The former president argued Trump appeals to Americans who are "scared" and "want to go home and lock the door."
EDISON -- Saying many Americans are "just scared and want to go home and lock the door," former President Bill Clinton on Friday drew a sharp distinction between his wife and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
Appearing at a rally at Edison High School for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, the 42nd president never mentioned Trump by name. But he did offer the crowd of 700 gathered in its gym a quick and easy decision-making guide to deciding between Trump or the former Secretary of State come November.
Those favoring "an economy and society that existed in some distant past and only for a few Americans?" Clinton asked. "Vote for a different candidate."
"If you think we're stronger when we put each other down, and insult each other?" asked Clinton. "She is not your candidate."
But Clinton is polling in a dead heat nationally against Trump, whose foreign policy proposals calls include a promise to "bomb the s--t out of ISIS" and "to build a great, great wall on our southern border."
On Friday, the former president offered one of the first concise explanations how Hillary Clinton's little-understood background as Secretary of State would better prepare her for the presidency than Trump. He boiled it down to just four words: "Strong defense, strong diplomacy."
"If you believe in a strong defense, a strong diplomacy, and an intelligent sense of safety," he argued, "then she's the one you want to be president."
Pew found 84 percent of those who support Trump for the GOP presidential nomination favor building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, compared with 56 percent of Republican voters who preferred U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, or Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who earlier this month suspended their presidential campaigns.
Similarly, while two-thirds of Trump supporters view U.S. engagement in the global economy as a bad thing, just half of non-Trump supporters say the same.
In a world that is "highly interdependent" but "filled with promise and peril," Clinton argued that his wife was "the only person you could vote for who has the knowledge, the grasp, the experience and the respect around the world to keep us safe."
As high school students throughout New Jersey embark on prom season, NJ.com is capturing the moments for high schools in our area.
Find all local prom coverage at nj.com/middlesex. And be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom.
BUY THESE PHOTOS
Are you one of the people pictured at this prom? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a link in the photo caption to purchase the picture: Click on it, and you'll have the ability to order prints in a variety of sizes, or products like magnets, keychains, coffee mugs and more.
SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Let's see your prom photos. Post your pictures on Twitter and Instagram with #njprom. We'll retweet and repost our favorites on Twitter @njdotcom and Instagram @njdotcompix.
SOMERSET - Spotswood High School held its 2016 prom on May 28th at The Imperial in Somerset with music played by Hurricane Productions. Be sure to check out our complete prom coverage at nj.com/prom. Spotswood High School 2015 prom (PHOTOS) BUY THESE PHOTOS Are you one of the people pictured at this prom? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a...
SOMERSET - Spotswood High School held its 2016 prom on May 28th at The Imperial in Somerset with music played by Hurricane Productions.
Are you one of the people pictured at this prom? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a link in the photo caption to purchase the picture: Click on it, and you'll have the ability to order prints in a variety of sizes, or products like magnets, keychains, coffee mugs and more.
SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @njdotcom and on Instagram @njdotcom. Then tag your photos #njprom. We'll retweet and repost the best pics!
The former president explains why one of her old jobs is more important training for president than ever.
WOODBRIDGE -- In an interview with NJ Advance Media on Friday, former President Bill Clinton argued that serving as U.S. secretary of state is the best training for the presidency than at any other time in modern memory.
"This is the first time I can remember the domestic and international responsibilities are so tied up together," Clinton said during a visit to the Reo Diner in Woodbridge.
The former president made the comments shortly after appearing at a rally at nearby Edison High School to campaign for his wife, Hillary Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state who is now the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"There's turmoil in elections everywhere," Bill Clinton said. "You've been watching it in Europe. You know, they had a very close election in Austria over whether they should basically close the borders."
Earlier this week, Austrians went the polls to elect their own president, and were faced with an eerily similar version of Donald Trump: Norbert Hofer, a right wing populist, had campaigned with a Trump-inspired slogan of "putting Austria first," a promise build a fence along Austria's southern border and to "stop the invasion of Muslims."
Hofer won the first round of voting but narrowly lost in a run-off election.
"It's very important that the next president be strong enough in international relations," Clinton said. "You know, keep us safe, but also: Give us the space we need to keep growing (economically). Because if we get stronger, it'll drag the right world in the right direction, and a lot of these tensions will go down."
The former president argued that Hillary Clinton's expertise in global diplomacy wasn't merely helpful, but practically a job requirement for a president who'll run a nation that's nearly a fourth of the economic output of the global economy.
"We just had a report in the last couple weeks that America's growth was dragged down in the last quarter," the former president said. "At a time when we're hiring people, wages are finally rising, we're coming back, was dragged down by all this trouble in the world."
Yellen's concerns about China's cooling economy were heightened by uncertainty about what the next U.S. president's policies might be to manage the financial disruptions accompanying it.
Trump, for example, has called for a 45 percent import tax on Chinese goods brought into the U.S., which some experts say could lead to a trade war.
Earlier that afternoon at the Edison rally, Clinton told a throng of 700 stuffed into a sweltering high school gym that "if you believe in a strong defense, a strong diplomacy, and an intelligent sense of safety, then she's the one you want to be president."
The problem Hillary Clinton faces is that while Americans had an overwhelmingly favorable view of her while serving as Secretary of State, they now have a largely negative view of her as a candidate for president.
A year after leaving the Cabinet, Pew Research survey in March 2014 found that 67 percent of Americans approved of the job she done as secretary of state.
But she now suffers from high disapproval ratings: The latest NBC News poll shows that 54 percent of registered voters have a negative or somewhat negative opinion of Clinton.
That's only slightly better than Trump, who scores 58 percent negative.
As such, the November election may turn on who is least unpopular, rather than most popular.
Back in the Reo Diner, Clinton acknowledged that Secretary of State was a complicated, nuanced job that didn't readily lend itself to bumper stickers like "Make America Great Again."
"Yeah, I know," said the former president, groaning a bit.
But he then proposed that voters wondering whether they should support the former Secretary of State's White House bid should ask themselves how they see the world.
"If you think we can live together and grow together so we all rise together, you should be for her," Clinton said.
"If you don't think that's true, and that we all have to fight over a dividing pie, with walls, you shouldn't. And that's really the decision people are gonna have to make."
More than 600 bicyclists trekked throughout the South Brunswick community on Saturday in rides that ranged from four miles to 25 miles.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK -- It was hot and muggy on Saturday, but that didn't stop more than 600 bicyclists from coming out to the sixth annual Tour de South Brunswick.
The event, hosted by the Education Foundation of South Brunswick, helps raise grant funding for physical education programs in the school district.
The rides were split up in stages and included a 4-mile family fun ride, a 10-mile fun ride, and the 25-mile Tour de South Brunswick.
"We have two rules," said Marty Abschutz, president of the Education Foundation of South Brunswick. "Be safe and have fun."
Bobbi Binder, vice president of the foundation, was by Abschutz's side helping throughout the day, along with foundation secretary Chris Greco.
Pankaj Patel, 49, of Monmouth Junction, was getting ready to take off for the 10-mile ride with his son, Arav Patel, 13.
It was Pankaj Patel's second year riding in the event. He says he comes because of "the energy."
"A lot of energy," he said, with his wife, Tejal, and his friend, Tarak Patel, nearby.
"It's a way for the South Brunswick community to come together," Tarak Patel said earlier in the morning. "It's a fun day with the kids."
U.S. Army helicopter pilots touched down at Sadowski Parkway in Perth Amboy on Saturday for the city's Waterfront Arts Festival 2016.
PERTH AMBOY -- The U.S. Army gave residents a close look at a UH-72 Lakota helicopter on Saturday at the Perth Amboy Waterfront Arts Festival 2016 held at Sadowski Parkway.
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Alexander Mulqueen -- who was one of the soldiers piloting the UH-72 Lakota -- allowed attendees to sit inside the helicopter, and provided recruiting information to anyone interested.
Perth Amboy resident Maria Vera, who has lived in the city for more than 30 years, and who appeared to know almost everyone at the festival, said the event had everything -- street food, music, arts and crafts, a waterfront view, rock climbing, and many other activities.
At around 1:30 p.m., the pilots jumped in their helicopter, started it up as residents stood watching awaiting the takeoff.
When the helicopter began to ascend, its roaring rotors blew dust everywhere. It went up into the sky, and then came back for one final loop to say goodbye to the crowd.
On Monday, the city will host its Memorial Day Parade beginning at 10 a.m. at the Raritan Bay Area YMCA, on New Brunswick Avenue. The parade will proceed from the YMCA to Sadowski Parkway in the front of the Veterans' War memorial.
Police are asking the public's help in finding a 16-year-old who has been missing for nearly a week.
Dazhane Jackson, 16Courtesy of the Perth Amboy Police Department
PERTH AMBOY -- Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 16-year-old girl who has been seen in nearly a week, according to a statement from police on Saturday.
Dazhane Jackson was last seen in Perth Amboy on May 23, police said in the statement.
She is described as a light-skinned African-American girl with brown eyes and black hair. She about 5 feet 4 inches and 110 pounds.
Police ask that anyone with information on Jackson's location to call 911 or the Perth Amboy Police Department at 732-442-4400.
Crowds lined Plainfield Avenue to watch Edison's 54th Annual Memorial Day Parade, featuring a salute to veterans.
EDISON -- Kina Santiago got her seat early and made sure it was in the shade.
An hour before the township's 54th annual Memorial Day Parade was going to begin, the Edison woman dropped her 15-year-old son, Nicholas Ocasio, off so he could march with his other Edison High School football teammates, and made sure she found a good spot along Plainfield Avenue, the parade's main route.
Santiago was excited about seeing the parade for the first time.
"I'm very excited to see my son marching in it," Santiago said.
It was good that she got her seat. Both sides of Plainfield Avenue were lined with families as the time for the parade to start came closer. One family even pitched a tent to keep out the intense sun.
The parade started shortly after noon at the intersection of Division Street and Plainfield Avenue, adjacent to the Edison Public Library's main branch and traveled the busy roadway to Jefferson Boulevard, crossing Route 27, until marchers got to the American Legion Father & Son Post 435 on Oakland Avenue.
Robert Terry and his wife, Erica, live on Plainfield Avenue not far from the library and get a view of the parade every year. This year, they had friends over.
"It's pretty awesome," said Terry, who runs a local business and had his truck, emblazoned with the sign, "The Cleaning Group," facing the marchers. "It's great for the kids. It's a great event for the community."
"It's also a great event for local businesses," his wife added with a smile.
One of their friends, Maria Fernandez, was at the Terrys' home with her adult daughter, Elianny Torres, and grandchildren. Fernandez was seeing the parade for the first time, but Torres saw it about 12 years ago and loved it.
"It's loud and colorful," Torres said. "I wanted to come back and bring the kids."
Master Sgt. Ray Muniz, retired U.S. Army, was participating in the parade, and he said the turnout for the parade every year warms his heart.
"It's a beautiful parade and to see a lot of people come out makes us proud to be veterans," Muniz said.
He said the the parade reminds us what Memorial Day is all about.
"We remember all of those who are not here today because they gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and so we can be here today," Muniz said. "I myself have a brother and brother-in-law who served and fought in Vietnam and are not here today."
The grand marshal of the parade was Air Force Master Sgt. David G. Tingle, who is also a 13-year veteran of the Edison Police Department. Tingle rode with his family in an antique car in the front of the parade and threw candy to the children as he drove by.
The parade also featured the Kearny-based St. Columcille United Gaelic Pipe Band, marching bands from both township high schools, Edison High School and J.P. Stevens High School, and other local organizations and businesses.
NEWARK -- A man shot to death Monday afternoon has been identified as a 47-year-old Iselin resident, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.
Police responding to a report of a shooting found Davinder Singh at Power Gas Station in the 400 block of West Market Street around 4:20 p.m. Singh, who owned the station, was pronounced dead less than a half hour later at University Hospital, said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Major Crimes Task Force, Fennelly also said.
"Terra Icognita," a dark comedy based on investigative reporting by NJTV News, will run June 3 and June 4 at the George Street Playhouse.
There are two words that strike fear into the hearts of every homeowner, or potential homeowner: oil tank. Particularly a potential leaking oil tank.
The immense cost of removal and mediation can rock the financial and emotional core of any homeowner.
"Terra Incoginta," the latest production at the George Street Playhouse, tackles this issue by drawing upon incidents from real-life investigative reporting. It's part of an ambitious new series of productions, called "Dirty Little Secrets," initiated by the Center for Investigative Reporting, a California-based nonprofit news organization.
The play will have a limited, two-day run at the New Brunswick-based theater, on June 3 and 4. The show is free to the public, however those interested in attending must register for tickets.
"Terra Incognita" draws its inspiration from "NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams" investigative reporting series "Toxic NJ." The reporting for this particular story, the story of Teaneck residents Elliott and Anna Zigmund, who still are dealing with the removal of a leaking oil tank on their property, was done by Brenda Flannagan.
David Seamon (left) and Di Shawn Gundy (right) rehearse a scene from "Terra Incognita."Jim Jack
The creators see it as an alternative means of telling important community stories and raising consciousness with new audiences.
According to the play's director, Jim Jack, "Terra Icognita" has been in the works for more than a year.
"The Dodge Foundation, along with the Center for Investigative Reporting, convened a group of educators, environmentalists, journalists and artists a year ago to to talk about under-reported stories in New Jersey," Jack said. "The one that caught hold was that there are these environmental toxic waste sites happening in New Jersey that people aren't aware of."
Jack, along with Jennifer Welch, director and co-creator of StoryWorks, a theatrical series that puts the Center for Investigative Reporting's work to the stage, felt that Flannagan's story on the Zigmunds could speak to everyone in New Jersey.
"Everyone knows [or knew] someone going through this situation," Jack said. "This story looks at the mediation of the site and the neighborhood. It looks at the fracturing of a relationship. It also comments on what has happened to the American Dream and how the resources used to take of care of our live are in some way undoing us."
Jack and Welch tapped playwright and Princeton University lecturer R.N. Sandberg, with whom they had both worked previously, to write a draft of the play. But the veteran scribe only had a month to put his first draft together.
Sandberg not only wrote the play but also did investigative reporting of his own, interviewing the real-life people involved in the situation.
"Doing a project like this you're dealing with an issue within a community so it has more urgency," Sandberg said. "It's great when you're able see that there are existing issues and you can grapple with those, and then you can elicit a reaction from the audience."
"Bob took a look at this situation from a Kafka-esque point of view," Jack said. "He used "The Trial" as a template in some ways. It's about a person who gets get caught in an escalation of bureaucracy which keeps magnifying the problem."
The problems involved in "Terra Icognita" are not purely financial or bureaucratic -- they're emotional as well. The play examines how the mediation of the site impacts the main characters' relationship with their neighbors and each other.
Jack's creative fingerprints on the production can be seen in the colorblind casting of the lead performers. In the show, two African-American actors, Di Shawn Gandy and Kym Gomes, portray the Zigmunds, who are white.
"This is an everyman story," Jack said. "This happens to homeowners throughout the state, irrespective of race or finances."
Jack also wanted to represent a segment of New Jersey who, in his opinion, are being hit the hardest by all of this.
"It's clear in the full body of the journalism that many unmediated sites are in areas that predominantly Latino and African American and often where the financial resources of that community are not that high."
The "everyman" theory is one that Jennifer Welch hopes will keep the audience in their seats for what she calls the "second act of the play."
"There's no intermission," said Welch. "We're going straight through, and when the lights come up we will go into the second act, which is a dialogue between the audience, and journalist, experts and artists."
This conversation will feature Jack, Sandberg, Flanagan and Cole Goins of the Center for Investigative Reporting. On Friday night, they will also be joined by the Zigmunds.
Welch's theory behind no intermission ties into her thoughts on theater, particularly the productions done by StoryWorks for the Center for Investigative Reporting.
"In theater we're all together, it's a collective witnessing," Welch said. "We have no intermission because we do not want people to disengage emotionally from what they've seen. We want them to discuss about what can be done next."
School hosts carnival for students and their families.
Students from the New Road School take a look at the Sayreville Police's L.E.A.D. car at the school's carnival.
SAYREVILLE -- The New Road School, a private school in Parlin for special needs students age 5 to 21, celebrated Special Education Week May 9 with a carnival for students and their families.
At the carnival, students tried their hand at spin art, golf, table top bowling, sand art, ring toss, beach ball volleyball and the bean bag toss. The Sayreville Police Department brought its L.E.A.D. car, a "souped-up" vehicle equipped with Batman-style butterfly doors, for an up-close look by students.
The Pop-in Cafe, a nonprofit store staffed by young adults on the autism spectrum, provided popcorn.
"It was a beautiful sunny day and everyone had a great time!", said Eileen Stivala, New Road School reading specialist.
Parts of New Jersey that needed rain got a decent amount during the Memorial Day weekend, but a large seasonal rainfall deficit persists.
The heavy downpours and scattered thunderstorms that canceled parades and family gatherings during the Memorial Day weekend helped South Jersey finish the spring season with above-normal precipitation, but wasn't enough to erase the large rainfall deficits in northern and central New Jersey.
According to rainfall data from the National Weather Service, the Newark region has received only 6.35 inches of precipitation during the meteorological spring season -- March, April and May -- compared to the normal amount of 12.47 inches.
The Trenton region has received just 6.84 inches instead of its normal amount of 12.05 inches, data shows. The Atlantic City region has gotten a healthy 12.71 inches of precipitation this season, which is 1.52 inches above normal.
Which places in the Garden State got the biggest soaking on Memorial Day weekend?
That distinction belongs to towns in Mercer, Middlesex, Camden and Burlington counties, according to reports from the National Weather Service, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, and the New Jersey Weather & Climate Network at Rutgers University.
About 4.5 inches of rain saturated Hamilton Township in Mercer, and 4.2 inches of rain soaked the township of Cranbury in southern Middlesex. Both East Windsor and Robbinsville in Mercer picked up 3.9 inches of rain.
In Burlington County, the municipalities of Burlington and Westampton each received 3.5 inches of rain, Mount Holly had 3 inches and Mount Laurel had 2.75 inches. In Camden County, the weather service received a report of 3.4 inches of rain in Haddon Township.
Other towns across the state that received 3 inches of rain included Helmetta in Middlesex and Merchantville in Camden.
Newark picked up 1.6 inches of rain on Monday, which is a lot of rain for one day but didn't make a dent in its seasonal rainfall shortage. Atlantic City picked up 1.8 inches of rain on Memorial Day.
The moisture in New Jersey during the holiday weekend originated from the outer edges of Tropical Depression Bonnie, which dumped as much as 10 inches of rain on parts of South Carolina on Sunday and Monday, and 7 to 8 inches on parts of North Carolina and Georgia, The Weather Channel reported.
Although the rain and dark skies spoiled a lot of Memorial Day celebrations, for many parts of New Jersey it was only the third washout in 17 years on the day of the observed holiday.
School renames baseball field Raymond J. Cipperly Field.
EAST BRUNSWICK -- The Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School has officially renamed the baseball field on the East Brunswick Campus Raymond J. Cipperly Field in honor of the school's late athletic director.
Cipperly, a Monroe resident who died last October at the age of 66, was a member of the MCVTS faculty for 45 years, first as a physical education teacher and varsity baseball coach in East Brunswick, and then as the district's athletic director, a position he held for almost 20 years.Cipperly was the GMC Coach of the Year 1989-90 and a five-time GMC Gold Division Coach of the Year. He received the NJSIAA Service Award and was inducted into the New Jersey State Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1990.
In addition to his teaching and coaching duties, Cipperly was also the head groundskeeper for the Somerset Patriots from 1999 to 2010.
According to Brian J. Loughlin, superintendent of schools, Cipperly was "a great educator, a great coach and a great human being." "He raised the bar for our interscholastic sports teams and coaches," said Loughlin.
The field was dedicated during a ceremony held May 14 attended by members of Cipperly's family, Middlesex County freeholders, representatives of sports organizations, MCVTS administrators and faculty, and the members of eight high school baseball and softball teams.
A New Brunswick man has been charged in a Memorial Day crash that left a person critically injured.
File photo
SOUTH BRUNSWICK -- A driver has been charged in a Memorial Day crash that left the passenger of the vehicle critically injured, police said in a statement on Tuesday.
While allegedly driving with a suspended license, 52-year-old Guadalupe Hernandez, of New Brunswick, was heading east on Deans Rhode Hall Road when at around 4:30 p.m. on Monday he "left the roadway and struck a tree," the statement said.
The passenger in the vehicle -- which was a 2008 Dodge pickup owned by Fantastic Creation Landscaping of Lawrence -- suffered "a serious head injury and internal injuries."
He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Police said they were "still working to positively identify the passenger."
Hernandez was charged with 4th degree operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and being involved in a motor vehicle crash resulting in serious injury.
He was held in the Middlesex County Correction Center on $2,500 bail.
Hernandez also had warrants out of Freehold totaling $3,500 and East Brunswick totaling $1,000.
The crash remains under investigation by the South Brunswick Police Traffic Safety Bureau.
Police ask anyone with information on the crash or the passenger to call (732) 329-4000 ext. 7472.
Seventeen N.J. counties paid the state too much for their share of Medicaid funding.
WASHINGTON -- New Jersey owes its counties $37 million because they paid too much in Medicaid expenses as the nation recovered from the Great Recession, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. said Tuesday.
President Barack Obama's stimulus package, which the Congressional Budget Office said created or saved millions of jobs, provided extra federal funding for Medicaid as the economic downturn forced more Americans into the health care program. For New Jersey, that meant an additional $2.7 billion.
The counties' contributions to the state for Medicaid, however, were too high under the stimulus law.
Pascrell (D-9th Dist.) said Tuesday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services informed the state it needed to pay back the money.
"I applaud CMS for its decision to reimburse New Jersey counties for Medicaid overpayments they made during the recession," Pascrell said. "I urge the state to act expeditiously to complete this process and redistribute these funds."
Gov. Chris Christie's administration plans to appeal. Nicole Brossoie, a a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services said the agency was "surprised" at the decision. In 2014, CMS Deputy Director Kristin Fan told the state that it was "in compliance."
"The department continues to dispute the audit findings and now will move forward with a formal appeal to the federal Departmental Appeals Board," Brossoie said.
A July 2014 report by the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general said that 17 of the state's 21 counties may have overpaid. Final figures have yet to be released and fewer counties may be reimbursed.
The counties that may be affected are Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Sussex, Union and Warren.
"This is an issue the counties have pursued for several years and the findings of the federal government have validated our cause," said Hudson County Administrator Abe Antun, president of the state Association of County Administrators.
It's the biggest week of proms so far this season.
If you're a prom fan, this is your week. NJ.com will be at more than 40 proms between Thursday and Saturday, by far the most in any week this season and maybe our biggest prom week ever. Schools from Allentown to Westfield will be having proms this week, but only one can be Prom of the Week.
Cast your vote in the poll below. The school with the most votes will have its prom photos featured on NJ.com's homepage as well as our social media accounts. The poll is open through Thursday at 1 p.m., so make sure to share this link so your school gets as many votes as possible. We'll announce our Prom of the Week winner along with this week's best dressed on Snapchat Thursday afternoon.
The already suspended Perth Amboy police chief was arrested again Tuesday.
PERTH AMBOY -- The city's already suspended police chief was arrested Tuesday and charged with trespassing on the property of a convenience store, and claiming he was a police officer when he was confronted by the owner and employees, according to a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.
Perth Amboy's suspended police chief Benjamin Ruiz, 54, leaving the Perth Amboy Police Department on Tuesday, May 31, 2016. Ruiz on Tuesday was arrested and charged with trespassing and impersonating an officer.Spencer Kent | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Benjamin Ruiz, 54, of Perth Amboy, had allegedly been "hiding outside the convenience store" for months to "watch an unidentified neighbor," the statement said.
When employees at the Smith Street store repeatedly confronted and questioned Ruiz, he told them he was a police officer.
But, the prosecutor's office said Ruiz "was not acting as a police officer and had been suspended from duty in December 2014, after he was arrested and charged in an unrelated theft case."
Those charges stemmed from three separate incidents between Dec. 8, 2013 and July 29, 2014 when the chief allegedly ordered city mechanics to work on his motorcycle, his classic Mustang and a friend's car, previous report said.
Those alleged incidents led Ruiz -- who started as a city police officer in 1988, and then was appointed chief in September 2012 -- being indicted in February 2015 on two charges of official misconduct, theft of services and witness tampering.
The investigation into Tuesday's charges remain ongoing, and officials asked that anyone with information to contact the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at (732) 745-3300.
