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Police: Do not use illegal fireworks this weekend

By NICHOLAS HUBA
Staff Writer

Asbury Park Press, http://www.app.com

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — Police here are asking residents and vacationers to leave the fireworks to the professionals.

The police department is asking the community to support a Safety and Quality of Life “Anti-fireworks” campaign, said Deputy Police Chief Leslie Houston.

“Hopefully, by educating the public on the many hazards of fireworks, and the prohibition of their use, we can create and enjoy a safer and more peaceful July 4th weekend holiday,” Houston said. “Additionally, our own Long Beach Township community has registered countless complaints against the use of fireworks due to the excessive and alarming noise.”

According to federal statistics, fireworks injure nearly 10,000 people every year throughout the United States. The vast majority of those injuries occur during the two weeks leading up to and following July 4, according to federal statistics.

The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders held a press conference on the dangers of fireworks at the Ocean County Fire and First Aid Center in Waretown last week.

“We’re not here offering safety tips on how to use fireworks,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “We’re here to tell you that fireworks are illegal and anyone caught with them during the holiday, or anytime, will face criminal charges.”

“If you attempt to use these illegal devices, you are going to get hurt,” Vicari said.

In New Jersey, it is illegal to sell or use any type of fireworks, said Maj. John Hunt, commander of the New Jersey State Police Special Operations Section.

Possession of fireworks is a petty disorderly persons offense, but possession with the intent to sell is a fourth-degree offense, with a possible maximum penalty of 18 months imprisonment and fines up to $10,000.

Stafford Township Chief Thomas B. Conroy said his officers would be responding to fireworks complaints.

“Besides the danger of bodily harm, we’ve had reports of fireworks shot onto roofs or into the woods where they can start fires,” Conroy said.

2 people, fire engine shot in Trenton
by Kevin Shea/The Times
http://www.nj.com
http://www.nj.com/centraljersey/index.ssf/2008/06/2_people_fire_engine_shot_in_t.html
Friday June 27, 2008, 8:16 PM

TRENTON — Two people were shot during unrelated robberies early Friday, and hours earlier a fire engine’s window was shattered by a gunshot as it drove through a neighborhood, all in the North Ward, police said.

No firefighters were injured when Engine 9 was hit with a projectile, possibly from a BB gun, at about 11 p.m. Thursday on West Hanover Street. (Read earlier story)

After the fire engine incident, two people were shot during stick-ups. Police on Friday said they have no evidence that any of the incidents are related.

At 1:25 a.m. Friday in the 600 block of Brunswick Avenue, a 16-year-old male was shot in the arm as he ran from an attempted robbery.

Police said the victim was sitting on the front porch of a residence when he saw the same male walk by four times. The victim ended up approaching the suspicious male and was accosted by the male and a second robber, and one of them had a gun, according to police.

One of the robbers said, “Give it up,” the teen ran, and the robber fired, striking the teen once in the left forearm, police said.

The victim, who was not identified, was taken to Capital Health System at Fuld hospital in Trenton for treatment.

One of the robbers was described as a black male, about 16 to 17 years old, who was wearing a T-shirt, black jeans and a green bandanna at the time. Police did not have a complete description of the second robber.

The second shooting occurred at about 3:20 a.m. in the 1300 block of Princeton Avenue.

The victim, a 21-year-old male, was sitting on the porch of a residence when a robber approached on foot and demanded he hand over his valuables, police said.

The victim ran, and the robber fired one shot, hitting the victim in the right leg, police said.

The victim, who was not identified, was also treated at Fuld hospital.

Police described the robber as a black male, 19 to 21 years old, who wore all black and had a bandanna over his face.

The shooting of Engine 9 occurred as the firefighters were traveling back to the station at West State Street and Lee Avenue after covering for an engine company that was at a fire.

The engine’s supervisor, Capt. Steve Amiott, said Friday that he and his crew definitely felt under fire when the window shattered as they drove down West Hanover Street near Camden Street.

When the firefighters pulled over a block away, on Calhoun Street, they saw a small divot on the window where an American flag decal had been placed. “It was definitely not a rock,” said Amiott, a combat veteran of the current Iraq war who is familiar with firearms.

A firefighter who was sitting a few inches from the window, Kristie J. Jones, was not hurt. The other two windows on the passenger side of the truck were open, Amiott said.

Detectives interviewed the firefighters and Jones said she saw three males as they drove by and one made a motion like he was raising a weapon, but she did not see a firearm and she and other firefighters never heard any gunshots.

Police believe the weapon was a pellet or BB gun, a police spokesman said Friday.

The joint Shooting Response Team is investigating all of the incidents. Anyone with information about the shootings can contact the following detectives: Detective Robert Toth at (609) 989-4017 or rtoth@trentonpolice.net, or Detective Luis Vega at (609) 989-4093 or lvega@trentonpolice.net.

Contact Kevin Shea

Gunfire shatters window of Trenton fire engine
by Michael Ratcliffe/The Times
Friday June 27, 2008, 12:18 AM
http://www.nj.com/centraljersey/index.ssf/2008/06/gunfire_shatters_window_of_tre.html
http://www.nj.com
TRENTON — Police are searching for the gunman who shot one of the windows on a city fire engine late Thursday night, authorities confirmed.
The shot — which is thought to have been a small-caliber projectile — shattered a window on the captain’s, or passenger’s, side of Engine 9’s crew cab.

A firefighter who was sitting a few inches from the window was not hurt.

The shooting occurred about 11 p.m. on West Hanover Street as Engine 9 was headed back to its station at West State Street and Lee Avenue.

Earlier in the evening, Engine 9 was relocated to a more strategic position at fire headquarters on Perry Street in order to better protect the city while other fire companies were busy battling a house fire on Lamberton Street in South Trenton. (Read that story)

Firefighters, immediately realizing they had been shot at, radioed for police assistance. After getting a safe distance away from when the shooting had taken place, Engine 9’s crew stopped on Calhoun Street to assess the damage to their apparatus and to await the arrival of police.

Numerous police cars, both marked and unmarked, patrolled the West Hanover Street area in search of the gunman.

No suspect description is available at this time.

Contact Michael Ratcliffe

Photo available:

http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/29612-route-47-crash-yields-car-fire-snapped-utility-pole

Cape May County Herald: http://www.capemaycountyherald.com

GOSHEN- On June 1 at 12:45 a.m., Goshen Fire Department, Middle Township EMS, Atlanticare Paramedics and Middle Township Police responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident on Route 47 in the area of the township line with Dennis Township.

9-1-1 dispatchers reported receiving multiple reports from callers that “heard a crash” in the area but did not have a specific location.

Since the jurisdiction of the crash was unknown Dennisville Fire Department and Belleplain EMS were also dispatched to the scene.

Goshen Fire Dept arrived to the scene first on Route 47 at mile-marker 15.5 and reported one of the vehicles to be on fully engulfed with flames.

After firefighters quickly knocked out the blaze, the smoke cleared to reveal a second vehicle on the front lawn of a home, with a utility pole snapped in half.

According to Middle Township Police one victim was taken to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center City Trauma Division.

No further details were available pending the accident investigation.

2:45 p.m. Thursday May 29, 2008

Colts Neck Fire Department, Colts Neck EMS and Monmouth County Paramedics are on location at an accident Route 18 and Route 34.

It is reported a truck taking the ramp too fast at Route 34 onto Route 18 North Bound over turned and spilled its entire contents onto Route 18 closing both North and South Bound Lanes.

Its is also reported the driver of the truck is still in the vehicle and the police have requested advance life support for the truck driver.

Cinnaminson’s direct 911 calls may be on the chopping block
by South Jersey News Online
Wednesday May 28, 2008, 5:55 PM
CINNAMINSON, N.J. — Proposed layoffs of the dispatch services for Cinnaminson police have many upset as the township is one of the few to get local dispatchers and directly forwarded calls.

The township said the service is costly and redundant, and should instead be integrated into the rest of the Burlington County system, according to NBC10.

Asbury Park Press
http://www.app.com

OLD BRIDGE — An Old Bridge man whose all-terrain vehicle collided with an oncoming car Monday morning has died, authorities said.

Marc Reeves, 30, was riding his ATV south on Cheesequake Road when he drove off the road, came back on and lost control before striking a car in the northbound lane.

Reeves, who was not wearing a helmet, was airlifted to the intensive care unit of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he died about 9:30 p.m. Monday, Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor Nicholas Sewitch said.

The crash was witnessed by an Old Bridge police officer who was about 100 feet away and was following Reeves because it is illegal to drive ATVs on public roadways.

The driver of the car suffered minor injuries in the collision, which occured just north of Poor Farm Road.

Link with photo:

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/NEWS/80527079

Minivan flips on way home to New York

The News Transcript
http://www.gmnews.com

MANALAPAN - The combination of speed and a highway left slick by an earlier rain is believed to be responsible for a minivan overturning on Route 9 north late in the evening of May 17.

The accident occurred about a quartermile north of the Gordons Corner Road overpass, according to Manalapan police Lt. Lloyd Drucker. He said the accident that occurred at 11:48 p.m. is believed to be the result of the vehicle’s unsafe speed on a slick road.

According to Drucker, the 2008 Chrysler Aspen was carrying nine people when driver Richard Salmon, 18, of East Elmhurst, N.Y., lost control of the vehicle. Drucker said neither alcohol nor drugs were believed to be a factor in the accident.

According to a police press release, “The vehicle slid from the right shoulder area, flipped onto the driver’s side, then collided with the curbed center median where it was launched back onto its tires. The vehicle was still unstable and began to slide on the median and eventually rolled onto its passenger side. The vehicle came to rest facing east on the center median.”

Drucker said police estimate the minivan slid about 60 feet before flipping. He said unsafe speed may be what caused Salmon to lose control of the vehicle. No traffic summonses were issued to Salmon at the time of the accident.

All nine occupants of the minivan were out of the vehicle when police arrived at the scene of the accident.

In addition to Manalapan police, the Gordons Corner Fire Company, the Englishtown Manalapan First Aid Squad, the Marlboro FirstAid Squad andMarlboro police responded to the scene.

Drucker said seven people were transported to area hospitals: five individuals were taken to CentraStateMedical Center, Freehold Township, and two individuals were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune.

Manalapan police Sgt. Edward Niesz was one of the responding officers at the scene and was able to supply additional details.

According to Niesz, the people in the minivan were friends who were heading back to New York after a day at the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson. The vehicle had been rented in New York.

Niesz said the five people who were transported to CentraStateMedical Center were taken there because their injuries were not thought to be serious.

He said the two people who were transported to Jersey Shore were sisters. Niesz said one girl was determined to have injuries that needed treatment at a trauma center. The other girl, who was less seriously injured, asked to be allowed to accompany her sister to Jersey Shore and was permitted to do so.

The remaining two people who were not injured accompanied their friends to CentraState and were later picked up by friends or family members, Niesz said.

Niesz said summonsesmay be issued to the driver after an investigation of the accident has been completed.

The minivan was towed from the scene byWesternMonmouth Tow ofManalapan.

No update was available on May 19 on the condition of the girl who required treatment in the Jersey Shore trauma center.

- Kathy Baratta

Vehicles collide on Rt. 202, sending car into tree

STAFF REPORT

The Home News
http://www.mycentraljersey.com

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20080507&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=80507001&Ref=AR&Show=0&template=printart

One car struck a tree after colliding Tuesday afternoon with a van on Route 202 North, police said.

At 12:22 p.m., police were sent to the scene near the highway’s intersection with Holland Brook Road.

A van driven by Douglas Hendry, 55, of Somerville was making a U-turn from Route 202 South to the road’s northbound side, when it collided with a northbound car operated by Paul Jankowski, 59, of Eatontown, according to Patrolman Kevin Anderson.

The van’s front right front corner and the car’s left front corner connected, Anderson said.

Jankowski’s car veered off the road into nearby woods and struck a tree, Anderson said. Responders had to extricate Jankowski from the vehicle. Conscious at the time, he complained of neck pain and was transported to the Somerset Medical Center, Anderson said.

Hendry suffered no injuries, according to Anderson.

The Branchburg Rescue Squad and Readington Fire Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene.

1 dead, six injured in five vehicle crash on I-287 in South Plainfield

The Home News
http://www.mycentraljersey.com

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/NEWS/80507003

A 29-year-old New Brunswick resident was killed and six others were injured in a five-vehicle chain-reaction accident on Interstate 287 last night, according to the state police.

While traveling northbound on the highway, near milepost 5.2, a vehicle, driven by
Manuel E. Brador, 41, of Middlesex, became disabled in the left lane and was struck by a vehicle driven by Karin A. Birgerson, 18, of Martinsville, officials said.

Birgerson swerved in an attempt to avoid the disabled vehicle but the car she was
driving was struck in the rear by a 2005 Ford Focus, driven by John R. Meyer, 69, of
Budd Lake.

In an attempt to avoid the vehicles, Ruben Resto, 29, of New Brunswick, who was
driving a 2005 Honda motorcycle, steered to the right, causing the motorcycle to
overturn, ejecting Resto and a passenger, Nicky Perez, 29, of Edison, from the bike,
officials said.

A second motorcycle, a 2007 Suzuki driven by Pablo E. Hurtado, 35, of New Brunswick, also tried to avoid the accident by steering to the right, causing that motorcycle to overturn, ejecting Hurtado and passenger, Taryn N. Pittfield, 23, of Dayton.

Reston was transported by North Star, the New Jersey State Police helicopter, to
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was pronounced dead at 3:26 a.m. Wednesday, officials said.

Three of the injured were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Meyer suffered a broken leg. A passenger in his car, Kathleen A. Meyer, 59, of Budd Lake, suffered a fractured wrist, and Hurtado suffered a broken shoulder.

Three others were transported to St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick. Pittfield suffered abrasions, Perez complained of pain and Birgerson suffered from abdominal pain.

Members of the South Plainfield, North Stelton and Somerset Medical Center first aid squads responded to the scene.

The accident is under investigation, officials said.

Asbury Park Press
http://www.app.com

Asbury Park Press

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008805070337

Brick woman charged with DWI in crash that closed Route 70

BRIELLE — Police charged a Brick woman with driving while intoxicated following a crash that left her and another motorist injured and shut down Route 70 for several hours Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Around 3:35 p.m. Monday, Pamela Parrish, 37, of Brick was driving a 1995 Chevrolet Suburban west on Route 70 when her vehicle crossed into the eastbound lane and struck a 1999 Ford van head-on, police said.

The van’s driver, Geoffrey Brown, 41, of Freehold, had to be extricated from the vehicle, according to Police Chief Michael Palmer.

Both Parrish and Brown were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune with severe internal injuries and several fractured bones, police said. Brown was listed in critical condition, and Parrish’s condition was not available.

Parrish was charged with driving while intoxicated and also issued summonses for reckless driving, failure to maintain a lane, failure to keep right and failure to wear a seat belt, police said.

The highway and the Route 70 bridge were closed in both directions after the crash. The accident was about 300 yards east of the bridge. The westbound side was reopened at 5:23 p.m., and the eastbound side was reopened at 6:37 p.m., police said.

But that road closure caused traffic problems on Riverview Drive, Route 71 and the surrounding area.

“I want to thank the other agencies that responded,” Palmer said. “It was a tremendous help.”

Brielle, Wall and Brick police, Brielle and South Wall fire departments, Brielle and Manasquan first aid squads, and the state Department of Transportation responded to the accident scene.

Brielle Sgts. James Seidel, Victor Tomkiel and Thomas McWilliams and Patrolman Robert Clayton are handling the investigation, which is continuing.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS — A police car burst into flames Friday evening during a fund-raiser for a police captain.

No one was inside Car 11 when it caught fire about 6:45 p.m., and no one was injured in the blaze, Police Chief Thomas Boyd said.

The car had been sitting at Dupont Avenue and Ocean Terrace with its motor running and its flashing lights on, he said. It was being used to control traffic at a fundraiser for police Capt. Dave Szalkowski, who is awaiting a double-lung transplant.

An apparent electrical malfunction caused the car to catch fire, Boyd said. A fire truck was on the scene for the fundraiser, so firefighters were able to respond immediately, he said.

Asbury Park Press
http://www.app.com

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008805030425

May 2, 2008

Howell motorcyclist hurt in crash with SUV

Asbury Park Press

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Avis=B3&Dato=20080502&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=80502078&Ref=AR&template=printart

A motorcyclist broke his leg in a two-vehicle accident on Howell Road Friday afternoon, police reported.

The cyclist, Eliza Morrison, here, suffered a compound fracture in his right leg, said
Patrolman Bill Bommer, the investigating officer. Morrison, whose age was not immediately available, was taken to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township, Bommer said.

The driver of the other vehicle, an SUV, was Rex Hordeman, 54, of Freehold, Bommer said. He was uninjured, Bommer said.

The accident, near Route 33, happened about 3 p.m. when Morrison, traveling east, and Hordeman, traveling west, collided as the sport-utility vehicle was turning left, Bommer said.

The accident remains under investigation. Neither Morrison nor Hordeman had a passenger, Bommer said.

Also responding were the Farmingdale-Howell First Aid Squad and MONOC paramedics.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

http://www.njherald.com/360695413440076.php

——————————————————————————–

FRANKFORD — A rider was killed in a motorcycle accident Saturday afternoon on Route 521 in Frankford, New Jersey State Police said.

Police said Jason W. Robbins, 42, of Newton, lost control of his 2001 Harley Davidson while negotiating a righthand curve. His bike overturned and slid into the southbound lane, directly into the path of pickup truck driven by Vincent Braccioforte, of Blairstown, which was hauling a flatbed utility trailer with a front-end loader. Robbins was thrown from his motorcycle and also slid into the southbound lane.

The truck hit both Robbins and his bike, sending Robbins into the center of the roadway and the motorcycle into the wooded area off the northbound shoulder of the road, police said. The truck swerved off the southbound shoulder, then came back on the road and stopped in the northbound and southbound lanes.

Robbins was pronounced dead of head trauma at the scene by the Sussex County Medical Examiner

Emergency personnel from St. Clare’s Hospital and the Frankford and Branchville fire departments assisted at the scene.

Hit-run injures man crossing Egg Harbor Twp. road
Published: Saturday, April 26, 2008

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/179/story/142866.html
From Press staff reports
The Egg Harbor Township police are looking for tips in connection to a hit-and-run accident Friday night on the Black Horse Pike.

A 37-year-old man was injured by a car when he was crossing the Black Horse Pike at about 9:15 p.m. in front of the West Atlantic City Fire House, Sgt. Charles Super said.

The man, who lives in Atlantic County and was intoxicated at the time of the accident, had minor injuries and was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City for treatment, Super said.

The car involved in the accident was white, may be damaged in the front and was last seen traveling west on the Black Horse Pike, Super said. Anyone with information should contact Super at 609-926-4008.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Posted on Sat, Apr 26, 2008 Zoom + | Zoom -
Man struck by two cars on I-95 dies
By Staff Report
EWING — State Police are investigating a fatal hit and run that killed a 40-year-old Willingboro man who was attempting to walk across Interstate 95 Friday evening near Exit 1 (Route 29).

The man was struck by a white Chevy Suburban about 11 p.m., according to police. The Suburban continued cruising down the southbound lanes after ramming into man, and then a second vehicle hit the pedestrian, according to police. The driver of the second vehicle cooperated with police at the scene and wasn’t charged with any offenses, State Police said. This area of I-95 is supposed to be off limits to pedestrians.

Medics pronounced him dead before arriving at Saint Mary’s Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa.

State Police urge anyone with information on the hit and run to contact the investigating Hamilton barracks at (609) 584-5015.

Asbury Park Press

April 26, 2008

Tips sought in search for person who started fire

By MATT PAIS
MANAHAWKIN BUREAU

Authorities are continuing to investigate an arson fire last weekend that burned an estimated 150 acres of forest and threatened hundreds of homes both here and in neighboring Waretown.

Officials are hoping the public can provide information about who may have been in the wooded area between the Horizons at Barnegat development on West Bay Avenue and Route 72 when the fire started April 19, said Capt. Michael Mohel of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

“If anybody saw anything about an hour before the 2 o’clock reporting time, they should let us know,” Mohel said.

Information can be passed to Sgt. Robert Abrams of the prosecutor’s arson unit at (732) 929-2027, ext. 3186, or the Barnegat Police Department at (609) 698-5000.

Initial reports said the blaze began near the Scrubbie Pines campground on Route 72. The fire happened nearly a year after a much larger blaze, caused by flares from a fighter jet at the Warren Grove gunnery range, consumed 17,000 acres over the span of three days.

Saturday’s fire was brought under control by nightfall by the state forest fire service and local volunteer firefighters. Residents living west of Nautilus Drive and West Bay Avenue were ordered to evacuate, as were Boy Scouts from the nearby Joseph A. Citta Scout Reservation.

http://www.app.com

April 27, 2008

Teen killed when struck by train

By CHRISTINA VEGA
and MATT PAIS

A young man was struck and killed by a New Jersey Transit train as it traveled near Fourth Avenue about 6:40 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

The victim was identified as Timothy Schenke, 18, of Kipling Avenue in Spring Lake Heights, NJ Transit Spokesman Dan Stessel said.

“This is a tragic incident, so our thoughts are with his family tonight,” Stessel said.

North Jersey Coast Line train No. 4760 was headed north en route to Long Branch from Bay Head when it struck the victim, Stessel said.

A man who was driving his car in the area witnessed the accident and called 911, Spring Lake First Aid Capt. Margie Brahn said.

According to an eyewitness, the young man stepped into the path of the train just as it was passing by, Stessel said. The engineer did not see the young man, but upon hearing something, stopped the train, he said.

The incident is being investigated as a possible suicide, Spring Lake Police Chief Robert Dawson said.

Spring Lake and Spring Lake Heights police departments, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Monmouth County Medical Examiner and NJ Transit officials were on the scene Saturday evening.

Stessel said five trains were delayed as a result of the incident.