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Perth Amboy councilman announces bid to unseat city's mayor

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A Perth Amboy councilman has announced plans to run against Mayor Wilda Diaz and deny her a third term.

PERTH AMBOY -- Councilman Joel Pabon has announced his intentions to run against Mayor Wilda Diaz in November's election.

Pabon, now serving his second term on the city council, believes he can show the "real leadership" that he said Diaz has not show in her eight years in office.

Three of the city's other council members, Fernando Gonzalez, Lisa Nanton, and William Petrick, have chosen not to run for new four-year terms and threw their support for Pabon, who was also  a member of the board of education from 2000 to 2009.

"Joel Pabon has strong ties to the community, common sense, experience and a real understanding of government," Gonzalez said. "It is unfortunate that during Diaz's eight years as mayor, Perth Amboy has remained stagnant."

Nanton, who was Diaz's running mate in 2012, said, "I can always rely on Joel to say what he means and mean what he says."

"Joel Pabon has the potential to be Perth Amboy's greatest mayor because he is open, honest and willing to put people first," she said. "The mayor (Diaz) has failed to communicate with the council and involve them in important decisions that require a full team effort."

Petrick said he believes Pabon "has an impressive capacity for breaking down complex issues."

Pabon is running with two newcomers, Angel "Mota" Ramirez, and Kenneth Puccio. Ramirez and Puccio are the council candidates. The three are running as, "Real Leadership for Perth Amboy."

Diaz, who announced her plans to run for a third four-year term last month, is running with incumbent councilman Fernando Irizarry and newcomer Jelmin Caba.

She was first elected mayor in 2008.

Perth Amboy has a nonpartisan form of government. Candidates do not participate in primaries and do not declare themselves as members of political parties. The city's election will be held in November with all other elections.

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Woman critical after being ejected from vehicle on Garden State Parkway

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A driver was ejected from her vehicle while driving on the Garden State Parkway in Sayreville on Tuesday.

SAYREVILLE -- A woman is in critical condition after being ejected through the windshield of her vehicle while driving on the Garden State Parkway Tuesday afternoon, according to the New Jersey State Police.

Woman ejected from vehicle on Garden State Parkway-2.JPGA photo taken by a motorist showing the scene of a crash in which a woman was ejected from her vehicle while driving on the Garden State Parkway near Exit 125 on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. 

The woman -- who was not identified by police at this time -- was driving a black Chevy Trailblazer at around noon traveling northbound in the left lane near Exit 125 when, for unknown reasons, she struck the concrete center barrier, according to Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police.

She then lost control of her vehicle, drifted right across all northbound lanes, struck the guardrail and flipped over onto her roof leading her to be ejected through the windshield, Williams said. 

She was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick where she remains in intensive care surgery, according to Williams. 

The right two lanes near Exit 125 were shut down while the scene was investigated by state police troopers, the New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, and the state police Incident Command Unit, officials said. Lanes were reopened at around 2:45 p.m.

No one else was involved in the crash. The woman was the sole occupant of the Chevy Trailblazer, according to Williams.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

LIVE NOW: Updates from today's softball state semifinals

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A look at Tuesday's semifinals.

A look at Tuesday's semifinals.

Baseball: Results and links from state semifinals and Non-Public sectional finals, Tues., June 7

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A look at Tuesday's results and links from the Group semifinals.

A look at Tuesday's results and links from the Group semifinals.

Rutgers ranks in the top 10 among colleges for reported rapes, report says

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There were 32 reported rapes at Rutgers University in 2014.

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus ranks among the nation's top 10 colleges for reported rapes on campus, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal data.

The university had 32 reported rapes in 2014, tied for seventh-most with the University of North Carolina, the analysis found.

It was one of nearly 100 colleges with at least 10 reported rapes, including Brown University and the University of Connecticut, which both reported 43 rapes.

Colleges are required to report crimes, including rapes,  that happen on campus to the US. Department of Education every year.

On a  per capita basis, Rutgers --at a rate of  0.7 per 1,000 students -- does not rank among the highest in the nation, according to the analysis. 

Reed College, a liberal arts college in Oregon, had the highest number of reported rapes per capita with 12.9 reported per 1,000 students. 

In a statement, Rutgers said it strongly encourages students to report crimes and use the resources provided by the university. 

"Reporting a sexual assault can be difficult and may seem overwhelming, but the university urges anyone who believes he or she was a victim of a crime to report the incident to the Rutgers University Police Department," the university said in a statement. 

The university recently worked with the White House to develop a model for colleges to assess and combat sexual assault

Reported rapes at colleges must be reported to the federal government using the same definition the FBI uses for its Uniform Crime Report: "Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim," according to the Washington Post report. 

Victim advocates said that a higher number of reported rapes may be a sign more victims are comfortable coming forward. 

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClarkFind NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Trump, Sanders success sign of middle class revolt | Di Ionno

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Primary day in New Jersey

Next time the polls try to pigeonhole Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump voters, consider Mahesh Tatali of Sayreville.

He is an immigrant, a native of India, but has been an American citizen who has lived here for 25 years.

He is a Democrat and was voting for Bernie Sanders in the New Jersey primary today, but come November, well, he'll vote for Donald Trump.

"I like Bernie, I think he is fundamentally a good guy," said Tatali. "But only Donald Trump can fix our problems. He's for the middle class. He's not a regular politician. He's going to stop letting (corporations) send jobs overseas."

Or consider Felix Ocasio, who lives down the street from Tatali.

He is retired from a successful retail business, a capitalist all the way. He's voting for Sanders.

"I can't deal with (Hillary) Clinton's or Trump's policies," Ocasio said in front of his well-landscaped home and from behind the wheel of his white Mercedes. "I'm on my way to vote for Bernie now. I think he wants more economic fairness to help regular people."

"I went out with a guy canvassing (Sunday) who was over 60," said Rob Clarkson, 24, one of the young Sanders volunteers at the candidate's state headquarters in Sayreville. "He made an incredible pitch for economic justice that really seemed to resonate with people."  

This presidential primary election that has confounded so many politic-watchers is really pretty simple. It's a middle-class revolt that's been a long time coming.

It brought out people like Michelina Chillemi of Edison, whose husband owns a small landscaping and construction company, to vote for the first time in the 48 years she's been in America.  

Blue collars for Bernie? Nope. Not only did she vote for Trump, she's volunteering at his New Jersey campaign headquarters in Edison.

"I think he's sincere," said Chillemi, still carrying the Italian accent from her birth country. "He wants to help regular Americans."

She said this while standing in front of a hand-drawn "Women for Trump" sign, aimed at the polls that say women hate Trump.

In Edison yesterday, the front desk was manned by Alysia Siegel of Colonia; the office managed by Katie Martinez; and several women volunteers were making get-out-and-vote calls.

Siegel told of a relative just laid off by Merck after 20 years, as the company restructured.

"They shipped her job to India," she said.

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump voters are like first cousins in an estranged family. They say they don't like each other, but they share the same DNA.

Anger. Frustration. The sense that the American dream, or the America they dreamed of, is slipping away.

The seeds were flung with the scattered formation of the tea party in 2009, followed by Occupy Wall Street. Different political views, yes, but same viewpoint: That America was no longer a place by the people and for the people. That it favors politicians and their corporate/special interests financers, and chews up and spits out the little guy.

When campaign workers at both Sanders and Trump headquarters described their demographic yesterday, they sounded identical.

"We have teachers, police, firemen, union guys. They all say the middle class is falling apart."

That was Siegel, at Trump headquarters. Behind her was a sign that read, "The silent majority stands with Trump," recycling a phrase popularized by Richard Nixon in 1969.

"We have people fighting for the American dream, we have people fighting hard for the economy."

That was Josh Levin, a volunteer in Sanders' office and the campaign manager for Peter Jacob, an Indian-American running for Congress and a strong Sanders supporter.

It's no wonder both camps chose Middlesex County for their headquarters. Not only is it centrally located, with the Turnpike and Parkway running through it, but its transition from industrial to service and transportation economy has been particularly painful for county's working and middle classes.

Middlesex County was once one of the industrial biceps of New Jersey, from the factories along the Raritan Bay to the massive Ford plant in Edison.

"I remember when my dad was running for office, I'd go with him to the factory gates and wait for the shifts to change," said state Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) of Sayreville, the top state Democrat to support Sanders and the chairman of his state campaign. "There were hundreds, if not thousands, of men going to work every day."

Back when Felix Wisniewski, a factory worker himself, was on the Sayreville Borough Council in the 1970s and '80s, National Lead, Hercules, Inc., Sunshine Biscuit and DuPont were all going full tilt, making everything from paint to gunpowder to cookies.

Of course, all was not good about the good old days. There were environmental consequences caused by corporate recklessness. Still, the bleed-out of good-paying manufacturing jobs going overseas -- and being replaced by minimum wage jobs at the box-store plazas that sell the stuff made overseas -- has people fearful of the future.

"Trump and Bernie supporters come from the same line of frustration," said Wisniewski. "They see bankers engaging in reckless behavior and destroying the economy, and never punished. They see a culture of political corruption."

And they don't see anyone who can change it, except their guys.

Reginald Butler, Old Bridge's longest serving councilman, dead at 75

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Reginald Butler, who served as an Old Bridge councilman for 27 years, died today after a lengthy illness.

Reggie.jpgReginald Butler 

OLD BRIDGE -- Democrat Reginald Butler was first elected to the township council in 1989 and he became a fixture, being re-elected for five additional terms--whether Democrats controlled the governing body or it was in Republican hands as it is now.

Butler, 75, died Tuesday after a long illness, according to Mark Razzoli, the chairman of the Old Bridge Township Democratic Party.

Razzoli said Butler's family only wanted him to say that Butler "passed away after battling a long illness."

"Reggie loved his family and he loved Old Bridge and Old Bridge loved Reggie Butler," Razzoli said. "He was always there for everyone. That's why they elected him to six terms on the council."

Butler represented Ward 3 which included Madison Park in the northern part of the township.

"He was there for everyone, even those he didn't represent," Razzoli said. "This is not only a loss for his family and Old Bridge Township, but its a loss for the state of New Jersey. My condolences go out to his family."

He said Butler's council term expires the end of 2017.

"Now is the time for grieving," Razzoli said. "Later we'll think of the political side."

Mayor Owen Henry called Tuesday a "sad day for Old Bridge."

"Reggie is going to be missed on the council," Henry said. "He was dedicated to public service. He was also enthusiastic -- dedicated and enthusiastic. He was also very influential, not just in the ward he represented but throughout Old Bridge."

He said his "prayers go out to Reggie's family."

Henry, a Republican, said while Butler was the only Democrat on the council for the past few years, "99 percent of the time Reggie was non-political."

"We agreed on a lot more than we disagreed on," the mayor said. "I'm going to miss him."

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Wardlaw-Hartridge School prom 2016 (PHOTOS)

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EDISON — Students from Wardlaw-Hartridge School got decked out in their finest clothes on Tuesday night as they celebrated their 2016 junior/senior prom.   Dressed in beautiful gowns and trendy tuxedos they gathered at the school for photos before heading to the Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset for a night of great food, dancing, socializing and of course plenty...

EDISON -- Students from Wardlaw-Hartridge School got decked out in their finest clothes on Tuesday night as they celebrated their 2016 junior/senior prom.  

Dressed in beautiful gowns and trendy tuxedos they gathered at the school for photos before heading to the Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset for a night of great food, dancing, socializing and of course plenty of selfies.  

Gallery 2 - 2016 Wardlaw-Hartridge School Prom

Also photos from the 2015 prom

Check back at nj.com/middlesex for other local high school prom coverage in the coming weeks. 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 or click here to purchase the picture. 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 Instragram with #njprom. We'll retweet and repost our favorites on Twitter @njdotcom and Instagram @njdotcompix.

Patti Sapone may be reached at psapone@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @psapone. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


N.J. primary elections 2016: Middlesex County

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Bookmark this page to find the results for the 2016 primary election.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY -- Voters around Middlesex County went to the polls Tuesday.

Here are the races up for grabs, with up-to-date unofficial results. Please be sure to refresh. Results will be updated throughout the evening.

Middlesex County

Sheriff

One, three-year term

Mildred Scott (D) 58,014

"Peter" Pedro Pisar (R) 16,664

David S. Pawski (R) 3,524

Freeholder

Three, three-year terms

Blanquita Valenti (D) 55,286

Kenneth Armwood (D) 53,739

Charles Kenny (D) 53,654

Joseph "Joe" Scillieri (R) 18,807

Kathleen "Katie" Calabrese (R) 18,507

Zhiyu "Jimmy" Hu (R) 17,370

Carteret

Two, three-year terms

Vincent Bellino (D) 1,520

Jorge Diaz (D) 1,529

Cranbury

Two, three-year terms

Glenn R. Johnson (D) 390

Dan Mulligan (R)207

Fran McGovern (R) 195

Dunellen

Two, three-year terms

Joseph Petracca (R) 255

Jason Cilento (R) 267

East Brunswick

Mayor

One, four-year term

Brad J. Cohen (D) 3,889

James "Jim" Wendell (R) 1,823

Township council

Two, four-year terms

Jane Mueller (R) 1,751

Mark Csizmar (R) 1,680

Michael Spadafino (D) 3,849

Sterley Stanley (D) 3,666

Highland Park

Two, three-year terms

Phil George (D) 2,023

Jon Erickson (D) 2,022

Herbert Gross (R) 183

Jamesburg

Two, three-year terms

Samantha Rampacek (D) 288

Shannon Spillane (R) 121

Gregory Newton (R) 111

Metuchen

Two, three-year terms

Dorothy Rasmussen (D) 1,754

Linda Koskoski (D) 1,692

Daniel Lebar (R) 427

Joseph Furmato III (R) 408

Middlesex

Two, three-year terms

Nancy Purcell-Holmes (R) 620

Stephen Greco (R) 584

Daniel Parenti (D) 732

John Segarra (D) 714

Milltown

Two, three-year terms

Doriann Kerber (R) 247

Richard J. Revolinsky (R) 246

Felipe Zambrana Jr. (D) 487

Margaret O'Donnell (D) 494

Monroe

One, four-year unexpired term

Ward 2: Martin Herrmann (R) 601

One, one-year unexpired term

Ward 2: Blaise DiPierro (D) 1,562

New Brunswick

Three, four-year terms

Glenn Fleming (D) 2,130

John A. Anderson (D) 2,113

Suzanne M. Sicora Ludwig (D) 2,124

North Brunswick

Two, three-year terms

George Callan (R) 685

Thomas V. Lichwa (R) 642

Ralph Andrews (D) 2,852

Amanda Guadagnino (D) 2,804

Piscataway

Mayor

One, four-year term

Damon Montesano (R) 919

Brian C. Wahler (D) 4,458

Township council

Three, four-year terms

Gabrielle Cahill (D) 4,370

Kapil Shah (D) 4,264

Chanelle Scott-McCullum (D) 4,404

Plainsboro

Two, three-year terms

Edmund Yates (D) 1,483

David Bander (D) 1,440

Sayreville

Two, three-year terms

Christian Hibinski (R) 1,096

Arthur J. Rittenhouse Jr. (R) 1,171

Daniel Buchanan (D) 2,773

Ricci Melendez (D) 2,737         

South Amboy, Ward 1, Dist. 1

One, four-year term each

Ward 1: Francis "Butch" Mulvey D) 143

              Brian McLaughlin (D) 222

Ward 2:   Thomas Reilly (D) 186

Ward 3:   Zusette Dato (D) 259

South Brunswick

Three, four-year terms

Michael E. Kushwarra (R) 973

Brian Wojaczyk (R) 947

Joseph "Joe" Camarota (D) 3,452

Charlie Carley (D) 3,297

Jo Hochman (D) 3,277

South Plainfield

Two, three-year terms

Stephanie Bartfalvi (R) 775

Raymond Rusnak (R) 766

Jon Dean (D) 1,585

Gary Vesce (D) 1,545

South River

Two, three-year terms

Jim Hutchinson (R) 387

Mike Trenga (R) 360

John "Jack" Alai Jr. (D) 754

Jule R. Meira (D) 761

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Middlesex primary results in races for sheriff, freeholder

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Republicans chose Pedro "Peter" Pisar to run against incumbent Sheriff Mildred Scott, a Democrat, in November.

Screen Shot 2016-05-31 at 2.29.40 PM.pngPedro Pisar, right, defeated David Pawski, left, for the Republican nomination for Middlesex County Sheriff. 

NEW BRUNSWICK -- There was only one contest among the four county-wide races in Middlesex County Tuesday -- three freeholders and the sheriff -- and that was for the Republican nomination for sheriff.

Retired sheriff's officer Pedro "Peter" Pisar, 61, of South Amboy, who has the support of the Middlesex County Republican Organization, handily defeated David Pawski, 32, of Sayreville, a current sheriff's officer, for the right to compete against incumbent Democrat Mildred Scott. According to the unofficial results, Pisar had 16,272 votes and Pawski had 3,480 votes Tuesday night.

Scott, who is seeking her third three-year term, ran unopposed in the primary and garnered 56,957 votes.

There were no races in the primary races for either party for the three freeholder seats, all three-year terms.

Incumbent Democrats Kenneth Armwood, Charles Kenny and Blanquita Valenti ran unopposed as did their Republican challengers in November, Kathleen Calabrese, Zhiyu Hu, and Joseph Scillieri.

Armwood had 52,766 votes, Kenny, 52,690 votes, and Valenti 54, 295 votes. Calabrese had 18,092 votes, Hu had 16,978 votes and Scillieri had 18,392 votes.

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.       

Retiring Mercer medical examiner concerned about office's future

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The county is considering three options that include merging with Middlesex County's medical examiner's office.

TRENTON -- The impending retirement of longtime Mercer County Medical Examiner Dr. Raafat Ahmad might bring with it the end of the county's award-winning office.

For Ahmad, the possibility is concerning.

Ahmad addressed her retirement for the first time publicly Tuesday afternoon.

Her retirement - which she plans for December - would mark the end of her 36-year run as the county's chief medical examiner. Dr. Daksha Shah, another part-time medical examiner for the county, plans to retire around the same time.

Ahmad said she would be disappointed to see the office taken down after she's gone.

"I want to leave it functional," she said.  

But for others, the choice is not so clear

Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said the county is considering three options - keep the office open and hire a new medical examiner; join state-run offices or merge into the Middlesex County office. T

he Monmouth County office already merged into the Middlesex County office earlier this year.

Hughes said he is leaning toward the latter option, adding that it would save taxpayers the most money.

"You would effectively be drawing down employees by four," Hughes said. Any employees who would be let go in a merger, would get the first pick when a new county job opens up.

"(Spaces) become available very quickly in the county," Hughes said.

He also said that option would solve a building issue with the Mercer County office. The office currently sits on land belonging to the Mercer County-owned Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing.

"It's on FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) encumbered land and it should be used for an FAA approved service," Hughes said.

And the FAA requires the county to pay rent - to itself - to use the space, Hughes has said.

Retirement could bring end to a county office

But Ahmad said she worried about the long term consequences of doing away with the Mercer County Office. Mercer County handles around 35 homicides a year - far more than Middlesex County, she said.  

Distance poses another issue - the Middlesex office is a 30-minute drive from Trenton.

But Ahmad's chief concern is the toll that a potential merger would take on her employees, especially the two full-time clerical workers.  

"I feel for the people I work with," Ahmad said.

She said she hopes that they will have jobs secured by the time she retires - whether those jobs are in the medical examiner's office or with another department in the county.  

"I would like to see everyone in the proper place."

For Ahmad, the best of the three options would be letting the state take over the county's office. She said the state's help would likely allow the office to remain in tact in terms of personnel.

It could also give Ahmad a chance to do part time work with the office during her retirement, which she has been hoping to do.

The state option could solve the problem of the office existing on FAA encumbered land by simply moving their operations to a state building, Ahmad said.

Hughes agreed that the state option would solve many of the issues the county faces regarding what to do with the office - but not all.

"I also have to look at the bottom dollar," Hughes said, adding again that a merge with Middlesex would cut costs more than the other two options.

Regardless, officials are still at the beginning stages of discussions regarding the office.

"The only thing that's definite is that I haven't made up my mind," Hughes said.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook. 

These N.J. colleges reported the most rapes

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New federal data reveals for the first time how many rapes were reported at each four-year college.

New Jersey's four-year colleges and universities reported 84 rapes on campus in 2014, according to new federal data.

Rutgers University, the state's largest university, reported 32 rapes on its New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, the most in New Jersey and tied for seventh highest in the nation, according to an analysis of the new data by the Washington Post.

In New Jersey, Rutgers was followed by Rowan University with seven reported rapes in 2014. Ramapo College, Stockton University and William Paterson University were next highest with six reported rapes each that year.

Rutgers ranks in top 10 for reported rapes

The chart below shows how many rapes were reported at each New Jersey campus in 2014.

In total, 17 of New Jersey's four-year colleges and universities reported one rape or more in 2014, according to the data. Ten New Jersey schools reported no rapes that year, including New Jersey City University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Rider University and Fairleigh Dickinson University's Florham campus.

This is the first year the U.S. Department of Education has broken out how many rapes were reported on each campus under new federal disclosure laws. In previous years, colleges were only required to report "forcible sex offenses," which included rape and other sex-related crimes.

Under the federal definition, rape is defined as: "Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim."

Several colleges have said the new rape statistics can be misleading. Rutgers had the highest number of reported rapes in New Jersey and one of the highest in the nation. But the state university has one of the largest campuses in the country.

When the size of the campus is taken into account, Rutgers-New Brunswick reported 0.7 rapes per 1,000 students, far from the highest rate in the nation, according to the data.

Rutgers officials have worked with the White House on efforts to develop new ways for colleges to assess sexual assaults on campus and help victims.

"We strongly encourage individuals to report crimes and to use the resources provided by the university," Rutgers officials said in a statement. "Reporting a sexual assault can be difficult and may seem overwhelming, but the university urges anyone who believes he or she was a victim of a crime to report the incident to the Rutgers University Police Department."

Several of the schools with the highest number of reported rapes said their numbers may be high because they have stepped up efforts to encourage students to report alleged assaults. Some school officials said they would be more concerned if their campuses had no reported rapes because that could be a sign students do not feel comfortable coming forward.

Both Brown University and the University of Connecticut -- which tied for the most reported rapes in the nation with 43 each - said they have been working to establish a culture where students are encouraged to report alleged incidents.

In New Jersey, a Rowan University spokesman said the public university sees the seven reported rapes on its Glassboro campus as a sign that the school is working hard to properly report alleged rapes.

"We are very vigilant about that," said Jose Cardona, a Rowan spokesman. "We are very proud of all the programs we have in place . . . Our numbers are showing truthfully what is happening on our campus."

Rutgers baseball player drunkenly attacked fellow student, lawsuit says

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Pitcher John O'Reilly permanently injured another student in an October 2014 assault, a lawsuit says

A former student manager for the Rutgers University baseball team has filed suit against a top pitcher on the squad, claiming the player attacked him in a drunken rage in a dormitory hallway, causing permanent injuries to his neck.

The former manager, Albert DeSanto, claims in the lawsuit that John O'Reilly, a 6-foot, 5-inch sophomore, first threatened to hit him with a wall shelf, then wrapped his arms around DeSanto's neck from behind and yanked upward, lifting the 5-foot-6 student off the ground.

The early morning encounter -- which took place in October 2014, when O'Reilly was a first-semester freshman -- left DeSanto so severely injured he required surgery to implant a plate and two screws in his spine, DeSanto and his attorney said. The civil lawsuit, seeking compensation and damages, was filed in earler this year in Middlesex County Superior Court.

Iowa  Rutger's BaseballRutgers pitcher John O'Reilly, seen here in a game against Iowa, allegedly caused a permanent neck injury to a fellow student in an October 2014 altercation, a lawsuit states. (Associated Press) 

Nearly a year after the incident, in October 2015, O'Reilly pleaded guilty in Piscataway Municipal Court to a reduced charge of disturbing the peace, the lawsuit states. Yet the baseball player received no discipline from the university, either before or after the plea, DeSanto and his lawyer said in interviews.

"I find it shocking and disappointing that someone could do something like this and continue on completely unscathed in a school system in this day and age," said the lawyer, Jeff Fritz. "The school has a code of conduct that clearly would apply here, yet despite Albert's attempts to have the school do something about it, he just got turned away every step of the way."

DeSanto, a Hillsborough resident who was 25 at the time of the incident, questioned whether O'Reilly would have been treated differently were he not a scholarship athlete.

"I've come to the conclusion that the administration acted improperly on this in order to avoid bad publicity and to protect O'Reilly, ultimately at my expense," he said.

A Rutgers spokesman, E.J. Miranda, declined to comment on the claim, citing privacy protections under the Family and Education Right and Privacy Act.

"As a general rule, and respecting student privacy interests and FERPA legal obligations, the university does not comment on matters involving student discipline," Miranda said.

O'Reilly, a resident of Northvale in Bergen County, did not respond to an email sent to his university account. His father, Michael O'Reilly, said in a telephone interview that a simple assault charge against his son was dropped and that John O'Reilly pleaded guilty only to disturbing the peace, a disorderly persons offense.

"Look, it's an 18-year-old kid in his first semester at college. What do I say?" he said. "I don't know why this is news a year and a half later."

The father said he was unaware of the extent of DeSanto's injuries.

The suit does not name Rutgers as a defendant, though Fritz said suing the university remains "under consideration."

O'Reilly, a graduate of Northern Valley Regional High School and a double major in criminal justice and labor studies, is a starter on the university's baseball team and ranks among Rutgers' top pitchers.  

According to the lawsuit, the altercation with DeSanto unfolded around 2 a.m. on Oct. 18, 2014.

DeSanto, a former standout baseball player and academic All-American at Raritan Valley Community College, said he was returning to his room in the south tower of Lynton Towers on the Livingston campus when he saw O'Reilly, beer in hand, open a janitor's closet and pull out a hose.

Clearly intoxicated, O'Reilly began spraying the hallway with water and threatened to turn the hose on DeSanto, who told the ballplayer he didn't want to be sprayed and to put the hose away, the lawsuit states.

DeSanto said O'Reilly backed him into a corner, prompting the smaller man to push O'Reilly away.

Infuriated, the ballplayer told DeSanto, "If you put your hands on me again I'm going to give you the worse (sic) concussion you ever had," according to a report written by an investigator with the Rutgers University Police Department. 

Both the lawsuit and the police report state that O'Reilly then grabbed a wall shelf and repeatedly raised it over his head, as if he was going to strike DeSanto. A witness told police he managed to take the board away from O'Reilly, the report says.

Moments later, as DeSanto was returning to his dorm room, O'Reilly came up behind him, wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him off the ground, the lawsuit states.

The action injured the bones in DeSanto's neck and exacerbated a head injury he had suffered in 2009, while a student at Ramapo College. In that case, DeSanto was duct-taped to a chair and pushed through a hallway of his dormitory in an event known as the Dorm Olympics, according to a published account.

The injury occurred when DeSanto's head smashed into a cinder-block wall. In 2013, he reached a $375,000 settlement from the state.

In the suit against O'Reilly, DeSanto said the attack resulted in new migraines and a feeling of constant pressure behind his eyes.

DeSanto, a senior double majoring in political science and information technology, said he was unable to finish out the semester and missed two more semesters as he underwent surgery and recovered from the injury. He returned to the university this spring.

DeSanto said he still doesn't know why O'Reilly targeted him. The two had known each other for about a month, he said, and did not have any previous conflicts.

"I'm still unsure why," he said. "I was completely sober in my dormitory hallway and returning to my room to go to bed."

Staff writer Keith Sargeant contributed to this report.

Mark Mueller may be reached at mmueller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJMueller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Baseball state semifinals: Statement wins, upsets, surprises

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5 teams showed a little something extra in punching tickets to the finals

Did N.J. mom go too far with violent 'Walking Dead' kid photo shoot?

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A 3-year-old points a toy gun at the back of another young girl's head in one of the photos depicting key scenes from hit zombie apocalypse show.

In one photograph, a 3-year-old points a toy gun at the back of the head of a girl kneeling near abandoned railroad tracks. In another, a boy holds a wooden bat against the back of a child in a baseball hat who is lying face down on the ground.

The images, which have generated a viral firestorm of criticism, were captured by a New Jersey mother during a photo shoot featuring young children reenacting key moments from the hit zombie apocalypse show "The Walking Dead."

But Alana Hubbard, the 29-year-old Woodbridge resident behind the photographs, is standing by the photo shoot and says she's done nothing wrong. 

"I'm not the first person in the history of America to have children reenacting violence," Hubbard said, in an interview Wednesday with NJ Advance Media. "This is what child actors do."

Time to put 'The Walking Dead' out of its misery? | TV Hangover (PODCAST)

Hubbard said she first had planned to only include her 3-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son in the shoot but ultimately recruited two dozen children, all under the age of 7, to take part. Hubbard describes herself as a "huge fan on the show" and said she wanted to do the photo shoot for herself and other "Walking Dead" devotees. 

None of the parents expressed concerns about allowing their children to be involved in the project, Hubbard said, and she didn't expect to face serious backlash when she posted the photos to her Facebook page over the weekend.

But the criticism was swift and harsh.

Commenters railed against her, saying she was exposing children to a world they can't yet comprehend and blasting her for allowing young children to point guns, though fake, at one another. One person posted photos of actual dead children to her Facebook page, Hubbard said, and her account was temporarily suspended.

Hubbard said she understands why some people aren't comfortable with the photographs but defends her work, which has received praise online as well.

Hubbard said she would never allow her children to watch "The Walking Dead" on television. There's a distinct difference, she said, between allowing a child to reenact a violent scene from a television show and actually watching that violence on television.

"Everyone is overthinking this way too much. It was a one time thing," she said. "They went home and went back to their regularly scheduled lives."

Hubbard said she has been working as a photographer for more than eight years and officially started her own business, Mother Hubbard Photography, about five years ago. Hubbard specializes in maternity and engagement sessions, as well as other milestone events like birthdays and anniversaries.

Hubbard previously gained attention in 2014 for her photographs of a 5-year-old cancer patient posing with a woman donning a bald cap and dressed as Cinderella. Hubbard said she also previously did a princess zombie shoot but nothing that stirred controversy like the "Walking Dead" inspired session.

The photo shoot, which took place on abandoned railroad tracks in Metuchen in early June, featured young children dressed as some of the main characters in "The Walking Dead."

Hubbard's daughter, Mariana, is pointing a gun at another girl in one of the photographs, which depicts a difficult scene from the series in which one of the characters, Carol, shoots and kills a young girl, Lizzie.

Hubbard said she's heard the "gun safety preach a thousand times now."

But, she said, "They are kids. They are toys. She is not holding a gun. She is holding a toy from Toys"R"Us."

Hubbard said she understands the photos aren't for everyone -- and they aren't intended to be.

"Everyone involved is 100 percent proud of the project and support me 100 percent and the bottom line is that all that really matters," she said. "I stand by it and everyone else stands by it."

Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Softball: Semifinal stars and statement wins

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See the major highights of Tuesday's action

Officials urge Port Authority to study widening Outerbridge Crossing

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Middlesex County officials say the Outerbridge Crossing needs to be widened for traffic safety reasons.

PERTH AMBOY -- Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz was joined Wednesday morning by Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who represents the district that includes Perth Amboy, to call on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to study expansion of the Outerbridge Crossing.

"This is a very important part of your life if you live in Perth Amboy," Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) said.

Diaz and Wisniewski, who chairs the Assembly's transportation committee, said the bridge, opened in 1928, has become a safety concern for both Perth Amboy and Staten Island -- the two locations it connects.

"We're calling on the Port Authority to commence an environmental impact study to determine what structural updates can be made to the Outerbridge Crossing," Diaz said, standing alongside Route 440, the highway that leads from and to the bridge.

"Perth Amboy is a few short minutes from the bridge, but it can take hours of traveling to get there, especially in the summer when people are returning from the Jersey Shore to their homes in Staten Island," the mayor said.

She said the first news conference calling on the Port Authority to study the traffic safety issues on the bridge was held in Staten Island in April at the behest of Staten Island officials, who were also on hand Wednesday morning but didn't speak.

Staten Island Assemblyman Ron Castorina released a statement saying "The Port Authority owes it to our families to begin (a) ...study as soon as possible and start presenting some feasible solutions to this growing transportation fiasco."

"The residents of the south shore of Staten Island, as well as our neighbors in New Jersey, are saddled with some of the worst commute times in the nation," Castorina said. "Every extra minute our commuters spend sitting in traffic on Route 440 is precious time they could instead be spending with their families."

The Port Authority, he said, collects $200 million annually in tolls from the bridge, which is used by 30 million vehicles a year.

"When this bridge generates that kind of revenue, the Port Authority can spend some money to give it some love," the assemblyman said.

Wisniewski said the Port Authority has budgeted, on average, $8.5 million a year to spend on maintenance of the bridge between 2014 and 2023.

He said what he'd like to see is somehow adding another lane so that if a vehicle breaks down on the bridge -- which has two lanes in each direction -- traffic can still move.

Port Authority spokesman Neal Buccino said the agency is "beginning the process of evaluating numerous important priorities for its 2017-2026 Capital Plan."

"We welcome input from elected officials about the future of the Outerbridge Crossing and the rest of our critical infrastructure," Buccino said.

He said the agency has recently spent $18 million to replace the pavement on the main span and approaches and the toll plaza and currently all light fixtures are being equipped with high efficiency LED fixtures. Routine projects to perform steel repairs and painting maintenance programs have also been done. The cameras on the bridge have also been upgraded.

Perth Amboy's deputy police chief, Lawrence Cattano, said emergency responders have difficulty getting around the city because Route 440 is the quickest way to move from one side of the city to the other, but when traffic is backed up, "motorists look for the same local streets that our emergency responders are using."

"It is especially difficult on Sundays," Cattano said. "Any project that starts with the word 'needs assessment' -- we've done most of it for you. The need is there, it's needed. Let's get it done."

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

After saying no to retirement communities, this couple built their new home from scratch

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Her property remained vacant for years, until she met a new love — who just happened to be a contractor.

N.J. Home Makeover is a new feature on NJ.com. To submit your renovation for consideration, email home@starledger.com with your full name, email address, phone number and town/city. Attach "before" and "after" photos of what you renovated.


Sandy Cassio and Jimmy Patti looked at homes in "active adult" communities in so many parts of New Jersey.

Each had its appealing features: huge windows that made a place feel cheerful and bright; open-floor-plan layouts with kitchens that wouldn't isolate the cook; space-saving bathroom designs; and bedroom sizes that seemed just right.

"I had a ruler and paper and pencil," Sandy said. "I measured windows, I measured rooms." She made note of every feature they liked, and they kept looking for a place that would feel like home.

But they never seriously considered living in any of those places, many of which were in Monmouth County. "I just couldn't bring myself to be that far away from home, from my kids and everything," said Sandy, who is an owner of a South Plainfield drug store opened by her father and uncle in 1972. She has worked at Twin City Pharmacy & Surgical since she was 11 years old.

Sandy and Jimmy both grew up in South Plainfield, and, ultimately, they would remain there, setting themselves to the major task of sweetening land that held the lemons of Sandy's past.

The renovation

The awkward little 1940's house west of Memorial Park had been purchased as an investment property nearly 10 years earlier, when Sandy and Jimmy were married to other people. The bungalow was to be replaced by a rental duplex.

"It was not passed," Sandy said, of the plan she and her then-husband had proposed to redevelop the lot.

Without the needed permits, the house sat vacant for three years. When her 28-year marriage began to crumble, Sandy had the little house knocked down to reduce the property taxes. In a divorce agreement, she bought out her ex-husband's interest in the property.

Her son and daughter were grown, and during the separation, Sandy had moved to a rented Lavallette beach house. When it was ruined by the hurricane that shares her name, Sandy returned for a few months to her mother and her childhood home in South Plainfield. She began to look for condos, and in the process reunited with Jim, also recently divorced. He was a childhood friend whom she had known since middle school. They decided her South Plainfield land would become the site of their future home.

Jim, a contractor, would contribute his considerable masonry skills, constructing their home's brick and stone facade as well as building their basement wine cellar, installing a backyard pond and more. The couple worked with an architect to design the house, but they managed all phases of the construction themselves.

Features from several of the houses they had visited previously are now blended harmoniously in the three-bedroom, two bathroom house.

NJ Home Makeover - The Cassio Residence, South Plainfield, NJ,  5/4/16Guest Room, the Cassio residence, South Plainfield, NJ. 05/04/2016 (Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media) 

Her favorite part of their 2,140-square-foot home is what she describes as "the belly" of the open-floor-plan house, including its kitchen, great room, dining room and foyer.

She wanted the kitchen to function as the heart of this main living area. Varied ceiling heights contribute to the architectural appeal of a house with nearly floor to ceiling windows that maximize natural light.

The couple had several goals for the house. Everything had to be on one floor. It needed to be spacious but also affordable and manageable. It needed to exhibit character and warmth. "We wanted a house that was modest in scale but customized to our needs and preferences," Sandy said. 

Wide-plank hickory floors milled for a rustic, aged look, add character throughout the house. Beneath the floors is an investment in energy-efficient radiant heating. The couple selected a large slab of quartzite that was cut for the kitchen island and counters. 

The master bath includes large and luxurious marble tiles, which Sandy considered a bargain find at Home Depot. For a reasonable price at Lowe's, she found a sparkling chandelier that complements the tile. Her own custom work adorns a window. She used spray adhesive to cover a rattan shade with water-proof white cloth and trimmed it with a geometric border of black ribbon inspired by the Greek key pattern on the shower's accent tiles.

Outside the home, Jim says he selected exterior materials of brick and stone for endurance. "The number one priority for the whole project was no maintenance," he said.

Sandy and Jimmy have each added numerous personal touches to the house, completed in February 2015. They hand-finished custom cabinetry beside the fireplace in pale blue Annie Sloane chalk paint and gave it an aged effect with their own blend of the brand's dark and light waxes. Jimmy hung his antique skies, forming an "X" above the hearth in the finished room.

In a small office near their front door, one wall is inscribed with a quote that sums up their process: "By wisdom a house is built, through love its rooms are filled with beautiful treasures."

What they renovated

They built a custom home in South Plainfield

Who did the work

James Roan Construction of Bridgewater, framing and windows; Jaeger Lumber  windows, wood, supplies; Engineered Comfort Systems of Manalapan, radiant heat; D&D Prestige Flooring, floors and tile; Steve McDougall Contracting of South Plainfield, built and installed cabinetry

What they did themselves

Jimmy, who owns Patti Construction, did the excavation,block basement, brick and stone work. He also built racks for wine room.

How long it took

They worked on plans with Bridgewater architect Mark Yarrington and secured permits from June to October 2013. They broke ground in January 2014 and the certificate of occupancy was issued in February 2015.

How much it cost

The property was purchased for $180,000; Construction, including excavation, plans and permits totaled $350,000

How they saved

"Sweat equity," says Sandy. "Jimmy did all masonry work, and we were the general contractors for the project, scheduling and choosing all contractors and doing all prep and clean up.  We also shopped for discount appliance packages (free microwave with purchase), discount lighting (floor sale from Ethan Allan), wholesale tiles and cabinets along with big box store purchases."

Where they splurged

Hickory wide plank hardwood floors throughout the house, ceiling to floor quality windows, a 10- by 5-foot slab of Nacarado quartzite for kitchen island and counters, Thermador 6-burner stove top

What they'd have done differently

"We probably would have extended the length of the house a few feet so we could have made the garage a bit larger to accommodate a separate stairway," Sandy said.

Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.

Program on Nazi deportation at Old Bridge library

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The film documents the plight of 20,000 German and eastern European Jews during WWII.

libout.jpg 

OLD BRIDGE -- Local resident Henry Meisel will visit the Old Bridge Public Library on June 19, at 2 p.m. for a screening of the documentary "Shanghai Ghetto."

The film documents the plight of 20,000 German and eastern European Jews, including Meisel, who were stripped of their possessions and shipped to the Far East in the 1930s.

A question-and-answer session with Meisel will follow the film screening.

The program is free and open to the public at the library at 1 Old Bridge Plaza. For more information, call 732-721-5600, ext. 5033 or go to oldbridgelibrary.org.

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

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Doctor sentenced for taking kickbacks covering taxes, home repairs

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Dr. Paresh Patel admitted accepting $174,000 in kickbacks for referring patient testing to Biosound Medical Services.

TRENTON -- An internal medicine physician with a practice in Jamesburg will spend a year in federal prison for accepting bribes in exchange for patient referrals to a mobile diagnostic company, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Paresh Patel, 55, of Franklin Township, pleaded guilty earlier before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to a charge of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute. 

According to prosecutors, Patel accepted more than $174,000 in bribes from September 2009 through December 2013 for referring patients to Biosound Medical Services. Biosound Medical, based in Morris County, paid the kickbacks in the form of paying Patel's property taxes for both his home and office, and for and home renovations, a court record charging him says.

In one example, Biosound Medical, owned by Nita K. Patel and Kirtish N. Patel (no relation to Paresh Patel) paid $20,000 directly to a contractor for Paresh Patel's home renovations, the court record says.

Doctor fueled gambling habit with kickbacks

Patel's referrals brought $165,000 in reimbursements from Medicare to Biosound Medical, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars from other insurers, it says. 

In addition to the prison term, Patel was ordered to pay a fine of $6,000, and also ordered to forfeit the $174,000 in bribe payments, Fishman's office said. 

Nita K. Patel and Kirtish N. Patel, pleaded guilty on Nov. 17 to health care fraud for forging physician signatures on diagnostic reports never reviewed by a specialist physician, Fishman's office said. Kirtish N. Patel, who did not have a medical license, wrote the reports, it said. 

Both await sentencing.

Paresh Patel's sentencing occurred on the same day another physician, Bret Ostrager of Woodbury, N.Y., was sentenced in Newark federal court to 37 months in prison for accepting kickbacks to refer his patients' blood tests to a lab in Parsippany.

 Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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