Day: March 15, 2022

Mercer County, Trenton

Update: Police Identify Male Killed in Trenton Shooting

UPDATE: March 16, 2022

The Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department are investigating a Tuesday evening fatal shooting in Trenton, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported.

At approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, Trenton police responded to a shooting call in the first block of Camden Street. Upon arrival, officers located the victim lying on the sidewalk suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.  He was pronounced dead a short time later.  The victim has been identified as Albert L. Barnes, 46, of Trenton.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406.  Information can also be emailed to mchtftips@mercercounty.org.

March 15, 2022

UPDATE: According to Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Spokesperson Casey DeBlasio, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Trenton police responded to a shooting call in the first block of Camden Street. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering a gunshot wound to the chest.  He was pronounced dead a short time later. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Shots rang out around 6:01 p.m. in the First Block of Camden Street between West Hanover and Passaic Streets. It was reported when police arrived, they found a male shot 2 times in the chest and CPR was being administered. Trenton EMS, Trenton Fire Department and Capital Health Paramedics arrived on scene at 6:04 p.m. EMS workers could be seen continuing CPR on scene and transported the victim at 6:15 p.m. to the Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center with life threatening injuries and was pronounced dead a short time later. Trenton Police and Mercer County Homicide Task Force are on scene investigating the shooting. This is still an active scene.

Names of the 2022 homicide victims in the City of Trenton:

  1. 2/15/2022 Antwone Barnes, 37, of Trenton, Stabbing
  2. 2/23/2022 Leonardo Fernandez, 32, of Trenton, Stabbing
  3. 3/01/2022 Shimon Nesmith Jr., 19, of Trenton, Shooting
  4. 3/15/2022 Albert L. Barnes, 46, of Trenton, Shooting

Photos and video by: Brian McCarthy OnScene News

State of NJ

ABOUT TIME! Sunshine Protection Act Passes Senate by Unanimous Consent; One Step Closer to Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent

March 15, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke on the Senate floor following the Senate’s passage of the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 (S. 623). The bill would make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent across the country starting in 2023.
 
In 2018, Florida legislature’s enacted year-round DST. However, for Florida’s change to apply, a change in the federal statute is required. Nineteen other states — Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming — have passed similar laws, resolutions, or voter initiatives, and dozens more are looking to do so. 
 
If passed by the House and signed into law by President Joe Biden, the Sunshine Protection Act would apply to those states that currently participate in DST, which most states observe for eight months out of the year. States and territories that currently remain on Standard Time year-around would continue to do so. Many studies have shown that making DST permanent could benefit the economy and the country. A one-pager of the bill is available here.
 
Video of Rubio’s remarks is available here and a full transcript is below.

NJ Senator Cory Booker is a Co-Sponsor of the legislation

NJ Senator Cory Booker is a Co-Sponsor of the Sunshine Protection Act — Facebook Photo

Rubio: “Others will be coming to the floor here, in a moment, and you’ll see it’s an eclectic collection of members of the United States Senate in favor of what we’ve just done here in the Senate. And that’s to pass a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. 

“Just this past weekend, we all went through that biannual ritual of changing the clock back and forth, and the disruption that comes with it. And one has to ask themselves after a while, ‘Why do we keep doing it? Why are we doing this?’ 

“This really began back in 1918 as a practice that was supposed to save energy, and since then we’ve adjusted it. Today, Daylight Saving Time, which started out as six months, was extended to eight months in 2005, clearly showing you where people’s preference [is]. 

“So we’re doing this back-and-forth clock changing for about 16 weeks of Standard Time a year. I think the majority of the American people’s preference is just to stop the back and forth changing. But beyond that, I think their preference is — certainly at least based on today’s vote, and what we’ve heard — is to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. I’ll just tell you a couple of the reasons why I think that’s important. 

“There’s some strong science behind it that is now showing and making people aware of the harm that clock switching has. We see an increase in heart attacks and car accidents and pedestrian accidents in the week[s] that follow the changes.

“The benefits of Daylight Saving Time have also been accounted for in the research. For example, reduced crime as there’s light later in the day. We’ve seen decreases in child obesity. A decrease in seasonal depression that many feel during Standard Time. 

“And then the practical one, one that I’ve witnessed with my own eyes…. We’re a country [in which] we desperately want our kids to be outside, to be playing, to be doing sports, not just to be sitting in front of a TV or a computer terminal or playing video games all day. And it gets really tough, in many parts of the country, to be able to do that. Because what ends up happening is, especially for these 16 weeks a year, if you don’t have a park or an outdoor facility with lights, you’re basically shut down around five p.m. — in some cases as early as four or 4:30 p.m. And these lights in parks and things like that are expensive, and then a lot of communities are resistant to them. It makes it tough to do [activities]. 

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve watched youth sporting events be called in the middle or near the end of the game, before it’s actually concluded, because there’s not enough lights. 

“That’s one of the practical reasons why, if you look at the way we live in this country, you want to have the ability to spend more time in the evenings outdoors. Not just to enjoy the outdoors, but to make sporting and outdoor activities available for people at a time when, frankly, we’re losing an hour, an hour-and-a-half in some parts of the country, because of [the time change].

“I’m hoping that after today, this will go over to the House of Representatives, and they’ll act quickly on it. I know this is not the most important issue confronting America, but it’s one of those issues where there’s a lot of agreement. I think a lot of people wonder why it took so long to get here. 

“My hope is that after we’re done here today, that the House will take it up, that the House will pass it, and the President will sign it. 

“I want to lay out one caveat: this bill and the amendment does delay its implementation. The reason why, and I asked — believe me, I asked, ‘Why are we delaying this?’ I think it’s important we’re delaying it until November of 2023 because of airlines, the rails, and transportation methods. Others have already built out schedules based on the existing schedule on the existing timeline of this. They’ve asked for a few months here … to make that adjustment. 

“The good news is that we can get this passed. We don’t have to keep doing this stupidity anymore. Why we would enshrine this in our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me. 

“Hopefully, this is the year that this gets done. And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.”

Photo by Charlotte May on Pexels.com
CosponsorDate Cosponsored
Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]*03/09/2021
Sen. Blunt, Roy [R-MO]*03/09/2021
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]*03/09/2021
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]*03/09/2021
Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]*03/09/2021
Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS]*03/09/2021
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]*03/09/2021
Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN]*03/09/2021
Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]03/10/2021
Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]03/16/2021
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]03/16/2021
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]03/16/2021
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]03/24/2021
Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA]03/25/2021
Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]11/16/2021
Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL]02/01/2022
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]03/14/2022
bills-117s623isDownload
Hamilton, Hamilton, Lawrence, Mercer County, State of NJ, Trenton

Trenton Man Admits to Participating in String of Armed Robberies in NJ and PA in May and June of 2019

Armed Robberies took place in Trenton, Hamilton, Lawrence, Rahway in NJ and Bristol and Morrisville in PA

March 15, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Omar Feliciano-Estremera, 44, of Trenton, today admitted participating in a string of armed robberies of businesses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in May and June of 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Feliciano pleaded guilty court before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to a five-count information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, three substantive counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm which was discharged during a crime of violence.

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

Feliciano and his conspirator Gabriel Lopez, [deceased], formerly of Trenton, committed a string of armed robberies in May and June of 2019 of businesses located in Mercer County, New Jersey, Union County, New Jersey, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Lopez entered the businesses, brandished a handgun, and demanded money from the store clerks working the register. After stealing the money, Lopez fled the scene with the assistance of Feliciano, who acted as the getaway driver. While fleeing the scene of one of the robberies, in Union County, New Jersey, Lopez fired a handgun at passing witnesses, shortly before being picked up by Feliciano. Feliciano admitted to conspiring with Lopez to commit eight robberies and aiding and abetting three robberies, including the Union County robbery at which a firearm was discharged.

Each of the Hobbs Act charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm that was discharged during a crime of violence carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Each count also carries a maximum fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for July 18, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked officers of the Hamilton Township, Trenton, Rahway, Morrisville, Bristol Township, and Lawrence Township Police Departments for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

22-094 

Defense counsel: Santos A. Perez Esq., Rochelle Park, New Jersey

feliciano.informationDownload
Colts Neck, Monmouth County

Colts Neck Man Indicted for String of Bank Robberies

March 15, 2022

FREEHOLD, NJ (MONMOUTH) – A Monmouth County Grand Jury has returned an indictment against a Colts Neck man accused of committing three bank robberies in various local municipalities over the course of about a month last fall, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Tuesday.

Conor Kavanagh, 29, is charged with three counts of first-degree Armed Robbery.  

Shortly after 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, November 13, 2021, a person later identified as Kavanagh approached a teller window at the PNC Bank inside the Stop & Shop supermarket on Route 36 in Keyport, passed over a note indicating he was in possession of a weapon, and made off with a quantity of cash, leaving the scene in a green Toyota pickup truck. 

At approximately 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14, a bank robbery occurred at the Wells Fargo branch on Newman Springs Road in the Lincroft section of Middletown. The bank robbery was committed in identical fashion to the earlier one in Keyport, with the suspect wearing similar clothing, and he left the scene in a green Toyota pickup truck.

Three days later, on Friday, December 17, the Wells Fargo branch on Route 36 in Eatontown was robbed. Again, a suspect passed a note demanding money, indicating that he was in possession of a weapon.

Following the bank robbery in Middletown, Detectives from the Middletown Police Department developed information that led to Kavanagh being identified as a potential suspect. After the bank robbery in Eatontown, Middletown Detectives and assisting members of the FBI observed Kavanagh driving a green pickup truck that matched the description of the vehicle used in the earlier bank robberies, and placed him under arrest.

Detectives searched the pickup truck and located proceeds from the Eatontown bank robbery and the clothing the suspect was seen wearing on surveillance footage. They also located information pertaining to a storage unit in Shrewsbury, and a search of that location revealed proceeds from the Keyport and Middletown bank robberies. Additionally, a search of the cell phone Kavanagh was using contained evidence of online searches for local bank branches.

The Prosecutor’s Office would like to thank its partners with the Eatontown, Keyport, and Middletown police departments, as well as members of the FBI’s Newark office, for their invaluable assistance in this investigation.

Anyone with information about Kavanagh’s activities is urged to contact MCPO Detective Brian Migliorisi or Detective Jason Gold toll-free at (800) 533-7443.

This case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan. Kavanagh is being represented by Edwin Wu, Esq., with an office in Freehold Borough.

If convicted of any of these criminal charges, Kavanagh would face a term of up to 20 years in state prison.

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.

Colts Neck Man Arrested in Connection with Series of Bank Robberies
Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com