A couple fromm New Jersey were arrested after they allegedly left kids in their SUV while they gambled at a Pennsyvania casino.

BENSALEM TWP., Pa. -- A New Jersey couple were jailed Saturday after police said they left three children in a cold vehicle while they gambled at Parx Casino, according to a report by the Bucks County Courier Times.

Authorities said Jarrett Evan Nelson, 39, and Ebony Walker, 30, both of Newark, went into the casino at about 7:30 p.m. and did not return until about 9:10 p.m. While they were inside, they allegedly left three children -- ages 8, 3 and 1 -- inside their SUV, according to the report.

Police said the temperature Saturday night was 31 degrees.

Nelson and Walker -- described by police as boyfriend and girlfriend -- face multiple counts of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of children, according to the report.

Both were held in Bucks County prison on $50,000 bail, according to the report.

Alex Young may be reached at ayoung@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlexYoungSJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.

 

 

The 24-year-old Trevon I. Clement, was charged with unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle along with a number of other traffic violations, New York State Police said in a release Monday.

Trevon I. ClementNYSP 

A Newark man was arrested in New York on New Year's Day after he allegedly crashed his car during a high-speed pursuit with state troopers.

The 24-year-old Trevon I. Clement, was charged with unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle along with a number of other traffic violations, New York State Police said in a release Monday. 

Clement was spotted by troopers on Jan. 1 around 9:40 p.m. driving almost 100 mph on Interstate 81 near the Town of Barker, police said. Clement fled onto State Route 17, where police clocked his car at almost 127 mph before Clement crashed into the guide rail.

Clement was held in Broome County jail on $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 property bond. 

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

 

The mother of an East Orange man cried in court today when his alleged killer was arraigned on charges he shot the 40-year-old during a robbery and left him slumped over the steering week of his car in a desolate area of Pacific Avenue in Jersey City.

JERSEY CITY -- The mother of an East Orange man cried in court today when his alleged killer was arraigned on charges he shot the 40-year-old during a robbery last year and left him slumped over the steering wheel of his car in a desolate area of Pacific Avenue in Jersey City.   

"We want justice," Judith Revis said during the arraignment of Ibn Bailey, 29, of Newark, who is charged with fatally shooting her son, Karl Revis, on March 25 at 9:05 p.m. near Forrest Street.

"I wanted to run up to him and grab him," said Revis' father, Karl Cobb, a retired Newark police officer. "(Bailey) was standing there like he didn't care."

"He had no remorse," Judith Revis added. It was the first time the victim's parents had seen Bailey.  

Judith Revis said her son had three sisters and six brothers. "His brothers and sisters adored him -- adored him." She noted that he had studied at Seton Hall and was in the process of marketing an urban clothing line. She said "he was very good looking," and his smile lit up the room.

Probable cause for the charges against Bailey include his fingerprint being found on the inside passenger door handle of the victim's car and cell tower site data that places Bailey's phone at the crime scene shortly after the murder, officials said.

In addition, security video shortly after the murder shows the defendant holding a jacket last seen worn by the victim. Video surveillance footage also shows the defendant and victim together at victim's residence earlier in the day.

Today's hearing was before Superior Court Judge Sheila Venable in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. Bailey's attorney, Chris Orriss, entered a not guilty on his client's behalf.

At Bailey's first appearance on the charges, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Leo Hernandez argued for a high bail, noting that Bailey has seven prior criminal convictions, he failed to appear at two municipal court hearings, and shortly after the murder, he left New Jersey and went to Virginia.

Orriss, noted that the state's evidence merely show where his client was at various times. Bail was set at $500,000 cash only.

Bailey was arrested on narcotics charges in Virginia on March 30 and was in jail in Virginia when he was charged with the homicide on May 5 and later extradited to New Jersey, Hernandez said. 

The state was represented by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Michael D'Andrea. 

Mayor Ras Baraka and Police Chief Anthony Campos announced the move Monday, saying it would increase transparency and help satisfy federal demands for new civilian oversight of the force Watch video

NEWARK - The city will bring in an attorney to run its police internal affairs unit as it continues its drastic overhaul of its public safety operations, Mayor Ras Baraka announced today.

The impending hire, which Baraka said could come as soon as later this week, comes as he orchestrates a complete reformation of the police department's upper ranks with the goal of reducing bureaucracy and freeing up hands to fight a rising tide of violent crime.

It will also increase civilian oversight over department discipline, - one of several mandates the U.S. Department of Justice is expected to hand down as part of a soon-to-be delivered consent decree. In 2014, the agency revealed the results of a two-year investigation that found internal affairs consistently failed to discipline officers who were the subject of civilian complaints.

"I think that along with the consent decree, along with the (Civilian Complaint Review Board) and other things that we are doing, is going to help us create the kind of image that we need as a police department, where our community can kind of buy in," Baraka said.

Police Chief Anthony Campos said that while the attorney's duties would be primarily in-house, their presence in the department had the potential to aid officers' efforts on the street.

"If the public has confidence in the police....they're more apt to share stuff with us, communicate with us," he said. "That's critical to reducing violence and reducing crime."

Campos, who has been rumored to be on his way out of the department as part of the public safety shake-up, also announced his impending retirement at the press conference. The veteran lawman did not offer a date for his exit, saying it will come once his replacement, 22-year veteran Darnell Henry, currently an acting lieutenant, is fully prepared to take the reins.

Henry would presumably report to the city's new public safety director, which the Municipal Council is expected to officially approve as early as Wednesday. Anthony Ambrose, a former Newark police chief and director who most recently served as chief of investigations for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, was named acting director last month.

Justice Department calls for federal monitor of Newark Police Department

Baraka echoed Campos' hopes that additional transparency and civilian oversight might help inspire more coordination from residents, but cautioned that the roots causes of crime and violence would require far more than the eye of an additional attorney. 

"I don't think they're going to have any (impact on) underlying effects. The underlying reasons for crime, in terms of poverty and hopelessness, is something we need to have a different press conference about," he said.

Originally predicted to be delivered by September 2014, the city has faced a lengthy wait for the federal consent decree and appointment of a monitor to oversee it. In November, officials predicted that it would be delivered by the end of 2015, though that too has failed to materialize.

In April, Baraka signed an executive order authorizing the civilian complaint review board, which he called the strongest in the country. The city named a number of members representing community organization to the board in the fall, though it has yet to officially convene or hear any cases.

The mayor said he hoped to roll the board out in the coming weeks, though he cautioned it was a virtual certainty it would be challenged in court. However, he said its arrival would coincide with the consent decree and the new internal affairs system to mark a new era for police-community relations in Newark.

"It's a trifecta that we need to be able to create the image of a more transparent, a police department that has a better relationship with the community and has nothing to hide," he said.

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

 

The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition and others involved with the scuffle last week say it overshadowed their body of work fighting bloodshed in the community Watch video

NEWARK - A group of activists involved in an anti-violence protest turned brawl on the steps of City Hall last week have issued a public apology, calling the incident a "black eye" for their fight against crime.

The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, which had several members present at the Wednesday demonstration, issued a public statement the following day expressing regret "for the behavior of any one in our membership for their unintended role in that tragic event." 

"We apologize to all attendees who had to witness this senseless incident," the group said. "Most importantly, we apologize to our young, who need a much better example out of all us on how 'not to let disagreement spiral so quickly, so destructively and so dangerously, into the senseless violence what we all saw yesterday and all feel terrible about now!"

The press conference, called by veteran activist Abdul Muhammad and Salaam Ismial, the co-chair of the New Jersey Study Commission on Violence, attracted a handful of reporters and a few dozen onlookers on the steps of City Hall.

When Muhammad began to accuse Mayor Ras Baraka of failing to have an articulated plan to combat violence, however, he was interrupted by fellow activist Donna Jackson, who accused him of abandoning his own efforts until recently. The confrontation quickly escalates into a screaming match, and other members of both groups close in before eventually resorting to fisticuffs.

Tyrone "Street Counselor" Barnes was among those caught participating in the scuffle, including holding Muhammad down by his neck. In an interview Monday, he said he had no intention other than to prevent the situation from escalating.

"All it is trying to restrain (Muhammad) from striking her, because he was in close proximity to striking her," he said. "It wasn't about anything else."

A former convict who has since built a presence working with youth in and around Newark, Barnes hired at-risk youth to work at his at his South Ward restaurant Mercy Wings Deli & Grill, and recently wrapped up a six-month stint as director of the Newark Community Street Team, a city-backed anti-violence program.

Tyrone "Street Counselor" Barnes talks with an employee outside his restaurant in Newark's South Ward Monday. (Dan Ivers/NJ Advance Media)

He said he was upset that his body of work was being overshadowed by the skirmish, and said he hoped he could join forces with Muhammad, Ismial and the NAVC in the future.

"It takes more than just NAVC, the mayor, Muhammad. It takes us a collective community to change the dynamics of the system that's going on out here with this element of crime," he said.

Muhammad has filed a criminal complaint alleging Barnes assaulted him during the melee, though both he and Ismial have expressed similar regrets that their intended message was obscured by the scuffle.

The apparent rift has exposed a rift between city activists who share a common enemy in violence, but apparently diverge on whether the blame should be placed at the foot of City Hall.

In its statement, the NAVC also defended its work in the community as well as Baraka, a founding member who representatives say has implemented "well-demonstrated, multi-dimensional strategies" to help prevent its spread.

"Let the record reflect that this Mayor has already displayed a hands on effort in two short years that dwarfs what former mayors Gibson, James and Booker executed during each of their entire tenures!" the group said.

Baraka issued a statement following the incident calling Muhammad the instigator of the confrontation and characterizing the press conference as an unsanctioned event that served to "discredit the efforts of so many who are committed to speaking out against violence in the neighborhoods and streets of both cities.

For his part, Barnes said his intervention in the heated argument between Muhammad and Jackson should not be interpreted as a political statement.

"That's not my function. Muhammad) has a constitutional right to speak," he said. "It's one man out here, which is the mayor obviously...he's going to face criticism. If I have an issue with the mayor or the city or anything dealing with the community, I hold meetings with the activists, as opposed to doing this whole grandstand thing."

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

Jalil "Goon" Green and Kenneth Zoka, both 18, are each being held on $50,000 bond

NEWARK - A reputed gang member and an accomplice were arraigned on robbery charges this morning after a man caught them breaking into his vehicle, authorities said.

According to Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, members of his Patrol Division were called to the intersection of Elizabeth Avenue and Miller Street Sunday afternoon after he caught Jalil "Goon" Green and Kenneth Zoka outside his station wagon.

The officers arrived to find the man engaged in a struggle with the two teens as he attempted to keep them from fleeing with his iPhone and a battery pack, the sheriff said.

PLUS: 5 charged after Bloomfield teen fends off hoverboard robbery

Green, a purported member of the Bloods street gang, was quickly apprehended, but Zoka allegedly ran two blocks before being tackled by police.

"Zola continued to resist arrest by flailing his arms and legs at our sheriff's officers," Fontoura said in a statement. "He was eventually subdued and taken into custody where he was found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana."

Green and Zoka, both 18-year-old Newark residents, were each charged with robbery, burglary and conspiracy to commit robbery. Zoka was also booked on charges of resisting arrest and drug possession.

Both were arraigned in Essex County Superior Court, and were ordered held at the county jail on separate $50,000 bonds.

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

 

The homicide is the second of the year in the state's largest city Watch video

NEWARK - A man died Monday after being shot outside the Terrell Homes public housing in the city's East Ward.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said the man was wounded around 2 p.m. at the Riverview Court complex. He was rushed to University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/01/20-year-old_man_idd_as_victim_in_daylight_newark_h.html

The victim has yet to be identified, according to Murray. No arrests have been made, though an investigation by the prosecutor's office's Major Crimes and Homicide Task Force is ongoing.

The slaying marks the second homicide of the year in Newark.

Anyone with information is asked to contact task force detectives at (877) TIPS-4EC or (877) 847-7432. 

NJIT officials have spent years in court clashing with members of the former Alumni Association of NJIT after cutting ties with the group in 2008.

NEWARK -- When can university alumni call themselves an "alumni association?"

That's the tricky question a panel of appellate judges is slated to consider Tuesday as a bitter dispute involving New Jersey Institute of Technology alumni heads back to court.

NJIT officials began clashing with members of the Alumni Association of New Jersey Institute of Technology, the school's 80-year-old alumni group, more than a decade ago.

The two sides feuded over money, campus expansion plans and other issues. In 2008, then-NJIT President Robert Altenkirch officially cut ties with the group and started a new alumni group with new leaders. The new group was also named the Alumni Association of NJIT.

NJIT wins legal battle with former alumni association

The old alumni group took NJIT to court in a lengthy and costly trademark case that spent nearly six years in the Superior Court Chancery Division.

In 2014, the court ruled in NJIT's favor and said the old alumni group had to change its name to "Independent Alumni of NJIT." The judge also said the alumni group had to quit using NJIT's logos and stop handing out school awards.

But, the alumni group filed an appeal. Oral arguments in the case will be heard by three appellate judges Tuesday morning at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick, said Joseph Cerra, the alumni group's attorney.

The alumni will argue NJIT stole their group's name and free speech rights, Cerra said.

"They are entitled to use the name 'Alumni Association of New Jersey Institute of Technology' because they were the first association to use this name and the law affords protection to the first user of a name," Cerra said. "The Alumni Association contends NJIT, a state university, acted in violation of the First Amendment by punishing free speech and association rights by trying to take away the Alumni Association's name."

NJIT officials said Monday they don't comment on litigation.

After the 2014 ruling, school officials said they regretted that the dispute ended up in court. But they were pleased the judge said the old alumni group had to change its name.

The case had been costly for NJIT. Though some of its legal costs were covered by the school's insurance policies, NJIT spent at least $460,000 on legal fees defending the initial case in court, a NJIT spokesman said in 2014. That money did not cover the current appeal.

Officials with the alumni group declined to say how much they spent on the case. 

Rodolfo Godinez was the first of the six defendants to be convicted in the Aug. 4, 2007, shooting deaths of Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey in the schoolyard behind the Mount Vernon School

NEWARK -- Faced with a 245-year prison sentence for his role in the 2007 execution-style shooting of three friends in a Newark schoolyard, one of the six men convicted in the case is seeking a new trial.

More than five years after he was sentenced, Rodolfo Godinez is looking to overturn his conviction based on claims that his trial attorney poorly represented him and that a co-defendant has said Godinez did not participate in the slayings.

Godinez appeared briefly on Monday in a Newark courtroom when his current attorney, the prosecutor and Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin scheduled a Feb. 8 hearing for Godinez's trial attorney and his co-defendant to testify.

Godinez - the alleged ringleader of the group - was the first of the six defendants to be convicted in the Aug. 4, 2007, shooting deaths of Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey in the schoolyard behind the Mount Vernon School. Terrance's sister, Natasha Aeriel, was also shot in the head, but survived.

Three of the co-defendants, Jose Carranza, Alexander Alfaro and Gerardo Gomez, were later convicted at separate jury trials. Their co-defendants, Melvin Jovel and Shahid Baskerville, each pleaded guilty.

Godinez and his co-defendants collectively received more than 1,000 years in prison. Prosecutors have said the six men had ties to a Central American gang known as MS-13, and that the murders were gang-related.

During Godinez's trial, an inmate at the Essex County jail testified that Godinez told him he had ordered the schoolyard killings.

In an attempt to overturn his conviction, Godinez, 32, formerly of Newark, has filed a motion for a new trial and a petition for post-conviction relief.

The motion is based on the timing of Godinez's conviction and the statements made by Jovel.

After Godinez was convicted of murder and related charges at his trial in May 2010 and then sentenced in July 2010 to 245 years in prison, Jovel pleaded guilty in September 2010 and admitted shooting all four of the victims.

When Jovel was sentenced in November 2010 to 245 years in prison, he said, referring to Godinez, "the person who was sentenced had nothing to do with this."

According to Godinez's attorney for the motion, Susan Gyss, Jovel has continued to maintain that Godinez was present during the incident, but did not participate in the offenses. Jovel is expected to reiterate that claim when he testifies at the Feb. 8 hearing.

Since Jovel's statements were made after Godinez was convicted, Gyss argued they represent newly discovered evidence that entitles Godinez to a new trial. The motion relies in part on Jovel's remarks during his sentencing hearing.

Rodolfo Godinez, 32, formerly of Newark, appeared before Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin for a hearing on his petition for post-conviction relief in the Newark schoolyard killings case. Godinez was the first of six defendants to be convicted for their roles in the Aug. 4, 2007 execution-style slayings of Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey. Terrance's sister, Natasha Aeriel, was also shot in the head, but survived. Godinez was convicted at a 2010 trial and later sentenced to 245 years in state prison. Through his petition, Godinez is looking to overturn his conviction by claiming he received ineffective assistance from his trial attorney. Hearing was at the Essex County Courthouse in Newark 1/4/16 (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

"He's willing to testify and he's going to be a key witness," Gyss said on Monday outside the courtroom, referring to Jovel's anticipated testimony at the Feb. 8 hearing.

But in a brief filed in response to the motion, prosecutors rejected the claim that Jovel's statement during his sentencing entitles Godinez to a new trial.

"Simply stated, Jovel's opinion at his own sentencing is not evidence, and certainly did not result in the judicial system denying defendant fair proceedings leading to an unjust outcome," according to the brief. The case is being handled by Essex County Assistant Prosecutors Romesh Sukhdeo and Frank J. Ducoat.

In the petition for post-conviction relief, Gyss is claiming Godinez's trial attorney, Roy Greenman, provided ineffective legal assistance in various ways.

As two examples, Gyss claimed Greenman opposed questioning jurors about an apparent dispute amongst them during deliberations, and that Greenman failed to request a special instruction to jurors about the testimony of an MS-13 expert.

That instruction was necessary to highlight the fact that the expert's opinion was largely based on Godinez's statement to police and that statement contained numerous falsehoods, according to Gyss.

Prosecutors rejected those arguments about Greenman's representation, saying that questioning the jurors "would have needlessly interfered with the deliberative process," and that an instruction provided to jurors "accurately instructed the jury that it had to determine the credibility and the relevance of the MS-13 evidence," according to the brief.

After Monday's hearing, Sukhdeo said he believed Godinez's arguments will be rejected by the judge and his conviction will be upheld.

"I don't believe that Mr. Godinez's sentence or custodial status will be modified in any way at all," Sukhdeo said.

In a brief phone interview on Monday, Greenman declined to comment.

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

The mayors of the three largest cities in New Jersey are throwing their support behind Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto's plan to bring casino gaming to north Jersey.

The mayors of the three largest cities in New Jersey are throwing their support behind Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto's plan to bring casino gaming to north Jersey. 

In a joint statement issued yesterday, Mayors Ras Baraka, Steve Fulop and Joey Torres -- representing Newark, Jersey City and Paterson, respectively -- called for north Jersey residents to support Prieto's Assembly bill and raised concerns over Senate President Stephen Sweeney's plan, which would allocate what they view to be an inordinate amount north Jersey casino revenue to Atlantic City.

"Senate President Sweeney's bill takes half of the money raised by potential North Jersey casinos and sends it to one South Jersey municipality, while the other 564 municipalities in New Jersey split the remaining revenue," the three mayors said in the statement. 

"Under the Sweeney bill, North Jersey municipalities endure the infrastructure and public safety burdens that casinos invite, but the revenue is disproportionately given to Sweeney's South Jersey constituents, saddling northern municipalities with additional burdens and less resources to address those burdens," the mayors added. "Senate President Sweeney's proposal is wrong for North Jersey."

For casinos to come to north Jersey, the state constitution must first be amended via public question. However, the state Senate and Assembly would need to approve a resolution before the legislative year ends on Jan. 11 for the referendum to appear on ballots in November. 

In addition to the revenue split, Sweeney's plan calls for current casino operators in the state to have first crack at running the two potential north Jersey casinos -- a point of contention for the north Jersey politicians.

"Requiring current casino operators to have the first chance at running the new casinos is the right move for the state," Sweeney wrote in a Dec. 29 op-ed. "Firms that know our regulatory system and its economic environment will more quickly build better operating casinos. Additionally, casinos that share ownership have a collective motivation in uniting for self-survival."

Richard McGrath, a spokesman for Sweeney, said the Senate president "has made significant compromises, including increasing the number of new casinos from one to two and reducing the amount of resources going to revitalize the Atlantic City region for the benefit of New Jersey."

"Senator Sweeney also amended his bill to make sure that no Atlantic City casino operator could prevent the development of a North Jersey casino.  His amendment demonstrates that he will not let anything stand in the way of a North Jersey casino," McGrath added.  

Meanwhile, Prieto has said he prefers that neither casino operator be a current license holder. 

"The Assembly bill requires one of the operators to be a current Atlantic City license holder. The other bill requires them both to be current holders. I want new blood and ideas," Prieto, of Secaucus, wrote in a recent Star-Ledger op-ed. "I want healthy competition."

This isn't the first time the three north Jersey mayors have banded together. In July, the trio announced an initiative to fight crime by sharing intelligence, police officers and purchasing agreements.

Editor's note: This story has been amended to include comments from a Sweeney spokesman. 

Authorities have identified the man killed outside of the Terrell Homes public housing in the city's East Ward Monday as a 20-year-old city man.

NEWARK -- Authorities have identified the man killed outside of the Terrell Homes public housing in the city's East Ward Monday afternoon as 20-year-old Rakim S. Onque.

Onque, a Newark resident, was wounded in a shooting at around 2 p.m. near the Riverview Court complex, said Katherine Carter, spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Onque was later rushed to University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Carter said.

No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been identified at this time, authorities said. An investigation by the prosecutor's office's Major Crimes and Homicide Task Force is ongoing.

The killing marks the second homicide of the year in Newark.

One pedestrian died and one was injured Dec. 19, when a car hit them while they tried to cross the highway at Sayre Road North, police said.

Two people were struck by a car Saturday night as they tried to cross Route 22 in Union, police said. (Photo provided)

UNION -- Township police have identified the pedestrian killed in a Dec. 19 crash on Route 22. 

East Orange resident Sheron Parker, 28, died after a car struck her at Sayre Road North, Capt. Dave Tyms said.

He said the driver stopped at the scene and is cooperating fully with police. Charges against him are unlikely, Tyms said.

Parker and another pedestrian were trying to cross the highway when a car hit them around 9:30 p.m., Tyms said. He said the second person was also struck and seriously injured.

There have been several other pedestrian accidents on Route 22 in 2015. 

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

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

 

The case hinged on its filing after the student turned 18, lawyers said.

The case hinged on its filing after the student turned 18, lawyers said. (File photo)
 

NEWARK -- The parents of a former private school student who had an alleged sexual relationship with her teacher cannot sue the school for damages, a state superior court judge has ruled.

In a summary decision released on Dec. 22, Essex County Superior Court Judge Thomas R. Vena dismissed a suit filed by Harry and Gina Zelnick against the Morristown-Beard School, ex-teacher Edward Sherman, and others. In the decision, Vena ruled that the parents had no legal standing to sue on behalf of their now-adult daughter, who was not involved in the proceeding.

According to the decision, Sherman allegedly began a sexual relationship with the student, Sharon Zelnick, during her senior year at the prep school in 2012. Despite repeated reports to administration of expected inappropriate contact between the two - including alleged encounters during a school trip to Greece which Zelnick attended as a student and Sherman as a chaperone - the school did not report the incidents to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, the ruling states.

Teacher accused in sex assault of 6 students loses bid to dismiss charges

Sharon did not physically attend school at the end of her senior year, due in part to rumors that spread about the alleged relationship, the ruling states. She graduated, and has since moved to Israel, is estranged from her parents, and took no part in this case, it says.

Zelnick's parents, Harry and Gina, filed a suit after their daughter turned 18 claiming the school should be held responsible for negligence, infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and a breach of contract in connection with the alleged relationship. However, Vena ruled that since Sharon is an adult, she is the only party who can sue on her own behalf.

"The Court is sympathetic to Plaintiffs and the effect the inappropriate relationship between Sherman and Sharon has had and continues to have on them and their family," Vena wrote in the summary decision. "...Since Sharon is now an adult, Plaintiffs are not the real parties in interest and therefore do not have standing to bring an action for gross negligence under the facts presented."

According to Stephen Edelstein, an attorney representing the prep school, Morristown-Beard fired Sherman after the alleged relationship, and he, too, has moved to Israel. Though both Sherman and Sharon Zelnick live in Israel, it is unclear if they live together, Edelstein said.

Sherman "fled" to Israel during a Morris County Prosecutor's Office investigation into the alleged relationship, the decision states.

Edelstein called the decision "significant," noting that he did not know of a similar case in which parents had attempted to file suit on behalf of their now-adult child. The ruling, he said, "will likely become the standard for such claims" in New Jersey.

An attorney representing Harry and Gina Zelnick and a representative of the school did not immediately respond to calls for comment Tuesday.

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

 

The mayor addressed the recently revealed threats on Monday, saying he believed two letters sent to his mother's home were authored by the same person

NEWARK - Mayor Ras Baraka offered his first comments Monday about the recently revealed threats on his life, saying they were being taken "very seriously."

During a press conference to announce his intention to hire an attorney to oversee the Newark police department's internal affairs unit, Baraka said he found the two letters, originally sent in October, amidst a stack of mail at his mother's South Ward home.

Though he said he considered hostility from some constituents or other opponents, "part of the job", he said he took the greatest exception to where the letters had been directed.

"What's more frightening to me more than about my own safety is, I'm really more concerned about people going to my mother's home," he said. "It's a bit much for me as a human being."

Baraka called the nature of the threats "alarming" but declined to go into further detail, citing an ongoing police investigation. He added that he believed a single person had authored both letters.

"It makes me wonder about more than my own safety," he said. "We don't take this lightly."

Newark boosts security after threat against mayor, official says

During an afternoon appearance on SiriusXM's "Karen Hunter Show", Baraka was asked whether the threats spawned from a certain issue or position.

"It's not clear. It's just craziness," he said. "But you have to take everything seriously because you never know what people have on their mind and what they intend on doing, especially in this time that we're living in."

In a press release issued Saturday, the city said the threats also targeted city facilities, and that extra security precautions were being taken at City Hall.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office has confirmed that they are supporting Newark police to help root out the origin of the letters, but few other details about the probe have been released.

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

 

The vast majority of small business owners in New Jersey, regardless of their political leanings say they would support a program that help them offer a retirement plan for their employees

TRENTON -- The vast majority of small business owners in New Jersey regardless of their political leanings say they would support a program that would help them offer a retirement plan for their employees, according to a new poll funded by the AARP.

Eighty percent of 450 business owners said they agreed with the statement: "The governor should support creating retirement options that make it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans for their workers," according to the poll.

The support was strongest among Democrats, at 90 percent, but 77 percent of independents and 73 percent Republicans also agreed.

The timing of the poll coincides with a crucial vote in the Senate Thursday on a bill that would require private-sector employees that don't provide a retirement plan to offer "Secure Choice." The plan would require employers to arrange enrollment and payroll deductions but they would bear no other costs, according to the bill that passed the Assembly in December. 

The vote in the Senate is the last stop before the legislation heads to the Gov. Chris Christie's desk.

AARP lobbyist Douglas Johnston said when the program is explained, people of all political stripes support it. 

"Even among self-described conservatives, 70 percent support this initiative. That is great news," Johnston said. He also noted business groups such as the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, African American Chamber of Commerce and the Asian-Indian Chamber of Commerce have written letters endorsing the bill.

"We think this is a very pragmatic proposal that provides a very real, substantive benefit for that businesses cannot afford or choose not to take on," Johnston added. "The hard-core ideological opposition is from people who misunderstand it, in our opinion."

The New Jersey Business and Industry Association opposes the bill because it mandates employer participation. The American Council of Life Insurers also criticized the proposal, warning start-up costs for the state could be high.

Just 27 percent of those polled said they offered some form of retirement plan. Those that didn't said they couldn't afford it (38 percent), their company was too small or new (20 percent), or relied on seasonal workers (20 percent). But nearly two-thirds of business owners who don't offer retirement plans said they would participate in a state-run program, according to the poll.

"We are pleased with the result because it confirms what we have been hearing from small businesses here in New Jersey... and consistent with the opinions that we at AARP have heard around the country. Indeed, small businesses are hungry to be able to offer this kind of benefit to their employees," said Ev Liebman, AARP's associate state director. "People who run small businesses see this as a benefit not a burden."

Employee participation in the program would be voluntary and the fund would be portable from job to job, according to the legislation, (A4275). The fund would be overseen by an unpaid seven-member board appointed by the governor and legislature, and managed by a firm hired by the board. The firm would be compensated through an employee fee that would not exceed 0.75 percent, according to the bill.

Most N.J. workers anxious about being able to afford retirement, poll shows

The NJ Secure Choice program would target companies that are at least two years old, employ a minimum of 25 people, and do not offer a retirement savings program, according to the bill. Small companies could opt-in to the program. Employers that do not set up a payroll deduction and enrollment system would face fines.

The Secure Choice legislation is one of hundreds of bills the legislature is trying to pass before the legislative session ends at noon on Jan. 12. Gov. Chris Christie has a week to decide whether to sign bills into law or let them expire.

The new survey is based on responses from 450 owners of small businesses employing no more than 100 people. Half had owned a business for six to 25 years, 26 percent had operated for 26 years or longer and 22 percent had run their own business for less than five years. There were 28 percent Republicans, 24 percent independents, 23 percent Democrats who completed the survey, and 18 percent who described themselves as "something else."

The American Institute of Consumer Studies, a national research company based in Newtown, Pennsylvania, conducted the telephone survey from Oct. 30 through Dec. 1.

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

County authorities have released the names of the two pedestrians killed last weekend in separate vehicle collisions.

(File photo).

NEWARK -- County authorities have released the names of the two pedestrians killed last weekend in separate vehicle collisions.

April Townsend, 45, of Newark, died Saturday night at University Hospital after she was struck by a man driving a Volkswagen Passat in the 100 block of Bergen Street, said Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter.

Saul Simoes, 75, of Newark, sustained life-threatening injuries after he was stuck by a Toyota SUV near the vicinity of Mount Prospect Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue, authorities said. He was transported to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries following the incident, and later died, authorities said.

In both cases, the drivers involved in the incidents remained at the scene of the collision, authorities said.

No charges have been filed at this time, though investigations into both incidents are ongoing, authorities said.

 

Kimberly Fleming of East Orange allegedly had just one boot on and a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when she was stopped on Routes 1 & 9 Monday morning

ELIZABETH - A TSA officer was arrested after being caught driving drunk outside Newark Liberty International Airport early Monday, authorities said.

Kimberly Fleming, 33, had just one shoe on and a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit when Port Authority police were forced to block her path on Routes 1 & 9 around 1:30 a.m., Port Authority spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said in a statement.

The East Orange resident had bloodshot eyes and emitted a strong odor of alcohol, officers reported, and allegedly stumbled when she got out of the vehicle missing her right boot.

PLUS: Man caught trying to carry gun into Newark airport, officials say

Officers also noticed scrapes and other damage to the left side of her 2013 Nissan, which she claimed happened when "someone" collided with the vehicle, Pentangelo said.

After securing her wayward boot, she failed a field sobriety test, and was booked for driving while intoxicated.

TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein confirmed that Fleming is employed as a screener at the airport, and has been issued a 7-day suspension following her arrest.

Fleming was released later Monday pending a Jan. 13 appearance in Elizabeth Municipal Court.

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

 

Natasha Bellott, of Bloomfield, had her audition ticket in her pocket when she was killed in the August crash, authorities said.

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BLOOMFIELD -- The driver of a car that crashed in August 2015 and claimed the life of an aspiring New Jersey singer on her way home from "American Idol" auditions in Pennsylvania is facing charges in connection to her death, according to reports.

The driver, who was 17 at the time of the crash and is being tried as a minor, has been charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, reckless endangerment, and traffic violations, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office told NorthJersey.com. He declined to identify the driver, the report said.

Natasha Bellott, 20, of Bloomfield, was killed in the Aug. 2 crash in which a 2003 Jeep Liberty rolled over onto a median on Interstate 95 in Lower Makefield Township, Pa., police have said. She was one of six people in the car who were on their way back from the Philadelphia auditions of the reality singing competition, authorities have said. Bellott was found with her audition ticket in her pocket, police have said.

Bloomfield woman killed in Pa. crash was aspiring singer, Justin Bieber fanatic

All six people were treated for varying degrees of injuries, authorities have said.

The NorthJersey.com report identified LeAnn Manochio, 18, of Belleville, as the driver charged in connection with the incident. Despite police reports claiming that Manochio lost control while driving on the ruble strips to "mess with" her passengers, the teenager denied driving recklessly, and called the crash an accident in a statement, NorthJersey.com reported.

The Buck's County District Attorney's Office acknowledged but did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges Tuesday.

Family members and friends said Bellott idolized Justin Bieber, and modeled her singing career after his.

"She was just sweet, really kind," Bellott's brother, Brandon, told NJ Advance Media in August.

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

 

Up-and-coming. Rising star. The next big thing.  The Forbes 30 Under 30 list is a who's who of young achievers. And some notable New Jersey entertainers have earned spots in the 2016 rundown, published Monday. The "list" is actually not one list but instead a series of lists-of-30, each dedicated to various arenas including music, acting and theater. Here's a sampling...

Up-and-coming. Rising star. The next big thing. 

The Forbes 30 Under 30 list is a who's who of young achievers.

And some notable New Jersey entertainers have earned spots in the 2016 rundown, published Monday. The "list" is actually not one list but instead a series of lists-of-30, each dedicated to various arenas including music, acting and theater.

Here's a sampling of some entries who have local ties.  

• Fetty Wap, 24 -- The Paterson hip-hop artist, who made the Forbes 30 Under 30 music list, emerged as a true breakout star of 2015 after becoming famous for his hit song "Trap Queen," released late in 2014. The song went from SoundCloud favorite to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fetty, born Willie Maxwell II, managed to have three singles simultaneously rank near the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart before his self-titled first album went on to debut at No. 1 this past fall. 

• Halsey, 21 -- Ashley Frangipane, another entry on the music list, may have taken her stage name from a Brooklyn subway stop, but she grew up in Clark. In 2015 the electropop star sold out Madison Square Garden, saw her first album, "Badlands," debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and collaborated with Justin Bieber on his song "The Feeling." 

• Okieriete Onaodowan, 28 -- The "Hamilton actor, who grew up in Newark, made the Forbes "Hollywood and entertainment" 30. Onadowan, who calls himself "The Incredible Oak" on social media, plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the hit Lin-Manuel Miranda musical. His previous Broadway engagements have been in "Rocky" and "Cyrano."

• Nick Jonas, 23 -- After parting ways with the Jonas Brothers, Jonas, who grew up in Wyckoff with his brothers Kevin and Joe, went on to release solo album "Nick Jonas" in 2014 (not to be confused with his 2005 album "Nicholas Jonas"). Forbes cites Jonas' multi-platinum hit song "Jealous" as one reason for his placement on this list. 

To read the full group of 30 Under 30 lists, including roundups dedicated to Hollywood and entertainment, art and style, finance, sports, education, venture capital and food and drink -- 600 honorees altogether -- go to Forbes.  

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.

 

The two men join former Newark Water Conservation and Development Corp. director Linda Watkins-Brashear, who pleaded guilty last month in the scheme.

NEWARK -- A former special projects manager for the Newark Conservation and Watershed Development Corp. and a home improvement contractor pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to a kickback scheme that paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to watershed officials. 

View of the Charlotteburg Dam in Kinnelon, part of the facility of the Newark Watershed in Kinnelon. (Jerry McCrea | The Star-Ledger)McCrea, Jerry 

The special projects manager, Donald Bernard Sr. of Newark and the contractor, Giacomo "Jack" DeRosa of Clinton Township, admitted their roles in the scheme before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares.

They become the third and fourth individuals to plead guilty, joining former director Linda Watkins-Brashear, who admitted her role in the scheme two weeks ago. Another contractor, James Porter, admitted to paying more than $500,000 in bribes last year. The bribes took place even as the corporation slid into dissolution by 2013. 

Former official, contractor, charged in kickback scheme at Newark watershed agency

Bernard, 68, was a consultant to the corporation from 2008 to 2010, and then became a manager of special projects through 2013. 

In court, he admitted that he sought kickbacks from contractors to the watershed totaling more than $409,000. With Watkins-Brashear, the total of kickbacks was around $957,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey said. 

In return, companies such as DeRosa's Essex Home Improvement Corp. of East Orange got inflated contracts and, at times, no-work contracts, authorities said. 

Bernard would sometimes have the contractors issue kickback checks to  organizations he controlled, such as the African American Heritage Parade Committee and Bernard and Associates, officials said. 

DeRosa pleaded guilty to laundering about $85,000 he kicked back to Bernard from 2008 through 2012. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine..

Bernard, 68, pleaded guilty to two counts of bribery and one count of filing a false tax return. He faces up to 13 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced April 7. 

The Newark Water Group, a citizen organization which called for an investigation of  the Newark watershed corporation, said it was pleased with the news of the guilty pleas.

"We are very grateful for the time and energy that U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and his staff, along with other law enforcement agencies across New Jersey... have invested in this case because the corruption uncovered here was so blatant and brazen and such a violation of the public trust," said Guy Sterling, a spokesman.

The water group called on current Newark officials to redouble their efforts at oversight so that similar abuses do not happen again. 

About a year ago, the reconstituted board of directors for the Newark Watershed corporation filed for bankruptcy in a move in part to recover funds that had been allegedly looted from the agency. 

Booker is among a group of 18 executives, employees, contractors, accountants and trustees named as defendants in a civil lawsuit alleging that they failed to provide proper oversight of the agency.  

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.