New Jersey
N.J. State Police’s Human Trafficking unit is working overtime to save victims
![N.J. State Police’s Human Trafficking unit is working overtime to save victims N.J. State Police’s Human Trafficking unit is working overtime to save victims](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-09-03-nj_state_police_human_trafficking_unit2.jpg)
Wettengel said his unit’s job doesn’t end with a bust.
“We are always following up with them, making sure they’re okay, they’re good, especially if they’re going to be testifying in court, it’s a lot for them to deal with,” he said.
Even undocumented immigrants caught in the trafficking web are entitled to services, he said.
New Jersey State Police Major Tom Wieczerak is the commanding officer of the Special Investigations Section, which includes the Human Trafficking Unit.
He said his team goes beyond rescuing human trafficked survivors by going after the traffickers.
“With the location of New Jersey, with all the arteries, the Turnpike and all these interstates, it’s definitely something that is on the rise,” he said.
When to intervene
How do you look for signs of trafficking?
Wieczerak said common sense is key, and if something seems odd, it’s worth reporting.
“If you see young girls in hotels that may be dressed provocatively with older men, that can be a red flag,” he said.
Leese said sometimes it’s just a matter of “trusting one’s gut”.
“If you see women that are afraid to speak for themselves, it doesn’t hurt to look into it a little further, or call the authorities to do the same thing,” she said.
If human trafficking is suspected, New Jersey has a 24-hour human trafficking hotline number that can be called anonymously, 1-855-END-NJHT, which is 1-855-363-6548.
How to prevent trafficking?
Leese said education and awareness, especially for young men and women, is critically important to prevent human trafficking going forward, and her agency is working with local police departments to bring presentations into schools for kids as young as elementary school level.
“It’s making sure we’re having conversations with our children about what could happen, everything is on social media, a lot of things are considered acceptable, and kids may not know the danger they’re getting into,” she said. “It’s also making parents aware of danger signs they need to be aware of.”
Hershey said that with the World Cup coming to New Jersey in 2026, the problem is expected to increase exponentially, and his unit will be working closely with the FBI and authorities in Philadelphia to stop it.
Miller now works as an advocate, supporting victims of child and adults in recovery, who have been sex and labor trafficked.
Her advice to young women who start going down a slippery slope is simple: tell someone.
“Find your trusted adult, we know if there’s one adult who is healthy in a child’s life, chances of success (and help) are greater, talk to somebody, don’t keep it inside.”
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New Jersey
Small plane with 2 on board crashes near N.J. airport, investigators say
![Small plane with 2 on board crashes near N.J. airport, investigators say Small plane with 2 on board crashes near N.J. airport, investigators say](https://www.nj.com/resizer/v2/6PWZB7DFWNFYRFVOGEHHG2MR2Y.jpg?auth=bfefb340121bb10a6173671d4895dfd47af7f81d29fb754a0980ceeb9e940cbb&width=1280&quality=90)
A small plane crashed Wednesday night near Somerset Airport in Bedminster, investigators said.
Two people were aboard the single-engine Piper PA-28 when it crashed around 7 p.m., an FAA spokesperson told NJ Advance Media.
The spokesperson could not comment on the condition of the occupants. Local police could not immediately be reached for comment.
The plane is registered to Ameriflyers of Texas Inc., a flight training institution based out of Dallas, Texas. The institution’s website states it has a school in Morristown, but it was unclear where this plane was traveling to or from where it came.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
New Jersey
Summit councilwoman resigns – New Jersey Globe
![Summit councilwoman resigns – New Jersey Globe Summit councilwoman resigns – New Jersey Globe](https://newjerseyglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lisa-Allen.png)
Summit Council President Lisa Allen, widely viewed as a rising star in local Republican politics, has resigned less than halfway through her term.
Allen is moving to a different part of Summit and will no longer reside in the politically competitive Ward 2, which she has represented since her appointment in 2021, the New Jersey Globe has learned.
Holding off on a resignation announcement until last night’s council meeting allowed Republicans to avoid a special election for her unexpired term in November.
Instead, the city’s Republican county committee will submit three candidates to the common council – without Allen, the GOP still has a 4-2 majority – who will pick a replacement; if they don’t, the party will fill the seat. The interim council member will serve until a November 2025 special election.
If Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz (R-Summit) doesn’t seek re-election next year, Allen had been considered the leading candidate to replace her; that still may be the case. Another Ward 2 councilman, Greg Vartan, could emerge as a Democratic Assembly candidate in 2025, either against Munoz or Allen, the GOP state committeewoman from Union County.
Allen did not respond to a call seeking comment.
The deputy city clerk, Nicole Kotiga, would not say if she was aware of Allen’s resignation but said a letter of resignation had not yet been filed with her office.
New Jersey
This massive N.J. school has 3,300 students. See your high school’s enrollment.
![This massive N.J. school has 3,300 students. See your high school’s enrollment. This massive N.J. school has 3,300 students. See your high school’s enrollment.](https://www.nj.com/resizer/v2/LT32VHVSNNDYTNU2ARYNBD7JJU.png?auth=a5ee8bca00671398efbfc89c7db62252e20949779f895671ad407c3d89ccf363&width=1280&quality=90)
It’s back to school time in New Jersey, and that means students will soon be reuniting with friends they haven’t seen all summer. But in some of New Jersey’s largest high schools, there might be more strangers than friends.
The average enrollment for high schools in the Garden State is just over 1,000 students, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of data from the 2022-23 school year, the most recently available data. (See how large your high school is in the chart below.)
The state’s largest high school, Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, had 3,302 students in 2022-23. That top spot could be challenged in future rankings with the opening this year of the $283.8 million Perth Amboy High School, with a projected enrollment of 3,300 students.
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