New Jersey
New Jersey community mourning death of Justin Rivera, Hudson County sheriff’s officer who fell from building
The Bayonne, New Jersey, community is devastated over the loss of one their own – Hudson County sheriff’s officer Justin Rivera, who fell nine stories to his death Friday morning.
The 29-year-old was on duty when he fell from a window at the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. Officials said the building was closed to the public due to an unrelated power outage at the time, and the fatal fall appears to be accidental in nature.
Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari, in a statement, described Rivera’s death as “one of the saddest and most horrific days that the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office has ever experienced,” calling Rivera an “excellent officer and outstanding young man.”
The Hudson County prosecutor’s office has no new details on the investigation surrounding his death at this time.
“It doesn’t even feel real”
Rivera ran Bayonne Boxing along with his father. A sign on the door says the gym is closed due to a family emergency.
A memorial was growing outside the front door of the beloved business Saturday as passersby offered prayers and dropped off flowers in Rivera’s memory.
“It’s unbelievable, honestly, like how this could just happen out of nowhere. So it was like, it was honestly like it doesn’t even feel real,” said Jayden Morales, who has been training at the gym for the past year.
Morales said Rivera and his father were both great coaches.
“You could tell they loved each other,” Morales said. “He was funny, too, always cracking jokes.”
A neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous, lived near Rivera’s childhood home, where he lived with his daughter. The neighbor describes the Riveras as a beautiful, hardworking family she’s come to know for the past 20-plus years.
“He would meet my daughter at the gym and say, ‘I love your mom. I’m here for her if she ever needs anything.’ And I knew that … ’cause that’s the kind of kid he was,” the neighbor said. “They kissed goodbye in the morning, and he got in his car and he went to work and that was it. We never know.”
“He loved to box, police officer, being a family man. That was him as a person,” Morales said.
“We’ll miss that wave, that smile. We’ll miss it,” the neighbor said.
Rivera’s father told CBS News New York his son is now with God and that there’s nothing he can say that will bring him back.
How to protect your NJ home from wind: Video
Here’s how to windproof your home to minimize damage, and what to do if a tree falls on your property as a result of the weather
A severe thunderstorm watch looms over North Jersey on the evening of June 12 after days of extreme heat.
Nation Weather Service New York declared a severe thunderstorm watch for numerous North Jersey counties including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Morris and Sussex among other Central Jersey and New York counties. The watch is in effect until 9 p.m., according to the NWS statement.
In an hourly forecast from The Weather Channel for Paramus, there is a 74% chance of thunderstorms at 7 p.m.
High temperatures reached past 90 degrees in many parts of North Jersey on June 11 and June 12 as a heat advisory also remains in effect until 8 p.m., said NWS New York.
“Dangerous heat is expected to continue across much of our region through today, with several record highs likely to be challenged again. High temperatures are forecast to peak into the low to mid 90s across most of the area,” the National Weather Service said Friday.
A Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. across the state except for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
PHILADELPHIA – Philip McPherson II, a 37-year-old from Riverside, New Jersey, was sentenced Thursday, June 11, to 78 months in prison for his role in a 2022 plane crash in Lehigh County that killed a student pilot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sentencing and charges for fatal Lehigh Valley crash
What we know:
United States District Judge John M. Gallagher sentenced McPherson to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, a $4,300 special assessment, and $19,530 in restitution. Judge Gallagher also barred McPherson from working in the aviation industry.
McPherson pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of an administrative proceeding, and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate.
The backstory:
Court filings show that on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off from Queen City Airport in Allentown as the pilot-in-command with student pilot K.K. and crashed shortly after, resulting in K.K.’s death.
Prosecutors said McPherson acted with gross negligence, knowing he was not competent to fly as pilot-in-command. He had two prior crashes, nearly a third, and failed a reexamination for his pilot’s certificate in September 2021.
McPherson voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate in October 2021 and let his Temporary Airman Certificate expire in November 2021, acknowledging his inability to meet FAA standards.
He admitted to flying with passengers without a valid FAA pilot’s certificate between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, FAA, and Salisbury Township Police Department worked on the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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