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.
New Jersey
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.
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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.”
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WPVI) — Two people, including a pregnant woman, are dead after a multi-vehicle crash happened in South Jersey on Friday night.
Multiple people were left injured after the fiery crash, but many were saved thanks to the quick work of good Samaritans at the scene.
It happened just before 8:30 p.m. on the 8000 block of the Black Horse Pike in the West Atlantic City section of Egg Harbor Township.
According to police, a 2017 silver Nissan Sentra was driving westbound on the Black Horse Pike when it unexpectedly entered the eastbound lanes.
Multiple people killed in fiery Egg Harbor Township, NJ crash: Police
Officers say the driver was traveling in the wrong direction.
The silver Nissan then reportedly collided head-on with a 2018 Kia Forte. The Kia was then pushed backward into a 2020 red Nissan Sentra, police say.
Authorities also said a fourth vehicle — a 2019 silver Toyota Yaris — was struck by debris thrown from one of the vehicles.
Police say the head-on collision caused the silver Nissan to catch fire.
Multiple motorists and witnesses stopped to assist the occupants out of the burning vehicle.
Good Samaritans, one being Lisa Bonanno, dragged people out of the car before it was engulfed in flames.
“It was chaotic. No one was sure what to do,” Bonanno recalled. “No one arrived yet to help, so people took it into their own hands, and that restored my faith in humanity.”
She says she’s thankful for the others who stepped in with her to help people get to safety. Bonanno also recalled how terrifying the flames were up close.
“There were some men that were there. They were the real heroes, they really pulled. They got everyone out. They had trouble getting the last one out so what I did was I tried to move them away from the car. It was going to blow,” Bonanno said.
Another good Samaritan stepped in to help the passengers of the silver Nissan as well.
The bystander, identified as Chris Wilson, is in the hospital recovering from his injuries. He helped pull a juvenile out of the burning car.
“Just hearing that kid yell like that. You can hear in his voice he wanted to live. He just wanted to live but he could not get out of that car so we did everything in our power,” Wilson recalled.
Authorities announced Saturday that two people died in the crash.
One of the victims was identified as 21-year-old Escarlin Suriel of Atlantic City, who was the driver of the Kia Forte. Action News spoke with Suriel’s family on Saturday, who said she was eight months pregnant with her second child.
Suriel’s husband, who was also a passenger in the Kia — 27-year-old Francisco Nin — was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after the crash.
Police identified the second victim as 22-year-old Gabriella Constrantino, who was a passenger in the silver Nissan.
According to investigators, two juvenile passengers in the silver Nissan were taken to the hospital and listed in critical condition.
Another passenger, a 25-year-old man, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Finally, two occupants of the red Nissan were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
As authorities investigate the crash, Bonanno and Wilson say this incident is something that they will always carry with them.
“I had trouble at night sleeping because I felt like I could have stayed longer and did more, but in reality, I couldn’t and that’s what was hard for everyone,” Bonanno said.
“It was just really surreal. The youth that are still here, I’m glad they still have a fighting chance,” Wilson added.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) — All hail the Garden State! Did you know July 27 is recognized as National New Jersey Day in the United States? Proud New Jerseyans of all kinds have been taking to social media to celebrate their home state in all of its glory.
The official New Jersey government social media accounts posted a video on Instagram, X and Facebook featuring the mascots that call New Jersey home, including the Princeton Tiger, Boomer from the Trenton Thunder, the Rutgers Scarlet Knight, and Buster from the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.
Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy celebrated National New Jersey Day by having lunch with the couple who are in the process of eating at every diner in the state of New Jersey.
The Murphys sat down with Karri and Jon Ricklin at the New Monmouth Diner in Middletown Township on the 244th stop of their journey.
Beyond classic diners and iconic mascots, there are so many wonderful things to do and so many beautiful things to see in New Jersey.
You can celebrate the national holiday by walking the endless miles of beautiful beaches, popping out to witness the legendary nightlife of Atlantic City, or visiting locations from various famous television shows shot in New Jersey, like, “The Sopranos” and “Jersey Shore.”
Maybe you’ll stay local and enjoy a scoop of water ice and a breakfast sandwich with pork roll… or is it Taylor ham?
Regardless of what you decide to do, be sure to celebrate the third state to join the Union in honor of National New Jersey Day.
This story was written by CBS News Philadelphia intern, Ryan Avery.
CBS News Philadelphia Staff
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