HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–A fire reported just before midnight in a commercial building with an apartment above left three temporary homeless and the building damaged.
Hamilton Township Fire Department responded to the 300 block of Klockner Road by Collier Avenue and found an exterior fire extending into the buildings walls. An “all hands” was called sending additional resources to the scene. The fire was quickly knocked down but crews remained on scene for quite some time for overhaul and checking for hot spots.
The Hamilton Township Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire at this hour. The Township’s Health and Building Departments were also being notified.
The Red Cross was notified to find temporary shelter for two adults and one child.
POINT PLEASANT, NJ (OCEAN)–Sergeant Michael Krauchuck, of the New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau, rescued three occupants from a sinking vessel in the Point Pleasant Canal.
On Sunday, June 14, at approximately 5:08 p.m., troopers from the Marine Services Bureau Point Pleasant Station were dispatched to the report of a 26-foot boat sinking in the Point Pleasant Canal in Point Pleasant Boro, Ocean County.
Based on the preliminary investigation, the boat began to take on water while traveling in the canal. A good samaritan who was nearby helped transfer five occupants from the boat to land, while the operator and two other occupants stayed on board in an attempt to get the boat to a nearby dock. Due to the rough conditions, they were unable to prevent the boat from taking on more water.
Within minutes of the initial call, Sergeant Michael Krauchuck responded to the scene and secured the sinking boat to his State Police vessel. While attempting to pull the boat to the nearby dock, Sgt. Krauchuck realized that they would not make it, because the boat was taking on water too rapidly. As a result, Sgt. Krauchuck helped pull the three occupants onto his vessel and cut the lines before the boat sank.
All of the occupants were transported back to Point Pleasant Station for a medical evaluation by EMS. There were no reported injuries.
Sgt. Krauchuck’s quick and decisive actions may have helped prevent a tragedy.
Sgt. Krauchuck’s quick and decisive actions may have helped prevent a tragedy.
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)–New Jersey State Police said they followed a Ford pickup truck on the Turnpike early Tuesday morning that veered off the road and flipped over north of exit 7A. The white pickup driven by Steven Schwartz, 57, of Philadelphia was seen entering a restricted area of the toll plaza near Route 130 on the Turnpike’s PA extension just before 5 a.m., according to State Police spokesman Major Brian Polite. Schwartz refused to stop for police and was followed north on the mainline Turnpike where he struck a troop car but kept going. He lost control of the truck, which was found to be stolen, and veered off the road, according to NJSP Major Polite. Schwartz, who was wanted on a parole violation in Pennsylvania, was charged with aggravate assault on a trooper and receiving stolen property. He is hospitalized for what Polite called moderate injuries. An investigation caused delays during the Tuesday morning commute.
ROBBINSVILLE TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–Just before 5:30 am the New Jersey State Police and The Robbinsville Township Fire Department were on scene of a motor vehicle crash this morning at mile marker 63 north bound. The vehicle left the roadway near the Sharon Road overpass and traveled a great distance before overturning and coming to rest on its roof under a PSE&G electric transmission tower. The occupant had to be rescued out of the vehicle and carried back through thick brush to a waiting ambulance on the Turnpike.
MANALAPAN, NJ (MONMOUTH) and Newark, NJ–A Monmouth County, New Jersey, woman today admitted her role in a scheme to defraud a financial institution of hundreds of thousands of dollars, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Blanca A. Medina, 54, of Manalapan, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court to a one-count information charging her with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2015 to 2018, Medina conspired with others to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans from “Mortgage Lender A” in Monmouth County to finance the purchase of properties by unqualified buyers. Applicants for mortgage loans are required to list their assets and income on their mortgage loan applications, and mortgage lenders rely on those applications when deciding whether to issue mortgage loans.
Medina, a former loan officer for Mortgage Lender A, admitted to participating in a conspiracy in which she knowingly caused completed mortgage loan applications that contained multiple misrepresentations of material facts regarding the buyers’ assets and income to be submitted to Mortgage Lender A. A conspirator provided Medina with false and fraudulent documents for potential borrowers including false and fraudulent lease agreements, bank statements, and a gift check and gift letter. Based on these lies, Mortgage Lender A issued mortgage loans to unqualified buyers, which caused Mortgage Lender A hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
The conspiracy charge to which Medina pleaded guilty carries a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Douglas Korneski in Newark, and Special Agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Fayer of the Economic Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlie Divine of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General.
20-181
Defense counsel: Peter J. Koulikourdis Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–This evening, Hamilton Township Mayor Jeff Martin will present his inaugural budget for 2020 to the Township Council.
“The 2020 Budget was going to be a difficult budget for Hamilton Township starting on the very first day of the year,” said Mayor Jeff Martin. “As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Township was put in an even more difficult budgetary position. This administration has made many difficult decisions over the past few months that impact our employees, our residents and our businesses, but which we believe puts Hamilton on a stronger financial foundation.”
As of January 1, 2020, Hamilton found itself in a budget hole totaling roughly $4 million, the largest portion of which was from a decrease in available surplus funds. At the end of 2019, Hamilton only had approximately $6.1 million in surplus funds available despite last year’s CFO estimating Hamilton would be able to use $6.6 million in surplus to balance 2020’s budget. This amount is in stark contrast to the $9.2 million available in surplus the prior year. Additionally, the Township saw numerous cost increases, almost entirely out of its control, when compared to the 2019 adopted budget. These increases total $2.125 million in operating expenses.
In March, Hamilton, like every other municipality in the country, was presented with the COVID-19 pandemic. While the federal government provided bailouts to the cruise industry, airline industry and many others to make up for lost revenues, it has not provided similar relief to local governments. Hamilton anticipates revenue losses ranging from $300,000 loss in Municipal Court fees, $450,000 in bank interest income, $25,000 loss on golf center revenue, and others totaling $1.85 million as a result of the pandemic.
To overcome the nearly $8 million budget gap, the Administration reviewed the budget line-by-line to see where any savings could be realized. As a result, the Township had to initiate furlough almost all part-time employees, cut overtime, and cut many of our residents’ favorite activities such as Azalea Fest due to both health and budget concerns. These cuts totaled over $650,000. Additionally, almost all employees on expired contracts have agreed to a one-year contract extension which includes a 0% pay raise this year and other one-time savings. The Township is working to secure the commitment to these savings from the other unions as well. These savings, once agreed to by all unions, will result in a savings of approximately $1.25 million.
“Our township employees also gave back so that not all of the burden fell on our residents and businesses,” stated Martin. “I want to publicly thank them not only for their commitment in getting the job done each and every day but also for their partnership in being part of the solution to overcoming our budgetary problems. “
While these savings are substantial, and should only cause a minimal disruption to services in 2020, they are not enough to overcome the significant budget hole Hamilton faces. Therefore, the budget contains a tax increase of 4.4 cents. For an average Hamilton home valued at $225,000, this increase will result in a local tax increase of $8.33 per month.
“We do not take this increase lightly, especially with the state of today’s economic picture,” said Martin. “However, this year’s budget is nearly $500,000 less than 2019’s adopted budget and is $2.3 million less than what was forecasted for the 2020 budget. This means we made cuts everywhere we could without putting our residents’ health and safety at risk.“
The Township Council meeting will be held this evening at 6:30 pm via teleconference. Residents can find instructions on how to join the call on the Township website, www.HamiltonNJ.com.
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–On Monday, June 15, 2020 at 9:58 p.m., Officers were detailed to Adella Avenue on the report of shots fired. Upon arrival the officers were told by bystanders that multiple shots were fired on the street. Bullets holes were located in several vehicles parked on Adella Avenue as well as some of the houses. There were no reported injuries. Two possible suspects were seen fleeing the area on foot. The first suspect was described as a B/M, approximately 5’6, 130lbs, with short braided hair, and wearing a white t-shirt. The second suspect was described as a B/M, approximately 5’11, 110lbs, with dreadlocks and wearing a red shirt. Both were last seen running down Rosalia Avenue.
The shooting incident remains under investigation by the Hamilton Police Division’s Criminal Investigations Section. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Larry MacArthur at 609-689-5827 or the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at 609-581-4008.
JAMESBURG, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–The Jamesburg Police Department investigating a child luring incident found the following:
**********ARREST NOTIFICATION**********
On June 15th, 2020 The Jamesburg Police Department received a call in reference to a possible child luring incident in the area of East Railroad Ave and Franklin Street. After speaking with the caller, Jamesburg officers located Spencer Pitt, 58, from Aberdeen New Jersey located in Green acres Park near the children’s playground area.
Pitt was highly intoxicated and combative toward officers. Pitt was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct. During the course of the arrest, Pitt assaulted a police officer and physically resisted arrest. Pitt was also in possession of a knife.
During processing at police HQ, Pitt spit on a police officer and refused to be finger printed. Pitt also made threats to kill the officers involved in the arrest.
Pitt was charged with disorderly conduct, public intoxication, littering, resisting arrest, assault on police, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, obstruction, terroristic threats, and refusing to be finger printed.
The public is reminded that all subjects arrested by the Jamesburg Police Department are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
Hamilton Township appears to be trying but “Due to the Governor’s halt on foreclosure actions, this has slowed the process of the Township gaining ownership.“
MidJersey.News Investigates:
June 16, 2020
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–At a protest on Thursday June 11, 2020 Black Lives Matter protester Tracey D. Syphax made a statement about the Bromley section of Hamilton and a multi alarm fire 5 years ago.
“I am going to mention one more thing about the Bromley Section of the city. We know that structure racism exists, houses burned down in the Bromley Section almost 5 years ago, those houses are still sitting there, that would happen in no other neighborhood in Hamilton but Bromley. That has to change. That’s racism. That’s separation. That’s underclass and we must speak up against that. We have some action items that we are going to demand Hamilton and Mercer County hold to before this is over.” –Black Lives Matter protester Tracey D. Syphax
“I am going to mention one more thing about the Bromley Section of the city. We know that structure racism exists, houses burned down in the Bromley Section almost 5 years ago, those houses are still sitting there, that would happen in no other neighborhood in Hamilton but Bromley. That has to change. That’s racism. That’s separation. That’s underclass and we must speak up against that. We have some action items that we are going to demand Hamilton and Mercer County hold to before this is over.” –Black Lives Matter protester Tracey D. Syphax
MidJersey.News remembers the 6-Alarm fire well and checked with the Hamilton Township Mayor’s Office about the status of the burned and abandoned buildings in the Bromley Section on East State Street in Hamilton.
From MidJersey.News and OnSceneNews records this fire was on or about June 9, 2015 (see video below) and took a ride to East State Street where the fire occurred 5 years ago and confirmed that the buildings are still there abandoned. (see photos below)
After reaching out to the Mayor’s office we recieved this reply:
“Since the start of the year, the Township has started the foreclosure process to gain ownership of the homes so that eventually they can be torn down and new homes can be put up in their place. Due to the Governor’s halt on foreclosure actions, this has slowed the process of the Township gaining ownership.” –Hamilton Township Mayor’s Office
Upon the MidJersey.news investigation the buildings were noticed and posted on April 22, 2019 with an “Unsafe Structure Notice” It appears that Hamilton Township is Trying but is held up by Governor Murphy’s COVID-19 restrictions on foreclosures.
7 minutes 25 seconds in this video you can hear the statement about the fire 5 years ago in the Bromley Section:
Photo taken June 15, 2020: Property remains abandoned 5 years after a “historic” 6-Alarm Fire in Hamilton. “Unsafe Structure Notice” are posted on several buildings in the 1700 Block of East State Street in Hamilton dated April 22, 2019
Like many shootings in the City of Trenton this is unconfirmed no other information is available. There are more shootings happening in Trenton that we can even keep up with just look at the gang arrest story from earlier this morning, we don’t even have stories on those until now.
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–No information about this alleged shooting at the Rowan Towers last evening just before dark.
Police, and medical personnel responded to a report of a person shot at Rowan Towers on West State St. in Trenton.
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced today that the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (“the Division”) has established health and safety standards at reopening hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, massage establishments, and other locations offering personal care services. The standards are meant to protect customers, as well as licensed professionals and staff, by reducing the continued risks posed by COVID-19.
The Division’s action comes after Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 154 allowing hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, massage establishments and electrology offices, as well as spas, tattoo parlors and tanning salons, to reopen to the public on June 22, 2020. These facilities have been closed to the public since March under Executive Order No. 107, which also closed other businesses, restricted travel, and required social distancing.
The Division’s order requires cosmetology, massage, and bodywork businesses overseen by its licensing boards to take certain steps to prepare for reopening to minimize person-to-person contact and to follow protocols for scheduling appointments, screening clients and staff prior to entry to the facility, use of personal protective equipment by clients and staff, adopting enhanced cleaning and disinfection practices, and staying informed about new developments and guidance related to COVID-19.
The Division developed its policies in consultation with the Department of Health, the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy, and based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.
“As New Jersey continues to take steps to strategically reopen businesses, we can’t let our guard down,” said Attorney General Grewal. “As personal care services resume, it’s important that businesses and professionals offering these services — as well as their clients — take precautions to diminish the risk of infection”
To protect licensed professionals, staff and clients, health and safety protocols for the reopening of cosmetology and massage and bodywork businesses offering personal care services include:
Screening customers and staff no more than 24 hours before a scheduled appointment and immediately prior to or upon arrival at the business. Any individual who reports having any symptom consistent with COVID-19 in the last 72 hours, or having had exposure to an individual suspected of having had or confirmed to have had COVID-19 in the last 14 days, cannot be permitted to enter, whether for work or a schedule service.
Requiring appointments for all services, with no walk-ins being permitted.
Limiting the number of people allowed in an establishment at any given time. Only staff and clients receiving services by appointment should be inside the establishment.
Spacing appointments to allow time for cleaning and disinfecting between customers.
Checking temperatures for clients and staff prior to entry, regardless of symptoms. Individuals with a temperature over 100.4 shall not be permitted to enter the shop to work or for an appointment.
Taking steps to reconfigure the space within the business to ensure at least six feet of distance between individuals wherever possible and implementing adaptations to the space with physical barriers, signs, tape or floor markers to facilitate social distancing.
Requiring everyone entering the premises to wear masks or a face covering at all times, with limited exceptions.
Requiring the removal of reusable items such as magazines, toys, and samples.
Complying with additional requirements for certain services.
“Proper disinfection and cleaning practices are already part of the training our licensees receive, and the regulations the Division enforces” said Acting Director Paul R. Rodríguez. “By expanding these safety protocols to include additional infection control measures, we seek to protect the safety of consumers, providers, and staff as the State continues its path on the road to recovery.”
Shop owners and licensed providers of personal health services must also employ enhanced cleaning, disinfection, and other health and safety practices, and assist with contact-tracing efforts.
The Division’s Administrative Order includes cosmetology shops, barber shops, beauty salons, hair braiding shops, nail salons, and massage establishments.
Electrology services, which are overseen by the Electrologists Advisory Committee of the State Board of Medical Examiners, must follow the safety procedures applicable to all healthcare providers established by the Division’s May 18 Administrative Order 2020-07, as well as applicable statutes and regulations.
* * *
The mission of the Division of Consumer Affairs, within the Department of Law and Public Safety, is to protect the public from fraud, deceit, misrepresentation and professional misconduct in the sale of goods and services in New Jersey through education, advocacy, regulation and enforcement. The Division pursues its mission through its 51 professional and occupational boards that oversee 720,000 licensees in the state, its Regulated Business section that oversees 60,000 NJ registered businesses, as well as through its Office of Consumer Protection, Bureau of Securities, Charities Registration section, Office of Weights and Measures, and Legalized Games of Chance section.
Charges Include Murder of 32-Year-Old Man, Attempted Murder of Police Officer
June 16, 2020
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal today announced first-degree criminal charges against 16 alleged members and associates of the “Get Money Boys” or “GMB,” a violent street gang linked to multiple shootings, including the December 2019 murder of Michael Barnes, a 32-year-old Trenton man, and the February 2020 attempted murder of a police officer. Fifteen GMB members and associates, including its alleged leader, Charles Willis, 27, are charged with first-degree racketeering, and 10 GMB members, including Willis, are charged with either murder, attempted murder, or conspiracy to commit murder. As alleged in court documents, Willis and GMB engaged in violent criminal conduct in furtherance of their heroin and cocaine distribution activities in the area of the Oakland Street Apartments in Trenton. GMB Members have been charged in connection with the following shootings:
Sept. 17, 2019 Shooting. Shaiquan Hearns, 21, is charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a man in the leg in the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 2019 on Lamberton Street in Trenton.
Dec. 27, 2019 Murder of Michael Barnes. Michael Barnes, 32, was shot in the face on Commonwealth Avenue in Trenton on the night of Dec. 27. Davion Fenderson, 25, is charged with the murder, and Willis, Hearns, Bobby Hood, 28, and Jayshawn Fisher, 26, are charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Feb. 12, 2020 Shooting of Civilians and Attempted Murder of Police Officer. On Feb. 12, GMB members allegedly shot at two men, causing them to crash their car. When a police officer pursued the GMB members, they allegedly fired at him. He was not hit. Hearns, Dion Battle, 28, and Yahonatan Salter, 28 were charged on Feb. 12 with attempted murder in the shooting involving the officer. Those men and Willis are now charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting involving the two civilian victims.
May 1, 2020 Shooting. On the night of May 1, 2020, five GMB members allegedly opened fire on a group of individuals on Sanhican Drive in Trenton, wounding two men. Willis, Hood, David Williams, 28, Shawn Anderson, 21, and Zaire Jackson, 24, are charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder in that shooting.
“Gang violence has taken the lives of too many young people in Trenton, and the Get Money Boys have been a major contributor to that violence,” said Attorney General Grewal. “We will continue doing everything we can to make our capital city safe for its residents.” “But we also know that arrests alone won’t stop the cycle of gang involvement, violence, and incarceration,” continued Attorney General Grewal. “That is why we plan to work closely with the community in the coming months to develop programs that have the power to turn young people away from the false glamor of gang life and show them a healthy and positive path forward.” “Through this collaborative investigation, we charged 16 alleged members and associates of this violent gang with first-degree charges carrying lengthy prison sentences,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Each time we take down a dangerous gang like this one, we make Trenton safer for residents and for the law enforcement officers who work heroically every day to protect them.” “These individuals have threatened Trenton’s hard working, law abiding citizens with their guns and drugs for too long. They pose a danger to the entire community, not just gang members, and I am extremely proud of the collective efforts and hard work of all of the agencies involved in this investigation,” Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said. “My office will continue to work with state and local law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those assaulting our cities with acts of violence. We also intend to work with Attorney General Grewal and the community to cultivate programs and solutions that will give our youth population an alternative to gangs, drugs and violence.” “Street gangs like the Get Money Boys tear apart communities through their drug trade, violence, and murder, and by actively recruiting impressionable young people,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “Our involvement will not stop with these arrests. We will continue to work cooperatively with our partners in the community to develop programs that present positive alternatives for the youth of our capital city.” The complaint charging Willis with conspiracy to murder Michael Barnes alleges that in 2019, Willis and other GMB members began targeting Barnes and that Willis threatened Barnes’ life on social media. It further alleges that Willis ordered GMB members to actively hunt for Barnes and kill him. It is alleged that Fenderson committed the murder at Willis’s direction on Dec. 27, 2019. When Willis was arrested at his home on June 2, 2020 in Willingboro with his girlfriend, DayshaM. Brown, 24, detectives seized a defaced firearm – which allegedly was within access of a toddler who lives in the home – and an illegal large capacity magazine. Willis and Brown were each charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, fourth-degree possession of a defaced firearm, and fourth-degree possession of a large capacity magazine. Willis also was charged with possession of a weapon as a convicted felon. Additional details about the Feb. 12 attempted murder of a police officer and related charges are provided in the press release at this link: https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases20/pr20200213b.html
In that incident, a Hamilton Township police officer assigned to the New Jersey State Police Crime Suppression Central Unit Task Force observed a shooting in progress in the area of West State Street and Parkside Avenue in Trenton. The officer, who was operating an unmarked vehicle, followed the suspect vehicle to the area of the Oakland Park Apartments on Coolidge Avenue, where he was fired upon by the occupants of the vehicle. Three guns were seized from defendants during the course of this investigation. On May 31, 2020, detectives executed a search warrant for a storage unit in Hamilton, Mercer County, rented by defendant Briana Blue, 22, where they seized 254 bricks of heroin, consisting of approximately 12,700 individual doses packaged in wax folds that were stamped with the brands “Dope Dick” and “Fruit Loops.” On the same date, detectives executed a search warrant for a car rented by defendant Tre Whetstone, 26, and seized 130 bricks of heroin, or approximately 6,500 doses, bearing the same stamps. The following 16 alleged GMB members and associates have been charged as indicated: Charles M. Willis, 27, of Willingboro, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
First- Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder – Michael Barnes
First- Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder – Michael Barnes
First-Degree Murder of Michael Barnes
Frederick Eustsey, 45, of Ewing, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
Second-Degree Conspiracy to Distribute CDS
John Colvin, 23, of Trenton, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
Second-Degree Conspiracy to Distribute CDS
David Williams, 28, of Camden, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
First-degree Attempted Murder – May 1 Shooting
First-Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder – May 1 Shooting
Second Degree Aggravated Assault
Second-Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose
Second-Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon
Second-Degree Possession of Weapon as Convicted Felon
Second- Degree Solicitation, Recruitment of Juveniles to Join a Street Gang
Zaire Jackson, 25, of Trenton, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
First-degree Attempted Murder – May 1 Shooting
First-Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder – May 1 Shooting
Second Degree Aggravated Assault
Second-Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose
Second-Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon
Shawn Anderson, 21, of Trenton, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
First-degree Attempted Murder – May 1 Shooting
First-Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder – May 1 Shooting
Second Degree Aggravated Assault
Second-Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose
Second-Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon
Juvenile Male, 17, of Trenton, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
First-Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder – May 1 Shooting
Jayshawn Fisher, 26, of Trenton, N.J.
First- Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder – Michael Barnes
Briana Blue, 22, of Princeton, N.J.
First-degree Racketeering
Second-Degree Conspiracy to Distribute CDS
First-Degree Possession with Intent to Distribute CDS
Willis, Hearns, Salter, Battle, Colvin, and Fisher were previously in jail and were served with the charges outlined above while in jail. The other 10 defendants were arrested since June 5. Attorney General Grewal commended all of the prosecutors, detectives, investigators and officers who participated in the investigation for the Division of Criminal Justice, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey State Police, Trenton Police Department, Trenton Shooting Response Team, and New Jersey Department of Corrections. Deputy Attorneys General Cassandra Montalto and Mohammad Mahmood are the lead prosecutors for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Lauren Scarpa Yfantis and Deputy Bureau Chief Erik Daab. The detectives who conducted the investigation for the Division of Criminal Justice are Sgt. Brian Woolston, Sgt. Kevin Gannon, Detective Scott Caponi, Detective Zachary Grey, and other members of the Gangs & Organized Crime Central Squad, under the supervision of Lt. Brian Bruton, Deputy Chief of Detectives Frederic Moore, and Chief of Detectives Weldon Powell. Attorney General Grewal also thanked the following agencies that assisted with arrests and execution of search warrants: Hamilton Township Police Department, Ewing Township Police Department, West Windsor Police Department, Falls Township Police Department (Pennsylvania), U.S. Marshals Service New Jersey/New York Regional Fugitive Task Force, and Mercer County Tactical Response Team. First-degree murder carries a sentence of life in state prison, including 30 years of parole ineligibility, while the first-degree charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder carry a sentence of 10 to 30 years in state prison. The other first-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and fine of up to $200,000. The racketeering charges carry a period of parole ineligibility equal to 85 percent of the sentence imposed. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Possession of a weapon as a convicted felon carries a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of five years, and unlawful possession of a weapon carries a mandatory period of parole ineligibility equal to one-third to one-half of the sentence imposed or three years, whichever is greater. Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000. The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Defense AttorneysFor Tre Whetstone: John Furlong, Esq., Furlong & Krasny, Ewing, N.J.For Shawn Anderson: Arun Lavine, Esq., Lawrenceville, N.J.For Shaiquan Hearns: Mark Fury, Esq., Mount Holly, N.J.For Dion Battle: Rukiya Blackwell, Esq., Mount Holly, N.J. A number of defendants are currently represented by the Public Defender’s Office.
ROBBINSVILLE TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–Just before 5:30 am the New Jersey State Police and The Robbinsville Township Fire Department were on scene of a motor vehicle crash this morning at mile marker 63 north bound. The vehicle left the roadway near the Sharon Road overpass and traveled a great distance before overturning and coming to rest on its roof under a PSE&G electric transmission tower. The occupant had to be rescued out of the vehicle and carried back through thick brush to a waiting ambulance on the Turnpike.
With the amount of police on scene it appears there may be more to the story. A reporter has reached out to NJSP for further details on this accident. In one of the photos it appears to be damage to a police vehicle on the highway.
MidJersey.News 
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