New Jersey
NJ couple to reopen restaurant more than a month after being detained by ICE
The owners of a New Jersey restaurant held a community celebration and are set to officially reopen their business more than a month after they were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Sunday, March 30, 2025, Emine and Celal Emanet held a celebration in Haddon Township, New Jersey, and served food to show their gratitude for their community’s support and to also mark the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.
“We are a small business,” Emine Emanet said. “You know everywhere is small. But we have a big heart for all of everybody.”
The couple’s restaurant, Jersey Kebab, officially reopens on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
“I’ve been missing them,” Steve Barton, a Haddon Township resident, told NBC10. “They’ve been sorely missed throughout this entire ordeal.”
The restaurant – located on 150 Haddon Avenue – has been closed since Feb. 25, 2025, when ICE officers raided the business and arrested Emine and Celal Emanet. An ICE spokesperson said the two Turkish citizens were in the United States illegally. While Celal Emanet was released from custody with an ankle monitor, Emine Emanet remained in custody at an ICE detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, for two weeks.
Immigration attorney Joseph Best told NBC10 the couple moved to the United States from Turkey in 2008 on a religious visa. According to Camden County officials, Celal Emanet applied for a green card before the visa expired. Emanet said his application was denied three times and the couple has been in limbo since 2016.
During Emine Emanet’s detainment, the couple received support from both New Jersey leaders as well as community members. During a press conference in late February after their arrest, Haddon Township Mayor Randall Teague described the couple’s restaurant as a “pillar” in the community.
“We consider this situation maybe somewhat different than some of the other ones that we hear on TV where there’s criminals and rapists and so forth coming into our country,” Mayor Teague said. “They came in here legally and they’re trying to stay here legally.”
Teague also said the family has participated in Toys for Tots drives and organized food drives that have “left a lasting impact” on the area.
The couple’s arrest occurred amid a nationwide push from President Donald Trump’s administration to detain immigrants who entered the United States without the proper documents.
“This family is a family that embodies the very best of Camden County. And now they’re torn apart by this broken immigration system,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in February. “It is time to stand up for good people. It is time to stand up for humanity. These folks do not deserve this. These folks do not deserve this. Fix the immigration system and let’s fix it now.”
Haddon Township residents also donated more than $327,000 to a GoFundMe in support of the family.
On Tuesday, March 11, a judge set a $7500 bond for Emine Emanet’s release. She was released and reunited with her family the next day after the nonprofit Envision Freedom Fund successfully posted the bond.
Emine Emanet and her son Muhammed Emanet during Sunday’s community celebration
While the family is back in business, their legal battle continues.
“We have to prove ourselves,” Celal Emanet said on Sunday. “We are here. We have business. We’re regular people. We don’t have a criminal record. We pay our taxes so I hope they are going to accept it.”
Community members who attended Sunday’s celebration said they will continue to support them.
“They never let us down,” Barton said. “We are not going to let them down.”
The couple’s next court date is scheduled for the end of May 2025.
The basics:
- Brazil selected the Red Bulls’ new Morris Township complex as its World Cup base
- Facility unites Red Bulls first team, academy and Red Bulls II operations
- RWJBarnabas Health partnership adds advanced sports medicine resources
- Center strengthens NJ’s role in the global soccer landscape
The RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center is more than a training facility. It is where Red Bull New York‘s first team, Red Bulls II and academy system now operate under one roof, creating a centralized hub for player development, performance, recovery and innovation. The complex will also serve as the home-away-from-home for one of the top national teams competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Officially opened in April, the 80-acre Morris Township campus represents the culmination of a yearslong effort to build an environment capable of supporting every stage of a player’s journey — from academy prospect to first-team player.
The team held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility and provided tours of the newly completed complex, where club officials, healthcare leaders and other key stakeholders described a project designed not only to support today’s players but also to shape the future of the organization.
“The RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center will serve as a centerpiece for the continued growth of the game in our region and across the country,” said Marc de Grandpré, president and general manager of Red Bull New York.
For de Grandpré, an NJBIZ Power 100 honoree, the project represents more than a new home for the organization. “This facility brings our entire pathway together, from academy to first team, and creates an environment where players can train, develop, and compete at the highest level every day,” said de Grandpré. “It reinforces our commitment to building from within and developing the next generation of players.”
That sentiment echoed throughout the debut event. While the facility’s scale is immediately apparent, executives repeatedly emphasized that the true value lies not in the buildings or fields themselves, but in what they are designed to produce: healthier athletes, stronger player development and a clearer pathway from the club’s already robust academy system to the professional ranks.
Years in the making
The opening of the performance center marked the completion of a vision Red Bull New York leaders spent years pursuing.
Construction began in 2024 on the Morris Township property, but club officials noted during the ribbon cutting that the effort to identify, secure and develop a permanent home for the organization’s soccer operations stretched back far longer – around a decade.
The project brought together a team that included Gensler Architects, March Construction, The LandTek Group and interior design agency Drive21.
The result is an 88,400-square-foot main building spread across two levels and anchored by eight full-size soccer pitches. Six are Kentucky Bluegrass fields grown in New Jersey, one is a Tahoma 31 Bermuda grass field and another is a turf surface. Five of the fields are heated to allow year-round use, while four are illuminated for evening training sessions.
The facility now serves as the permanent home for the club’s first team, Red Bulls II, academy and youth programs.
Main objective
For de Grandpré, bringing the entire organization together was always the objective. “At its core, this facility is about more than infrastructure. It’s about what happens inside – and on these pitches,” he said. “It’s where our first team will prepare to compete at the highest level, where our second team and academy players will develop with a real pathway ahead, and where we will create an environment for people to grow and reach their full potential.”
At its core, this facility is about more than infrastructure. It’s about what happens inside – and on these pitches.
– Marc de Grandpré, president and general manager, Red Bull New York
A walk through the campus reveals a complex designed around virtually every aspect of athlete performance (see more in the slideshow above). The building houses multiple gyms serving both professional and academy players, team meeting rooms, educational spaces, dining facilities, medical areas and recovery resources. Dedicated academy spaces include classrooms, study areas and coaching clinic rooms, allowing youth players to balance their athletic development with educational responsibilities.
Nutrition also plays a prominent role. A full-service kitchen was designed to provide high-performance meals for players, while a demonstration kitchen allows chefs and nutrition specialists to provide meal preparation education to both academy and professional athletes.
High-tech campus
Outside, the fields are equipped with multi-angle camera tracking systems that allow coaches and analysts to monitor performance and support player development.
In full swing
Bookmark this page – and check back often – for NJBIZ’s complete World Cup coverage.
In fact, technology is embedded throughout the campus. The entire property is covered by high-speed Wi-Fi, allowing staff to collect and analyze performance data through platforms such as Kinexon, which tracks player movement and workload, and GameOn, a video analysis platform used by coaches and performance staff.
The recovery resources are equally extensive. The first-team locker room connects directly to hydrotherapy areas that include hot and cold plunge pools, a temperate treatment and physical therapy pool and a sauna. Players throughout the organization have access to resources designed to support preparation, rehabilitation and recovery.
Taken together, the facility reflects the growing role sports science plays in modern professional athletics. “I can see how impressive this building is, how big the statement is,” said Jürgen Klopp, Red Bull’s head of global soccer. “This is not about the role soccer played in the past in this country, it’s about the role soccer will play in the future.” Klopp is a renowned former player and coach who led Liverpool to English Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles.
Under one roof
Throughout the ribbon-cutting ceremony, speakers returned repeatedly to one theme: development. The facility was intentionally designed to bring players at every stage of the Red Bulls pipeline into the same environment.
Academy prospects now train, learn and develop just steps away from professional players. Coaches, analysts, trainers and medical staff operate within the same ecosystem, creating what club officials view as a clearer pathway to the first team.
Red Bull New York Head of Sport Julian de Guzman said that connection is critical. “Every player’s journey looks different. It’s our job to create the best environments and scenarios for each of them to grow, to develop into their strengths, to understand that there is a real road from where they are to that first team,” said de Guzman. “This facility is that road.”
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber described the complex as a resource for the next generation of players. “The future of this game and the people here – this is for you,” said Garber while addressing academy players attending the event. “We expect you to win trophies, to represent our country and your countries.”
Garber then offered perhaps the strongest endorsement of the project delivered during the ceremony. “This building is not just one of the best ones in North America,” said Garber. “This rivals the best development cities of any football soccer club in the world.”
Partnership on display
The facility also stands as the most visible symbol of Red Bull New York’s growing relationship with RWJBarnabas Health. Announced in January, the long-term partnership made RWJBarnabas Health the naming-rights partner of the performance center while also establishing the health system as the official hometown health care system and EMS provider of Sports Illustrated Stadium, Red Bull New York, Red Bulls II, academy programs and youth initiatives.
At the ribbon cutting, RWJBarnabas Health President and CEO Mark Manigan said the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to performance, innovation and community impact. “This is a partnership built on shared values and common cultures, a belief in innovation and a simple desire to be the very best,” Manigan said.
RWJBarnabas Health is not only the naming-rights partner of the performance center but also of the RWJBarnabas Health Athlete Wellness Lab, a 5,000-square-foot gym and recovery space that serves as a focal point for athlete care throughout the facility. Designed for daily recovery, rehabilitation and preventative care, the wellness lab is used by players, athletic trainers, team physicians and performance staff as part of routine preparation and maintenance. The space supports a range of treatment protocols, including manual therapy, soft tissue work, recovery modalities and return-to-play programming.
The performance center also includes a comprehensive medical suite, innovation lab, physiotherapy spaces and wellness resources designed to support injury prevention, rehabilitation and long-term athlete health.
Additional features include aquatic therapy spaces, fatigue-detection tools, advanced diagnostic resources and orthobiologic capabilities intended to support advanced treatment and clinical care.
Healthy, fueled and well-rested
Manigan argued that top performances begin long before kickoff. “For the Red Bulls, success means winning. And that’s how we at RWJBarnabas Health measure success, too. But here, success isn’t just what occurs on the pitch – it’s all the things that happen before they walk on and after they walk off,” said Manigan.
He added: “Making sure the players are checked and healthy. Making sure they’re properly fueled. Making sure they rest and recover. And, when an injury does happen, making sure they get back out there stronger than before. When you put it all together, the RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center is purpose-built for success.”
Manigan described the opening as an exciting milestone. “What began as a shared vision is now a world-class facility that will support elite athlete performance, advance innovation in sports health and serve as a source of pride for community,” said Manigan.
Dr. Gerardo Chiricolo, the Red Bulls’ chief medical officer who works closely with the club’s training staff and athlete care team, said the facility represents a significant advancement in athlete care. “The RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center represents a major step forward in how we care for professional athletes and the next generation,” said Chiricolo. “This facility isn’t just about treating injuries; it’s about preventive care, optimizing recovery and supporting each athlete’s long-term well-being.”
On the ‘World’ stage
The facility’s quality has already attracted attention well beyond Major League Soccer – globally.
Brazil, five-time World Cup winners, reportedly selected the Morris Township venue earlier this year, and the decision was officially announced in May when the Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed it would use the complex as its Team Base Camp training site during the 2026 tournament, which kicked off over the weekend. The team arrived in New Jersey June 2 and have been practicing at the facility, which will operate under the name Columbia Park Training Center.
Pictures and videos of Brazil and its many star players, such as Neymar, practicing at the center and being spotted around New Jersey, have been making the rounds on social media.
“We are proud to welcome the Brazilian National Team to Columbia Park as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup,” said de Grandpré when the selection was announced. “Our Performance Center was built to serve the highest levels of the global game. Brazil’s decision to base here reflects the quality, innovation, and competitive standards embedded in this facility.”
Brazil Head Coach Carlo Ancelotti said the team was drawn to the facility’s modern design and amenities. “We are very pleased with this decision,” said Ancelotti. “The Training Center is new, modern and offers all the conditions for our work, before and during the World Cup. I want to thank Red Bulls for welcoming us and showing us all the space, which was also sought after by other teams.”
Hosting 4 national teams
The selection also represents a win for New Jersey as it takes on a leading role in the world’s largest sporting event, hosting eight matches – including the Final on July 19 – and serving as base camps for four national teams, including Brazil.
“New Jersey is excited to welcome the world to our state for eight World Cup matches, including the World Cup Final,” said Gov. Mikie Sherrill. “We are thrilled that Brazil, Haiti, Morocco, and Senegal have decided to call the Garden State home.”
During the facility’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, NYNJ Host Committee Board Chair and former First Lady Tammy Murphy pointed to both Sports Illustrated Stadium and the new performance center as assets that helped elevate the region’s standing within the global soccer community.
“I will tell you that without the participation of Red Bull, I’m not sure we would have landed a lot of the games we did here in New Jersey,” said Murphy. “I can tell you that Red Bull, the quality of the stadium, Sports Illustrated Stadium, and now this incredible venue. Those are two really important factors that are attractive to Gianni Infantino and many at FIFA, and it’s one of the big reasons I really do believe that we are awarded with the Final.”
The future of soccer
For Red Bull New York, Brazil’s selection serves as an early endorsement of a facility built to compete with the best in the world. The facility also represents a foundational shift — bringing every level of the organization into a single environment designed to streamline development and elevate performance. For RWJBarnabas Health, it extends a growing footprint in professional sports here in New Jersey that connects clinical expertise with high-performance athletics.
And for Morris Township, it anchors one of the most advanced training complexes in North America — a facility already attracting global attention, and one that will continue to shape how the club develops players for years ahead.
“This partnership reflects our deep commitment to building a healthier New Jersey—on and off the field—and we are proud to invest in a state-of-the-art facility that will inspire excellence for generations to come,” said Manigan.
Said de Grandpré, “This is where the future of our club takes shape.”
A beach day on the Jersey Shore is no fun when impurities surface.
Good thing there are programs designed that test for water contaminants and warning systems that alert the public when beaches pass acceptable thresholds for dangerous bacteria in order to keep our beaches clean, says Island.com.
The digital travel platform latest study, sourced Swim Guide and the state health departments testing results in search for America’s cleanest beaches. All the beaches on this list are saltwater beaches.
Two New Jersey beaches from the list of nine made the cut.
Here’s the results from Islands.com search from Swim Guide:
No. 2 Point Pleasant Beach
Point Pleasant Beach’s combination of clean sand, clear water, and kid-friendly activities makes it a favorite destination for families. Swim Guide gave the beach high marks for passing New Jersey’s standards for cleanliness at least 95% of the time, with levels of the bacteria Enterococcus staying below 104 units per 100 ml of water during the 2025 season of testing.
No. 6 Stone Harbor Beach
Stone Harbor Beach in popular Cape May County is the kind of beach purists will like. In Swim Guide’s findings the ocean passes the water quality tests 95% of the time, with Enterococcus levels below 104 units per 100 milliliter of water, the acceptable level for safety in New Jersey.
Cleanest Beaches In America
While these beaches are consistently rated as clean, you should always check official websites or postings on the beach for the most up-to-date safety information.
- Siesta Key Beach, Florida
- Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey
- Wailea Beach, Hawaii
- Coronado Beach, California
- Spanish River Park Beach, Florida
- Stone Harbor Beach, New Jersey
- Makena Beach, Hawaii
- Dewey Beach, Delaware
- Westward Beach, California
Vinícius Júnior is not wearing the famous Brazil No 10 at this World Cup. For now, the hallowed shirt of Pelé, Zico, Rivellino, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and all the rest belongs to Neymar.
Or at least it belongs to a man faintly resembling Neymar. Now 34, he showed just enough at Santos to make Carlo Ancelotti’s squad after two lucrative but mostly wasted years in Saudi Arabia. Ancelotti could have chosen João Pedro or Richarlison or Savinho or Gabriel Jesus or Igor Jesus or, hell, even Antony, but he took Neymar. Who is injured again – a calf problem this time – and whose fitness will loom over the Brazilian campaign, just as it has at some point during every one of his four World Cups.
Neymar, who will loom over Vinícius Júnior, too.
If Vinícius is now Brazil’s undisputed star, the 25-year-old has also yet to really make the team his own. He has turned in frustrating and often fruitless performances at major international tournaments, while scoring a mere nine goals in 49 appearances entering this, his second World Cup.
He has yet to wrest top billing from Neymar, whose jersey was worn by huge swaths of the Brazilian fans in their draw with Morocco on Saturday.
Neymar, visibly hobbled, ambled by the adoring Brazilian crowds before the match, confirming that he is still here, that he still matters. He sported a backwards hat, like the teenager who once dazzled us before injuries sapped his powers over the last decade. He got what he wanted: loud cheers, even though he wasn’t even in the matchday squad. Neymar, and the No 10, were there but they also were not. He attempted a bit of coaching from the sidelines during the game, trying to exert influence over a team he can help in no other way.
So if ever there was a time for Vinícius to announce, or indeed confirm, that he was taking charge, this was it: the only group-stage match of this World Cup featuring two of Fifa’s top-10 teams.
He did just that, under the watchful eye of Brazil legends Ronaldo, Kaká and Roberto Carlos. And he did it for his coach, Ancelotti, who oversaw Vinícius’s maturation at Real Madrid, who coaxed him from prodigy to superstar.
Vinícius was man of the match – admittedly a tad generously, given the performance of Morocco’s marvelously efficient 18-year-old playmaker Ayyoub Bouaddi. And it was Vinícius’s 32nd-minute equalizer that roused Brazil from their early slumber.
Several times in the first half, Brazil’s players felt compelled to wave their arms upwards at their own fans, who far outnumbered their Moroccan counterparts, demanding more support. They may as well have asked the same of themselves, stunned as they seemed that the semi-finalists at the last World Cup – a stage the Brazilians have not reached on foreign soil in nearly a quarter-century – played right through them.
“The team was a bit anxious and at the beginning nerves were all over the place,” Ancelotti confessed after the match. “In the second half we did a lot better.”
Yet out wide for a side still finding itself, Vinícius was a relentless danger. In the 14th minute, he hurtled up the last strip of grass in direct sunlight, beat his club – and now international – rival Achraf Hakimi, and shuffled into the shadows, unleashing a cross that Igor Thiago couldn’t quite get his head on.
Later, Vinícius found a pocket of space in the Moroccan box, where Bruno Guimarães gave him a clever ball. He cut inside to improve an acute angle, turning Neil El Aynaoui inside out, and blasted his finish past Yassine Bounou. The goal canceled out Ismael Saibari’s delightful 21st-minute dink.
It was the last goal of the game, from a chance that carried no more than 0.1 expected goals.
“I believe I can improve a lot, I managed to score a goal, but I didn’t have 100% of my best technical part,” Vinícius said after the match.
From there, Brazil settled down and Morocco set up in a deep block. Most of whatever threat Brazil still posed emanated from Vinícius’s left flank. He danced his way into space but nobody had joined him in the attack to connect with his cross – something which may well become a theme in Ancelotti’s striker-less system. Then Vinícius loped into the space behind Hakimi after being sprung again, finding Raphinha, whose finish was feckless.
“When you’re up against Vinícius, it’s hard to defend,” Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi lamented.
He was hardly perfect. Vinícius gave the ball away a lot, tried a fair few things that didn’t come off. But on the night, he was there for his nation. When Brazil needed a spark, not to mention a goal, they got it from the Real Madrid star.
For now, that will suit the five-time champions just fine. And there was something fitting about a man called Viní doing the business in North Jersey.
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