Causing or Risking Widespread Injury or Damage, N.J.S.A. 2c:17-2

Have you heard of self-immolation? A suicidal-sacrificial form of protest, it includes but is not limited to setting oneself on fire. For example, some self-immolation martyrs include Thích Quảng Đức, Jan Zajíc, and Evžen Plocek. To be certain, however, this form of altruistic suicide is for a collective cause. Additionally, martyrs do not intend to inflict physical harm on others or cause material damage. Instead, they merely intend to attract attention to a cause. Therefore, if performed for these selfless motives, the martyr is not causing or risking widespread injury or damage. Contrarily, a man in Woodbridge recently doused himself with fuel and tried to light himself on fire. Read More

Unauthorized Practice of Law, N.J.S.A. 2c:21-22

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office recently charged an elderly art dealer with Theft By Deception, Forgery, and Unauthorized Practice Of Law. Last December, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit received a complaint from a victim who hired the defendant to represent him in an estate settlement. Indeed, the victim claimed that he paid $15,500.00 in legal and professional fees for the estate work. Later, however, he learned of the defendant’s disbarment. Additionally, the investigation revealed the New Jersey Supreme Court had disbarred the defendant from the practice of law in 1998. The investigation further revealed that the defendant had deposited the monies from the victim into his personal bank account and used them for his own purposes. The defendant also forged the victim’s signature on multiple checks amounting to $21,500.00 for a total loss of $37,000.00. Read More

Failure to Report Accident, N.J.S.A. 39:4-130

Recently a car and a a New Jersey Transit bus collided in Newark, per the news. In addition to seeking the driver, the authorities reported injuries to three people. The crash occurred when the No. 39 bus from Irvington was on Bergen Street crossing over Nye Avenue. Like dominoes, the collision caused the bus to hit a light pole, which caused the pole to fall on the sidewalk. A Newark Public Safety Officer told reporters that the car’s driver did not remain on the scene. Two of the three injured people were passengers on the bus, per the cops. Read More

False Contract Payment Claims, N.J.S.A. 2c:21-34

The New Jersey Attorney General recently announced the guilty plea of an Ocean County contractor. Apparently, the contractor admitted to purposely not paying prevailing wages on a government contract valued over $75,000. Consequently, the Toms River contractor pleaded guilty to second-degree false contract payment claims in Camden County. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend a three year sentence in state prison. The defendant, however, must pay a total of up to $200,407 in restitution to his workers. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJLWD), Division of Wage and Hour Compliance referred the case to the Division of Criminal Justice. NJLWD initially investigated the violations of the Prevailing Wage Act. Read More

Swatting (False Reports to Law Enforcement Authorities), N.J.S.A. 2c:28-4

I blogged once before about Fictitious Police Report, when news outlets had reported a phony 911 call after a stop over a flat tire. I am blogging about it now because police recently charged a Trenton man with swatting for 17 alleged phony emergency calls. In particular, they claim he placed two in Florence and 15 in Hamilton. Additionally, authorities allege this spanned more than 12 months. For example, they claim it began in December 2017, and it has ended with his arrest in February 2019. Indeed, the cops claim this individual placed a bogus call about an attempted burglary in January 2019. But police arrived to discover a vacant building and no suspicious evidence. Another call that same day for the same address about a fire yielded the same result. Read More

Escape, N.J.S.A. 2c:29-5

Recently a teenager pleaded guilty for escaping with three other juvenile detainees from a facility in 2017. Indeed, the four adolescents overpowered an Atlantic County juvenile detention center corrections officer. Additionally, they injured the officer and stole his keys, per the news. Furthermore, they fled in his vehicle, sideswiped another vehicle, crashed into a residence, and fled on foot. Moreover, while on the run, they burglarized two homes. Consequently, this youth pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of first-degree attempted murder, burglary and escape. Accordingly, he will serve a total of 16 years, 11 of which are subject to parole ineligibility, per the news. Read More

Aggravated Assault on Bus Driver, N.J.S.A. 2c:12-1

In a classic whodonit, cops in Elizabeth, NJ, found a pregnant on-duty bus driver with bumps, cuts and bruises. Indeed, the woman went to Trinitas Regional Medical Center for treatment. Additionally, the cops allege she had been robbed of her cell phone. But the alleged assailant had fled the scene. Furthermore, news reports do not reveal how the investigators from Elizabeth and NJ Transit identified this man as the suspect. Thus, another mystery relates to how the cops solved the mystery. Nevertheless, they charged this Union Township resident with robbery, aggravated assault, and aggravated assault on bus driver, per the news. Read More

DWI Sobriety Checkpoint in New Jersey

Recently Cedar Grove cops set up a DWI sobriety checkpoint in Essex County, New Jersey. During a six hour period, 1,450 vehicles passed through the area, per the news. But the cops did not arrest one driver for driving while intoxicated. I have to tell you, this warms the very cockels of my heart. This is especially heartwarming because officers conducted field sobriety tests on seven drivers who “exhibited signs of intoxication.” But they did not arrest anyone for DWI. And it’s as if Police Chief Joseph Cirasa read my mind. He claims this was a resounding success! With no arrests to show, he claims the goal was to deter. Read More

Obscenity for Persons Under 18, N.J.S.A. 2c:34-3

Cops investigating in Shamong, New Jersey, charged a school bus driver with Obscenity for Persons Under 18. Indeed, the cops claim the bus driver allegedly watched porn in front of children. This man’s ordeal began when two elementary school students told their parents about it. The children allegedly saw the driver watching pornography on his cell phone before they got off the bus. But the media does not appear to have reported a detailed description of the alleged pornography. Instead, one piece of double hearsay to emerge in the news comes from a mother of a student. This unreliable information alleges the child told the mother that the driver, “had naked people on his phone.” Read More

Marijuana Distribution, N.J.S.A. 2c:35-5

Franklin Township cops recently charged a soccer coach for alleged marijuana distribution. The investigation began two months ago, per the news. And it culminated with a traffic stop. Indeed, the cops stopped the coach in a Malaga business parking lot. The cops arrested the high school boys’ soccer coach and a passenger in the vehicle. A search of the coach’s home resulted in the alleged seizure of two pounds of marijuana candies. Additionally, the cops allegedly seized $10,000 in cash, per the news. Remarkably, the news does not divulge the details of the two-month investigation. Furthermore, the news does not reveal why the police executed enforcement action at a local business as opposed to the coach’s residence. Furthermore, the news does not indicate how the police can prove the candy contains marijuana. Read More

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