Nicolas Fernandes

I am a night shift breaking news reporter at NJ.com, primarily focusing on crime reporting. I have previously worked for the Asbury Park Press, Caters News Agency and TAPinto.net. 

nj.com •

Small banner plane crashes in South Jersey, pilot injured

A small banner plane crashed in South Jersey late Thursday afternoon, and the pilot apparently survived the crash, authorities said. Police were called to the Cross Keys Airport in Monroe Township at 4:14 p.m. for a report of an aircraft crash and when they arrived they found that a single-engine Cessna 150G banner plane had crashed in the wooded area west of the airport while attempting to lift a banner, according to a release from the Monroe Township Police Department. The pilot, a 62-year-o
nj.com •

Man admits to burglaries targeting Asian American business owners in N.J., 3 other states

A 47-year-old man from New York has pleaded guilty in an interstate burglary spree that targeted the homes of Asian American business owners, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. James Hurt entered the guilty plea Wednesday in Newark federal court on a single count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, officials said. Hurt conspired with seven others to burglarize the homes of Asian American small business owners living in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania a
nj.com •

Ex-corrections officer accused of selling marijuana, tobacco to inmate

A former corrections officer has been arrested on allegations that he sold marijuana and tobacco products to an inmate at the jail where he worked, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said. Abraham Olmedia, 27, of Burlington Township, is accused of selling the items to an inmate at Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly, officials said. He was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with official misconduct, conspiracy to commit official misconduct and a disorderly persons offens
nj.com •

Teen killed, another iured in hit-and-run crash, cops say

One teenager was killed and another juvenile was injured in a hit-and-run early Wednesday morning, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The crash occurred near the intersection of 17th Avenue and East 33rd Street in Paterson about 3 a.m., officials said. Three teenagers were victims of the hit-and-run and were all brought to St. Joseph’s University Hospital in a private vehicle prior to police arrival, the office said. At the hospital, a 17-year-old girl was pronounced dead and a
nj.com •

Body recovered from North Brunswick lake, cops say

Police recovered a body from a lake on Tuesday afternoon following a report from a 911 caller, North Brunswick Police Captain Brian A. Hoiberg said. A woman was walking on Church Lane when she observed something floating in the water near the Church Lane Bridge and called 911, Hoiberg said. Officers on the scene then observed a man’s body floating in Farrington Lake, showing no signs of life, officials said. Crews removed the man from the water and he was pronounced dead on the scene, authorit
nj.com •

Hurricane Lee path update: Storm intensity temporarily decreases as it prepares to head north

Hurricane Lee continues to linger over the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday morning and remains on track to bring hazardous rip currents to the Jersey Shore mid-next week, forecasters said in the latest outlook. The storm, which was named on Tuesday and is the North Atlantic’s fourth hurricane of the season, was about 280 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean on Sunday morning, according to an update from AccuWeather. Lee is currently classified as a Category 2 storm, with wallo
nj.com •

4 N.J. men charged in $673M illegal money transfers out of NYC Diamond District

Four men from New Jersey have been arrested on accusations they used their New York City jewelry stores as fronts to run illegal money transmitting businesses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Raj Vaidya, 26, Rakesh Vaidya, 51, Shrey Vaidya, 23, and Neel Patel, 26, all of Edison, along with Youssef Janfar, 57, of Great Neck, New York, were charged by complaint with operating and aiding and an unlicensed money transmitting business. The men are accused of using the jewelry stores they ow
nj.com •

Man gets jail time after scamming gov’t out of COVID, Storm Ida relief money

A man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in state prison after admitting to fraudulently obtaining funds through Tropical Storm Ida and pandemic relief programs, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Roy John Depack Jr., 49, of Union, was sentenced to 42 months on Thursday after he entered guilty pleas on charges of disaster fraud, forging or fraudulently endorsing Treasury checks and two counts of wire fraud, officials said. Depack filed two applications with FEMA in September and
nj.com •

2 arrested in shooting that killed man, injured woman and toddler

Two people were arrested on Friday in a shooting that killed a man and hurt a woman and toddler earlier this summer, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said. Walter Daniels, 33, of Newark, and Devon Gray, 31, of Elizabeth, are charged with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree attempted murder and weapons offenses in the triple shooting that occurred in Elizabeth on the night of June 26, officials said. Police responded to reports of multiple people shot on Salem Avenue about
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