A thorough and extensive investigation run by Brick Township Police has led to the identification and arrest of a man who allegedly made a very expensive theft at Extreme Marine Construction on Princeton Avenue.
Brick Police said that 48-year old John Paul Cottrell Sr. is being charged with theft of movable property.
On the night of the theft, December 18, 2021, police learned that a man had loaded $47,000 work of aluminum beams onto a flat trailer belonging to Extreme Marine Construction and then removed the trailer with his own truck.
It was your help as well as a continued investigation that Brick Police said helped identify Cottrell Sr. as the suspect.
A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was apprehended at his home on January 6, 2022.
While placing him in handcuffs, police found evidence linking Cottrell Sr. to the crime itself and they seized that evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.
Where the stolen goods are is not yet known, but police are looking and investigating what happened to the beams,
Following his arrest, Cottrell Sr. was brought to the Ocean County Jail.
If you have any additional information that can help with the investigation including any that could help lead to the recovery of the stolen property, you’re asked to contact Detective Michael Bennett at 732-262-1122 or mbennett@brickpd.com.
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East Orange Mayor Ted Green proudly rattles off the ways in which the city’s hospital has been a part of his life — from his first visit to his first job as a teenager.
And, while he has fond memories of what he always has known to be East Orange General Hospital, he has high hopes for what the facility will become.
On Wednesday morning, the hospital officially announced its rebranding. Moving forward, it will be called CareWell Health Medical Center.
Paige Dworak. (File photo)
Under the guidance of co-owner and CEO Paige Dworak, it will continue to serve the community as Essex County’s only independent, acute care community hospital.
“This is a proud moment for our historic institution,” Dworak said. “CareWell Health Medical Center is a true community hospital serving Essex County, a place where every patient is family.
“Our new name and brand represent our commitment to transforming this vital community asset, signaling a fresh start for this organization. Generations of children, parents, friends and loved ones have turned to us for help, hope, and healing — and we look forward to continuing to serve Essex County for decades to come.”
Green said he is looking forward to it.
“This hospital has always been a part of my life, dating as far back as my first visit as a teenage patient, and shortly after becoming my first youth employment,” he said.
“For many residents and visitors, East Orange General Hospital has always been a household name. And, while bittersweet, I recognize that change is evident, and the newly named CareWell Health Medical Center will welcome new health initiatives that will help move the East Orange community forward.
“I am looking forward to continuing working with new hospital ownership as they expand their services that will benefit all members of our community.”
He’s not the only one.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, a longtime resident of the city, said she is excited about the future of the facility.
“East Orange General Hospital has been an anchor institution in the community, providing exemplary care to area residents for the 40-plus years that I have called East Orange my home,” she said. “I am so excited for their new chapter.
“The name may have changed, but under the leadership and ownership of Ms. Paige Dworak, CareWell Health Medical Center will continue to serve area residents with dignity and compassion, while better tailoring and expanding services and programs to meet the changing needs of the community.”
Dworak said CareWell Health will bill itself as Essex County’s only boutique community hospital. The medical center’s financial priorities will be focused on growth — specifically, investments in new programs and services, expanding its primary care services and surgical services to support its core mission as an acute care facility, she said.
In addition, CareWell Health is deepening its focus on behavioral health.
“At CareWell Health, we understand that our patients are coming to us during moments of great need, and we believe our patients deserve the highest-quality care and best experience possible,” Dworak said.
Read more from ROI-NJ:
Dworak said the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored a value and reliability in CareWell Health services that Essex County communities have counted on since 1903. The medical center has never closed its doors during the pandemic and, in fact, expanded services, becoming a go-to site for testing, education and counseling, and providing telemedicine to safely reach patients where they were.
“We take pride in being a small, devoted community hospital where everyone is welcome,” Dworak said. “Whether you walk right in seeking care, take the bus here to our front door or arrive needing help in a hurry, you can always be sure you are important to us and will never be treated like just another number.”
In October, the group of Dworak; Ben Klein, an Englewood resident and owner of more than three dozen behavioral health facilities; and Troy Schell, an attorney, announced they were purchasing the hospital as EOH Acquisition Group.
The new leadership team said it intends to expand services and invest in the best people and technology, ensuring the facility continues its mission to provide high-quality care to the residents of East Orange and the surrounding greater Newark communities.
Over the next several weeks and months, the medical center is expected to transition to the new brand identity, applying it to the hospital website, social media platforms, ID badges, stationary, signage and more, CareWell Health officials said.
A Lakewood man who shot a round of bullets into another mans’s chest has been indicted for Murder.
On Wednesday, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced that 25-year old Jahvontae Debose of Lakewood was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County for Murder as well as on charges of Possession of a Firearm for an Unlawful Purpose, Being a Certain Person not to Possess a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm in the Course of Committing a Drug Offense, Possession of a Defaced Firearm, Possession of Hollow Nose Ammunition, Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Tetrahydrocannabinol with Intent to Distribute.
The shooting that claimed the life of 20-year old Dajour Randolph of Little Egg Harbor took place on February 21, 2021 on Tudor Court in Lakewood.
When police responded to the 911 call that night, around 7:40 pm, they saw Randolph who had collapsed in the road after sustaining multiple gun shot wounds to the chest.
Randolph was ultimately taken to nearby Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus but later passed away from his injuries.
The next day, the Ocean County Medical Examiner performed a post-mortem examination and determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The day after that, Debose was charged, at that point, on the weapons and narcotics offenses.
He was arrested without incident by Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force in Pleasantville following a motor vehicle stop.
Debose was brought to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been ever since that date.
As the investigation into the shooting continued, being run by the OCPO Major Crimes Unit, Lakewood Police, Lakewood Police Detectives and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office CSI Unit, evidence and information gathered led to identifying Debose as the shooter.
Dubose was served in jail on February 25, 2021 with a complaint charging him with Randolph’s murder.
Prosecutor Billhimer said that Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman and Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni are handling the case on behalf of the State.
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ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — This northern New Jersey suburb is constantly ranked among the best places to live in New Jersey, is a shopping destination for its mall, and has been mentioned in classic novels (and novellas) like Philip Roth’s “Goodbye, Columbus.” But it wasn’t well known enough for three Jeopardy contestants to get the answer earlier this week.
Do you think you can answer? What about for $600?
On Tuesday, the Jeopardy host asked, “Stuart Hartshorn made a fortune in window shade rollers and gave his S.H. initials to this wealthy New Jersey suburb.”
Give up?
So did the Jeopardy! contestants. No one rang in before the buzzer, which meant they missed out on the moola.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — This northern New Jersey suburb is constantly ranked among the best places to live in New Jersey, is a shopping destination for its mall, and has been mentioned in classic novels (and novellas) like Philip Roth’s “Goodbye, Columbus.” But it wasn’t well known enough for three Jeopardy contestants to get the answer earlier this week.
Do you think you can answer? What about for $600?
On Tuesday, the Jeopardy host asked, “Stuart Hartshorn made a fortune in window shade rollers and gave his S.H. initials to this wealthy New Jersey suburb.”
Give up?
So did the Jeopardy! contestants. No one rang in before the buzzer, which meant they missed out on the moola.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — This northern New Jersey suburb is constantly ranked among the best places to live in New Jersey, is a shopping destination for its mall, and has been mentioned in classic novels (and novellas) like Philip Roth’s “Goodbye, Columbus.” But it wasn’t well known enough for three Jeopardy contestants to get the answer earlier this week.
Do you think you can answer? What about for $600?
On Tuesday, the Jeopardy host asked, “Stuart Hartshorn made a fortune in window shade rollers and gave his S.H. initials to this wealthy New Jersey suburb.”
Give up?
So did the Jeopardy! contestants. No one rang in before the buzzer, which meant they missed out on the moola.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t just been tough on the hearts of Essex County residents, it’s been hard on their finances, too. But a proposed 2022 county budget with a “zero percent property increase” may help them to weather the ongoing storm, officials say.
On Thursday, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. released details about his $839 million budget proposal. County taxes make up one part of a local property owner’s taxes, in addition to municipal and school levies.
DiVincenzo said it’s the first time he has presented a budget with a zero percent tax increase and has stabilized tax increases, limiting them to just 0.37 percent over the last three years.
Layoffs to county staff have been avoided since 2004, he added.
“In addition to the physical health effects of the coronavirus pandemic, there were negative impacts to our local economy and our residents’ financial health,” DiVincenzo said. “Presenting a 2022 budget with a zero percent tax increase while preserving services is recognition of the financial hardships experienced by our residents during these difficult times.”
“These past few years, we have seen the fruits of our labor – earning a Aaa bond rating, presenting this year’s budget that does not increase property taxes and refinancing debt without extending its maturity dates,” DiVincenzo said.
“These would not have been possible if we did not remain vigilant about keeping our financial house in order,” he said.
The 2022 budget proposal has been forwarded to the Essex County Board of County Commissioners for review.
DiVincenzo’s office released the following highlights:
The 2022 budget includes a zero percent property tax increase. The state cap allows governmental operating budgets to increase property taxes up to 2 percent annually.
Over the last five years, property tax increases have been limited to 0.45 percent and over the last 10 years, Essex County has held the increase in property taxes to about 1.16 percent, which is significantly below the state cap of 2 percent.
Over the last 20 years, Essex County has held the increase in property taxes to about 2.04 percent, which is the fourth lowest percentage rate of increase of all New Jersey counties behind Hunterdon, Monmouth and Burlington counties.
In August 2018, Essex County earned a Aaa bond rating with a “stable outlook” from Moody’s Investors Services, the first time in history that Essex attained the highest rating available.
Starting in 2007, DiVincenzo implemented a “debt diet” initiative to stabilize the county’s debt service by refinancing existing debt without extending its maturity date and limiting the amount of new debt to a maximum of $20 million annually. In 2022, the debt service payment is $127.8 million, which will be reduced to $54.4 million in 2028.
DiVincenzo has downsized the county workforce by not filling open positions unless they are essential to public safety and public health operations. This includes positions such as nurses at the Essex County Hospital Center or corrections officers at the Essex County Correctional Facility. Over the last 19 years, Essex County’s workforce has been reduced from a high of more than 4,000 employees in 2003 to 3,562 in the 2022 budget proposal.
The fund balance projected for 2022 is about $85.9 million. This reserve helps the County respond to emergencies, displays fiscal stability to bond rating agencies and has helped improve the county’s cash flow and avoid taking out tax anticipation notes for the last five years. Officials said that $36 million in fund balance is being used as revenue in the 2022 budget.
The 2022 budget is projected to have about $111.4 million of new, recurring revenue, which lessens the county’s reliance on raising property taxes.
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t just been tough on the hearts of Essex County residents, it’s been hard on their finances, too. But a proposed 2022 county budget with a “zero percent property increase” may help them to weather the ongoing storm, officials say.
On Thursday, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. released details about his $839 million budget proposal. County taxes make up one part of a local property owner’s taxes, in addition to municipal and school levies.
DiVincenzo said it’s the first time he has presented a budget with a zero percent tax increase and has stabilized tax increases, limiting them to just 0.37 percent over the last three years.
Layoffs to county staff have been avoided since 2004, he added.
“In addition to the physical health effects of the coronavirus pandemic, there were negative impacts to our local economy and our residents’ financial health,” DiVincenzo said. “Presenting a 2022 budget with a zero percent tax increase while preserving services is recognition of the financial hardships experienced by our residents during these difficult times.”
“These past few years, we have seen the fruits of our labor – earning a Aaa bond rating, presenting this year’s budget that does not increase property taxes and refinancing debt without extending its maturity dates,” DiVincenzo said.
“These would not have been possible if we did not remain vigilant about keeping our financial house in order,” he said.
The 2022 budget proposal has been forwarded to the Essex County Board of County Commissioners for review.
DiVincenzo’s office released the following highlights:
The 2022 budget includes a zero percent property tax increase. The state cap allows governmental operating budgets to increase property taxes up to 2 percent annually.
Over the last five years, property tax increases have been limited to 0.45 percent and over the last 10 years, Essex County has held the increase in property taxes to about 1.16 percent, which is significantly below the state cap of 2 percent.
Over the last 20 years, Essex County has held the increase in property taxes to about 2.04 percent, which is the fourth lowest percentage rate of increase of all New Jersey counties behind Hunterdon, Monmouth and Burlington counties.
In August 2018, Essex County earned a Aaa bond rating with a “stable outlook” from Moody’s Investors Services, the first time in history that Essex attained the highest rating available.
Starting in 2007, DiVincenzo implemented a “debt diet” initiative to stabilize the county’s debt service by refinancing existing debt without extending its maturity date and limiting the amount of new debt to a maximum of $20 million annually. In 2022, the debt service payment is $127.8 million, which will be reduced to $54.4 million in 2028.
DiVincenzo has downsized the county workforce by not filling open positions unless they are essential to public safety and public health operations. This includes positions such as nurses at the Essex County Hospital Center or corrections officers at the Essex County Correctional Facility. Over the last 19 years, Essex County’s workforce has been reduced from a high of more than 4,000 employees in 2003 to 3,562 in the 2022 budget proposal.
The fund balance projected for 2022 is about $85.9 million. This reserve helps the County respond to emergencies, displays fiscal stability to bond rating agencies and has helped improve the county’s cash flow and avoid taking out tax anticipation notes for the last five years. Officials said that $36 million in fund balance is being used as revenue in the 2022 budget.
The 2022 budget is projected to have about $111.4 million of new, recurring revenue, which lessens the county’s reliance on raising property taxes.
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com
NEWARK, NJ — NOTE:This article has been updated with a statement from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission.
A controversial plan to build a new, $180 million power plant in the Ironbound section of Newark has been temporarily put on ice, advocates say.
The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) has been planning to build a natural gas power plant at its existing wastewater treatment facility at 600 Wilson Avenue in Newark. The long-running proposal is part of a resiliency blueprint that sprang up in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Find out what’s happening in Newark with free, real-time updates from Patch.
During the infamous storm, the PVSC wastewater facility in Newark was flooded, spilling billions of gallons of raw or partially-treated sewage into the Passaic River. Since then, the PVSC has rolled out a sweeping series of renovations to avoid future calamities. Part of that plan includes building a plant which would provide backup power to their wastewater treatment plant if the grid goes down.
According to the PVSC, the Newark Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant serves more than more than 1.5 million residential users, 5,000 commercial users, and 200 “significant industrial users” in 48 municipalities throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. The Newark plant also receives liquid waste from customers all along the East Coast – about 300 trucks per day – as well as two barges and two ships per week.
Find out what’s happening in Newark with free, real-time updates from Patch.
The PVSC was scheduled to vote Thursday on a contract to begin building the new power plant. But according to WNYC/Gothamist, a spokesperson for Gov. Phil Murphy said he asked the PVSC to postpone the vote. Read the full article.
“The pause will allow the project to undergo a more thorough environmental justice review and robust public engagement process, ensuring that the voices of the community are heard,” she said.
Passaic Valley Sewage Commission Chairman Thomas Tucci told Patch that the board is delaying the vote because its members want to have a dialogue with the public and the community about the project.
“We’re going to move forward in a realistic and environmentally responsible way,” Tucci said Friday.
Local environmental groups and residents in the Ironbound have been pushing Murphy to put a halt to the proposed plant, alleging that it will add yet another source of pollution to an already overburdened neighborhood.
A PVSC spokesperson previously told Patch that the facility would be powered by “the same natural gas that people all across Newark and New Jersey in general use to heat their homes and from which they also obtain electrical power.”
“The plant will use state-of-the-art emission controls with negligible impact to the community,” he said.
However, some residents and environmental activists allege that, as currently planned, the plant would be bad news for the people who live nearby. They repeated that call on Thursday.
“Gov. Murphy has reaffirmed his commitment to environmental justice by canceling today’s vote,” said Maria Lopez-Nunez of the Ironbound Community Corporation, a Newark nonprofit that has been leading the charge against the plant.
“Our community needs a real process to evaluate alternatives to the power plant like the one NJ Transit has initiated for their resiliency project right next door in Kearny,” Lopez-Nunez said. “We need to bring in real resources and experts to find a solution that does not hurt the lungs of our children and in no way contributes to climate change.”
Advocates said that approving the project would undermine Murphy’s stated commitment to phase out fossil fuels. It would also defy the spirit of a new state law intended to protect environmental justice communities from new sources of pollution, they said.
“Today’s decision to cancel the vote is a critical first step towards fulfilling Gov. Murphy’s commitments to protect clean air for all New Jerseyans,” said Matt Smith, state director of Food & Water Watch.
But that’s not enough, he added.
“We need a strong public commitment from Gov. Murphy that he will not issue the air permit for the polluting power plant, and instead order the PVSC to re-design the resiliency project in a way that brings no further pollution to Newark and neighboring communities,” Smith said.
Other advocates who offered statements about the proposed plant included:
Cynthia Mellon (co-chair, City of Newark Environmental Commission) – “Delaying this project is the right thing to do because new facilities should serve and protect overburdened communities, not increase harm and pollution. We need a real process that centers robust community engagement to achieve a solution that protects public health today and a safe environment for future generations.”
Kim Gaddy (Clean Water Action national environmental justice director/founder of Newark’s South Ward Environmental Alliance) – “Gov. Murphy this morning has demonstrated real environmental justice leadership, thank you! Newark residents have been heard. We have had enough. We cannot afford any new industrial smokestacks. Whatever their other intentions, they unavoidably poison our already too poisoned lungs and add to the climate emergency. There are better options out there for our lungs, our jobs, and our Newark Bay. We look forward to working with the PVSC, the Murphy administration and appreciate this pause to ensure we have the right process and get to the right result. Today’s meeting shows we still have a long way to go.”
Ed Potosnak (executive director, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters) – “We want to thank Gov. Murphy for agreeing with us that this is the last thing the residents of the Ironbound community need is another polluting fracked-gas power plant. Ironbound residents have been organizing and fighting back against environmental racism and toxic projects for decades, and we stand with Black and Brown families and businesses in opposition to this project. The New Jersey LCV looks forward to working with local stakeholders, the PVSC, and the administration to ensure the project is aligned with our clean energy goals and won’t add to the burden of carbon pollutants and co-pollutants that cause higher rates of cancer and asthma for people of color in the Ironbound community.”
Renée Pollard (environmental and social justice chair, Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter) – “I’d like to thank Gov. Murphy for honoring his commitment to protecting environmental justice communities, especially the Ironbound community. We now have the law S232 and the executive order that is supposed to protect these communities from hazardous and toxic new and pending projects from moving forward. This is an opportunity to find alternate green renewable solutions to otherwise dirty projects.”
PVSC: ‘HERE ARE THE DETAILS’
On Friday, the PVSC provided Patch with a list of “frequently asked questions” about the proposed standby power generation facility (SPGF). They included:
POWER – “Once complete, the facility will generate enough electrical power to sustain all of PVSC’s operations in the event that PVSC’s regular power feeds from Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) are interrupted for any reason. PVSC is the largest single-site consumer of electrical power in the state of New Jersey. The SPGF will be capable of generating 34 MW of power.”
NECESSITY – “As PVSC has demonstrated through computer modeling, a loss of power of any significant length of time coupled with heavy rains will result in raw sewage backups in basements and street level flooding throughout Newark, Jersey City, and Bayonne. Further, PVSC plays a critical role in the processing of drinking water treatment. Finally, protection of the environment and public health cannot be jeopardized by a loss of power.”
COST – “The cost for the entire FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program project is approximately $600 million. The SPGF portion is approximately $180 million. Contingent upon all contractual and other legal procedures being followed, FEMA reimburses PVSC for 90 percent of the costs and PVSC anticipates that the remaining 10 percent will be financed through low-interest loans provided through the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank’s Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program.”
PERMITS – “PVSC has already obtained all necessary permits for most parts of the project; the sole remaining permit relates to the operation of the SPGF. PVSC has applied to NJDEP for that permit and the application has already been deemed by NJDEP to be administratively complete, meaning that only a review of the technical specifications remains. PVSC previously received authorization from NJDEP to purchase the SPGF equipment and received authorization from NJDEP to advertise and receive bids for construction of the SPGF building.”
FREQUENCY – “Without an event necessitating its actual use, the SPGF will be run during a single day each month for testing, maintenance, and demand response. Actual use will, of course, be dependent on the number and length of any necessitating events. The SPGF will not be run on a daily basis, nor was it ever contemplated that the SPGF would be run on a daily basis.”
ENVIRONMENT – “The SPGF is designed to use state-of-the-art technology for both air quality protection and operating efficiency. While it was originally anticipated that the SPGF would run initially on 100% natural gas, PVSC announced at a public stakeholders meeting held on December 16, 2021, that it will accelerate its pre-existing plans to convert the SPGF to run on alternative green renewable fuels either in conjunction with natural gas, or, as the technology becomes available, as a complete replacement.”
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com
