Laquan Harris
ELIZABETH – An Elizabeth teenager accused of fatally shooting the father of two in April surrendered to police Monday, authorities said.
Laquan Harris, 18, turned himself in at the State Police office in Irvington shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, the Union County Prosecutor’s office said.
Authorities had been searching for Harris for more than a month. He is the primary suspect in the April 13 homicide at the Oakwood Plaza apartments on Irvington Avenue, officials said.
Posted in Elizabeth on June 17, 2009 |
Eduardo Serrano
ELIZABETH—A convicted sex offender who was released from jail earlier this year was arrested last Tuesday for allegedly committing another sexual assault against a 14-year-old Elizabeth girl.
Eduardo Serrano, 41, was charged with one count of second degree sexual assault against a minor, according to Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.
Serrano was released from prison in January, after serving a nearly six-year prison sentence for sexually assault against a minor, the prosecutor said.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on June 10, 2009 |
ELIZABETH—A jury convicted an Elizabeth man of 2nd degree sexual assault and 3rd degree endangering welfare of a child, Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow announced last week.
Gabriel Alvarado, 48, faces at least 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 31, according to Assistant Prosecutor Scott Peterson, who handled the case.
An investigation revealed that Alvarado was a family friend of the victim, who was seven years old at the time she told her parents of the man’s inappropriate touching, said Peterson. Prosecutors believe that Alvarado touched the child several times while she was at his house between 2005-2006.
The parents contacted police who launched an investigation. Alvarado was arrested a short time later. The jury’s verdict came after a three-week trial and nearly eight hours of deliberation.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on June 10, 2009 |
ELIZABETH—Seth Laderman won’t say whether the ghost of Hannah Caldwell is finally ready for her close up.
But he is predicting fans of Ghost Hunters, the popular cable television series on the SciFi channel, will not be disappointed when they tune in this summer to see what the crew found when they visited the Union County Courthouse.
“They can expect a pretty cool investigation,” said Laderman, a co-producer of the SciFi channel’s Ghost Hunters.
During a break in the shooting of the final scene for an episode of Ghost Hunters that will air in July, Grant Wilson (left) and Jason Hawes (center) share a laugh. The two are founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society, a group of ordinary people who moonlight and investigate seemingly unexplainable disturbances. Wilson and Hawes are the driving forces behind Ghost Hunters, the popular Sci-Fi Channel program in which the hunters travel the country investigating reports of paranormal activity. On the right is Brian Dee, the show's director of photography.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on June 3, 2009 |
ELIZABETH—A Jersey City man was sentenced to 60 years in state prison on Friday after having been found guilty of first degree murder, Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow announced.
Omar Holmes, 24, must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, officials said.
In March, after a three-week trial and less than a day of jury deliberations, Holmes was also convicted of several weapon offences, said Assistant Prosecutor Michael Henn, who handled the case.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on June 3, 2009 |
ELIZABETH – Elizabeth Public Schools was selected as one of 25 school systems nationwide to receive a 2009 HP Innovations in Education grant. Targeted at school systems serving students in grades 6 through 12, the grant program is designed to help educators address the need for raising student achievement in math and science and increase student awareness in high-tech college and career opportunities.
John E. Dwyer House of Elizabeth High School will receive an HP Innovations in Education award package of HP technology, cash, and professional services valued at more than $265,000. Technologies such as wireless HP tablet PCs, wide-format HP DesignJet printers, high-power mobile workstations, mini-notebook PCs, and HP graphing calculators, will be used in innovative ways to fundamentally redesign the student learning experience.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on May 21, 2009 |
ELIZABETH – The “Youth of the Year Award” was presented to Leighann V. Moreira from Elizabeth High School as part of “Youth in City Government Day” on April 28. Moreira was selected for demonstrating responsible leadership in school organizations and community service.
The “Youth of the Year Award” represents the pride that the city of Elizabeth has for its students of today and its citizens of the future. Since its inception forty-four years ago, this award has recognized students for their leadership in school and for their service to the community-at-large. Moreira’s selection as “Youth of the Year” comes as no surprise based on her impressive credentials.
Elizabeth High School recognized her academic achievement by bestowing on her the Principal’s and Teacher’s Scholar Award, Writing and Composition Award and the English Department’s Poem Award. Moreira was also recognized on the national level as a member of “Who’s Who Among American High School Students” as well as earning marks to solidify a place on the National Honor Roll.
Posted in Elizabeth, Linden, New Jersey, Union County on May 21, 2009 |
Air Force Senior Airman Chanice M. Reid has been named the Airman of the Year in both the 341st Missile Wing and 20th Air Force competition.
Selection was based on the individual’s exemplary duty performance, job knowledge, leadership qualities, teamwork, significant self-improvement, personal achievements, notable accomplishments, and community service and support.
She will now compete to be one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on May 20, 2009 |
ELIZABETH—Federal and county officials arrested 12 people and seized guns and drugs last week in a sweep targeting street gang members. An alleged member of the Bloods street gang and three alleged Bloods associates were arrested who had addresses in Elizabeth.
Overall, three alleged members of the notorious street gang were caught in the raids, which began last Monday under the supervision of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
Three other alleged gang members – all from Elizabeth—remain at large, authorities said.
The suspects were charged in Superior Court in Union County with trafficking automatic weapons and drugs. Some of the alleged dealers sold cocaine and heroin within steps of elementary and high schools in Newark and Elizabeth, authorities said.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Rahway, Union County on May 20, 2009 |
UNION COUNTY—While many Americans cannot find employment and even public employees are losing their jobs, one New Jersey government lawyer strung together eight taxpayer-funded posts for a total income of more than $320,000 in 2008.
Damian Murray, a municipal court judge in eight Ocean County towns, made a salary 67 percent greater than that of the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Locally, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan held two government jobs, cashing in on a $49,000 salary as a state legislator and $110,676 as a political appointee in the Union County Sheriff’s Office, for a total income $159,676.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on May 20, 2009 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Redesigned flight plans intended to reduce delays at New York area airports will increase noise and pollution, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal argued before a federal appeals court last week.
Blumenthal was supporting a lawsuit filed last year under a joint state-municipal alliance. It was consolidated with several other similar suits, including one filed by Elizabeth. The legal challenge could force the Federal Aviation Administration to rewrite its regional air traffic plan.
The FAA proposal could increase air traffic by as many as 150 planes per day, Blumenthal argued.
“These FAA flight paths fly in the face of reason and law, completely disregarding the impact of noise levels on highly populated areas throughout the Northeast,” Blumenthal said.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on May 18, 2009 |
Exploring Career Choices—Dr. Peter Brody (right) of Murray Hill Veterinary Associates in New Providence, advises Elizabeth Bukiron, a junior at Benedictine Academy, on how to handle “Tate” during a checkup. Bukiron, an Elizabeth resident, was among 40 juniors from her school who participated in “B Week” April 20-24, enjoying off-campus job shadowing opportunities. Additional career options explored included: education, engineering/technology, fashion design, healthcare, law, law enforcement, medicine, and social services. (Photo courtesy of Benedictine Academy)
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Rahway, Roselle, Union County on May 15, 2009 |
ELIZABETH—The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, in conjunction with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, has arrested six members of the infamous Bloods street gang – including two from Elizabeth—along with nine of their criminal associates. This wave of arrests began Monday evening, according to Weysan Dun, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark Field Office.
During mid-2008 through mid-2009, the task force, in conjunction with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office began to target the activities of the Bloods street gang operation in Union County. Through the use of various sensitive law enforcement techniques, the task force identified the subjects listed below as major figures in the Bloods criminal operation, officials said.
As a result of the investigation, the task force seized approximately a half kilogram of cocaine and a quarter kilograms of heroin, four firearms, and one vehicle. State arrest warrants were issued for the below individuals for various drug and weapons violations, all based on allegations made in criminal complaints: (more…)
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on May 13, 2009 |
ELIZABETH – Authorities are searching for an 18-year-old Elizabeth man who allegedly shot and killed a father of two in the hallway of an Elizabeth apartment building last month.
An arrest warrant was issued for Laquan Harris, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office announced Saturday. Authorities said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information on Harris’ whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Jason Everitt of the Union County Homicide Task Force at 908-347-9176. Union County Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for the arrest and indictment of Harris.
Posted in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union County on May 12, 2009 |
John Colasanti is avid cyclist. On road, off road, he loves it all.
But for all the workouts he gets riding with his two cycling clubs, every spring this Westfield father looks forward to bicycling with his son on the annual Tour de Elizabeth, a 15-mile ride that winds its way through the city, from the waterfront to the mall to the parks.
Now in its sixth year, the theme for this year’s May 17th Tour is Elizabeth in the movies and television.
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