New Jersey

Mick Jagger stops in at NJ diner: This week in Central Jersey history, July 29-Aug. 4

Published

2 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Mick Jagger stops in at NJ diner: This week in Central Jersey history, July 29-Aug. 4

Mick Jagger, hours before he went onstage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019, grabbed a classic NJ breakfast at the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton.

Jagger ordered Taylor ham, egg and cheese. “So we went to the Tick Tock Diner!” Jagger told the audience. “We had Taylor ham, egg and cheese! With Disco fries! And sloppy joe to go!”

Here’s a look at events that happened in Central Jersey from five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years ago this week.

Five years ago

July 29, 2019: A state appellate court upheld the conviction of James Quackenbush, 51, of Plainfield, serving a 40-year sentence in NJ State Prison, for murdering his mother, Gail Vandewalle, 69, in February 2013 by hitting her on the head with a 12-pound dumbbell.

July 30: The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, on what would have been its namesake’s 16th birthday, commemorated its second anniversary, announcing the nonprofit had donated more than $100,000 to help pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

July 30: Te’Rai Powell, a rising senior at St. Joseph Regional in Montvale, announced on Twitter that he would play football for Rutgers University. Powell helped the Green Knights capture the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 4 championship the previous season, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

July 31: Walter Yovany-Gomez, aka “Cholo,” 35, an MS-13 member previously named one of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, was sentenced in Newark to 25 years in prison for killing Julio Matute of Plainfield in 2011.

Aug. 1: It became legal for NJ doctors to prescribe lethal medication to patients with less than six months to live. NJ was one of eight states that allowed medically assisted suicide or medical aid in dying.

Aug. 2-4: The Jersey Fringe Festival, featuring live music and a beer and wine garden, was held at 12 venues across downtown Hammonton, with the Eagle Theatre serving as the central location.

10 years ago

July 30, 2014: The Somerset Patriots beat the Lancaster Barnstormers, 7-0, on “Bark In The Park Night” at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. Somerset won the nightcap 2-0. The Patriots established a new franchise record for wins in a half with 47, albeit three weeks after the half had actually ended.

July 30-31: Approximately 350 bicyclists, including some local residents, participated in a two-day Bike4Chai fundraiser, beginning in Piscataway and ending at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, New York, raising more than $4 million for the overnight summer camp for children and teens with cancer and other serious illnesses.

July 31: It was reported Albert Thomson, 48, of Berkeley Heights, was indicted on charges he stole millions of dollars from his employers, Elizabeth-based New England Motor Freight, and two related companies, Eastern Freightways Inc. and Carrier Industries Inc., over eight years.

Aug. 1: Jeff Xie, 17, of Edison, a senior at J.P. Stevens High School, took home $75,000 on the “Jeopardy! Teen Tournament,” beating Alan Koolik of Boca Raton, Florida.

Aug. 3: The Under the Influence of Music tour, with Wiz Khalifa, Jeezy, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan, Mack Wilds, Iamsu! and DJ Drama, was held at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.

Aug. 4: In Somerville, State Superior Court Judge Robert Reed ruled David Granskie Jr.’s statement to police two days after the murder of Bridgewater resident Carolyn Stone, 45, could be admitted into his trial, which was expected to begin Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014. Stone was killed on Memorial Day weekend of 2009 at Granskie’s father’s home in the Bradley Gardens section of Bridgewater,

1999

July 30, 1999: Deborah Caggiano, 34, of South Plainfield, who embezzled more than $2.5 million from Beumer Corp., a Bridgewater manufacturing company, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

July 31: Three teenage girls pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault for lacing the coffee cup of their teacher at Middlesex County Vocational-Technical High School in East Brunswick with rubbing alcohol, it was reported. The girls were from Spotswood, Perth Amboy and New Brunswick.

Aug. 1: It was reported the Hispanic Riverfront Festival of New Brunswick, featuring music, dance and food, would be held Thursday, Aug. 5, 1999, through Sunday, Aug. 8, 1999, at Boyd Park in New Brunswick.

Aug. 4: The Somerset Patriots regained sole possession of first place with a 4-2 win over the Bridgeport Bluefish in front of 5,384 at Somerset Ballpark in Bridgewater, erasing the sting of a 9-1 loss in the series opener on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1999.

1974

July 29, 1974: Scott Siegrist and Rich Szumel combined for a no-hitter as Piscataway American West edged Spring Lake-Sea Girt 1-0 and advanced to the Section 3 finals of the state Little League Baseball Tournament.

July 31: N.J. Secretary of State J. Edward Crabiel, 58, was indicted along with The Franklin Contracting Co., which he once headed; George Katz of Fort Lee, a Democratic fund raiser; the Passaic Crushed Stone Co., and the Gallo Asphalt Co., on charges of bid-rigging.

Aug. 2: A fire routed the 130 tenants of the Royal Court Apartments in Perth Amboy from their beds and heavily damaged the first four floors of the five-story building. Ten apartments were destroyed and one elderly tenant was hospitalized.

Aug. 4: Patrolman Jeffrey Royte, who discovered John Burns Jr., 14, of Mount Laurel in Burlington County, sleeping peacefully in a wooded area in Clinton, unknowingly found the youth who was missing from South Jersey since the previous Monday, and was the subject of an intensive search by police and volunteers.

Aug. 4: “Show Boat,” the Jerome Kern musical classic, would be presented by Plays-in-the-Park beginning Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1974, at Roosevelt Park in Edison, it was reported.

1924

July 30, 1924: Three inmates of the NJ Reformatory at Rahway were shot when a riot broke out among the 500 inmates. Before the outbreak was stopped, the institution suffered considerable damage.

July 30: While swimming in Lake Nelson in South Plainfield, Emile Ulmric, 21, a member of the faculty of St. Joseph’s Normal College, near Metuchen, was seized with cramps and drowned before assistance could be given.

July 30-31: The movie “Her Temporary Husband,” starring Sidney Chaplin, Sylvia Breamer and Owen Moore, was shown at Reade’s Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

Aug. 1: An attempt was made to “blow” the safe in the Forty-fifth street, Bayonne station of the NJ Central, but the burglars were frightened away by the police who were informed as to what was going on by a woman living near the station.

Aug. 4: In baseball, the St. Peter’s Lyceum beat the Pirates of Sayreville, 2-0.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

Source link

Click to comment

New Jersey

Deadly Fort Lee police shooting of woman investigated by N.J. attorney general. Here’s what we know.

Published

10 hours ago

July 28, 2024

Press Room

Deadly Fort Lee police shooting of woman investigated by N.J. attorney general. Here’s what we know.

FORT LEE, N.J. — An investigation is underway in New Jersey after a police officer shot and killed a woman early Sunday morning.

The investigation has been turned over to the state, which is standard procedure any time there’s a police shooting. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is now investigating after Fort Lee police officers responded to a building. The 911 caller, the woman’s own brother, told the dispatcher she was having a mental health episode, and had a knife.

Here’s what investigators say happened

Video footage shows investigators on the scene at the Pinnacle Apartments on Main Street.

The shooting happened around 1:25 a.m. The AG’s office released details on Sunday night, saying a 911 caller stated his sister was having a mental health crisis, needed to go to the hospital, and that she had a knife.

The caller was outside the apartment door when an officer arrived. The officer opened the door, but two women told him not to come in and shut the door.

After repeated demands to open up, additional responding officers broke down the door.

As the woman approached, an officer shot her once in the chest, killing her, officials said.

The AG’s office says investigators recovered a knife at the scene, but did not whether she was holding the knife when officers shot her.

A neighbor said he needs to know more.

“So they already knew that this person had a knife, so why deadly force? Why not use some other tactics?” the neighbor said, “because I have family who also have mental issues and I’m calling the cops. I trust them. I’m not calling them to cause more harm.”

Source link

New Jersey

Officials: Police shoot woman in crisis to death at NJ apartment

Published

17 hours ago

July 28, 2024

Press Room

Officials: Police shoot woman in crisis to death at NJ apartment

🔴 Police called to apartment for a woman with a knife

🔴 Brother told dispatcher she was experiencing a mental health crisis, officials say

🔴 Cops were blocked from entering home

FORT LEE — Authorities are investigating an early morning fatal police shooting in North Jersey.

Police were called around 1:30 a.m. Sunday to The Pinnacle apartment complex on Main Street, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

The man who called 911 said to the dispatcher that his sister was in the midst of a mental health crisis, authorities said.

She had a knife and needed to go to the hospital, the man said on the phone.

The brother met a police officer at the apartment in the hallway outside his unit, authorities said.

ALSO SEE: Pregnant NJ woman among 2 dead in fiery Black Horse Pike crash

Pinnacle Apartments in Fort Lee (Google Maps)

After a brief conversation, the police officer opened the door to the unit and saw two women inside. One was the man’s sister and authorities did not reveal who the other woman was.

Both women said to stay out of the apartment and then closed the door on the officer, authorities said.

The cop repeatedly knocked on the door and requested the women open it. Once other police officers arrived at the scene, they breached the door.

The caller’s sister then “approached the officers in the hallway” and one officer fired their gun once, according to authorities.

The shot hit the woman in the chest. She was hospitalized and then declared dead shortly before 2 p.m.

There was a knife at the scene, according to officials.

The OAG is investigating the fatal police shooting. Every death that occurs during an encounter with law enforcement must be investigated by the agency under New Jersey state law.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

The 15 best places to live in New Jersey

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

The best supermarkets in New Jersey

These are the highest-rated supermarkets in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. The ratings are based on reviews left by customers on Google. To be included in the top, a supermarket had to have a substantial number of reviews (typically at leas a thousand).

Source link

New Jersey

He rescued a kitten from a recycling compactor and named her Squishy

Published

24 hours ago

July 28, 2024

Press Room

He rescued a kitten from a recycling compactor and named her Squishy

Mark Motta was checking the hydraulics on a recycling truck just past 7 a.m. when he noticed two shiny eyes looking at him from behind the compactor’s crushing mechanism.

Motta took a close look and saw that a tiny gray and white kitten was stuck in the hopper, where recyclable materials are loaded and compacted. The kitten was covered in oil and shaking in fright.

The driver of the truck, Moses White, had already started the engine to head out on his rounds in Burlington County, N.J., that day, July 8. Motta told White to turn off the engine, then he climbed into the truck’s bin and delicately pried the kitten free from the hopper.

“I’ve had cats my whole life, and I know that when they’re babies, if you grab them by the skin on their necks, it makes them think they’re being carried by their mother,” he said. “So that’s what I did.”

The kitten didn’t fight him.

“She was really scared, but she seemed happy to be rescued,” he said.

Motta used his bright yellow safety shirt to wipe the kitten off the best he could, then he called safety officer Samantha Stamile to let her know what had happened.

Stamile told Motta to put the kitten in a box, then she rushed to her office.

“I got there, and there’s this sweet little kitten, absolutely saturated in some kind of oil from inside the truck,” she said. “She also had a green eye discharge, and she was wheezing. We decided to clean her up right away.”

Stamile and Motta took the kitten to the fleet mechanic shop and gave her several baths with Dawn dish soap to remove the oil.

“The first bath did nothing — she needed quite a few,” said Stamile, noting that she also cleaned the kitten’s eyes with a saline solution and gauze.

Motta decided there was only one name that suited the cat: Squishy.

“I thought it was perfect, because if I hadn’t seen her that morning, there would have been no saving her,” he said.

Stamile gave Squishy some cat food, then took her to All Creatures Veterinary Care Center in Sewell, N.J., where she was examined at no charge and given antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. The vet said she appeared to be about 2 months old.

Otherwise, the kitten was fine, Stamile said, so she contacted Rise Again Animal Rescue, a New Jersey animal foster and adoption nonprofit. The Asbury Park Press was among several local news organizations to cover the happy rescue.

“I told them I’d like to foster Squishy until she’s old enough to be spayed, vaccinated and put up for adoption,” said Stamile, 30, who has fostered cats for four years for the animal rescue.

Ekaterina Sedia, a founder of Rise Again Animal Rescue, said she added Squishy to her adoption list.

“We know how easily a cat — or especially a young kitten — can get hurt,” Sedia said. “Unless people interfere, an accidental injury is often a death sentence for a cat on the streets.”

Stamile said her two daughters, Arabella, 7, and Adelyn, 2, were delighted when she brought Squishy home and introduced her to the family’s other cat, Rascal.

“My kids have always loved fostering cats, and it instills the importance of treating all life kindly and with respect,” Stamile said.

Squishy is a good fit with the household, and she now enjoys romping around with Rascal and playfully jumping on everyone’s bare feet when they wiggle their toes, she said.

“She’s now completely oil-free, and when you hold her, she’s an absolute cuddle bug,” Stamile said. “She’s becoming more and more social with time.”

It isn’t known how Squishy ended up trapped inside the recycling truck, but Stamile speculates she might have been a feral kitten who climbed in after the driver’s previous run.

Motta said he was happy that Stamile could take in Squishy.

“I don’t think I could have another cat right now because I already have a male cat at home,” he said. “His name is Stinky.”

Source link