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Police & Fire
Former NJ Child Services Caseworker Admits Collecting Kid Porn Former NJ Child Services Caseworker Admits Collecting Kid Porn
Former NJ Child Services Caseworker Admits Collecting Kid Porn 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 57-year-old former caseworker for the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency admitted collecting images of victims as young as toddlers being sexually abused, federal authorities said. Authorities found images on his cellphone after Trent Collier, 57, of Kearny, arrived at Newark Airport on a flight from the Dominican Republic, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Collier was targeted because he'd apparently exchanged images on the phone while out of the country, investigators said. He ended up taking a deal from the government rather than risking the potential ou…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Duo Attempts Three Burglaries: Fairfield PD Duo Attempts Three Burglaries: Fairfield PD
Duo Attempts Three Burglaries: Fairfield PD Two people attempted three home burglaries in Fairfield on the early morning of Saturday, May 25, authorities said. Between 4 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. the burglaries attempted to break into homes on Stag Trial, Henning Drive and Kevin Terrace, Fairfield police said in a release. In all three instances, screens were removed from first floor windows in an attempt to gain access into the homes, police said.  All three were unsuccessful thanks to the windows being locked, police said. All three homes had BMWs in the driveway, police said. One suspect was dressed in all black while the oth…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Man Shot In Newark: Police Man Shot In Newark: Police
Man Shot In Newark: Police A man was shot in Newark on the afternoon of Sunday May 26, authorities said. At 1 p.m., police responded to Irvine Turner Boulevard and Marie Place and found a man who had been shot, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said. He was transported to University Hospital and is in stable condition, Fragé said. The shooting remains under investigation, Fragé said.

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark
Holiday Traveler Packed Handgun, 30 Rounds In Carry-On: TSA Newark A local man was seized when he tried to bring not only a loaded gun but also two magazines onto a flight at Newark Airport over the holiday weekend, authorities said. A TSA officer detected the 9mm handgun and the 30 rounds of ammo at they passed through a Terminal A security checkpoint X-ray machine in the Newark resident's carry-on bag on Saturday, May 25, the Transportation Security Administration's Lisa Farbstein said. Port Authority police were summoned and seized the gun, ammo and traveler, she said. In addition to criminal charges, he faces up to $15,000 in civil penalties, she said…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
ShopRite Cashier Pepper Sprayed: Newark PD ShopRite Cashier Pepper Sprayed: Newark PD
ShopRite Cashier Pepper Sprayed: Newark PD A cashier at ShopRite was pepper sprayed by a 17-year-old in Newark on Thursday May 23, authorities said. At 12:20 p.m., the cashier was pepper sprayed following an altercation with the 17-year-old at the ShopRite on Springfield Avenue, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said. The cashier was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and is in stable condition, Fragé said. The juvenile was arrested and faces charges of aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and harassment, Fragé said.  

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Six-Year-Old Struck By Vehicle: Linden PD Six-Year-Old Struck By Vehicle: Linden PD
Six-Year-Old Struck By Vehicle: Linden PD A six-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle in Linden on Friday, May 24, authorities said. The girl was struck while crossing W. St. George Avenue, Linden police said in a release. She was transported to Newark University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. No other injuries were reported, police said. W. St. George Avenue was closed westbound at N. Stiles Street for two hours following the crash, police said. The crash remains under investigation by the Linden Police Traffic Bureau. 

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Eight Hospitalized In Newark Deck Collapse, Police Say Eight Hospitalized In Newark Deck Collapse, Police Say
Eight Hospitalized In Newark Deck Collapse, Police Say Eight people suffered minor injuries in a deck collapse Memorial Day Weekend, police said. Eight adults were taken to the hospital after the staircase of the porch collapsed just before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 26, Newark police said. The incident happened at a home on Kearny Street near Summer Avenue. No further information was available.

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out
Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out An out-of-state man admitted collecting 13 pounds of fentanyl at a warehouse in Secaucus, authorities said. Unidentified individuals loaded boxes filled with powder and more than 20,000 pills containing fentanyl into a vehicle driven by Jose Luis Pineda Torres, 48, of Washington State on Feb. 15, 2023, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. DEA agents subsequently charged Torres with possessing fentanyl for sale. Torres took a deal from the government, pleading guilty to the charge in U.S. District Court in Newark. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 29. Sellinger cred…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Former Hudson Clothing Store Manager Who Shared Child Porn Gets 10 Years, No Early Release Former Hudson Clothing Store Manager Who Shared Child Porn Gets 10 Years, No Early Release
Former Hudson Clothing Store Manager Who Shared Child Porn Gets 10 Years, No Early Release A former clothing store manager from Jersey City who shared videos of infant and toddler pornography was sentenced to a plea-bargained 10 years in federal prison, after which he's expected to be deported. Ramy Mercado, 29, transmitted more than 20 child sex abuse videos and expressed a "desire for sexual encounters with young children," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Mercado took a deal from the government rather than risk the potential outcome of a jury trial. He pleaded guilty to child porn possession, as well as to naturalization fraud, in exchange for leniency at sen…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Illegal Drug OD Kills 12-Year-Old Girl, Fort Lee Woman Charged UPDATE: Illegal Drug OD Kills 12-Year-Old Girl, Fort Lee Woman Charged
Update: Illegal Drug OD Kills 12-Year-Old Girl, Fort Lee Woman Charged UPDATE (May 31, 2024): A 48-year-old Fort Lee mom was charged with aggravated manslaughter for the drug overdose death of her 12-year-old daughter. Frances Caso was initially jailed on various child endangerment and drug possession charges after onetime child model Trinity Caso Perez overdosed on May 25. Further investigation led to the more serious charge, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Friday, May 31. Fort Lee police responding to a 3:34 p.m. call last Saturday found the lifeless child at Caso's Maple Street home. The youngster was pronounced dead soon after at Hackensack…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
4-Year-Old Boy Drowns In NJ Pool, Prosecutor Says 4-Year-Old Boy Drowns In NJ Pool, Prosecutor Says
4-Year-Old Boy Drowns In NJ Pool, Prosecutor Says Police are investigating the drowning of a boy in a Central Jersey town over Memorial Day Weekend. The 4-year-old was found lifeless in a residential pool in North Brunswick around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, May 25, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and North Brunswick Police Chief Joseph Battaglia said. Upon their arrival, authorities performed CPR on the boy, who was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, Ciccone said. The incident is being investigated by Detective John Hanrahan of the North Brunswick Police Department who…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Three Shot In Paterson, Two From Out Of State Three Shot In Paterson, Two From Out Of State
Three Shot In Paterson, Two From Out Of State A Paterson man and two out-of-towners were wounded in an overnight shooting as the holiday weekend began. The trio was struck in the area of East 30th Street and 18th Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, May 25, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi announced jointly. All three men arrived at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in private vehicles – a 35-year-old city man and a Queens resident, 25, in one car and a 31-year-old victim described only as from New York in another, they said. None suffered life-threatening …

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by Jerry DeMarco