Chocolate could reportedly vanish as early as 2050. This revelation has led scientists from the University of California at Berkeley to work with Virginia-based manufacturer Mars, Incorporated to save the cacao plant from disappearing. Warmer temperatures and drier weather conditions are expected to be the root of the cacao plants’ potential disappearance, according to Business Insider.…
Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs have filed a Complaint alleging that a South Jersey-based contractor used deceptive practices to obtain more than $348,000 in federal relief funds from nine homeowners who sought to have their damaged homes rebuilt, elevated and/or repaired after Superstorm Sandy.
According to the Complaint, filed in the Superior Court Chancery Division in Ocean County, D.J.M. Households Inc., doing business as Jersey Pride Home Renovations, and its owner, William A. Wolford, allegedly violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and a number of regulations governing contractors and advertising by failing to perform contracted-for home improvements and/or home elevations after receiving federal Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program funds, Landlord Rental Repair Program (LRRP) funds, and consumer payments.
The Complaint alleges that D.J.M. Households, which maintained an office in Cherry Hill and later in Mullica Hill, pressured consumers to sign contracts for renovation, rebuilding and/or elevating Sandy-damaged homes, took money, which included RREM Program or LRRP funds, and then failed to begin work and/or abandoned unfinished projects without returning for weeks, months or at all.
“More than five years after Superstorm Sandy, some New Jersey residents are still suffering from its devastation. Unscrupulous contractors have added to that agony,” said Attorney General Porrino. “Deceiving and profiting from displaced homeowners by making false promises is a cruel abuse and will not be tolerated.”
“Rooting out and disciplining rogue contractors who have preyed on some of the state’s most vulnerable homeowners is a priority for the Division,” said Sharon M. Joyce, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “As long as there are those who would take advantage of others’ desperation, we will continue to be vigilant and protect those in need.”
Seven of the consumers identified in the Complaint received funds from the RREM Program, administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), to pay for construction work on Sandy-damaged homes. Another two consumers identified in the Complaint received LLRP funds, also administered by DCA.
The defendants, the Complaint alleges, sought to pressure consumers into signing contracts by including “terms and conditions” that indicated the quoted price for the home improvement work was only valid for 48 hours and that contractor scheduling was on a “first come first serve method.”
The Complaint also alleges that although the D.J.M. Household contracts often stated that the defendants would obtain the necessary building and zoning permits for the home elevation and home improvement work, the defendants delayed filing for the permits without providing any explanation. These delays caused homeowners to be displaced for even longer periods and resulted in additional housing and/or storage fees. Landlords also were unable to have their rental properties occupied, leading to loss of rental income.
“In order to help homeowners in the State’s RREM Program withstand contractor fraud, my Department created and instituted a policy that provides additional assistance to defrauded homeowners,” said DCA Commissioner Charles A. Richman. “We see first-hand how dishonest contractors upend Sandy-impacted families’ rebuilding projects and lives, and we stand with the Division of Consumer Affairs in doing whatever we can to thwart these contractors’ deceptive practices.”
The Complaint, among other things, also alleges that:
The Complaint seeks consumer restitution, a return of the federal funds unlawfully acquired by the defendants, civil penalties as well as reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and costs. The Complaint also seeks to permanently enjoin the defendants from performing home elevation and/or home improvement work in New Jersey.
Investigators Joseph Iasso and Maureen Browne of the Division’s Office of Consumer Protection conducted the investigation.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Koziar of the Consumer Fraud Prosecution Section within the Division of Law, is representing the State in this action.
Consumers who believe they have been cheated or scammed by a business, or suspect any other form of consumer abuse, can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504- 6200.
Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced that a Committee of the State Board of Medical Examiners (“the Committee”) has temporarily suspended the license of a Middlesex surgeon amid allegations he jeopardized his patients’ health and safety by reusing single-use catheters on multiple patients during anorectal diagnostic testing.
Dr. Sanjiv K. Patankar, an East Brunswick practitioner, allegedly washed and reused the small, flexible catheters inserted into patients’ rectums during medical procedures, according to a Verified Complaint filed by the State.
The catheters are meant to be thrown away after a single use, but Patankar used them on at least five patients before discarding them because supplies for replacement catheters were on backorder, the State alleges.
After taking testimony and reviewing evidence during a hearing last week, the Committee unanimously found that Patankar demonstrated a fundamental lack of judgment and placed patients in clear and imminent danger by reusing the catheters.
“It is appalling that a doctor would engage in such an unsanitary and dangerous practice,” said Attorney General Porrino. “Through his alleged conduct, Dr. Patankar has demonstrated a reckless disregard for public safety that placed countless patients at risk of communicable diseases.”
“Dr. Patankar’s alleged conduct not only violates professional standards, it reveals an alarming lack of judgment that calls into question his fitness to practice,” said Sharon Joyce, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “By temporarily suspending his license, the Board fulfilled its duty to protect the public from this practitioner while these very disturbing allegations are pending.”
Patankar used the catheters on patients undergoing “anorectal manometry” testing in his office. An anorectal manometry is performed to evaluate patients with constipation, fecal incontinence, or other possible disorders that may involve the anorectal sphincter. During the test, one end of the catheter, with a small balloon on the end, is inserted into the patient’s rectum, and the other end of the catheter is attached to a machine that measures pressure. During the test, the small balloon may be inflated in the rectum to assess the normal reflex pathways.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the state argued that even though the packaging on the catheters specifically states “do not reuse,” Patankar reused them on multiple patients because the anorectal manometry testing equipment in his office is outdated and replacement catheters from the manufacturer are on backorder.
Patankar allegedly instructed his medical assistants to wash the used catheters in soap and water, soak them in bleach solution for 30 minutes, and then rinse and let air dry. Once the catheters were dry, they were put back in their original packaging so they could be reused. Even when a catheter began breaking down from over-bleaching, Patankar ordered his medical assistant to continue using it, the State alleges.
During the hearing on December 19, the Committee heard conflicting testimony from Patankar’s medical assistants about the reuse of catheters. However, the Committee resolved the discrepancies in favor of the State; finding that documentary evidence showed that although 82 anorectal procedures were performed in Patankar’s office between January 1 and November 30, 2017, there were only 5 catheters ordered during that period of time.
Under the Committee’s order, Patankar’s license will remain temporarily suspended pending a full hearing in the Office of Administrative Law (“OAL”) on the allegations against him, and until the Board takes final action based on the OAL’s findings.
Patankar was given a 30-day wind-down period during which he can only practice in a hospital setting, and during which he must provide documentation to the Board that he is transferring his care to other physicians.
The Committee further ordered that Patankar must provide the Board with a list of patients who underwent anal manometry testing from January 1, 2011 to the present.
The Committee gave Patankar the opportunity for reconsideration of its decision at the January 10, 2018 Board meeting. However, this opportunity can only be invoked if he has documentary evidence supporting that he in fact ordered catheters that would account for all of the 82 procedures that he performed from January 1, 2017 to November 30, 2017.
Investigators with the Enforcement Bureau within the Division of Consumer Affairs conducted the investigation.
Deputy Attorney General Bindi Merchant, of the Professional Boards Prosecution Section in the Division of Law, is representing the State in this matter.
Darren Gelber, Esq., represented Dr. Patankar in this matter.
Patients who believe that they have been treated by a licensed health care professional in an inappropriate manner can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504- 6200.
ttorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced that a former Brick Township employee today was sentenced to five years in state prison for stealing more than $940,000 from the township’s health insurance program.
Kim E. Bogan, 52, of Brick, was sentenced in accordance with a plea agreement reached when she pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by deception on October 24, 2017. She must also pay $941,354.77 in restitution to Brick Township under the terms of the plea agreement and sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Linda G. Baxter in Ocean County.
During her plea hearing, Bogan, who worked in the township’s Building Department, admitted that between January 2011 and April 2017 she assisted an-out-of-state health care practitioner in submitting false claims to her employee health insurance program, which is self-funded by Brick Township. The claims were for treatments purportedly rendered to individuals covered under Bogan’s policy.
Bogan admitted she allowed the practitioner to submit claims on her insurance for services she knew had not been rendered and then endorsed the insurance checks when they were mailed to her, knowing the money was stolen.
“This defendant is going to prison for willingly participating in a health care claims scheme that cost Brick Township taxpayers – her own friends and neighbors – nearly a million dollars,” said Attorney General Porrino. “Her sentence sends a message that stealing money from health care plans is a serious crime with serious consequences, no matter what role you play in the illegal plot.”
“Through her illegal acts, the defendant stole taxpayer dollars meant to cover health care services for township employees. In addition to serving time in prison, she will be responsible for repaying those stolen funds,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Christopher Iu. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who commit these kind of health care claims crimes.”
Deputy Attorney General Thomas G. Tresansky, Jr. represented the State at sentencing. Detectives Cortney Lawrence and Jared England coordinated the investigation. Attorney General Porrino thanks Brick Township Administrator Joanne Bergin, as well as the Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Special Investigations Unit for their assistance in the investigation.
Steven Secare, Esq., of Secare & Hensel, represented Bogan at sentencing.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Iu noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.
Follow the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office online at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & YouTube. The social media links provided are for reference only. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office does not endorse any non-governmental websites, companies or applications.
A home health aide stole more than $5,000 in jewelry from a Manchester senior citizen who employed her, authorities said. Soraya Rivera-Darle, 35, of Toms River, was charged with theft last week after a three-week investigation, Manchester police said in a statement. Police recovered about 25 pieces of jewelry at a local pawn shop. The woman,…
JACKSON-Residents in Jackson are upset because piles of leaves placed in the fall of 2017 remain lining township roads well into the first week of 2018.
The township’s leaf collection program calls for residents to place their leaves for curbside pickup during the fall months. Township crews pick up the leaves for the residents, but this year, most are upset because leaves haven’t been picked up.
According to an online poll by SNN of nearly 300 residents, over 75% said their leaves haven’t been picked up yet. In addition to the piles of leaves left along many residential roadways, many said the township never plowed their streets, now 4 days after an arctic blast dropped 2-3 inches of snow across the township.
Many residential roads are still ice covered.
Multiple attempts were made to contact the township to ask when residents can expect plowed roads and leaves removed, but all calls for answers went unanswered by township officials.
John Maneri, who is running for mayor of Jackson this year against current mayor, Michael Reina said the township’s level of services is unacceptable.
“I have lived in Jackson for nearly 20 years and never has the leaf pickup and snowy roads been as bad as the past 4-5 years,” Maneri said. “The Jackson DPW needs to step up, and as Mayor, I will fire Fred Rasciewitz (head of DPW) if it does not improve.”
“Mayor Reina should be ashamed seeing hundreds of residents with snow-covered leaf piles STILL on the curb since HALLOWEEN,” Maneri said.
Reina did not respond to emails sent requesting a response.
A 16-year-old armed with a semi-automatic rifle shot and killed his parents, his sister and a family friend who lived with them in Long Branch on New Year’s Eve, authorities said Monday. The teen, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, will be charged as an adult with four counts of murder and…
TOMS RIVER-Don Guardian, the former mayor of Atlantic City has been hired to serve as the next business administrator in Toms River.
Wikipedia:
Donald A. Guardian (born June 12, 1953) is the current mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey. He defeated incumbent Democratic mayor Lorenzo Langford in the 2013 mayoral election to become the city’s first openly gay mayor and first Republican mayor since 1990.[2][3] He is a former executive with the Boy Scouts of America and headed Atlantic City’s Special Improvement District for two decades prior to his election as mayor. On January 19, 2013, Guardian announced he was challenging incumbent mayor Lorenzo Langford. He won the Republican primary unopposed. On November 5, Guardian defeated Langford by 50% to 47%.[1][4] On November 7, 2017 Guardian lost re-election to Democratic city councilman, Frank Gilliam.[5]
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Christmas Day in Lakewood, reported police, who were continuing to investigate the incident. The person was struck near the intersection of Cedarbridge Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive around 7:30 p.m., according to Lakewood Police Lt. Gregory Staffordsmith. Police did not identify the victim. Authorities were…
Submitted by Al DellaFave, OCPO
JACKSON-Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato today announced preliminary details of last night’s police involved shooting within the jurisdiction of Jackson Township. Preliminary details of the event are as follows:
Shortly before 8:00 pm on December 23rd , Jackson Township Police received a 911 call reporting that a male subject armed with a knife was inside his residence at 37 Laurel Avenue, Jackson NJ reportedly holding individuals as hostage. Members of the Jackson Township Police Department responded to 37 Laurel Avenue. Upon their arrival the responding officers entered the residence where they encountered a man later identified as Travis Van Pelt age 22 of 37 Laurel Avenue wielding a knife in a threatening manner. The responding officer(s) fired upon Mr. Van Pelt striking him at least one time. While encountering Mr. Van Pelt, Officers also located other occupants within the residence. Subsequently, Mr. Van Pelt was transported to an area hospital where he remains listed in stable condition.
As per the mandates and guidelines of the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office regarding police involved shootings, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI Unit, and with the full cooperation of the Jackson Township Police Department.
Anyone who has any information is asked to contact Detective Lindsay Woodfield of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 929-2027. There is no further information that can be provided at this time.
Two real-life grinches who have been accused of robbing homes in Jackson might be spending their Christmas behind bars, barring pre-trial release through New Jersey bail reform, that is.
by Jackson Police Department
An investigation conducted by the Jackson Police Department, the New Jersey State Police and the Manchester Township Police Departments has resulted in two suspects being arrested and charged with recent burglaries.
During the investigation, which was assisted by numerous tips being received after a video from another resident’s video recording doorbell was released in a news release, one suspect was located at his residence in Toms River and the second was located by the NJSP in Trenton, NJ.
https://www.facebook.com/OCPoliceBlotter/videos/1509971549038376/
Proceeds from the burglaries were recovered from one of the suspect’s homes and also from the other’s vehicle. Further investigation was able to connect the suspects with recent burglaries in Jackson on Hopkins Place, Francesca Lane and an attempted burglary on Cobain Road.
Arrested:
John A. Needham Jr., age 33 of Toms River, NJ.
Justin L. Lovgren, age 32 of Aberdeen, NJ.
Both suspects were charged with 2 counts of burglary and theft and criminal attempt to commit burglary. They were later lodged in the Ocean County Jail.
Jackson Police Detectives Robert Reiff and Dominic Manion conducted the investigation.
https://www.facebook.com/OCPoliceBlotter/videos/1509971549038376
On Wednesday, December 20, 2017, Jackson Police Officers responded to a suspicious person report which took place at approximately 1:25 pm at a residence located off of Burke Road.
Two males who were unknown to the resident were observed via a Ring video doorbell coming to the front door for unknown reasons. Nothing further occurred at the residence as it appears that the males recognized what the video doorbell was and quickly left the area. A short time later, a small dark colored vehicle is observed leaving the area.
Any residents who reside in the area of Burke and Cobain Roads are asked to contact the Jackson Police Department at 732-928-1111 if they observed anything suspicious in the area. Anyone who may be familiar with the males shown in the video is also asked to contact the department so contact can be made with them in reference to this incident.
FREEHOLD-The owner of a company who landed a $200,000 deal on the television show Shark Tank for an ingenious, but simple paint brush cover found himself in hot water this week, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
John DePaola, the brains behind the “Paint Brush Cover”, which made its debut on national television on the ABC series Shark Tank was arrested during a cocaine distribution ring operation by Monmouth County law enforcement officials.
John DePaolo, photo courtesy of Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
It was on Shark Tank where investor Laurie Greiner offered DePaola and his partners a $200,000 investment to bring his product to national retailers including Home Depot, Sherwin Williams, Ace and Lowe’s.
After Shark Tank, the company grew to 18 employees and claim to have grossed over $2 million in the following year.
According to Gramiccioni, DePaola was nabbed as part of a sting dubbed “Operation Snowball” which shut down a narcotics distribution operation out of Freehold. Authorities acted on four warrants in Freehold and one in New Brunswick on Thursday.
In that raid, law enforcement arrested the drug ring leaders Hugo Hernandez and Carlos Hernandez-Campo. The prosecutor’s office said DePaola was arrested on a third degree consipiracy to possess cocaine charge. He could face a fine of up to $35,000 if convicted.
“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,” said Charles Webster, spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office who issued a press release to the media.
by Charles Webster, MCPO
FREEHOLD – Nine members of a Freehold Borough cocaine distribution ring were arrested yesterday, after a nine-month investigation. The group was moving approximately one-third of a kilogram of cocaine a week, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
The investigation dubbed, “Operation Snowball,” and jointly led by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Narcotics Office and Criminal Enterprise Unit and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Monmouth High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area working group, culminated with the arrest of Hugo Hernandez, as the leader of a narcotics trafficking enterprise, who was based primarily in the downtown Freehold Borough area.
Four search warrants in Freehold Borough, and one search warrant in New Brunswick, were simultaneously executed on Thursday leading to the arrests of nine members of the drug distribution ring. The investigation revealed that Hugo Hernandez supplied numerous lower level dealers, including his brother, Carlos Hernandez-Campos, and Lucino Roldan-Coria a/k/a Rufino Roldan. Also identified in the operation were lower level dealers Antonio Romano-Jiminez, Miguel Garcia, and Roberto Tlapa De La Era, who delivered cocaine at the direction of Hugo Hernandez to locations in downtown Freehold Borough.
As a result of the investigation over 721 grams of cocaine and $14,943 were seized.
The arrests were made with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force; DEA Monmouth High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area working group; DEA Special Response Team; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office; Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office; Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office; and the Asbury Park, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Tinton Falls, Freehold Borough, Manalapan Township, Franklin Township, New Brunswick, Highlands, Middletown Township, Holmdel Township, Keansburg, and Hazlet Township police departments.
Hugo Hernandez, 48, of Freehold Borough, is charged with one count each of first degree Leader of a Narcotics Trafficking Network; second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine; first degree Distribution of Cocaine; eight counts of second degree Distribution of Cocaine; eight counts of second degree Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; one count of third degree Distribution of Cocaine; one count of third degree Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; nine counts of third degree Possession of Cocaine; and one count of first degree Distribution of Cocaine.
Lucino Roldan-Coria, 58, of Freehold Borough, a/k/a Rufino Roldan, is charged with one count each of second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine; three counts of second degree Distribution of Cocaine; three counts of second degree Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; two counts of third degree Distribution of Cocaine: two counts of third degree Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; five counts of third degree Possession of Cocaine; and one count of first degree Distribution of Cocaine.
Carlos Hernandez-Campos, 35, of New Brunswick, is charged with one count each of second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine; two counts of second degree Distribution of Cocaine; two counts of second degree Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; two counts of third degree Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute within 1,000 feet of School Property; two counts of third degree Distribution of Cocaine within 1,000 feet of School Property; two counts of third degree Possession of Cocaine; and one count of first degree Distribution of Cocaine.
Antonio Romano-Jiminez, 29, of Freehold borough, a/k/a Merito Romero-Jimenez, is charged with one count each of second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine; and first degree Distribution of Cocaine.
Miguel Garcia-Tapia, 30, of Freehold Borough, is charged with one count each of second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine; third degree Distribution of Cocaine; third degree Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; third degree Possession of Cocaine; and first degree Distribution of Cocaine.
Procopio Morales-Hernandez, 49, of Freehold Borough, is charged with one count each of second degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine; and third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine.
Gregorio Morales-Morales, 35, of Manalapan, is charged with one count of third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine.
John A. Depaola, 53, of Jackson, is charged with one count of third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine.
Roberto Tlapa De La Era, 35, of Freehold Borough, is charged with one count of third degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine.
If convicted of the charge of Leader of a Narcotics Trafficking Network, Hugo Hernandez faces an ordinary term of life imprisonment without being eligible for parole for 25 years.
If convicted of the first degree offenses, each defendant faces a sentence of up to 20 years in a New Jersey state prison.
If convicted of the second degree offenses, each defendant faces a sentence of five to ten years in prison on each count.
If convicted of the third degree offenses, each defendant faces a sentence of three to five years in prison.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Paul Alexander and Amanda Dalton.
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.
JACKSON-The Jackson Township council voted to approve a resolution that would reverse their previous anti-eruv right of way ordinance to allow the Orthodox Jewish community here to build two separate networks of eruvin.
The council voted 4-1 in favor of overturning its previous decision to not grant private entities the right to enter into negotiations with JCP&L to utilizing existing utility poles to attach lechis and pvc piping to poles.
A lechi is a small device that attaches to the utility pole, used to connect the eruv wire from pole to pole.
Councilman Scott Martin, who has been relatively low-key on the anti-orthodox legislation in the past, broke from his Republican counterparts and voted no to the resolution which the township claims created a 90 day mediation period between Jackson Township and Agudath Israel. Agudath Israel is suing Jackson Township over an anti-dormitory law and the zoning board’s denial of an Orthodox Jewish all-girls school on Cross Street.
Jackson resident Sheldon Hoffstein asked township attorney Jean Cipriani if the resolution would allow any resident to petition the utility companies to adorn poles with other sorts of religious and non-religious decorations.
“No it’s only for their eruv wires,” Cipriani said.
Hoffstein asked if any other resident wanted to do so, because we allowed it for one group, can they?
“They would have to come before the council for municipal consent,” Cipriani said.
Cipriani said that the resolution does not undo the township’s ban on curbside basketball hoops. This summer, in an effort to crackdown on eruvin, the township issued hundreds of violation notices to homeowners who had basketball hoops placed curbside.
The existing right of way ordinance has not been changed.
“The other thing that does is regarding the eruv wires, it does not change the township’s right of way ordinance, but it does provide municipal consent for residents who want to contact the utility companies, because under state law, in order to get anything attached to the utility poles, you have to get municipal consent, this provides that consent,” Cipriani said. “It doesn’t provide consent for townspeople to attach anything to the poles, but it provides consent to allow them to go to the utility company [to get permission].”
Jackson Eruv map: Click on map below for more detail.
TRENTON-Although Jackson Township Attorney Jean Cipriani last night affirmed the existence of an investigation being conducted by the Office of the Attorney General, the state has yet to publicly acknowledge the investigation.
Attorney General Christopher Porrino today said that while his office cannot confirm or deny the investigation, he issued another stern warning to Jackson Township today.
Porrino maintained the position that his office is watching closely and the actions that have occurred against Orthodox Jews in towns like Jackson and Mahwah will not be tolerated.
“We will not confirm or deny the existence of any investigation. We will only reaffirm what is already a matter of public record — that this office has zero tolerance for towns that seek to close off their borders to families based on their religious beliefs, and is committed to making every effort to put an end to such discriminatory practices wherever they arise,” Porrino told Shore News Network today.
Related News: Trump Pick for USDA Farm Director in New Jersey Part of Federal and State Discrimination Probe.
JACKSON-A federal appointee of the Trump administration to be the new state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency is now the target of investigations by the Department of Justice and New Jersey Office of the Attorney General into possible civil rights violations, according to the township attorney here.
According to a story in USA Today, “The township has been involved in a fair amount of litigation, there’s investigations by the Department of Justice and the Attorney General’s office all pertaining to these land issues in town,” township attorney Jean Cipriani said.
Barry Calogero, a Republican councilman from Jackson Township has been appointed by the Trump Administration to head the USDA’s farm services agency in Hamilton Township. Calogero will oversee an office of 48. Calogero has no professional experience in the farm services industry, but according to a press release issued by the USDA, Calogero brings with him 30 years of financial experience working for firms like CovergEx, HSBC Securities and GAF Credit Union.
Earlier this year, Calogero unsuccessfully tried to lobby for a public job within the local Ocean County government, an action uncovered by political watchdog reporter Gavin Rozzi.
Rozzi speculated that Calogero was next in line for a highly coveted patronage job within the county, but that effort was thwarted after Rozzi found emails from Jackson Township Attorney George Gilmore to Ocean County Clerk Carl Block’s office pushing Calogero’s resume to the head of the county’s administrative staff.
Later, Block told the Shore News Network that Calogero would not be getting a county job. Block confirmed he was in receipt of Calogero’s email from the county chairman, but said he did not make any recommendations or pushes for Calogero to get hired.
“I know, the resume came from the county chairman, but all I did was forward it to the employee relations department,” Block said at the time. “He did not get a job.”
Block also said he did not know who Calogero was or that he was a member of Jackson’s governing body at the time of the exchange, saying he learned about Calogero through the Rozzi article after the OPRA request was published.
At the December 13th township council meeting Cipriani acknowledged that the Township of Jackson, where Calogero serves as a councilman is now under both state and federal scrutiny over the township’s actions against the local Orthodox Jewish Community.
Calogero has been instrumental, along with New Jersey State PBA lobbyist Robert Nixon in drafting multiple township ordinances directed at the growing Orthodox Jewish population in the town. This past summer, Calogero was adamant in his resolve to curb behavior in the township perceived as being orchestrated and organized by the Jewish community.
Calogero voted against the Orthodox community on many occasions, including ordinances curbing real estate soliciting, bans on eruvs and a religious school dormitory ban. Documents uncovered through OPRA requests also indicated the township was considering laws to prohibit religious assembly in homes owned by Orthodox Jews.
The actions caught the attention of New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino. Porrino filed charges against the town of Mahwah this fall and issued a stern warning that Jackson could be next. Porrino compared the actions of Mahwah and Jackson to “1950s-era white flight suburbanites who sought to keep African-Americans from moving into their neighborhoods.”
“Our message to local officials in other towns who may be plotting to engage in similar attempts to illegally exclude, is the same: We will hold you accountable as well,” Porrino said. Leland Moore, a spokesperson for the Attorney General said the warning applied to Jackson and other communities that have engaged in drafting ordinances targeting religious Jews unfairly.
Calogero is also personally cited in a lawsuit brought against the township by Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox Jewish rights organization. Agudath Israel’s suit claims township officials violated the rights of Orthodox Jews here by enacting legislation that sought to prevent them from building religious facilities. According to the lawsuit, “Barry Calogero admitted that a majority of the complaints brought by residents involved the Orthodox Jewish community.”
Those complaints were discovered through OPRA requests made by members of the Orthodox Jewish community and posted to a website they created called Jackson Leaks.
In light of state and federal investigations, on Wednesday, December 13th the township announced it will reverse its ban on eruvs and begin discussions to remedy a previous zoning board decision to prevent the construction of an all-girls Jewish high school in the township. Township officials also said discussions will be held to scale back the anti-dormitory law passed by Calogero and the township.
Calogero has declined all comment on this matter in the past and did not respond to a request for comment on the state and federal investigations today.
Matthew Reilly, a media spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice said he could not provide any details of the investigation into Calogero and Jackson Township.
“It is our policy to neither confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation,” Reilly said.
“As a general rule, we don’t comment with respect to who, or what, we might be investigating, or with regard to pending or possible litigation,” said Leland Moore of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. “I would simply point you to the AG’s comments as quoted in the Mahwah press release from [AG Porrino], particularly the one near the end, that addresses this concern in a broader-than-Mahwah sense.”
Moore so far has not been able to be reached for comment on the latest revelation by township attorney Cipriani.
A request for comment made to the U.S.D.A. was also not responded to.
The Jackson Township Council will vote on a resolution Wednesday night that gives permission to anyone seeking to place a Jewish religious demarcation, known as an eruv, on utility poles in the township. The resolution comes months after a nonprofit group, Agudath Israel of America, filed a federal lawsuit against Jackson after the township adopted ordinances…
JACKSON-Days after the town of Pomona lost a $3,000,000 case in court against the Orthodox community there, the Jackson Township Council has announced it will now settle the disagreement it had with the Jackson Eruv Association.
The settlement, however, was decided weeks before the Pomona decision was delivered to to the public. According to the township, a settlement memorandum was drafted prior to November 28, 2017, nearly two weeks prior to the landmark Pomona hearing.
The township has agreed to a settlement, but it is up to the township council to ratify that settlement Wednesday night.
Earlier this year, the township enacted an ordinance change that would prohibit Orthodox Jews in the township to build eruvs on the public right of way. A code enforcement crackdown led to hundreds of violations against homeowners who constructed eruvs or had basketball hoops in the right of way, an action that the Orthodox community here said was intended to infringe on their religious freedoms.
At tonight’s town council meeting, the township is expected to vote on a measure that will allow the public eruv to be built utilizing existing utility poles owned by JCP&L and Verizon.
According to the resolution posted by the township, the town will allow, “for the placement of eruvim/lechis on poles erected by utilities that have the lawful right to maintain the poles within the public right-of-way in the Township of Jackson provided the utility company consents to such placement and there is compliance with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws regarding safety requirements related to the use of the public right-of-way.”
Eruvs allow observant Orthodox Jews to “carry” during the Sabbath. According to Wikipedia’s definition, “An eruv is a ritual enclosure that some Jewish communities, and especially Orthodox Jewish communities, construct in their neighborhoods as a way to permit Jewish residents or visitors to carry certain objects outside their own homes on Sabbath and Yom Kippur. An eruv accomplishes this by integrating a number of private and public properties into one larger private domain, thereby avoiding restrictions on carrying objects from the private to the public domain on Sabbath and holidays.”
The eruv decision is tied to an agreed upon standstill in lawsuits filed by Agudath Israel over the township’s ban on dormitories and rejection of an all-girls high school on Cross Street several years ago.
The township council will host a meeting Wednesday night at 7:30pm at town hall where it is expected to approve the resolution upon council vote. The measure, if approved would then need to be signed by Mayor Michael Reina.
Edited: Story edited to reflect the proper timing of the acceptance of the settlement and Pomona hearing.
Submitted by Manchester PD
On Monday, December 11, 2017, at approximately 11:48 am, officers from the Manchester Township Police Department responded to the area of mile marker 41 along Route 70 in the Whiting section of the Township to investigate the report of a serious motor vehicle accident involving two vehicles.
Upon arrival, officers observed a red, Toyota Echo on the westbound shoulder of the roadway with heavy front end damage. The vehicle was still occupied and had multiple air bag deployments. The other involved vehicle, a silver Toyota Sienna minivan, was located just into the wood line on the westbound side of the roadway. It had extensive damage to the front and driver’s side.
The initial investigation revealed that the Toyota Echo was traveling east on Route 70 when it crossed the center line and entered the westbound lane of travel. It then continued onto the westbound shoulder and eventually the westbound berm where it collided head-on with the Toyota Sienna which had been traveling west but had attempted to swerve in order to avoid the impact.
The driver of the Toyota Echo, identified as 81-year-old, Gerda Kretschmer of Whiting, sustained serious internal injuries during the collision and needed to be extricated from the vehicle by members of the Whiting Volunteer Fire Company. Kretschmer was transported via ambulance to Community Medical Center in Toms River where she succumbed to her injuries. The driver of the Toyota Sienna, 49-year-old, James A. Canfield of Brick, sustained injuries to his chest and shoulder and was also transported to Community Medical Center for treatment and evaluation of his injuries. The roadway was partially closed for several hours while emergency workers tended to the injured, conducted their investigation and cleared the scene.
Assisting at the scene were members of the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, EMTs from Quality Medical Transport, and paramedics from MONOC. Also assisting were detectives from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit. This crash is being investigated by Patrolman Ian Bole of the department’s Traffic Safety Unit.
FREEHOLD – A 51-year-old Lakewood Township man died as a result of being struck by a motor vehicle along Route 9 in Howell Sunday evening, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
The pedestrian, Isidro Martinez-Mendez, was crossing Route 9 northbound, a quarter-mile south of Alexander Avenue, at approximately 7:43 p.m. on Sunday evening when he was struck by a 2016 Honda Accord driven by Christina Martinez, 22, of Jackson. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:56 p.m.
The driver Martinez had one occupant in the car, age 10, both were uninjured.
The crash remains under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART), and Howell Police Department.
Anyone who witnessed the accident or has information to assist the investigative team is urged to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Eric Kerecman at 800-533-7443 or Howell Police Department Officer Matthew Cherney at 732-938-4575.
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