Jackson to vote on dropping ban on Jewish eruv

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…

Explosion reported at Port Authority Bus Terminal in N.Y.

Commuters are being told to avoid the area around the Port Authority Bus Terminal following reports of a possible explosion in the area. The New York Police Department said it was responding to an explosion at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. Bus service to and from the bus terminal might be delayed due to police activity…

Fireball Shooting Across The Sky Captured By Dashcam

Typically, police dash cams are used to gather evidence during traffic stops. However, a New Jersey police officer accidentally captured something quite spectacular on his: a fireball blazing across the sky. Sgt. Michael Virga was on patrol when the camera recorded the bright meteor, at 3:09 am on December 2, according to a statement on Facebook…

Claims of remorse not credible: judge tells businessman turned bank robber

A New York man who admitted to robbing a Lodi bank in 2015 was sentenced Friday to 10 years in state prison. Michael Cassano, 41, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree armed robbery for robbing the Hudson City Savings bank with a BB gun on Feb. 23, 2015. Authorities say he stole $4,000 in cash after…

Woman saves 3 boys, dog from house fire, police say

Authorities on Saturday hailed a car dealership employee as a hero after she saw smoke coming from a Toms River home and rushed inside to save three boys and the family dog from a fire. Suzanne G. Reynolds, of Matawan, was working at Pine Belt Cadillac on Route 37, when she saw smoke coming from the…

Police close Route 9 in Howell after pedestrian fatally struck

Howell police said a northbound section of Route 9 in the township was closed for an accident investigation Sunday night after a pedestrian was fatally struck between the Lakewood border and Alexander Avenue. In statements posted to social media late Sunday evening, police asked drivers to find an alternate route during the closure but did not…

Trucking company, boss ordered to pay fine after worker sexually harassed, AG says

A Toms River towing company and its owner were ordered to pay a fine of approximately $110,000 after “persistent sexual harassment” led to the resignation of one of its female employees, the state’s attorney general announced Monday. A final decision issued by the Division on Civil Rights awarded $57,920 to the victim for emotional distress and…

Police stepping up patrol in Lakewood after uptick in fatal crashes

Authorities in Ocean County announced Monday they are stepping up traffic enforcement in the state’s fastest growing town after a rash of car crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries. The new detail, which starts Thursday, will focus on the following intersections and roads in Lakewood: Cedar Bridge Avenue and Martin Luther King Blvd.; U.S. 9…

National News: Man Arrested For Drawing Mass Shooting Scene On Student’s Homework

A man from Florida was arrested Friday because he reportedly drew a disturbing and threatening picture on an elementary school student’s homework. The drawing showed a schoolhouse on fire as a man shoots with his gun. The 33-year-old, Robert Paul Alexander Edwards of Mexico Beach, Florida, allegedly drew the horrifying scene in the student’s notebook. Edwards…

New Jersey Police ‘Charge’ A Squirrel With Criminal Mischief

The hunt launched by police in Sea Girt, New Jersey, for a vandal who damaged a popular Christmas lights display ended Saturday morning with the arrest of a squirrel. The police uploaded a picture of the perpetrator along with a statement on its Twitter page which said officials had caught the squirrel who was responsible for…

Honor student, boyfriend face 10 new charges in death of Brick man

FREEHOLD — A superseding indictment charging a Monmouth County college honors student and her boyfriend with killing a 29-year-old Brick Township resident earlier this year was returned ahead of the start of their trial on Wednesday. Joseph Villani, 21, of Ocean Township, and Raquel Garajau, 20, of Tinton Falls, are charged with killing Trupal Patel and…

Woman fights with purse snatcher, gets dragged by car, police say

A woman attempting to stop a man from stealing her purse was dragged by a vehicle across a Jackson store parking lot as she grappled with the robber in his car, police said. The woman was buying lottery tickets on Saturday at 12:45 a.m. from a machine at the Sunoco gas station on N. County Line…

WATCH: Cop barely dodges passing car while stopped at crash scene

A Manchester Township police officer had to dive and roll across the asphalt to avoid being struck by a passing car after the officer stopped to assist a motorist involved in a crash earlier this month. Police released the video from the officer’s dashboard camera to remind drivers about the state’s Move Over law. Manchester police…

Parting Gift: A Road Named After Chris Christie, NJ’s Most Unpopular Governor

MORRIS PLAINS — Love him or hate him. If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people a year who use the public park located minutes from his home, you’ll likely get to it this time next year by way of “Governor Chris Christie Drive.” Gov. Chris Christie joined local officials here Monday to break…

Pedestrian Struck And Injured

TOMS RIVER – An elderly woman was struck and injured and is now in critical condition at an area hospital. Toms River resident Brianna Rudolph, 18, was driving on New Hampshire Avenue at 6:34 p.m. Nov. 17 when she struck 80-year-old Antonia Rinaldi, also of Toms River. Rudolph struck Rinaldi – she did not see the…

NJ Senator Menendez Facing Claims of Sex with Underaged Hookers

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Friday that if the allegations against Alabama candidate for U.S. Senate Roy Moore are true, he should step aside, and “should be dealt with severely.” But Graham not only hasn’t called for Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.), accused of having sex with underage prostitutes, to step aside — he went…

Here’s how cold it will get as Arctic blast sweeps across N.J.

Winter is still a ways off, but New Jersey will be getting a bitter taste of January in November as a blast of Arctic air sweeps across our region on Friday and Saturday. A strong cold front drifting down from Canada will set the stage for sub-freezing temperatures across the entire Garden State and, in many…

Youth baseball league president charged with stealing money from program

SOUTH TOMS RIVER – The president of the youth baseball league in this tiny Ocean County town was arrested Wednesday after police determined he had stolen money from the league. Police released few details of the investigation that led to the arrest of Luis M. Quiros, who is listed on the South Toms River Youth Baseball…

Woman killed, man injured after being hit by SUV in Toms River

TOMS RIVER — A 60-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle on Sunday as she and a man were crossing an intersection at Hooper and Terrace avenues, police said in a statement. Manuela Morales-Torres, of Toms River, died after being hit by the vehicle shortly before 6 p.m. while crossing the intersection with a…

Violence Reported at Howell Game Changer World Concert

HOWELL – A group of security guards who removed an unruly concertgoer at a metal music festival held at an event center on Route 9 in Howell Saturday night were attacked outside the venue, according to police. The attackers fled the area before police arrived. All four of the security guards were taken to the hospital…

Benefit to raise money for kids of sergeant, 32, who died from stroke

BERKELEY — A benefit at a pizzeria in Bayville will raise money for the children of a 32-year-old township police sergeant who died Friday after suffering a stroke while on duty. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds at the benefit Wednesday at Tony’s Pizza will go to the children of Sgt. Alison Wray, a post on Facebook…

Garden State Parkway lane closed indefinitely for emergency bridge repairs

MONMOUTH COUNTY — One northbound local lane on the Garden State Parkway will be closed “indefinitely” for emergency bridge repairs, officials said. The closure north of exit 109 is necessary because the span carrying the Parkway over Middletown-Lincroft Road was damaged Thursday when it was struck by a back hoe being hauled on the bed of…

Report: Police called 750 Times to Troubled Downtown Motel

TOMS RIVER — Police have filed a public nuisance complaint against a motel after police have been called to more than 750 times in less than three years to the business. Toms River police have become very familiar with the Red Carpet Inn on Water Street, responding hundreds of times for alleged drug dealing, theft, fraud,…