June 1, 2021
ALLENTOWN, NJ (MONMOUTH)–The Allentown High School boys lacrosse team beat Lawrence Township High School today with a final score of 15-7 in the NJSIAA, South Jersey Group 2 tournament. Allentown takes on Hopewell Valley High School on Thursday in the quarterfinal round.
Photo gallery:
June 1, 2021
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Trenton Police and TEMS were detailed to Prospect Street and East Stuyvesant Avenue around 6:25 p.m.
According to Trenton Police Department, Acting Lieutenant Cynthia Hargis, there was a Shot Spotter activation for 5 shots fired in the area of 211 Prospect Street. There was a report of 1 male shot in the buttocks area.
Trenton Police and TEMS arrived on scene to find a male shot in the buttocks area and was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
Acting Lieutenant Cynthia Hargis said, “The male victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the buttocks area. He’s in stable condition at this time.”
Hargis also said, “The investigation is still early and active at this time.”
June 1, 2021
BEACH HAVEN, NJ (OCEAN)–The Borough of Beach Haven is currently auctioning off 1-year boat slip rentals for very cheap — bidding starts at just $650! These online auctions are open to the public at municibid.com and end on Thursday, June 3rd. The public can bid on these auctions online, 24/7.
Why are these auctions important? Every time a boat slip rental is auctioned off, it brings money right back into improving the Beach Haven community. 100% of the proceeds from these auctions goes back to the borough of Beach Haven. These funds are used for road maintenance, setting up local events for residents, community programs, and more!
Founded in 2006, Municibid, a three-time Inc. 5000 member (2018-2020), serves over 4,000 governments and schools across the US who use Municibid to auction off fire trucks, buses, ambulances, heavy machinery, agricultural equipment, and other surplus goods to the public online. www.municibid.com
https://municibid.com/Browse/R3777827/New_Jersey?Seller=BeachHavenBorough
June 1, 2021
FREEHOLD, NJ (MONMOUTH)–Omar Rivera-Rojas (also known as Juan Carlos Rivera-Rojas), 31, and his nephew Alberto Rojas-Hernandez, 19, both of Lakewood, were indicted by a Monmouth County Grand Jury today for Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Tampering with Evidence, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.
The Howell Township Police Department responded to a 911 call at about 3:46 a.m. on October 18, 2019, reporting an unconscious male lying in Hurley Pond Road just east of Route 547. Upon arrival, a male was located lying face down in the roadway. The incident was initially investigated as a fatal hit-and-run motor vehicle incident. However, upon the arrival of SCART investigators it was quickly determined that his death was not the result of a hit and run event.
The man, identified as Domingo Merino-Rafael, 33, also of Lakewood, was unresponsive and obviously deceased. MONOC personnel responded and the victim was pronounced deceased at 4:12 a.m. by doctors at Newark Beth Israel Hospital. Rafael was taken to the Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office where a post-mortem examination performed by Medical Examiner Allison Mautone, M.D., and the staff of the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death was a Homicide.
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Howell Township Police Department determined Rivera-Rojas, Rojas-Hernandez, and Merino-Rafael traveled from Lakewood to Middlesex County on the evening of October 17, 2019. The men were returning to Lakewood in the early morning hours of October 18, 2019, when the trio got into an argument that culminated with the uncle and nephew pair killing Merino-Rafael.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Howell Township Police Department also credited the Lakewood Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance during the investigation.
Rojas-Hernandez, of Joe Parker Avenue in Lakewood is being held in the Youth Detention Center in North Brunswick where he has been in custody since his arrest in October 2019. Rojas-Hernandez who was just 7 months shy of his 18th birthday at the time of the murder was previously waived to adult court to face the charges alongside his uncle and co-conspirator. Rivera-Rojas has also been detained since his arrest.
If convicted of Murder, Rivera-Rojas and Rojas-Hernandez each face a minimum sentence of 30 years in a New Jersey State Prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act” (NERA) requiring them to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan and Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wilson.
Rojas-Hernandez is represented by Carlos Diaz-Cobo, Esq. of New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Rivera-Rojas is represented by Joseph Champagne, Esq. of Toms River, New Jersey.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.
June 1, 2021
By: Tyler Eckel
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)– The New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit coordinated a 2-day mobile deployment initiative last week that led to the arrest of 22 fugitives in and around the Trenton area.
Detectives from the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit, Crime Suppression Central Unit, Gangs & Organized Crime Unit, Trafficking Central Unit, K9 Unit, Real Time Crime Center Central, Cyber Crimes Unit, the United States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force – Trenton Division, the New Jersey Department of Corrections – Special Operation Group, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Trenton Police Department targeted fugitives who had warrants for their arrest and were believed to be involved in criminal activity within the city of Trenton. The targets of this initiative were identified using various investigative means along with the collaboration of the New Jersey State Police Intelligence and Investigations Section, the recently established New Jersey State Police Real Time Crime Center Central Unit, and the Trenton Police Department.
From Tuesday, May 25, to Wednesday, May 26, a total of 22 fugitives wanted by state, county, and local law enforcement agencies were apprehended in various locations throughout the city of Trenton. Those accused were wanted for various crimes including aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, armed robbery, assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, burglary, possession of explosive devices, possession with the intent to distribute heroin within a school zone and stalking. Of the 22 people arrested, 8 were identified as street gang members. All suspects were transferred to the appropriate authorities, lodged at the Mercer County Jail, or released pending a future court date.
The following were seized as a result of the operation:
• 27 bricks of Heroin (Est. Street Value of $6,750.00)
• $400 in United States Currency
“We are devoting our full resources to tackling violence in Trenton and across the state,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “This operation is an important piece of our comprehensive anti-violence strategy, and I’m grateful to our local, state, regional, and federal law enforcement partners for their shared commitment to this project.”
“These multi-agency fugitive sweeps remove violent and often recidivist offenders who undermine the progress of the strong coalitions that citizens and law enforcement have created to improve the safety of Trenton residents,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police “We will continue to target violent, repeat offenders through cooperative operations with our law enforcement to remove fugitives from the streets and put them behind bars where they belong.”
Charges are mere accusations, and the accused are considered innocent until proven guilty.
June 1, 2021
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)–The Robbinsville Township Police Blotter for May 2021 is below:
Accused: Jorge Arevalo Age 50
Trenton, NJ
Charged: Driving While Intoxicated
Reckless Driving
Failure to Maintain Lane
Careless Driving
Open Container of Alcohol
Charged and released pending Court.
Victim reported vehicle was entered and $550 of cash was removed from vehicle.
Accused: David Kology Age 51
Philadelphia, PA
Charged: Driving While Intoxicated
Possession of Methamphetamine
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
CDS in a Motor Vehicle
Reckless Driving
Unsafe Lane Change
Charged and released pending Court.
Accused:
Accused: Joseph Capizzi Jr Age 34
Bordentown, NJ
Charged: Driving While Intoxicated
Reckless Driving
Unsafe Lane Change
Careless Driving
Charged and released pending Court.
Accused: David Miller Age 56
Robbinsville, NJ
Charged: Driving While Intoxicated
Reckless Driving
Careless Driving
Failure to Maintain Lane
Charged and released pending Court.
Victim reported unknown person(s) broke window on her vehicle and removed pocketbook and cash valued at $382.
Accused: William Henderson Age 50
Trenton, NJ
Charged: Theft
Resisting Arrest
Obstruction of Justice
Charged and released pending Court.
Accused: Robert Kahrs Age 23
East Windsor, NJ
Charged: Driving While Intoxicated
Reckless Driving
Careless Driving
Charged and released pending Court.
Accused: Priya Patel Age 31
Old Bridge, NJ
Charged: Driving While Intoxicated
Reckless Driving
Careless Driving
Following to Closely
Failure to Maintain Lane
Charged and released pending Court.
All accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a Court of law.
June 1, 2021
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)–Robbinsville Township Board of Education unanimously approved the 2021-22 district budget with a flat tax rate for the third consecutive year.
The adopted budget includes a 2.89% increase in operating budget spending and represents a zero increase in the local tax levy. This budget follows two consecutive years of decreases in the local tax levy helpingresidents andtaxpayers for the 2021-22 school year.
The budget for the 2021-22 school year, adopted on April 27, 2021 at the Board of Education meeting, allows the tax rate to remain steady at 1.6762% of assessed value, with the average assessed home in Robbinsville valued at $378,500.
As part of the approved budget the members of the Board of Education are supporting key investments in the school district that include the following:
The district is also planning to add additional resources to address mental health. “We know that our students and families have experienced a lot throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and as we move forward, we want to ensure that resources are available to address and prioritize those needs,” said Board President, Vito Galluccio.
Other planned additions included additional resources for special education. This budget includes additional positions within the district. These positions include a social worker, reading specialists, Board Certified Behavioral Analyst and an academic support teacher for the high school. All of these new hires are resources that the district needs and are tied into individualized education plans (IEPs) for students.
The Board of Education has designated three primary goals for the 2021-22 school years. The first goal is work to open schools fully, safely and within the guidelines of the State of New Jersey Department of Education and CDC guidelines. Second is that we continue to focus on providing a quality education for all students and ensuring the socio-emotional learning is provided for students, staff and families that are both virtually and in-person. Third, establishing the goal that all students will read on-level by the end of 4th grade.
“The budget for the upcoming school year addresses many of the areas that the administration has asked the board to focus on and will help our students and the level of education we are providing,” said Brian Betze, Superintendent. “The work done for this budget by our business administrator, Nick Mackres and Dr. Kimberly Tew, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction was exceptional and has allowed us to find savings, areas of improvement and ways to make improvements in the classrooms. Both the board and I are appreciative of the work that was done to create this budget.”
The budget has been sent to the state for its final approval.
June 1, 2021
EAST WINDSOR, NJ (MERCER)–The Robbinsville Township Fire Department and Hightstown Fire Company were dispatched to the NJ Turnpike inner roadway at mile post 65.6 north bound for two vehicle accident with roll over and entrapment at 11:42 a.m. Robbinsville EMS, Capital Health EMS, Cranbury First Aid Squad and Capital Health Paramedics responded and treated patients on scene. One person was transported to the Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center and a “trauma alert” was called. Another person was transported to RWJ at Hamilton Hospital with non-life threating injures. Robbinsville firefighters help get patients out of vehicles for transport and stood by until vehicle could be removed by the George’s Garage.
New Jersey State Police is investigating the crash. No further information is available at this time.
June 1, 2021
JACKSON, NJ (MERCER)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on May 28, 2021, Matthew Wolny, 43, of Jackson, was sentenced by the Honorable Michael T. Collins, J.S.C., to five years New Jersey State Prison with a five-year period of parole ineligibility relative to a previously entered guilty plea to Distribution of Child Pornography in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4b(5)(a). Wolny will also be required to register as a Megan’s Law offender upon his release from prison. Wolny pled guilty to the charge on November 26, 2018, before Judge Collins; sentencing in Ocean County was delayed pending Wolny being sentenced on related federal charges involving child pornography.
An investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit and Jackson Township Police Department in 2013 determined that Wolny had been distributing child pornography through a file sharing application on his computer. On September 26, 2013, Detectives executed a search warrant on Wolny’s residence; as a result, Detectives seized computer equipment belonging to Wolny that contained evidence of child pornography distribution.
During the course of the investigation, Detectives located multiple videos from the YMCA in Toms River wherein Wolny hid a camera in a bathroom area and videotaped multiple individuals changing and showering. In addition, further investigation revealed that Wolny had videotaped students in Maryland during a class trip; at the time, Wolny was a youth band leader and IT director for the Howell Township school system. Wolny was charged by the United States Attorney’s Office in 2018 relative to these offenses. On August 20, 2019, Wolny was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on the charge of Receiving Child Pornography. He is currently serving that sentence in a federal correctional facility in Mississippi. Wolny’s sentence for Distribution of Child Pornography out of Ocean County will run concurrent with his federal sentence.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman who handled the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Jackson Township Police Department, and United States Department of Homeland Security, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation, ultimately resulting in Wolny’s prison sentence.
June 1, 2021
EAST WINDSOR, NJ (MERCER)–Mayor Janice S. Mironov, Deputy Mayor Peter Yeager and Council Members Denise Daniels, Alan Rosenberg and John Zoller, joined Trammell Crow Company Managing Director Andrew Mele and other Trammell Crow representatives, for a groundbreaking ceremony for “Innovation Park”, a state of the art business park located at 148 Princeton Hightstown Road.
“Innovation Park”, located on an 86.97 acre parcel formerly occupied by McGraw Hill, will consist of two buildings, one 406,669 square feet and the second 167,500 square feet. The contemporary business campus was designed specifically for innovative high-tech and pharma related tenants, featuring modern attractive architectural features, internal space configured specifically for advanced technological users with a high percentage of office space, outdoor walking paths and public spaces, and additional landscape berming with deciduous, ornamental and evergreen trees.
Mayor Mironov stated, “This groundbreaking is an exciting day to celebrate the start of this innovative project, featuring a unique combination of tenant space geared towards highly specialized technological and pharmaceutical users, striking architectural elements and attractive open public spaces. This is a great, prominent location in the center of our community that is ideal for a well-designed and appealing facility such as Innovation Park, with unbeatable access to major markets, a highly qualified labor force and excellent transportation networks including the New Jersey Turnpike as well as Route 133, Route 130, Route 33 and Route 571. East Windsor has long been considered a major epicenter for high-tech, high growth research and development pharmaceutical-related companies, and this cutting edge facility is planned and designed to attract high quality tenants to our already vibrant and diverse business community.”
Trammell Crow Company Managing Director Andrew Mele stated, “Innovation Park is unlike any project we’ve ever developed in New Jersey that combines exceptional architectural design, high performance functionality and public open green space all located in one of the most desirable communities in the region. We have great confidence that Innovation Park will not only attract world-class companies to East Windsor, but it will also serve as a model for future developments in New Jersey and beyond.”
Trammell Crow Company, founded in 1948, is one of the nation’s leading developers and investors in commercial real estate. Trammell Crow employs nearly 600 professionals in the United States and Europe and has developed or acquired 2,800 buildings valued at nearly $70 billion and over 625 million square feet. Trammell Crow serves users of and investors in office, industrial, healthcare, multi-family residential, and mixed-use projects.
June 1, 2021
TRENTON-PRINCETON, NJ (MERCER)–A Canadian teen who called in a bomb threat to Princeton University in September 2020 recently pleaded guilty in Mercer County Family Court, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported.
The 16-year-old male, whose name is being withheld because he is a juvenile, entered a guilty plea to one count of third-degree false public alarm on May 28, 2021. He was sentenced to a probationary term of two years along with conditions that he perform 30 hours of community service, pay a $2,000 fine, surrender his driver’s license for six months, and undergo a psychological evaluation and follow any recommendations that result.
On Sept. 19, 2020, the Princeton University Department of Public Safety (DPS) received a phone call from an individual reporting that he had placed improvised explosive devices in several locations on campus, including the Art Museum, Firestone Library, Nassau Hall and the Chapel. The buildings were evacuated and searched to ensure the safety of all members of the community. No explosive devices were found.
Multiple law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada participated in the extensive investigation of this incident. At DPS, the investigation was led by Detective Martin Krzywicki. The investigation resulted in the identification of the suspect and issuance of a warrant for his arrest.
The suspect was taken into custody in Louisiana on March 24, 2021, by the local sheriff’s department to face charges signed by DPS detectives.
The teen will now be extradited to Connecticut to face similar charges in that jurisdiction.
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