Day: March 11, 2021

Hamilton, Hamilton, Mercer County

Beloved Former Mercerville Fire Company Chief Henry W. Ryan Jr. laid to rest

March 11, 2021

By: Tyler Eckel

Family, friends, and brothers in red remembered the life of former Mercerville Fire Chief Henry W. Ryan Jr. today as he was laid to rest.

The beloved veteran of over 50 years passed away peacefully on March 5, 2021. He was 71 years old.

Chief Ryan served both on the fire ground, and administratively. He held all fire line officer positions up to Chief, Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, President of the Relief Association, and President of Mercerville Fire Company. He was the last volunteer Chief to serve Mercerville.

In addition to his commitment to the fire service, Chief Ryan is remembered for his great sense of humor and his compassion towards those he served. Henry Ryan, also known as “Hank,” was beloved by his peers and admired by the generations of volunteers he mentored to serve.

Additionally, Chief Ryan served our country as a member of the Army National Guard of New Jersey. He was also a former member of Our Lady of Sorrows, where he served as a trustee and as a teacher for baptism classes.

May you rest in peace, Chief. Thank you for years of dedicated service to Hamilton Township.

Mercer County, Trenton

Trenton resident wins $1,000,000 along with 14 other finalists in the Million Dollar Replay

March 11, 2021

By: Tyler Eckel

TRENTON (MERCER)– The New Jersey Lottery Million Dollar Replay Party was held on the evening of Wednesday, March 10, and the results are in. A new millionaire from Trenton was announced alongside 14 other finalists. Additionally, 30 non-finalist viewers won prizes just for watching online.

The event was broadcast virtually from the War Memorial in Trenton, where 400 quarterfinalists hoped their names would be pulled and announced as finalist winners. In addition to the $1,000,000 grand prize, there were two $100,000 prizes, three $50,000 prizes, four $25,000 prizes, and five $10,000 prizes. In addition to the 15 prizes, the Lottery randomly selected ten of the 400 quarterfinalists to win $1,000.

The 400 quarterfinalists weren’t the only ones winning prizes in the drawing. Five non-finalist viewers were selected to win gift baskets, and 25 more viewers received bundles of Scratch-Off tickets worth $200. Finally, members of New Jersey Lottery’s free VIP Club entered a drawing to win one of five more Scratch-Off bundles, also worth $200.

The Million Dollar Replay finalist winners are shown below. Congratulations to the Grand Prize winner and all finalists!

Hamilton, Mercer County, Monmouth County

Trenton man admits conspiring to distribute fentanyl that caused the death of a Monmouth County woman

March 11, 2021

By: Tyler Eckel

TRENTON (MERCER)– A Trenton man admitted conspiring with others to distribute fentanyl that caused the death of a Monmouth county woman, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.

Quasaan Bethea, 33, pleaded guilty by videoconference before Chief U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson on March 10, 2021, to Count Two of an indictment charging possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On May 15, 2018, Bethea conspired with others to distribute fentanyl to a 39-year-old Monmouth County woman, referred to in the indictment as Victim-1. Victim-1 had sought out Bethea and others to purchase heroin, not fentanyl, a significantly more potent narcotic than heroin. Bethea admitted that the fentanyl he sold to Victim-1 was stamped “CAMEL” and packaged to look like heroin. Shortly after Victim-1’s second purchase of fentanyl from Bethea and others, Englishtown police responded to a report of an overdose death. Upon their arrival, they discovered Victim-1, and in Victim-1’s possession were several wax folds of suspected heroin stamped “CAMEL” and empty wax folds stamped “CAMEL” as well. Laboratory analysis of these wax folds bearing the “CAMEL” stamp determined the substance to be fentanyl. An autopsy of Victim-1 found her cause of death to be acute fentanyl toxicity.

The count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 26, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni; the Englishtown Police Department, under the direction of Peter S. Cooke, Jr., and the Trenton Police Department’s Narcotics Task Force, under the direction of Police Director Sheilah Coley, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan L. O’Neill, of the Office’s Opioids Abuse & Prevention Task Force.