The Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department are investigating a shooting that occurred on the 200 block of Hamilton Avenue last night. At approximately 10:28 p.m., Trenton Police were dispatched to 266 Hamilton Avenue on a report of shots fired with multiple people shot. Police officers located three victims suffering from gunshot wounds and learned a fourth victim was transported by personal vehicle to the hospital. The first victim, Ralph Conquest, 43, of Lawrence, was pronounced deceased at Capital Health Regional Medical Center at approximately 1:53 a.m. Another male victim remains in the hospital in critical condition. Two other victims, a male and a female, are being treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to the hand and the leg.
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. 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.
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Around 10:33 p.m. Trenton Police, Trenton EMS, Capital Health Paramedics, and Trenton Fire Department were sent to the 200 Block of Hamilton Avenue near Hudson Street for multiple people shot. Upon arrival police found three victims shot. TEMS, paramedics and firefighters treated the victims. It was reported that one of the victims was shot in the head. All three victims were transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and all were reported “Trauma Alerts”
Police are actively investigating. No additional details are available at this time. Once official information becomes available the story will be updated.
Sea Girt, NJ (April 20, 2023) – The Borough of Sea Girt Police Department has announced its partnership with a regional drunk driving prevention organization by unveiling a new HERO patrol vehicle to promote the use of safe and sober designated drivers.
A Ford Explorer from the department’s fleet was recently wrapped with the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign’s bright blue and yellow logo and life-saving slogan, “Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver.” The HERO Campaign’s vehicle wrap program is expanding through a grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety (NJDHTS).
The Sea Girt HERO SUV is now a “rolling billboard” for the HERO Campaign to promote the use and important role of designated drivers in preventing drunk and impaired driving. The Campaign is named in memory of Navy Ensign John R. Elliott of Egg Harbor Township, who was killed in a collision with a drunk driver near Woodstown in July 2000.
“We are grateful to Sea Girt’s Police Department and Chief Justin Macko and Mayor Donald Fetzer for participating in our HERO Patrol Car Program,” said Bill Elliott, John’s father. “The HERO cruisers have been well received all over the New Jersey area by both the police and the entire community.”
“Our partnership with the HERO Campaign is an important reminder for motorists to always have a safe ride home whenever they consume alcoholic beverages,” said Police Chief Macko. “We are also excited that the Sea Girt Police Department is the first department in Monmouth County to partner with the HERO Campaign in its HERO Patrol Vehicle Program.”
“Our community is pleased to support this campaign, which in turn will save lives,” said Mayor Donald Fetzer. “The wrap serves as a reminder to have a plan for a designated driver to get everyone home safely after enjoying what Sea Girt has to offer. The vehicle will be highly visible around town, at area schools, and at special events.”
Sea Girt is the 13th city to adopt the HERO Campaign with a DUI prevention vehicle. Atlantic City, Evesham Township, Linwood, Lower Township, Middle Township, North Wildwood, Ocean City, Longport, Sea Isle City, Pleasantville, Ventnor, and Vineland also have HERO cruisers currently in service. New police vehicle wraps will soon be unveiled in Margate and Somers Point; in Egg Harbor Township a new EMS Humvee is also on the road with the new HERO wrap.
Sea Girt’s HERO SUV, like the other police vehicles in the HERO fleet, will be highly visible in the community as officers drive it on traffic duty, to special events, and to area schools. An official dedication ceremony for the Sea Girt HERO vehicle will take place on Friday, May 26, 2023.
The HERO Campaign is now saving lives throughout New Jersey and several neighboring states, including Pennsylvania and Delaware, through its partnerships with law enforcement; schools and colleges; federal and state highway safety organizations; the licensed beverage industry; and professional sports teams. Since its inception in 2000, the HERO Campaign has grown into a major movement to prevent impaired driving that has received national recognition and awards. It has also helped to reduce alcohol-related fatalities and incidents, including a 20 percent reduction in DUI fatalities in New Jersey and other states over the past decade. For more information visit HEROcampaign.org or call 609-626-3880.
The Sea Girt Police Department’s newly wrapped HERO SUV includes the logo for the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign and its slogan, “Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver.” Part of a 13-car fleet of HERO Campaign patrol vehicles being used by police departments throughout southern New Jersey. The Sea Girt HERO SUV wrap was funded by a grant from the N.J. Division of Highway Traffic Safety. Courtesy Sea Girt PD.
NEWARK, N.J. – Two former residents of Monmouth County, New Jersey, who allegedly obtained approximately $3.75 million in federal pandemic-related loans have been indicted, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Jean Rabbitt, 52, and Kevin Aguilar, 52, both of Sherman, Texas, and both previously of Farmingdale, New Jersey, are each charged by indictment with: one count of conspiracy to engage bank fraud; seven counts of bank fraud; one count of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud; three counts of wire fraud; conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity; and one count of aggravated identity theft. Rabbitt is additionally charged with one count of making a false statement in a loan application.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Rabbitt and Aguilar submitted seven fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of four businesses that Rabbitt owned or controlled. Rabbitt and Aguilar made multiple false statements in their PPP applications, at least one of which was submitted to a Federal Home Loan Bank member. The lenders approved PPP loans totaling $3.33 million, and transmitted those funds to Rabbitt’s businesses. Rabbitt and Aguilar also submitted fraudulent applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Based on false statements in those applications, the SBA approved EIDLs to three of Rabbitt’s businesses, totaling approximately $447,000.
After receiving the PPP and EIDL funds, Rabbitt and Aguilar transferred those funds to other businesses that Aguilar created to give the false appearance that the PPP and EIDL funds were being used for legitimate purposes. Aguilar and Rabbitt then used the PPP and EIDL funds for personal expenses.
Rabbitt and Aguilar also engaged in identity theft, by submitting an EIDL application using the name and identifying information of an individual who did not authorize the use of that information.
Rabbitt is also charged with making a false statement on a loan application, including with respect to her gross monthly income, in order to obtain financing to purchase a new truck from a Monmouth County car dealership.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca in New York; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Sharon MacDermott; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge is Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David V. Simunovich of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Health Care Fraud Unit, in Newark.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
FREEHOLD –On Wednesday April 19, 2023, Herbert Standard, 43, of Eatontown, was sentenced to ten years in a New Jersey State Prison on a first-degree Possession of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute an amount in excess of 5 ounces before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Chad Cagan.
Standard previously entered a plea on August 1, 2022.
On March 24, 2021, police from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Narcotics Strike Force, Keansburg Police Department, Eatontown Police Department, Oceanport Police Department, and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Department executed search warrants at the Crystal Inn in Eatontown and a residence in Oceanport after conducting a three-month long investigation. Upon executing the warrants, police seized over 300 grams of cocaine, over an ounce of fentanyl, and over 6 ounces of marijuana.
This case was handled by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Emily Cartmell. Standard is being represented by Mitchell J. Ansell of Ocean, New Jersey.
MOUNT LAUREL, NJ (BURLINGTON)–Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Mount Laurel Police Chief Judy Lynn Schiavone announced that an investigation is being conducted into the death of a man whose body was found this morning at the Rodeway Inn on Route 73 in Mount Laurel.
The investigation began after officers from the Mount Laurel Police Department were called to the hotel just before 10 a.m. They found the decedent, whose name is being withheld at this time, outside of a room near a stairwell.
An autopsy will be performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood to determine the cause and manner of death.
A person of interest has been taken into custody. Additional information will be released tomorrow.
The investigation is being conducted by the Mount Laurel Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Camden County Police Department, the Cherry Hill Police Department and the Evesham Township Police Department.
Nurses were recognized for their exceptional care, expertise and leadership in nursing
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Several RWJBarnabas Health nurses were recognized with 2023 Professional Development Awards by the New Jersey Emergency Nurses Association (NJ ENA) at the recent NJ ENA Emergency Care Conference in Atlantic City. These awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of emergency nursing in the state and promote NJ ENA’s mission of advocating for patient safety and excellence in nursing practice. Awards received include the Pediatric Readiness Award, the Advance Practice Nurse Award, the Clinical Nurse Leadership Award and the Nursing Practice and Professionalism Award.
“We are extremely proud of the amazing work our Emergency Department nurses do every day and are pleased to congratulate our NJ ENA award recipients on their achievements. This statewide recognition is a testament to the team’s hard work and the commitment our nurses have to their fellow clinicians, patients and the community,” said Christopher Freer, DO, Senior Vice President of Emergency and Hospitalist Medicine at RWJBarnabas Health.
The Pediatric Readiness Award, which recognizes a nurse who has demonstrated outstanding efforts to improve readiness in caring for children in the emergency care setting, was given to Katarzyna Wolan, RN, Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Partnering with pediatric Emergency Department (ED) physicians, Wolan led code simulations and facilitated restructuring of supplies and equipment. Her skills enable her to work and collaborate with a variety of health care professionals in the ED, transport, and referring hospitals.
Kristen Denaro, MSN, APN, NP-C, Clara Maass Medical Center, won the Advance Practice Nurse Award which recognizes nurses excellence and compassion as an advanced practice nurse in an emergency care setting. With Denaro’s strong clinical knowledge and outstanding bedside care, she is recognized for advancing the development of the ED. Denaro is highly regarded for supporting the development of the Express Care area to expedite patient care and trialing an area for low acuity patients where she acted as both the patients APN and ED RN.
The Clinical Nurse Leadership Award was awarded to Maria Aponte, MPA, BSN, RN, Administrative Director for Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Emergency Department. This award recognizes a nurse who has consistently demonstrated excellence in the profession of emergency nursing and has made significant contributions through an emergency nursing management role. Aponte’s peers recognize her leadership, empathy, compassion, and courage through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. She is a leader of her team as well as an active participant who holds the team accountable to yield impressive results.
Krystal Diaz, RN, BSN, Pediatric Emergency nurse at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, was recognized for the 2023 Nursing Practice and Professionalism Award, which recognizes a nurse who exemplifies outstanding emergency nursing practice as demonstrated through clinical skills, care, and compassion. This nurse consistently performs above and beyond the requirements of the job description in delivering quality care to patients. Diaz, specializing in pediatrics and trauma, focuses on the wellness of patients, families, and the team and approaches challenging situations with a positive and “can do” attitude. She is also highly regarded as a mentor who provides constructive feedback.
“The NJ ENA showcases the best of the best in the state and the recognition of these four individuals is incredibly well-deserved,” said Nancy E. Holecek, Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at RWJBarnabas Health. “Each of these outstanding nurses have made a difference this past year and it’s an honor for them to be acknowledged for their dedication, skill, compassion and contributions to the healthcare industry in New Jersey.”
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