Author: ECCYC

NORTH PLAINFIELD — A police officer who had sex with a young homeless mother who had gone to him for help will not be getting his job back.

Former North Plainfield cop Mikeedwar Jean-Baptiste, 34, was fired in September 2020 after an internal affairs investigation into the “sexual encounter.” The following June, he appealed an order denying his application for reinstatement.

The Union County Prosecutor’s Office charged the former cop in 2017 with second-degree sexual assault following a report from the homeless mom. Jean-Baptiste was arrested and suspended without pay, though the charges were later dismissed.

“I shouldn’t have been there,” Jean-Baptiste told investigators, according to the decision.

The 20-year-old mother of one first went to the North Plainfield police looking for help on March 2, 2017, according to court records. She was with her child and boyfriend.

As the trio had nowhere to go, Jean-Baptiste was assigned to help them find temporary shelter. The appeal states that he first directed the group to the Somerset County Board of Social Services office.

However, they were denied assistance. The mom and her boyfriend went back to Jean-Baptiste for more help. He offered to put them in a room at The Kenilworth when he got off work, according to court documents.

When the time came to take them to the hotel in Kenilworth, the boyfriend had gone to attend to his own child. Now off-duty, Jean-Baptiste offered to drive the woman and her child to the room with his personal vehicle, according to the appeal.

The mom’s version of events and Jean-Baptiste’s account diverge greatly from that point.

She filed a report with the Kenilworth Police that Jean-Baptiste had taken to her to the hotel and sexually assaulted her. However, the criminal charges were dropped when she did not appear at trial.

Speaking to investigators without an attorney present, Jean-Baptiste said he had slept with the mom but that it was consensual, according to records.

The appeal states that in his narrative, Jean-Baptiste said that the mom was complimenting him during the drive over and told him that her boyfriend was abusive. She then asked him to “hang out” after he got her some necessities, according to his version of events in the appeal.

A transcript shows that Jean-Baptiste told the Union County Prosecutor’s Office that he went home, grabbed some clothes and a half-pint bottle of Hennessey, then told his wife that he was going out for a drink. He said that instead of heading to a bar, he went to a Walgreens to buy milk, food, and condoms.

The off-duty cop went back to the mom’s hotel room, the appeal states. After the child fell asleep, Jean-Baptiste and the woman had sex.

The 24-page appellate decision stated that Jean-Baptiste’s sexual encounter, consensual or not, “was the result of actions he took while on duty and constituted an abuse of his position as a police officer.”

North Plainfield did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

NORTH PLAINFIELD — A police officer who had sex with a young homeless mother who had gone to him for help will not be getting his job back.

Former North Plainfield cop Mikeedwar Jean-Baptiste, 34, was fired in September 2020 after an internal affairs investigation into the “sexual encounter.” The following June, he appealed an order denying his application for reinstatement.

The Union County Prosecutor’s Office charged the former cop in 2017 with second-degree sexual assault following a report from the homeless mom. Jean-Baptiste was arrested and suspended without pay, though the charges were later dismissed.

“I shouldn’t have been there,” Jean-Baptiste told investigators, according to the decision.

The 20-year-old mother of one first went to the North Plainfield police looking for help on March 2, 2017, according to court records. She was with her child and boyfriend.

As the trio had nowhere to go, Jean-Baptiste was assigned to help them find temporary shelter. The appeal states that he first directed the group to the Somerset County Board of Social Services office.

However, they were denied assistance. The mom and her boyfriend went back to Jean-Baptiste for more help. He offered to put them in a room at The Kenilworth when he got off work, according to court documents.

When the time came to take them to the hotel in Kenilworth, the boyfriend had gone to attend to his own child. Now off-duty, Jean-Baptiste offered to drive the woman and her child to the room with his personal vehicle, according to the appeal.

The mom’s version of events and Jean-Baptiste’s account diverge greatly from that point.

She filed a report with the Kenilworth Police that Jean-Baptiste had taken to her to the hotel and sexually assaulted her. However, the criminal charges were dropped when she did not appear at trial.

Speaking to investigators without an attorney present, Jean-Baptiste said he had slept with the mom but that it was consensual, according to records.

The appeal states that in his narrative, Jean-Baptiste said that the mom was complimenting him during the drive over and told him that her boyfriend was abusive. She then asked him to “hang out” after he got her some necessities, according to his version of events in the appeal.

A transcript shows that Jean-Baptiste told the Union County Prosecutor’s Office that he went home, grabbed some clothes and a half-pint bottle of Hennessey, then told his wife that he was going out for a drink. He said that instead of heading to a bar, he went to a Walgreens to buy milk, food, and condoms.

The off-duty cop went back to the mom’s hotel room, the appeal states. After the child fell asleep, Jean-Baptiste and the woman had sex.

The 24-page appellate decision stated that Jean-Baptiste’s sexual encounter, consensual or not, “was the result of actions he took while on duty and constituted an abuse of his position as a police officer.”

North Plainfield did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is doubling down on his support of Rob Menendez and U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-10) on Election Day, stating they are the best choices to represent their respective districts in Congress.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“.@DonaldPayneJr is a champion for working families who fights to bring quality jobs to NJ, make healthcare more affordable and invest in public safety. Vote Payne for Congress in #NJ10 today!,” Murphy tweeted at 9:49 a.m. this morning.

“In the halls of Congress, @RobMenendez4NJ will be a strong voice for strengthening families, expanding child care, and supporting organized labor. This #ElectionDay, I encourage the people of the 8th Congressional District to get out and vote for Rob,” he then wrote at 10:01 a.m.

Payne, who is seeking a sixth term, is heavily favored today after receiving endorsements from labor groups and politicians in New Jersey and beyond, as well as having the best fundraising cycle of his political career.

Nonetheless, he must overcome challenges from Imani Oakley and Akil Khalfani to once again become the Democratic nominee.

As for Menendez, he is the clear frontrunner in the 8th District, raising over $1 million and having the institutional support of the Democratic parties from Hudson, Essex, and Union Counties.

He still has to defeat David Ocampo Grajales and Ane Roseborough-Eberhard today in order to get once step closer to being a federal representative, potentially joining his father, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ).

Murphy had previously endorsed both candidates early on in this election cycle.

The polls are open until 8 p.m. throughout New Jersey and anyone with a polling location issues should contact the Hudson County Board of Elections at 201-369-3435.

Six female bus drivers have sued NJ Transit, contending the agency did nothing to address complaints about a serial masturbator on their buses and demanded an outside review and overhaul of how the police and administration handle such incidents.

The lawsuit, filed May 25 in Essex County by six drivers who work in the Washington Township, Gloucester County garage, contends their repeated reports and complaints to supervisors were ignored and, in some cases, the women were retaliated against for reporting incidents. They also contend the transit agency allowed them to be sexually harassed and didn’t allow them to bar the alleged culprit from getting on board.

The bus drivers also contend that they were discriminated against because of their gender, saying complaints were dismissed with comments by a garage supervisor such as “you’re a mother, haven’t you seen a penis before,” the lawsuit says. The female bus drivers said they were told they could not refuse to allow the man to get on their bus, despite numerous complaints and reports about his lewd behavior.

The suit demands an outside auditor be hired to audit and recommend policy changes about how NJ Transit and its police department responds to sexual and racial discrimination and harassment complaints. The suit demands that those policy recommendations be accepted and implemented. The drivers who filed suit are African American, court documents said.

NJ Transit officials, through a spokesman, declined to respond to the suit because it is pending litigation.

In the lawsuit, the drivers contend NJ Transit did nothing to prevent or stop the workplace sexual harassment, didn’t investigate drivers’ complaints and retaliated against drivers who continued to report the problem.

The incidents started in 2019 when a male passenger, identified as “S.G.” in the complaint, got on a bus driven by a Black bus driver from the Washington Township bus garage and allegedly masturbated “on the bus, in front of the bus operator.”

She reported the incident verbally and in writing to supervisor at the bus garage, to bus control and to NJ Transit police, but those complaints were ignored, the suit said.

The incidents happened on buses driven by other Black women through 2020. In August 2020, police cited S.G. for lewd behavior and encouraged employees to call police if they encountered him again, in an advisory. The agency did not give bus drivers the power to refuse to let S.G. ride the bus. The incidents continued in to 2022, the complaint said.

One driver refused to let S.G. on her bus and said in court papers that she was told by police they couldn’t arrest S.G. unless a child was present or he touched one of the drivers. The drivers were repeatedly told NJ Transit was “trying to build a case” against S.G. when they reported incidents.

The suit also contends NJ Transit did not investigate after a passenger posted a video of S.G. masturbating on a bus in August 2021 on the agency’s Facebook page. S.G. pleaded guilty in November 2021 to lewd behavior and as a condition of that plea, was barred from having any contact with NJ Transit bus drivers, which was detailed in a draft April 2022 advisory to drivers that was never posted or circulated to drivers, the suit said.

The suit comes as NJ Transit has touted reforms such as implementing new harassment and discrimination training for employees and reducing a backlog of complaints waiting from past years to be to be investigated. But it also comes after the agency paid $3.2 million in January to settle racial discrimination and retaliation lawsuits brought by two employees, including a woman who successfully sued the agency for racial discrimination in 2014.

The attorney in that case, Nancy Erika Smith, had testified in 2016 during a 2016 Joint Legislative Oversight Committee hearing about NJ Transit, saying that a plaintiff’s request that the agency change the system to end discrimination and harassment went nowhere.

In August 2022, NJ Transit HR officials detailed enhanced training covering topics including preventing discrimination and harassment, avoidance of retaliation, diversity, inclusion, sensitivity, workplace violence prevention, unconscious bias, and creating a positive work environment.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.

It’s tough enough thinking of gift ideas for dads on Father’s Day. A race car driving experience in the Poconos. A day on a fishing charter.

But when it comes to the tens of thousands of us New Jersey dads whose children have autism, well, see, we don’t get out much. Of my four children, two are on the spectrum. To say it can be a challenge is like saying Elon Musk makes a decent living.

The rate of autism in New Jersey is the highest of all 50 states, with 1 in 32 children now diagnosed with the disorder. That’s a lot of dads who would love to have a special day with their warriors.

So what do you get for Father’s Day for us autism dads? I came up with a few ideas to at least maybe steer your mind in the right direction.

The thing is, we don’t think much about ourselves. We’re often tapped out financially from occupational therapy bills and ABA therapy bills, from speech therapy bills and developmental pediatrician charges. Helping kids with autism doesn’t come cheap. Not all things are covered by insurance. So an autism dad is all in. We’re not thinking much of treating ourselves to better clothes or taking vacations.

Finding babysitters who can handle our kids’ special needs isn’t always realistic. So we don’t travel much. Already you can scratch the airplane neck pillow and the new suitcase off the idea list.

We’re not complaining. We’re just so utterly consumed with things like getting our children to even speak at 6 years old that we’re too exhausted financially and emotionally to think about ourselves. And that’s OK! What autism dads want most in the world is nothing for themselves but for our children to grow, be happy and know we love and support them.

We’d love to be able to take our children with autism out for a dad day to a minor league ballpark or maybe a movie and a restaurant. Something they would enjoy because we are used to thinking about them and not ourselves. Again, when you’re an autism parent you’re all in.

But that ballpark means several hours of strangers in close proximity who often act rude when your child with autism starts rocking or arm flapping or making strange non-verbal sounds. The dirty looks come because they think you’re just raising an unruly brat. I wrote about all this once. It’s not easy.

The movies? Depending on the severity of your child’s autism it’s not likely to happen. People in movies don’t like people who talk. Now pair them with kids who can’t help but kick a chair or scream for no apparent reason.

Us autism dads desperately want to better connect with our children. Getting out in the real world doesn’t accommodate that very well. Anything you can think of that will help them do that is a great gift.

So here are just a few gift ideas for Father’s Day for dads of kids with autism.

Sesame Place

Treat dad to a day with his child at Sesame Place. Located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Sesame Place is the first theme park in the world designated as a certified autism center. Their workers receive extensive training in autism and you’ll never have to explain your child to them and they can anticipate their special needs.

Riv’s Toms River Hub

This is a very special restaurant in Toms River that dedicated itself and its staff to being a place you can bring your child with autism and not worry about causing a disruption for other people. They’ve created a special private dining room available to rent called Chase’s Friend Zone. (This is one friend zone you won’t mind being placed in.) How their website describes it:

“We created Chase’s Friend Zone to support our local families with children on the spectrum. We know that dining out as a family can be difficult and we want our children, and their parents, to feel comfortable and enjoy their experience. We staff the Friend Zone with specially trained staff so we require 24 hours notice to reserve this room so that we can ensure we have the proper staff to fit your needs.”

GPS tracker for kids with autism

If this sounds strange allow me to explain. Giving this gift to an autism dad is really giving the gift of peace of mind. Many of our warriors (that’s a loving nickname our community gives children with autism due to the struggles they fight through every day) do something called eloping.

Just as it sounds, they will suddenly and without warning bolt from your side and with no fear of being separated from the parent shown by neurotypical children. If you can’t catch up to them or lose them in a sea of people, the fear we parents have is these kids often can’t articulate their situation and non-verbal kids won’t be able to give a name or an address.

Here’s a wearable tracking device that can really take one worry off an already overflowing plate of worries for dad.

Proud Dad t-shirt

Fathers of children with autism are every bit as proud of their warrior’s small steps of growth as a dad whose kid is a star athlete making honor roll. This “proud dad of the toughest kid I know” T-shirt will mean the world to one of our fathers. Oh, and those puzzle pieces? That’s the autism symbol. Because after all autism is still a puzzle researchers are trying to solve.

Autism Didn’t Stop shirt

Here’s another T-shirt that a dad of someone with autism will love. In pointing out people like Albert Einstein and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who were believed to be on the spectrum, this shirt not only owns your status as a warrior’s dad but also gives hope for the astounding autism mind.

Autism Warrior Fighting For My Son cap

This is a great, loud, not to be ignored cap that sends a strong message about dad’s dedication to his child’s future.

Sensory Bounce

Sensory Bounce LLC in locations like Fairlawn and Paramus offers formal sessions or classes with specially trained staff and trampolines and bounce equipment that is particularly beneficial to autism. While any place with trampolines or bounce houses is good for ASD I mention this place because they specialize in it. What’s more, their website says:

“During each session or class, we provide a separate meeting space for parents to network, share common experiences, and gain support from each other.”

So you’re giving dad a good deal of support for Father’s Day as well as their child having a great time.

Giant Sensory Pea Pod

I actually have this in my house. It looks like an inflatable canoe and children with autism love it because it can provide sensory pressure, which helps stabilize them. You can play with your kid in any number of ways with one of these including what I’ve done. Which is tie a rope around it and drag your kid room to room on a high seas adventure. It’s big enough you can climb in with them and trust me they’ll love it and dad will love the snuggle time.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there of our kids with autism!

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

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New Jersey’s license plate designs through the years

Looking for something fun to do with the kids? Or maybe you just want to practice your putting! Either way, here is a guide of some mini-golf courses around New Jersey.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many mini-golf courses may have restrictions and rules, and may be temporarily closed. Please call the facility before visiting for the most updated information.