The former husband of Maplewood teacher Nicole Dufault, Drew Dufault, 34, of Newark was sentenced to 18 months of probation for a 2014 burglary in West Orange

Drew DufaultEssex County Correctional Facility 

NEWARK -- While his ex-wife remains accused of sexually assaulting six students, a Newark man was sentenced on Friday to probation for burglarizing a West Orange home last year.

Drew Dufault, 34, was sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty on Aug. 7 to a burglary charge in connection with the June 13, 2014 incident. He is the former husband of Maplewood teacher Nicole Dufault.

"I totally regret ever committing the crime," Drew Dufault said during Friday's hearing, according to an audio recording of the proceeding. "I feel bad."

Dufault added that he "never really did anything like that" and attributed his behavior to "doing drugs." As soon as he was arrested, Dufault said he took it upon himself to "straighten out my act."

At the time of the burglary, Dufault entered the house through a window and stole jewelry and about $800 in cash, authorities said. No one was home at the time of the break-in, authorities said.

During Friday's hearing, Dufault's attorney, James McHale, noted the incident represents Dufault first conviction for an indictable offense, and that Dufault "has taken it upon himself" to receive drug rehabilitation treatment, according to the audio recording.

In handing down the sentence, Superior Court Judge Alfonse Cifelli warned Dufault that if he violates his probation, his probation would be terminated and he will be re-sentenced to three years in state prison, according to the audio recording.

The judge also ordered Dufault to perform 190 hours of community service and to undergo drug and/or alcohol monitoring.

Cifelli noted that Dufault has a history of substance abuse issues related to heroin, cocaine and marijuana, and that he has received treatment at various facilities. A graduate of West Orange High School, Dufault has said he suffers from bipolar disorder, according to the judge.

Dufault has been providing child support in the amount of $140 per month, the judge said.

Maplewood teacher Nicole Dufault appears at a hearing on Monday, Aug. 3. Dufault is charged with sexually assaulting six male students at Columbia High School. (Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Drew and Nicole Dufault were married on Aug. 6, 2009 in a ceremony in East Orange, court documents state. Their oldest son was born in 2010, followed by the birth of their second son in 2011, public records show.

When Nicole Dufault filed for divorce in July 2013, she claimed the couple had experienced "irreconcilable differences," according to the complaint she filed on July 15, 2013.

Their divorce was finalized on Oct. 2, 2013, according to the judgment of divorce approved on that day.

A language arts teacher at Columbia High School, Nicole Dufault, 36, of Caldwell, is facing a 40-count indictment charging her with aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Dufault is accused of engaging in sexual activity with the six male students on multiple occasions between 2013 and 2014. The alleged sex acts occurred in Dufault's classroom and in her car.

The students were between 14 and 15 years old at the time of the incidents, prosecutors said.

Her attorney, Timothy Smith, has claimed Dufault suffers from frontal lobe syndrome, which he says left her vulnerable to the students' "over-aggressive behavior." Dufault developed the syndrome after brain surgery she underwent following complications due to her first pregnancy, Smith said.

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

Rashi Finch, 21, of Irvington, and Tarik Ford, 21, of East Orange, have pleaded guilty to charges related to the March 29, 2013 killing of Craig Pinckney, Jr. in East Orange

NEWARK -- Two men have pleaded guilty to their roles in the fatal shooting of a man in March 2013 before leading police on a chase through four Essex County towns.

Rashi Finch, 21, of Irvington, and Tarik Ford, 21, of East Orange, pleaded guilty on Sept. 9 to charges related to the March 29, 2013 shooting of Craig Pinckney, Jr. in East Orange.

Finch admitted to fatally shooting Pinckney after the parties got into a struggle on Springdale Avenue, according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Pinckney later died from his injuries, she said.

Finch pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter and unlawful possession of a weapon, and Ford pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Under plea deals, prosecutors are recommending that Finch and Ford receive prison sentences of seven and five years, respectively, Carter said. Both men would have to serve certain minimum amounts before becoming eligible for parole.

Their sentencings are scheduled for Oct. 20 before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler.

An East Orange police officer was driving a patrol vehicle on North Maple Avenue towards Springdale Avenue at around 5 p.m. when he heard shots being fired in the area of Springdale and Roosevelt Avenues, according to Carter.

When the officer approached the scene, he saw Finch and Ford running away from Pinckney, who was laying on the ground in front of 267 Springdale Avenue with apparent gunshot wounds, Carter said.

The two men ran to a Saturn that was parked in front of 10 Roosevelt Avenue, Carter said. The officer activated his lights and sirens to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle sped off, Carter said.

The officer chased the vehicle throughout East Orange, Irvington and Newark before entering the Garden State Parkway and then Interstate 280 West, Carter said.

The vehicle ultimately stopped near exit 8 on Interstate 280 West in West Orange, Carter said. Finch, Ford and the driver of the vehicle, Rondell Riddle, were taken into custody, Carter said.

Riddle has been charged with eluding offenses. His case is still pending.

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

 

Dr. Paul Fulford testified about his evaluations of the alleged victim on Thursday at Rutgers-Newark professor Anna Stubblefield's trial

NEWARK -- At the trial of Rutgers-Newark professor Anna Stubblefield on charges of sexually assaulting a disabled man, a psychologist said on Thursday the alleged victim could not consent to sexual activity.

Dr. Paul Fulford said he reached that conclusion after a 2011 evaluation in which the man, known as D.J., did not communicate with him. Fulford conducted the examination at the request of Essex County prosecutors.

"My final opinion, essentially the bottom line, was that he was not competent to give consent to sexual activity," Fulford testified. "It's a question of does he have the understanding to consent to it."

Whether D.J. consented to the sexual acts is one of the main issues in Stubblefield's trial on two counts of aggravated sexual assault. She is accused of abusing the now-34-year-old man in her Newark office in 2011.

Stubblefield, 45, of West Orange, has claimed she and D.J. had fallen in love and that he consented to the sexual activity through a controversial technique, known as "facilitated communication."

Advocates claim that method allows a disabled person to communicate by typing on a keyboard while a facilitator provides physical support. Critics argue the technique is ineffective and that studies have shown the facilitators are controlling the users' movements.

Several scientific organizations have declared the method is invalid.

For Stubblefield's trial, Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare has barred expert testimony on facilitated communication, because she determined it is "not a recognized science." The judge also has warned Stubblefield to not take on an expert's perspective in her testimony about the technique.

Stubblefield is expected to testify she believed the method was a valid means of communication in response to the state's allegations that she knew or should have known D.J. was unable to consent.

Stubblefield met D.J. in 2009 through his brother, then a Rutgers student, who was taking a course of Stubblefield's, which included a class involving the topic of facilitated communication, the brother has testified. After that class, the brother said he asked Stubblefield for more information about the method to see if it might help D.J.

Stubblefield spent about two years working with D.J. before revealing their sexual relationship to his mother and his brother on May 2011.

D.J., who suffers from cerebral palsy and other ailments, wears diapers and requires assistance with walking, bathing, dressing and eating, his mother has testified. Other than making noises, D.J. does not speak, his brother said.

Fulford initially evaluated D.J. in 2001 as part of the process in which the man's mother and brother were seeking to become his legal guardians.

At that time, Fulford said he determined D.J. was in need of a guardianship after finding he had difficulty with understanding the questions Fulford asked him. Fulford said he found D.J. was intellectually deficient.

After prosecutors in 2011 asked Fulford to evaluate D.J.'s ability to consent, Fulford said the man provided "almost no significant responses" during the examination.

"There were sounds, but not interpretable by me," said Fulford, adding that "there was no communicating or attempt to communicate."

But on cross-examination, Stubblefield's attorney, James Patton, questioned Fulford about whether he had conducted any tests during the 2011 evaluation. Fulford said he attempted to test D.J., but "no tests were able to be performed."

"I asked him questions," Fulford said. "I got no responses."

During a discussion on Fulford's 2001 evaluation, Patton also questioned if he tested whether D.J.'s inability to answer questions was the result of physical or mental problems.

But Fulford said his role in that evaluation was to assess D.J.'s mental condition, not his physical condition.

"I have no right by law to make a conclusion in a report that goes to the state that the problem is really physical," Fulford said.

Since Fulford was unable in that evaluation to conclude D.J.'s problem was a physical one, Patton questioned whether Fulford "just selected the other option and concluded it was mental."

Fulford pointed to the purpose of the examination and said he "was there to assess the mental, not to assess the physical."

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

A 20-year-old Rahway man is charged with murder and robbery in the killing of taxi cab driver who was the father of 10 children.

RAHWAY -- A 20-year-old city man is being held on $1 million bail, charged with the robbery and fatal shooting last month of a taxi cab driver who was the father of 10 children.

Nathaniel Young is charged with murder, felony murder and robbery, all first degree crimes, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park announced today.

Young is accused in the killing of Imad Alasmar, 57, of Edison, who was shot in his taxi cab about 10:45 p.m. Aug. 25, on 1400 block of Bedford Street in Rahway.

Police responded to a report of an incident and car crash, and found Alasmar wounded in the taxi cab, authorities have said. Alasmar's widow, Ibtesam Alasmar, said she was told by another cab driver that her husband had been dispatched to pick-up a fare when the robbery occurred.

After the shooting, the taxi had collided with a parked car, and injured both a man and woman in that vehicle, said Union County Assistant Prosecutor Albert Cernadas Jr., who is prosecuting the case.

Investigators from Rahway police, the county Homicide Task Force and the Union County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Unit developed information leading to the identification of Young as the suspect, Cernadas said.

Young is currently in the Essex County Corrections Facility. He has been held at that facility since Aug. 27 on unrelated charges of assault by auto and leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury, authorities said.

Union County authorities also charged him with second-degree weapons offenses.

Bail for the Union County charges was set at $1 million, Park said.

Murder and felony murder charges carry maximum sentences of 30 years to life in prison upon conviction.

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook

Man fled when the bus stopped, authorities allege.

Police are looking for a man who allegedly exposed himself on a bus. File photo. (NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
 

GLEN RIDGE -- Police are looking for a man who allegedly exposed himself to a fellow passenger while riding an N.J. Transit bus.

A woman riding a bus on Bloomfield Avenue at about 10:03 a.m. on Sept. 12 reported to the driver that a man riding on the bus exposed himself to her during the ride, Glen Ridge police said in a release Friday afternoon. When the driver stopped the bus, the man fled, police said.

The man is described as in his 50s with a medium build and a goatee wearing a grey t-shirt. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Ryan Schwartz at 973-748-5400 ext. 119.

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

 

Executive Director of Communications Brittany Chord Parmley is leaving the district after 10 months for a job with California's Assembly Republicans

Parmley

NEWARK - Two months after being appointed as the city's superintendent of schools, Christopher Cerf is in the market for a new spokesperson.

Executive Director of Communications, Brittany Chord Parmley, is leaving the district as of Sept. 25, she confirmed today. She will head back to her native California to take a job with the state's Assembly Republicans in Sacramento.

Parmley, 31, was hired by then-superintendent Cami Anderson in December, after a stint with California-based education reform advocacy organization StudentsFirst.

In a statement, she called her tenure in Newark "an absolute honor."

"While I look forward to the personal and professional opportunities ahead, I am extremely proud of the work being done to serve our students and staff  and firmly believe that Newark's students will continue to benefit from the changes that are underway in the District," she said.

During her 10 months in Newark, Parmley oversaw media relations during continued protests and other controversy over Anderson's "One Newark" reorganization and open enrollment plan. She was also at the helm as Anderson departed and Gov. Chris Christie announced that control of the district would be returned to local officials for the first time in more than 20 years.

Cerf has struck a conciliatory tone during public appearances since being appointed July 8, acknowledging widespread anger and resentment from the public over the bumpy rollout of "One Newark" last year.

He has continued to tout the benefits of the open enrollment since taking over, but the district has also sought to highlight adjustments to the process aimed at helping parents, improvements to school facilities and the restoration of hundreds of unassigned teachers back into classrooms.

In an interview, Cerf thanked Parmley for her service to the district.

"We're grateful for her service, and wish her the best of luck as she and her husband move to California," he said.

The district recently posted an advertisement for a Chief External Relations Officer, whose responsibilities would including managing "all external relations of the district, including political, community, and media relations."

Cerf said the position was newly created, and the eventual hire would oversee a new communications director.

Parmley, whose resume also includes a stint as deputy press secretary for former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, earned a salary of $64,999 as of June 30, according to public pension records.

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

 

The Seton Hall University radio station, WSOU, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Arab Caravan Radio Show on Saturday with a benefit concert featuring virtuoso Simon Shaheen and his ensemble.

Seton Hall alumna Beatriz Manetta will be inducted into the Seton Hall University Entrepreneur Hall of Fame along with fellow alum Sunny Bathla. 

SOUTH ORANGE -- The Seton Hall University radio station, WSOU, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Arab Caravan Radio Show on Saturday with a benefit concert featuring virtuoso Simon Shaheen and his ensemble.

The radio show, which runs on Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m., is made possible through the New Jersey Arab Cultural Institute, also co-sponsor of the event.

A musician, performer, composer and lecturer, Shaheen tours internationally to promote awareness of Arab music.

The concert is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. in Jubilee Hall on SHU's campus. Tickets are $25; students will be admitted for $15.

Seton Hall is located at 400 South Orange Ave. For more information or reservations, call 973-202-2221 or 201-207-3580 or email JTO1037@aol.com.

In other SHU news, business leaders and Seton Hall alumni Sunny Bathla and Beatriz Manetta will be honored on October 7 when they will be inducted into the Seton Hall University Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

Bathla, a Millington resident, graduated from Seton Hall's Stillman School of Business with a bachelor of science degree in finance in 2000 and returned to enroll in the master's program for accounting.

In 2007, he founded OSB Consulting, a specialized consulting services firm that he started in his basement. As it grew, he hired fellow students in the Stillman MBA program, several of whom still work with him.

Bathla sold OSB Consulting to Virtusa Corp., a global information technology services company, in 2013. He currently serves as the vice president at Virtusa.

Manetta, of Far Hills, is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Argent Associates Inc. and Asociar LLC.

She received her master's degree in international business from Seton Hall, where she received the Beta Gama Sigma Award for "contributing significantly to the vitality and strength of the economy." She also serves on the Seton Hall University Board of Regents.

If you would like to submit news pertaining to your college, please send an email to essex@starledger.com.

Fleeing teen pulled gun on police, authorities say

NEWARK -- A city police officer shot at a fleeing suspect Friday night after the suspect pointed a gun at him, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said. 

No one was struck by the gunfire, Glover also said. 

The incident began shortly before 9 p.m., when Sgt. David Whatley and detectives Luis Rivera, Juan Ramos, Wyhidi Wilson and Emmanuel Pereira of the Special Conditions Unit were patrolling near Pennsylvania Avenue and Thomas Street. 

MORE: At least six shot, wounded in Newark in one day 

Glover said the officers saw a city man,  Aziz Cox, 18, adjusting an item in his waistband as they traveled west on Thomas. When officers left their car to investigate, Cox allegedly fled while continuing to clutch the item. 

When Cox was ordered to stop, he turned and pointed a handgun at Wilson, Glover said. Wilson then fired his weapon. 

Cox, who was "violently resisting arrest," was captured by Rivera and Suarez in the 80 block of Lincoln Park, Glover said. He was in possession of a loaded .357 Magnum that had been reported stolen in North Carolina, Glover also said. 

The eastern end of Clinton Avenue near Lincoln Park was closed to traffic Friday night as a knot of city police and investigators from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office processed the scene. A young male was seen being placed into the back of a squad car but it was not immediately known if this was Cox. 

Several witnesses reported hearing multiple shots as the incident unfolded, including a passerby from Jersey City who said he saw police running in the area moments after the gunfire broke out. 

Cox has been charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and receiving stolen property. 

The shooting is being investigated by the department's Major Crimes Section. 

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

Marie Poitevien will be sentenced Dec. 17.

ORANGE -- An Orange woman admits she helped steal more than $1 million by participating in a scheme to fraudulently file tax returns, according to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Marie Poitevien, 53, pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to an information charging her with conspiring to steal government funds, Fishman's office said. Poitevien could face five years in jail and a $250,000 fine. 

Authorities say that Poitevien's conspirators made fraudulent refund applications by stealing victims' identities, then sent her the checks at her residence. Poitevien deposited the funds in her personal account and later withdrew them -- 298 times, Fishman said.

In total, 139 people were the victims of the fraud, Fishman said. 

She will be sentenced on Dec. 17. 

Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

All of the incidents occurred within seven hours on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Two deadly shootings and a fatal car crash are under investigation in Newark.File photo 

NEWARK -- Two shootings and a car crash left three people dead in the city within seven hours this weekend, officials said.

Hassan Chatmon, 28, of East Orange, died after a shooting around 9 p.m. on Saturday, according to a release from acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Newark Police Director Eugene Venable. The shooting occurred in a parking lot in the 400 block of Central Avenue.

Chatmon was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the release

Another fatal shooting happened around 2 a.m. in the 200 block of Irvine Turner Boulevard, officials said. Ernest Matthews, 25, of Newark was the victim of that shooting, according to release.

ALSO: Gunplay injures at least 6 in Newark in 24-hour period 

No suspects have been arrested and a motive is not yet clear in both homicides, officials said.

A taxi cab driver also died in Newark on Sunday morning. The driver sustained fatal injuries when he hit another vehicle in the 500 block of Broad Street around 3:55 a.m., the release said.

The name of the driver was not released.

All three incidents are under investigation.

Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Donation will pay for low-income students to attend the school, officials said.

A general view of the "Golden Dome" on the campus of Notre Dame University. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel | Getty Images) 

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- One of the nation's most predominant Catholic universities is kicking off an initiative to allow more low-income students to attend, thanks to a $20 million donation from a New Jersey couple.

Sean and Sue Cullinan, of Glen Ridge, recently donated the large gift to fund "The Fighting Irish Initiative" at the University of Notre Dame, which will pay for tuition and fees, room and board, books, transportation, and personal expenses for low-income students, the school recently announced in a release.

"We want to ensure that the talented students who are admitted to Notre Dame are able to attend and find a supportive home here," university president Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. said in the release.

"We are tremendously grateful to Sean and Sue for their willingness to fund an initiative that will make a Notre Dame education a reality for those who are in need of financial assistance, and then to make the years they spend here on campus as successful and rewarding as possible."

The program will also allow for financial assistance for college-lifestyle needs, the school said, like laptops, study abroad programs, and tickets for college athletic events.

Sean Cullinan, who could not be reached for comment on the donation, is a 1988 graduate of the school who works in the financial services industry, it said in the release. Two of the couple's three children are current students at Notre Dame, it said.

The donation, the school said, has kick started a fundraising campaign that aims to continue the life of the program beyond the $20 million.

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

 

Fourteen years after taking the iconic image "Raising The Flag at Ground Zero," Tom Franklin has transitioned to a teaching career at Montclair State.

By Paul Brubaker | The Backgrounder

Firefighters (left to right) George Johnson, Dan McWilliams and Billy Eisengrein raise a flag at the World Trade Center in New York after the 9/11 attacks. (AP Photo/Copyright 2001, The Record of Bergen County, Thomas E. Franklin, Staff Photographer)  

Fourteen years after multimedia journalist Tom Franklin took the unforgettable 9-11 photograph, 'Raising The Flag At Ground Zero,' the image prompts him to ask, "What if, in 2001, social media was what it is now and people had access to camera phones, Twitter and Instagram?"

Tom Franklin (used with permission) 

It's the kind of question Franklin might put to his students, now that he recently has left the newsroom for the classroom, teaching journalism at Montclair State University.

In the latest edition of The Backgrounder Podcast, Franklin talks about many of the questions facing 21^st century journalists - among them, whether news outlets should use images taken by a murderer as he commits his crimes, whether journalists should be held to professional standards in a way similar to lawyers and doctors, and whether there are times when a photojournalist should put down the camera and help someone in danger.

He also recalls some of the highlights of his more than 20 years in the field, and remembers the Time magazine photo that originally ignited his passion for photojournalism.

Paul Brubaker, former journalist and congressional spokesman, keeps it real with the people who make New Jersey the most fascinating place on Earth. Check back every week for a new episode of 'The Backgrounder.'

All are expected to open this year.

ESSEX COUNTY -- Locals looking for new culinary options are in luck. Four new restaurants have recently announced that they will be opening in Essex County.

Here's a sampling of some of the new spots you can expect to see this year.

An artist rendering of Essex Junction.
 

ESSEX JUNCTION CRAFT KITCHEN & BAR

This gastropub is set to open on Washington Street (right near the train station) in Bloomfield in December, its developer, Experience Management Group, recently announced.

It will be headed by North Caldwell native and Miami restaurateur Jeremy Goldberg, and focus on atmosphere as much as food. The eatery will serve craft beer, artisanal wines, and signature dishes, the announcement said. It will focus, owners said, on its fun atmosphere as a community meet-up.

TURTLE + THE WOLF

Local Chef Lauren Hirschberg is returning to New Jersey after a long career at Manhattan's Craft restaurants to open this eatery on Valley Road in Upper Montclair this fall. The BYOB menu, which will serve dinner Tuesdays through Sundays and brunch on the weekends, will focus on locally-produced ingredients.

"My mission at Turtle + The Wolf is simple: to cook seasonal food with ingredients sourced as locally as possible, whenever possible, while continuing to support these awesome producers," Hirschberg said in a statement about the impending opening.

Bareburger. Hoboken. (Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

BAREBURGER

With locations in Hoboken and Edgewater, this organic burger joint is planning a Montclair location opening this winter, its website says. According to a Baristanet report, its set to open in Bloomfield Avenue's Hinck Building.

Diners can expect an eclectic mix of meats and toppings when this location opens its doors. Plus, NJ Advance Media burger guru Pete Genovese recommends the onion rings, as well.

COMMON LOT

The eatery is currently under construction on Main Street in Millburn. According to a Village Green report, Australian chef Ehren Ryan plans to serve unique dishes and an interesting atmosphere that includes an upstairs library of the chef's cookbook collection, and a "chef's table" with an up-close-and-personal look at the culinary team at work, the report said.

It is slated to open either late this year or early 2016, it said.

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

 

The second annual PlayDay was held in South Orange Sunday.

SOUTH ORANGE -- About 3,500 people walked the village streets Sunday for a day filled with performances, games, and local eats.

The second annual PlayDay South Orange shut down three major village thoroughfares to set up games like mini golf and Minion soccer, blow-up bounce houses, a stage for musical performances, the New Jersey Hall of Fame's Mobile Museum, and more.

The point, organizers said, is fun.

"PlayDay is the one day when everyone gathers together to celebrate and play in the streets of South Orange Village Center," said Bob Zuckerman, the executive director of South Orange Village Center Alliance, which put on the event.

Its chairman, Matt Glass, added, "this is the largest public event in South Orange and is the chance for our entire community to literally play in the street, from basketball and tennis to jump rope, four square, music, food and dance." 

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

Man lost control of his bicycle while riding in Caldwell, authorities said.

Man lost control of his bicycle while riding in Caldwell, authorities said. File photo of the Caldwell police station. (Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
 

CALDWELL -- A 63-year-old bicyclist not wearing a helmet died over the weekend after losing control of his bicycle, police confirmed Monday.

The Caldwell resident, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of his family members, was riding his bike westbound along Bloomfield Avenue at about 11:47 a.m. Saturday when he lost control, Caldwell Police Chief James Bongiorno confirmed.

The man's bike hit a curb near 529 Bloomfield Ave., propelling him off of it, Bongiorno said. He landed on the sidewalk, where he hit his head, Bongiorno said.

The man was not wearing a helmet, police said. He died from injuries sustained during the accident, police said. No one else was involved in the crash, authorities said.

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

 

Two men driving north in the southbound lanes of Route 1 & 9 fled from police before crashing into an Elizabeth gas station.

Linden police say a Newark man led officers on a chase going the wrong way on Routes 1 & 9. (NJ Advance Media file photo) 

LINDEN -- A Newark man remained in custody today after leading police on a miles-long chase while speeding north in the southbound lanes of Routes 1 & 9 early Saturday, authorities said.

Sharik Wright, 33, was arrested after he crashed the car he was driving when he struck another vehicle and ran into a barrier for a gas station pump in Elizabeth, police said.

At 2:33 a.m. Saturday, officers saw a 2001 Nissan Maxima going north in the southbound lanes of the highway and nearly colliding with a tractor-trailer at South Park Avenue, police Capt. James Sarnicki said.

He said officers turned on the lights and sirens on their cruiser and pulled behind the Maxima to stop it, but the driver sped away.

The officers pursued the Maxima into Elizabeth, where it struck another vehicle then hit the pump barrier, Sarnicki said.

A passenger in the car, David Jones, 27, also of Newark, was charged with obstruction police.

Sarnicki said Wright and Jones attempted to run away, but were quickly apprehended.

Wright was being held on $150,000 bail and charged with eluding, aggravated assault and resisting arrest. Jones' bail was set at $1,000.

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

The state Health Department announced Monday a new marijuana dispensary will open to the public next month.

TRENTON -- The state Health Department announced Monday a new medical marijuana dispensary will open to the public next month.

Compassionate Science Alternative Treatment Center, located in Bellmawr, is the second dispensary to open in south Jersey, and the last in that region unless state health officials agree more are needed to meet the demand.  

The program has 5,500 registered patients and caregivers, who are permitted to buy cannabis from a dispensary on behalf of patients who are unable to make the trip.

The health department in March 2011 selected non-profits to open two dispensaries each in north, central and south Jersey, but nearly all of them have struggled to win local support and and state approvals.

RELATED: N.J. health department announces 6 medical marijuana growers, sellers

In August 2013, owners of the the Compassionate Sciences dispensary announced they had leased building in the 3.1-square-mile community of Bellmawr, in suburban Camden County. Webster Todd, former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman's brother, is an owner.

Three dispensaries are open: Greenleaf Compassion Center of Montclair, Compassionate Care Foundation of Egg Harbor and Garden State Dispensary of Woodbridge.

More information about the state's program may be found here.

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

Woman was arrested on vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with the crash, authorities said.

Woman was arrested on vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with the crash, authorities said. File photo.
 

NEWARK -- A Belleville woman is facing vehicular homicide charges after authorities say alcohol was involved in an accident that killed a city cab driver.

Anaisa Bautista, 23, was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated assault in connection with the Sunday morning death of Frederick Abbeyson, a 38-year-old taxi driver from East Orange, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced in a release Monday.

Butista was driving a Honda in the 500 block of Broad Street in Newark at about 3 a.m. Sunday when authorities say her car struck Abbeyson's cab, a 2006 Crown Victoria. Two passengers in the cab sustained non-life threatening injuries, Murray said.

"The preliminary investigation indicates that alcohol was a factor in the fatal crash," Murray said in the release. An investigation into the crash is ongoing, she said.

Bautista is being held on $300,000 bail, authorities said.

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

 

A Newark man is accused of collecting $14,000 for a life insurance company and $5,000 in Social Security checks for a friend who recently died.

Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park announced that a Bellville man was charged with cashing insurance and Social Security checks for a friend who recently died. (NJ Advance Media file photo)

ELIZABETH -- Authorities have charged an Essex County man with fraudulently collecting and cashing Social Security and insurance checks intended for an Elizabeth resident who recently died, authorities said.

Rickie "Yoggi" Horvath, 54, of Belleville is charged with a single count of third-degree insurance fraud, two counts of third-degree theft and two counts of fourth-degree theft, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said today.

Horvath is accused of fraudulently collecting $14,000 from the life insurance company and approximately $5,000 from the U.S. Social Security Administration, Park said.

She said Horvath made false misrepresentations to both organizations, then collected checks intended for a recently deceased Elizabeth resident with whom he had lived during the last year.

The case was referred to the prosecutor's office Special Prosecutions Unit earlier this year after a life insurance company first contacted the New Jersey Office of the Insurance Fraud, Park said.

Investigators from the Union County Prosecutor's Office, the Union County Sheriff's Office, Belleville Police and the Social Security Administration arrested Horvath at his home on Sept. 18.

Bail was set at $75,000 and Horvath was placed in the Union County Jail in Elizabeth.

Authorities are still investigating the case and ask that anyone with additional information about Horvath's activities call Detective Daniel Gallagher of the prosecutor's office at 908-527-4543.

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Dr. James Oleske is a world-renowned pediatric infectious disease immunologist in Newark, who is committed to caring for underserved families with children suffering from serious and terminal diseases.

Anthony Thomas didn't know much about Dr. James Oleske, nor could he remember the little he had read.

He may have missed the part about Oleske being a pediatric physician in Newark for 46 years. And he probably didn't catch that Oleske is a world-renowned pediatric infectious disease immunologist who discovered that infants could be infected with the HIV/AIDS virus at birth.

Thomas, a Newark resident, only needed to know this much about the man that families call "Uncle Jim."

"He's one of God's helpers," Thomas says.

Officially, Oleske is the co-founder of Circle of Life Children's Center, a palliative care program that helped Thomas' family - and hundreds of families before them - through the darkest hour in their lives.

For Thomas, it was his 17-year-old granddaughter, Latierra, who died after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant last year.

If there's a ray of warmth during these times, Oleske's center became the shoulder for families to lean on when his career shifted 13 years ago to relieving pain and suffering from illnesses that shorten children's lives.

"They shouldn't have to suffer unnecessary pain and the families need to be supported,'' Oleske says.

He was drawn to end-of-life palliative care during the HIV/AIDs crisis, while treating children who had the disease. In his work at the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, Oleske says palliative care didn't exist as children were dying as a result of complications from the HIV/AIDs virus or other serious terminal diseases.

"I didn't realize how important it was to give pain management,'' he says. "I didn't realize how important it was to not only try to treat the disease as best as you can, but to understand how you care for a child adolescent with a fatal disease.''

As the number of new HIV/AIDs cases declined since the 1980s, Oleske became certified in palliative care and started Circle of Life in 2002 with Lynn Czarniecki, a former pediatric nurse with whom he had worked while caring for children affected by AIDS and other infectious diseases, and others. The program is now at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark and at Magnolia House, a facility in Elizabeth where families can receive bereavement counseling and other support. When sick kids leave the hospital, the program kicks in to determine the needs of a family at home.

Since its inception, Circle of Life primarily serves low-income and underserved families in the greater Newark area, which Oleske has called home since he started his career in the city.

"I saw Newark as the place where I could do the most good,'' he says.

Executive Director Samuel Varsano says the organization survives on donations, but more funds are needed to cover costs that Medicare won't pick up for palliative pediatrics.

"What makes this even more difficult and harder to understand is that, wherever you are in New Jersey, everyone understands that if you have an adult in your family, a parent, a grandparent a brother or sister who develops a terminal illness, we all automatically turn to an extremely wonderful option called hospice,'' Varsano says.

"Hospice is recognized and largely funded by Medicare. Medicare does not have a similar program for palliative pediatrics.''

There's no billing code for the work this group does, and even less for expenses that families incur caring for a sick child.

Last year, Varsano says Circle of Life provided palliative care to 180 children, mostly in Newark, and bereavement support to 65 families whose children eventually died. Since 2006, they've cared for 600 terminally ill infants, children and families with a network of social workers who go to homes, hospitals and wherever else they're needed.

On Sept. 28, the organization(circleoflifenj.org) has its annual  major golf fundraiser in Basking Ridge. Perhaps there is a philanthropic fairy godmother out there that will adopt it to further the cause.

Doris Rogers, of Highland Park, can't say enough about Circle of Life and Oleske, who will always be "Uncle Jim'' to her, too

She's known him since the mid-1980s, when her son, Joseph, was diagnosed at age 2 with Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome, a blood disorder that causes internal bleeding.

Rogers says there were hardly any programs for palliative pediatrics and she remembers how Oleske fought for her son's treatment when he was in pain.

"He treats you like family,'' Rogers says. "You very seldom see that in the medical world.''

She credits Oleske's many years of care with helping Joseph to live to be 22. He died in 2007, but Oleske and Rogers stay in touch.

A year has passed and Circle of Life is still involved with Anthony Thomas.

On the day he met Oleske for the first time, Nicole Alston, a social worker with the group, held onto Thomas' hand as he fought back tears recounting his granddaughter's five-year fight.

When Thomas was done, Oleske walked over to shake his hand, resting his left hand on the man's shoulder.

"Do what you can do to make it stronger,'' Thomas said to Oleske, speaking of the organization.

Don't worry. He and the staff will.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @Barry CarterSL