NJ briefs – Press of Atlantic City
A lost hiker and his dog are safe after a state trooper was lowered by rope down a cliff to reach the man who was holding on to a tree.
The rescue happened Monday night in the dark and rain after the hiker called 911 to say he was trapped on an incline along a trail in Fredon Township, Sussex County.
Troopers Russell Cahn and Sean Sullivan located the man and the dog. The troopers were worried about hypothermia.
Body camera video shows Cahn and firefighters lowered Sullivan by rope to reach the man. The hiker’s dog was hoisted to safety before the man was raised by the rope and was treated at the scene by EMS.
The rescue took nearly two hours.
News crew captures engagement: A TV news crew covering a storm at the Jersey Shore captured a couple’s engagement on camera.
WNBC-TV in New York reports Tyler Osborne proposed Wednesday to Lisa Snyder at the spot in Highlands, Monmouth County, where they had their first kiss 15 months prior. It also happened to be Snyder’s 30th birthday.
As the wind blew behind them, the New Jersey couple told the camera crew they knew they wanted to marry each other from the moment they met.
They have not set a date.
Dad charged in fatal drunken-driving crash: State Police say a father was driving drunk on a suspended license when he crashed on a Gloucester County highway, killing his infant daughter.
Leroy Iglesia faces numerous counts stemming from Wednesday’s crash in Mantua Township, including vehicular homicide and child endangerment. It’s not known whether the 34-year-old Blackwood, Camden County, man has retained an attorney.
Iglesia was driving south on Route 55 when his minivan ran off the right side of the road and struck two trees about 2 p.m. The vehicle then careened back onto the road and came to rest in the middle of the highway.
Iglesia’s year-old daughter, Elowen Iglesia, of Williamstown, Gloucester County, died from injuries she suffered in the crash. Authorities are trying to determine whether the girl was properly restrained in a child safety seat.
Teacher released from jail after touching charges: A boarding school teacher accused of inappropriately touching two teenage boys while they slept has been freed from jail pending his trial.
A judge ruled Thursday that Dominic Brown could be released to his father’s custody. The 23-year-old is charged with criminal sexual contact and child endangerment.
Authorities say Brown entered the boys’ dorm rooms at The Lawrenceville School in Mercer County early Saturday and touched the youths, ages 14 and 15. The teens alerted public safety.
Brown was fired from his job after being charged. It’s not clear if he’s retained an attorney.
He taught history and coached water polo at the school, which was founded in 1810 and is one of the oldest prep schools in the United States. Its alumni include musicians Huey Lewis and Dierks Bentley, publisher Malcolm Forbes and Disney executive Michael Eisner.
American Dream worker dies on site: Authorities say a worker has died at the construction site of a soon-to-open New Jersey megamall and entertainment complex.
The accident occurred Wednesday afternoon at the American Dream mall at the Meadowlands complex in New York City’s metropolitan area.
State Police said 37-year-old Eric Papenfuhs was operating a utility vehicle on a parking deck when he struck a parked flatbed trailer.
The Hampton man was pronounced dead at Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Center.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.
The mall featuring theme parks, an indoor ski slope, high-end shopping and dining is scheduled to open in two weeks.
Ex-corrections officer admits drug smuggling: A former New Jersey corrections officer has admitted to smuggling drugs to a state prison inmate in exchange for bribe money.
Officials said 30-year-old Roberto Reyes-Jackson, of Irvington, Essex County, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit official misconduct.
NJ.com reported Reyes-Jackson worked at Northern State Prison in Newark and smuggled wax folds of fentanyl and cannabis to inmate Aaron Copeland.
Authorities said Copeland’s girlfriend, Tyeesha Powell, paid Reyes-Jackson several hundred dollars in bribes and Copeland would then sell the drugs to other inmates.
Court records indicate that under his plea agreement, Reyes-Jackson faces four years in state prison and will be permanently barred from public employment.
— Associated Press