This cleanup project will be paid for by those responsible for the pollution, the EPA says.

By Judith A. Enck

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued its formal plan to protect people's health and benefit riverfront communities by requiring the removal of 3.5 million cubic yards of toxic sediment from the lower eight miles of the Passaic River.

This scientifically-sound plan addresses the extraordinarily high concentrations of cancer-causing contaminants in the lower eight miles of the Passaic River. The EPA will oversee bank-to-bank dredging followed by capping of the river bottom. This ambitious dredging project, one of the largest of its kind in the EPA's 46 year history, charts a course for a cleaner Passaic River.

The EPA's Superfund cleanup of the river will significantly decrease cancer risks and non-cancer health hazards to people who eat fish and shellfish from the lower eight miles by reducing the concentrations of the contaminants in the shallow sediment in the lower eight miles of the river.

Few rivers in America are as prominent and yet as damaged as the lower Passaic River.

Over 100 years of industrial activity has resulted in discharges that left behind toxic muck on the bottom and banks of the river. From Newark Bay to the Dundee Dam in Garfield, the sediment in the Passaic is contaminated with dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls, heavy metals and pesticides.

A major source of dioxin in the river was pollution from the notorious Diamond Alkali Co. facility in Newark, where the production of Agent Orange and pesticides during the 1960s generated dioxin that contaminated the land and the river. Ninety percent of the volume of contaminated sediments in the lower Passaic are in the lower eight miles of the river.

Cleaning up the Passaic will not be easy, but today we've turned a corner. The EPA's final plan, known as a Record of Decision, is based on an extensive study of the lower eight miles of the river developed in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and reflects years of consultation with the community.

The Passaic is mired with an approximately 10-to-15-foot deep reservoir of contaminated fine-grained sediment in the lower eight miles of the river. Once the top layer of contaminated sediment is removed from the river, a protective cap will be placed over the area that was dredged.

An EPA map of the Passaic River Superfund site. EPA 

The cap will consist of two feet of sand except along the shore where it will be one foot of sand and one foot of materials to support habitat for fish and plants. The cap will be monitored and maintained in perpetuity to ensure that the cleanup remains protective. In the 1.7 miles closest to Newark Bay, deeper dredging will occur to allow current commercial navigation to continue.

Air and water quality will be monitored during the work. All the work will create hundreds of new jobs.

The work builds on dredging that has already occurred in two smaller areas with high concentrations of contaminants. In 2012, the EPA oversaw dredging in the Passaic near the Diamond Alkali facility in Newark. About 40,000 cubic yards of the most highly dioxin contaminated sediment were removed, treated and then transported by rail to licensed disposal facilities.

In 2013, the EPA oversaw dredging of approximately 16,000 cubic yards of highly contaminated sediment from a half-mile stretch of the Passaic River that runs by Riverside County Park North in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. This area is located about 11 miles north of the river mouth and outside of the lower eight miles addressed in today's record of decision. The work was necessary because the EPA identified particularly high levels of contamination in the surface sediment in that portion of the river.

The federal Superfund law is based on the guiding principle that polluters, not taxpayers, pay the cost of cleanup. This $1.38 billion cleanup project will be paid for by those responsible for the pollution, and we look forward to their cooperation. 

The entire record of decision for the lower eight miles of the Passaic River is available at https://semspub.epa.gov/src/collection/02/AR63167 and the EPA's Passaic River Community Involvement Coordinator can be reached at (212) 637-3670, rini.sophia@epa.gov

Judith A. Enck is regional administrator for Region 2 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, covering New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally recognized Indian Nations.

The EPA announces a major clean up of the Passaic River at an event at Riverfront Park in Newark, NJ, on Friday, April 11, 2014. (Frances Micklow | The Star-Ledger) 

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The move comes as state legislators move closer toward a bill to nearly double the current minimum wage of $8.38

EAST ORANGE - As state legislators continue a push to nearly double the state's minimum wage, a pair of Essex County communities have opted to take matters into their own hands.

Last month, East Orange officials signed a contract with its primary labor union to increase pay for 445 of its 989 workers to $15 per hour. In all, 99.5 percent of the town's workers now make at least $15, with the few remaining workers set to see the same bump in 2018.

In neighboring Bloomfield, members of the Township Council are set to adopt a resolution Monday that would also up many of its roughly 400 employees wages accordingly.

Mayors Lester Taylor and Mike Venezia were joined by other leaders at a press conference at East Orange City Hall Monday morning, where they expressed their hope the rest of the state will follow suit.

"Simply put, we put our money where our mouth is. I encourage other communities to do the same," East Orange Mayor Lester Taylor said in a statement.

The moves as Democratic lawmakers move closer toward passing legislation that would raise the state's New Jersey's minimum wage from $8.38 to $15 an hour. Should Gov. Chris Christie block the measure, party leaders say they plan to pursue the increase via a constitutional amendment.

In 2013, voters approved a constitutional amendment that increased the state's minimum wage to its current level and tied future increases to the rate of inflation. There is no scheduled increase for 2016.

Since gaining steam two years ago when New York City fast food workers demanded their pay be raised, the so-called "Fight For $15" has gained a number of allies west of the Hudson River.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop signed an executive order to raise the city's minimum wage late last month, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has publicly asked the Port Authority to do the same for its employees. Newark, which has relinquished some control of its finances to the state in exchange for additional funding, has made no visible moves to raise its own minimum wage.

Connie Jackson, a spokeswoman for East Orange, said the city had applied the pay increases through a "phasing in" process retroactive to 2014, minimizing any immediate impact on the budget.

Venezia said leaders had taken a similar approach in Bloomfield, where 30 crossing guards, clerks and other workers would see an immediate bump. Another 20 will see their wages increase over the next year.

Officials in East Orange and Bloomfield have positioned themselves as leaders on other recent labor issues. The two communities are among 11 in New Jersey to offer paid sick leave for private sector workers.

Analilia Mejia, executive director for New Jersey Working Families, said she believed the measures in East Orange and Bloomfield would only add to the momentum to boost the minimum wage.

"It's heartening to see leaders willing to take concrete steps towards lifting up working families in their communities," she said.

Police also seized drugs, an imitation gun, three vehicles and $2,700 in cash from the unspecified hotel Thursday

FAIRFIELD - Police rescued a 16-year-old girl who was being sold for sex during a sting operation that netted 10 arrests at a local hotel last week.

Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna said the girl was recovered at the unspecified hotel Thursday, along with an imitation firearm, three vehicles, a small amount of marijuana and Percocet and $2,700 in cash.

Those arrested were:

• Jasmine Crisp, 19, of Newark for engaging in prostitution
• Oshane Crooks, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y. for promoting prostitution and possession of drug paraphernalia
• Shennette Munroe, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y. for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia
• Katherine Soland, 25, of Elmwood Park, N.J. for engaging in prostitution and possession of drug paraphernalia
• Jessica Burns, 38, of Brooklyn, N.Y. for promoting prostitution and possession of an imitation firearm
• Roberta Lombardi, 43, of Cedar Grove, N.J. for engaging in prostitution
• Unique Andrews, 19, of New York, N.Y. for promoting and engaging in prostitution
• Antoniese Nguyen, 22, of Atlanta, Ga. for promoting and engaging in prostitution
• Jackie Cotton-Pearson, 35, of East Orange for first degree promoting prostitution of a minor, possession of a fraudulent drivers license and possession of Percoet
• Janae Fussell, 43, of Cedar Grove, N.J. for first degree promoting prostitution of a minor and engaging in prostitution.

The undercover operation was part of an ongoing effort by the FBI, state police and local agencies across Morris, Hudson and Essex counties. Fairfield police have conducted approximately eight similar stings since the initiative began, according to Manna, allowing them to recover three minors who found themselves caught in the sex trade.

"This is why this absolutely not a victimless crime as many proclaim," he said. "There are real young people who should be enjoying their teen years rather than being placed in a hotel room in Fairfield for the purposes of prostitution."

Cotton-Pearson and Fussell were sent to the Essex County Jail in lieu of respective $50,000 and $25,000 bonds. Crooks was turned over to New Brunswick police on an outstanding warrant, and all other suspects were released on promises to appear in court.

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

Somerset County Acting Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson grew up in Somerset County and began his law career as a clerk in Somerset County Superior Court.

SOMERVILLE -- Acting Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, who comes from a family of law enforcement officials, comes full circle by returning to his roots.

Robertson grew up in Bridgewater, graduated from Ridge High School in Bernards in 1995 and began his law career as a clerk for then-Superior Court Judge Victor Ashrafi. He was sworn in by Somerset County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Ciccone on Monday in the Ceremonial Room in the Historic Courthouse.

Accompanied by his wife, Michele, and two young children, Ashlyn, 7, and William, 4, Roberston thanked those who helped him along the way, especially Gov. Chris Christie.

He worked at the U.S. Attorney's office while Christie was still overseeing the office as chief federal law enforcement office in New Jersey.

"He has given me two amazing opportunities," said Robertson, who lives in Basking Ridge.

Did payback over gun veto cost Soriano?

Robertson, who must be confirmed by the state Senate, replaces Geoffrey Soriano, who was relieved of his duties on Feb. 18 by Gov. Chris Christie after five years in the post.

"I'm extremely excited about this opportunity," Robertson said before a packed courtroom that included acting assistant prosecutors and detectives who were also sworn in. "This is a homecoming for me. I started out my legal career here as a clerk with Judge Ashrafi in 2003 and it's great to see a lot of familiar faces."

Before swearing in Robertson, Ciccone acknowledge that it was a bitter-sweet day for many because Soriano was so well-liked.

"Today is a day of a lot of mixed emotions," the judge said.

Robertson said Soriano was exceedingly helpful in making the transition a seamless one. He said Soriano met with him several times and "laid out what I was stepping into. He was nothing short of a total professional and an absolute gentleman."

Who killed the Sheridans?

Robertson said his father is a retired Secret Service Agent who once worked in President Ronald Reagan's security detail. An uncle is a retired captain with the Plainfield police department who later worked for the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office as a detective on the narcotics squad.

Other family members were also in law enforcement, he said.

"My passion for this job run deep," said Robertson.

Robertson has spent the past eight years as an assistant U.S. Attorney working out of the Newark office. Prior to that, he was an assistant prosecutor in the Essex County Prosecutor's Office for three years and prosecuted a wide range of crimes.

"I've seen it all in Newark, as you can probably imagine," said Robertson, who earned his law degree from Hofstra University on Long Island in 2002.

Most recently, Robertson has been prosecuting white collar crimes in the Health Care Fraud Unit, Organized Crime and Gangs Unit and the Violent Crimes Unit among other things.

Preye Roberts, 29, of Nutley, entered the guilty plea on the day before his trial was scheduled to begin

NEWARK -- On the day before his trial was scheduled to begin, a Nutley man on Monday pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge and a weapons offense for shooting an off-duty Fairfield police officer in 2010.

Preye Roberts, 29, admitted shooting Officer Gerald Veneziano multiple times on Jan. 30, 2010 when he entered his guilty plea before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler. Jury selection in Roberts's trial was expected to begin on Tuesday.

In exchange for his guilty plea to charges of attempted murder and unlawful possession of a handgun, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a 15-year state prison sentence for Roberts, according to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Romesh Sukhdeo, who is handing the case.

Roberts would have to serve nearly 13 years before becoming eligible for parole and he will receive credit for more than six years of time served.

Roberts's sentencing is scheduled for April 19 before Wigler.

On the attempted murder charge, Roberts was facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if he was convicted at the trial, according to the judge.

Over the last six years, the case has been defined in large part by Roberts's mental health issues.

His attorney, Joseph Krakora, has said Roberts admits shooting Veneziano, but that the defense was preparing to argue during the trial that Roberts suffered from "diminished capacity" at the time of the incident, meaning he had a mental defect or deficiency and did not form the intent needed to be convicted of certain offenses.

Wigler previously ruled that Roberts is competent to stand trial. Roberts is in custody at the Ann Klein Forensic Center, a state psychiatric hospital in Ewing.

During Monday's hearing, Roberts told the judge he takes medication every day for his psychological conditions, and said the medication helps him to think more clearly. Roberts said he did not know the names of the medication.

"I take what I'm given," Roberts said.

Roberts acknowledged the rights he was giving up by pleading guilty and not going to trial. He said no one had forced him to plead guilty and that it was his decision.

While answering questions from Krakora, Roberts admitted he was driving a rental car on the night of the incident and following a vehicle on Routes 3 and 46 into Fairfield. Authorities have said Roberts followed Veneziano as the officer was driving his personal car on his way to work.

Roberts said he ultimately stopped in a parking lot near the Fairfield police headquarters. When a car driven by Veneziano pulled up next to him, Roberts said he shot the officer six times.

Two weeks later, Roberts was arrested for allegedly firing a gun outside a Route 22 liquor store in Union Township. Authorities later determined that weapon was the same one used in the shooting of Veneziano.

The charges related to that Union Township incident are still pending and are not a part of the plea agreement in the attempted murder case.

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

Officials have identified the Amtrak employee struck and killed by an NJ Transit train last week.

The Amtrak employee struck and killed by an NJ Transit train last week has been identified as 49-year-old Dawud F. Bahr, according to Craig Schulz, a spokesman for Amtrak.

Bahr, of Newark, was killed in the early morning of last Tuesday not far from the Jersey Avenue station in New Brunswick, Schulz said in a previous report.

Schulz had no further details on the matter, and the circumstances of the death remain unknown.

Amtrak is leading the investigation since the incident occurred on the company's tracks.

The death is still under investigation.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.

Oppose Gov. Chris Christie on charter schools at your peril. Watch video

TRENTON --  Gov. Chris Christie says he will use his remaining 22 months in office to bring more charter schools to New Jersey, even if he has to "run over" Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to do so.

Appearing at the North Star Alexander Street Elementary School Monday, the Republican governor said that "parents should be able to vote with their feet" and take their children out of failing school districts.

After taking questions from several of school's second graders, the governor addressed reporters, noting that just two years ago, Alexander Street was a failing public school. Today, the school outperforms the state average in every category of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers assessment, or PARCC test.

"The idea that this can be done in a relatively short period of time is both a blessing and a failure on our part," Christie said. "The blessing is obvious. You see these young children who are going to have a much greater life because of the work that is happening here. The failure is that we have not done it sooner and that we do not do it more frequently."

Earlier this month, the governor announced the expansion of 16 existing charter schools, but opened only three new ones in the state.

Newark, in particular, has met with mixed results with its charter schools. Two of the state's three just-approved charters, LEAD Academy Charter School and Achieve Community Charter School, will be in Newark.

But two of the state's oldest charters, Discovery Charter School and Marion P. Thomas Charter School -- also in Newark -- saw their requests for expansion denied by the state earlier this month.

The governor stressed that the lower number of charters opening in-state this year in no way reflected a shift towards merely expanding existing charters at the expense of opening new charter schools.

"Remember: I don't want to open bad charter schools," Christie said. "If next year they came to me with three expansions and 16 new charter schools (that were ready to open), I'd be fine with that, too."

Christie: GOP's 'Stop Trump' movement will fail

Charter schools, which currently educate roughly 50,000 of New Jersey's students, are not without controversy.

When students for charter schools, their school district must hand over most of the per-pupil funding that would have otherwise have been spent on them. Critics say the effect on already-struggling inner city schools can be debilitating.

While the governor was flanked in the school's gymnasium by Democratic state senator Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and her boss, Essex County executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., the most frequent critic of charter schools' drain on existing schools, Baraka, was notably absent.

Last October, Baraka criticized Uncommon Schools, which operates Alexander Street and 10 other North Star Academy charters around the city, as "highly irresponsible" and accused it of showing "no consideration for the majority of children in the Newark Public School system."

Asked if Baraka was one of the entrenched forces that the governor sought to overcome, Christie answered with his trademark bluntness.

"I hope not," the governor said. "But if he chooses to be, we'll run him over, too."

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Man is believed to have ended up in the Passaic River Monday

NEWARK -- Scuba teams, police and other rescue workers responded after receiving reports a man ended up in the Passaic River early Monday night, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

Around 6:30 p.m. firefighters were seen probing the water with long poles at the riverbank near Raymond Boulevard and Madison Street in an area fenced off to the public as a rescue boat cruised a short distance away downriver. Dive teams from Wallington and Lyndhurst were also assisting in the search.

Friends of the victim called police around 5 p.m. and said the man wound up in the water. He was swept away before his friends could assist him, the friends told police.

It was not known why the people were at the riverbank, Ambrose said.

The man is not believed to have been attempting suicide nor do police believe he fell in accidentally, Ambrose said. Police were still interviewing witnesses later Monday night.

The search was suspended shortly before 11 p.m. and was due to resume in the morning, police said.

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

The best food for under $15 in this Essex County town

Belleville is a town of about 35,000 people that sits just north of Newark. The main commercial street is Washington Avenue, where you can find all of the restaurants below. Though Belleville is a largely industrial area, you can still discover some great small businesses and a beautiful park. One of the best things about visiting is the utter absence of chain stores and eateries. Walking Washington Avenue is a nice reminder of what towns used to offer before they were inundated with the same stores that seem to pop up everywhere you look.

Belleville is just off Route 21, which runs north and south along the Passaic River. Whether coming from the north (via Route 3) or south (via Route 280), get off at Exit 5 on Route 21. Go a couple of blocks to the west (away from the river) and make a right onto Broadway, which turns into Washington Avenue.

LA SICILIA | 155 Washington Ave. | (973) 751-5726 |  facebook.com/lasiciliapizza

Walking into La Sicilia feels more like walking into a social club on Arthur Avenue in The Bronx than a pizzeria in New Jersey. It has tons of atmosphere and the patrons look as if they've been eating there faithfully for decades. I asked the man behind the counter how long it has been in business. He said 11 years; I would have guessed 50. Everything looked great, but I was advised to try the pizzeria's famous Grandma slice. It was close to perfection. Lots of garlic and tomato, with a paper-thin slice of fresh mozzarella underneath. The square crust was crisp and exceptionally thin. I would drive out of my way to get this pizza and can't think of a better Grandma slice I've ever had. The Bruschetta slice was good, too, but fairly standard. Grandma slice, $2; Bruschetta slice, $2.50.

SANTA LUZIA CHURRASQUERIA | 192 Washington Ave. | (973) 759-2380

This four-table Ecuadorian restaurant was not on my list of places to try in Belleville, but as I walked along the street, I was lured by the scent of a charcoal fire. When I went inside, the smell grew stronger and I realized I had to eat here. There was one table occupied by two men who had piles of ribs and chicken, which looked incredible. I was prudent and ordered a half-chicken with yellow rice and beans. The plate was still a massive amount of food, and delicious. Think Peruvian rotisserie chicken, later smoked over an open charcoal fire. It was actually so good that it didn't even dawn on me to ask for hot sauce, an unthinkable situation. But this was more of a barbecue experience than straight Latin food, and sauce just seemed unnecessary. The dish was great on its own. $10.

SWEETS AND CORTADITOS | 138 Washington Ave. | (973) 450-5111 | facebook.com/sweetsandcortaditos

This pleasant cafe serves up Cuban fare such as pressed sandwiches and empanadas, but the main draw seems to be the pastries and Cuban coffee. Heeding the advice of the friendly staff, I chose a traditional guava pastry and a regular Cuban coffee. The coffee had me hooked. It is similar to a small cappuccino, but somehow stronger, sweeter and better than most you will find. It is different enough (and good enough) that it reminded me of vacations during which you find a great coffee shop that you just know you will miss every morning once you return home. The guava pastry was essentially a turnover -- very flaky and only mildly sweet, a perfect accompaniment to the sweet and syrupy coffee. Pastry, $1.25; coffee, $1.75.

TOPAZ THAI | 137 Washington Ave. | (973) 759-7425 | topazthainj.com

This restaurant has the feel of a Thai tourist spot. It's colorful and lively, and mildly tacky in a good way. All the staples are here, from curries and noodles to fresh whole fish. On a budget, this can still be a good place to grab a bite, though you can easily spend more on a big dinner. I got the green papaya salad and the spring rolls. Both were vegetarian (there are lots of vegetarian options on the menu), and both were fresh and prepared well. I did miss the shrimp typically found in papaya salad, and there wasn't as much spice as I usually like, but the simplicity of the dish made it a refreshing change from standard Thai fare. The food I had, as well as the list of more substantial items on the menu, ensure I will be making a trip back. Papaya salad, $7; spring rolls, $4.

FAT HOUSE | 448 Washington Ave. | (973) 751-3400 |  fathousemunchies.com 

The "fat sandwich," long associated with the food trucks at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, seems to be popping up elsewhere. Now, Belleville has its own spot. These sandwiches pack multiple ingredients into one sub roll. We're not talking about meat and condiments. The "fat sandwich" combines a variety of fast foods, such as cheesesteak, french fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers and any other unhealthy item you can imagine into one serving. Eating one in daylight seems wrong. Eating one when you're older than 25 seems even more wrong. Yet, there I was -- in broad daylight, well past 25 -- eating the "Fat Urkel," stuffed with chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, onion rings and barbecue sauce. If my doctor saw me, she would beat me with her shoe. Visit the website to view the gastronomical assault that is the full menu. Fat Urkel, $7.49.

Email Mike Lustig with your favorite town or eatery at MLustigEats@gmail.com.

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Sparkly gems and jazzy sounds at Roca Jewelers and Music Center

ROCA JEWELERS AND MUSIC CENTER
151 Washington Ave. | (973) 759-5752

Jose Roca has been a business owner in Belleville for 30 years. Originally, he had just a jewelry shop. However, 12 years ago, a small music store became available and he moved his business into the space. Rather than dumping the music equipment, he embraced it -- and wound up with a unique and funky business. He still sells and repairs jewelry, but he also sells and repairs all kinds of musical instruments. Roca also stocks vinyl records, cassettes, toys, chess sets, artwork and more. The store is organized almost like a thrift shop and is a great place to root around, looking for a hidden treasure. Roca describes himself as the "last man standing," a small business owner who has remained open and rolled with 30 years of changes. Stop by his shop and you might find a true collectible stashed in the corner.

It's almost time for the cherry blossoms to bloom at Belleville Park.

BELLEVILLE PARK

Belleville Park, an extension of Branch Brook Park in Newark, is an early 20th-century green space designed by the Olmsted Brothers architectural firm (founded by the sons of esteemed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted). In the spring, the cherry blossoms burst into bloom and the park co-hosts a Cherry Blossom Festival with Branch Brook Park that is second to none. The parks contain more than 4,000 trees, the largest collection in the United States. Belleville even calls itself the Cherry Blossom Capital of America. Stop by through April to see why the name fits. Visit essexcountyparks.org.

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ATM skimming costs banks billions each year and is on the rise, as technically adept criminal rings continue to find ways around ever-increasing security counter-measures. Watch video

ENGLEWOOD--The bank robbery occurred at the Citibank branch in a quiet North Jersey suburb.

There were no alarms, no guns, no menacing notes and no threats of violence. More than $52,000 was taken and the bank in Englewood didn't even know it had been robbed until long after the cash went out the door.

That same day in December 2012, just a week before Christmas, the same guys hit another Citibank in Florham Park. And over the next three weeks they would target additional branches of the bank in New Jersey and New York--walking away with more than $1 million in cash taken from Citibank ATM machines through hundreds of counterfeit bankcards encoded with personal information stolen from unsuspecting customers.

The ring responsible, in what has been described as one of the largest ATM skimming operations ever uncovered, hit TD Bank and Wells Fargo as well before they were caught, ultimately draining $6.5 million from the accounts of victims across the country, say federal prosecutors in New Jersey. But even after the arrests of 16 men--most of them Romanian nationals in this country illegally--ATM fraud in the United States is soaring.

"It's getting more sophisticated," said assistant U.S. attorney Rahul Agarwal, who helped prosecute the New Jersey case. "Banks take one step and these guys come up with a new and more sophisticated methods."

Card and PIN skimming at bank-owned ATMs in the US increased 174 percent in the first four months of 2015, compared to the same period in 2014. Non-bank ATM compromises increased even more, by 317 percent, according to credit-reporting group FICO.

The incidents, at banks and gas stations and convenience stores, occurred on busy highways, shopping malls, and neighborhood banks across the country:

• In February, seven men were charged by the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan in a skimming scheme that spanned from Las Vegas to New York.
• A Miami teenager last month pleaded no contest to planting skimming devices in gas pumps around the state of Michigan.
• In January, police in Union Township in New Jersey caught two New York men--also Romanian nationals--installing a skimming device on an ATM at a 7-Eleven on Route 22.
• Nutley police are investigating the tampering of an ATM at another convenience store.
• In Middlesex County, the prosecutors office said 20 ATM thefts had been reported since December.

Authorities say skimming is growing even faster at gas station pumps, although less so in New Jersey.

"The presence of fuel attendants at New Jersey gas stations may serve as a deterrent to criminals looking to install skimming devices on pumps," observed Lisa Coryell, a spokeswoman for the state's Division of Consumer Affairs, who said county and municipal officials who conduct inspections of gas pumps have been instructed on what to look for during routine inspections.

While a skimmed credit card cannot be used to empty out someone's bank account, like an ATM card and stolen PIN, a gas pump is easier to rig than an ATM and can be accessed by readily available master keys.

Feeding frenzy?

Sarah Grotta, director of debit card advisory service for Mercator, a research and advisory firm for the banking and payments industry, said criminals focus on the path of least resistance and with the U.S. still using easy-to-hack magnetic stripe cards, this country remains a land of opportunity for skimming gangs.

By some accounts already a $2 billion-a-year industry, skimming may be spiking nationwide in advance of new encryption technology now slowly being introduced that could make it all-but-impossible to hack into the cash machines we depend on daily.

Industry officials say organized gangs who honed their skills in Eastern Europe are increasingly targeting the United States before banks turn to chip-embedded cards or smart phone mobile payment systems, and finally abandon the conventional magnetic stripe that has always been the Achilles heel of ATM security.

"There is a feeding frenzy to skim as much as possible while they are able," observed bankcard expert John Buzzard. "I have had my card replaced more times in the last 365 days than I have in my entire career."

Bank officials will say little about the security measures they employ.

"We don't discuss our anti-fraud practices publicly," said Andrew Brent, a spokesman for Citibank, which was repeatedly hit by the gang in New Jersey.

TD Bank, which was also targeted by the same group, said it regularly monitors for unusual or suspicious activity and deploys multiple layers of security to protect its customers.

"In addition, we evaluate our security measures on an ongoing basis to address security threats as they evolve," said spokeswoman Judith Schmidt.

Making changes to bank ATM machines and card readers at gas stations, though, is an expensive task and even many retail stores have been slow to deploy new equipment to read chip-enabled credit cards. Officials at NCR, which supplies ATM machines to banks, said the U.S. is behind the rest of the world in the adoption of smart card technology.

"Crime always migrates to the weakest point," remarked spokesman Jeff Dudash.

Prosecutor warns of increasing ATM fraud

At the same time, U.S. Secret Service officials say the equipment used by the bad guys to hijack ATMs is getting better and more ingenious, even as banks and manufacturers try to devise new ways to thwart them.

Secret Service spokesman Robert Hoback noted that the devices that surreptitiously record bankcard PIN numbers and the magnetic stripes on cards carrying a customer's account information are getting smaller, and have begun to employ wireless technology so they can capture keystrokes and passwords remotely without ever returning to the ATM to collect the illegally recorded data.

A new way to rob banks

ATM skimming is by no means a new crime. Experts point to what might have been the first major case back in 1993, when thieves posing as New Jersey bankers reprogrammed a stolen ATM they planted at the Buckland Hills shopping mall in Manchester, Ct., and used it to record the account numbers and PINs of customers over a two-week period. They took the information to make counterfeit cards and managed to withdraw $100,000 from real ATM machines before they were arrested.

A one-stop shop for credit card fraud

These days, the scam is the same, but the game has gotten far more sophisticated.

There are still two pieces of information needed to get into a person's account--the information stored on a bankcard's magnetic stripe, and the four-digit PIN that must be keyed in at an ATM.

To get the account information, someone looking to hack an account will use an electronic "skimmer" that reads and stores the information when a customer slides a bankcard into an ATM. Often a fake slot that fits over the actual card slot of an ATM, attached with a dab of Super Glue, the skimmer device contains a reader and memory card to record the data on the card.

The second part of the scheme involves capturing a customer's unique PIN code. To get it, a miniature camera, typically hidden inside a panel that may also be glued to the ATM, records the keystrokes when a customer enters their PIN.

With both in hand, it is not difficult for someone to encode a blank bankcard with the account information and use it at a store, a gas station or most often, another ATM.

There is a tremendous amount of cash in an automated teller machine, which fully replenished can have as much as $300,000 inside.

Indeed, Doug Johnson, who head up cybersecurity at the American Bankers Association, said there is far greater financial loss associated with ATM skimming than bank robbery. He noted the loss in the average bank robbery is $3,000 to $4,000.

"ATM skims will be ten times that," he said. "$30,000 to $40,000 in terms of potential loss to the bank."

Organized rings like the one that was operating in New Jersey can collect hundreds of account numbers and PIN codes in a few days, and then use teams who fan out to ATMs all over the country, the aim of "cashing out" the machines, withdrawing thousands of dollars before moving to another location.

To counter the skimming rings, banks and ATM designers over the years have built in an ever-increasing phalanx of defense measures to secure the money inside. But it's a cat-and-mouse game. For every step they take, it is only a matter of time before their technically adept adversaries matches them with a new wrinkle that requires yet another counter-measure.

Nicholas Billett, an expert in software design and security at Diebold, a major manufacturer of ATMs, said the same technology developed for cellular phones led to a revolution in electronics miniaturization, turning skimming equipment into cheap, disposable high-tech spy gear.

"It's not a bunch of guys in a garage with a couple of card readers," he said. "A lot of what we deal with is organized crime. We know they have our hardware. We know they have our software. We've seen upgrades and revisions to it. We exactly what they are doing."

When Diebold began employing devices to detect skimmers, they found the criminal rings turning to even smaller skimmers designed to mitigate the sensing technologies. In one case, a "skinny" skimmer was inserted directly into the motorized card reader. Diebold now uses a system that rotates the card reader, which the company said makes it impossible for current skimmers to capture a card's full data. At least, for now.

Connecting dots

Federal prosecutors say the case in New Jersey began with the arrest in Barnegat of Emil Revesz and Constantin Pendus, both Romanian nationals, in December 2012. Security camera footage played at trial showed the two men rigging the ATM at the TD Bank on Main Street, and abruptly leaving as a customer entered the bank lobby. After police were called, they arrested the men and found a Garmin GPS unit that recorded visits to the sites of several TD Banks between Dec. 10 2012 and Dec. 19 2012.

A few weeks later, Nassau County Police in Great Neck arrested two other men, Dezso Gyapias and Ioan Leusca, on charges of using counterfeit cards to withdraw more than $13,700 from TD Bank branches.

The camera panel and inside electronics that were used by the ring to capture PIN codes of customers as they banked at an ATM in Brick Township. (Trial exhibit | U.S. Attorney's Office)

"As they dug into those four, there was a lot of commonality between the banks involved," recalled Agarwal, a member of the U.S. Attorney's Special Prosecutions Division. "We started connecting the dots."

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Eskew, who also handled the case, said one of the big breaks in the Barnegat investigation came when investigators obtained the devices and the Secret Service realized there were similarities in the design linking the case to other ATM skimming incidents. That would lead to the arrests of 16 individuals.

"They were unlucky," Eskew observed.

An FBI interview with one of the key participants in the scheme, Dinu Horvat of Chicago--who was convicted in March 2015 and is still awaiting sentencing on charges that could put him away for up to 30 years--revealed an operation that churned through accounts as quickly as they could be compromised.

Horvat, who went to high school in Chicago, talked to the FBI and Secret Service agents of other Romanian nationals entering the United States illegally through Mexico who would work in teams to put skimmers in place and then cash out the compromised accounts as soon as counterfeit cards could be made. He said he would receive a percentage of the proceeds, usually 20 percent.

Revesz, Pendus, Gyapias and Leusca pleaded guilty to their roles in the operation. The ringleader, Marius Vintila, also of Romania, fled the country in July 2013 as others associated with the skimming operation were being apprehended in a string of arrests. He was finally caught in Sweden two months later and extradited to the United States in 2014.

Vintila later pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges. He was sentenced last year to more than 10 years in prison.

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

Freddies Cresporios, 21, of Newark, was convicted by a jury on Jan. 20 of robbery, aggravated assault and weapons charges

NEWARK -- After his two prior convictions on weapons charges, Freddies Cresporios was sentenced each time to a term of probation.

But Superior Court Judge Richard Sules on Monday said those sentences clearly did not deter Cresporios from committing his latest offenses in 2014, when he robbed a man at gunpoint and then chased a woman and her son down a street with a rifle.

For those two separate incidents, the judge sentenced the 21-year-old Newark resident to 16 years in state prison.

"Now Mr. Cresporios, you're a young man, but you already have established a very serious criminal record involving weapons," Sules said. "I hope that when you finish this sentence, you'll be a little older, a little wiser with respect to your conduct."

Cresporios received the sentence after having been convicted by a jury on Jan. 20 of robbery, aggravated assault and weapons charges in connection with the two incidents in Newark.

Cresporios must serve nearly 14 years before becoming eligible for parole, and he will receive credit for nearly two years of time served.

In the first incident on May 13, 2014, Cresporios, armed with a firearm, robbed a man in the 600 block of 6th Avenue in Newark, authorities said. Cresporios stole cash, a cell phone, a backpack and keys from the victim, authorities said.

About 17 hours later, Cresporios attacked a woman and her son in the 100 block of Berkeley Avenue when he chased them down the street with a rifle, authorities said.

Leading up to that incident, individuals in Cresporios's group had been threatening people in the neighborhood, according to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor David Feldman, who tried the case.

The two victims were taking pictures of the house where Cresporios and others lived and the cars parked outside in order to provide information to the police when Cresporios saw them and confronted them with the rifle, Feldman said.

During Monday's hearing, Feldman requested the 16-year prison sentence and said the three victims had been scarred mentally, saying "this incident will stay with them for the rest of their lives."

Feldman criticized Cresporios for showing "no remorse whatsoever" and said he "shows no consideration for what he did to other people."

Cresporios declined to make a statement during the hearing.

But his attorney, Robert Blumenfeld, who requested a seven-year prison sentence, said Cresporios "denies that he was the person responsible for these crimes."

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

Friends of the missing man reported that he was swept away by the river Monday afternoon despite their rescue attempts, officials said.

NEWARK -- Police are still searching for a man who witnesses say was swept away by the Passaic River Monday afternoon, officials said.

Search teams are using sonar and camera equipment to search below the water's surface, while boat units continue to look for traces of the man above, said Newark Police Department spokesman Captain Derek Glenn Tuesday.

The search began Monday at approximately 5 p.m., when emergency personnel received reports of a man in the Passaic River near the intersection of Raymond boulevard and Jefferson Avenue, Glenn said.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/what_christie_had_to_say_about_nj_charter_schools.html

Around 6:30 p.m. firefighters were seen probing the water with long poles at the riverbank near Raymond Boulevard and Madison Street in an area fenced off to the public as a rescue boat cruised a short distance away downriver. Dive teams, police and other rescue personnel were also called in to assist with the search.

Friends of the man, whose name has not yet been released by authorities, told police he was swept away despite their rescue attempts, Glenn said.

How the man ended up in the river remains unclear. The man is not believed to have been attempting suicide, nor do police believe he fell into the river accidentally, Glenn said.

Police are still working to determine what the missing man and his friends were doing at the riverbank. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, Glenn said.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The state senator issued a statement calling the governor's comments "incendiary" and "beyond the pale"

NEWARK - Former governor Richard Codey today slammed Gov. Chris Christie for what he called "incendiary rhetoric" toward other opponents of charter school expansion.

Codey, now a Democratic state senator representing the state's 27^th District (Essex, Morris), joined the fray one day after Christie threatened to "run over" Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and anyone else who attempted to stop the schools from spreading.

In a statement, Codey called the governor's comments a threat to the fragile peace Newark officials have attempted to forge between parents of both public and charter school students.

Codey

"Saying you are going to 'run him over' when referring to the person elected by the people of Newark if he doesn't fall in-line with your charter school initiative is exactly the type of incendiary rhetoric that attempts to divide the city - not bring it together," he said.

Codey also took aim at Christie's threats that continued resistance to the spread of charters could derail a deal between the on-again, off-again allies to return control of Newark's schools to local officials after more than two decades of state oversight.

"It is beyond the pale to threaten to halt the return of local control simply because you and Mayor Baraka disagree about the expansion of charters in Newark," he said.

Baraka, who last week called the approval of three new charters and the expansion of 16 others a "huge step backwards", responded to Christie in a statement of his own Monday night.

He called traditional public schools "the foundation of education throughout America" and accused Christie of writing them off, and added that he hoped Newark's long-awaited road to self-governance would not be thrown off course based on a simple difference of opinion.

"I hope decisions around local control are going to be based on fairness, democracy, and the tremendous work we are doing in Newark and not made simply because we don't share the Governor's point of view," he said.

Bangaly Fofana is being held at the Essex County Jail on $35,000 bond

Bangaly Fofana (Port Authority)

NEWARK - A city man was arrested at Newark Penn Station Monday after being caught carrying more than $1,000 in counterfeit bills, authorities said.

According to Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo, 23-year-old Bangaly Fofana approached a man inside the station and asked for change for a $20 bill. During the transaction, the 27-year-old victim noticed that the bill he exchanged appeared to be fake, and alerted police.

Officers found the 6-foot-5 Fofana on a nearby train platform, and he eventually showed them a plastic bag filled with 56 counterfeit $20 bills, according to Pentangelo.

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He was taken into custody on two counts of forgery, and police later discovered an active warrant for his arrest out of Newark Municipal Court.

The bills were seized during the arrest, and Fofana was ordered held at the Essex County Jail on $35,000 bond.

A second suspect remains at large, officials said.

(file photo) 

NEWARK -- Police have arrested a 22-year-old man wanted in connection with a March 2 carjacking that left a 71-year-old woman hospitalized, officials said.

Dyshawn Basley was taken into custody by Newark police investigators in Irvington at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, said Newark Police Department spokesman Derek Glenn. Basley now stands charged with carjacking, aggravated assault and multiple gun-related offenses, Glenn said.

The victim, whose name was not disclosed, told police at the scene of the incident that she was approached by two male suspects after parking her car in the 100 block of South 13th Street, officials said. 

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At least one was armed with a handgun, the victim told police. According to the victim, the suspects began to beat her when she refused to relinquish the keys to her vehicle, and then later fled the scene in her car.

Emergency medical personnel transported her to University Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, officials said.

An investigation into the incident led police to identify Basley, who is being held on bail of $300,000, as one of the suspects, officials said.
 
A search for the second suspect, who remains at large, is ongoing, officials said.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The buildings at 2-18 Stratford Place are overrun by rats, bed bugs, mold, and mushrooms, officials said Watch video

NEWARK -- Four months after promising to condemn a pair of South Ward buildings beset by rats, bedbugs and other health issues, the city is finally progressing toward moving dozens of families out of the so-called "slums."

On Tuesday, Mayor Ras Baraka announced that a total of 62 families residing in the 60 apartments at 2-18 Stratford Place will be granted Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing vouchers that will allow them to move into other federally subsidized housing in the city.

While no exact date has been set, the move comes several months after an initial press conference at the dilapidated buildings, when Baraka and other officials told the weary tenants they could expect to celebrate the holidays in a new home.

Baraka acknowledged the delay on Tuesday, but said late was better than never to get hundreds of Newarkers out of a building that has long been home to mold, drug dealers and a long list of building and fire code violations.

"Sorry it took so long," he told reporters and several residents gathered outside the building, "but we are going to continue to move forward to make sure that we redevelop this entire neighborhood."

Newark cracks down on 'slumlords', condemns rodent, bedbug-infested buildings

Residents will empty the buildings, known as the Aspen Stratford Apartments, over the coming weeks, after which they will be sealed off to allow city workers to abate the "most dangerous conditions" inside, according to Baraka and Janel Winter, Director of Housing and Community Resources for the city's Department of Community Affairs.

The buildings remain the property of Virginia-based Realty Management Associates, owned and managed by Wayne and Denise Fox - who Baraka called "slumlords" during his press conference in November - and will eventually be sold to another developer. The building is expected to remain low-income housing.

Shortly after the November press conference, Wayne Fox filed a lawsuit claiming he and his company were being blamed for conditions in the building caused by crime and other social ills in the surrounding neighborhood, and accusing the city of attempting to "save face" by displacing residents.

Federal court records indicate that a tentative settlement in that case has been reached, though Baraka said conditions of the deal prevented him from discussing its terms.

"At the end of the day, I think it turned out well for us. The Foxes didn't get hurt," he said. "But ultimately, we're not interested in hurting (anyone). We're interested in making people whole here in Newark." 

Asked about whether the property was really "condemned" -- a term that the city continued to use in its latest press release -- Baraka said that it was not.

"They were declared 'uninhabitable.' There's a difference," he told NJ Advance Media. "If we condemn the property, what we're saying is that we are taking it from (the developers), and we didn't take the property. I think the wording, the language was used incorrectly... 'Uninhabitable' means people can't stay in the property... We didn't want to pay for it. If you condemn the property, you have to pay for the property."

Baraka said that the surrounding buildings would eventually be redeveloped as well, though those residents weren't getting vouchers now.

"It's just the beginning," he said.

Felicia Alston-Singleton, who advocates for tenants in public and subsidized housing around the city, said the vouchers signaled a long-awaited end to what had been a difficult few months for residents.

She claimed many were left in limbo after initially expecting to be in a new home by January, and now must scramble to raise money for moving costs and security deposits at their new homes. Baraka later indicated the city may provide some assistance with those expenses. 

"(The city) handled this poorly. It was poor communication," Alston-Singleton said. "They did not advise the residents what was going to happen until about two weeks ago."

Fahtima Abdul Karim, 32, who lives at 416 Irvine Turner Boulevard, and her younger sister, who lives at nearby 25 Johnson Ave., were at the press conference and also expressed frustration with the situation.

Karim's sister, who did not want to be named, said that she was told she would get a voucher in December.

"My stuff is still packed with mouses everywhere. Mouses everywhere. I'm tired of sleeping with mouses," she said.

Karim said that her building is also owned by Fox, and is also beset by rodents and other health issues.

"Ras Baraka is doing the best that he can, but he made promises," she said. "It was false hope. We was hoping to get out of this hood."

NJ Advance Media reporter Dan Ivers contributed to this report.

Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The New Jersey Supreme Court reinstated Saladin Thompson's convictions in a pair of random shootings in Irvington that left one man dead and injured two others

NEWARK -- The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated the convictions of a man after determining a Superior Court judge properly dismissed his claims of racial discrimination during jury selection at his trial.

The state's highest court reversed a 2014 ruling by a state appellate panel that overturned Saladin Thompson's convictions in a pair of random shootings in Irvington that left one man dead and injured two others.

Thompson, who is African-American, has argued prosecutors improperly excused seven African-Americans from serving on the jury at his trial. After the matter was remanded, a Superior Court judge in 2011 rejected Thompson's claims and upheld his convictions.

The state appeals court ordered a new trial for Thompson after finding that the judge did not conduct the requisite analysis to determine whether prosecutors had committed "impermissible discrimination."

But the Supreme Court found the judge had conducted an adequate analysis when he determined the state's "race-neutral reasons" were credible and Thompson failed to provide information to back up his claims of racial bias.

In the unanimous opinion, Justice Lee A. Solomon wrote that the judge gave Thompson "an opportunity, in response to the State's explanations, to provide information beyond the fact that seven of the nine peremptory challenges were against African-American prospective jurors."

"That defendant was unable to do so supports the court's conclusion that defendant failed to carry his ultimate burden and, under our deferential standard of review, militates against the Appellate Division's reversal," Solomon wrote.

The court remanded the matter to the Appellate Division to evaluate Thompson's appeal of his 67-year state prison sentence.

The charges against Thompson, 35, formerly of Irvington, stem from what prosecutors said were a pair of random shootings in the township on July 8, 2005.

At about 10:30 p.m., Tony Andrews was sitting on his porch on 21st Street when, for no apparent reason, Thompson and a co-defendant, Erik Gordon, shot him, prosecutors said.

Thompson and Gordon then fled to a Chinese restaurant on 16th Avenue, and, for no apparent reason, they shot Nibal Green as he was waiting for take-out food, prosecutors said.

The gunshots exited Green's body and struck a cook in the leg, prosecutors said. Green later died from his injuries.

Gordon pleaded guilty to charges related to the case and was later sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Saladin ThompsonNew Jersey Department of Corrections 

During jury selection in Thompson's trial, prosecutors used seven of their nine peremptory challenges to excuse African-American jurors, court documents state. The final jury included five African-Americans and nine jurors who were not African-Americans, court documents state.

The jury convicted Thompson in January 2007 of murder, attempted murder and related charges, and he was later sentenced to 67 years in state prison.

Thompson appealed his convictions and the matter was ultimately remanded for a hearing to allow the prosecution to articulate its reasons for excusing the jurors and for the judge to analyze whether the state had engaged in impermissible discrimination.

At that hearing, the prosecutor explained how the seven African-American jurors were excused based on their specific responses to questions during jury selection and without any intent to exclude African-Americans, according to the Supreme Court decision.

Thompson's attorney at the hearing "acknowledged that the information provided by the prosecutor was supported by the transcripts of jury selection, and offered nothing further," the decision states.

"Instead, counsel claimed he was at a disadvantage due to the passage of time and because defendant's trial counsel, who had moved to Colorado, was unavailable for the hearing," according to the decision.

But the judge "found that the prosecutor's stated reasons for excusing the seven African-American prospective jurors were credible and that the State 'did not engage in impermissible discrimination in exercising its peremptory challenges,'" the decision states.

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

There is a special corner of regulatory hell awaiting those who illegally dumped poison by the barrel into the Passaic all these years. Watch video

A century of chemical waste has turned the Passaic River, once the cradle of American industry, into a massive murder scene - a waterway literally poisoned to death by illegal dumping, converted to a toxic stew of dioxins, mercury, PCBs, DDT, and dozens of other carcinogenic chemicals.

You can guess what that has done to generations of people and wildlife that live near this river.

But we cautiously celebrate a day of reckoning. The EPA handed more than 100 polluters a bill for $1.38 billion last Friday, which requires that they underwrite one of the costliest Superfund cleanups in history - a decade-long project that will remake the southern half of the river, an eight-mile labyrinth from Belleville down to Newark Bay.

This was once the wellspring for greater Newark, and it can be again - not merely for commerce but for the citizens who own it, with parks and pleasure boats and attractions - but only if the EPA is ready to play hardball.

The successor companies to these polluters have dodged accountability for years, so it is gratifying to see that the Obama Administration identifies the Passaic cleanup as unfinished business. The hard part still lies ahead, however: The EPA's 1,000-page cleanup plan will face litigation from the best legal foot-draggers that Occidental Chemical, DuPont, Hess, Honeywell, Pfizer, Sherwin-Williams, and many other Fortune 500s can afford.

So we expect the agency responds with the full force of the Superfund Unilateral Orders, which compels "potentially responsible parties" to perform cleanup work; and imposes massive penalties known as "treble damages" for the lack of compliance, requiring PRPs to pay three times the cost of cleanup.

Everyone in New Jersey - its Republican governor, its Department of Environmental Protection, its entire Democratic congressional delegation - demands that the EPA recognize our urgency.

So it is heartening to hear EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck join our chorus: "These companies know what their responsibilities are," Enck said Tuesday. "And if don't comply, we will use every legal tool at our disposal. We're talking about the future of the Passaic here.

"Decision Day is here. We won't be arguing over what remedy they like. This is the remedy. They have to pay the cost, period."

By now, you've seen the details of that remedy. It calls for bank-to-bank dredging over 8.3 miles - mostly 2.5 feet deep, but in some places as deep as 33 feet - and capping the river floor to isolate the contamination beneath. Before it is capped, 3.5 million cubic yards of the contaminated sediment would be pressed, dried, and shipped out of state for disposal. That's enough to fill Red Bull Arena three times.

There are objections to the plan, notably from the New Jersey Sierra Club, which asserts that the dredging depth is insufficient, that capping will fail in a tidal river, and that the plan doesn't remediate the contamination for the nine miles upriver.

But this essentially comes down to the EPA's confidence in decades of scientific studies on cap integrity. Walter Mugdan, the Director of the EPA's Superfund Division, says the best example is the Hudson River PCB cleanup, paid for by General Electric after decades of fighting: "The cap installed in 2009 withstood a record-breaking flood in 2011, worse than a 100-year flood," Mugdan pointed out.

Maybe the plan isn't perfect. And maybe the litigation will test our patience.

But a large coalition of community and environmental groups - notably NY/NJ Baykeeper and Ironbound Community Corporation - believe this is the area's best hope for improved public health, water quality, and a livable riverfront. The real question is how long the EPA will negotiate before dropping the hammer, by having the Department of Justice enforce the Superfund orders. New Jersey has waited long enough for polluters to find religion.

More: Recent Star-Ledger editorials.

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More than 1 in 3 bridges in the Garden State is deficient. Watch video

WASHINGTON -- New Jersey last year was once again one of the 10 worst states in the nation in the percentage of deficient bridges as more than one-third of Garden State spans are in need of attention, Federal Highway Administration statistics show.

The state counted 2,310 bridges that needed repairs, were inadequate to handle their traffic loads or did not meet current safety standards at the end of 2015. That was 34.5 percent of New Jersey's 6,686 bridges. 

Only seven states had a greater percentage of deficient bridges.

Nationally, 23.2 percent of bridges in the 50 states were rated as deficient, according to the FHWA statistics that run through Dec. 31.

However, the Garden State did reduce its number of deficient bridges by 33 during the year. And New Jersey's standing did improve a bit: In 2014, the state was sixth worst on the national list. 

The stats also showed that seven of the 10 states with the highest percentage of deficient bridges were located in the Northeast, including Pennsylvania and New York, which fared worse than New Jersey. 

From 2015: How bad are N.J. bridges?

"That is certainly a reason to act," said Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), who has proposed a gas tax increase to replenish the state's Transportation Trust Fund. "If you drive on any road in New Jersey, you would quickly understand the need for improvements." 

Gov. Chris Christie and the state legislature are debating how to raise money for the depleted trust fund, which only has enough cash to pay debt on existing bonds.

In his proposed budget, Christie didn't propose anything, and said he was waiting for "realistic proposals and for a legitimate discussion on tax fairness, not just tax hikes."

He repeated that on Thursday. "If that is their solution to the problem, put it up and vote on it," he said. "They don't have to wait for me." 

The average bridge in the state is more than 50 years old, and that, combined with heavy traffic loads, lots of trucks, and harsh winters, means the state "will always have a high number of bridges that are rated as either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete," state Transportation Department spokesman Steve Schapiro said.

"New Jersey is the most densely populated and congested state in the nation and our roads and bridges are among the oldest in the nation, which requires more extensive work to maintain," Schapiro said. 

Deficient bridges aren't about to collapse. New Jersey inspects its spans of 20 feet or more at least once every two years, and closes lanes or the entire bridge of those deemed unsafe until emergency repairs are made.

This month, state officials reopened the U.S. Route 206 bridge over Stony Brook in Princeton, the oldest span in New Jersey, following emergency repairs. The bridge had been closed after inspectors found cracks in the stone arches and indications that soil around the footings had been washed away. The bridge is limited to vehicles under 20 tons. 

State officials temporarily closed one eastbound lane of the Route 3 bridge over the Hackensack River in January 2015, and the entire Somerset County Route 514/Amwell Road Bridge over the Delaware & Raritan Canal that same month.

The most heavily traveled bridge needing repairs, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, is the Garden State Parkway's Mill Road bridge in Union County, which carries almost 200,000 motorists a day.  

Construction work also is needed on two other heavily used parkway bridges in Essex County: one over the Third River and one over the Second River, each carrying around 180,000 vehicles daily, according to the Washington-based construction industry group.

Menendez: N.J. must fix trust fund

New Jersey's 34.5 percent of deficient bridges is well above the best state (Minnesota, with 8.9 percent deficient bridges) and well below worst (Rhode Island, with 56 percent). 

A year ago, New Jersey's bridges were the sixth worst in the nation, with 2,343, or 35.5 percent, of 6,609 structures rated as deficient.

Since then, the condition of the state's spans have gotten somewhat better due to what Schapiro called "a robust bridge rehabilitation and replacement program," while Alaska's and West Virginia's bridges have gotten worse. 

Nevertheless, New Jersey spent just 1.4 percent of its Gross State Product on capital projects in 2013, fifth lowest among the 50 states, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington-based research group. 

The question of raising the state's gas tax, second lowest in the nation, is expected to dominate this year's state budget process. Wisniewski has introduced legislation to raise the 14.5 cents a gallon state gas tax by 25 cents. 

"A gas tax at the end of the day is one of the most efficient ways of making sure that all users are paying for our roads, not just New Jersey taxpayers," said Cathleen Lewis, a spokeswoman for the AAA New Jersey Automobile Club. 

Not everyone is enamored with the idea of a higher gasoline tax.

"We certainly want it fixed but not at the expense of higher taxes, which will hurt our economy," said Mike Proto, spokesman for Americans for Prosperity New Jersey, the state chapter of the national advocacy group tied to energy executives Charles and David Koch.

Christie blasts Dems over pensions

On the federal level, Congress passed a five-year, $305 billion surface transportation bill with a small increase in funding. The bill provides New Jersey with $5.3 billion for highways and $3.1 billion for transit over the next five years, according to U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8th Dist.), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

"We're not investing enough," said Alison Premo Black, ARTBA's chief economist. "Right now, we tend to talk about modest increases in funding. It's really not enough to move the needle."    

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook