Friend Shows Up For Surprise Visit, Is Shot Dead

Story out of Hamilton Township, New Jersey:

The woman told them she was talking on the phone late Thursday with 50-year-old Kelvin Watford, who said he was returning from a trip and wasn’t nearby, authorities said. The woman said she then heard a dog barking and noises outside her Hamilton Township home.

The woman told authorities she got her gun when she heard someone inside her home and, while still on the phone, opened her bedroom door, saw a shadow and fired a single shot.

Officers found Watford, of Willingboro, lying at the bottom of the stairs. He died of a gunshot wound to the chest. Cont.

Story from - CBS News/AP

Woman, 2 Children Stabbed To Death In Vicious Attack

Story out of Newark, New Jersey:

Authorities say three people were fatally stabbed at a Newark home during an attack that left three other people injured.

The stabbings occurred around 4 p.m. Saturday at a Hedden Terrace residence. But it’s not clear what prompted the attack or if anyone has been arrested.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said an 8-year-old girl, 11-year-old boy and 23-year-old woman were killed, and two 13-year-olds — one boy and one girl — and a 29-year-old woman were wounded, CBS New York reports.

Authorities initially reported seven people had been stabbed overall, but they later said there were six victims. The names of those killed and details on the injuries suffered by the other victims weren’t immediately disclosed. Cont.

Story from - CBS News

Catholic Priest Charged With (You'll Never Guess What) 40 Counts Of Child Sexual Abuse, 20 Counts Of child Porn, 20 Counts Of Distribution

Time to share this again.

Story out of Mahwah, New Jersey:

A Roman Catholic priest from New Jersey has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Kevin Gugliotta, 54, of Mahwah allegedly uploaded illicit images from a computer in his vacation home in Lehigh Township, Pa. on July 9, the Wayne County District Attorney said in a news release on Wednesday.

Gugliotta worked at Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Union, but has been removed from the parish, according to a spokesman for the Newark Archdiocese.

He faces 40 counts of sexual abuse of children — 20 counts of possession of child pornography and 20 counts of dissemination of child pornography.

Officials in Wayne County learned about the uploaded images in August and began an investigation. They eventually learned the IP address was registered to Gugliotta's vacation home.

Gugliotta was taken into custody at a home in Toms River on Thursday. He is in the Ocean County jail awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania. Cont.

Story from - NJ.com

New Jersey Congressional Candidate Find Swastikas Spray Painted On Property

Story out of Union, New Jersey:

Authorities are investigating two reports of spray-painted swastikas found at the home of a New Jersey congressional candidate over the weekend.

Peter Jacob, an Indian-American who is running for New Jersey's 7th District against Republican incumbent Leonard Lance, said in a statement to his supporters that he woke up Monday morning to the vandalism on his house, three days after similar graffiti was found on his property.

Jacob blames the current atmosphere created by Donald Trump and his local opponent, who has endorsed the Republican presidential candidate.

"Let there be no mistake, the people who committed this crime did so because they feel comfortable and confident to commit hateful acts due to an ever increasing atmosphere of accepted racism," Jacob said in an email to supporters. Cont.

Story from - True Jersey

59-Year-Old Charged With Lewdness After Walking Around Beach In See Through Plastic Wrap Bikini

He wore an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, see through plastic wrap bikini. Everybody sing a long.

Story out of Beach Heaven, New Jersey:

Police say a 59-year-old man who wore a bikini fashioned out of see-through plastic wrap on a New Jersey beach is facing a criminal charge.

They say Stephen Wojciehowski spent two days on a Long Beach Island beach wearing a homemade bikini in which his genitals were clearly exposed and was charged with lewdness.

NJ.com reports the Stafford Township man was arrested Monday and was released pending further court proceedings. Cont.

Story from - Toronto Sun

100+ Injured As Train Derails In New Jersey

Story out of Hoboken, New Jersey:

A commuter train has crashed into a rail station in the city of Hoboken, in the US state of New Jersey.

The New Jersey emergency management system reports more than 100 people have been injured and others are trapped.

Emergency crews have arrived. Photos on social media show extensive damage to the train carriages and station.

A local radio station anchor said the train went through ticket barriers and "into the reception area".

Hoboken is across the Hudson River from New York City. Many use the station to travel into Manhattan.

Ben Fairclough, an eyewitness who was at the station, told the BBC the train appeared to have completely gone off the track.

"I wasn't on the train, but I arrived just after it happened. There was water coming down off the roof and people climbing out through the windows.

"There were people sitting down with blood coming from their head. There were lots of injuries." Cont.

Story from - BBC News

New Jersey Politician Tweets Rape Threat To Reporter

Story out of West Deptford, New Jersey:

A series of threatening comments towards a reporter for The Daily Beast originated from the Facebook account of a New Jersey politician on Monday.

The Facebook account of Mike Krawitz, a republican candidate for Township Committee in West Deptford, NJ, posted a series of threatening comments targeting Daily Beast reporter Olivia Nuzzi.

Nuzzi tweeted a screenshot of the vile comments, which included: “I. Hope. Somebody. Rapes. You. Today.” Cont.

Story from - Mediaite

HLN Apologizes After They Blurred Out Pro-Trump Shirt Worn By Hero Cop

Wow defending a Trump supporter is as rare as a nun in a bikini. Story out of Howell, New Jersey:

A spokesperson for HLN has offered an apology over the network’s decision to blur out the image on a Donald Trump supporter’s shirt.

Steve Eckel was on the network yesterday to talk about how he saved a four-month-old infant who was left inside of a car during a boiling hot summer day. While his interview with the network went smoothly, Mediaite and numerous others noticed that the network censored the pro-Trump message printed on Eckel’s shirt when they re-aired his interview. Cont. (Video)

Story from - Mediaite

Original Story:

A 4-month-old baby was left locked inside a sweltering car Monday, in the parking lot of a Howell Township Kohl’s.

She’s OK thanks to the quick-thinking of a former police officer.

The retired Middlesex County Sherrif’s Department Sergeant said it was his instinct as a father that kicked in when he and another good Samaritan saw the baby locked in a hot car by herself.

In flip flops, he raced back to his car after remembering that he had a sledge hammer in his trunk.

“I ran around to the other side, caught the edge here, and it just shattered,” he said.

The baby was beet red and sweating profusely, but she was alive.

Police said the mother was inside the store for about 40 minutes. Cont. (Video/Autoplay)

Story from - CBS New York

Man Beats His Parents To Death

Story out of West Deptford, New Jersey:

A West Deptford man has been charged in the beating deaths of his parents, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

Edward M. Coles Jr., 58, and his wife, Rosemarie, 55, were found in their Pennfield Drive home around 11:30 a.m. today by a relative who stopped by the house after being unable to reach them by phone.

When police arrived, the couple's son, Ryan Coles, 28, was in the home.

He has been charged with murder and weapons offenses, according to the complaint signed against him.

Coles beat his parents with his hands and an unknown object, authorities said.

His bail was set at $1 million. Cont.

Story from - NJ.com

Fugetaboutit - Chris Christie Helps Take Care Of Trump's Casino Debt

All that and no VP nod. Christie man, Christie smash, Christie eat.

By the time Chris Christie became governor of New Jersey, the state’s auditors and lawyers had been battling for several years to collect long-overdue taxes owed by the casinos founded by his friend Donald J. Trump.

The total, with interest, had grown to almost $30 million. The state had doggedly pursued the matter through two of the casinos’ bankruptcy cases and even accused the company led by Mr. Trump of filing false reports with state casino regulators about the amount of taxes it had paid.

But the year after Governor Christie, a Republican, took office, the tone of the litigation shifted. The state entertained settlement offers. And in December 2011, after six years in court, the state agreed to accept just $5 million, roughly 17 cents on the dollar of what auditors said the casinos owed.

Tax authorities sometimes settle for lesser amounts to avoid the costs and risks of further litigation, legal experts said, but the steep discount granted to the Trump casinos and the relationship between the two men raise inevitable questions about special treatment. Cont.

Story from - The New York Times

"I Was Appalled" - New Jersey Lesbians Told To Have Unprotected Sex With Men Before They Can Get Fertility Treatments

It's amazing how the US is always said to be this beacon of freedom, yet such an archaic or even third world requirement has to be challenged through the courts. Listening to Americans saying 'Constitution this' 'Constitution that', what Constitution?

“We just really want a child and start our family,” said Sarah Mills.

Sadly, like many couples Mills and her wife Gloria Torres discovered they needed fertility treatments to help Sarah conceive after clinical tests showed she suffers from ovarian cysts. Her health insurance covers fertility issues, but Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield refused to pay. Why?

“Because I did not have sexual intercourse — as mandated by the state — with a man, for two years,” Mills said.  Her reaction: “I was appalled.”

New Jersey’s one of 15 states requiring insurance companies to cover fertility treatments, but the state mandate requires women to prove their infertility through “two years of unprotected sex with a man” with no regard for their sexual orientation.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield notes, it follows the state mandate, and “Horizon covers infertility services equally regardless of sexual orientation. We interpret the 2001 New Jersey law defining infertility in a gender and orientation neutral manner and our coverage standard complies with federal non-discrimination requirements.”

For now Mills and Torres will spend their own money for expensive fertility treatments. They also joined three other lesbian plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against New Jersey’s Department of Banking and Insurance by attorney Grace Crutcher, who calls the state mandate totally unconstitutional. Cont.

Story from - NJTV News

New Jersey Mayor May Face Litigation After Approving Memorial Only Honouring Christian Military Veterans

Story out of Roselle Park, New Jersey:

A couple of weeks ago, the city of Roselle Park (New Jersey) put up a display just outside the public library featuring a soldier kneeling in front of a Christian cross. It went up with the consent of the mayor, though there’s some debate about whether the library’s trustees approved it.

You might recall that a similar display was at the center of a lawsuit in Lake Elsinore, California a couple of years ago, leading the city to eventually change the imagery… but not before paying a hefty fine for wasting everyone’s time.

The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center just sent a letter to Mayor Carl Hokanson warning him against making the same mistake here:

“The city should honor the sacrifices of all of its veterans,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “By including a cross in its veterans’ memorial, the mayor is sending the message that our brave, non-Christian service members are somehow less worthy of honor and respect.”

“The courts have been virtually unanimous in finding that Christian crosses on government property unconstitutionally affiliate the government with religion,” said Monica Miller, senior counsel for the Appignani Humanist Legal Center. “In displaying a religious symbol on a city war memorial, the government is endorsing religion — Christianity in particular.” Cont.

Story from - The Friendly Atheist

Man's Wife And Girlfriend Pen Two Different Obituaries

Story out of New Jersey:

A 55-year-old New Jersey man died on Tuesday. That much is fact.

But due to dueling obituaries for him — one apparently submitted by his wife, the other apparently by his girlfriend — the rest is a little murky.

Both obituaries were published in The Press of Atlantic City, one on top of the other, and both included the same photo of the deceased, who lived in Egg Harbor Township.

The first obituary identifies the man as Leroy Bill Black and says he was survived by "his loving wife, Bearetta Harrison Black and his son, Jazz Black." It says Black died at home on Aug. 2 surrounded by his family. No cause of death is given.

The second obituary identifies him as Leroy "Blast" Black and also says Black died at home — but makes no mention of any family being there. It says in addition to his son, Jazz, Black is survived by his siblings, other family, friends, and his "longtime girlfriend, Princess Hall."

That obituary also says he was a fiberglass technician who died of lung cancer due to fiberglass exposure.

Joseph Greenidge Jr., the funeral director at Greenidge Funeral Homes, told KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia it isn't unheard of for there to be multiple obituaries written from different perspectives. But, he said, they took direction from Leroy's wife regarding the funeral arrangements. Cont.

Story from - NBC News 

Dozens Injured At Snoop Dogg Concert

They suffered Blunt force trauma, and everyone had to take a Chin Check. Story out of Camden, New Jersey:

More than 40 people were injured when a railing gave way during Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa's concert in southern New Jersey on Friday night, according to a county dispatch.

A three-foot railing collapsed at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, N.J., sending fans tumbling to the concrete below, according to multiple published reports. The railing separated fans from a sloping lawn near the concert area.

42 concertgoers were reportedly transported to local hospitals, most with minor injuries. Cont.

Story from - USA Today

Update - One person in critical condition.

"Against Park Rules" - Six Flags Employee Asked To Change Over Cleavage

Bizzaro. Story out of Jackson, New Jersey:

Bina Ramesh celebrated her 22nd birthday three weeks ago at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. She wore normal theme park attire for 95 degree temps: a V-neck tee and jean cut-offs (pictured here). But apparently it was "inappropriate" and "against park rules," according to a security guard who asked her to change.

"I was re-entering the park with my friends after I was already admitted earlier that day," Bina told Seventeen.com. "I had forgotten something in the car. Going back in, I had to go through the metal detecters again, which had lights that picked up the neon light blue bralette I was wearing under my T-shirt."

That's when she noticed a male security guard staring at her. He asked her to stop and wait, and she assumed she had something metal on her that was triggering an alarm. That's when she saw him go get a female security guard, who came over to Bina and said her shirt was "inappropriate" and "against park rules."

"I was so upset and angry," Bina told Seventeen.com. "My mother saw me leave the house this morning and she didn't think it was inappropriate. And how could I have been let in earlier that day by a female guard? Now suddenly the rules have changed when there's a male guard paying closer attention to my cleavage?"

That's when Bina had a genius idea. She and her guy friend went into the parking lot and switched shirts. They re-entered with the same male security guard and no one was stopped.

Once they got in the park, they switched back shirts and spent the day celebrating her birthday. But Bina was still upset and embarrassed about what happened. She posted her story on Facebook and Twitter and received hundreds of likes and comments and shares. Cont.

Story from - Seventeen

Nurse Investigated After Video Reveals Her Stabbing Autistic Boy With Needle

Story out of Trenton, New Jersey: 

New Jersey officials say a nurse caught on videotape stabbing an autistic boy with a hypodermic needle to control his behaviour has agreed to surrender her license during the investigation.

Acting Attorney General Christopher Porrino made the announcement.

Porrino tells the state Board of Nursing that Naomi Derrick stabbed the boy with the needle six times in the knees, leg and arm on May 15. He says the actions were witnessed by employees at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.

She's also accused of bending the 10-year-old's finger back, stepping on his bare foot and causing him to fall by moving a chair he was using to stabilize himself. Cont.

Story from - CTV News/AP

4-Year-Old Girl Calls 911 On Father After He Passes Out Drunk Sitting In Car

Story out of Cliffside Park, New Jersey:

Police arrested a 41-year-old Englewood Cliffs man after his 4-year-old daughter called 911 because her father had “passed out” in their car on Saturday night, authorities said Monday.

After the girl called 911 around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, officers tracked the cellphone signal to the intersection of Palisade and Lafayette avenues, police said. Officer

J.J. McGuire found the car and the girl was not hurt. Police said a half-full bottle of vodka was found in the car.

Graham allegedly failed field sobriety tests and had a 0.22 blood-alcohol content, police said. His daughter was released to a family member. Cont.

Story from - NBC 4 New York
Image from - Kumweni - Flickr

"Who exactly did he offend?" - Parents Outraged After Police Called On 9-Year-Old's "Racist" Comments About Brownies

Story out of Collingswood, New Jersey:

On June 16, police were called to an unlikely scene: an end-of-the-year class party at the William P. Tatem Elementary School in Collingswood.

A third grader had made a comment about the brownies being served to the class. After another student exclaimed that the remark was "racist," the school called the Collingswood Police Department, according to the mother of the boy who made the comment.

The police officer spoke to the student, who is 9, said the boy's mother, Stacy dos Santos, and local authorities.

Dos Santos said that the school overreacted and that her son made a comment about snacks, not skin color.

"He said they were talking about brownies. . . . Who exactly did he offend?" dos Santos said.

The boy's father was contacted by Collingswood police later in the day. Police said the incident had been referred to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency. The student stayed home for his last day of third grade.

Dos Santos said that her son was "traumatized," and that she hopes to send him to a different Collingswood public school in the fall. Cont.

Story from - Philly

Sex Offender Spits Blood At Victim At Sentencing Hearing

Story out of Newark, New Jersey:

Calling him “every parent’s worst nightmare,” a federal judge on Monday sentenced an online predator to life in prison for coercing two young girls from West Milford to engage in sex acts and then threatening to destroy their lives.

Midway through a nearly four-hour hearing in Newark, Clifford W. Wares, 43, of Warwick, N.Y., suddenly lunged at one of the victims, spitting a mouthful of blood as she walked past him after giving a heart-wrenching victim’s impact statement.

Three U.S. marshals, positioned behind Wares, pounced on the shackled defendant and wrestled him to the floor. Within moments they had subdued him and placed a netted hood over his head.

Wares’ attorney, Thomas Ambrosio, said his client apparently bit the inside of his mouth and then spit blood as the teenager was passing between the defense and prosecution tables. Wares had staged a similar cheek-biting outburst prior to his May trial, which he subsequently elected to watch via a video feed to his cell because of fears that he could not control himself. Cont.

Story from - NorthJersey

Mother Arrested After 6-Year-Old Shoots And Kills 4-Year-Old-Brother

Go play guns with your brother. An utterance I wouldn't doubt it at this point. Story out of East Orange, New Jersey:

A New Jersey mother has been arrested after officials said a 6-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 4-year-old brother.

It happened on the front porch of a yellow single-family home. Officials said the older boy was playing with his mother’s gun when he accidentally shot his younger brother in the head. The child was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead, a hospital spokesperson said.

The victim’s mother, 22-year-old Itiyanah Spruill, was arrested Saturday afternoon and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and a weapons violation. She is being held on $310,000 bail. Cont. (Video/Autoplay)

Story from - CBSNewYork/AP