CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ (CAPE MAY) – Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, and Chief Robert Regalbuto of the Wildwood Police Department announce the arrest of DaJohn L. Taylor, 18 years old from Hightstown, NJ for first degree murder charges.
On June 11, 2023, at approximately 2:23 a.m., the Wildwood Police Department received an emergency 911 telephone call for a disturbance in the area of Magnolia and Atlantic Avenue. Shortly thereafter, officers from the Wildwood Police Department responded to the scene and discovered Kaiden Braithwaite, 20 years old from Cliffwood, NJ deceased from numerous stab wounds.
On this same date, detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Wildwood Police Department responded to the scene and immediately initiated a homicide investigation. The initial investigation revealed that one (1) group of individuals were walking by 307 East Magnolia Avenue at approximately 2:15 a.m. and had a verbal argument with a 2nd group of individuals standing on the porch of the above-mentioned residence. The verbal dispute escalated to physical altercation at which time, DaJohn Taylor stabbed Braithwaite and two other individuals multiple times. Taylor then fled the scene.
Detectives from the Prosecutor’s Office and Wildwood Police Department with the assistance of the East Windsor and Hightstown Police Departments, continued this homicide investigation. On the evening of June 11, 2023, 1st degree murder charges, along with Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purpose, a crime of the 3rd degree and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, a crime of the 4th degree were filed against Taylor.*
On the afternoon of June 12, 2023, DaJohn Taylor turned himself into the Wildwood Police Department at which time additional charges of Attempted Homicide, a crime of the 1st degree and (2) counts of Aggravated Assault, crimes of the 2nd degree were filed against Taylor. * Taylor was then processed and lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending Court proceedings.
According to Prosecutor Sutherland, an individual convicted of the crime of first-degree murder can be sentenced to 30 years to life in New Jersey State Prison. Other first-degree crimes can carry a sentence between 10 and 20 years in State Prison and second-degree crimes can carry a sentence of between 5 and 10 years.
Prosecutor Sutherland commends the cooperation and the intensive investigative efforts of all the law enforcement agencies who assisted with this homicide investigation.
”This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges may be filed.” Prosecutor Sutherland urges anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact the Major Crimes Unit of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, the Wildwood Police Department at 609-522-0222, or anonymously on the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office website at cmcpo.tips. Information can also be anonymously sent to the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip line at cmcsheriff.net and click on anonymous tip, or though the Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597.
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)–At 6:13 p.m., Robbinsville and Bordentown Township Fire Departments along with EMS were dispatched to the New Jersey Turnpike mile post 60.4 north bound outer lanes at Exit 7A for a jackknifed tractor trailer. When firefighters arrived, it was determined that there were no injuries but there was a small fuel leak near the saddle tanks. Firefighters remained on scene for a brief time. A tow truck operator arrived and towed the vehicle. The New Jersey State Police is investigating the crash. No further details are available.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a Palmyra man who pled guilty to using social media to coax underage boys into sending him nude pictures and videos, then using that material to blackmail his victims into performing sexual acts on themselves for his enjoyment, was sentenced today to 25 years in state prison.
Sean Higgins, 32, committed the crimes in 2020 while serving as the youth pastor and music leader at Harbor Baptist Church in Hainesport. He was also a teacher at the Harbor Baptist Academy, a private K-12 school that is housed in the same facility.
Higgins pled guilty earlier this year to four counts of Endangering the Welfare of Children (three First Degree and one Third Degree). Each count represented a separate victim. He was not charged with having physical contact with his victims, and none of the charges involved members of the church congregation or students at the school.
He must serve 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence was handed down in Superior Court in Mount Holly before the Hon. Christopher J. Garrenger, J.S.C. Higgins has been lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly since being taken into custody at his residence in October 2020.
The investigation revealed that Higgins would adopt the persona of a teenage girl and utilize Snapchat and Instagram to begin a conversation with a juvenile male, introducing himself as Julie Miller. After establishing a rapport, he would suggest that they trade photos. Higgins would then send pictures of an unidentified female teenager.
In return, Higgins would often receive nude photos that the victims took of themselves. Immediately upon receiving those images, he would take a screenshot of the victim’s friends list that was visible on the forward-facing social media platform. Higgins would send that screenshot back to the victim and threaten to send the nude photos he had just received to the victim’s friends list unless the victim did exactly what Higgins demanded.
In most of the cases that were investigated, Higgins then demanded that his victims go into the bathroom at their residence and place the phone on the floor, or at an angle looking up, and would instruct the victims to masturbate or perform sexual acts on themselves. Higgins would record what was transpiring.
According to the videos made by Higgins that were obtained during the investigation, victims would often beg Higgins to be allowed to stop engaging in sexual conduct, but Higgins would demand that they complete his instructions, or face the consequences of having the recordings he was making of the incident be sent to their list of friends.
“The crimes committed by this defendant are among the cruelest, most depraved ever prosecuted by this office,” Prosecutor Bradshaw said. “Some of these victims contemplated suicide to get out from under the extreme anguish that accompanied the defendant’s debauched, unrelenting demands. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important it is for parents to routinely discuss with their children the dangers that lurk in cyberspace.”
The investigation began in 2020 after a youth in Berks County, Pa., contacted Snapchat and reported that he sent nude photos of himself to someone he believed to be an unknown female. The unknown female, who in actuality was Higgins, had threatened to expose his nude photographs after they exchanged pictures.
“Sexual exploitation of a child is a repulsive crime that lasts a lifetime and Sean Higgins betrayed the trust of his community by victimizing children,” said Homeland Security Investigations Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners around the clock to protect our children from predators.”
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit, the Cinnaminson Township Police Department and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill, all of which are members of the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Multiple state and local agencies assisted in confirming the identities of additional victims once investigators became aware of their existence.
“Sexual exploitation of a child is a repulsive crime that lasts a lifetime and Sean Higgins betrayed the trust of his community by victimizing children,” said HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners around the clock to protect our children from predators.”
Higgins was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Eife, supervisor of the BCPO Special Victims Unit.
Sean Higgins, 32, sentenced today to 25 years in state prison
Order Follows Last Week’s Announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Rescinding the Federal Vaccination Requirement
June 12, 2023
TRENTON – Following recent changes to federal requirements regarding COVID-19 vaccines, Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order (EO) No. 332 to lift the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health care settings in New Jersey.
An executive order signed on April 3, 2023 previously lifted the requirement for employees in health care settings who were not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations to undergo routine testing, while also lifting both the COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for workers in congregate settings. Today’s EO lifts the remaining requirement that health care settings maintain a policy requiring their workers to be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations.
“Today’s order aligns our state with recent updates to federal requirements and reflects our different circumstances now, as compared to the past few years. My Administration will continue to take responsible steps to adjust New Jersey’s COVID-19 policies and guidance accordingly,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and I continue to encourage all residents to stay up to date on their vaccinations. Vaccination remains a key public health tool to help protect our health care workers and the patients in their care.”
Health care settings include, but are not limited to, long-term care facilities; psychiatric and specialty hospitals; long-term residential substance abuse disorder treatment facilities; clinic-based setting such as Federally Qualified Health Centers and family planning sites; and community-based health care settings such as pediatric and adult medical day care programs.
The changes come after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it will rescind and no longer enforce its rule requiring most employees of Medicare and Medicaid-certified health care providers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for that provider to be eligible to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. EO No. 332 brings New Jersey in line with these changes.
The EO was also prompted by recent changes to the Emergency Use Authorizations of the COVID-19 vaccines that were issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which clarified that individuals can now receive one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer bivalent mRNA vaccine regardless of their prior vaccination status.
As with the previous executive order, individual employers may continue to require vaccination or testing protocols in excess of these statewide requirements and the New Jersey Department of Heath may continue to track vaccination data in respect to healthcare settings.
This executive order takes effect immediately.
For a copy of Executive Order No. 332, click here.
Twelve local families agreed to adopt individual plots of land in the garden for one year and learn how to grow healthy produce using sustainable gardening practices, with the guidance of a Master Gardener and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s own Registered Dietician Nutritionist, Taryn Krietzman. At the end of the year, the families can choose to renew or pass their plot to another family.
“Our collective hope is that these families will take what they have learned, share their knowledge with family and friends, and plant a garden plot or potted plants at home or throughout the community,” says Diane Grillo, Vice President of Health Promotion at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton. “Families can feel empowered to take ownership, proudly engage in land stewardship, and pass along knowledge in their own community and cultural context.”
The Farm to Family Community Garden expands Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s already successful Farm to Family nutrition education, health screening, and food security programs hosted at Hamilton Township’s Bromley Community Center and John O. Wilson Center. These initiatives are part of the RWJBarnabas Health Social Impact and Community Investment (SICI) practice and 100% free-to-participate. The new community garden was built alongside the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Community Field, a turf soccer field opened in the summer of 2021 in collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, The PDA Urban initiative, and Hamilton Township. The field is also part of the RWJBarnabas Health Social Impact and Community Investment (SICI) practice and provides a safe space for children in the community to stay active, promotes their physical and mental health, and keeps them away from other potential distractions and negative influences.
According to the American Medical Association, 50% of an individual’s overall health is directly influenced by socioeconomic and environmental factors, such as economic stability, neighborhood and built environment, education access and quality, and healthcare access and quality. Social determinants of health like these can have a major impact on the overall health and well-being of individuals and neighborhoods alike.
The Farm to Family Community Garden, the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Community Field, and related programs represent a multifaceted approach to address negative social determinants of health by improving the safety and beautification of neighborhoods, encouraging outdoor physical and mindfulness activities, supporting economic stability, and provide access to health care services—among other benefits.
“Our hospital’s efforts to continue connecting with every individual and family in the surrounding area with healthy spaces, such as the community garden, helps to better serve as a point of early intervention for medical care, specialty care services, and as a resource for referrals in every aspect of life and well-being,” says Richard Freeman, President & CEO of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton. “Programs like this, in addition to access to quality care, play a critical role in our society’s healthcare ecosystem.”
“The Farm to Family Community Garden is also perfect example of how public-private partnerships can contribute to the optimal health and well-being of our local communities,” says Grillo.
The garden was made possible by the commitment of many local leaders, organizations and businesses, including Hamilton Township, Mayor Jeff Martin of Hamilton, and Fred Dumont, Director of Community & Economic Development for Hamilton Township; Sharbell Development Corp.; Catholic Youth Organization of (CYO) of Mercer County; Truist Bank; the Rotary Club of Hamilton Township, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s Community Impact Alliance; Isles Inc.; Snipes Farm and Education Center; Costello’s Ace Hardware of Mercerville; and the original Farm to Family funders, Wawa and the Holman Foundation.
The RWJBarnabas Health Social Impact and Community Investment (SICI) practice leverages the system’s broad range of assets to advance a culture of health and improve the quality of life for communities in New Jersey and throughout the globe. With an emphasis on ensuring health equity, the practice of SICI is rooted in strategic policy change, combined with evidence based and innovative programs that address the social, economic, and environmental conditions that have a significant impact on health outcomes. Visit our website to earn more about The RWJBarnabas Health Social Impact and Community Investment (SICI) practice.
Local community members interested in learning more and participating in any of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s Farm to Family programs, Community Education or Better Health Programs are encouraged to contact the Health Connection team by email to CommunityEdHAM@rwjbh.org or by phone at (609) 584-5900.
Visit rwjbh.org/HamiltonPrograms to view Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s monthly program calendar online and register for programs.
RWJBarnabas Health, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, community partners, and local residents participate in the Farm to Family Community Garden opening ceremonies at Bromley Field & Sports Complex in Hamilton Township, NJ.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, Director Brendan McIntyre of the Plainsboro Police Department, Chief Raymond Hayducka of the South Brunswick Police Department and Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, announce today, that a Raritan man has pled guilty to first- degree Aggravated Sexual Assault.
On September 28, 2021, between 4:30 P.M. and 5:00 P.M., an adult woman was walking on a path in the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park on the border of Plainsboro and South Brunswick, when she was approached by an individual armed with a knife. A male dragged her into a wooded area, demanded money and sexually assaulted her. After an extensive investigation by members of law enforcement, including but not limited to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Plainsboro Police Department, South Brunswick Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, and Raritan Borough Police Department, the male who attacked the victim was identified as Rogelio Calyeca Postrero, 38, of Raritan, New Jersey.
Calyeca Postrero was charged with first-degree Kidnapping, two counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, second-degree Sexual Assault, first-degree Robbery, third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and fourth-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
On June 8, 2023, Calyeca Postrero pled before the Honorable Benjamin
S. Bucca, J.S.C., to first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault. He is subject to a sentence of 20 years in a New Jersey State Prison pursuant to the No Early Release Act and will be on parole supervision for life and must register under Megan’s Law. Calyeca Postrero is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Benjamin S. Bucca, J.S.C., on October 30, 2023.
By Lt. Gillian Gerton & Chief Petty Officer Cynthia Oldham
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — The Coast Guard is celebrating 25 years of operations at Air Station Atlantic City, a helicopter unit based at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
Since Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City’s creation in 1998, after Air Station Brooklyn and Air Station Cape May merged, the southern New Jersey-based helicopter crews have flown on more than 7,000 search and rescue cases, dedicating more than 11,000 flight hours to aiding people in distress − and have accumulated more than 182,548 flight hours (equal to more than 20 years) supporting critical Coast Guard missions.
When Air Station Brooklyn and Air Station Cape May combined two-and-a-half decades ago, the new air station’s area of operations spanned both the First and Fifth Coast Guard districts, providing aerial mission support to New England and the Mid-Atlantic. The newly formed air station was the Coast Guard’s newest and largest single airframe unit, where its crew stood ready to respond at a moment’s notice to an emergency along much of the East coast.
Although established in 1998, the longstanding history of the air station’s pioneers, idea-makers, and true heroes, solidifies that Air Station Atlantic City’s impact is greater than that of a military unit. Today’s operational successes flourished from nearly a hundred years of hard work, innovation, and lessons from previous Coast Guard aviators.
One of Air Station Atlantic City’s two predecessor units, Coast Guard Air Station Cape May, was commissioned in 1926 as the Coast Guard’s first air station. In October 1926, Chief Petty Officer Charles Thrun, the Coast Guard’s third pilot and first enlisted aviator, flew the first of three amphibian biplanes into Cape May, New Jersey. In 1935, Thrun became the service’s first aviation-related death after his aircraft crashed into the waters off Cape May.
In honor of Thrun’s legacy and commitment to lifesaving service, the Coast Guard’s air assets and crews continued to grow their capabilities. Air Station Cape May aircrews soon became a reliable and critical resource for search and rescue, prohibition enforcement, and even presidential support.
Cape May aircrews conducted the first aerial security patrol in U.S. history when they supported Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fleet Review off the entrance to New York Harbor. Unbeknownst to the Coast Guard aircrew providing presidential support, their mission foreshadowed the formation of Air Station Atlantic City’s current Rotary Wing Air Intercept Mission.
A critical mission today, Air Station Atlantic City pilots and aircrews who serve the Coast Guard’s unique Rotary Wing Air Intercept Mission, fly in our nation’s capital region protecting the airspace over Washington, D.C., and across the country, providing air support and security for the president.
The National Capital Region Air Defense Facility was established in 2006 at Washington National Airport as a sub-unit of Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City − the only Coast Guard operated facility supporting Operation Noble Eagle, a North American Aerospace Defense Command mission initiated to protect the airspace of the U.S. and Canada following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In its first year of operations, NCRADF Coast Guard aircrews made 93 intercepts. Over the last decade, Coast Guard helicopter crews halted more than 240 unauthorized aircraft and provided more than 2,400 hours of support to presidential security missions.
The other half of Coast Guard aviation history that inspired the establishment of Air Station Atlantic City, was the influential success of Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn in New York.
When New York’s first municipal airport, Floyd Bennett Field, opened in 1931 its airfield was mostly used for general aviation and ideal for record breaking due to its long concrete runways and unobstructed approaches over Jamaica Bay. The airfield drew many high visibility pilots such as Wiley Post, Howard Hughes, and Amelia Earhart.
Nearly five years after the Brooklyn airfield opened, New York Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia announced that the city of New York signed a 50-year lease for the U.S. Coast Guard to run operations out of the field.
Two years later, in April 1938, the Coast Guard established Air Station Brooklyn.
Shortly after the Coast Guard’s commissioning ceremony, a civilian plane crashed into the bay. Coast Guard rescue aircrews from the newly established air station quickly launched and rescued five survivors from the wreckage.
The unit’s first lifesaving rescue of five lives reinforced the unit’s value to the region and the Coast Guard’s value to the American people.
Air Station Brooklyn service members expanded their role and grew to take on multiple Coast Guard missions from search and rescue, helicopter training and development, and security patrols during World War II.
Fifty years later, Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn was disbanded after Air Station Atlantic City was established. Its facility is still serving the nation, as home to the New York Police Department’s Aviation Unit.
While Coast Guard sentinels continue to stand watch today from their south New Jersey air station, the most valued air missions are the ones that result in saved lives. Since 1998, Air Station Atlantic City aircrews have saved more than 600 lives and assisted the lives of more than 700 people.
The impact and inspiration from past generations of Coast Guard members is why Air Station Atlantic City search and rescue aircrews could bring 1,310 distressed mariners back to their families on shore.
Coast Guard members who serve at Air Station Atlantic City recognize – every single day – the sacrifices of the Coast Guard men and women who paved the way for today’s Coast Guard. The devotion of Coast Guard crews who served in Cape May and in New York is revered and their courage will continue to inspire future generations of Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City Coast Guardsmen.
Air Station Atlantic City supports a wide range of Coast Guard operations, such as search and rescue, law enforcement, port security, and marine environmental protection for both New England and the Mid-Atlantic. They maintain 12 MH-65D Dolphin Helicopters, two of which are always ready, in a 30-minute response status, to be quickly airborne and enroute at speeds in excess of 175 mph.
Petty Officer 1st Class Troy Lupo-Mack, an aviation maintenance technician stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, is aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter during a flight over New York City on April 20, 2023. The air station supports a wide range of Coast Guard operations, such as search and rescue, law enforcement, port security, and marine environmental protection for the Mid-Atlantic and New England. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Carmen Caver)
Petty Officer 1st Class Karah Lupo-Mack, a health services technician stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, is aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter during a flight over New York City on April 20, 2023. The air station supports a wide range of Coast Guard operations, such as search and rescue, law enforcement, port security, and marine environmental protection for the Mid-Atlantic and New England, and Lupo-Mack serves as the first line of healthcare and wellness defense for the aircrews in flight and when they return from missions. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Carmen Caver)
Petty Officer 1st Class Karah Lupo-Mack, a health services technician, and Petty Officer 1st Class Troy Lupo-Mack, an aviation maintenance technician, both stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, are aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter during a flight over New York City on April 20, 2023. The couple serve together at the air station which supports a wide range of Coast Guard operations, such as search and rescue, law enforcement, port security, and marine environmental protection for the Mid-Atlantic and New England. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Carmen Caver)
SANDY HOOK, NJ (MONMOUTH)–NEW YORK — Members of the Coast Guard, along with several federal, regional, state and local law enforcement and emergency management agencies are scheduled to come together in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, Tuesday, to participate in a full-scale exercise designed to enhance coordination in conducting responses to emergent threats in the Port of New York and New Jersey, New York Harbor and surrounding ports and waterways.
Boaters may notice increased law enforcement activity near ports in New Jersey, New York and the lower tri-state area. Boaters and those with visual access to impacted waterways should be aware there are no known threats in the area and the exercise is being conducted as part of our ongoing commitment to proactive interagency engagement.
Exercise activities will be limited to specific areas and should not significantly impact marine traffic.
The primary focus of the exercise is to practice, evaluate and make recommendations for responding to emergent threats in the maritime theater.
This homeland security exercise is based on the Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP). The AMSTEP is focused on building relationships within the federal maritime security domain to write, review and update the area maritime security plan, in addition to supporting other transportation entities that rely upon secure ports. As the federal maritime security coordinator, the Coast Guard has the lead in coordinating such exercises.
“The opportunity to practice homeland security capabilities in a realistic exercise is critical in ensuring that we are aligned with our indispensable partners at the local, state and federal level and bringing everyone resources to bear,” said Capt. Zeita Merchant, the Coast Guard Sector New York commander and Captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey. “In my role as the federal maritime security coordinator, it is important to conduct these training and exercise programs to protect Americans, the U.S. maritime industry, commerce and the Marine Transportation System as a whole. This allows us to continue to live up to our Coast Guard motto of Semper Paratus, Always Ready!”
EAST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–Mayor Janice S. Mironov issued a Mayoral Proclamation recognizing and congratulating the East Windsor Regional School District Melvin H. Kreps Middle School Baseball Team for making history by playing undefeated for the entire 2023 season.
The Mayoral Proclamation, noting that the Kreps Middle School Baseball Team “made history by playing undefeated for the entire 2023 season,” states the Team “showed terrific character and determination during their undefeated season and their success has generated tremendous community pride and spirit within the entire East Windsor-Hightstown community.” The Proclamation continues, “The skills, energy and cooperative efforts by Team Captains Yanni Moraitis and Jackson Shannon, along with players James Boswell, Brian Drews, Benjamin Glatt, Slater Hauck, Shlok Kapoor, Zachary Nagle, Lucas Nunez, Humberto Rincon, Benjamin Rivenburgh, Seth Spearnock, Trevor Thompson, Evan Treese and James Whittington and coaches Evan Morris and Rob Cook led to the Team’s successful historic undefeated season.”
The Kreps Middle School Team defeated baseball teams from neighboring communities including West Windsor-Plainsboro District Community Middle School and Thomas R. Grover Middle School, Ewing Fisher Middle School, Hopewell Valley District Timberlane Middle School, Millstone Township Middle School, Princeton Middle School, Robbinsville Pond Road Middle School and the Cranbury School.
Mayor Mironov stated, “We are excited to recognize and celebrate the East Windsor Regional School District Melvin H. Kreps Middle School Baseball Team Champions for their historic undefeated season. This is an incredible team who demonstrated outstanding training, great skills, determination and spirit, and more importantly worked together as an effective team, to achieve these historic victories. Each player brought their individual talents and strengths to the team and along with effective coaching, and support of parents and community, they were able to go all the way. On behalf of the Township Council and the entire community, we want to congratulate this awesome Baseball Team and express how proud we are of the Team and every single player.”
Mayor Janice S. Mironov presented a Mayoral Proclamation congratulating the East Windsor Regional School District Melvin H. Kreps Middle School Baseball Team Champions on their historic undefeated 2023 season. Pictured (from left to right) are: (front row) Benjamin Rivenburgh; Zachary Nagle; Shlok Kapoor; Mayor Janice S. Mironov; Coach Evan Morris; Co-Captain Jackson Shannon and Slater Hauck. (back row) James Whittington; Trevor Thompson; Seth Spearnock; Humberto Rincon; James Boswell; Brian Drews and Evan Treese.
The gofundme for FDNY Firefighter Mark Batista sponsored by FDNY Engine 226 reads: Still can’t believe any of this is real and we’re having trouble finding the words. Our brother Mark Batista, from Engine 226, passed away June 9th, 2023 while saving his daughter from drowning. In one final act of love and heroism, he jumped in after his daughter, Leann, who was caught in a rip current. His son Jhonner called 911 having witnessed what just happened and rescuers were able to save his daughter. She is alive and well. Tragically, Mark was found shortly after and had passed away.
Mark always put his family first. In many conversations, he would describe how his loving wife, Lenin, brings him peace. How proud he is of his sons and how his princess Leann was his world. He would visit his grandmother at a nursing home before and after every tour he worked and when he wasn’t responding to the various emergencies of New York City, he would be FaceTiming his daughter and speaking to members about fatherhood.
In the firehouse, he was always a pleasure to work with. Always keeping a positive outlook on life. He was very loved and respected. You knew you had someone you can count on to get the job done if he was working.
While we stand in solace with Mark’s family during this time, his family has a long tough road ahead. His passing leaves behind the family he worked so hard to support. He is survived by his loving wife Lenin, his two sons Derek and Jhonner and of course his daughter Leann. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards supporting the family during this trying time.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York wrote:
It is with a heavy heart that the UFA announce the death of Active Firefighter Mark Batista from Engine 226.
This tragic and sudden loss is devastating to all who knew him and worked with him, especially his family. Through his many years of service, first as an EMT and then as a Firefighter for the past 10 years, he showed how much of a hard worker he is and someone who loves his family. During this difficult time, the UFA will continue to support his family and his firehouse as they continue to grieve his loss.
JAMESBURG, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Jamesburg Chief of Police James Craparotta announced today that on Sunday, June 11, 2023, a body was found in Thompson Park Lake.
On Sunday, June 11, 2023, at approximately 10:26 AM Jamesburg Police Department received a 911 call reporting that a deceased male was found in Thompson Park Lake.
An initial investigation by Detective Jim Dennis of the Jamesburg Police Department and Detective Javier Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined that the deceased male was Trinidad Perez, 36, of Jamesburg.
Perez had no obvious signs of trauma to his body. An autopsy will be conducted by the Middlesex County medical examiner’s office where an official cause of death will then be determined.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Dennis of the Jamesburg Police Department at (732) 521-0011 or Detective Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745- 8843.
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