UC man charged with JC murder
Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said on Friday that Esteban Gonzalez, 33, of 44th Street in Union City was charged with the May 6 murder of Manuel Reyes Sr., 48, of Van Wagenen and Pavonia avenues in Jersey City.
DeFazio said Reyes was found by a relative in the doorway of his apartment, stabbed in his neck, shoulders, arms, and torso. DeFazio said investigators found no signs of forced entry, but did recover a knife at the scene that may be the murder weapon.
DeFazio said Gonzalez was already in a New York City jail on unrelated charges when he was charged on Thursday. DeFazio said Gonzalez had been in Reyes’ apartment for a period of time before he allegedly stabbed Reyes. DeFazio said the motive of the murder may have been theft, as Gonzalez allegedly stole hundreds of dollars from Reyes.
DeFazio said Gonzalez is scheduled soon to appear in New York court to answer if he will volunteer to come to Jersey City or face an extradition hearing.
DeFazio said Gonzalez has previously served jail time from July 10, 2003 to Oct. 24, 2004 and Feb. 23, 2005 to April 21, 2008 on convictions for burglary and drug possession with intention to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school.
DeFazio said Gonzalez’s bail on the murder charge has been set at $750,000 cash only by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Kevin Callahan. Also, DeFazio said Gonzalez also goes by the aliases Roberto Cruz, Esteban Jimenez, Stephen Jimenez, and Steven Jimenez.
Reyes’ death is the 10th homicide in Jersey City so far this year.
Anyone with further information on Reyes death can call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.
Event honoring local resident
An Evening Of Appreciation honoring community activist Vivian Brazzell-Hemingway will take place on Saturday, May 23 at 2 p.m. at the New Day Rehoboth Church of Christ, 126 Rutgers Ave. in Jersey City.
It will be an afternoon of great food, spoken word, praise dancing, poetry, and an award ceremony. Plan to arrive by 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Steve at (201) 547-5750 or via email at casmbl@yahoo.com or contact Shellee at missnelson777@verizon.net.
Jersey City Museum Gala draws large crowd for good cause
The Jersey City Museum’s Sixth Annual ArtRageous Ball was held on April 30 at The Westin Jersey City.
Attending were 200 guests from the worlds of real estate, financial services, the arts, and government. The evening began with a cocktail reception featuring the drink of the evening: the “ART-tini,” followed by dinner, music and dancing, a Silent Art Auction featuring work by 20 artists from the region, and a Luxury Prize Raffle.
Fidelity Investments served as the Lead Sponsor of the event. Congressman Frank J. Guarini, JPMorgan Chase, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Panepinto Properties, SK Properties, Bank of America, The Provident Bank, PSE&G, The Exeter Property Company, Sovereign Bank and United Water were also among the sponsors of this year’s event.
Among those attending this year’s event were Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Deputy Mayors Leona Beldini and Rosemary McFadden, Council President, Mariano Vega, Jr., Councilman William Gaughan, and William LaRosa of Hudson County’s Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, as well as local glitterati Jerry Walker of Team Walker and Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs.
All proceeds from the event benefit the Jersey City Museum’s exhibitions and programs, which serve over 25,000 visitors each year, including the 11,000 children who attend arts education programs.
HCCC Students recognized for academic accomplishments
Hudson County Community College held its 2009 Student Achievement & Excellence Awards Ceremony on Monday, May 4. The festivities were held in the Banquet Room of the HCCC Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center in Jersey City.
Students honored with Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Scholarships were: Malick Drame for Centenary College; Chad Nathan for Fairleigh Dickinson University; Zahirah Ford, Laicey Ortiz and Noreen Pressley for New Jersey City University; Evgeniya Muzhetskaya for New York University School of Continuing & Professional Studies; and Marisol Merced for St. Peter’s College.
HCCC Professional Association Scholarships were presented to Andreja Buttigieg-Borin and Diana Thompson.
Mayra Londono and Migdalia Maldonado received the College’s Community Service Awards. Ms. Maldonado was also named “Student of the Year.”
Students were also honored for excellence and achievement in Humanities and Social Sciences, Child Development Associate, Student Government Officers, Emerging Leaders, Established Leaders, ESL/Bilingual and Developmental Education, Psi Beta, Educational Opportunity Fund, Student Support Services Program, Women’s History Month, Business and Science, and the Culinary Arts Institute. Additionally, those students named to the Who’s Who in American Junior Colleges were also recognized.
Meeting for West Indian Carnival
The Jersey City West Indian Caribbean American Carnival Association will have an International Regional DJs Meeting on Wednesday, May 27 at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The event takes place at the Gateway Restaurant located at 543 Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City.
This year’s Jersey City Carnival takes place on Saturday, July 25. For further information contact: (201) 757-9043 or (201) 522-2649.