New Jersey
Funeral services held for New Jersey State Police Trooper Marcellus Bethea in Burlington County
EWING, N.J. (CBS) — A somber gathering was held Wednesday to honor a fallen hero. Funeral services were held for Marcellus Bethea, the New Jersey state trooper who died on May 5 while training at the agency’s Ewing facility.
His death remains under investigation.
“To all of you whose hearts are broken in the wake of this tragic loss please know that I and the people of New Jersey are here with you, we grieve with you,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.
Murphy reflected on Bethea’s life of duty and integrity and gave examples of heroism on the job.
“There are glaring examples of Marcellus’ heroism in action, like the time he arrived on a scene to aid a motorist and ended up carrying an injured woman from her car just moments before it burst into flames,” Murphy said.
Bethea was an eight-year veteran of the New Jersey State Police. He died while training for the state police’s TEAMS unit, an elite swat-style unit. Fellow troopers and lifelong friends reflected on a life cut far too short.
“There was nothing more important to him than his family, his parents, Kate, his lovely daughter Bella,” New Jersey State Police Trooper Sam Liebman said. “He worked tirelessly to provide for them, I swear, I don’t know anyone that worked more overtime. He was just always there working for them.”
Bethea grew up in Columbus, Mansfield Township, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Northern Burlington Regional High School and Rowan University. His widow spoke through tears as she described his love of being a trooper, something he wanted to be since he was just a child.
“I’ll never forget the way his eyes would light up when he would talk about his passion of being a state trooper, especially being a TEAMS member. Whether it was his love or dedication for his career and commitment to his family, he approached everything with enthusiasm and zest for life,” Kate Bethea said.
Bethea is survived by his wife and 2-year-old daughter. He was 33 years old.
New Jersey
Woman charged with theft for taking dog outside N.J. home, police say
A woman has been charged with theft for taking a dog outside a Clifton, New Jersey, home in April, police say.
Last month, William Chan told CBS News New York his dog, a 7-year-old Shih Tzu-Yorkshire Terrier mix named Rocky, somehow got out of the house on April 5 while his nephew was dog-sitting.
The Clifton Police Department said investigators determined that while Rocky was loose, he ran down the street and was running in or near the road at times.
Video shows Rocky did eventually return to his own yard, and a child holding a blanket can be seen chasing the dog before a woman gets out of a black SUV parked in the road. Rocky then runs onto the back porch of his home, where the woman and child corner him, grab him with a blanket, take him back to the SUV, and drive away.
The family said Rocky was wearing a harness and ID tag at the time.
Police said the woman did not make any attempt to talk to anyone inside the home or any neighbors, and neither animal control nor police received any calls about a loose dog being found on that day.
Chan called police on April 6 to report that Rocky had possibly been stolen, and investigators were later able to identify 29-year-old Mery Cepeda-Chevalier, of Newark, as a person of interest.
Officers spotted Cepeda-Chevalier’s vehicle in Passaic on April 8 and pulled her over, police said.
According to police, Cepeda-Chevalier cooperated with detectives, admitted she had Rocky, and agreed to have the detectives follow her back to her home. She then handed over the dog, and detectives reunited Rocky with his family.
On Thursday, Cepeda-Chevalier was charged via summons with one count of theft of a domestic companion animal.
New Jersey
Browns Hand Out New Jersey Uniform Numbers for All 10 Draftees, Plus a Dozen UDFAs
The Cleveland Browns announced jersey numbers for all 10 draftees, as the team’s rookie minicamp is underway at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
While First-round picks Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion had already shown off their numbers — 55 and 17, respectively .. at their introductory press conference a few days ago, the jersey numbers for other rookies hadn’t been disclosed until today.
Second-round wideout Denzel Boston will now wear No. 12, quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ old number. Sanders, a fifth-rounder last year, had previously announced a switch to his old college No. 2 beforehand.
Fifth-round linebacker Justin Jefferson has been assigned jersey No. 10, which was used by last year’s second-round running back Quinshon Judkins. No announcement has been made yet on Judkins possibly changing his number, though. He wore No. 1 at Ohio State.
Not all jersey numbers are available in Cleveland, as the team has officially retired five of them: 14 (Otto Graham), 32 (Jim Brown), 45 (Ernie Davis), 46 (Don Fleming) and 76 (Lou Groza).
|
Jersey |
Round |
Pick |
Name |
Position |
School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
55 |
1 |
9 |
Spencer Fano |
OT |
Utah |
|
17 |
1 |
24 |
KC Concepcion |
WR |
Texas A&M |
|
12 |
2 |
39 |
Denzel Boston |
WR |
Washington |
|
28 |
2 |
58 |
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren |
S |
Toledo |
|
58 |
3 |
86 |
Austin Barber |
OT |
Florida |
|
52 |
5 |
146 |
Parker Brailsford |
C |
Alabama |
|
10 |
5 |
149 |
Justin Jefferson |
LB |
Alabama |
|
18 |
5 |
170 |
Joe Royer |
TE |
Cincinnati |
|
15 |
6 |
182 |
Taylen Green |
QB |
Arkansas |
|
48 |
7 |
248 |
Carsen Ryan |
TE |
BYU |
At this point in time, eiht of the 10 rookies drafted by Cleveland in last months 2026 NFL Draft have signed their contracts. The only still-unsigned draftees are wideout Concepcion and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
In these cases, players sign a participation agreement that covers the team’s liability during the event, ensuring players are covered for injury.
Browns officially add 12 undrafted free agents
Cleveland also announced the formal signing of 12 undrafted free agents to complete it’s rookie class.
The most notable name on this list appears to be Logan Fano, a defensive end out of Utah who just happens to be Spencer Fano’s brother.
All undrafted free agent rookies were also assigned their numbers for the Browns’ rookie minicamp.
|
Jersey |
Name |
Position |
School |
|---|---|---|---|
|
29 |
Davon Booth |
RB |
Mississippi State |
|
34 |
Zion Washington |
S |
Boise State |
|
36 |
TJ Harden |
RB |
SMU |
|
36 |
Wes Pahl |
P |
Oklahoma State |
|
38 |
Kole Wilson |
WR |
Baylor |
|
43 |
Nate Evans |
CB |
Delaware |
|
47 |
DeCarlos Nicholson |
CB |
USC |
|
60 |
Izavion Miller |
OT |
Auburn |
|
64 |
Tyreak Sapp |
DE |
Florida |
|
66 |
Bernard Gooden |
DT |
LSU |
|
90 |
Khordae Sydnor |
DE |
Vanderbilt |
|
97 |
Logan Fano |
DE |
Utah |
Other players that have reportedly accepted invites to Browns’ rookie minicamp include Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes, West Virginia linebacker Reid Carrico, Fordham linebacker James Conway, and Bowling Green tight end Jyrin Johnson.
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New Jersey
Crash closes Route 38 in Hainesport, New Jersey
A serious crash in Hainesport, New Jersey, has forced Route 38 to close Thursday night.
The crash happened on Route 38 near Creek Road at around 9:30 p.m. Chopper 3 was over the scene, where two cars were badly damaged.
According to Burlington County dispatch, several people were injured in the crash.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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