Day: January 26, 2024

Lawrence, Mercer County

Firefighters Extinguish House Fire In Lawrence Township

January 26, 2024

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–On Friday, January 26, 2024 at approximately 1:30 p.m., the Lawrence Township Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting smoke coming from a nearby neighbor’s residence at 175 Johnson Ave (Eggerts Crossing Village). Officers responded to find visible fire on the second floor of the home. The residents were not home at the time that the fire was reported.

There were no injuries, however the home sustained significant damage. The American Red Cross responded to the scene to aid the displaced family.

The fire was placed under control at 2:11 p.m. by Lawrence Township Fire Chief, Jack Oakley. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Lawrence Township Police Department, Lawrence Township Fire Marshal’s Office and the Mercer County Prosecutors Office.

Members of the Lawrence Township Fire Department were assisted by area fire departments from Hamilton Township, City of Trenton and Ewing Township.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Lawrence Township Police Detective Suzanne Girard at 609-844-7124 / sgirard@lawrencetwp.com

East Windsor, East Windsor, Mercer County

East Windsor Man Charged in Connection with His Father’s Death

January 26, 2024

EAST WINDSOR, NJ (MERCER)–Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri and East Windsor Police Chief Jason A. Hart announced today that a man has been charged in connection with his father’s death.

Yu Chavarria, 23, is charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter.  The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Chavarria pending trial.

East Windsor police responded to a residence on Twin Rivers Drive North at approximately 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 25, on a report of an unconscious male.  Upon arrival, officers found a tenant of the property, identified as 58-year-old Edgar Chavarria, on the kitchen floor bleeding from the head and face.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation revealed that the father and son got into a verbal argument Thursday morning that turned into a physical altercation, with Yu Chavarria striking his father in the face multiple times with his fist and then once with his head. 

The charges are the result of an investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the East Windsor Township Police Department, specifically MCHTF Detective Tim Bruey and East Windsor Detective Joe Zucchero.

Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Yu Chavarria, 23, is charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter.  The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Chavarria pending trial.

Police investigating the death of 58-year-old Edgar Chavarria at his residence on Twin Rivers Drive North. His son Yu Chavarria, 23, is charged with the crime. Photos by: Dennis Symons

Barnegat, Ocean County

Fatal Accident Reported on Garden State Parkway in Barnegat Twp.

January 26, 2024

BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP, NJ (OCEAN)–Police say that NJ State Troopers responded at 5:00 p.m. January 25, 2024, to a motor vehicle crash on the Garden State Parkway south bound milepost 68.2, Barnegat Township, Ocean County. Based on a preliminary investigation George M Francis, a 34-year-old male of Lanoka Harbor, NJ was operating a Infiniti EX35 south on the GSP with front passenger Bridget Francis, a 34-year-old female of Lanoka Harbor, NJ and two rear seat passenger juveniles. In the area of milepost 68.2 the vehicle ran off the road to the right, traveled down an embankment and impacted a retaining wall and multiple trees. During the collision sequence the driver was ejected and sustained fatal injuries, the front passenger sustained serious injuries and the juveniles sustained no injuries. The crash remains under investigation and there is no additional information available.