Light Drizzle Fog/Mist 47°
Police & Fire
DEMOLITION DERBY: Chain-Reaction DWI Crash Leaves 100 Yards Of Damage, Debris In Elmwood Park DEMOLITION DERBY: Chain-Reaction DWI Crash Leaves 100 Yards Of Damage, Debris In Elmwood Park
Demolition Derby: Chain-Reaction DWI Crash Leaves 100 Yards Of Damage, Debris In Elmwood Park UPDATE: A demolition derby-type crash involving what police said was a drunk driver left eight severely damaged vehicles and dozens of parts strewn along a lengthy stretch of street and sidewalk in Elmwood Park. Jean Carlos Lizardo, 29, was behind the wheel of a Honda Accord that witnesses said slammed head-on into a Dodge Challenger at the corner of Mola Boulevard and Elmwood Drive shortly before 6 p.m. Friday, May 3. The sedan hit several other vehicles, leaving a swath of damage and debris -- including the Honda's engine -- that measured nearly 100 yards from one side of Elmwood Dri…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Estranged Paterson Husband Seized At JFK After Threatening To 'Shoot Up' Airport, DA Says Estranged Paterson Husband Seized At JFK After Threatening To 'Shoot Up' Airport, DA Says
Estranged Paterson Husband Seized At JFK After Threatening To 'Shoot Up' Airport, DA Says A Paterson man with multiple loaded weapons in his car threatened a mass shooting at JFK Airport as his estranged wife was returning from an overseas trip, authorities charged. The woman was inside Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport when she got a text and video from Darnell King, 39, shortly before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, according to the Queens County District Attorney's Office. A black and silver gun is visible on the passenger seat of his car as King says in the video that he's on his way to the Queens airport and is recording his "last will and testament," authori…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Rock Of The Family:' Loved Ones Struggle To Make Sense Of Deadly NJ Home Explosion 'Rock Of The Family:' Loved Ones Struggle To Make Sense Of Deadly NJ Home Explosion
'Rock Of The Family:' Loved Ones Struggle To Make Sense Of Deadly NJ Home Explosion A New Jersey family is in shambles following a home explosion that took their patriarch and left his brother-in-law seriously injured. Retired Newark officer Kevin Gilbert Sr., 62, was being remembered on a GoFundMe as the rock of his family, one day after the explosion at his Continental Court home that claimed his life. "Our hearts ache not only for Kevin Sr. but also for his brother-in-law Curtis, who remains in critical condition as a result of the home explosion," reads the campaign, which had raised more than $34,000 as of Friday evening, May 3. Gilbert, a 26-year veteran of the Newa…

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by Jon Craig & Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Arrest Made In $55G New Milford Burglary Involving Cash, Jewelry, Safes, Assault Rifle Arrest Made In $55G New Milford Burglary Involving Cash, Jewelry, Safes, Assault Rifle
Arrest Made In $55G New Milford Burglary Involving Cash, Jewelry, Safes, Assault Rifle New Milford police nabbed a member of a burglary crew who broke into a local home and stole $55,000 in cash, jewelry, two safes and an assault rifle, authorities said. Jhon A. Torres Galindo, a 31-year-old Colombian national living in Brooklyn, was arrested by New Milford Police Lt. Nelson Perez and Detective Samuel Gerais following an intensive investigation, Capt. Kevin Van Saders said. Interviews, surveillance video and warrants all contributed to identifying and finding him, the captain said.  The empty safes and rifle were also recovered by the NYPD in Forest Park, Queens, a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Baby Killed By Falling Tree Was Visiting Family In Verona, Campaign Says: 'Hearts Are Broken' Baby Killed By Falling Tree Was Visiting Family In Verona, Campaign Says: 'Hearts Are Broken'
Baby Killed By Falling Tree Was Visiting Family In Verona, Campaign Says: 'Hearts Are Broken' The family of a 6-month-old baby is seeking support after his tragic death during a recent trip to New Jersey. Micah Gasin was visiting his grandparents in Verona when he and his grandfather were killed by a falling tree on Monday, April 29, while they were lying in a hammock. The tree in the back of their West Lincoln Street home became uprooted and fell on the two, Verona police said. "Micah was the happiest baby anyone ever met," Ben Canales, who organized a fundraiser for the family, based in San Diego, said. "He had a smile that could light up a room, and strangers would stop in the s…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Overturned Truck Causes Traffic Nightmare On New Jersey Turnpike Overturned Truck Causes Traffic Nightmare On New Jersey Turnpike
Overturned Truck Causes Traffic Nightmare On New Jersey Turnpike An overturned truck on the New Jersey Turnpike has snarled the afternoon commute to halt on Friday, May 3. The truck overturned by Exit 13A of the New Jersey Turnpike near Newark Liberty International Airport and Routes 1 and 9 in Elizabeth, according to 511nj.  The left shoulder is blocked and delays are extending three miles from Kearny to Newark, 511nj said. Traffic cameras showed vehicles creeping along the highway as of press time.

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Knife Wielder, 71, Who Threatened Pro-Palestinian Protestor In Teaneck Nabbed In Lakewood: PD Knife Wielder, 71, Who Threatened Pro-Palestinian Protestor In Teaneck Nabbed In Lakewood: PD
Knife Wielder, 71, Who Threatened Pro-Palestinian Protestor In Teaneck Nabbed In Lakewood: PD A 71-year-old out-of-state man who threatened a woman with a knife at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Teaneck last month was captured Friday by police in Lakewood, authorities said. Pro-Palestinian protestors have been facing off against Jewish counter-demonstrators in Teaneck for more than two months. Cellphone video from the April 14 motor vehicle procession on Teaneck Road shows Ebrahim Yehounatan of Flushing, Queens pulling up alongside the victim’s car, Teaneck Police Chief Andrew R. McGurr said. Yehounatan “brandished a knife in his right hand directed at the victim,” the chief sa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Victory Pints: Four NJ Breweries Win Gold At 'The Olympics Of Beer' Victory Pints: Four NJ Breweries Win Gold At 'The Olympics Of Beer'
Victory Pints: Four NJ Breweries Win Gold At 'The Olympics Of Beer' Four breweries from South Jersey are toasting to victory after bringing home top prizes at what's known as "the Olympics of beer." The brewers won four gold medals and a bronze medal at the 2024 World Beer Cup. The competition hosted by the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America held its award ceremony in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Apr. 24. Kane Brewing Company in Ocean Township was the only Jersey brewery to take home two medals. The Monmouth County company won gold in the wood- and barrel-aged strong stout category for its beer called "Dripping Maple". Kane Brewing also earned b…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Retired Newark Officer Killed, Another Severely Burned In Home Explosion (UPDATE) Retired Newark Officer Killed, Another Severely Burned In Home Explosion (UPDATE)
Retired Newark Officer Killed, Another Severely Burned In Home Explosion (Update) A retired Newark police officer died and another victim was severely burned in a South River home explosion, officials tell Daily Voice. Kevin Gilbert, a 26-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, died in the mysterious explosion around 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2, South River Mayor Peter Guindi tells Daily Voice.  Gilbert was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim suffered burns over 90 percent of his body and was transferred from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to St. Barnabas Hospital, according to Guindi. Guidni said it wasn't immediately clear how the two v…

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by Jon Craig & Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
NJ Loan Officer Was Fighting For Access To Promising Drug Before He Died, 43 NJ Loan Officer Was Fighting For Access To Promising Drug Before He Died, 43
NJ Loan Officer Was Fighting For Access To Promising Drug Before He Died, 43 Michael Smith, a Frelinghuysen resident, died on Sunday, April 28, with his wife by his side after battling stomach cancer, according to his obituary and various social media posts. He was 43. Born in Dover, Smith spent two decades working with Huntington National Bank, according to his obituary on the Cochran Funeral Home website. His LinkedIn page shows he was a mortgage loan officer. In his free time, Smith enjoyed golfing, cooking, fishing and hiking with his dog Jackson, according to his obituary. Smith penned a Facebook post in August 2023 explaining his prognosis, noting that h…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
SEE ANYTHING? Dog Found Dead In Crate In Carlstadt Industrial Area SEE ANYTHING? Dog Found Dead In Crate In Carlstadt Industrial Area
SEE Anything? Dog Found Dead In Crate In Carlstadt Industrial Area An emaciated dog was found dead in a crate in a remote industrial section of Carlstadt, authorities said. The "visibly malnourished" small brown dog appeared to be a mixed Boxer breed and had no identifiable tags or readable microchips, Police Chief Thomas Cox said. Bergen County Animal Control Officer Veronica Scotti met with Carlstadt Police Detective Kyle Torres and Officer Vanessa Jaramillo at the scene of the discovery on Commerce Boulevard just off Washington Avenue on Monday, April 29, shortly after 11 a.m., the chief said. ****** ANYONE who might have witnessed the dumping or has …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Children Struck By Car Block From Massive Fire In Elizabeth: Officials Children Struck By Car Block From Massive Fire In Elizabeth: Officials
Children Struck By Car Block From Massive Fire In Elizabeth: Officials Firefighters in Elizabeth spent Friday morning, May 3, battling a four-alarm blaze in a three-story residential building, authorities said. At 6:30 a.m., firefighters responded to 638 Elizabeth Ave., a spokesperson for the City of Elizabeth said. The fire was eventually declared under control. It is unknown how many people will need to be relocated, authorities said. Elizabeth NJ EMTs Local 87 Facebook One block away from the scene, at Elizabeth Avenue and 5th Street, two children and one adult who they were with were were struck by a vehicle on their way to school, authorities said. …

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by Sam Barron