Trucks, other vehicles involved in Edison accident Wednesday afternoon

EDISON -- An accident involving multiple vehicles, including at least two tractor trailers, caused significant delays on the northbound side of I-287 Wednesday afternoon, State Police said. 

The accident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. near Exit 1 and resulted in only minor injuries, police said. 

There were delays of up to 30 minutes on the highway, the state Department of Transportation reported. 

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook

 

SPOTSWOOD — From left, David Corrigan, Jayne Corrigan, Karen Kilian and Doug Corrigan stopped for a photo before heading off to the first day of school in Spotswood in this undated photo. Currently, children in this age range in Spotswood would attend the G. Austin Schoenly Elementary School and the E.R. Appleby Elementary School. While the lunchboxes carried by the...

SPOTSWOOD -- From left, David Corrigan, Jayne Corrigan, Karen Kilian and Doug Corrigan stopped for a photo before heading off to the first day of school in Spotswood in this undated photo.

Currently, children in this age range in Spotswood would attend the G. Austin Schoenly Elementary School and the E.R. Appleby Elementary School.

While the lunchboxes carried by the two boys cannot be identified, enlarging the photo shows that Jayne is carrying a Barbie lunchbox; the decorations on its face show it to be a "Barbie and Midge" style box which dates to 1963, according to lunchboxvillage.com.

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 Thursdays on nj.com.

Also, new details emerge shedding more light on at least one locker room attack Watch video

SAYREVILLE -- The first signs of a new beginning flashed at Sayreville War Memorial High School on a hot morning last month. Players in shoulder pads and silver helmets marched to the practice field, band members rolled out new routines and the electronic sign on Washington Road blinked, "Go Bombers!"

Over on Main Street, the iconic blue-and-white scoreboard was scrubbed of the previous season, replaced by the new schedule and the name of the new head coach, Chris Beagan. Even the Touchdown Club's website was redone to count down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the football team's opener Sept. 11 against J.P. Stevens.

Gone are the visible reminders from Sayreville's nightmarish 2014 season, when seven football players were accused of hazing four teammates in the locker room. The charges are still not totally resolved in juvenile court, but led to the cancellation of the season, the ouster of long-time head coach George Najjar and a national scandal.

"The vast majority of this community is excited to move on and move forward," Sayreville district superintendent Richard Labbe said in an interview last month.

As hard as many in Sayreville are pushing for a fresh start, the echoes still rumble. 

Even today, nearly a year later, some families remain divided about the severity of what happened in the locker room and the response of the school board, calling for an investigation into how officials handled the situation. That sentiment came to a head in the last two, sometimes-tense, school board meetings. 

In the days following last week's meeting, NJ Advance Media obtained documents, including a witness interview with investigators, that provide new details into at least one alleged attack. According to a witness whose identity is being protected by NJ Advance Media out of fear of reprisals in the community:

•  Approximately 15 to 20 players were involved in one of the attacks. The players, according to the witness, stood over the victim, held him down or prevented him from getting up.
•  An assistant football coach came into the locker room just before one of the players was hazed, but he was pushed out by players.
•  One alleged victim was targeted because of a dating incident that did not end well.

And more is unfolding behind the scenes. Current Sayreville football players have started a petition seeking to bring one of the accused players back to the school, according to two parents involved with the program. The petition also was sent to last year's freshmen players, some of whom may have been targeted in the hazing or witnessed it, one of the parents said.

"It's frustrating," said one parent who declined to be identified out of fear of reprisals in the community. "We know two, three kids already that we spoke to their parents and they're going for therapy. Now they're sending around a petition? I can't believe it."

Meanwhile, the petition calling for an open investigation into the board of education's handling of the scandal has reached 219 signatures. A lawyer for one of the accused and the school board president recently made powerful declarations about what truly happened in the locker room last fall. And a hushed minority still feels alienated by the community's eagerness to bury the alleged crimes in the past.

Then last week, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey announced four defendants admitted to hazing and endangering the welfare of their young teammates, two of whom said they held one boy down while another digitally penetrated his anus through his pants. Two others were found delinquent, or guilty, on charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct in Family Court. All were cleared of the most serious charges, which included sexual assault. Those boys will not have to register as Megan's Law offenders.

One case remains outstanding.

In theory, Friday night may do the most to bring a sense of normalcy back to town. That's when the six-time state champion Bombers will take the field for the first time in 349 days. Many people here say football is the strongest thread running through this community of 44,000, a uniting force in good times and bad.

Can football's return bring the remaining splinters of the community together a year after scandal tore it apart?  Or will the sport only drive more people in different directions?

"There are victims out there that might actually have worse days as we approach the opening of the season," said John Bovery, a former teacher who frequently attends board meetings. "It's easy for me as a town member to close this chapter of the book. It's easy for most of the town to take that approach. I'm sure it's not easy for the victims and to a lesser degree probably the defendants as well."

Sayreville High School's football team looks forward to their new season together, following last years hazing scandal. (Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
 

* * *

As the first official practice of training camp began last month, Beagan, the new coach, bounced across the field, shouting and clapping. He was an obvious choice to lead the program into a new era, Labbe said.

Beagan was born and raised in Sayreville, grew up playing youth football for the Morgan Panthers and dreamed of "going to the high school and wearing my school colors with pride," he said. He played football and wrestled for the Bombers and even coached briefly under Najjar.

Today, Beagan is intensely protective of the program and community. He calls last year's scandal "painful."

"The town ultimately gets portrayed in a way that's negative," Beagan said. "There's a whole lot of positive in our district that was ignored."

Beagan won a state championship and went 39-33 in seven seasons as head coach at Monroe High before coming to Sayreville. The new coach and the new season have helped some shift the conversation in town.

"We're not chatting about what happened in that locker room anymore," Bovery said. "Now we're talking more about, 'Will our new coach have a similar running attack or will he open up the offense?'"

But chatter, inevitably, finds its way back to the hazing scandal. At last week's school board meeting, Carolyn Porcaro, the mother of two Sayreville players, said the district is unfairly keeping one of their teammates out of school. Porcaro's criticism of the district came a day after Carey announced six of the seven defendants were sentenced to probation for their roles last fall.

Others claim the district's entire reaction to the hazing allegations was overblown.

"You can't get the (seniors) back and give them football; they already graduated," said one person with ties to the athletic program who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. "Guys lost their jobs and reputations and it's all for nothing."

Some opinions also differ on how effective the school board and Labbe were in handling the scandal.

Labbe, meanwhile, said the district responded appropriately.

"Within any community there are going to be some people that disagree with decisions that are made," Labbe said. "I think we're all just excited to move into the next chapter."

Many in Sayreville say football's return will help shift the narrative in town once and for all.

"That community really needs to get back to football because it's so important there," said Sal Mistretta, who coached Sayreville from 1988 to 1994. "Unless you've been there or coached there, you really don't realize how entrenched the whole football program is. It was like coaching in a Pennsylvania coal-mining town where high school football was really the big deal."

The Sayreville High football team and coaches returned to their field, Monday, August 17, 2015, for first official practice of 2015 season. (Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
 

* * *

Current Sayreville players just want to play football again.

Senior linebacker Corey Clark said he's noticed more people than normal offering encouragement for the upcoming season. But, he added, "We're more excited than anybody because we got it taken away from us."

Other players say they've moved past the scandal and that it only brought them closer together.

Some players also hint to their own beliefs about what happened last fall.

"We'll let people think what they think," said senior lineman Anthony Porcaro, Carolyn Porcaro's son. "Us as players know what happened. We know that nothing would happen. We're just trying to focus on moving forward."

If there's still healing that needs to take place, Beagan and his players said they hope to be a part of the process -- on the field, under the lights.

"People have been holding it in," Anthony Porcaro said. "People are just excited for us to get back on the field and play our games and do what we do best."

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brian Amaral contributed to this report.

Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Dawn drug raids across north and central New Jersey resulted in several arrests, NJ Advance Media has learned.

NEWARK -- Dawn drug raids across north and central New Jersey resulted in several arrests, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The Thursday morning police raids were a part of a joint-investigation by multiple Essex County law enforcement agencies into a heroin distribution ring operating primarily in Newark's South Ward, a law enforcement source said.

Teams of officers, including New Jersey State Police SWAT teams, Essex County Prosecutor's Office officials and Newark police, participated in the execution of the search and arrest warrants, the source said. 

On Thursday morning, several officers could be seen bursting through the doors of two separate Newark residences.

Officers appeared to take two suspects -- one male and one female -- into custody outside an apartment residence in the 100 block of Spruce Street in Newark.

At a similar raid at a home in the 100 block of Hobson Street, authorities led a male suspect wearing handcuffs into a waiting car while neighbors looked on.

In Rahway, investigators could be seen removing bags and boxes after a team of officers entered a town home in the 400 block of Hancock Street. Hours later, authorities led a man from the home in handcuffs.

Similar raids were conducted in Monmouth, Essex, and Bergen Counties, the source said.

The total number of those arrested in the takedown was not immediately made clear.

Staff writer Dan Ivers and staff photographer Andy Mills contributed to this report.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Franklin councilman Rajiv Prasad apologized to the community for calling opponents to Catalpa Park racists during Tuesday night's council meeting at the Municipal Building.

SOMERSET -- A racially-charged controversy has emerged in Franklin Township over a proposed park, prompting a councilman to accuse organizers of a Facebook group of leading a hate group and to request a FBI probe, which, in turn, has led to calls for the councilman's resignation.

The controversy centers around Catalpa Park, a $4.5 million project on a 25-acre tract located on the southern edge of the township that would feature two cricket pitches for the local Indian community, which has faced significant opposition from Tranquility Protection Alliance of Franklin Township -- a Facebook group headed by Brian and Gina Ulrich.

Councilman Rajiv Prasad (D-At Large), who supports the park, has accused the Ulriches of heading a hate group, and, in a July email to the police chief, referred to the married couple as "neo-Nazis" and asked for the FBI to investigate. Prasad, who has said the Facebook group also opposes a proposed Hindu Temple on South Middlebush Road, told the police chief he feared the group would resort to violence, citing a shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin by a white supremacist in which six people were killed.

Prasad apologized about his remarks Tuesday night at the council meeting, saying he didn't understand social media and blamed racially-charged posts on the residents' site. He said he now understands if someone posts something on a Facebook page it doesn't mean that's how everyone in the group feels.

He applauded Brian Ulrich for deleting some of the racially insensitive posts.

But for Gina Ulrich it was too little, too late. "You called us 'neo-Nazis.' Do you know what that means?" she said during an emotional council meeting.

"You can affect my career as a public school teacher. All the apologies in the world aren't going to bring back my reputation, which is tarnished on Google."

Brian Ulrich said he's against noise, traffic and overdevelopment, not the Indian community or the sport of cricket.

"I'm just against knocking down trees and bulldozing pastures and fields to make another park," he said. "I'm not against cricket fields, I'm against building Nascar tracks, tennis courts, anything that's going to change an area from being natural land. Natural land is what Franklin Township is known for."

Many members of the Indian community who were present at the meeting said the councilman showed courage by admitting he was wrong and apologizing.

"Accepting a mistake is the biggest courage," said Susindran Thangaraju, president of the Viho Cricket Club. "It was a sincere apology by councilman Prasad. I think it's time to move on."

John Tibbs, a member of the township's Human Relations Commission, pointed out that both the proposed Hindu Temple and Catalpa Park will serve the Indian community and wondered out loud why both projects have been met with such opposition.

"That's all Indians," he said. "If that's not racism, what is it?"

While some members of the Indian community have said they want to move forward, it's not that easy for opponents of the park who were called racists.

Mary Pat Arace of Franklin Park said she's so disgusted by the situation that she's considering moving out of the township. Scott Siegel of Somerset said the controversy reminds him of the "Joe McCarthy days."

Meanwhile, Mayor Chris Kelly has called for Prasad to resign, saying he's not fit to serve.

"This movement is about people not wanting a park in their backyard," Kelly said. "It doesn't have anything to do with race. Instead of engaging in a healthy debate, councilman Prasad plays the race card. Then, he lied about it but the evidence showed he did it." 

"I'm appalled and frightened that a council person would try to silence free speech in such an offensive and caustic way. He created a toxic environment where people are in fear to speak up about how they feel."

Brian Ulrich's website has also been at the center of another incident involving alleged racism. Stanley Croughter, president of the Pop Warner League, said he believed there were "racial undertones" involved in the Tranquility Protection Alliance of Franklin Township's successful opposition to proposed speakers on the Pop Warner football field at Middlebush Park.

"I wouldn't say the entire group is racist," Croughter said. "All I can say with a strong degree of confidence is that it has strong racial undertones when it comes to the development of parks.

"It took us 10 years to get Middlebush Park and then in our first year we had issues because of the PA system. How can you watch a Pop Warner game without loud speakers. Some of the residents said they didn't like the hip-hop or rap music we played. We use the field eight of 365 days.

"The undertones can't be ignored. I think that's what the councilman is speaking to," Croughter said.

Croughter pointed out that soccer teams use the park's fields 90 percent of the year and he's not familiar with any controversy involving their usage.

As previously reported by NJ Advance Media, the township has proposed building Catalpa Park on the southern edge of the township on South Middlebush and Old Vliet roads. The park would include two cricket pitches -- a sport brought by British colonists to India--and be built on part of a 108-acre tract of land purchased as open space in 1999.

Alice Osipowitz, director of parks and recreation for the township, said the proposed park has been dramatically scaled down with three soccer fields and two softball fields eliminated from the original plans to accommodate residents' concerns. She said a significant buffer between the neighborhood and the park was still in the plans. Township manager Robert Vornlocker also said there would be no speakers or lights at the proposed park.

The township currently has 18 cricket teams that play on three cricket fields, said Thangaraju. But Osipowitz said only eight have township permits. She said she annually turns down about five teams seeking permits.

"I'm struggling to find grounds for my teams to play," said Thangaraju, adding there are more than 100 crickets teams in central New Jersey. "I have to go to Newark, Edison and Union to find a ground to play. I'm really disturbed about the opposition to the fields."

"I think the only thing that sticks out in people's mind is this isn't their sport. They don't understand the sport. It's a gentleman's sport. There is very little noise during the matches. People won't even know we're there. Cricket and the Hindu temple is part of our quality of life. We live in this community and we deserve the community's support."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com.Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Chancellor Richard Edwards made the announcement Wednesday, following the arraignment of two former football players and a suspended student on robbery charges.

NEW BRUNSWICK - In addition to an increased police presence around campus this semester, Rutgers University plans to install more surveillance cameras and distribute window alarms, according to a report in The Record.

Chancellor Richard Edwards made the announcement Wednesday, following the arraignment of two former football players and a suspended student on robbery charges, according to the report.

Beginning this week, the school will reach out to nearly 10,000 students living near the College Avenue campus in New Brunswick to distribute window alarms and light timers. They will also issue advisories on how to stay safe in the city, the report says.

RELATED: Fingerprint, text messages link Rutgers football players to home invasions, prosecutor says

Earlier this month, 10 current and former Rutgers students - including five football players - were charged with home invasions and assaults in the area.

Three of the suspects pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on Wednesday.

In an unrelated crime, a female was sexually assaulted days before the fall semester began.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Tom Flynn recalls looking beyond his potted plant and desk light from his corporate Exchange Place office and gazing at One World Trade Center gleaming across the Hudson River. 

The view became the impetus of a year-long photography project capturing images of not only the new tower, but also different locations around Jersey City and beyond each day. 

"I probably wouldn't have gone forward with this if I didn't have a desk that was staring at the World Trade Center all day," the 57-year-old product manager for Advance Digital said of his project called "Daily Distortion."

Flynn got started last October, snapping photos of Jersey City and other towns throughout the state. He then used a program called Picmonkey to distort the images to make them resemble water color paintings. For the month of February, Flynn put a surrealist twist on photos of towns around the country via street view from Google Maps.

"It's definitely maturing as it's going along," said the South River resident, who formerly worked out of The Jersey Journal headquarters in Journal Square. "It was more cartoon-y in the beginning."

Advance Digital is affiliated with NJ.com and The Jersey Journal. 

Photos were first posted to a Facebook page each day, but Flynn has since expanded to a website where prints are available for sale.

As the project nears its completion, Flynn has decided to give back to the area that has given him so much inspiration by giving away personalized 8-by-10-inch prints of the World Trade Center to those who were affected by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"I thought what about these World Trade Center ones? I didn't feel comfortable selling those," said Flynn. "I was hoping that some people would feel a connection to them because I feel a connection to them.

Like most, Flynn still vividly remembers the day of the 9/11 attacks. At the time, he was working at AT&T.

"The first thing I thought was, my dad's not there," said Flynn, whose father had formerly worked in the towers. "My coworkers had some family there. So it was really pretty depressing....It was just a crazy day."

Flynn is extending his offer to first responders or those who lost someone during the attacks 14 years ago. Personalizations could range from "In memory of..." or "Thank you, [name], for your service in our time of need."

"I'm not going to ask you to prove if you're eligible. You know if you are," Flynn said in an e-mail.

While Flynn has since changed desks and no longer has a direct view of the building that first inspired his photo project, the inspiration lives on in the pictures.

Those who are interested should e-mail Flynn at Flynn2020@gmail.com and specify which print they would like and how they'd like them personalized.

The deputy director of the Hudson County Correctional Facility was
sentenced today to 21 months in prison for illegally wiretapping his co-workers and another individual, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Kirk Eady, 47, of East Brunswick, was previously found guilty of one count of intentionally intercepting communications of others following a four-day trial in March before Judge Jose L. Linares, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in the case and evidence at trial, from March 2012 to July of that year, the jail official used a website on more than 10 occasions to intercept the telephone calls of other Hudson County Correctional Facility employees and another individual who were critical of his work performance.

Using a program called the "Evil Operator," Eady concealed the number from which the call originated. He then called two of the employees at the same time, making it appear that one or both of the other individuals initiated the call.

Eady also recorded these telephone conversations and never told the other employees he was recording the private communications. These individuals did not consent to their private conversations being monitored and recorded by Eady.

Corrections Officer Latania Freeman, who described herself and Eady as being best friends, testified during the trial that Eady told her he was recording personal calls of people representing corrections officers at the jail. 

When the FBI knocked on her door, she agreed to record her conversations with Eady for the feds.

In one of the calls she recorded for the FBI, the jury heard Eady say in his own words, "It's a program called Prank Dial and so it's another app within an app and (with) that app I can listen to people talk. ... It's called Evil Operator. It's meant as a f----ing joke, but I used that app as a great resource, two people talking, you know what I'm saying?"

In addition to the prison term, Linares sentenced Eady to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark, with the investigation leading to today's sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Foster of the U.S. Attorney's Office Special Prosecution Division.

NEW BRUNSWICK - Another Rutgers University football player has been arrested and charged with participating in a home invasion in which five other students were robbed of money and marijuana, officials said Thursday.

Lloyd M. Terry Jr., 20, of Wrightstown, was arrested in New Brunswick Thursday and was charged with armed robbery, armed burglary and conspiracy to commit the armed robbery, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

A third-year sophomore fullback, Terry's lone collegiate action since arriving on campus in 2013 came in the Quick Lane Bowl last December. 

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds on Rutgers' roster, Terry walked on to the team as a non-scholarship player after starring in wrestling and football at Northern Burlington High School. 

A school spokesman said Terry was immediately dismissed from the team.

Police say Terry was one of three masked men who forced their way into a home on Prosper Street in New Brunswick on April 26.

Terry, along with Tejay Johnson, 23, of Egg Harbor and Andre Boggs, 20, of Coatsville, Pa., robbed the students of an undisclosed amount of cash and marijuana at gunpoint, according to the prosecutor's office.

Boggs, who was among students who were arrested and charged last week, was identified as one of the masked men and was charged on Thursday with armed robbery, armed burglary and conspiracy in the Prosper Street home invasion.

Johnson was charged in that case on Sept. 3 as well, according to the prosecutor's office.

Bail for Terry was set at $175,000. He is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick.

Keith Sargeant of NJ Advance Media contributed to this story

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

NEWARK -- A Thursday afternoon announcement by Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray confirmed an earlier NJ Advance Media report of several narcotics raids by authorities across north and central New Jersey.

Following the raids, 24 people were taken into law enforcement custody in connection to the investigation of the Newark-based heroin distribution ring, authorities confirmed.

All 26 now face various drug-related charges, including possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession and conspiracy. Another three suspects sought by police in connection to the investigation remain at large, authorities said.

Investigators seized $8,000 in cash, two firearms and over 200 bricks of heroin after executing search and arrest warrants in Essex, Middlesex and several other counties, authorities said. The seized heroin has an estimated street value of $100,000, authorities said.

This was the second takedown of a sprawling, Newark-based heroin ring in as many months. In July, officials arrested 48 people in connection to an Essex County Narcotics Task Force investigation of a heroin ring allegedly led by members of the Bloods street gang.

The ring targeted Thursday operated in a similar fashion, supplying customers from outside of Essex County from its base near the intersection of Foster Street and Frelinghuysen Avenue in Newark, Murray said Thursday.

The raids began early Thursday morning, as teams of officers including New Jersey State Police SWAT teams, Essex County Prosecutor's Office officials and other county law enforcement officials executed the search and arrest warrants.

Several officers could be seen bursting through the doors of two separate Newark residences. The officers appeared to take two suspects -- one male and one female -- into custody outside an apartment residence in the 100 block of Spruce Street in Newark.

At a similar raid at a home in the 100 block of Hobson Street, authorities led a male suspect wearing handcuffs into a waiting car while neighbors looked on.

In Rahway, investigators could be seen removing bags and boxes after a team of officers entered a town home in the 400 block of Hancock Street. Hours later, authorities led a man from the home in handcuffs.

In a released statement,  Newark Mayor Ras Barakapraised the efforts of the joint-task force.

"According to the Prosecutor's Office, this ring was based in Newark, but its tentacles spread into eight other communities, oozing crime and violence across the state, destroying neighborhoods and lives," the statement read. "We will not tolerate Newark being a cesspool or a center for criminals and illegal activity."

Anthony Ambrose, Essex County Prosecutor's Office Chief of Detectives, said the collaboration is example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement stands together.

Multiple Essex County police departments assisted in the investigation, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation the Morris and Monmouth County Prosecutor's Offices and NJ State Police, authorities said.

"These dealers are not operating in an insulated environment," said New Jersey State Police spokesman Lt. Brian Polite. "The drug dealers don't operate within jurisdictional lines, so we as law enforcement have to worker together."

Full list of the arrested suspects: 

• Alshariek Morgan, 33, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute, distribution, possession with intent to distribute
• Elijahwan Green, 24, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute and unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and convicted felon
• Shaquan Reeds, 21, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute
• Pablo Genao, 23, of the Bronx New York: Charged with possession, possession with intent to distribute and possession.
• Alexandre Marques, 36, of Kenilworth: Conspiracy to distribute
• Joseph Molok , 36, of Union Beach: Conspiracy to distribute
• Angel Torres, 35, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute
• Dong Seok, 30, of Palisades Park: Conspiracy to distribute
• Felix Perez, 45, of Perth Amboy: Conspiracy to Distribute
• Clifton Moore, 57, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute
• Timothy Smith, 35, of Woodbridge: Conspiracy to distribute and possession
• Christina Naussner, 37, of Woodbridge: Conspiracy to distribute and possession
• Juan Middleton, 62, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute and possession
• Kerry Garner, 38, of Long Branch: Conspiracy to distribute, possession, possession with intent to distribute
• Ismael Bimbow, 38, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute
• William Harrison, 48 of Piscataway: Conspiracy to distribute and possession
• Jacqueline Fairley, 52, of Newark: Unlawful possession of a weapon, possession for unlawful purpose and possession
• Thomas Jaegel, 41, of Bedford: Conspiracy to distribute
• Raquan McKenith, 25, of Newark: Outstanding warrants
• Jay Park 28, of Palisades Park: Possession
• Gina Park, 65, of Palisades Park: Possession
• Ji Lee, 21, of Palisades Park: Possession
• The following suspects remain at large and are fugitives from justice
• Altariq McCoy, 25, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute
• Khalil Simpson, 25, of Newark: Conspiracy to distribute

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Snow White 

OLD BRIDGE -- Snow White is a female cat at the Old Bridge Animal Shelter.

She was rescued with three newborn kittens; unfortunately, the kittens did not survive.

Snow White was listless after their deaths and lost a good deal of weight; she is better now and in need of a home. She has been spayed and is up-to-date on shots.

To meet Snow White and other adoptable pets, visit the Old Bridge Animal Shelter at 1 Old Bridge Plaza. The shelter is caring for 35 cats and seven dogs and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Call 732-721-5600, ext. 6300. For more information, go to oldbridgeanimalshelter.petfinder.com.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email middlesex@starledger.com.

TRENTON -- New Jersey on Thursday named 21 educators as Teachers of the Year, with one teacher representing each county in the state.

The teachers, selected by panels of administrators, teachers and parents in each county, will now compete to become New Jersey's state Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced in October. 

The awards are a tribute to the talent, dedication and success of the teachers, state Education Commissioner David Hespe said. Here are the teachers who won the award in each county:

Atlantic: Michael Martirone, a social studies teacher at Egg Harbor Township High School in Egg Harbor Township School District. 

Bergen: Gregory Mulford, a music teacher at Roy W. Brown Middle School in Bergenfield School District. 

Burlington: Jennifer Braverman, an art teacher at Maple Shade High School in Maple Shade School District. 

Camden: Elizabeth Light, an art teacher at Gloucester City Junior-Senior High School in the Gloucester City School District. 

Cape May: Erin Ridgway, a second-grade teacher at Glenwood Avenue Elementary School in Wildwood School District. 

Cumberland: Belinda Murphy, a math teacher at ExCEL School in Bridgeton School District

Essex: Jessica Picciuto, a fourth grade teacher at Oak View School in Bloomfield School District.

Gloucester: Jennifer Clune, a special education teacher at Jeffrey Clark School in East Greenwich Township School District,

Hudson: Danielle Savino-Garzon, a second-grade teacher at Dr. Michael Conti School in Jersey City School District. 

Hunterdon: Samantha Billig, a business teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Hunterdon Central Regional High School District.

Mercer: Edward Holub, a social studies teacher at Pond Road Middle School in Robbinsville Township Public School District

Middlesex: Janet El-Maraghy, a fourth-grade teacher at Dr. H.N. Richardson 21st Century School in Perth Amboy School District.

Monmouth: Amanda Andrews, a math teacher at Keyport Central School in Keyport Public School District.

Morris: Cheryl Zanone, a science teacher at Robert R. Lazar Middle School in Montville School District.

Ocean: Brittany Bucco, a world languages teacher at Lake Riviera Middle School in Brick Township School District.

Passaic: Shawn Rhinesmith, a second-grade teacher at Marshall Hill Elementary School in West Milford Township School District.

Salem: Chelsea Collins, an English teacher at Woodstown Middle School in Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District.

Somerset: Kristine Shurina, an eighth grade teacher at Bridgewater Raritan Middle School in Bridgewater Raritan School District.

Sussex: Lisa Hirkaler Murphy, an art teacher at Vernon Township High School in Vernon Township School District.

Union: Janice Marsili, an art teacher at David Brearley Middle/High School in Kenilworth School District.

Warren: Darlene Noel, an elementary school teacher at Green Street School in Phillipsburg School District.

 

In 2015, NJ.com launched a new series celebrating New Jersey nuptials. If you would like to be considered for a feature, email weddingsjerseystyle@gmail.com. 

On a sunny day in the spring of 2012, Christina McNulty received a troubling phone call from her mother.

One of her relatives had suffered a small stroke and was being rushed to Jersey Shore Medical Center.

It wasn't the first time McNulty had raced to an area hospital worried about the family member, but this time she had help.

McNulty called Gary Bifano, her boyfriend at the time. He offered to take her to the hospital. 

He stayed with her the entire evening.

Bifano did not complain. He barely even spoke. He simply waited -- and offered his support. 

Gary Bifano and Christina McNulty chose to wed on Aug. 15, a date close to the anniversary of their first meeting. (Absolute Celebrations)  

"At that moment, I knew that he really loved me and that we would spend the rest of our lives together," McNulty said. "There have been a few other times that we ended up in a hospital room and still he never complained or said a word."

McNulty has found comfort in Bifano's silence and support.

"They say it's in times of need and sorrow that you find out who people are and what they are," McNulty said.

Bifano said he knew within a year of dating McNulty that she was "the one."

"Christina is unlike any girl I've ever met or dated before," Bifano said. "We have a connection that is different."

Their shared interests and values have made him confident in their love.

"After about a year, I knew I definitely loved her, and started to think about if this is who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with," he said. 

On Dec. 21, 2013, Bifano proposed to McNulty in Bryant Park.

Christina McNulty prepares for her wedding with her bridesmaids. (Absolute Celebrations)
 

Their wedding date

McNulty and Bifano met through a friend in the summer of 2011 at Jenks Club in Point Pleasant.

However, they didn't start dating until that fall.

"Considering we first met in August, we wanted to celebrate that by getting married in August," McNulty said.

But they did not want to wed on a Friday, which is what the anniversary of their first meeting -- Aug. 21 -- was this year.

So they decided to marry on Saturday, Aug. 15. 

Bifano and his bride were married at Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish in Middlesex. Their reception was held at The Imperia in Somerset.

The Imperia in Somerset. (Absolute Celebrations)
 

The venue 

The newlyweds wanted a venue with a charming interior and an outdoor space that their guests could utilize.

"When we went to The Imperia and were brought downstairs to the Majestica room, we fell in love with the lounge feel," Bifano, 31, said.

When they saw the outside patio for the first time, which has a waterfall, marble gazebo and flowers, they started to imagine their guests cozying up on the outdoor benches.

At that point, they were sold.

Gary Bifano and Christina McNulty during the black light party at their wedding reception. (Absolute Celebrations)
 

What they splurged on

The Middlesex couple spent the most on entertainment for their wedding.

"We used Absolute Celebrations for everything," McNulty, 29, said.

The Woodbridge-based entertainment company provided TV's, a dancing on the clouds effect, LED lighting and photo booth.

The couple also opted to have a brief "black light" glow in the dark party to kick off the dancing at their reception. 

Where they saved

McNulty, a meetings coordinator for Mature Health Communications and Bifano, who works as a car technician, footed most of the bill for their big day.

They spared expenses on decorations and flowers, which they deemed as non-essentials.

"We saved money with using silk flowers for the bouquets and boutonnieres," McNulty said. "We also didn't go crazy with our centerpieces and kept them low to the table and modest."

Their flower arrangements were from Floral Sentiments in Englishtown.

McNulty said her "crafty mother" made the table numbers and card box for the reception. 

Christina McNulty used silk flowers in her wedding bouquets. (Absolute Celebrations)  

Each guest was welcomed to his or her seat with a hand-painted scroll with their name and table number.

How they made their wedding special

McNulty and Bifano put their own spin on old traditions on their big day. 

They decided against a "first look," and chose to see each other for the first time at the altar. 

They also prepared informal wedding programs reflective of their low key personalities. 

"We also had his and her signature drinks for our guests to enjoy that were handed to them with our personalized cocktail napkins," McNulty said. 

McNulty even planned a surprise for her husband. When they made their wedding budget, they initially decided against having TV screens at their reception. 

"He became bummed that the TV screens were going to be too expensive for us to get," McNulty said.

However, McNulty made a photo montage which included their childhood photos and had it played on TVs during their reception.

Christina McNulty's father, John, walks her to the altar to meet her groom, Gary Bifano. (Absolute Celebrations)  

Most memorable moments 

Seeing each other for the first time from opposite ends of the aisle was a favorite moment for the bride and groom.

"We decided to keep that old tradition and it was worth it," McNulty said. "When my father handed my hand over to Gary, we both just looked at each other and started to cry."

For Bifano, the moment was one he had long imagined.

"It was the best feeling for the both of us," he said.

Janelle Griffith may be reached at jgriffith@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @janellefiona. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

UPDATE: Another Rutgers football player arrested in home invasion robbery

NEW BRUNSWICK - An attorney for dismissed Rutgers University football player Andre Boggs is claiming the alleged victims in three home invasions have good reason to lie to police - they are all drug dealers who should have been arrested.

"My client rots in jail based on the allegations of drug dealers," said James Donohue, a former prosecutor who is defending Boggs.

"The alleged victims are drug dealers," he said. "There has been no arrest of them. My client stands by the fact that he's not guilty."

Donohue made the statements in an effort to lower Boggs' $600,000 bail during an arraignment Wednesday in Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick.

In addition to the victims, prosecutors say some of Boggs' codefendants in the case made statements that led to his arrest.

"If a codefendant is facing a significant amount of jail time, they'll say anything to get out from under it just like drug dealers will," Donohue said.

PREVIOUSLY: Fingerprint, text messages link Rutgers football players to home invasions, prosecutor says

Boggs, 20, and Tejay Johnson, 23, are charged with armed robbery in the months-long spree. Suspended student Jianan Chen, 19, of New Brunswick, is also charged with armed robbery for allegedly helping Boggs and Johnson find people they could rob, prosecutors allege. 

Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Kuberiet called the crimes, which date back to April, "brutal, violent and aggressive."

The suspects are accused of breaking into homes with weapons ranging from guns to a hammer; they demanded cash and drugs in each robbery, the prosecutor said. When Chen was arrested, he was in possession of $35,000 cash and 92 grams of marijuana, Kuberiet said.

"These (victims) were targeted for specific reasons - because the defendants didn't think they were going to report it," Kuberiet said in court. "There was a plan and a conspiracy and they went out to execute that plan and conspiracy."

"People should be sacrosanct in their own homes," Kuberiet said.

Judge Dennis Nieves refused to lower bail amounts for any of the defendants, citing "the seriousness of the crime and the likelihood of conviction."

Along with Boggs, Johnson and Chen, two others have been charged in the robberies. Dylan Mastriana, a Rutgers student, is accused of helping them plan the crimes, and Kaylanna Ricks, 20, of Perth Amboy, allegedly drove the getaway car.

In a separate case, Johnson and several former and current Rutgers University football players were charged with aggravated assault in a fight on Delafield Street that left one victim with a broken jaw.

PLUS: Rutgers to install more surveillance cameras following arrests

The final suspect in the assault case turned himself in Wednesday morning, his lawyer said. Daryl Stephenson, a former Rutgers student and football player, was in Florida when the charges were filed last week, according to his lawyer, William Fetky.

The university placed seven students on interim suspension, and five current football players were kicked off the team after the charges were announced.

A spokesman for Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP — The Moonlight Duo, featuring Karen Penoce on cello and pianist Claudia Lemmerz, will perform at the Edison AARP Chapter 3446 meeting on September 21. The 1 p.m. program will be held at Our Lady of Peace Parish Center on Franklin Avenue in Fords. Attendees are asked to bring canned food items, which will be distributed to area...

 

WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP -- The Moonlight Duo, featuring Karen Penoce on cello and pianist Claudia Lemmerz, will perform at the Edison AARP Chapter 3446 meeting on September 21.

The 1 p.m. program will be held at Our Lady of Peace Parish Center on Franklin Avenue in Fords.

Attendees are asked to bring canned food items, which will be distributed to area food banks; miscellaneous items, which will be donated to nursing homes and hospitals; and used eyeglasses for the Lions Club.

For more information, call 732-738-8013 or go to edisonaarp.org.

To submit news for the Senior Spotlight column, please call 973-836-4922 or email middlesex@starledger.com.

The investigation began when Highland Park police were dispatched to the day care center and arrived to find the infant was non-responsive.

The investigation began when Highland Park police were dispatched to the daycare and arrived to find the infant was non-responsive.Brian Amaral/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

HIGHLAND PARK - Three former daycare workers have been placed on probation in connection with the death of a nine-week-old boy in their care, authorities said Friday.

Tanya Choy, 36, of Martinsville admitted she placed the infant facedown in a crib on Sept. 10, 2014 at the Above and Beyond Child Care Center on South Third Avenue in Highland Park, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.

Choy admitted that she failed to check on the welfare of the infant, who was pronounced dead after police rushed him to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Carey said in a news release.

The investigation began when Highland Park police were dispatched to the daycare and arrived to find the infant was non-responsive.

The cause of death was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS. A contributing factor was that the infant was placed on his stomach and left unattended for two hours, authorities said.

Choy was placed on a three-year probationary term known as pre-trial intervention after pleading guilty to a count of endangering the welfare of the child.

Her co-workers, Lorie McDermott, 49, of Milltown, and Blanca Jimenez, 61, of Edison, who also had been charged with child endangerment, were admitted to PTI for two years, Carey stated.

Each of the three is required to pay the infant's family $1,704.01 in restitution to cover some family expenses.

The charges will be dismissed for each of the defendants upon successful completion of the program.

Carey stated the three were admitted to the program following agreements reached with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Miralles Walsh. The agreements were approved in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Diane Pincus.

 

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

MONMOUTH JUNCTION — Aging in Place Partnership will host its "Circle of Life" Taste of Cultures reception on September 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the South Brunswick Senior Center. The evening will honor the memories of AIPP volunteers Mike Ketofsky and the late Muriel Leonard as well as recognize the efforts of Arthur Roedel and Karen Scalera. The...

 

MONMOUTH JUNCTION -- Aging in Place Partnership will host its "Circle of Life" Taste of Cultures reception on September 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the South Brunswick Senior Center.

The evening will honor the memories of AIPP volunteers Mike Ketofsky and the late Muriel Leonard as well as recognize the efforts of Arthur Roedel and Karen Scalera.

The South Brunswick Senior Center will also be presented with the AIPP Partner Award.

The event, which will feature food tastings, wine and entertainment, will take place at the center located at 540 Ridge Road in Monmouth Junction. Tickets are $50 and are available by going to aginginplacepartnership.org. For more information, call 732-221-6678 or email aipp.asst@gmail.com.

To submit news for the Senior Spotlight column, please call 973-836-4922 or email middlesex@starledger.com.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey's plan that will be phased-in beginning in January appeared to create a distinct group of winners and losers in New Jersey's cutthroat health care marketplace, industry insiders and observers said.

TRENTON -- Hours after the state's largest insurance company announced Thursday it was forging a partnership with 34 hospitals to "significantly transform how health care is financed and delivered in New Jersey," officials from St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, a small but renowned community hospital excluded from this new venture, said they were contemplating a grim future.

"This would have a significant financial impact, and could affect the future viability of Saint Francis Medical Center," said spokeswoman Kim Barnes. 

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey's plan that will be phased-in beginning in January appeared to create a distinct group of winners and losers in New Jersey's cutthroat health care marketplace, industry insiders and observers said.

RELATED: Horizon Blue Cross partners with 22 hospitals to lower rates

Consumers accustomed to rising premiums every year would win, Horizon executives said, by seeing their out-of-pocket expenses decline if they agreed to use the 34 "tier one" hospitals and affiliated doctors that have agreed to accept lower reimbursement rates.

These 34 hospitals would benefit by seeing greater patient volume. And the 22 hospitals who were accepted into the "OMNIA Alliance" would earn higher reimbursements if they show they are providing quality care by keeping people healthier at a lower cost, Horizon executives said.

"Through the OMNIA Health Alliance, we are all making a long-term commitment with a new level of trust, cooperation, and energy that will benefit health care consumers in New Jersey," Horizon Chairman and CEO Robert A. Marino said.

The biggest players in the state's hospital landscape are included in the alliance, such as Atlantic Health, with its flagship hospital Morristown Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Health, based in New Brunswick, Barnabas Health, based in Livingston, and Hackensack University Medical Center.

Yet many of the remaining 38 hospitals in New Jersey who are left out expressed confusion over why they weren't selected, and concern for their future. Patients would still be allowed to use these "tier two" hospitals, but they would pay more. Marino and other executives who announced the plan said they would share more details about cost in the next month.

The 2016 rates listed on the State Health Benefits Program website indicate a big price difference between tier one and two hospitals.

State employees would pay no deductible if they used a tier one hospital, but would pay a $1,500 deductible for a tier-two facility. Patients would see they out-of-pocket expenses capped at $2,500 at tier-one facilities compared to $4,500 at tier-two hospitals. Those seeing a primary care doctor or a specialty physician would pay $5 and $15 if they are affiliated with tier-one hospitals, compared to $20 and $30 co-pays for doctors at tier-two facilities, according to the website.

Enrollment in the new OMNIA Alliance and tiering plans is optional for state employees when the open-enrollment period begins in October, Horizon spokesman Thomas Rubino said. But state employees in specific HMO plans who decline to choose a plan will be "auto-enrolled into the OMNIA Alliance plan," he said.

Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), chairman of the state Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, said he is concerned about the power Horizon is wielding. He said would hold a legislative hearing to dissect what the changes will mean for consumers and the stability of the hospital industry.

"I don't know if the state's largest insurer gets to decide which hospitals succeed and which ones don't," Vitale said.

Vitale said he sees a lot of gaps in hospital coverage. Burlington County has no Omnia or tier-one hospitals. Neither does Trenton. The only Catholic hospital is Saint Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson, and many inner-city, safety net hospitals are conspicuously absent, he said.

Vitale said he was particularly concerned about the exclusion of Trinity Health, with St. Francis in Trenton, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, and Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County. The Trenton and Camden facilities are renowned for their cardiac care.

Horizon has recognized St. Francis' high marks on the Leapfrog Group's patient safety scorecard, said Barnes, Trinity Health's spokeswoman. Trinity asked to join the OMNIA and tier-one group, but was turned down without explanation, she said.

"As one of the top hospitals for safety, we're sort of scratching our heads trying to understand what criteria they used," Barnes said.  

Horizon "engaged in a thoughtful and deliberate selection process in developing the OMNIA Health Alliance," Rubino said, explaining these hospitals "share a vision and commitment to reward high quality health care, the ability to impact the health status of large populations, strong brand reputations among consumers and employers, and the resources and capabilities to use new technology to deliver more effective and efficient health care to our members."

Rubino declined to be more specific.

Jersey City Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch and Newark Beth Israel -- all owned by Barnabas -- are included in OMNIA, said Suzanne Ianni, president of the Hospital Alliance of New Jersey, the trade group for safety net hospitals who treat the most low-income and uninsured people.

But St Francis' exclusion "is quite concerning for the residents of Trenton, state employees and the hospitals that serve them. Not only is this an access issue for Trenton, it could negatively affect the bottom lines of the hospitals that currently serve that population," Ianni said.

Officials from some tier-two hospitals that stood to lose market share and patient volume touted their value but declined to speculate what Horizon's announcement might mean for their bottom line. Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick was among them.

"Saint Peter's is a stand-alone Catholic institution that operates New Jersey's largest neonatal intensive care unit, delivers more babies than anyone else in central New Jersey, is home to the region's first accredited breast center, and operates New Jersey's only hospital to be ranked by The Joint Commission in all five key quality indicators, including heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, surgical care, pneumonia, and childhood asthma," said Philip Hartman, Saint Peter's spokesman. "Thousands of New Jersey's healthcare consumers prefer Saint Peter's as their provider of first choice, believing that bigger isn't always better, and that clinical expertise and personal attention are of prime importance."

Some consumer advocates said they could not form an opinion yet until more details were available, but expressed guarded optimism over Horizon's announcement.

"At first glance, it could be a positive thing but I will reserve judgment until I can see some of the ramifications," said India R. Hayes Larrier, a health care organizer for Citizen Action New Jersey. "Giving a tiered benefit which allows consumers to be able to judge their own costs, is good. You also have to think about it down the line. They may be paying less, but do they have access to less care or the care (they) need?"

The hospitals participating in OMNIA are:

• Chilton Medical Center
• Clara Maass Medical Center
• Community Medical Center, Toms River
• Hackensack UMC Mountainside
• Hackensack University Medical Center
• Hackensack UMC at Pascack Valley
• Hunterdon Medical Center
• Inspira Medical Center Elmer
• Inspira Medical Center Vineland
• Inspira Medical Center Woodbury
• Jersey City Medical Center
• Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus
• Monmouth Medical Center
• Morristown Medical Center
• Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
• Newton Medical Center
• Overlook Medical Center
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital HamiltonSaint Barnabas Medical Center

Hackettstown Medical Center, which is in the process of being acquired by Atlantic Health, and Meridian Health, the Shore-based hospital system that is merging with Hackensack, will ultimately be folded into the OMNIA group, Horizon officials said.

Other hospitals that will not be part of the OMNIA partnership, but will be considered Tier One offering reduced costs are: AtlantiCare; Cape Regional Medical Center, Cooper University Health System; Englewood Hospital; Shore Medical Canter; St. Joseph's Medical Center; and Princeton HealthCare System.

Staff writer Kathy O'Brien contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

 

 

Nicholas Gomes pled guilty to vehicular homicide and driving under the influence in connection with the Nov. 9, 2014 accident on Route 9 that killed his passenger, Brandon Narleski of Parlin.

File photo 

SAYREVILLE - A 20-year-old Sayreville man admitted Friday that he caused a drunken-driving crash that killed his 19-year-old passenger, said Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.

Nicholas Gomes pled guilty to vehicular homicide and driving under the influence in connection with the Nov. 9, 2014 accident on Route 9 that killed his passenger, Brandon Narleski of Parlin.

Gomes will be sentenced to up to 10 years in state prison and must serve 85 percent of his term under an agreement reached with Middlesex County Prosecutor Allysa Gambarella, Carey said in a statement.

RELATED: Driver charged with death by auto after crash kills Sayreville teen

Gomes will be sentenced Nov. 12 in New Brunswick, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said Gomes was traveling south on Route 9 near Bordentown Avenue when the 1997 Mercedes E-420 he was driving struck the concrete highway divider shortly before 10:53 p.m.

Gomes' front-seat passenger was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:14 p.m., the prosecutor said.

 

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A 78-year-old man died less than 12 hours after he was seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash on Bound Brook Road, police said.

A 78-year-old man died Friday hours after he was seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash on Bound Brook Road in Middlesex, police said.South Jersey Times 

MIDDLESEX -- A 78-year-old man died Friday, less than 12 hours after he was seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash on Bound Brook Road, police said.

Guillermo Torres-Saenz, of Middlesex, was turning left onto eastbound Bound Brook Road, also known as Route 28, from Second Street at 7:51 a.m. Friday when his 1998 Toyota was struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling west, borough police said in a news release.

Torres-Saenz was seriously injured in the crash and unresponsive when police arrived on the scene. He was removed from the vehicle and officers began performing CPR on him while awaiting transport to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, police said. Hours after being taken to the hospital, Torres-Saenz was pronounced dead at 6:09 a.m., police said.

The 20-year-old woman driving the Jeep was able to remove herself from the vehicle, police said. The woman, whose name has not yet been released, sustained only minor injuries, but she, too, was taken Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. She was released from the hospital later that day.

A third vehicle was also involved in the crash but it sustained only minor damage, police said. None of the occupants reported any injuries following the crash, police said.

No charges have been filed at this time, but the crash remains under investigation by the Middlesex Police Department's Serious Accident Investigation Unit and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, police said.

Bound Brook Road was closed between Third Street and South Lincoln Avenue for four-and-a-half hours while the scene of the crash was investigated.

Anyone with information about this crash can contact Detective Thomas Carroll with the Middlesex Police Department at 732-356-1900, ext. 339.

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