Essex County

Breaking & local news from Newark, East Orange, Irvington & more

Behind Frank Hutchins’ soft spoken demeanor lay what friends and proteges call a "warrior" for tenant rights in Newark. A leader in the city’s historic rent strike in the 1970’s, Hutchins has counseled thousands of elderly and low-income residents, formed a slew of tenant organizations, and left an indelible mark on one Newark politician who places Hutchins among his greatest... Full story »

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is blaming an equipment outage this week for delaying 819 flights. The agency told employees in a briefing memo Friday that air travelers experienced a total of 2,121 delays the previous day due to the equipment outage as well as thunderstorms and other poor weather in the Northeast. The memo said that the more... Full story »

Two men being sought by the FBI in Newark for alleged drug smuggling as part of an Albanian organized crime ring will be featured tonight on the television show "America's Most Wanted." Myfit Dika, 45, and Kujtim Lika, 45, have been at large since March, when authorities charged 26 people with participating in a criminal network rooted in several... Full story »

After 2 1/2-years, Weysan Dun is heading back to similar post in Omaha, Neb. Full story »

BLOOMFIELD -- Police are searching for two men who robbed a woman at gunpoint Friday morning. At about 1 a.m. yesterday, a woman was walking home near Grove Street and Watsessing Avenue and was allegedly approached by two men who demanded her money, said Lt. Richard Wallace. One of the robbers was holding a handgun, Wallace said. The victim handed... Full story »

EAST ORANGE -- Police said that two incidents of sexual assault were reported in two days, and were probably committed by the same man. Sgt. Andrew Di Elmo said that a man attempted to grab a 23-year-old woman on the street near Central Avenue and Oak Street around 11 p.m. Thursday. Two hours later, a man grabbed a 32-year-old woman... Full story »

MAPLEWOOD -- A Union man suspected of using a Taser gun to shock a gas station attendant before robbing him at the Denco retailer on Springfield Avenue early Thursday morning was chased down and caught by Maplewood Police shortly afterward, police said. Michael Terry, 22, faces weapons, aggravated assault, robbery and resisting arrest charges. Police suspect Terry of shocking the... Full story »

MILLBURN -- Authorities are dissecting the possible cause of the Thursday morning fire at the Exxon gas station on Millburn Avenue but suspect it started by accident. “They are deeming it accidental,” Millburn fire Battalion Chief Edward Wade said on Friday morning. Citing the ongoing investigation by fire and police officials, Wade declined to give details. Fire crews on Friday... Full story »

MONTCLAIR -- Police are beefing up security outside the township’s high school in the wake of two days of after-school fights that resulted in at least 15 arrests and left three officers nursing injuries. Some parents are panicking, while police are trying to get to the bottom of what caused the spate of violence this week. They’ve said the fights... Full story »

EAST ORANGE -- An East Orange woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for punching and killing a 22-month-old girl that she was babysitting in 2007, authorities said. Latoya Davis, 23, was sentenced by Judge Joseph Cassini III in Superior Court in Newark for the death of Ahmya Brown on August 14, 2007, said Paul Loriquet, spokesman... Full story »

By Patricia C. Kelley MILLBURN — The speed humps that the town just installed in the South Mountain section must be working, because officials have already taken at least one call about how they are slowing drivers down, but other complaints say the humps are too high and need to be fixed. Traffic Safety Committee Co-Chair Dan Baer said he... Full story »

Thanksgiving weekend isn't just a time for families to get together. It's also prime season for high school reunions. Graduates from high schools or other institutions around the Garden State will have an opportunity to reconnect with former friends and classmates. Among the upcoming reunions are these: Arthur L. Johnson Regional High School of Clark Class of 1989, 20-year... Full story »

NEWARK -- The search for a successor to A. Zachary Yamba — New Jersey’s longest serving college president — has been narrowed to three finalist. The candidates vying to follow in the footsteps of the retiring president of Essex County College, with an enrollment pinnacle with 23,000 students, are to arrive at the Newark campus starting today for face-to-face sessions... Full story »

NEWARK -- The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation office here is leaving to take a similar post in Omaha, Neb., according to a report on NorthJersey.com. The report said Weysan Dun, has led the office here since April 2007, and was involved in the arrests this summer of 44 people in a massive corruption sting. Dun, a... Full story »

CLINTON TOWNSHIP -- An Essex County man charged with stealing $14,600 worth of jewelry from a Maple Avenue home last month was arrested Saturday after crashing his car on Route 78 in Warren and assaulting a state trooper, police said. David Frischman, 27, of Livingston is facing a charge of aggravated assault on a state trooper in addition to the... Full story »