New Jersey
NJ man shocked when bill for ambulance ride throws him into collections 2 years later
MORRIS PLAINS, New Jersey (WABC) — A New Jersey husband and father got the scare of his life, not when he took an unexpected ride to the Emergency Room, but when he got a bill two years later.
“I got dizzy, I fell this way. I must have bounced off this corner right here with my ribs. I wound up here in the driveway,” said Kenneth Doss, patient.
It was a 911 emergency when Doss blacked out and broke two ribs in his Morris Plains driveway.
“I didn’t know if I punctured a lung. I started to sweat profusely. My heart started to race. I was getting chest pains the whole bit. My wife and daughter got out of the car and came running out. Oh, my God. What happened? What happened? They tried. They were frantic. My wife calls 911,” he said.
EMS was dispatched.
“It was all a blur,” Doss said.
He was placed on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance, and taken to the ER. But, it’s what happened two years later that nearly put him in cardiac arrest: a collection notice.
“The amount was for $8,502.37,” Doss said.
The ambulance brought Doss to the nearest hospital, which is less five miles away from his home.
Break down the $8,500, and it cost him $1,700 per mile.
“It’s exorbitant. When you’re talking about $8,500 for a trip to the hospital, I think it’s crazy expensive,” Doss said.
Doss says he only received this notice, a final notice to pony up $8,500 for that ambulance ride from back in 2022 just a few months ago, and now that huge bill landed him, not in the hospital, but in collections.
He said he never got anything in the mail.
Doss filed an appeal, and here’s the knock-out gut punch those ribs of his, the appeal was denied. Aetna stated he was outside the time window to dispute the bill.
“Oh, you only have 18 months to file an appeal. Well, I can’t file an appeal unless I know that there’s a bill to begin with,” Doss said. “This is wrong. This is absolutely wrong.”
7 On Your Side asked Aetna to escalate and within hours of our email, they told us they were pleased to reopen the case. The insurance company agreed to pay Doss’ ambulance bill in full.
“I could have done a cartwheel!” he said. “They are paying the amount of $8,502! This is all because of 7 On Your Side. I would still be on the hook if not for this,” he said. “Thank you so much for getting involved. Because without you, without you, there is no way. There is…I don’t have words. There’s just no way.”
ALSO READ: 7 On Your Side helps utility worker get retirement money owed by ex-employer
Nina Pineda helps the former PSE&G lineman get access to his retirement fund.
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New Jersey
Police rescue 2 girls after falling through ice on New Jersey lake
Thursday, December 18, 2025 4:41AM
MT HOLLY, N.J. (WPVI) — First responders in Burlington County, New Jersey, rescued two children who fell through the ice on a frozen lake.
Mount Holly police were called to Woolman Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
Officers arrived to find two girls submerged in chest-deep water. A boy had been able to escape the icy waters before officers arrived.
Officers used a rope to pull the two girls to safety.
All three are expected to be OK.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
New Jersey
Garden State Equality director resigns amid child endangerment, assault charges
Christian Fuscarino resigned Tuesday as executive director of Garden State Equality amid charges of child endangerment and assault after an incident last month with a child in his Neptune City home.
“I resigned from Garden State Equality to ensure that the organization’s work is not impacted by a private family matter,” Fuscarino, a nationally recognized advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, said in a statement on social media.
“While my loved ones and I have been working through this moment together with care and love, the press has turned a deeply personal situation into a public headline,” Fuscarino said.
“Everyone involved is safe and navigating this situation responsibly,” he added.
Fuscarino asked that the matter “be seen for what it is: a private family moment, not a public spectacle.”
Fuscarino, 35, is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by a caretaker and two counts of simple assault, according to court documents.
An affidavit of probable cause alleges Fuscarino pulled the child from bed about 8 p.m. on Nov. 9 and struck the victim multiple times in the face with an open hand, pushing the child into a wall during the encounter.
The incident was captured on a home security video system, according to the affidavit.
The child was later taken to the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center in Freehold for a forensic interview. The child made no disclosure of physical abuse, the affidavit states.
However, another person living in the home told investigators they witnessed Fuscarino strike the child and intervened.
The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency obtained the video and notified the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office on Nov. 20.
A Neptune City police detective arrested Fuscarino on Nov. 21. The case has since been referred to the prosecutor’s office, court records show.
In a statement Tuesday, Garden State Equality said they had placed Fuscarino on leave after learning of the charges.
By Wednesday, Fuscarino’s bio on the Garden State Equality website had been removed.
“Garden State Equality takes allegations against our staff seriously and we oppose violence of any kind,” the agency said. “We respect the courts and will allow that process to be handled by them.”
Fuscarino had served since 2016 as the executive director of Garden State Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ organization in New Jersey, which is based in Asbury Park.
With 20 years of experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy, Fuscarino had been at the forefront of efforts to protect transgender rights, combat hate violence, and implement groundbreaking healthcare and education policies.
In a July 2018 story posted to NJ.com, Fuscarino said he wanted to dedicate his life to helping New Jersey’s LGBTQ+ community so that others would not have to suffer the indignities that he endured in adolescence.
New Jersey
10 hospitalized, including some students, after crash involving school bus in New Jersey
MOORESTOWN, N.J. (WPVI) — Ten people, including several students, were hospitalized Tuesday after a school bus crash in Burlington County, New Jersey.
The collision happened around 3 p.m. at Borton Landing and Hartford roads in Moorestown.
Township officials said in a Facebook post that a car and school bus collided at the intersection, injuring six students, the bus driver and three occupants of the passenger vehicle. All injuries appear to be minor, officials said.
“We have been made aware of a bus accident on one of our routes. There are no significant injuries for our students,” Moorestown Township Public Schools said in a statement.
The remaining students on the bus were taken to a nearby school, where they were picked up by family members.
School counselors will be available this week to provide additional support to students.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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