April 19, 2020

Photos by: Brian McCarthy OnScene News

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–A three vehicle crash occurred this afternoon in the 900 Block Greenwood Avenue near Quinton Avenue. A Jeep was left overturned and two cars also crashed into a tree. Trenton Police, Trenton Fire Department and Trenton Emergency Medical Services responded.

No other information was available about the accident.

April 19, 2020

TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, announced the following recent enforcement actions related to COVID-19, including those involving individuals in violation of Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders: Assaults and Threats Against Police Officers, EMTs, or Others

• Robert Schaub, 35, of Lindenwold, was arrested yesterday, April 18, by the Somerdale Police and charged with second-degree terroristic threats during an emergency.  Schaub had been prohibited from entering the Wawa store in Somerdale after a recent incident in which he was charged with trespassing there. On April 13, he entered the store again, and a clerk who recognized him told him to leave.  Schaub allegedly threatened to spit on the clerk, telling her he had the coronavirus and hoped she would get it and die.  Police identified Schaub and arrested him last night. He allegedly was uncooperative and refused to be fingerprinted at the jail.

Other Criminal Charges Involving Indictable Offenses

• John Abdullah, 57, of Somerdale, was arrested yesterday, April 18, by the Mount Ephraim Police and charged with third-degree aggravated assault on an officer, fourth-degree resisting arrest, shoplifting (disorderly persons offense) and violating the emergency orders.  Abdullah allegedly shoplifted candy from the Rite Aid on the Black Horse Pike, and when he was approached by a police officer, he led the officer on a foot chase, causing the officer to be injured. 

Other Violations of Executive Orders, Including “Stay at Home” Order

• Newark Enforcement.  The Newark Police Department’s COVID-19 task force issued 30 summonses for violations of the emergency orders and ordered one non-essential business closed in enforcement actions yesterday, April 18.

• Cristobal Sanchez, 62, of Plainfield, the owner of the Tequila Club restaurant and bar on East 5th Street was charged last night, April 18, by the Plainfield Police with serving alcohol to patrons inside the bar in violation of the emergency orders.  Police received a report that the bar was open and found three patrons seated at the bar consuming alcohol.  A few additional patrons were seated at tables.  Sanchez was present and indicated that because the patrons were waiting for take-out orders, he thought he was allowed to serve them alcohol inside the premises.

• Trennajia Robinson, 26, Nyajah Levister, 22, Angela Dominguez, 22, and Nicole Thomas, 25, all of Passaic, were charged yesterday, April 18, by the Passaic Police with violating the emergency orders.  Police responded shortly after 1 a.m. to a report of a group of individuals involved in an altercation in the first block of 4^th Street.  Police observed the defendants in a verbal dispute and asked them to disperse. They allegedly refused to disperse and caused a disturbance.  They were not near their homes and had no essential reason to be at the location.

• Wilson Caraballo, 41, of Paterson, was charged yesterday, April 18, by the Paterson Police with violating the emergency orders for loitering outside a store in the 300 block of Main Street with no essential reason for being there.  He was warned several times before about this conduct.

 The defendants who were charged strictly with violating the emergency orders and who do not face more serious charges were charged by summons— they were not arrested.  Those cases will be adjudicated in municipal court.  “Our police officers are working bravely and tirelessly every day to protect us during this health crisis.  Regrettably, they are being called upon far too often to deal with people violating the emergency orders— or what is more egregious, people using the virus to spread fear or impede officers in their vital work,” said Attorney General Grewal.  “Staying home and maintaining social distance isn’t just the best advice to stay healthy, it’s the law.  Make no mistake, we will do everything in our power to keep our residents and officers safe, and that means we won’t hesitate to file charges against violators.”    “Law enforcement and medical professionals are on the frontlines of this battle to protect the citizens of New Jersey from the COVID-19 virus, and we cannot stress enough how important it is that each person follow the guidelines set forth in the Executive Order,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “Because lives are at stake, enforcement action will be taken without hesitation against those who are blatantly placing the lives of others at risk.” Violations of the emergency orders constitute a disorderly persons offense carrying a potential sentence of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.  However, violators can potentially face criminal charges including second, third, and fourth degree indictable offenses. On April 1, Attorney General Grewal announced enhanced charges against six people who were charged with assaulting law enforcement officers and violating the emergency orders.  Specifically, those enhanced charges included making terroristic threats during a state of emergency, which is a second degree offense carrying a sentence of five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000.  Fifteen additional defendants, including Robert Schaub, have been similarly charged since that time for alleged assaults and threats against police officers, emergency medical technicians, or others. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000, while fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If you are seeing a lack of compliance with the Governor’s emergency orders in your town, please contact your local police department or report here https://covid19.nj.gov/violation The Attorney General’s Office and New Jersey State Police will continue to work with law enforcement throughout New Jersey to deter non-complaint behavior. No one should take advantage of this pandemic to further their own biased agendas.  COVID-19 is no excuse to promote anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and or other biased stereotypes.  Please report bias crimes at 1-800-277-BIAS.

April 19, 2020

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker today announced their appointees to the multi-state council to restore the economy and get people back to work. The appointees include one health expert, one economic development expert and the respective Chief of Staff from each state. The appointees from each state include:

New Jersey

• George Helmy, Chief of Staff to the Governor
• Dr. Richard Besser, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Jeh Johnson, Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama

New York

• Melissa DeRosa, Secretary to the Governor
• Robert Mujica, Director of NYS Division of the Budget
• Michael Dowling, President and CEO, Northwell Health  

Connecticut

• Indra Nooyi, Co-chair of the nonprofit organization AdvanceCT and former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
• Dr. Albert Ko, Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine and department chair at the Yale School of Public Health
• Paul Mounds, Jr., Chief of Staff in the Office of the Governor

Pennsylvania

• Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, Department of Health
• Secretary Dennis Davin, Department of Community and Economic Development
• Michael Brunelle, COS, Office of the Governor

Delaware

• Sheila Grant, Chief of Staff, Office of Governor John Carney
• Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
• Kurt Foreman, President and CEO, Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Rhode Island

• Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health
• Stefan Pryor, Rhode Island Commerce Secretary
• David Ortiz, Chief of Staff to the Governor

Massachusetts

• Kristen Lepore, Chief of Staff
• Michael Kennealy, Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
• Lauren Peters, Undersecretary at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services
  

Governor Murphy said, “No one has given more thought or is more eager to restart our economy than I am, but if we don’t get the sequencing right, we put more lives at risk. The only path to a sustainable economic recovery is through a strong healthcare recovery. Then, and only then, do we position ourselves to fully ignite our economy and get the residents of our state back to work while minimizing the danger of this disease. A coordinated, regional approach, informed by a multi-state council of experts, will help us avoid a major setback with potentially disastrous consequences. I look forward to the day when the facts on the ground allow us to ease our restrictions and move our regional economy forward.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “We have been collaborating closely with our neighboring states to combat this pandemic through a uniform approach to social distancing and density reduction and it has been working well. Now it is time to start opening the valve slowly and carefully while watching the infection rate meter so we don’t trigger a second wave of new infections. This is not a light switch that we can just flick on and everything goes back to normal – we have to come up with a smart, consistent strategy to restart the systems we shut down and get people back to work, and to the extent possible we want to do that through a regional approach because we are a regional economy. New York is partnering with these five states to create a multi-state council that will come up with a framework based on science and data to gradually ease the stay at home restrictions and get our economy back up and running.”

Governor Ned Lamont said, “One thing that’s undeniable is that this virus does not stop at the border of any county, state, or country, but the impact is the same when it comes to our respective economies and healthcare systems. Working as a regional coalition to make the right decisions will lead to the best public health results for all of our residents. We must solve these problems together.”

Governor Tom Wolf said, “Our highest priority remains protecting the health and safety of Pennsylvanians. While my administration continues to take critical steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, I also recognize that we must look ahead and take a measured, careful approach to prepare for the future while ensuring that we don’t undo all of our efforts. Pennsylvania will work collaboratively with our partners both in state and in surrounding states to develop a comprehensive strategy that first focuses on health but also addresses the need to gradually restore our economy.” 

Governor John Carney said, “We still have a situation in Delaware that is getting worse. Infections of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are rising. Delawareans should stay home. Don’t go out in public unnecessarily. Don’t visit Delaware unless you need to see a doctor, or care for a family member. You’ll only increase everyone’s risk. At the same time, we need to look forward. We need a consistent approach for moving our states out of this crisis, when that day comes. I’m grateful for the partnership of my fellow Governors in the region. They are all working around-the-clock to prevent surges in COVID-19 cases, protect hospital capacity for the most critically-ill patients, and save lives. We’ll get through this by working together.” 

Governor Gina Raimondo said, “States are taking the lead as we fight to slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives. I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken, and I’m constantly thinking about what it will take to safely reopen our economy. But we know that this virus does not recognize borders, and it’s clear we need a strong, coordinated regional approach to avoid a second wave of this disease. I’m grateful to my fellow governors for their leadership during this crisis and I’m confident that this new partnership will support our efforts to get Rhode Islanders — and all Americans — back to work safely.”

Governor Charlie Baker said, “The Baker-Polito Administration looks forward to participating in discussions with neighboring states and experts regarding the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts also remains focused on efforts to expand testing, ensure hospital capacity and provide the necessary PPE to those on the front lines to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.”