New Jersey
Boy, 14, charged with intentionally setting 52-acre NJ forest fire
A 14-year-old boy was arrested last week for allegedly igniting a New Jersey forest fire that destroyed 52 acres in an intentional act of arson, police said.
The teen, of Marlton, NJ, is accused of setting the Oct. 30 blaze that tore through an area near Sycamore Drive and the Berlin Township border over several days, and cops are now investigating if he may have played a role in starting an even larger fire, Evesham police announced Wednesday.
Evesham cops, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and Evesham firefighters battled the inferno for multiple days and were able to contain it before any structures were damaged, police said in a press release.
The departments launched an investigation into the fire and soon found evidence suggesting the flames were intentionally set.
The teenager, whose name was withheld by cops due to his age, was then identified as a suspect.
He was arrested without incident on Nov. 7 and charged with aggravated arson and causing or risking widespread injury or damage. He was booked in Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center, pending his first hearing.
Police are investigating if a 375-acre fire in the same area near Sycamore Drive that started on the same day of his arrest is connected to the Oct. 30 fire. The blaze was extinguished after firefighters battled it for multiple days.
Forest fires have burned through several areas in New York and New Jersey over the past few weeks as record-breaking dry weather coupled with powerful winds have battered the region.
An 18-year-old New York parks worker was killed Saturday battling a since-extinguished wildfire that crossed both states.
Five states — New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts — are under fire weather warnings.
New York City is under a “Red Flag Warning” issued by the National Weather Service over the increased risk of brushfires.
Elsewhere in New York and New Jersey, firefighters are struggling to contain a massive forest fire consuming more than 7,000 acres across both states near Greenwood Lake’s eastern edge. The inferno, dubbed the Jennings Creek fire, was only 30% contained as of Wednesday afternoon.
A bushfire in Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Park was the latest to ignite on Wednesday afternoon — sending thick smoke high above the city skyline.
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.
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New Jersey
Wrong-way driver charged in I-80 crash that injured N.J. State Police trooper
An alleged drunk, wrong-way driver was arrested following a crash on Interstate 80 in Warren County, officials said.
Robert Felegi was driving a pickup truck west in the eastbound lanes in Knowlton when he crashed head-on into a New Jersey State Trooper’s vehicle near milepost 1.4 around midnight Tuesday, State Police said.
The trooper had emergency lights and sirens activated while trying to alert motorists of a hazard ahead, authorities said.
The trooper suffered minor injuries, while Felegi was not hurt.
Felegi, 67, of Middleport, Pennsylvania, was charged with assault by auto and driving under the influence.
He was brought to the Warren County jail ahead of a detention hearing. An attorney for Felegi is not listed in court records.
investigation, and no additional information is available.
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