Results tagged “jerseycity”

Yesterday Jersey City authorities announced that the body of 65-year-old Evan Chandler, who sued Michael Jackson for allegedly molesting his son, was found in his apartment at a Jersey City luxury building by his building's concierge, and it's believed he killed himself. Police spokesman Jesse Easton said, "He [Chandler] was on his bed still holding the weapon with a single gunshot wound to the head. It's straightforward. Case closed. It's suicide."

Another attempt to get New Yorkers across the Hudson! One company is claiming there's a "Mass Exodus to New Jersey Underway" in their new web ad. Headlines on their fake newspaper warn of tax increases in NYC, saying, "Your governor is trying to tell you something: Leave." But where should you go? A Jersey City residential and commercial development, of course — located on the same plot of land that, in the early 1980s, New York City officials described as a "toxic waste dump." [via CityRoom]

Over the weekend, a Manhattan man survived falling into the PATH train tracks—and having a train roll over him! According to the Star-Ledger, the man, 32, "appeared intoxicated" when he "fell off the platform" at the Pavonia station and "rolled into the center of the tracks at around 9 p.m."

Many of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp.'s employees will have to leave their 55 Water Street offices, because the company has agreed to move 1,600 jobs to Jersey City. Of course, those employees won't need to pack up that soon—the move is planned for 2013.

Recently the Scouting NY scout came across The White Mana Diner in Jersey City, which long ago was touted as the "Diner of Tomorrow!" at the 1939 World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. The Scout says "it was designed so that a waiter never had to walk more than 10 feet to get to the grille, cash register, or counter." The establishment sold 10 cent burgers and had curb service—and at the time, it also bragged about being the "Introduction to Fast Food," so we know who to blame now.

Friday morning a Port Authority cop faced off against a group of nine gang members aboard the PATH and took them all down without having to step off the train. Officer John Roche was fetched down while aboard a PATH train in Jersey City by 37-year-old Shine-Amon Sky around 6 a.m. Friday. Sky had woken up after dozing off during his morning commute to find one of the young Bloods nearby had stolen his cigarettes. The large group of teens and young adults then pounced on Sky when he confronted them about it. When Officer Roche tracked down the gang and saw how poorly his odds looked against so many of them, he ordered the train conductor to lock down the train just past the Grove Street stop as he waited for backup. Once his fellow officers arrived, they were able to round up all nine of the Newark gangbangers, who were charged with everything from riot and disorderly conduct to recruitment of a street gang. Two of the female teenagers were also hit with making terrorist threat when they said that they would kill Roche as he apprehended them.

Yesterday, the Jersey City police released videos from the July 16 shooting incident that left one police officer dead as well as the two suspects under surveillance who apparently started the gunfire. Four other police officers were also wounded. Jersey City police chief Thomas Comey defended his department's decision, saying of suspect Hassan "Shakur" Hosendove, "As we were seeking to open up a line of communication, he was seeking to open up a line of fire."

The Daily News has the scoop on some interesting details surrounding the rescue of passengers from a capsized boat in the Hudson River early yesterday morning. Turns out Doug Liman, director of Swingers, The Bourne Identity, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and "four movie-making pals were on his sailboat celebrating the wrap of a new film early Wednesday when they spotted the ship speeding toward a tiny vessel." A cargo ship, about "250 feet long, 50 feet tall, with no lights," was headed towards Daniel Rechelbacher's 40-foot boat. Rechelbacher and two friends jumped into the river, while another was tossed off the boat when the cargo ship crushed the vessel. Liman's boat headed to the crash, picking up Rechelbacher and two others, while the crushed boat's captain "refused to swim away from his crushed vessel and remained there until Fire Department boats arrived." Rechelbacher called his rescuers "guardian angels" while Liman said, "I make action movies for a living. If I had Jason Bourne survive that, people would start throwing popcorn at the screen .... These people were extremely lucky." And no criminality is suspected—apparently cargo ships have right of way in the river.

Around 1 a.m. this morning, WABC 7 reports that a 30-foot pleasure boat in the Hudson River near Jersey City capsized—"apparently after being struck by another vessel." The four people aboard the boat were rescued from the Hudson River by another boater: "Eyewitness News is told that Good Samaritan took them onto his vessel and to shore at Pier 40, near Canal Street. The four were treated by EMS for minor injuries." The NYPD towed the capsized boat to Jersey City and the Coast Guard will investigate the damage to the boat and see whether it was hit by another boat. A black-and-white commercial boat may have hit the vessel.

Jack Shaw, the Jersey City political consultant who was arrested last week in the massive federal corruption probe of NJ elected officials and others, was found dead in his Jersey City apartment yesterday. The Star-Ledger reports an autopsy is pending but "Three officials with knowledge of the investigation said multiple bottles of pills were found near Shaw's body. One of the officials said that while investigators suspect suicide, they did not want to jump to conclusions because Shaw suffers from an unspecified medical condition." Shaw, 61, was accused of taking a $10,000 bribe from a government informant and apparently gave that money to Jersey City mayor Jeremiah Healey. The NY Times says Shaw "was a longtime Democratic operative who cut his teeth working for Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago and later was a campaign aide to Gov. Jim Florio...He also worked on Robert G. Torricelli’s 1996 Senate race, Robert E. Andrews’s 1997 bid for the Democratic nomination for governor, and Jon S. Corzine’s election to the Senate in 2000."

Last night was another dangerous one in Jersey City as five people were shot on a street corner just after 12:30 a.m. this morning. All five are in stable condition and details behind the shooting remain unclear as police are searching for suspects. A police spokesman said that when cops arrived onto the scene near the corner of Bergen and Claremont Avenues, they discovered a chaotic scene, describing it to reporters, “When we showed up, everybody was fighting and nobody was talking." The victims included two men in their 30s (shot in the chest), a man in his 20s and a woman in her 50s (both shot in the arm), and a 16-year-old girl (in the leg), none of whom were related. The shooting comes just days after Jersey City's police chief called the recent outburst of crime there (that included a fatal police shootout) "an aberration" and insisted it was a safe city.

The huge corruption and money laundering investigation that has ensnared 44 people, including NJ mayors and elected officials, was addressed by Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy today, who said, "Based on review of the complaint , it is clear that I am Jersey City Public Official 4. I did nothing wrong at anytime. Right now we are going to continue to conduct open and honest government and are focused on moving the city forward." Among those arrested were Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini and political consultant Jack Shaw—who are accused in the complaint as being middlemen for "Jersey City Public Official 4."

A huge turnout, including hundreds of cops, is expected for the funeral of fallen Jersey City police officer Marc DiNardo. DiNardo, a father of three, was shot in the face over a week ago, when two shooting suspects fired upon the Emergency Service Unit cops staking out their apartment; four other police officers were wounded while the two suspects were killed. DiNardo's family, which decided to take the 37-year-old off life support on Tuesday and donate his organs, held a blood drive in his honor yesterday (which would have been his 38th birthday). The drive attracted hundreds—his widow Mary and mother were among the donors—and Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey said, "There's people here from every walk of life. It shows that people stand behind us." Today, a number of streets in Jersey City will be closed from 8 a.m. until the funeral procession passes through.

It's Perp Walk Thursday for a number of NJ elected officials: The feds have arrested Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano and Secaucus Mayor Denis Elwell, as well as Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Baldini, Jersey City Council President Mario Vega and many others (such as rabbis and community leaders) in a money laundering and corruption (political bid-rigging) sweep. The Star-Ledger reports, "Nearly 20 people, including Cammarano, Elwell, and Vega, have already been led into the FBI building in Newark to face the charges." NBC New York, which has a photo of newly elected Hoboken Mayor Cammarano being hauled in, adds, "Arrests and searches are underway across Jersey City, Secaucus and numerous Hudson and Bergen county locations." The arrests are expected to take place until noon—stay tuned!

As his police force mourns the death of a police officer killed in the line of duty, Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey spoke about the recent number of violent incidents, "This department has suffered through several unusual occurrences over the last five days. These incidents are aberrations. This is a safe city."

Yesterday, the Jersey City police said that officer Marc DiNardo, who was shot in the face by a shooting suspect last week, was not expected to survive and that his "demise is imminent." The 37-year-old father of three is still on life support (his family decided to donate his organs) but is expected to be taken off life support some time today. A fellow police officer read a statement from DiNardo's family, "Marc was not a selfish man. He was a moral man, a man who gave of himself to those who could not care for themselves." And early this morning along Jersey City's Communipaw Avenue, three robbery suspects shot at police officers (at least nine times). No one was shot; the suspects were all arrested after ramming their car into a police cruiser. Update: DiNardo died at 9:35 a.m.; NJ.com reports, "DiNardo, who would have turned 38 Wednesday, is survived by his wife, two daughters, ages 4 and 1, a 3-year-old son and his parents. His father is a retired Jersey City police lieutenant."

Jersey City police officer Marc DiNardo, who was shot in the face by a shooting suspect last week, is in "extremely critical condition." DiNardo, 37, is part of the Emergency Service Unit; he and other officers had been staking out the apartment of Hassian Hosendove (aka Hassian Shakur) and his wife Amanda Anderson. Hosendove and Anderson emerged from their apartment last Thursday, wearing hooded robes, and fired at police officers; the pair were eventually killed in the ensuing gunfight—an autopsy says Hosendove was shot 19 times and Anderson once. The other officer who had been in critical condition, Michael Camacho, was upgraded and able to leave the Intensive Care Unit. Camacho was shot in the neck and is now is "serious but guarded" condition.

After police surveillance of two robbery suspects turned into a bloody gunfight, leaving four Jersey City police officers and one Port Authority police officer wounded and the two suspects dead, Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey noted that one of the suspects, Hassan Shakur, had a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun "a combat weapon. It's got a stock that's retractable. It had a strap on it where he had numerous shells on it. He was ready to battle." Comey added, "I don't know how many times a big city chief has to stand here and say we need help to stop these weapons from hitting the streets. This weapon is manufactured for no other reason than to hunt man. So we should stop being afraid of the NRA and start being afraid of our own rights."

Earlier this morning, WPIX reports that "an armed black man and woman wearing long robes and black hoodies shot at officers for as of yet unknown reasons at 24 Reed Street in Jersey City." Four officers were wounded—"One of the officers was shot in the leg during the crossfire and another was injured due to shrapnel from a shattered window entering his body"—and authorities conducted a manhunt, with K-9 units and snipers. WPIX adds, "Unconfirmed reports state at around 6:45am the two suspects were 'neutralized,' which may mean they are in custody or dead. They were cornered in a building on the corner of Reed Street and Bergen Avenue, which was first searched and evacuated." Update: Five cops are now reported injured while the two suspects are dead.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 29,000 glass pipes from an international mail holding facility in Jersey City on June 24. The pipes were part of a shipment from a Canadian company that had been previously charged with transporting drug paraphernalia into the U.S. Although the sale of such smoking accessories is legal, (provided they are marketed as being only for tobacco use--the reason even using the word "bong" in a head shop can get you thrown out the door) certain laws aimed at protecting youth prohibit the transfer of items deemed to be "drug paraphernalia" through the mail. The criteria smoking accessories must meet in order to be considered as such are laid out in U.S. Code 21 § 863(d). Officials place the market value of the pipes at around $500,000, and say they were headed for sale in New York City. Sadly, this means that St. Mark's might be short a few glow-in-the-dark skull bongs this summer.

With the Macy's July 4 fireworks extravaganza on the Hudson River this year (to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage down the Hudson River), crowds will be lining up on both the New York and New Jersey sides of the river to catch a glimpse of the display. And while NY is used to the security and preparations required, NJ towns aren't: The NY Times reports, "The new location has left town officials in Hoboken, Weehawken, North Bergen and other waterfront communities confronting something they do not often have to deal with — the 100,000 or more spectators they expect to descend on the Hudson’s west bank." Local police and fire departments have warned about grilling regulations and some apartment buildings limited tenants' guests or said only tenants with ID will be allowed in (forget those parties!). There are also driving restrictions in Jersey City plus a zero-tolerance policy—"Open containers, public urination, public nuisance and destruction of property are all subject to a $1,000 fine per infraction," according to Hoboken Now, thanks to the rowdy St. Patrick's Parade behavior (which probably means having sex in public is "public nuisance" and pooping in the hallway is "destruction of property").

The Port Authority has suspended all PATH service, due to a fire at the PATH's Jersey City control center. And the Port Authority doesn't know when service will be restored. WCBS 2 reports, "All power is out to PATH trains while firefighters and emergency units tend to the scene." However, the most recent PATH Alert says, "3:06:04 PM Concerning the earlier signal problem, all PATH train service has resumed." We hope so!

A NJ woman filed a lawsuit against Jersey City's Christ Hospital for losing the body of her stillborn baby. Kalynn Moore had given birth in December; according to the Jersey Journal, "Arrangements were made to pick up the remains for a burial on Jan. 2, but when representatives from the funeral parlor arrived at the hospital, the remains couldn't be located in the morgue." Hospital officials admitted that the baby's corpse was probably thrown out in the trash; police searched garbage dumps in NJ and Pennsylvania to no avail, leading them to suspect the body was incinerated. The lawsuit notes that the incident has left Moore unable to get closure on her son's death. The state has already fined the hospital over $20,000 for "failing in its morgue operations for bodies and remains."

Little is publicly known about 34-year-old Ashish Shah of Jersey City at this time, but police say his life ended Sunday morning in the trash compactor of The Olivia, a luxury apartment building near Penn Station. A building employee tells the Post that for the second time in as many days, Shah had arrived outside The Olivia in a taxi and ran inside without paying. Police believe Shah had been "drinking for several hours" before his death, and It's unclear who, if anyone, Shah knew in the building. But just before 6 a.m. he was observed dashing past the doorman to the elevators. Cops say he took an elevator to the 36th-floor roof level, but after his attempt to get to the sun deck tripped an alarm, Shah took the stairs down to the 35th floor, where he somehow fell into a narrow garbage chute, plummeting to the garbage compactor 28 stories below. One resident tells the Daily News, "It's amazing that someone could fit in that hole."

A drunk off-duty Jersey City cop has been revealed to be the driver of an early Saturday morning hit and run near Battery Park City that killed one woman and left her boyfriend in critical but stable condition. 25-year-old Martin Abreu, a fourth year officer, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and assault and driving while intoxicated. He has also been suspended without pay. 26-year-olds Marilyn Feng and Dennis Loffredo were struck at around 3:40 a.m. on their way home from a night of dancing. They had been taking tango lessons weekly and parents of Loffredo thought that the two would get married. Loffredo's mother donates to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She told the News, "I think next year I'm going to donate even more."

    

Some NJ residents did a double take when the fuselage of a jet, situated on a flatbed truck, rolled down streets. And it was no ordinary fuselage—it was U.S. Airways Flight 1549, which landed into the Hudson River on January 15. According to the Jersey Journal, freelance photographer Richard J. McCormack reported "that the fuselage, which had been brought to Weeks Marine Inc. in Jersey City for the federal investigation after it crash landed in the Hudson River, was supposed to head to Newark via the Officers Shawn Carson and Robert Nguyen Memorial Bridge, but the plane couldn't fit and hit the top of the bridge."

A family already mourning was dealt a terrible blow: Jersey City's Christ Hospital apparently threw away the body of their dead newborn with the trash. Grieving mother Kalynn Moore told WCBS 2 that the funeral home went to pick of the body, but were unable to find it, "I looked at them and said, 'Excuse me?' And they were like. 'We can't find your son.'" Her cousin added that she accompanied the baby to the morgue—"He had ID bracelets on both ankles. There was a tag on the t-shirt, and a tag on the blankets." The hospital told the Jersey Journal that baby was stillborn on December 21 (the family says the baby was born alive and declared dead 20 minutes later). The body was apparently thrown out by the time the funeral home inquired on January 2. Police are now searching garbage dumps in NJ and Pennsylvania and Christ Hospital said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, and we hope to bring this unfortunate situation to a resolution as soon as possible."

After allegedly urinating off the balcony onto concertgoers at a Grateful Dead tribute band show Friday night, Jersey City Councilman Steven Lipski (pictured) was arrested—not hailed as a hero—and charged with assault. Now he's come forward to announce that he's quitting drinking, although he still insists it wasn't a golden shower of unlimited devotion but simply an accidentally spilled beer. Employees at the D.C. club disagree and maintain they spotted Lipski in the act of micturition and called the cops.

The Dark Star Orchestra paid tribute to the Grateful Dead Friday night at Washington DC's 9:30 Club with a set of covers originally by the legendary band. Jersey City Councilman Steve Lipski then did his part to pay tribute to the band onstage by urinating off a balcony onto the crowd below during their set. He was arrested and charged with simple assault. A source from the club told the Daily News, "We've dealt with this man before. He's never peed on anybody, but he gets really belligerent and drunk." Lipski has been a councilman in Jersey City since 2001.

Residents (and we imagine businesses as well) in a 20 block section of Jersey City have "little or no water pressure" after a water main broke earlier this morning. WABC 7 reports that the " 30-inch main broke at the intersection of 18th Street and Washington Boulevard just after 4 a.m." Emergency crews are working to fix the break, but all residents are being asked to conserve water in order to "help maintain some pressure in the affected area."