not see on the monitor.

"Did you hit her here?"

"No."

"Did you stab her here?"

"No."

"You didn't cause this bruising here, did you, Matt?"

"No."

Then Peterson questioned Ballister about the dismemberment. 

Ballister said he decided to dismember the remains of the woman he described as "the one" with a knife and saw on a plastic tarp. Asked if he placed a plastic bag on Wyckoff's head before cutting her up, Ballister said yes. 

"Was it hard work?" Peterson asked of the dismemberment. "Was it fun for you to dismember April Wyckoff?"

"I wouldn't consider it work," Ballister responded. "I'd consider it horrible." 

Ballister placed the butchered remains in plastic bags and drove around Newark aimlessly for hours until he decided to leave the bags on Raymond Boulevard near the Passaic River, he said. He claimed he was not trying to hide the body.

Law enforcement found the five black garbage bags with parts of Wyckoff's body: a hand, her head and neck, a thigh, a dismembered leg and four fingertips.

Authorities never found her full body. Asked about it in court, Ballister said he assumed animals took the parts not found. 

When asked by Peterson if later that night he went to Liberty State Park in Jersey City and then to his mother's home, where he disposed of bloodied clothes and Wyckoff's passport, Ballister said yes. 

Ballister began his testimony Thursday. Under questioning from his defense attorney, Thomas Russo, he described days of drug and alcohol use and other events leading up to Wyckoff's death.

He testified that he thought he and Wyckoff needed medical attention, so he helped her into the backseat of his Hummer and left her while he went to get his keys inside the house. When he returned and put the vehicle in reverse, he realized he drove over something, Ballister claimed in his testimony. 

Ballister testified he got out of his truck to find blood trickling down the driveway and Wyckoff, who was wearing a flannel shirt and Harley Davidson flip-flops, dead under the vehicle. She had tire marks on her elbows.

"I stood there in shock for several minutes and realized I couldn't be there with her lifeless body," he said. 

Ballister testified he then took Wyckoff's car and drove to Newark to purchase more drugs. Returning home about four hours later, he testified he was surprised the body was still in his driveway.

"Everything was exactly the same as I left it," he said. 

Ballister claimed he could not mentally grasp that Wyckoff had died because he was hallucinating on drugs, describing his mindset as being in a "general nightmare state." He had been abusing cocaine for days, was stressed from work and now in a state of shock, he said.

Worrying about the body and what he described as his neighborhood's large raccoons, Ballister testified that he decided to drag Wyckoff's body about 12 feet by her ankles into his garage, leaving a trail of blood. He pulled the body next to his 1969 Chevrolet Corvette.

Unsure of what to do, Ballister called his mother, who came over to his house to talk about what happened. But she was not much help and left 15 minutes later without looking at the body, he testified.

Ballister's mother, Eleanor Schofield, of Mountainside, has been charged with hindering the police investigation by helping Ballister get rid of Wyckoff's remains. She has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

Before Ballister's testimony began Friday, his attorney told the judge that Ballister wanted on the record that he thinks the lawyer made a mistake by not calling a psychiatric expert during the trial to talk about his pathological drug use or psychotic disorder.

The defense rested Friday. Summations will be Tuesday when the trial resumes.

Staff writer Marisa Iati contributed to this report. 

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka.

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The officer, a 15-year veteran of the force, was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a bruise

NEWARK -- A police officer was shot in his bulletproof vest Saturday morning while SWAT was searching a city house, authorities said. 

The officer, a 15-year veteran of the force, was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a bruise, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said in a release. 

The incident occurred just after 6 a.m. when Newark police and the Emergency Service's SWAT team were entering the basement door when a suspect fired a gun from inside the Goodwin Avenue apartment, according to the release.

James Dennard, 22, was arrested immediately after the shooting and charged with multiple weapons counts, the release said. Police said they recovered a handgun, marijuana paraphernalia.  

"I commend the officers from the Emergency Services SWAT Team for the way they handled the situation--especially because a 2-year old child was in the house," Ambrose said. 

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Woman shot at least five times and left hospitalized for months.

NEWARK -- An Essex County jury on Friday convicted a Newark man of shooting a woman several times in an attack that left her paralyzed in a hospital bed for 11 months before she died more than two years ago.

Kanem Williamson (Photo: ECPO) 

Kanem Williamson, 22, was found guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the death of Amera Bell, who he fired eleven shots at using a 9mm Ruger handgun, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Amera was outside her home the Bradley Court complex in Newark's West Ward on May 5, 2014, when the shooting occurred 

Bell, 35, was hit by at least five rounds, authorities said. A bullet severed Bell's spine, leaving her paralyzed below her neck and confined to a hospital.

She died April 7, 2015 as a result of medical complications from the wounds, according to prosecutors.

"The defendant's actions not only took the life of Ms. Bell, but victimized her loving family, who attended to her needs during her 11 months of hospitalization," said Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab, who tried the case.

Edwab credited the "tireless investigative efforts" of Newark police and prosecutor's office along with help from witnesses who came forward to authorities in the case.

"Hopefully, the verdict brings some measure of solace to the Bell family," the assistant prosecutor said.

Williamson faces a possible 10- to 30-year prison term at his sentencing scheduled for Dec. 1.

He is also set to be sentenced in an unrelated weapons offense in Newark, prosecutors said. In that case, a plea agreement called for him to receive 42 months in state prison with 42-month period of parole ineligibility. That crime occurred about eight months before he shot Bell.

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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Mayor Ras Baraka said it could have gotten "very ugly, very fast," after an officer was shot while a 2-year-old child was present

NEWARK -- Mayor Ras Baraka and the city's top police brass lauded officers' use of "restraint and discipline" during an early morning drug bust after one of their own was shot in the chest.

A 15-year veteran of the police force -- who has not been identified -- is recovering at the hospital after he was shot in his bulletproof vest while entering an apartment on the 100-block of Goodwin Avenue. The suspect inside the home, who was with his girlfriend and 2-year-old daughter fired a 9 mm weapon striking the 50-year-old officer.

Police did not return fire, officials said.

"It could have turned very ugly, very fast and I would say that in many municipalities it may have turned ugly," Baraka said during a press conference Saturday at police headquarters. "I'm incredibly blessed and proud of our officers here in the city of Newark for exercising the restraint and the discipline they had to be able to go into a house, take on fire and execute an arrest without firing a weapon one time."

Baraka said the officer was taken to University Hospital for treatment. The mayor said he spoke to the officer, who sounded "upbeat."

"He said 'I'm blessed today,' and I said, 'Yeah, many people are blessed," Baraka said. "There was also a 2-year-old in the house as well which made this an incredible job."

Officials said about 10-12 officers forced their way into the basement apartment of a pale-green home just after 6 a.m. to execute a drug warrant after a month-long investigation. The investigation stemmed from neighbors' complaints.

Police said James Dennard, 22, fired his weapon once up the stairwell as the officers came in. He was arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering the welfare of a minor, possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

His girlfriend, Latasia Phillips, 24, was also arrested and charged with possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of the child.

Forty grams of marijuana and a small amount of cash were found inside the home, police said.

Neighbors along Goodwin Avenue said they were stunned to see all the police activity. The block, they said, is usually quiet.

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

Retired Newark police chief Anthony Campos will be paid for 666 days of unused or owed time, records show. Campos retired in June of 2016.

NEWARK -- The city's former police chief, who retired last year amid an overhaul of Newark's police and fire departments, is set to receive a $453,725 payout for his 666 days of unused and owed time, NJ Advance Media has learned. 

Anthony Campos began his 30-year tenure in the police department in 1986, working his way through the ranks and serving briefly as chief in 2006. He was re-appointed to the position in 2014 by Mayor Ras Baraka.

Campos, 51, who still resides in the East Ward, retired in June 2016 with an unused backlog of 50 vacation days, 33 holidays, 530 days of compensatory time and 53 days for his years of service, according to his retirement paperwork. Those days will be paid based on his $175,000 salary as chief, records show.

"This is something this gentlemen accumulated over a 30-year period, he's not any different than any other police officer that retires," Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose told NJ Advance Media, adding that his payout was contractual.

"Born and raised in the East Ward of the city, he went through the ranks," Ambrose said. "He was very dedicated to the department."

"This is what I've done my whole life, I love it," said Campos, who began his career in the department right after high school. 

Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University, said the $453,000 pay out "is probably within the range of others" with 30-year tenures and not out of the ordinary for someone retiring at the higher end of the pay scale. 

"The way it has always worked is you get paid out at your final rate, despite when you earned the time," he said. 

The New Jersey Local Finance Board, however, has proposed a rule that could change these hefty payouts. Pfeiffer said in August the board proposed requiring future payouts be based on the salary rate when the days were accumulated, unless a contract or municipal policy says otherwise. 

An analysis by NJ Spotlight this March found public workers are owed $1.9 billion in unused time when they retire. And that number is only rising.

There's been bipartisan efforts in the Legislature to stop these accruals and six-figure payouts but most have stalled. In 2010 Gov. Chris Christie capped payouts at $15,000 but only for new school, county and municipal employees.

A 30-year tenure

During his time at the police department, Campos clashed with former Mayor Cory Booker and later sued Booker claiming he didn't receive promised raises and other incentives when he agreed to step down as chief and take a post as public safety director. 

The case was settled for $25,000. As part of the settlement agreement, all investigations against Campos were closed with no administrative action, the agreement said. 

Campos was briefly suspended by then-Newark police director Garry McCarthy for allegedly defying orders and rescinding personnel transfers. He was also accused of patronizing an illegal motorcycle club bar in the city.

Campos denied those allegations and said he never served a formal suspension. 

After stepping down as chief in 2009, Campos was later named public safety director and then reassigned to the 5th Precinct as a deputy chief. Baraka appointed Campos as police chief again in 2014. 

Campos will receive his $453,725 payout in several installments through 2018, including $5,000 for sick time and a $437 clothing allowance, records show. The payments are separate from his monthly pension allowance of $10,790, according to state pension records.

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

Saint Vincent Academy students walk in annual fundraiser.

NEWARK -- On Oct. 6 the Saint Vincent Academy held its 24th annual Spirit Walk through downtown Newark. More than 300 students, faculty and friends spent weeks raising money before walking in the fundraiser to benefit the school's tuition aid and scholarship programs.

"The walk celebrates our school community, pride and gratitude towards local community partners who have been so generous to our school," said Theresa Nolan, communications coordinator.

More than $16,000 was raised at this year's walk.

To submit school news send a email to essex@starledger.com.