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Police & Fire
Bagel Break-In: Burglar Shatters Window, Opens Cash Register At South Jersey Shop (VIDEO) Bagel Break-In: Burglar Shatters Window, Opens Cash Register At South Jersey Shop (VIDEO)
Bagel Break-In: Burglar Shatters Window, Opens Cash Register At South Jersey Shop (Video) Police are looking for whoever was seen on surveillance video breaking into an Ocean County bagel shop. The break-in happened at All Star Bagel on Route 37 in Manchester Township at around 12:24 a.m. on Friday, Apr. 26. Manchester police shared video from inside the shop in a Facebook post. In the 16-second video, the suspect was seen shattering the front glass door and setting off the security alarm. The suspect then ran behind the counter and opened the cash register's drawer. Police didn't say how much money was stolen or if anything else was taken. Investigators were working to le…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Cops ID Man Stabbed Dead, 32, In Central Jersey Cops ID Man Stabbed Dead, 32, In Central Jersey
Cops ID Man Stabbed Dead, 32, In Central Jersey A 32-year-old man from Perth Amboy was stabbed to death Sunday, April 28, authorities said. Jason Torres was found collapsed at about 9 p.m. at Smith and Maple streets in Perth Amboy, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Lawrence Cattano of the Perth Amboy Police Department. Torres was taken to Hackensack Merdian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, they said. Anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area is asked to call Detective Jose Santiago of the Perth Amboy Police…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Fire Nearly Destroys Marlboro Family's Home: 'The Loss Is So Great' Fire Nearly Destroys Marlboro Family's Home: 'The Loss Is So Great'
Ditillo Family's GoFundMe A Monmouth County family's home was nearly destroyed by a fire, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page said the house in the Paddock Club in Marlboro caught fire on Thursday, Apr. 25. No one was reported injured but the Ditillo family's home and possessions "were almost completely destroyed." The GoFundMe had raised more than $55,000 from at least 714 donations as of Monday, Apr. 29. "The Ditillo family are known for their kindness and community spirit," wrote Alex Worth, a neighbor who created the GoFundMe. "They have always been the first to offer help to others in need. No…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Former Code Enforcement Officer Who Stole $75K From Jersey Shore City Indicted: Prosecutors Former Code Enforcement Officer Who Stole $75K From Jersey Shore City Indicted: Prosecutors
Former Code Enforcement Officer Who Stole $75K From Jersey Shore City Indicted: Prosecutors A former code enforcement officer in Ventnor City was accused of stealing more than $75,000 in payments for city permits, authorities said. Michelle Calderon, 37, of Egg Harbor Township, was indicted on six counts on Thursday, Apr. 11, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a news release on Monday, Apr. 29. She was charged on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Investigators said Calderon kept cash that taxpayers and businesses gave to Ventnor City for permits. She was accused of pocketing more than $75,000 and altering the balance sheets to cover up the stolen m…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Formerly Of Paterson Convicted Of Selling Fentanyl To Federal Operative At Jersey Shore Ex-Con Formerly Of Paterson Convicted Of Selling Fentanyl To Federal Operative At Jersey Shore
Ex-Con Formerly Of Paterson Convicted Of Selling Fentanyl To Federal Operative At Jersey Shore 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An ex-con from out of state is facing a significantly long federal prison sentence after being convicted of selling fentanyl to a government cooperator at the Jersey Shore. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Trenton found former Paterson resident Djavon Holland, 37, guilty of possession with the intent to sell the deadly drug, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. As an ex-con with multiple convictions on his record, Holland, currently of Virginia, could be sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison. Holland served a majority of an eight-year state prison sentence after he was …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Fatal Stabbing Reported In Central Jersey: Prosecutor Fatal Stabbing Reported In Central Jersey: Prosecutor
Fatal Stabbing Reported In Central Jersey: Prosecutor There was a fatal stabbing Sunday night, April 28 in Perth Amboy, authorities said. The stabbing occurred near Smith and Maple streets, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed. UPDATE: Police ID Man, 32, Stabbed Dead In Perth Amboy An office spokeswoman said Monday, April 29 that a press statement was being prepared and was waiting on notification of next of kin. Perth Amboy local scoop posted video on Facebook of the crime scene. 

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Ocean Township Road: Prosecutors Man Convicted Of Strangling Wife, Dumping Body On Side Of Ocean Township Road: Prosecutors
Jeremy Cruz Of Forked River Found Guilty A Forked River man was convicted of strangling his wife to death and leaving her body on the side of a Monmouth County road, authorities said. A jury found 53-year-old Jeremy Cruz guilty of first-degree murder. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the conviction in a news release on Friday, Apr. 26. A driver saw 51-year-old Dawn Cruz with severe injuries on Colonial Avenue near the intersection with Asbury Avenue in Ocean Township just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Ocean Township police found her and she was pronounced dead at the scen…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Bathroom Ceiling Fan Blamed For House Fire In South Jersey Gated Community: Police Bathroom Ceiling Fan Blamed For House Fire In South Jersey Gated Community: Police
Bathroom Ceiling Fan Blamed For House Fire In South Jersey Gated Community: Police Firefighters quickly put out flames at a home in a gated community in Manchester Township, authorities said. Volunteer firefighters from Manchester, Ridgeway, and Whiting responded to the fire on Edinburgh Lane in the Leisure Village West community at around 3:35 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 27, Manchester police said in a news release. When firefighters arrived, they learned the fire was caused by a bathroom ceiling fan. The homeowners were not in the house during the fire and only a cleaning crew was there.  No injuries were reported and the residents weren't displaced. The Oce…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Fire Destroys Pizzeria, Food Mart In Jersey Shore Town Fire Destroys Pizzeria, Food Mart In Jersey Shore Town
Fire Destroys Pizzeria, Food Mart In Jersey Shore Town Two Ocean County businesses are recovering after a major fire on Saturday, April 27. Photos show flames shooting from the roof of Jays Food Mart and Cuzzin's Pizzeria in the strip mall on Herbertsville Road. Firefighters say the blaze broke out around 5 p.m. Firefighters are operating at a 3rd alarm structure fire at Cuzzins Pizza on Herbertsville Rd. In Brick. Numerous... Posted by Jersey Coast Emergency News on Saturday, April 27, 2024

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Machete-Wielding Man Chases Another Driver Through Toms River, Crashes In Brick Township: Cops Machete-Wielding Man Chases Another Driver Through Toms River, Crashes In Brick Township: Cops
Machete-Wielding Man Chases Another Driver Through Toms River, Crashes In Brick Township: Cops A 29-year-old Beachwood man has been arrested in a Toms River road rage incident, police announced. The victim was stopped at a red light on Water Street around 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 when a man later identified as Austin Martinez pulled up in a Blue Jeep Liberty, and tapped on the window with a machete, police said. The victim tried to flee from Martinez, but he followed the victim to the Ocean County Mall, chasing them through the parking lot, Toms River police said. The victim called 911 and drove to the Toms River Police Department. The Jeep Liberty continued north on Ho…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
'Large-Scale' PA Burglary Ring Targeted Home In NJ: Prosecutors 'Large-Scale' PA Burglary Ring Targeted Home In NJ: Prosecutors
'Large-Scale' PA Burglary Ring Targeted Home In NJ: Prosecutors Half a dozen people are charged in connection with a "large-scale" home burglary scheme, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.  At a press conference on Friday, April 26, prosecutors and law enforcement said an organized ring of thieves stole more than $160,000 in goods from homes in Lehigh, Berks and Northampton counties.  They also targeted at least one home in Warren Township, New Jersey, authorities said.  Beginning in 2019, a team of state and local police agencies began investigating burglaries and attempted burglaries in Allentown, Bethl…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Man Intentionally Set Fires At Hazlet Property Since December: Police Man Intentionally Set Fires At Hazlet Property Since December: Police
Albert Caporaso Arrested A Monmouth County man was accused of intentionally setting fires on the same property over the past five months, authorities said. Albert Caporaso, 49, of Hazlet, was arrested on early in the morning on Friday, Apr. 26, the Hazlet Township Police Department said in a Facebook post. He was facing charges for several arsons since Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. A Hazlet officer was watching the South Laurel Avenue home at around 11:56 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25, when a man matching the suspect's description from previous arsons walked onto the property. The man, later identified as Caporaso, entered a…

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by Chris Spiker