Group calls for investigation of anti-Muslim incident at N.J. community center

Asbury Park officials are firing back after claims they illegally rejected a real estate developer’s plans last summer to demolish the historic Holy Spirit Church and build a housing subdivision in its place, according to recent court filings. In response to a lawsuit brought by JLD Investment Group, Asbury...

Students at Achievers Early College Prep Charter School brought letters home on Thursday with long-awaited news – their middle school won state approval to expand through grade 12 after the state denied that request the previous year. “We’re enthused, but it’s a little bittersweet,” said Efe Odeleye, the school’s...

A 50-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with animal cruelty after police found one of his dogs starved to death and another malnourished, authorities said. John Roblin, of Mullica, was arrested after police got a tip and found the dogs in the backyard, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said.

A Jersey City woman crossing Monticello Avenue Wednesday evening was struck by a vehicle that then fled, authorities say. The 54-year-old victim was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center to be treated for injuries sustained in the 6:25 p.m. crash near the intersection with Communipaw Avenue, the Jersey City police crash report said. The victim reported pain in both her shoulders.

Bordentown Township Police Chief Brian Pesce pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated Thursday, stemming from an incident in Hamilton last April in which police found him lying in the road behind his truck. Pesce, a Hamilton resident, appeared in the town’s municipal court and agreed to a plea deal that...

A year and a half after an apparently emotionally disturbed man was shot dead in a confrontation with police officers in his home, city officials may take a closer look at alternate ways to handle these volatile encounters. A state pilot program that pairs a mental health professional with a...

A 21-year-old student at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Bergen County was arrested after a police search of his dorm room on Tuesday turned up a handgun and a magazine loaded with 11 bullets, authorities said. Kawan Joseph, a hotel and restaurant tourism major at the college, faces several charges, including...

Every day between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Eric and Giovanni DeJesus scour the banks of the Passaic River, looking for their brother. Afterward, they hang posters – some advertising a $20,000 reward to anyone who locates him. Then comb the community to see if anyone has found him.

A statewide teacher shortage has forced school districts to get creative in attracting suitable candidates — and it appears Jersey City educators are being poached by other districts across the state. With 44 vacancies — and seemingly one teacher leaving for every spot that gets filled — Superintendent Norma...

Neighbors of slain Sayreville councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour said they heard six shots ring out Wednesday night and saw her SUV roll down a hill in the townhouse development and stop after hitting multiple parked vehicles. Dwumfour appeared to have been targeted, according to several people. “Definitely doesn’t look like something...

Two men, one who brandished a small blade, entered a discount department store in Jersey City Wednesday afternoon and stuffed laundry bags with $1,700 in merchandise before fleeing, authorities said. A store employee told police that within two minutes of entering the Marshall’s on Route 440 the two men filled...

After 66 years, one of New Jersey’s oldest wedding and event venues will be closing its doors in 2023. The Manor, located at 111 Prospect Ave. in West Orange, will permanently close on July 5, Keith Sly, the communications manager for the venue, told NJ Advance Media. “We had...

Note: This is a copy of our weekly Wednesday a.m. Opinion newsletter, which points out the most popular editorials and op-eds of the past week. Click HERE to sign up and never miss a week!. The anguish on the face of a mother whose child has gone missing is unparalleled....

Police are looking for a stolen pickup truck that slammed into a father and his two children in Newark, leaving a 5-year-old girl dead. Fanta Sangare, her 2-year-old sister and their father were crossing North 9th Street and Sixth Avenue West Tuesday when they were hit by a gray Dodge Ram 1500 TRX that had been stolen in South Jersey, authorities said.

Below are real estate transactions for Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union and Warren counties for Dec. 19-25, 2022. Information on New Jersey real estate transactions appears weekly on realestate.nj.com. Entries list property address followed by selling price, buyer, and seller in parentheses.

Holy Name medical center has named Dr. Vasantha Kondamudi as its new chief medical officer, NJ Advance Media has learned. The position had been vacant for the past year after Dr. Adam Jarrett left the role following a probe involving racial concerns that he had raised. The chief medical officer...

A gas station worker in Passaic County was seriously hurt Tuesday when she was thrown from the hood of a car as she tried to stop a carjacker from driving off with her vehicle, authorities said. Police were called about 4:45 p.m. to the Sunoco in the 300 block of...

A Hackensack man who was formerly in custody at the Bergen County Jail has filed a lawsuit claiming was severely beaten and suffered a collapsed lung for refusing to wear a strait jacket. Valmir Xhemajli, 34, claims in court papers two sheriff’s officers assaulted him on Oct. 5, 2021, when...

Nine New Jersey hospitals earned a place in this year’s America’s 250 Best Hospitals list by Healthgrades.com. The rankings were based on procedure performance, potential risks, predicted outcomes and comparing those predictive outcomes to actual outcomes, according to Healthgrades. Here are the nine New Jersey hospitals that made...

Free cable gunlocks are available to Mercer County residents to secure firearms. The gunlocks can be obtained anonymously with no questions asked by contacting the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office’s programs section at 609-278-7159 during business hours or emailing jarmano@mercercounty.org. Supplies are limited.