The man was struck in the center lane of the southbound express side of the Garden State Parkway, State Police said.

SAYREVILLE -- A 25-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle as he was  attempting to walk across the Garden State Parkway Thursday night, State Police said.

Mohammed Sameeruddin, of North Plainfield, was struck by a Chrysler 200 in the center lane of the Parkway while he was crossing from the left shoulder toward the right side of the highway in the southbound express lanes, State Police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Flynn said.

The crash at 9:35 p.m. near mile-marker 125.1 of the Parkway, Flynn said.

It's not yet clear why Sameeruddin was walking on the Parkway, and the incident remains under investigation, he said. No charges have been filed at this time.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A look at who picked up offers and who committed this summer.

NEW BRUNSWICK -- A photo from the 1960s shows children playing volleyball in the Delaware and Raritan Canal near New Brunswick.\ MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to middlesex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history...

NEW BRUNSWICK -- A photo from the 1960s shows children playing volleyball in the Delaware and Raritan Canal near New Brunswick.\

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to middlesex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history in our online galleries on nj.com.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

One of those killed was a three-year-old girl

Two pedestrians were killed and three were seriously injured this week on New Jersey roadways. 

On Thursday, a 3-year-old girl riding a bicycle was fatally struck by a pick-up truck in Lakewood, and, later in the day, a 25-year-old man was struck and killed while crossing the Garden State Parkway in Sayreville, authorities said. 

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said the girl was riding her bicycle down a steep driveway around 12:30 p.m. when she entered the roadway on 7th Street  "without warning," and was then struck by an eastbound pick-up truck. 

The 40-year-old Lakewood man driving the truck agreed to a search of his mobile phone, which showed "negative results," the prosecutor's office said. The man, whose identity was not released, also agreed to provide a blood sample for testing, authorities said.

N.J. man headed to jail for DWI crash that killed pedestrian with walker

In Sayreville, State Police responded to a crash involving a pedestrian at about 9:35 p.m. near mile-marker 125.1 of the Parkway. 

Investigators say Mohammed Sameeruddin, 25, of North Plainfield, was struck and killed by a Chrysler 200 in the center lane of the Parkway while he was crossing from the left shoulder toward the right side of the highway in the southbound express lanes.

It's not yet clear why Sameeruddin was walking on the Parkway, and the incident remains under investigation, he said. No charges have been filed at this time.

On Monday, a 46-year-old Tuckerton man was struck by a 2017 Kia Forte driven by a 26-year-old Ventnor woman on the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township just before midnight, police said. The man was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

The next day in Millville, a 45-year-old man was seriously injured when he was struck by a bus while crossing Route 47 under the Route 55 overpass around 3:15 p.m. As of Wednesday, he was listed in critical condition at Cooper University Hospital, Camden, Millville police said.

And on Thursday night, a 25-year-old woman was critically injured when she was struck by a car while walking on Route 29 near Lee Avenue. 

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the death

PERTH AMBOY -- Authorities are investigating the death of a man found on Conrail property in the city, police said. 

The man, who was not identified pending notification of his family, was discovered near William Street on Friday, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a release. 

No further details were made public about the man's death, which is being handled by Perth Amboy police and the prosecutor's office. 

An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday.

Anyone with information can call  (732)-442-4400 or (732) 745-4340.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Bartholomew McInerney pleaded guilty to 10 counts of child endangerment for sexting with some of his former players 10 years after he was charged

The former student, only identified by the initials L.C., claims his civil rights were violated after the charges came down in 2014

SAYREVILLE -- A judge will soon decide whether or not a civil rights lawsuit brought by former high school football player who was charged in the football hazing scandal that marred most of the 2014 season can move forward. 

The former Sayreville student, only identified by the initials L.C. in the lawsuit, claims the prosecutor's office slandered him by implying he was involved in an alleged sex assault after his trial. The suit also accuses the Sayreville Board of Education and Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office of sharing his juveniles records illegally, violating his civil rights.

Monmouth Superior Court Judge Dennis O'Brien heard a similar suit earlier this year involving another student, former team captain Dylan Thillet, and dismissed the case.   

On Aug 18, O'Brien heard arguments from L.C.'s attorney Kevin Flood and lawyers for the Sayreville school board and board counsel, the prosecutor's office, the borough and Piscataway Board of Education. 

The case was originally filed in February in Middlesex County Superior Court in February but has since been transferred to Monmouth County to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. 

The defendants' attorneys all denied the accusations, arguing that all their actions were legal, but would not comment further on pending litigation. 

After a nearly three-hour proceeding, O'Brien said he will make his decision on Sept. 5 but cautioned the parents of L.C., who were the only two in attendance, that if the case moves forward much of what was previously confidential will come out. 

The two parents nodded and L.C.'s mother seemed to mouth an inaudible "yes."

Since all of the defendants were minors and handled in Family Court, none of the details of the trials or adjudications are public.

L.C. was one of seven of the Sayreville's high school football team who were all charged in a series of alleged sexual assaults on four other younger players. In response to the allegation, the school superintendent, Richard Labbe, announced the cancellation of the season after three games.

The case garnered national press attention as reports emerged from parents detailing an alleged extreme hazing ritual where the upperclassmen would hold down freshman, shove a finger in the player's rectum and sometimes put that same finger into the kid's mouth. 

A year later, four players pleaded guilty in Family Court to hazing, a disorderly persons offense, and third-degree endangering the welfare of their teammates. 

The prosecutor said three of the defendants admitted to digitally penetrating one of their victims through clothing. 

L.C. and another took their case to trial and were convicted of simple assault and disorderly conduct. The outcome of the remaining student's case was not released, as it was pending at the time. 

At the center of the lawsuit is the press release from the prosecutor's office announcing the adjudications. 

Flood argued the release implied L.C. was involved in the sexual assault in its wording and the mention of avoiding registration under Megan's Law.

O'Brien noted the public likely associates the registry, which is listed on the State Police website as "New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry," with sex offenders although those convicted of kidnapping a child may be forced to register.

"The press release might not have been artfully written, but it's not defamatory," said Elisa Pagano, who represented the prosecutor's office. 

The lawsuit also accuses the prosecutor's office and school board of handling L.C.'s juvenile records illegally. The prosecutor's office allegedly gave the board information about the case without a judge's order and the board provided the prosecutor's office with disciplinary records back to third grade for L.C.'s trial, according to arguments during the hearing. 

In addition, the suit claims that some or all of those records were provided to Piscataway, which kept L.C. from playing sports at the high school. L.C. and his parents moved after failed attempts to re-enroll L.C. in Sayreville high following the adjudication of his case, the filing says. 

"Are we on the wrong side of the court house?" O'Brien asked during the proceeding, questioning this was a criminal matter as the attorneys sparred. 

Keith Murphy, an attorney representing the Sayreville board, argued the school did not violate L.C.'s civil rights in not allowing him to return to school, saying they provided L.C. with the chance to appeal, but the family had declined to pursue further so L.C. could finish his senior year.

Murphy and Pagano both asserted that L.C.'s records were legally handled. 

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A resurfacing project will close lanes in Middlesex County from Mondays through Thursdays.

Drivers, beware: A resurfacing project on Routes 1 and 32 in Middlesex County is likely to close lanes for months, causing backups on already busy central Jersey thoroughfares.

Repaving of five miles of road began this week and is scheduled to continue Mondays through Thursdays, the state Department of Transportation announced. The project likely will run through November, a department spokesman told New Jersey 101.5. 

Single lanes of Routes 1 and 32 in Edison, Woodbridge and South Brunswick will be closed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Additional lanes will be closed after 10 p.m., but at least one lane will always be open, the department said. No lane closures are scheduled for Fridays through Sundays.

Route 1 will be resurfaced from Campus Drive to Deer Park Place in South Brunswick and between Townsley Street in Edison and Production Way in Woodbridge.

About a mile of Route 32 in South Brunswick will be repaved.

The state-funded project will cost $8.4 million and also include sidewalk and curb work and drainage improvements. 

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

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Which top returning stat leader will block shots the state in 2017?

It is the third time that Deanna Joseph has been charged with neglecting or endangering a child, records show.

UPDATE: Mom accused of being high as daughter, 2, died in unattended car faces court

ALLOWAY TWP. -- A mother has been arrested after she got high on drugs and left her 2-year-old daughter unattended for hours in her car seat, where she somehow fatally injured herself, authorities said.

Deanna J. Joseph, 39, was charged with second-degree child endangerment after she called 911 around 9:45 p.m. from her home on Timberman Road to report that her child was unresponsive, State Police said.

"It appeared the child was confined in a car seat for an extended period of time while the mother was under the influence of drugs, and may have injured herself in the car seat," Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan said Sunday.

Lenahan said the child had no obvious signs of blunt force trauma and the exact cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office.

Joseph, who was in the vehicle with her daughter, had left the car parked but running, he said. It was a cool night, he said, but Joseph had the heater on.

This is Joseph's third arrest in nine years on charges related to neglect of a child, according to court records.

Most recently, Joseph was convicted in 2014 of cruelty and neglect of a child after authorities reportedly found her unconscious while her son, then an infant, bathed in several inches of water in a South Amboy apartment. She was sentenced to a year in jail and was released a year ago this month, records show.

Police told Mycentraljersey.com in 2014 that Joseph was found unresponsive next to spoons and glassine envelopes containing heroin residue, along with a couple of rocks of crack cocaine.

Joseph was also convicted of cruelty and neglect of a child in 2008 in Superior Court in Burlington County and sentenced to five years probation. 

According to a Burlington County Times report at that time, Evesham police arrested her after determining that she left her children, 11 and 2, alone at home. Police made the discovery after they found Joseph under the influence of drugs in a parking lot and took her to a hospital.

After the 2008 arrest, the two children were taken into state custody at least temporarily, according to the Burlington County Times.

Court records show she has also been convicted, over 20 years, on charges from seven separate arrests, including possession of heroin and cocaine and resisting arrest or eluding after being instructed to stop.

If convicted of the second-degree offense, she faces up to 10 years in prison.

It was not clear Sunday whether Joseph was being monitored by the state Department of Children and Families' Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

 Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Shelters and rescues throughout New Jersey welcome adopters and assistance.

If you're interested in helping homeless animals but aren't able to adopt one, there are a number of other ways you can be of assistance.

Realistically, not everyone can adopt. People who live in apartments or developments that have no-pets policies fall into that category, as do people with allergies or disabilities that will not allow them to care for pets of their own. Here are some suggestions for ways people who want to help can participate in caring for homeless animals.

* Help out at a local shelter. It's not glamorous work by any means, but it's vital and will be very much appreciated. You can do anything from help walk dogs to bottle feed kittens, help clean kennels or cat's cages or even help with bathing and grooming. Contact your local shelter to find out their policies regarding volunteers.

* If you're handy, you can lend a hand in many ways. Shelters usually need repairs of many kinds, so fixer-uppers can help out like that. If you sew, quilt or crochet, you can make blankets for your local shelter.

* Help out at an adoption event. Many shelters and rescue groups participate in local events by hosting a table with pets available for adoption. They also hold these program at malls, pet supply stores and banks, and can always use a helping hand.

* For galleries like this one and for online adoptions sites, often a shelter or rescue group doesn't have the time or equipment to shoot good photos of their adoptable pets, Something as simple as making yourself available to shoot and provide digital files of pet photos can be a big help.

* Donate. It doesn't have to be money; shelters need cleaning supplies, pet food, toys for the animals and often even things we don't think twice about getting rid of like old towels and newspapers. Every little bit helps.

If you don't know where your local animal shelter or rescue group is, a quick online search will reveal a number of results. It doesn't take a lot of time or effort to get involved but it provides immeasurable assistance.

As much as $7.5 million may be available for users of the coin counting machines.

Science teachers attend the Summer Institute at Raritan Valley Community College.

Science teachers Alyssa Sylvester from Liberty Middle School in West Orange, Jonathan Irizarry William from William C. McGinnis Middle School in Perth Amboy, and Jane Chung, Liberty Middle School, work on an experiment during a workshop to teach teachers about the new Next Generation Science Standards held at Raritan Valley Community College.

PERTH AMBOY -- While students have been enjoying the final days of summer, their science teachers have been busy preparing to meet the challenge of New Jersey's new science standards.

In 2014, New Jersey adopted the Next Generation Science Standards, a researched-based, hands-on STEM curriculum designed to give students a better understanding of science through daily investigations and observations. Middle and high school teachers began teaching the curriculum last year; elementary school teachers will implement the program during the 2017-2018 school year.

To help them prepare, science teachers attended workshops at the Summer Institute, a weeklong program held at Raritan Valley Community College. There, teachers worked with Wil van der Veen, director of RVCC's NJACE Science Education Institute, and teachers from the NGSS Teacher Leader Program, who provided them with the information and support needed to help them begin teaching the new science curriculum when they return to school in September.

Nearly 140 teachers in grades K to 12 attended this year's Summer Institute.

To submit school news send an email to middlesex@starledger.com.

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Jose David Guardado-Leiva was stabbed to death Friday, authorities announced Monday.

PERTH AMBOY -- An 18-year-old city man who was found dead Friday was stabbed to death, authorities said Monday. 

Jose David Guardado-Leiva. (Photo provided by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office)

Jose David Guardado-Leiva was found by a passerby shortly after 7:40 a.m. on Conrail property near William Street in the city, officials said. 

Guardado-Leiva died of stab wounds to his head, neck and torso, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey and Perth Amboy police chief Roman McKeon said Monday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The teenager's death was recently ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner, authorities said.  

Perth Amboy police and the prosecutor's office are investigating the killing. No arrests have been made.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to call them at 732-442-4400 or 732-745-4340.

Luke Nozicka can be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com or on Twitter @lukenozicka.

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A group of Essex County Democrats said they are backing Assemblyman Craig Coughlin over Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto in a key leadership race.

TRENTON -- State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto on Monday suffered what could be a fatal blow to his quest to remain leader of the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.

Essex County Chairman LeRoy Jones announced Monday that most of the Democratic Assembly members representing the county are backing Assemblyman Craig Coughlin to become the next speaker when the chamber votes on its leaders in January. 

The endorsements of those six lawmakers preliminarily gives Coughlin (D-Middlesex) more than enough votes to supplant Prieto (D-Hudson) as speaker -- the third most powerful position in New Jersey government, after governor and state Senate president. 

But Prieto, who is seeking a third term as speaker, refused to concede defeat Monday. And it's still possible that a number of upsets in November's elections or a number of defections from Coughlin's camp could allow Prieto to keep his position, although Monday's news makes that much more unlikely.

Either Prieto or Coughlin need votes from at least 27 of the 52 members of the Assembly's Democratic majority to win the speakership. 

Coughlin announced in May that he had the support of 26 members, as well as two Democratic candidates who are expected to win in November, when all of the Assembly's 80 seats are on the ballot.

On Monday, Jones announced that six Essex County Democrats -- Mila Jasey, John McKeon, Ralph Caputo, Cleopatra Tucker, Eliana Pintor-Marin, and Tom Giblin -- joined the list of those backing Coughlin.

Battle for N.J. Assembly speaker seat heats up

Only two Essex County Democrats did not join the list: Sheila Oliver, who is running for lieutenant governor, and Blonnie Watson, who is not running to keep her seat. Jones said Oliver is staying out of the issue because of the governor's race.

Shanique Speight, who is running for Watson's seat and is expected to win, is backing Coughlin. 

Jones, the county's Democratic chairman, said in a statement Monday that Coughlin will "provide strong leadership" to the Assembly and will "work in partnership" with Phil Murphy, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany who is the Democratic favorite to succeed Gov. Chris Christie in November's race, and Oliver. 

"Together, along with our Essex Delegation in the Assembly, we will be able to address the challenges of fiscal responsibility, quality education, strengthening our middle class, job creation and improving the overall quality of life for all our residents that our state faces in the immediate future," Jones added. 

But Prieto released his own statement Monday vowing to keep fighting for his job and insisting that he still has enough support from Essex County's Democrats, despite what Jones announced.

"I am certain that I have the support of a majority of the members of the Essex County Assembly delegation, today's announcement notwithstanding," Prieto said. "As chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, I always take great caution in making political statements to ensure that my constituency is uniformly behind our position. That is not the case in Essex County as it relates to the upcoming vote for speaker."

Coughlin also has the support of an influential bloc of south Jersey Democrats who are aligned with Democratic powerbroker George Norcross III. 

Norcross supported Prieto when he ousted Oliver as speaker in 2013, but Prieto has often clashed with south Jersey lawmakers over the last few years. 

Assembly members vote on its leadership informally shortly after November's elections. There is an official vote in January. 

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Authorities, however, plan to bring their case in the notorious murder before the state's highest court.

PLAINSBORO -- An appeals court has upheld a lower court's decision granting a former death row inmate a third trial in a decades-old murder in Middlesex County.

Authorities, however, plan to bring their case in the notorious murder before the state's highest court.

Nathaniel Harvey, now 67, had his conviction overturned two years ago in the killing of a Plainsboro woman with a hatchet in 1985 after a state Superior Court judge ruled Harvey didn't receive "adequate assistance" from the public defenders during trial in the early 1990s.

On Monday, the state Appellate Court agreed with Judge Stuart Peim, affirming the court's decision that Harvey was not provided with proper representation guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment.

Nathaniel HarveyNJ DOC 

The three-judge panel wrote, "Defendant's counsel's errors were sufficiently serious so as to undermine confidence that defendant's trial was fair, and that the jury properly convicted him." 

Harvey was convicted of murder in 1994 and sentenced to death. His attorneys have since argued that advances in DNA technology could prove that Harvey was not guilty in the murder of 37-year-old Irene Schnaps.

Harvey's sentence was reduced to life without parole after New Jersey's move to abolish the death penalty in 2007.

The court did not rule on whether or not the new forestic evidence helped the defense's case or it was sufficient enough to warrant a new trial. 

"The Prosecutor's Office is very disappointed in the court's decision," Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said Monday." We plan on filing a motion for leave to appeal to the N.J. Supreme Court."

Harvey's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Authorities say that DNA evidence linked Harvey to Schnaps' apartment where a co-worker found the Plainsboro woman bludgeoned to death. Schnaps was hit 15 times in the head with a hatchet. 

Prosecutor's said Harvey, who lived in East Windsor, confessed to the murder after he was arrested in connection with a string of burglaries, but he quickly recanted.  

Harvey was first found guilty in the woman's murder in 1986, but the state Supreme Court overturned the conviction, ruling that Harvey confessed without being read his Miranda rights.

During his second trial in 1994, prosecutors presented blood samples from the woman's box spring, arguing that the genetic traits in the samples connected Harvey to the murder. 

His defense argued that new tests would prove the woman's neighbor was the killer.

The state's highest court upheld his conviction in 1997.

New DNA tests were ordered by the state Supreme Court in 2007.

Harvey is serving currently serving a 70-year prison term. He was convicted in 1989 on charges of sexual assault and kidnapping, as well as other charges, according to court records. The details of that case were not known.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Marriage rates in New Jersey plummeted over an 11 year period from 1990 to 2011, but have made a slight comeback over the past few years.

Disha Raychaudhuri | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Which teams are the favorites to reach sectional finals come early December?