County sheriff fires his political opponent
Sources said today that Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez has fired Undersheriff Frank Schillari, who is expected to run against him in the June 6 Democratic primary election.
In recent months, several Hudson County political heavyweights have switched their allegiance from incumbent Perez to Schillari, for reasons unspecified.
Supporters of Perez have complained about the fact that Schillari was heard talking to a reputed mobster on an FBI tape several years ago, although no more facts were given in newspaper stories about the incident. Schillari has not commented on it.
His spokesman has said that the tape recording should not be an issue in the campaign, as it was “thoroughly reviewed by law enforcement” and no wrongdoing was found.
After Friday’s firing, former Undersheriff Schillari’s spokesman responded with a statement. The statement read: “Today, a highly regarded law enforcement professional was treated like a criminal by Sheriff Juan Perez. Hudson County Undersheriff Frank Schillari was fired today. He was given no legal notice. Sheriff Perez’s brother in law came into his office at 10:30 this morning with an officer from Internal Affairs and gave him a letter telling him he was being terminated immediately. He was told that there is no reason for his termination, no justification. No budget concerns. No performance issues. They demanded that he leave the premises immediately and watched while he packed his personal items. This was a cowardly and foolish act by Sheriff Perez. It is illegal to fire someone for political reasons. Schillari’s firing is clearly a political retaliation and a violation of his civil rights. Sheriff Perez should personally be held accountable, not the taxpayers of Hudson County.”
Woman dead from gunshot wound
Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said on Thursday that a woman found dead that morning on Logan Avenue in the city’s Marion section was killed by multiple gunshots to the head, based on a preliminary autopsy.
DeFazio said that the woman, later identified as Susan Clericuzio, 43, of Avenue A in Bayonne, was wearing a white fleece pullover with the words “Key West” printed on the front, was discovered by police around 4 a.m. after they responded to a 911 call from a resident hearing shots fired.
DeFazio said investigators found a crumpled $20 bill in her hand but did she not have any a purse or wallet, or any identification. DeFazio said it is believed the woman did not live in the immediate area.
Anyone with information regarding the apparent murder can call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office at (201) 915-1345. – RK
NBC show ‘Mercy’ filming means no parking
Due to filming of scenes for the television series “Mercy,” there will be no parking this Monday, March 29, for residents and businesses near the areas of Second, Third, Fourth, 10th, Brunswick, Coles, Erie, Merseles, and Monmouth Streets, and Newark Avenue and Christopher Columbus Drive in Downtown Jersey City. For more information, visit www.cityofjerseycity.com.
JC man arrested in connection with decades-old Newark murder case
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino, Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy, and Colonel Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, announced on Tuesday the arrests of two individuals, one of them a Jersey City man, in connection with the unsolved murders of five Newark teens in 1978.
Laurino said Philander Hampton, 53, of Jersey City and Lee Anthony Evans, 56, of Irvington, were arrested Monday night and were charged with five counts of murder and arson. The arrests were made by detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Newark Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police.
According to Laurino, the two men, along with a third person, Maurice Woody-Olds, 48, of Newark, who died in March of 2008, are suspects in the murders of Randy Johnson, 16, Melvin Pittman, 17, Ernest Taylor, 17, and Alvin Turner, 16, all of Newark and Michael McDowell, 16, of East Orange. All five were last seen Aug. 20, 1978 when witnesses saw them entering the pickup truck of Evans, for whom they had done some work. The disappearance of the five teens on a quiet summer day has been one of Newark’s most baffling cases.
Laurino said the boys were allegedly led to an unoccupied Newark home that one of the men rented. The boys were allegedly corralled at gunpoint and restrained. It is further alleged that the home was then set on fire and the boys perished in the blaze.
Laurino said the case was reopened 18 months ago after an individual came forward and gave information. Laurino, along with McCarthy and Fuentes, praised the efforts of the investigators in solving the case.
“For years their families wondered what happened on that August day,” Laurino said. “Today, we believe, that question has been answered.’’
Bail has been set at $5 million for both of the accused by Essex County Superior Judge Peter J. Vazquez, JCP. They were arraigned Wednesday before Judge Vazquez at the Veterans Court House in Newark. The two suspects are being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility.
Tax seminar at library
The Jersey City Free Public Library’s Five Corners Branch, 678 Newark Ave., Jersey City, will host the seminar, “For Small Business Owners: Tax Changes, You, and Small Business,” presented by H&R Block.
The free seminar takes place on Thursday, April 1 from 4 to 5 p.m. For more information, call (201) 547-4543.
Latino conference at NJCU
New Jersey City University in partnership with the Latino Center on Aging (LCA) will host the conference, “Latinos in N.J.: Removing Barriers to Community Well-Being” on Wednesday, April 7.
Co-sponsored by The Eastman Fund and the NJCU Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, the conference will be held from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., beginning with registration from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m., in the North Lounge on the second floor of NJCU’s Michael B. Gilligan Student Union, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City. Admission is free and open to the community.
For further information and/or conference registration, call Randi Fontañez, project assistant, at (201)200-2349 or e-mail her at rfontanez@njcu.edu.