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Federal lawsuit alleges harrowing conditions, abuse in New Jersey psychiatric hospitals

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Federal lawsuit alleges harrowing conditions, abuse in New Jersey psychiatric hospitals


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WOODLAND PARK, N.J. — An advocacy group for people with disabilities filed a lawsuit against New Jersey officials on Tuesday, alleging harrowing conditions and systematic violations of patient rights in four state-run psychiatric hospitals.

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The lawsuit, filed in federal court by Disability Rights New Jersey, alleges that the “reality on the ground” at four hospitals — Ancora Psychiatric Hospital; Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital; Trenton Psychiatric Hospital; and Ann Klein Forensic Center — is “more akin to psychiatric incarceration” than to a setting where patients can get proper care.

“Individuals have been sexually, physically, and emotionally assaulted, sometimes resulting in permanent injuries or death,” the group said in a statement released along with the lawsuit.

The 99-page complaint names state Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman and acting Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, whose departments oversee the hospitals, as defendants, along with the state itself.

It asks the court to order reforms including better security provisions and discharge planning at the hospitals, where a combined 1,150 people are confined, and services to help patients transition back into the outside community. Disability Rights New Jersey also calls for the establishment of a stakeholder advisory group for the system and monetary penalties should the state not comply.

Reached Wednesday, spokespeople for the departments of Human Services and Health said the state wouldn’t comment on pending litigation.

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‘Violent and abusive conditions’

The suit isn’t the first sign of problems at the hospitals. New Jersey’s Office of the Public Defender filed a class-action suit in 2018 over conditions at Greystone Park. In an eventual settlement, the state agreed to address staffing issues at the facility, upgrade security protocols, and take steps to ensure the availability of medical care, equipment, and drugs.

The suit says seven “unexpected deaths” occurred in the hospitals between March 2019 and June 2022, ascribing them to inadequate supervision, delayed medical responses, and failures to follow safety procedures.

“Individuals confined to state psychiatric hospitals are continuously exposed to violent and abusive conditions in direct contravention of federal and state law,” Disability Rights New Jersey says in its lawsuit.

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The suit also said that patients are denied access to necessities, even water for drinking, which is allegedly kept behind locked doors. Patients sleep in “cramped spaces with two to four patients sharing bedrooms with minimal natural light,” the complaint states, highlighting a lack of personal space and privacy.

The suit criticized the hospitals for a lack of individualized counseling, even when dealing with personal anguish. “Patients do not receive individualized treatment for trauma, much of which is sexual in nature,” the complaint added. “Rather, treatment is provided in the form of these group programs.”

Staffing shortages

According to the suit, hospitals are understaffed, leading to frequent cancellations of therapy sessions altogether.

Staff shortages have also allegedly resulted in a lack of supervision that has produced violent and disrespectful conditions. The suit cites patients who have to take group showers and complain of living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

“Imagine living in an environment where even the most basic choices are taken away from you — when to wake up, when to go outside, when to have a drink of water,” said Bren Pramanik, managing attorney of the group’s Institutional Rights team. “And, in place of psychiatric treatment, you face both boredom and violence on a daily basis.”

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Is housing health care? State Medicaid programs increasingly say ‘yes’

Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network. Follow Gene Myers on X @myersgene.





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Did anyone win Powerball? Winning numbers for April 25, 2026

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Did anyone win Powerball? Winning numbers for April 25, 2026


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Powerball winning numbers are in for the Saturday, April 25 drawing with a jackpot that reached an estimated $118 million ($53.7 million cash option).

The winning numbers in Saturday’s drawing are 4, 30, 36, 52, and 57, with Powerball number 2.

Did anyone win the Powerball jackpot?

No one won the Powerball jackpot.

When is the next drawing of the Powerball?

The next Powerball drawing is Monday. Drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

How late can you buy a Powerball ticket?

In New Jersey, in-store and online ticket sales are available until 9:59 p.m. on the night of the draw.

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What does it cost to play Powerball?

Powerball costs $2 to play. For an additional $1 per play, the Power Play feature can multiply nonjackpot prizes by two, three, four, five or 10 times.

Are you a Powerball winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All New Jersey Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.99. For prizes over $599.99, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at New Jersey Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to New Jersey Lottery, Attn: Validations, PO Box 041, Trenton, NJ 08625-0041.

Winners can drop off their claim form and winning ticket in person at the New Jersey Lottery office where a secure drop box is available. Claim forms are also available at the office. Hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Lawrence Park Complex, 1333 Brunswick Avenue Circle, Trenton, NJ 08648.

To find a lottery retalier, you can search the NJ lotto website.

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What is the Powerball payout?

The complete guide to winnings is:

  • Match 5 White Balls + Powerball: Jackpot
  • Match 5 White Balls: $1 million
  • Match 4 White Balls + Powerball: $50,000
  • Match 4 White Balls: $100
  • Match 3 White Balls + Powerball: $100
  • Match 3 White Balls: $7
  • Match 2 White Balls + Powerball: $7
  • Match 1 White Ball + Powerball: $4
  • Match Powerball: $4
  • Match 5 White Balls with Power Play: $2 million
  • Match 4 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $200,000
  • Match 4 White Balls with Power Play: $400
  • Match 3 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $400
  • Match 3 White Balls with Power Play: $28
  • Match 2 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $28
  • Match 1 White Ball + Powerball with Power Play: $16
  • Match Powerball with Power Play: $16

What are the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot?

The overall odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292.2 million.

How do I find the Powerball winning numbers?

Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. Drawings are also lived streamed on Powerball.com. The winning numbers are posted to the Powerball and New Jersey Lottery websites.



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Exclusive | NJ grandma with heart of gold goes viral for making salami sandwich for her mailman

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Exclusive | NJ grandma with heart of gold goes viral for making salami sandwich for her mailman


This is one first class hero.

A New Jersey granny with a big heart recently went viral for making a salami and cheese sandwich for her mailman — who thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

Antoinette Giancamilli, better known as Nonna Netta, has a tradition of presenting her postman, Kyle Frankenfield, with homemade food when he delivers the mail to her Alpha, NJ home, just east of the Pennsylvania border.

Antoinette Giancamilli, aka Nonna Netta, loves preparing lunch for her postman, Kyle Frankenfield. Paula Hardin

“It started out when I was roasting chicken and I gave him a chicken leg,” Giancamilli, 83, told The Post.

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“Sometimes I just give him scones or a muffin or a piece of pizza. Whatever I have, I give him … But he loves a bagel with salami and cheese, that’s his favorite.”

The viral clip, which got close to 9 million combined views, started with the octogenarian in her kitchen, putting together the Genoa salami and provolone cheese on a bagel and toasting it.

“Got a sandwich for you, Kyle,” Giancamilli announces when she sees him approaching.

“This is like the third time this week,” the grateful mailman answers incredulously.

Once she hands him the sandwich, he gushes, “Anything you ever make is the best thing I’ve ever had. Thank you so much. You’re like a third grandmother to me.”

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A native of Rome who moved to New Jersey at age 14, Giancamilli has 2 million combined followers on social media. Alek Villa

After the sandwich became so popular online, Giancamilli started to share it with other visitors.

“The guy just came to change our water heater tank and I said, ‘Do you want the mailman special?’ and I gave it to him too,” she said.

The mom of four and grandma of nine has more than 2 million combined followers on social media thanks to her grandson, Luke Hardin.

The idea to share his nonna, which means “grandmother” in Italian, with the world came in 2023 when he would visit her for lunch during his summer internship and post photos of the meals she would make him on TikTok.

Nonna’s grandson Luke, an electrical engineer, runs her social media pages. Courtesy of Antoinette Giancamilli

“It would be a steak sandwich, hamburgers,” Giancamilli said. “And people commented, ‘Boy, I wish I had a grandma like that.’”

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Now, the native of Rome, who immigrated to New Jersey in 1956 at 14 and started working as a seamstress for 75 cents an hour at 16, cannot leave the house without being recognized.

“Every time she goes to the grocery store, there’s at least a couple people that she doesn’t know that recognize her,” Hardin, 24, said.

“Even all my neighbors, they all know me,” Giancamilli added. “They say, ‘I watch you all the time, especially when I’m hungry.’”

Her followers love the panettone she makes for Easter. Courtesy of Antoinette Giancamilli

The beloved nonna’s most popular videos have been the one of her roasting tomatoes for sauce, which racked up 110 million views, making cinnamon buns, which garnered 95 million, and whipping up pasta with pesto and shrimp, which got more than 21 million.

Her recipes are in such high demand that she’s even releasing a cookbook.

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“She’s really seeing the impact that she’s having, all these people saying that they cooked cutlets for the first time or made pizza with their family,” Hardin said.

The spry senior, who is celebrating her 70th anniversary of moving to America next month, cooks for her family of 20 every Sunday.

“She has a saying, ‘If you feed them, they will come,’” Hardin said.





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New Jersey Devils named fit for a surprising… and expensive star forward

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New Jersey Devils named fit for a surprising… and expensive star forward


The New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks are going in very different directions. Well, we hope they are going in different directions. Both teams are currently in the same spot: home. Watching the playoffs on TV. Both also ended the tenure of their GMs, although Jim Rutherford is still in the seat.

The Canucks seem like they know what the path forward is, and it involves a rebuild. Quinn Hughes was traded for a haul. Elias Pettersson has been on the trade block for two years. Everything in Vancouver is available, as long as they hit the cap floor. 

One player who is really interesting is Brock Boeser. He’s a former 40-goal scorer who hasn’t been that guy for two years. He seems very similar to Timo Meier, who is also a 40-goal scorer who has struggled to get back to 30 goals. 

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One might think that the Devils should have no interest in another player who is paid like he’s a 40-goal scorer when he’s actually a 25-goal scorer. That’s Boeser. 

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The difference is that Meier is a hard-nosed player who adds more than scoring to the lineup. Boeser isn’t a one-trick pony, but he’s also not a “lot of tricks” pony. Boeser needs to score to be effective, and he’s not scoring enough.

That’s why, one year after signing him to a seven-year deal worth a little more than $7 million per season. 

Many believe the Canucks only re-signed Boeser in a last-ditch effort to keep Quinn Hughes, but it was never going to work. Now, they are stuck with a pretty bad contract. Boeser still has some value, so many are looking at who might trade for him. 

Brock Boeser still doesn’t make sense for the New Jersey Devils

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Michael DeRosa with the Sporting News says the Devils are one of three teams that could trade for Boeser. His reasoning includes the Devils’ disappointing finish and Boeser’s possible fit on a line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. 

Boeser does have a similar impact profile as Tyler Toffoli, who has been the best fit next to Hughes since he joined the league. 

However, the Devils can’t afford to pay Boeser his price, even if the Canucks retain $1 million for the life of the deal. The only way this works is if the Devils essentially sell on a lost asset. If the Devils can trade Jacob Markstrom for Boeser, maybe Sunny Mehta would consider it. 

Without a considerable trade going the other way, the Devils wouldn’t even consider trading for Boeser. This isn’t how to start the Mehta era in New Jersey.

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