New Jersey
Police in Westampton, New Jersey investigate teen chaos after rec center gathering:
A South Jersey neighborhood was thrown into chaos Friday night after a large group of teens poured out of a party at the Westampton Recreation Center and into the nearby Spring Meadows development, disturbing residents and damaging property.
Tatiana Iglesia had just put her newborn to bed when her partner, Eric Rodriguez, ran in, alarmed by the noise outside.
“He’s like, ‘call the cops — call the cops! They’re on top of the cars — they’re destroying them…they’re fighting,’” Iglesia recalled Rodriguez saying. “They were just on top of the cars — it was a riot outside.”
That chaos was captured on a video the couple shared from their Ring security camera. The footage showed dozens of teens running through the streets and jumping on cars. At one point, what sounded like a taser could be heard in the background.
“When I look out the window, I just see hundreds of kids everywhere…on my lawn, in my driveway, in my neighbor’s driveway…in the middle of the street,” Iglesia said.
Police helped disperse the crowd, but Iglesia and Rodriguez soon realized both of their vehicles were damaged. The roofs and hoods were all dented in. The mirrors and lights were also damaged, and footprints were visible the next day.
Westampton Township police said they responded to the neighborhood and are now investigating the incident, which they say appears to have started at the recreation center.
Fourteen-year-old Mikaela Barclay said she was at the party, which drew students from at least four different area high schools. She said the evening started off without issue — there was music and dancing — but things escalated once the party ended and the crowd left the building.
“That’s when it went all sorts of crazy,” Barclay said. “There were kids trying to fight in the middle of the road…jumping on cars.”
Barclay, who lives in the neighborhood, said most of the teens involved didn’t live nearby and showed little regard for the people who did.
“They were so disrespectful,” she said.
Other South Jersey towns that have experienced similar incidents are now taking measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
The incident unfolded the same weekend Gloucester Township Day was postponed due to what officials described as “credible threats of violence and unlawful activity.” Last year, ten teens were arrested during the event following reports of large groups causing disturbances.
In another preventative move, Wildwood officials recently announced they would strictly enforce a 10 p.m. curfew for minors ahead of the busy summer season, warning that any violations would result in arrests — not only of the teens but also their guardians.
In Westampton Township, police say they’re now reviewing how the situation unfolded and are working to ensure similar disruptions don’t happen again. CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to the mayor and the recreation department to learn what additional measures may be put in place.
Iglesia said she wants accountability.
“We came here after we started having our kids, trying to have a better life,” she said. “We worked really hard to get our cars, and for kids just to come out and do things without repercussions is so, so frustrating.”
“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.
From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
On Sunday, June 14, a bell will ring at the Historic Olde Courthouse in Mount Holly, New Jersey, as part of a festival to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
In the summer of 1776, officials rang the same bell at the courthouse in Burlington City, the seat of Burlington County at the time, after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The bell was moved to Mount Holly in 1796 when that city became the Burlington County seat.
Marisa Bozarth, Burlington County’s museum curator of history, said courthouse bells were rung in the 1700s to signify that something important was taking place.
“They would have rung it when there was a large court case of any significance, when the jury was coming back, so people knew to return to the courthouse to hear the verdict,” she said. “The bell was also rung any time there was any public reading of any sort of important document. It was their way to get the information out to the masses quickly.”
After the wording of the Declaration of Independence was finalized and the document was signed, every state received a copy so it could be shared with the people living there. At the time, some Burlington County residents wanted to remain loyal to Britain, while others supported the movement for independence, Bozarth said.
“I would think it was a bit of a scary time because when the Declaration of Independence was finally signed and then presented, it meant we were really going to war,” she said. “We were declaring our independence, but we weren’t officially an independent nation yet. It meant a scary time was coming because Britain wasn’t going to accept that and just let us walk away.”
-
Los Angeles, Ca20 minutes agoMLB to screen Hollywood classic at drive-ins nationwide
-
Detroit, MI40 minutes agoDetroit at Le Mans: Cadillac favorite, Ford poised for 2027
-
San Francisco, CA50 minutes agoHudson Pacific lands SF’s biggest office lease in nearly a decade
-
Dallas, TX55 minutes agoNFL Brazil tickets are available: Shop Cowboys vs. Ravens NFL Brazil tickets now
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoNorth Miami man accused of stabbing victim 7 times
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoEverything you need to know about Sail Boston 2026
-
Denver, CO1 hour ago
Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper arrested again on four charges, including harassment, violation of protection order
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoRibbon-cutting marks completion of mixed-income condos in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge
