WESTAMPTON TOWNSHIP (BURLINGTON)– The Burlington County Chiefs of Police Association held their annual Fallen Officers Memorial Service at the Burlington County Emergency Services Center
The memorial service has been a longstanding tradition for the Chiefs of Police Association, held every year during National Police Week. The ceremony honors law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty in Burlington County. The service brings the law enforcement community together for a day of solemn remembrance.
Emergency Management Coordinator at Virtua Health, Phyllis Worrell, was the keynote speaker for the service. Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina and Riverton Police Chief John Shaw spoke on behalf of the law enforcement community. Senator Troy Singleton also had a chance to speak to honor officers for their ultimate sacrifice.
National Police Week is a week in May to honor law enforcement officers who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. Unfortunately, a lot of scheduled events for this week have been postponed, modified, or canceled due to Coronavirus, but it is great to see that these officers are still being honored for their sacrifices they took to protect and serve.
Social distancing and all other COVID-19 guidelines were followed.
The memorial was streamed via Facebook Live. You can view that video here.
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MECER)–As reports were coming in of gas stations running out of gas in the south east United States from the hoarding of gasoline and other fuel products the Colonial Pipeline announced the restart of of the pipeline after a ransomware cyber attack. The company states that it may take several days for the delivery supply chain to return to normal. See press releases from Colonial Pipeline below for the latest updates.
Wednesday, May 12, 5:10 p.m.
Colonial Pipeline initiated the restart of pipeline operations today at approximately 5 p.m. ET.
Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal. Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period. Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.
As we initiate our return to service, our primary focus remains safety. As part of this startup process, Colonial will conduct a comprehensive series of pipeline safety assessments in compliance with all Federal pipeline safety requirements.
This is the first step in the restart process and would not have been possible without the around-the-clock support of Colonial Pipeline’s dedicated employees who have worked tirelessly to help us achieve this milestone. We would also like to thank the White House for their leadership and collaboration, as well as the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, FBI, PHMSA, FERC and other federal, state and local agencies for their ongoing support.
We will continue to provide updates as restart efforts progress.
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Tuesday, May 11, 5:15 p.m.
Colonial Pipeline continues to make forward progress in our around-the-clock efforts to return our system to service, with additional laterals operating manually to deliver existing inventories to markets along the pipeline. Markets experiencing supply constraints and/or not serviced by other fuel delivery systems are being prioritized. We are collaborating with the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate market conditions to support this prioritization.
Since our pipeline system was taken offline, working with our shippers, Colonial has delivered approximately 967,000 barrels (~41 million gallons) to various delivery points along our system. This includes delivery into the following markets: Atlanta, Ga., Belton and Spartanburg, S.C., Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C., Baltimore, Md., and Woodbury and Linden N.J.
Additionally, in preparation for our system restart, we have taken delivery of an additional 2 million barrels (~84 million gallons) from refineries for deployment upon restart.
Consistent with our safety policies and regulatory requirements, Colonial has increased aerial patrols of our pipeline right of way and deployed more than 50 personnel to walk and drive ~ 5,000 miles of pipeline each day.
Actions taken by the Federal Government to issue a temporary hours of service exemption for motor carriers and drivers transporting refined products across Colonial’s footprint and actions taken by several Governors to lift weight restrictions on tanker trucks should help alleviate local supply disruptions. This is in addition to the Reid Vapor Pressure wavier issued today by the U.S. EPA that will also help alleviate supply constraints in several states serviced by our system. We would like to thank the White House for their leadership and collaboration in resolving this matter as well as the DOE, PHMSA, FERC and other federal agencies for their ongoing support.
Our primary focus remains the safe and efficient restoration of service to our pipeline system, while minimizing disruption to our customers and all those who rely on Colonial Pipeline. We will continue to provide updates as restoration efforts progress.
Related MidJersey.news coverage on Colonial Pipeline incident here:
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Just after 2:00 p.m. shots rang out in the 800 Block of Stuyvesant Avenue with reports of multiple people shot. Trenton Police Department, Trenton EMS and Capital Health Paramedics responded to the scene. Upon the arrival of the Police Department it was found that three victims were transported by private vehicle to the Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center prior to the arrival of EMS.
The victims of the shooting arrived in a black vehicle and were rushed into the trauma center for treatment. Trenton Police had the area in front of the trauma center taped off for the investigation. Family members waited in the parking lot one of them holding a small child as they awaited to hear the status of their loved ones.
Trenton Police Department Detective Sergeant Cynthia Hargis confirmed that in the 800 block of Stuyvesant Avenue three male victims sustained gunshot wounds. The victims are being treated at a local hospital. None of the injuries are fatal at this time. All the victims are in stable condition. The police department says investigation is active and further information may be available later.
Just a few days ago on Sunday May 9, 2021 multiple shootings riddled the city at least 2 people were shot on Spring Street including an Amazon driver. Currently residents say that their Amazon deliveries have been suspended in the area and their money has been refunded. No additional details have been made public in that shooting.
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–Robbinsville Fire Department and EMS, and Bordentown Township Firefighters responded to the NJ Turnpike north bound at mile marker 57.2 for a motor vehicle accident. NJ State Police were on scene requesting paramedics for advanced life support. Robbinsville Township EMS and Capital Health Paramedics transported the victim to the local hospital. No further information is available.
An Ocean County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for producing images of himself sexually abusing young children, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Sebastien Attar, 36, of Brick, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Peter G. Sheridan to an information charging him with two counts of sexual exploitation of children. Separately, Attar also pleaded guilty before Judge Sheridan to a superseding indictment charging him with one count of advertising child pornography. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements filed in court:
Beginning in mid-2017, federal law enforcement began investigating individuals participating in a private chat messaging group dedicated to the discussion and dissemination of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. The private chat group was named “Taboo Train 2.0,” and law enforcement identified Attar as a member of that group, operating with the account identifier “Seb Seb.” The investigation revealed that on multiple occasions and in response to requests from other users, Attar, operating as “Seb Seb,” shared with the “Taboo Train 2.0” chat group images depicting adults sexually abusing very young children.
In March 2018, in connection with the investigation of the “Taboo Train 2.0” chat group, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Attar’s Brick, New Jersey residence, and seized a number of electronic devices and electronic storage media. In July 2018, a grand jury sitting in the Northern District of Georgia returned a superseding indictment charging Attar and others with advertising child pornography.
During a forensic review of the electronic media seized pursuant to the search of Attar’s residence, law enforcement discovered graphic images in which an individual – later identified as Attar – had photographed himself sexually abusing two infants. Attar was subsequently arrested and charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of New Jersey. As part of the plea agreement, the superseding indictment filed in the Northern District of Georgia against Attar was formally transferred to the District of New Jersey so that Attar could plead guilty to that charge in conjunction with his guilty plea to the information filed in this district.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Attar to lifetime supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI-Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., and special agents of the FBI-Atlanta Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge J.C. Hacker, with the investigations leading to today’s guilty pleas. She also thanked prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, under the direction of Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine, for their assistance.
The government is represented by J. Brendan Day, Attorney in Charge of the Trenton Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Defense counsel: David Jay Glassman Esq., Marlton, New Jersey
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Two men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a drug trafficking organization that sold illegal drugs in Mercer County, New Jersey, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Jawaan Foreman, 37, of Trenton, was sentenced today to five years in prison. Foreman previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charging him with one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base.
Duane Paulino-Escalera, 28, of Philadelphia, was sentenced May 7, 2021, to five years in prison. Paulino-Escalera previously pleaded guilty before Judge Shipp to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Paulino-Escalera and Foreman are the ninth and 10th defendants to be sentenced in conjunction with this investigation. Judge Shipp imposed both sentences in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From June 2018 through May 2019, the defendants and others engaged in a heroin trafficking conspiracy in the areas of Stuyvesant, Hoffman, and Highland avenues in Trenton, and around Barbary Road in Philadelphia. Through the interception of telephone calls and text messages pursuant to court-authorized wiretap orders, controlled purchases of heroin, the use of confidential sources of information, and other investigative techniques, law enforcement learned that Robert M. Gbanapolor obtained regular supplies of “bricks” of heroin (approximately 50 smaller, individually packaged glassine envelopes or baggies containing heroin) from Paulino-Escalera, whom Gbanapolor referred to as “Papi.”
Members of the conspiracy distributed the heroin supplied by Paulino-Escalera to other conspirators, distributors, sub-dealers, and end users in and around Trenton. Law enforcement officers intercepted numerous discussions among the conspirators regarding issues such as heroin quality and availability, branding, quantity, and customer satisfaction.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division, Camden Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; and task force officers of the Trenton Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Sheilah Coley, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. She also thanked detectives and officers of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Christine Hoffman; detectives and officers of the Gloucester Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Harry Earle; members of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; detectives and officers of the Bordentown Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Pesce; and special agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai.
These sentencings are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric A. Boden and Michelle S. Gasparian of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
Gbanapolor was charged Feb. 25, 2021, in a superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. That case remains pending. The charges and allegations against the him are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Paulino-Escalera: Michael J. Diamondstein Esq., Philadelphia Foreman: Jerome Ballarotto Esq., Hamilton, New Jersey
The Hamilton Township Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating and told MidJersey.news that the cause of the fire is undetermined but did not appear to be suspicious in nature.
By: Tyler Eckel
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP (MERCER)– Officials are investigating a fire that occurred at a duplex home in Hamilton early Wednesday afternoon.
The fire occurred around 1:30 pm. Hamilton firefighters responded to the area of East State Street and Park Lane on a reported house fire. The first alarm was called when units arrived on the scene with heavy smoke and heavy fire from the rear of 19 Park Lane. Multiple hose lines were stretched into operation to place the fire under control. The bulk of the fire was knocked down around 1:50 pm.
The Fire Marshal’s office reported one firefighter was checked out by EMS at the scene.
Bystanders state that the resident of the home said he was upstairs when he heard a pop and then smelled smoke. Bystanders also said that the resident made another phone call before calling 911.
The Hamilton Township Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating and told MidJersey.news that the cause of the fire is undetermined but did not appear to be suspicious in nature.
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