Author: ECCYC

A Toms River Township man will head to prison for 17-years after being found guilty by a jury of drug possession and distribution related offenses.

This week 56-year-old John Williams was sentenced to 17-years in New Jersey State Prison and will have a period of 8.5-years of parole ineligibility for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute and five-years in prison for Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer who also said that the sentences will run concurrently.

It was a period of 30 seconds that changed the life of John Williams and led to a drug dealer heading to prison.

This was the amount of time that the Lakewood Police Street Crimes Unit Detectives saw Williams and another individual crouching down behind two vehicles between 2nd and 3rd Streets in the township on November 10, 2020.

The person Williams was with walked away from the scene, while Detectives approached Williams and detected an odor of raw marijuana on him.

When they then searched Williams, Lakewood Police found 164 wax folds of a compound of heroin, fentanyl and 4-ANPP, approximately 17 grams of cocaine, a quantity of Marijuana, a digital scale, plastic baggies, and approximately $1,250.00 in United States currency.

He was then arrested and brought to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains to this day.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer also announced that Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni tried the case on behalf of the State of New Jersey in court.

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WILDWOOD — Founded in 1963 by municipal firefighter and eventual city historian George Boyer, the nonprofit Wildwood Historical Society makes a point of taking visitors back to their childhoods at this iconic Jersey Shore destination.

But the museum on Pacific Avenue bearing Boyer’s name features facts and artifacts from much earlier than that, dating to the first settlements in the area more than 150 years ago, according to society president Taylor Henry.

Often, Henry said, people happen upon the museum not knowing what they are looking for, or just hoping to pick up some general knowledge about Wildwood’s history.

But binders full of documents and photographs give them a lot more than they might have expected.

“We’ll have folks who are looking for a picture of their property in Wildwood from the ’60s, and we have photos of all the addresses in the City of Wildwood from that time,” Henry said, adding that some also conduct family research, or try to find a favorite bygone boardwalk ride.

Speaking of the boardwalk, the museum’s gift shop offers authenticated pieces of the boards for patrons to purchase and take home.

And, Henry said, more recently the city has been installing new street signs, which has provided a certain revenue stream for the free-admission museum.

“They gave the old ones to us and we have been auctioning them off on eBay, so people can own a piece of history,” Henry said. “They can go home with something that means a lot to them.”

Starting Memorial Day Weekend, excepting the holiday itself, the George F. Boyer Historical Museum is open six days a week for the summer, closing only on Tuesdays.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com

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If you do a home COVID test or get a PCR test at a pharmacy you will find out if you have COVID, but you won’t know what type of variant has infected you, which can impact what kind of treatment you get.

Until now, that is.

Scientists at Rutgers University, using molecular beacon technology, have developed a lab test that can quickly and easily identify which variant of the virus has made someone sick.

Lead researcher Ryan Dikdan, a doctoral candidate, said this is important because “some of the treatments, notably antibody treatments, certain ones work better against different variants.”

He noted “people might have heard of BA2 or BA1 or BA1.1, they’re all just different variants of omicron, and some of the current antibody treatments do or don’t work against those variants.”

How did they do this?

“We’ve designed the test to look at certain parts of the virus that are uniquely different across the different variants,” he said.

Dikdan said details of the new test have been published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, including directions for how to employ the so-called molecular beacons.

“In essence the recipe for how to make it, so anyone can just buy the pieces for it, and then put it together and run it.”

This technique seeks out specific molecules that carry genetic information to make proteins that will reveal the type of variant that shows up. He said the team at Rutgers is working with a diagnostics company to offer this kind of test commercially.

Tracking COVID

Dikdan said using this kind of test will not only help determine what is the best kind of treatment for the variant that is detected but “you could also then use the variant information to kind of track the development of different variants, where it’s spreading which one is taking over.”

He said as we move forward this will be extremely important because if we know “how the virus is evolving, we know what the virus is doing and how it’s changing over time, then we’ll best know how to treat it.”

Dikdan developed the test with Sanjay Tyagi, a professor of medicine at the Public Health Research Institute at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

David Matthau is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at david.matthau@townsquaremedia.com

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East Windsor’s cyber breach is a textbook example of why you shouldn’t open an unfamiliar email with links or attachments.

In its first update since March on a cyber breach, East Windsor Township officials said personal data and files were downloaded as part of an “encryption attack.”

The township initially called it “suspicious activity” that was first discovered on March 7. The system was taken offline and a cybersecurity company was hired to restore its operations. The township also conducted an investigation.

“As this investigation progressed, it revealed that the township was a victim of an encryption event. We only recently learned that certain files may have been downloaded from the Township’s network without authorization,” the township said in a statement.

The township did not disclose if the breach was ransomware or if any individual or organization had been paid.

Files downloaded, data accessed

The unauthorized access to the system also allowed access to “certain data relating to individuals associated with the township” although there does not appear to be any misuse of the data. All those who have been affected have been offered free access to credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services. There is no evidence of any misuse of the data, according to the township.

All of the impacted individuals have been notified via U.S. Mail. The township Thursday afternoon did not respond to New Jersey 101.5’s request for the number of individuals notified.

Township manager Jim Brady told NJ.com that between 900 and 1,000 people were affected.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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JACKSON TWP. — Five men, a Lakewood resident and four others from Brooklyn, face charges after allegedly forcing entry into a township home Wednesday evening and assaulting members of a family living there.

Information shared by the Jackson Police Department on Facebook indicated that officers first responded to the Olena Drive area hours before that incident on a report of a suspicious vehicle. At the time, police said, the occupants of the vehicle identified themselves as employees of a security company waiting to meet a client, and officers found no basis to detain them.

However, subsequent investigation revealed that the owner of the home on Olena Drive where the alleged invasion took place had leased it to another person, who in turn had sublet it to the family currently occupying the residence. The owner allegedly hired a Brooklyn-based security firm, which police did not name, to oust the occupants while bypassing the eviction process.

Upon officers’ arrival just after 6 p.m. Wednesday, a female resident identified the five males she said had just broken into the home and assaulted the family.

Further investigation determined that the suspects entered through the front door of the house, causing damage to it, held down a male and female resident while confiscating their phones, and began changing door locks.

The male whose phone was taken was able to retrieve it and contact the authorities.

The five suspects, Marco Balanzar-Hernandez, 45, of Lakewood, and Joseph Castano, 22, Robert Drozd, 38, Christopher Landau, 26, and Cesar Saavedra-Luna, 24, all of Brooklyn, were charged with robbery, burglary, criminal restraint, theft, criminal mischief, criminal trespassing, and simple assault.

Their vehicles were seized and all were lodged in the Ocean County Jail, according to police.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com

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Technology workers in Somerset County continue to evaluate the severity of the ransomware cyberattack on its network.

The country first reported the breach on Tuesday. The breach took down the county email system and caused the postponement of the Board of Commissioners meeting. County Clerk’s Office services that depend on access to county databases are temporarily unavailable, such as land records, vital statistics,and probate records.

“So far it’s just access to our server system and our email that’s been affected,” county spokesman Nathan Rudy told New Jersey 101.5.

Temporary Gmail accounts have been created to allow some communication via email.

How bad is the attack?

Rudy said that the 911 communications center, which serves a large portion of the county,  the Somerset County Jail, emergency services and the health department, are still functioning normally.

The update did not disclose details about the attack such as what is being demanded.

“At this point, the insurance company and the county prosecutor and the feds are working that issue,” Rudy said.

The calendar for mail-in, early, and in-person voting for the upcoming primary is not affected by the outage as the state has already delivered its “election in a box” to ensure an election can proceed. Digital records and voting machines are not connected to the county system.

The only impact to the election process is that replacement mail ballots can only be obtained by telephone or visiting the County Clerk’s office.

Rudy said a connection to a cyberattack in March on East Windsor’s system is still under investigation. In a statement Wednesday the Mercer County township said it was the victim of an “encryption attack” that led to certain files being downloaded.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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In a brilliant business move that is a win for everybody Philadelphia’s legendary Chickie’s and Pete’s is back to something that has been on hiatus for a couple years due to the pandemic.

They are going to be covering the cost of people’s tolls on the Atlantic City Expressway eastbound at the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday. People heading to the Jersey shore for the Memorial Day weekend will get a free ride courtesy of the restaurant.

What a great idea. Folks in this area could certainly use a tiny break once in a while. Chickie’s and Pete’s comes off like heroes and gets a good public relations marketing bang for their buck. And the South Jersey Transportation Authority doesn’t lose out on any needed highway funds. Win, win, win.

Now in addition to having your EZPass $2.82 toll covered or you not having to pay the cash toll of $4.40 Chickie’s and Pete’s will also be giving away some freebies. Their food truck will be parked at the Frank S. Farley Service Plaza in Hammonton just off the Expressway giving away free Crabfries. That happens between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m..

Look at this poor guy in the fries mascot costume from a past giveaway. Hopefully, it won’t be too blazing hot for whoever has that gig this year.

Can we get more corporate sponsorships for free tolls in New Jersey? Heck, sell naming rights even. I’ll gladly drive the Preparation H Expressway or the Tampax Turnpike if it’s free!

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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It might not seem like fried chicken and electric cars go together, but the Vineland Planning Board has unanimously approved a plan for the township’s second Chick fil-A and this one will have two electric vehicle charging stations.

According to the Daily Journal, the charging stations will be Level 3, the fastest type of charging allowed. All the current charging stations in the county are Level 2, which is the minimum required by ordinance.

Charging stations are starting to play a key role in the New Jersey landscape; in March the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced $1 million in new spending to install electric vehicle charging stations at historic sites and key attractions, such as popular Shore towns. It’s part of the BPU’s Jersey Electric Vehicle Tourism plan. The agency received 94 grant applications and awarded over $1 million in funding to 24 applicants.

The EV Tourism program is part of the state’s effort at building up EV infrastructure and reducing “range anxiety” among residents and tourists.

Who knows, maybe they’ll even install one at Bahr’s in Highlands so Meadow can charge her electric truck (you remember the Super Bowl ad showing a fictional charging station at the restaurant, right?)

The new Chick fil-A will be different from the existing one in Vineland (by the Cumberland Mall) in that it will have a dual drive-thru to help relieve the congestion that always seems to occur near Chick fil-As. The company told the Planning Board that the new restaurant will create 80-100 new jobs, about half of those full

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle 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.

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

A police sergeant on the Jersey Shore has been arrested after leaving a Beretta handgun with children, authorities said.

Andrew Wahlberg, 50, of the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township, left the 9mm gun unsecured and accessible to juveniles on May 18, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Stafford Township Police Chief Thomas Dellane said.

No other details were released about the incident.

Wahlberg was charged with endangerment and released on Wednesday, May 25, pending a first appearance in Ocean County Superior Court.

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On the same day Governor Phil Murphy made a push to have all gun related legislation, pro and anti, brought to the house and senate for votes as part of a renewed effort to crack down on gun violence, a Rahway man was sentenced to prison for gun trafficking charges.

A Rahway man and two others dealt more than 24 firearms — shotguns, rifles, and other firearms that could hold large-capacity magazines — between December of 2019 and June of 2020 across the city of Elizabeth, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

For his role in the distribution of guns in New Jersey, 26-year-old Mark “Skrap” Hernandez was was sentenced today to 7-years (84 months) in prison which follows a previously entered guilty plea for the charges of conspiracy to unlawfully deal in firearms, unlawfully dealing in firearms, and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon which came on a unlawful possession of a handgun charge in New Jersey.

Even before this, he was barred from possession of firearms and ammunition.

Attorney Sellinger said that Hernandez unlawfully got several of those guns and then supplied them to Clifford Behler, 43, and Francis Zyla, 56, to be redistributed.

In addition to his 7-years in prison, Hernandez was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Meanwhile, Behler previously pleaded guilty to narcotics and firearms offenses, and was sentenced to five-years in prison in December 2021, and the case against Zyla is still pending.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger announced the case was investigated by special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of William A. Daniel; and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha C. Fasanello and Robert Frazer U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

Defense counsel: Brooke M. Barnett Esq., Newark.

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