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Police & Fire
NJ Teacher Who Posed As Woman To Lure 70 Boys Into Sending Him Nudes Gets 17½ Years: Feds NJ Teacher Who Posed As Woman To Lure 70 Boys Into Sending Him Nudes Gets 17½ Years: Feds
NJ Teacher Who Posed As Woman To Lure 70 Boys Into Sending Him Nudes Gets 17½ Years: Feds UPDATE: It's a measure of how despicably and disgustingly a former Union County grade-school teacher and youth soccer coach from Morristown abused dozens of boys he'd met online that a plea bargain got him "only" 17½ years in federal prison. Steven Brooks, 37, must serve at least 85% of the negotiated sentence handed down in federal court in Newark on Thursday, April 18, for posing as a woman to lure at least 70 underage boys into sending him nude photos and videos. That means he'll be in his early 50s before he'll be eligible to experience freedom again. FBI agents who investigated Brooks…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Man Found Dead With 'Several Wounds' Inside Galloway Township Home Man Found Dead With 'Several Wounds' Inside Galloway Township Home
Man Found Dead With 'Several Wounds' Inside Galloway Township Home An Atlantic County man was found dead inside a home with several wounds, authorities said. The body of 42-year-old Shawn O'Neill of Galloway was discovered by township police at around 2:49 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 17, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. Officers found him with "several wounds to his body" in a home on the 400 block of South Odessa Avenue. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of O'Neill's death. The major crimes unit for the county prosecutor's office is helping Galloway police in the investigation. Anyone with …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ HS Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student Freed From Jail Until Trial NJ HS Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student Freed From Jail Until Trial
NJ HS Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student Freed From Jail Until Trial A Mercer County high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student several times at a Monmouth County wildlife preserve was released from jail to await her trial, authorities said. A judge denied a request on Wednesday, Apr. 17 to keep 37-year-old Jessica Sawicki of Point Pleasant Beach in jail through her trial, a Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson said. She was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault and five counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Sawicki was arrested on Monday, Apr. 8, according to an affidavit obtai…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Trader Joe's Recalling Basil Sold In New Jersey Due To Salmonella Outbreak Trader Joe's Recalling Basil Sold In New Jersey Due To Salmonella Outbreak
Trader Joe's Recalling Basil Sold In New Jersey Due To Salmonella Outbreak Trader Joe's is recalling Infinite Herbs-brand organic basil that was sold across the country in 2.5-ounce clamshell packaging due to concerns of Salmonella contamination. This week, the supermarket giant issued an alert cautioning shoppers in 29 states, as well as Washington, DC, not to consume the product as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigates a reported outbreak of Salmonella. Trader Joes is recalling Infinite Herbs Organic Basil FDA According to the FDA, "Trader Joe’s has already voluntarily removed all Infinite Herbs-brand organic basil packed in 2.5-oz clamshell pa…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
NJ Daycare Worker Caused Child's Nose Bleed In Series Of Assaults, Police Papers Say NJ Daycare Worker Caused Child's Nose Bleed In Series Of Assaults, Police Papers Say
NJ Daycare Worker Caused Child's Nose Bleed In Series Of Assaults, Police Papers Say Three students at a preschool in Mercer County were hit and grabbed aggressively by a childcare teacher, authorities said. In one of the incidents at the Malvern School on Route 33 in Robbinsville, the teacher's slap caused a nosebleed, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Daily Voice. Another incident caused a visible injury to an arm, the paperwork says. Ekta Dwarkesh, 45, of South Brunswick, is charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child by abuse or neglect, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. Surveillance video from the school…

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by Jon Craig
Lifestyle
'Not Pretty, Can't Act:' Sydney Sweeney Slams NJ Producer Who Publicly Insulted Her 'Not Pretty, Can't Act:' Sydney Sweeney Slams NJ Producer Who Publicly Insulted Her
'Not Pretty, Can't Act:' Sydney Sweeney Slams NJ Producer Who Publicly Insulted Her A film producer from New Jersey is under fire after saying Sydney Sweeney can't act and isn't pretty. Carol Baum, who graduated Columbia High School in Maplewood, disparaged the "Euphoria" star during a Q-n-A at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, on Thursday, April, 11.  Baum, who has produced movies like "Father of the Bride" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was on hand to discuss her experiences producing the 1988 David Cronenberg film "Dead Calm," which came out nine years before Sweeney was born. "I don't get Sydney Sweeney," Baum reportedly said. "I was watching on …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Three Adults, HS Student Hospitalized After School Bus Crash In South Jersey Three Adults, HS Student Hospitalized After School Bus Crash In South Jersey
Three Adults, HS Student Hospitalized After School Bus Crash In South Jersey Three adults and a child were hospitalized after a minivan and a school bus crashed in Ocean County, authorities said. Manchester Township police responded to the crash at the intersection of Route 70 and County Route 571 at around 6:40 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 18, the department said in a news release. Two Manchester Township High School students were on the bus during the crash. Officers found a yellow 2015 Thomas school bus with extensive front-end damage and a green 2005 Honda Odyssey with extensive front passenger-side damage in County Route 571 North. The bus was facing north …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
UPS Driver Attacked By Knife-Wielding South Jersey Man: Police UPS Driver Attacked By Knife-Wielding South Jersey Man: Police
UPS Driver Attacked By Knife-Wielding South Jersey Man: Police A 50-year-old man from Sicklerville is accused of attacking a UPS driver with a knife, authorities said. Monroe Township police said they caught Ernest Peterson on top of the driver after he crashed into a curb at about 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17. Peterson had asked the UPS driver for a ride to the front of the Madison Court Apartments, police said. The driver, a 52-year-old Franklinville man, was treated at an area hospital for minor cuts above his right eye and on his back, police said. A knife was recovered at the scene. Peterson, who resisted arrest, was charged with aggravated…

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by Jon Craig
Sports
NJ Golfer Returning To U.S. Women's Open After Reaching Leaderboard While In High School NJ Golfer Returning To U.S. Women's Open After Reaching Leaderboard While In High School
NJ Golfer Returning To U.S. Women's Open After Reaching Leaderboard While In High School A Monmouth County golfer who was in high school while on the leaderboard of an LPGA major tournament's final round is returning to the event three years later. Megha Ganne qualified for the 2024 U.S. Women's Open after winning a U.S. Golf Association qualifying tournament on Monday, Apr. 15. The Holmdel native finished six under par in the two-round event in El Macero, California. Ganne shared pictures on Instagram of the official invitation to her third LPGA major. "US OPEN BOUND!!" Ganne posted. "[It's] been a while since one of these, grateful for another U.S. Women's Open opp…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
License Permanently Stripped From NJ Doc Who Let 20-Year-Old ER Patient Die License Permanently Stripped From NJ Doc Who Let 20-Year-Old ER Patient Die
License Permanently Stripped From NJ Doc Who Let 20-Year-Old ER Patient Die UPDATE: An ER doctor had her medical license permanently revoked by the state of New Jersey for allowing a 20-year-old patient to die on her watch and then trying to cover it up, authorities said. Shar Kennett, 66, of Wayne was on duty in the emergency room at Overlook Medical Center in Summit when the patient was brought in with urgent "respiratory distress" on June 29, 2017, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Kennett failed to examine him and didn't order any diagnostics, "despite his parents' urgent requests for assistance," Platkin said on Thursday, April 18. The patient died in…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Man In Wheelchair Struck, Killed In Salem County Man In Wheelchair Struck, Killed In Salem County
Man In Wheelchair Struck, Killed In Salem County A 79-year-old man in a wheelchair was struck and killed by a car in Salem County, authorities said. Chester Avant, of Pedricktown, died from his injuries, according to New Jersey State Police. State Troopers were called to the intersection of New Road and Pennsville Pedtricktown Road in Oldmans Township at about 4:15 a.m. Monday, April 15, said Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron, a NJSP spokesman. A Buick was northbound on the Pennsville Pedricktown Road when it struck Avant, Lebron said.  Lebron said no one else was injured. The incident remains under investigation.

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by Jon Craig
News
Blind 'One-Of-A-Kind' Kangaroo At Popcorn Park Animal Refuge Dies Blind 'One-Of-A-Kind' Kangaroo At Popcorn Park Animal Refuge Dies
Blind 'One-Of-a-kind' Kangaroo At Popcorn Park Animal Refuge Dies A blind kangaroo who was beloved at an Ocean County animal refuge has died, officials said. The red kangaroo named Winnie died after receiving care for "a myriad of health issues" at Popcorn Park Animal Refuge, the park said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Apr. 18. Winnie arrived at the Lacey Township sanctuary in June 2022. Popcorn Park caretakers gave Winnie daily medicine and special veterinary visits so she could have "a peaceful, loving home." "However, throughout the past few weeks, her health began to decline, and unfortunately she was not responding to any medications or…

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by Chris Spiker