Port Authority is adamant about its answer: don't attempt to get the item yourself.

Taking the PATH during rush hour can mean crowded platforms and tight squeezes inside train cars.

But what do you do amid the hustle and bustle if you drop something onto the tracks? Port Authority is adamant about its answer: don't attempt to get the item yourself.

Last Monday morning, a woman dropped her phone on the tracks at the Newport station after someone bumped into her, said Lenis Rodrigues, a Port Authority spokeswoman.

But rather than hop down onto the tracks and retrieve the phone herself, the woman picked up a passenger assistance phone and told the control center her phone had fallen onto the tracks.

The control center notified an incoming train to stop, so car equipment inspector Jay Jayanty could lower himself to the tracks and retrieve the phone.

This year alone, Jayanty has recovered nearly a dozen phones from train tracks.

"We try to provide services to our customers in the best way to make them feel appreciated and satisfied," Jayanty said. "She was very happy and thanked me a million times."

Rodrigues said the woman took the "appropriate steps" to retrieve her phone.

"We remind travelers not to retrieve items that are on the tracks," Rodrigues said. "Rather, we ask that patrons not encroach the yellow line at the edge of the platform as a general safety reminder and to contact PATH if they should drop a personal item in the track area."

Passenger assistance phones are located throughout every PATH station.

Group tried to check into hotel rooms in Va. with a runaway juvenile, according to cops

Nyana T.M. Williams, 18 ,of Asbury Park (left) and Shawnee Lynn Senesie, 26, of Orange are charged with credit card fraud and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.Henrico (Va.) County Sheriff 

Two New Jersey women were among eight arrested in Virginia for trying to use stolen credit cards, authorities said.

In addition to being charged with credit card fraud, the women were also charged Sunday morning with contributing to the delinquency of a minor because a juvenile runaway with them when they tried to check into rooms in two hotels, Henrico County police said in a news release.

A local taxi driver also reported the woman to police when he suspected a credit card they tried to use was suspicious.

Nyana T.M. Williams, 18 of Asbury Park and Shawnee Lynn Senesie, 26, of Orange were part of the group, police said.

Six New York City women were also taken into custody:

• Keonnie Mack, 26, of the Bronx, N.Y.
• Raven Howell, 19, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Sarah Torrence, 26, of the Bronx, N.Y.
• Khadijah Moran, 22, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Shanica Baron, 22, of Far Rockaway, N.Y.
• Jasim McDonald-Henry, 22, of the Bronx, N.Y.

Williams, Moran and Henry have been released as of 11:30 a.m. Monday, according to jail records. The other five remain held and have court appearances scheduled for this week.

The women traveled to Virginia from New Jersey, police said.

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

Advocates and lawmakers said the PATH extension would be a likely candidate to cancel or postpone to free up funds to replace the NY bus terminal Watch video

As Port Authority officials are grappling with funding a new Manhattan bus terminal and replacing Newark Airport's aging monorail, a proposed $1.5 billion expansion of the PATH rail line to Newark Airport could be on the chopping block.

Advocates and lawmakers said the PATH extension would be a likely candidate to cancel or postpone to free up funds, since NJ Transit and Amtrak trains already provide that service.

"Holding off on projects such as the PATH extension to Newark Airport, (and) LaGuardia and Newark (airport) improvements could free up as much as $4.4 billion over the next 10 years," Janna Chernetz, senior New Jersey policy analyst with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a mass transit advocacy group.

The PATH extension and airport improvements are among 11 major projects in the Port Authority's capital plan. The bus terminal replacement was added to the plan last week, while the monorail replacement is not part of that plan.

While the LaGuardia Airport projects have the backing of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the PATH extension lacks the same level of political support. Port Authority commissioners could take another look at the capital plan next month.

State lawmakers, such as State Senator Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, have called for canceling the PATH extension and using the funds for the bus terminal or replacement of the monorail system. 

During a legislative hearing last September, State Senators Paul Sarlo, Robert Gordon and Weinberg, all Bergen County Democrats, called for all spending on the project to be frozen until the outcome of an investigation whether the extension had been influenced by United Airlines officials.

Is another toll hike on the way?

Newark officials have backed the project for the economic impact it could have on the city. Planning groups such as the New York based Regional Plan Association have supported the extension for the added mobility it would provide.

City Councilman John Sharpe James, who represents the city's South Ward, said the extension and a new train station would bring jobs and new development to an area that has long been rife with crime and poverty.

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

The cab driver, a 43-year-old father of four, was dispatched to a house in East Orange at about 2:30 a.m., Monday, when he was shot in the face, then drove himself several blocks to police headquarters Watch video

EAST ORANGE A livery cab driver was shot in the face after being dispatched to a house in East Orange early Monday, then managed to drive himself several blocks to police headquarters for help, police and the cab company said.

The driver was taken to University Hospital following the 2:40 a.m. incident, and was listed in serious but stable condition late Monday Monday morning, the East Orange Police Department said. Police did not provide a motive for the shooting, and an official from the cab company, Classic Taxi in Newark, said it was not clear whether the shooting was a robbery attempt.

"He wasn't targeted," said Jolebska Valencia, an operator for Classic. "It's random, the customers don't know who we're going to send."

Valencia identified the driver as 43, a married father of four who lives in East Orange and is originally from Haiti. She said Collin had been driving for Classic for about two years, in a car belonging to one of the owner-operators for whom the company essentially acts as a dispatcher. She said Collin was a veteran driver who had worked for other cab companies before Classic.

"He's a very polite guy, very sweet. He's always calling saying, 'Hi, honey, How are you?' " said Valencia.

Speaking in the second-floor dispatch room of Classic's office on Broadway in Newark, Valencia said a woman caller requested a cab go to a house on Davis Place in East Orange, a small street off Oraton Parkway, near the Garden State Parkway.
Valencia said she later learned from police that Collin had been shot in the face after arrivingat the house. Even so, she said, he was able to drive himself to East Orange Police Headquarters on South Munn Avenue, a distance of about five blocks. After arriving, she and police said, Collin went inside to report what happened at get help. 

"It's amazing," said Valencia, 20, whose father founded Classic in 1994, "that he drove a and was able to think, too a that he drove to the police."

No one answered the door at the address where the cab was sent, a three-story house with tan vynel siding, in a working class neighborhood of East Orange, a block from the Garden State Parkway. Neighbors who declined to give their names said they hadn't seen or heard anything our of the ordinary at the time of the shooting, which they said was an uncommon occurrence in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.
 
Steve Strunsky may be reached atA sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on TwitterA @SteveStrunsky. FindA NJ.com on Facebook.

Aisha Barr is charged with reckless manslaughter for allegedly stabbing Christopher Greene to death

NEWARK -- A Newark woman pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of stabbing her boyfriend to death last year during an argument over an Xbox video game console.

Aisha Barr, 29, entered the plea through her attorney, John McMahon, when she was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler on charges in the May 31 killing of 26-year-old Christopher Greene in the couple's city home.

Barr was indicted on Feb. 26 on reckless manslaughter and weapons charges. She remains in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 bail.

During Monday's hearing, McMahon said he had been working with an expert - "a forensic social worker who works in the field of battered women" - and he provided the expert's report on Monday to prosecutors "to see if we can reach a resolution."

Barr is scheduled to return to court on April 25.

The incident allegedly occurred in the couple's home in the 100 block of Stuyvesant Avenue, where Barr and Greene were arguing over an Xbox video game console and the dispute ultimately turned physical, authorities said.

Authorities have said the altercation ended when Barr grabbed a kitchen knife and thrust it into Greene's chest.

Greene was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead later that day.

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

New Jersey does not currently required testing for lead in school drinking water. One state lawmaker says "what you don't know is what can kill you." Watch video

TRENTON -- In response to elevated lead levels found in water at New Jersey's largest school district, three state lawmakers want to require bi-annual water testing in all of the state's schools and provide up to $20 million to install water filters in certain school buildings. 

The proposal, backed by state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and two Essex County lawmakers, would provide $3 million to reimburse schools for immediate water testing as well as mandatory tests conducted within 30 days of the start of the 2016-17 school year and again six months later. 

As much as $20 million in additional state money would be provided to school buildings with lead pipes, lead solder or other fixtures containing lead so the schools can install filters on water fountains and sinks used for food preparation. 

New Jersey does not currently require schools to test their water for lead, leaving each district to decide whether it wants to test and how often, the lawmakers said during a news conference on Monday. 

While the water provided by local municipalities may be safe, some schools might have lead pipes or fixtures containing lead that can contaminate otherwise safe drinking water, Sweeney said.

"What you don't know is what can kill you," Sweeney said. 

Which schools have elevated lead levels?

Elevated levels of lead were found recently in the drinking water at 30 buildings in Newark Public Schools, forcing those schools to use alternate water sources. Gov. Chris Christie and city officials have urged caution, with Christie saying the lead levels were "nowhere near crisis or dangerous levels."

But environmentalists said the tests in Newark's schools should serve as a "wake-up call" to a growing public health issue, and the contaminated water has heightened concerns about the safety of drinking water in schools. 

Sweeney, state Sen. Ron Rice (D-Essex) and state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) didn't know that schools have not been required to test for lead, they said Monday. After learning about the contaminated water in Newark, Rice began asking who was responsible for water testing and changing filters, he said. 

"I'm told that there is no law that mandates pretty much anything," Rice said. "I'm thinking, you've got to be kidding me." 

The lawmakers' proposal would require the state departments of education and environmental protection to develop guidelines for school water testing. Schools would be mandated to provide a copy of the test results to both departments, make them available to the public and notify parents and guardians of the results. 

Any school with high lead levels would be required to immediately provide alternative drinking water. 

Schools with old pipes containing lead would be required to install water filters or other treatment devices and could seek state reimbursement. The state would fund the improvements using up to $20 million from its Clean Energy Fund. 

"Lead is poisonous," Ruiz said. "But policy can be practice and we can prevent it." 

At least some school districts, including Princeton Public Schools, have already announced they will test their drinking water for lead. 

The initial testing may lead to discussions about whether schools need to replace old pipes, Ruiz said. 

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Sandy Mazzella, 47, his wife, Stephenie Ann, 43, and his mother, Elaine Toby Mazzella, 76, were killed.

UPDATE: Suspect held without bond

NEW MILFORD - Three people who moved to North Carolina from New Milford were shot to death during an ongoing dispute with a neighbor, authorities confirmed on Monday.

Sandy Mazzella, 47, his wife, Stephenie Ann, 43, and his mother, Elaine Toby Mazzella, 76, were found dead shortly before 6 p.m. Friday in a home on Clearsprings Drive in the Wake Forest section of Raleigh, N.C., according to law enforcement investigators.

Sandy and Stephenie lived in the home where they were killed.

The suspect is next-door neighbor Jonathan Frederick Sander, 52, authorities said.

"It looks like an ongoing argument between families," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said in a statement. Harrison said deputies had been called to the home hours before the shootings to investigate a dispute.

According to ABC11.com, Sander was arrested on Feb. 26 for threatening to kill Sandy Mazzella and "put him in a box."

Sander is reportedly also from New Jersey, but a spokesman with the Wake County Sheriff's Department did not know where in the state he is from.

Sandy and Stephenie Mazzella moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania several years ago. According to public records, Sandy lived in Belleville from the late 1990s until 2003 and Stephenie lived for about a year in Saddle Brook.

The couple lived in the Poconos for a short time before moving to Wake County, according to family friend Mike Wright.

"They wanted to get out of the cold," Wright said.

Wright, who is a realtor, said he helped Sandy and Stephenie Mazzella find a home. He did the same for Sandy's parents - Elaine Mazzella and her husband, Salvatore - when they sold their New Milford home and moved to North Carolina in 2008, according to public records.

Sandy and Stephenie had a 14-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. The children were not harmed.

Elaine's husband, Salvatore, was in the house when the shootings occurred but escaped. He was later hospitalized for emotional trauma, a family member said.

Sandy Mazzella and Sander were friends and had done landscaping business together, according to Wright.

"They were good friends," Wright said. "That's why this is crazy."

Wright said the men worked together at Advanced Mowing & Landscaping, a business Sandy owned.

Husband charged with murder in wife's death

Stephenie was a nurse in the intensive care unit of a local hospital. She graduated from Felician College in Bergen County, according to her Linkedin page.

"Sandy introduced (Sander) to me as a good friend of his from New Jersey," Wright said.

Sandy's brother, Rich Sussman of Elmwood Park, flew to North Carolina over the weekend.

"We're trying to make funeral arrangements for three people," Sussman said Monday morning.

"And later, I'm going to the arraignment for this animal," he said.

Word of the killings began to spread Monday on social media.

"Please pray for my friends," wrote Mary Masino Musa of Cedar Grove.

"Everyone please keep (the) Sandy Mazzella family in your prayers and his wife's family," said Liz Evans of Spring Hope, N.C. "I know they are all devastated and going through a rough time."

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A Newark man is accused of gunpoint of woman that he and accomplice arranged to met a Union motel

A Newark man was charged with a robbing a woman at a motel on Route 2 in Union that the man and an accomplish had arranged to meet, police said. (NJ Advance Media file photo) Tom Haydon | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

UNION -- A Newark man is facing charges of robbing a woman at gunpoint at a Route 22 motel where he and an accomplice had arranged to meet the victim, police said.

Joshua Wilkens,  26, was arrested Saturday, one day after the woman was robbed and bound with duct tape in a room at the Garden State Motel, 1650 Route 22, authorities said.

Police said similar crimes have occurred in other municipalities, and that property belonging to other victims was found in Wilkens car

Authorities said the woman told officers that she had arranged over the Internet to meet a man at the motel, and as she was waiting in a room, two men entered and threatened her with guns, stealing her money, cellphone and purse.

The men tied up the woman and fled, according to authorities, who said the victim freed herself and called police at 11:55 p.m. Saturday to report the robbery.

From security video tapes, Sgt.Michael Wittevrongel saw an image of the suspect's car, according to police, who said Officer Antoine Colbert, of the street crimes unit had been near the motel prior to the robbery and had checked the license plate on the car and identified the owner.

With this information, Wittevrongel and other street crimes officers found the car in Newark and waited nearby until a man approached the vehicle. Then officers moved in and apprehended him.

Police were able to see property belonging to the robbery victim in the car and arrested the man, later identified as Wilkens, authorities said. They said officers using a search warrant entered the car and found property from the victim.

Two imitation handguns, identified as those used in the robbery, were found in the car, and the victim identified Wilkens as one of the attackers, police said. They said officers also searched Wilkens home and found a small quantity of marijuana.

Wilkens was charged with robbery, possession of stolen property and weapons offenses. He is being held in the Union County jail in Elizabeth.

Police Detective Mathew Sakala is continuing the investigation of the second gunman, and police ask anybody with information about the case to call the Detective Bureau at (908) 851-5030.

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS

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

Jonathan Sander faces three murder charges in the deaths of Sandy Mazzella, 47, his wife, Stephenie Ann, 43, and Elaine Toby Mazzella, 76, who was Sandy's mother.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. - After Jonathan Sander was ordered held without bail Monday in the shooting deaths of three family members from New Jersey, the son of one of the victims called out.

"Hey Sander, you rot in hell you piece of garbage," said Rich Sussman of Elmwood Park, according to the Wake County News & Observer. Sussman's mother, brother and sister-in-law were shot and killed in their North Carolina home Friday evening.

Jonathan Sander faces three murder charges in the deaths of Sandy Mazzella, 47, his wife, Stephenie Ann, 43, and Elaine Toby Mazzella, 76, who was Sandy's mother.

Sander, 52, who lived next door to the Mazzellas, entered their home shooting shortly before 6 p.m. Friday night, according to Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison.

"It looks like an ongoing argument between families," Harrison said in a statement. Harrison said deputies had been called to the Mazzella home hours before the shooting to handle a dispute.

In court Monday, Sander was ordered held without bond on three charges of first-degree murder.

Judge Robert Radar told Sander he faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

Sander, who wore a striped jail uniform, said nothing during the hearing and did not appear to react to Sussman's comments.

Sandy Mazzella grew up in New Milford. His wife, Stephanie, grew up in Jefferson Township and graduated Felician College in Bergen County with a degree in nursing. She also lived in Belleville and attended Bloomfield College and worked at Clara Maas Hospital.

Public records show Sander lived for a time in Avenel section of Woodbridge.

The Mazzellas moved several years ago to Pennsylvania, where they met Sander, friends have said.

Sandy Mazella and Sander later became business partners, operating a landscaping company out of Wake Forest.

Authorities have not said what the ongoing dispute is about.

Authorities say couple reported a vehicle stolen after it had struck and killed a 7-year-old girl on her way to school.

HILLSIDE -- The Newark couple charged in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 7-year-old girl on her way to school are now facing additional charges alleging that they filed false reports that the car that struck the girl had been stolen.

Hillside Police confirmed Monday that Fabian Rodriguez and Johana Rosas-Alvarez have been charged with hindering apprehension after allegedly "falsely reporting their vehicle stolen after they had committed an offense with it in West New York." The charges are in addition to those previously filed against the couple in Hudson County, police said.

Pictured, Shaila Pichardo, the 7-year-old girl who was killed by a hit and run driver. (Courtesy of Vainieri Funeral Home)
 

The charges come after several media outlets last week released 911 calls allegedly made by Rodriguez and Rosas-Alvarez reporting the vehicle as stolen. In the calls, Rosas-Alvarez reported that the car was stolen from their home, while Rodriguez said it was stolen from work, the reports said.

The charges are the latest development in the case against the couple. Rodriguez was allegedly behind the wheel of a Chevy Tahoe that struck and killed Shaila Pichardo while the first grader was walking to school in West New York. The couple is also facing charges alleging that they took the car to be washed after the fatal strike, in an attempt to wash away evidence.

The girl's parents said earlier this month that they are weighing filing a lawsuit in connection with the fatal strike.

An attorney representing Rodriguez said he was "one of the most remorseful" clients she has ever had.

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

Dozens of weapons have been seized since Jan, 1, Newark police said

NEWARK -- Two city men have been charged with possession of a firearm since Friday, Acting Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

Just before midnight Friday, Special Enforcement Bureau detectives patrolling near public housing on Dayton Place, responding to a quality of life complaint, saw a group of males at the complex. When police approached, one man walked away hastily, police said, tossing something to the ground.

Officers who were at the other side of the complex stopped the man, Lucas Sumler, 41, as the item, a gun, was recovered, police said. Sumler was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and other offenses.

Just before 11 p.m. Saturday, bureau detectives on patrol near Avon and Farley avenues got a tip about someone with a gun. When they approached a man matching a description, he appeared to be adjusting a weapon in his jacket. Farad Jones, 30, of Newark, was arrested after police said he was in possession of a gun.

"I have to commend the detectives of the Special Enforcement Bureau for the outstanding work they are doing in the field removing armed dangerous criminals off our city streets," said Ambrose. "To date the detectives have arrested over 65 people and removed as many guns. Great work."  

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

What's with the clock that Ryan Haygood, a civil rights advocate, wears around his neck when he speaks about social justice issues?

The manner in which Ryan P. Haygood examines social justice is not an approach you'd expect from a civil rights advocate of his standing.

Haygood, 41, litigated cases with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund for 13 years and now he's president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Institute For Social Justice, a Newark-based organization that empowers urban communities.

So, what's with the big clock that hangs around his neck when he speaks at colleges and universities in New Jersey?

Haygood said the uncanny accessory represents time and how we grapple with serious problems such as mass incarceration, economic equality and the relationship between the criminal justice system and racial injustice in America.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns    

"What time is it?"

It's a question he has asked when addressing audiences at New Jersey City University, Rutgers University-Newark and Rutgers Law School.

"We all know we have a limited amount of time to be on this earth and the question is,'What is our contribution going to be with the time that we have?' " he said.

With the clock, Haygood is channeling popular hip-hop culture from the late 1980s to make his point.

Anybody remember Flavor Flav?  Not from when he was on the reality television show, "Flavor of Love." I'm talking about Flavor Flav as a member of Public Enemy, a politically charged rap group with anti-establishment lyrics.

Haygood said that Flavor Flav wore the clock because time is the most important element in our lives and it shouldn't be wasted.

"He was serious about encouraging us to be social critics,'' Haygood said.

And that's what Haygood, of Newark, expects of us when too many people suffer from poverty and less-than-equal access to education, housing and healthcare.

It's exacerbated, he said, by a "broken criminal justice system that incarcerates people of color at a dizzying pace, devastating whole families and communities."

Haygood said mass incarceration traces it roots to America's South losing the Civil War. In a move to rebuild a labor force depleted from the loss of slaves, Haygood said, Southern legislators introduced "black codes,"or laws that restricted African-Americans' freedom and ability to work, often forcing them into unpaid labor or risking arrest.  

"As convictions mounted, Southern jails turned black,'' Haygood said.

Now fast-forward to today's prison population. Nationally, Haygood said, blacks comprise 13 percent of the country's population, but more than half of its inmate population.

"It's not a reflection of crime,'' he said. "It's reflection of how we do incarceration.''

He said incarceration levels shape how society perceives black people, and how law enforcement and the criminal justice system treat people of color.

Statistics support this idea. In 1972, Haygood said research shows that the prison population was 300,000. Now, it's 2.2 million.

"We're at this point that our reliance on incarceration as a social control has led us to a swelling prison population that's not sustainable."

While New Jersey has made some progress, Haygood said black and Latino people comprise 30 percent of the state's population, but represent 80 percent of the prison population.

"What time is it?" he asks again.

He's worn the clock twice over the past few months and it was a hit each time.

But last week, even when he didn't have the timepiece, Haygood shared Flavor Flav's philosophy about "time" during state Sen. Ronald Rice's lecture series on criminal justice and public policy at Rutgers Law School. 

Rice said Haygood's incomparable presentation, which combines hip-hop culture and social justice, is the kind of scholarship that the lecture program looks forward to offering.

"I wanted to him to give the perspective of what really takes place in our community, not a bunch of theoretical stuff," Rice said.

MORE CARTER: Cold night on Newark pavement raises awareness of homeless youth plight

The intergenerational crowd was tuned into Haygood at the law school and asked him many questions afterward. 

"This is what Ryan's genius is," said Marcia Brown, vice chancellor for external relations and governmental affairs for Rutgers-Newark. "He's able to thread together different perspectives that might be in the room."

He explained how harsh prison sentences were meted out during the nation's war on drugs in black neighborhoods destroyed by crack cocaine.

In suburban communities, where heroine use is now ravaging white families, Haygood said the strategy is to treat drug addiction as a disease instead of a crime.

Jerome Harris, past chairman of the New Jersey Black Issues Convention, said Haygood understands the struggle for equality is ongoing and that it happens over time.

"By virtue of him using the clock, it really is a reminder for all of us, in each generation, that we have a responsibility to figure out what time it is in our lives."

So, if you see a guy with a giant timepiece around his neck, it's okay to think of Flavor Flav.

Just know it's really Haygood, stirring us to be critical of the times and to take serious our role in finding solutions to the challenges we face.

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

A gust of 58 mph was reported at Newark Liberty at about 5:20 p.m., the strongest gust detected by wind speed monitoring devices across New Jersey.

How windy was it Monday night?

A gust of 58 mph was reported at Newark Liberty International Airport at about 5:20 p.m., the strongest gust detected by wind speed monitoring devices across New Jersey, according to the National Weather Service.

But several other places in the Garden State had wind gusts as high as 45 to 50 mph after a rain storm moved out of the region and a high pressure system moved in, generating strong winds that caused scattered power outages.

Windy weather to continue Tuesday

A wind advisory remains active until noon Tuesday for the northeastern region of New Jersey: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties, with gusts as high as 50 mph possible in the next few hours.

These are among the strongest winds that have occurred since Monday afternoon, reported by the weather service and the NJ Weather and Climate Network at Rutgers University:

Atlantic County
Mullica Twp.: 43 mph
Hammonton: 37 mph
Atlantic City Marina: 36 mph
Egg Harbor Twp.: 29 mph

Bergen County
Teterboro Airport: 46 mph 
Lyndhurst: 42 mph
Haworth: 33 mph
Walpack: 25 mph

Burlington County
Red Lion: 50 mph
Silas Little: 41 mph
Oswego Lake: 34 mph

Camden County
Cherry Hill: 24 mph
Sicklerville: 24 mph

Cape May County
Woodbine: 43 mph
Dennis Twp.: 38 mph
West Cape May: 33 mph
Cape May Court House: 31 mph

Cumberland County
Upper Deerfield: 43 mph
Greenwich: 35 mph
Bivalve: 33 mph

Essex County
Newark Liberty Airport: 58 mph
Caldwell: 32 mph

Gloucester County

Logan Twp.: 44 mph
Clayton: 41 mph
South Harrison: 39 mph
Piney Hollow: 36 mph
Sewell: 35 mph

Hudson County
Bayonne: 45 mph
Jersey City: 44 mph

Hunterdon County
Pittstown: 43 mph
Kingwood: 41 mph

Mercer County
Hopewell: 39 mph
Hamilton: 26 mph

Middlesex County
New Brunswick: 27 mph

Monmouth County
Sea Girt: 52 mph
Cream Ridge: 46 mph
Oceanport: 45 mph
Wall Twp.: 37 mph
Holmdel: 32 mph
Howell: 32 mph

Morris County
Parsippany: 41 mph
Chatham Twp.: 40 mph

Ocean County
Berkeley Twp.: 46 mph
Point Pleasant: 46 mph
Harvey Cedars: 43 mph
West Creek: 43 mph
Seaside Heights: 37 mph
Toms River: 25 mph

Passaic County
Passaic: 44 mph
Charlotteburg: 41 mph
Green Pond: 41 mph
Hawthorne: 33 mph

Salem County
Woodstown: 28 mph

Somerset County
Basking Ridge: 41 mph
Hillsborough: 40 mph

Sussex County
High Point Monument: 58 mph
Wantage: 53 mph
High Point: 41 mph

Union County
Linden Airport: 47 mph
Hillside: 42 mph

Warren County
Stewartsville: 46 mph
Pequest: 35 mph
Hope: 34 mph
Mansfield: 33 mph
Hackettstown: 23 mph

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Jocelyn Dahta admitted to killing Henry Boyd, according to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper

Jocelyn Dahta (Courtesy of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office)Vernal Coleman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

NEWARK -- A woman has confessed to beating a 90-year-old man to death last month in his East Orange home, a prosecutor said in court on Monday.

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper cited that alleged confession from Jocelyn Dahta, 32, of East Orange, during a hearing on whether to reduce her bail on a murder charge in connection with the killing of Henry Boyd.

Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler approved a request by Dahta's attorney, Deirdre McMahon, to lower her bail from $750,000 to $600,000, in part because the judge said Dahta's prior criminal record is "not extremely lengthy."

Dahta has one prior conviction for an indictable offense, the judge said. In that case, she received two years of probation in 2007 on a charge of conspiracy to commit theft by deception, Wigler said.

Referring to McMahon's request for the slight bail reduction, Wigler said: "Under all the circumstances, that doesn't seem to be unreasonable."

Dahta remains in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility.

Boyd was found unresponsive on Feb. 9 inside his South Harrison Street apartment by a family member, and he was later pronounced him dead at the scene, authorities said. Authorities have said Dahta and Boyd knew each other.

Autopsy results indicate that Boyd died of compression of the throat and a fracture of the larynx, authorities said.

As part of her argument for a lower bail, McMahon cited Dahta's network of family and friends, her educational and employment background, and her medical history, including an incident where she attempted suicide by setting herself on fire.

In opposing any bail reduction, Semper pointed to the "the strength of the state's case," including how Dahta was arrested several days after Boyd's body was discovered and she "gave a statement indicating that she did beat the victim to death."

Semper also noted how Dahta fled the scene, anticipating that she would be a suspect in the homicide, and he claimed that behavior reflects on whether Dahta would appear in court if she was released on bail.

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

The Education Law Center has sent a letter to the state's education commissioner demanding it intervene in the ongoing investigation into lead found in Newark schools' drinking water.

NEWARK -- Whatever the cost, the state should pay to alleviate infrastructure issues that have caused lead levels in the drinking water at Newark schools to rise above the federal safe level.

That was the message of a letter the Education Law Center sent to state Education Commissioner David Hespe and Schools Development Authority CEO Charles McKenna. The letter, sent Monday, cites the court decisions that created what were then-called Abbott districts (now SDA districts), and ordering state funding at the districts. The ELC is a public interest law firm that represents the students in schools affected by the rulings.

"The state is required to fully fund, undertake and complete all school facilities improvements in districts classified as 'SDA districts,'" the letter reads.

Newark schools' lead: What we know, what we don't

"The DOE and SDA must act expeditiously to address (the) hazardous condition of elevated lead in (Newark Public Schools) facilities."

Since news of the contamination broke earlier this month, the Department of Environmental Protection has been working with the state-controlled school district to re-test water samples at all of the city's school buildings. But, ELC Executive Director David Sciarra said it's the DOE that should take the lead on dealing with Newark's lead.

If the DOE and SDA don't take any action, "we have the option of going to court," Sciarra said. "We don't want to do that...but, we're not going to let this go."

DOE spokesman David Saenz confirmed Monday that the agency had received the letter.

"While it is premature to comment on a response to the letter, it is important to recognize that the first step of testing all schools in Newark is well underway," he said.

Spokespeople for the SDA and Newark schools did not respond to requests for comment on the letter.

It is unclear exactly what lead remediation at the district would entail, or how much it would cost, but city officials have said the lead is likely originating from aging infrastructure in old school buildings.

The letter requests the DOE and SDA immediately put in place a "Potential Emergent Projects" program that would investigate the issue, determine what remediation would cost, and undertake the fixes.

Though he did not detail specifics, in an interview earlier this month, Gov. Chris Christie said the ultimate costs to fix the Newark lead issue would fall to the state.

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

Monday's incident, in which the wounded cabby drove himself to police headquarters, followed a pistol whipping last month, and a fatal shooting in August. Watch video

EAST ORANGE -- A livery cab driver shot in the face early Monday was his company's third victim of a violent attack in less than a year, including one driver who was shot dead in Newark last August, according to an official of Newark-based Classic Taxi.

The latest incident occurred at about 2:40 a.m. Monday, when driver Elidieu Collin, 43, was shot in the face after being dispatched to a house on Davis Place in East Orange, company officials said. After being shot, Collin managed drive himself five blocks to East Orange Police Headquarters on South Munn Avenue to get help, and was taken from there to University Hospital in Newark, officials said.

Police said the driver was in serious but stable condition on Monday, when no arrests had been announced as of Monday night.

In August, another driver for Classic Taxi, 45-year-old Rodrigo Berru, was shot and killed on Frelighuysen Avenue in Newark. Berru, who lived in Newark, was shot at about 9:30 p.m., and later pronounced dead at the scene.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged in the Berru case, which is being handled in family court because the boy is too young to be tried as an adult, Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, said Monday.

The third attack occurred just over a month ago, on Feb. 19, when Classic Taxi driver Leyo Salas was pistol whipped into a coma while on a call in Essex County, said Jolebska Valencia, an operator for Classic, whose father founded the company in 1994.

Boy, 14, charged in cab driver's death

"It's crazy, people do this to our drivers and they're just trying to work," said Valencia. "Of course we want the police to do something about it. But we also want the public to wake up to what happens. These guns, guns, guns."

Valencia said Classic's fleet is made up of independently owned cars, which bear the Classic logo and are dispatched by the company. Many are equipped with security cameras, she said, though not the car being driven Monday by Collin, of East Orange, a married father of four who is originally from Haiti. Valencia said most of the 200 or so drivers for Classic are black or Hispanic, many of them immigrants.

Carter, the prosecutor's spokeswoman, said that while the office has been handling the Berru case because it was a homicide, Essex has no special unit or operation specifically designed to protect taxi drivers, even though their work often carries them over municipal boundaries.

Leyo Salas was hospitalized after being pistol whipped last month, one of three livery cab drivers for Newark-based Classic Taxi to be violently attacked in less than a year. (Courtesy of Classic Taxi)
 

"With the exception of Rodrigo Berru, who was killed, the other cases would be handled by the local police," Carter said in an email. "Similarly, any stepped up efforts to protect cab drivers would likely come from local police."

The City of East Orange released a statement saying its police department had been proactive in protecting cab drivers.

"As a proactive law enforcement agency, over the past several years, East Orange police officers have made personal visits to communicate directly with local cab companies and dispatchers on cautionary measures to keep drivers safe," the statement read. "Although the investigation regarding this particular incident has not suggested that taxi drivers and/or companies are being targeted, the police department is currently in the process of reminding all taxi companies within the city to exercise caution when picking up fares, to be aware of their surroundings and to avoid dark isolated areas at all times."

The department asked that anyone with information on the incident call Detective Sgt. Anthony Ricks at 973-266-5060.

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

The mayor said the city will require outside help in order to fix a system of old pipes, water mains and other equipment Watch video

Correction: An earlier version of this article used an out of context quote from Mayor Ras Baraka regarding the state's assistance with remediating lead issues in city water supplies. The quote pertained to the school district's budget deficit.

NEWARK - Mayor Ras Baraka renewed his call for outside help in dealing with the Newark's water crisis Monday, saying it could take more than a billion dollars to update the city's crumbling pipes and other infrastructure.

Speaking at an education forum at Central High School Monday night, the mayor said contamination at nearly half of the city's 67 schools had shed new light a problem that stretched well beyond Newark.

"They are making discoveries that this issue is not just a Northern Jersey problem," he said. "There has to be a statewide problem."

Since the problems at Newark schools, which date back until at least 2012, became public earlier this month, officials across the state have begun drafting legislation and lobbying for new funding to increase testing and address problems with aging infrastructure.

Lawyers: State is obligated to pay for Newark schools' lead fix

Baraka said he had met with the city's state senate delegation and Assemblywoman Grace Spencer (D-Essex) Monday morning to discuss how to build support for a bill that would create a 10-cent bottle deposit in the state, proceeds from which would be dedicated to updating outdated water systems.

In comments after the meeting, he said the bill represented the kind of outside help necessary in order to fix what the city's water system including old pipes, water mains and combined sewer overflows - work he estimated would likely require more than $1 billion to complete.

"It's a huge undertaking to just deal with the water systems in the schools, and then the infrastructure problems that we have as a city would be huge of course," he said. "We don't have the money and the resources to do that."

At the education panel, attendees largely struck a measured tone about the ongoing crisis in the city's schools. Many chose to focus on other education-related issues, including the expansion of charter schools, a new "community schools" initiative in the South Ward and the proposed sale of 12 vacant school buildings by the Newark Housing Authority.

Discussion often circled back to lead contamination, however, with many residents saying recent headlines had stirred up fears that the supplies in their aging homes could be laden with dangerous levels of the chemical.

"I don't want my child to go to school and drink clean water, then go back home and drink dirty water," said Willie Johnson, a 64-year-old city resident.

Gee Cureton, a district leader in the city's West Ward, said she was concerned many residents had not been fully apprised of the situation.

"If we don't get the information, that creates a lot of anxiety and fear," said Gee Cureton, a district leader in the city's West Ward. "(Those that have the information) understand clearly that the problem is not a water problem, it's the age of infrastructure."

The city's water and sewer director, Andrea Adebowale, reassured attendees that water at 50 sites around the city had been tested in 2015, with the vast majority returning lead levels well below those considered dangerous. The federal Environmental Protection Agency requires those tests be performed every three years, she added, though officials are planning to do them on a six-month basis in light of recent events.

Later in the discussion, Baraka continued to push for outside help.

"Newark cannot be responsible for billions of dollars to fix the water issue," he said.

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

The victim was gunned down in the the vicinity of Lindsley Avenue and Norwood Avenue at approximately 2:00 a.m., officials said.

NEWARK -- Authorities are investigating after a 25-year-old city woman was shot to death early Tuesday morning, officials said.

Aliyah L. Williams  was gunned down in the the vicinity of Lindsley Avenue and Norwood Avenue at approximately 2:00 a.m., said Essex County Prosecutor's office spokeswoman Katherine Carter. 

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/03/law_center_state_is_obligated_to_pay_for_newark_sc.html

Williams was later transported to University Hospital in Newark, where she was pronounced dead at 7:07 am., Carter said.

No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been identified, in connection with the killing, Carter said. An investigation into Willaims' death by the department's Homicide Task Force is ongoing, she added.

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

Dr. Gale Gibson has overseen the Newark-based community college since 2013

NEWARK - Essex County College's president has been removed from her position amid a mysterious probe into alleged misuse of the school's resources, officials have revealed.

Dr. Gale Gibson received a letter from the college's Board of Trustees Friday advising her she had been suspended while the board discussed the unspecified accusations, according to her attorney Alan Zegas. Gibson, who is currently on vacation outside the country, will continue to earn her approximately $295,000 annual salary.

Details of the allegations that led to her removal, however, remain shrouded in secrecy.

Juan Fernandez, an attorney representing the trustees, confirmed that trustees held a closed-door meeting Monday to discuss Gibson's status, but declined to offer any additional comment. The board's chair, Bibi Taylor, did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

ECC professor to receive leadership award

Zegas said he also remains in the dark, though he added that Gibson had recently reported similar concerns surrounding the use of college funds and facilities by another employee. He said he was unable to share specifics on the matter, but hinted that other forces were at play concerning her suspension.

"She has been involved in higher education for 23 years and she's done a lot," he said. "She's done an enormous amount for Essex County College and now finds herself caught in some political battle."

Rumors of political crosswinds also accompanied Gibson's rise to president in 2013, when the board chose her to replace Edythe Abdullah.

After Abdullah was pressured to step down after three years on the job, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo openly backed former county administrator Joyce Harley to succeed her.

The board ultimately chose Gibson, citing her doctoral degree as the deciding factor, though Harley was promoted from the school's executive director of administrative services to a vice president of administration and finance - a cabinet position that carries a salary of about $190,000 per year. Harley did not immediately return a request for comment.

With the president position once again on apparently shaky ground, some around the college believe political pressures may be at play. Community colleges have experienced massive growth in recent years, and local officials often have great stakes in the institutions that serve as major job providers and usually lack a deep well of benefactors.

In a statement, DiVincenzo said he backed the trustees' decision to suspend Gibson, but denied he had any influence in the matter.

"At this time, the board believes that suspending Dr. Gibson from her duties as President is in the best interest of the students and will help protect the integrity of the institution," he said. "It is the board's decision, which I support and respect."

Debra Salters, a Newark resident who serves as student representative on the board, claimed she had been excluded from the vote on Gibson's status, and was taken aback at the move given what she considered the school's progress in recent years.

She cited last year's graduating class of 1,505 students - the largest in its 50-year history - as well as its recent nomination for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, a national award that could net a $1 million prize.

"They have searched for a year, been digging for over a year to find something dirty on this president," Salters said. "This is politics at its worst."

Killed were Sandy and Stephenie Mazzella, along with Sandy's mother, Elaine.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Several people called 911 last Friday to report the gunshots that claimed the lives of three members of the Mazzella family from New Jersey, according to published reports.

At least two of the callers were in or near the home when the killings occurred.

"My parents have been shot. He just came in with a shotgun and shot everybody," said a female caller believed to be the 14-year-old daughter of Sandy and Stephenie Mazzella.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office altered the 911 audio in an effort to keep the callers' identities anonymous.

Sandy and Stephenie were killed along with Sandy's mother, Elaine. All of the victims were from New Jersey.

"I just heard seven gunshots and people screaming right behind my house," says another caller. Another neighbor says, "There is a man with a shotgun standing right behind our house."

Judge dismissed restraining order before killings

Stephenie's adult brother, Joey, was outside walking the dogs when the killings occurred, according to family members.

Jonathan Frederick Sander, the next-door neighbor, entered the home and shot the family members to death, alleges Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison.

"My sister and brother-in-law are laying on the floor," says the caller.

"Is anybody awake or breathing?" the dispatcher asked.

"No," the caller said. "They got shotgunned. They're done."

Sander is being held without bond, charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted.

A motive has not been released, although the sheriff says the families were feuding.