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by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 9:11pm  GLEN RIDGE, NJ - Glen Ridge Police Chief Sheila E. Byron-Lagattuta announced the arrests this week of two individuals whom the Essex County Prosecutor's Office believe to be part of a larger crime ring across northern New Jersey. Byron-Lagattuta explained that over the past year and a half, numerous Glen Ridge residents have reported mailed checks that were later found to be fraudulently deposited. The department's investigators believe that the checks were "fished-out" of local US mailboxes using household items such as shoe string, water bottles, and mouse trap glue. On Tuesday, Apr. 17 - Tax Day - at about 2:40am, Glen Ridge Patrol Officers noticed a suspicious car near a US mailbox at the intersection of Ridgewood Avenue and Glen Ridge Parkway; a location which the department believes items were stolen from in the past. According to the Chief, during a car search the officers found items commonly used for mailbox fishing along with "a large pile of mail stuffed under the passenger side door of the vehicle."
Officers investigated and discovered 24 pieces of mail which contained checks totaling over $116,000, the majority of which were being mailed to the IRS. Two suspects were arrested and reportedly they later confessed to removing the mail from the mailbox. The two were subsequently charged with:
Since Apr. 1, Glen Ridge Police have arrested a total of five suspects believed to be connected to the thefts. Anyone with information is asked to contact:
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 4:30pm  Khalil Wheeler-Weaver NEWARK, NJ - Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, 20, of Orange, was indicted this afternoon for the individual murders of three women whose deaths occurred this past Fall. Wheeler-Weaver was also charged for the attempted murder of a fourth woman who survived the attack. The indictment also charges Wheeler-Weaver with three counts of desecrating human remains. Assistant Prosecutor Adam B. Wells, who is handling the case, said, Wheeler-Weaver has been charged with the following:
 Sarah Butler, of Montclair
It is alleged that Wheeler-Weaver’s interactions with the victims were all of a sexual nature. No further information is available at this time.
by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 9:25pm  Essex Fells Police Chief Vincent Kulik surrounded by fellow Law Enforcement Officers, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 Credit: Carolyne Volpe Curley ESSEX FELLS, NJ - After 30 years of service, Essex Fells Police Chief Vincent A. Kulik, Jr. said a fond farewell to his department and fellow law enforcement officers during a walk-out in his honor yesterday afternoon. Escorted by the drone of a bagpipe, Kulik stepped out from the Roseland Avenue station into a double wall of saluting officers waiting to wish him well. On hand were many of the West Essex area police chiefs, along with Essex County officials. "Thank you, everyone, for being here Born in Jersey City, Kulik grew up in Livingston and graduated from Livingston High School in 1975. After graduating from Union County Technical Institute in 1977 he was employed as a technician for the RCA Service Company (which later became General Electric) where he was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1430 in New York City. In January 1987, Kulik began his law enforcement career as a chanceman with the Livingston Police Department and in May of that same year graduated from the Essex County Police Academy. Essex Fells recruited the future chief as a patrolman in July 1988, and then promoted him to Sergeant in January 1998. Kulik became Essex Fells Chief of Police on Oct. 6, 2009, leading a 12-person police force. During his time heading up the department, Kulik instituted a Motorcycle Unit, Narcotics Unit, and updated the rules and regulations to comply with NJSACOP accreditation. Kulik oversaw the remodeling of the Essex Fells police facility, added a Firearms Cleaning Unit, installed workstations for Department Supervisors, and enhanced security. Kulik is currently completing his Masters in Administrative Science at Fairleigh Dickenson University, where he also completed his undergraduate studies. Over the years, the retiring chief attended numerous police courses offered by Caldwell University, Essex County College, The Institute of Police Technology and Management, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Northwestern University, and Rutgers University. Kulik's certifications include:
Kulik served in 2015 and 2016 as the President of the Association of Chiefs of Police of Essex County and is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. He's also been a longtime member of the Livingston Fire Department for 42 years. His other associations include the Livingston Benevolent Paternal Order of Elks Lodge 1855, The New Jersey Policemen’s Benevolent Association (West Essex PBA Local 81), Essex County Emerald Society Chapter Number 1, and the Knights of Columbus #3533 of Livingston. Vincent and his wife, Judy have been married for 34 years and are the proud parents of Lianne, 27, a teacher of history at Long Branch High School and Michael, 23, a New Jersey State Trooper. Recently, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders honored Kulik with a Commendation in recognition of his 30 years of dedicated service. At yesterday's walk-out, the officers applauded as Kulik made a point of symbolically handing over the department's flag to his soon to be predecessor, Lieutenant William Theilacker, who has been with the township since 1990. "I'm happy to report that unlike the last time when I got made chief, this time everything is in order," Kulik chided. "So I can take this flag from our department and "I'm not a great one for making a lot of words As the bagpipe played again, the retiring chief made his way through the wall of his fellow officers while they wished him well. "Thank you all for being here it's been a great run." by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 10:45pm  UPDATED: Wednesday, Dec. 7 Arrest Made in Murder of Sarah Butler of Montclair Yesterday, Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, age 20, of Orange was arrested and charged with one count of murder and one count of disturbing of human remains. An autopsy determined that Butler died as a result of compression of the neck and her death was ruled a homicide. An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force led to Wheeler- Weaver being arrested last night. The suspect's bail has been set at $1million; he'll be arraigned in Essex County Superior Court at a later date.  MONTCLAIR, NJ - The body of Sarah Butler, 20, of Montclair, was found Thursday, Dec. 1, in Eagle Rock Reservation, West Orange. Montclair Police Chief Todd Conforti announced that Butler's remains were found earlier in the day. Butler's family had reported her missing two days before Thanksgiving on Tuesday, Nov. 23, when they were unable to reach her by phone. Family friends report that Butler was "very close" to her family.  Thursday investigation at Eagle Rock Reservation Credit: Savino Carlucci Essex County's Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly reported that Butler's remains were discovered at about 11:30am Thursday morning while a team of county and municipal investigators, including K9s, were searching in an area of the Reservation.
The New Jersey Regional Medical Examiner’s Office today announced that Butler's death was determined by autopsy to have been a homidice and that her body was placed in the Reservation. The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Prosecutor's Homicide Task Force Tips Line at 877-847-7432 . Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura’s Crime Stoppers Program is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murder. No further information is available at this time.
Published 5:35pm  Crystal Williams, 33, of Montclair Credit: Family ESSEX COUNTY, NJ - Friday afternoon, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced that that the body of Crystal Williams, 33, of Montclair - who was reported missing on July 10 after she left to take the bus to her job at TJ Maxx in West Caldwell - was found badly decomposed on July 25, and that Shanita Stubbs, 26, of East Orange was arrested yesterday in Sacramento, California for her murder. The final cause and manner of death are still under investigation, but according to Murray the preliminary results reveal that Williams died from blunt force trauma and possible suffocation. Stubbs was charged with Williams’ murder Friday, Aug. 14 and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Yesterday, she was taken without incident into custody by the FBI Fugitive Task Force. Officials in California are preparing to have her extradited to New Jersey.
Published 4:42pm  ESSEX COUNTY, NJ - On Thursday, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced that countywide homicides are up approximately 31 percent. This week alone, 5 homicides were reported over a 24-hour period in Newark, and East Orange has a total of eight more homicides than it did at this time last year. Eight-Month Homicide Comparison Increase Totals Increases in Essex County Homicides January to August, by year
Recent Newark Homicides The Newark Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force are investigating five reportedly unrelated homicides that occurred this week over a two-day period in Newark:
The investigations into all five incidents are active and ongoing.
Published 10:08pm  FAIRFIELD, NJ - Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura took time out of his holiday weekend to take note of the heroics performed by off-duty Sheriff Deputy Chris Cannon tonight at the Franklin Steak House on Passaic Avenue in Fairfield. According to Fontoura, Cannon and his family and friends were waiting for a table just before 7pm when he was told that a late 60-year-old male diner was suffering symptoms of choking; he immediately came to the assistance of the patron. “Restaurant employees attempted to relieve the Soon after, Fairfield Police and the West Essex First Aid Squad arrived on the scene; the victim is expected to make a full recovery.
Published 4:40pm  Credit: John Foley  Credit: John Foley WEST ESSEX, NJ - Late Saturday night, the National Weather Service issued a Freezing Rain Advisory for northeast New Jersey warning of hazardous travel conditions through Sunday morning. The Advisory was expected to be in effect from 3am until 8am Sunday morning, but it was gradually extended until 1pm Sunday afternoon. "Light freezing rain and drizzle will make Reports began to come into West Essex Now by early morning saying the roads were extremely hazardous. "Black ice everywhere from Bloomfield to West Caldwell. By 8:30am, about 10 vehicles were already disabled along Mountain Avenue and there were numerous accidents occurring throughout the area. Area police and surrounding towns used their emergency alert systems within the next ten minutes to warn their residents to remain at home and they would continue to do so throughout the morning.
 Credit: John Foley Over the next hour, Eagle Rock Avenue, Bloomfield Avenue, Passaic Avenue, Eisenhower Parkway and Route 280 were all closed completely or intermittently as accidents arose. Vehicles were reported to have collided into each other, hit poles, gone onto lawns and spun around onto oncoming traffic. There were countless injuries and multiple airbags deployed; in general, drivers were proving it was unsafe for any but emergency vehicles to be out on the road. Pedestrians were equally affected; falls with injuries from icy stairs, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways were reported all over the area.  Credit: John Foley So many accidents happened in such a short period of time that First Responders resorted to the rare practice of "triaging" - which usually happens during extreme emergencies when large amounts of wounded or ill patients are assigned degrees of urgency. By 9am, Roseland and West Essex First Aid EMTs were responding to emergencies all over the area, while at the same time their emergency vehicles were attempting to circumvent the dangerous roads to transport patients to local hospitals and trauma centers in Newark. All available EMTs were asked to report for duty and mutual aid from Wayne was also requested. This is only a sampling of accidents which occurred throughout the region:
Reports of abandoned cars left where they had crashed came in from all over. By 11:30am, there were so many accidents and disabled vehicles along Eagle Rock Avenue that residents were opening their homes to shelter people as they waited for assistance. Local religious organizations including St. Peter's Church in Essex Fells, LifeSource Church in West Caldwell and Our Lady of the Lake in Verona canceled morning prayer services or afternoon gatherings.  Credit: NJ EMS The ice storm affected everyone in the Metropolitan Area. Governor Chris Christie announced that speed restrictions of 35-45mph were in effect on the NJ Turnpike by 9:15am. NJ Transit and DeCamp buses were all cancelled until the afternoon due to the icy road conditions. At 1:30pm, the mutual aid agreement between New York City and NJ was activated and those EMT teams, which were available, waited at the Hudson Tunnel to assist with the City's backlog of 911 calls.
At 1pm, the Freezing Rain Advisory was cancelled while NOAA then issued a Flood Warning which was in effect until 6pm Sunday afternoon. Briefly, thundershowers came into the area adding to the day's weather challenges. All the roads in the area were open by 1:45pm. The roads remain wet and temperatures will continue below freezing tonight. At 5:50pm, there was an accident, with injuries, on Grandview Avenue, in North Caldwell. by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com Published 3:52pm  Credit: Essex County Correctional Facility CALDWELL, NJ - On Friday, the Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Maplewood Police Chief Robert J. Cimino announced that additional charges were levied against Nicole Dufault, 35, of Caldwell. Dufault was arrested Tuesday night at her home and charged with sexually assaulting three students at Columbia High School in Maplewood, where she has been working for nine years as a language arts teacher. After the charges authorized today, the number of sexual assault victims has been raised to five. Prosecutors detailed that Dufault is accused of engaging in various sexual encounters with the students on school property and in her car on multiple occasions. Dufault is accused of multiple counts of first degree aggravated sexual assault and multiple counts of second degree endangering the welfare of a child. All five of the victims are 15-year-old boys who were students at Columbia High School. All of the incidents occurred during the regular school year and also during summer school in 2013 and 2014. Dufault appeared in court today and entered a not guilty plea to the charges involving the original three teen boys. She continues to be held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark on $500,000 bail. She has been ordered to have no contact with any of the victims and her two minor children have been removed from her custody. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 973-753-1130. The high school acting superintendent, James G. Memoli, and the school's principal, Elizabeth Aaron, sent out a letter on Thursday to all parents regarding the incidents: To the SOMSD Community, Further Reading:
 Credit: Acting Essex County Prosecutor's Office CALDWELL, NJ - Nicole Dufault, 35, was arrested Tuesday night at her Caldwell home and was charged with multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Maplewood Police Chief Robert J. Cimino.
The law officers announced that Dufault is a language arts teacher who has been employed at Columbia High School in Maplewood for approximately nine years. She is suspected of sexually assaulting three 15-year-old boys who attend the school. The incidents allegedly occurred during the regular school year and also during the 2013 and 2014 summer school program. Dufault is currently being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark on $500,000 bail. She has been ordered to have no contact with any of the victims and her two minor children have been removed from her custody. Prosecutors detailed that Dufault is accused of engaging in various sexual encounters with the students on school property and in her car on multiple occasions. Counseling is being offered to students through the South Orange / Maplewood School district regarding the incidents. Further Information The investigation, which is active and ongoing, was conducted by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the Maplewood Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 973-753-1130. |
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