Attempts to identify headless body continue
JERSEY CITY – The state Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Newark is bringing in a forensic anthropologist to try to identify the remains of a badly decomposed body discovered Saturday beside the Conrail tracks on County Road in Jersey City, according to published reports.
A man’s corpse was found by a worker from County Auto Wreckers in an area outside the fence of the auto wrecking yard off Tonnelle Avenue, officials said, along with a pair of black, heavy-duty work boots, and a pair of black work pants with a 34-inch waist and 32-inch inseam, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio.
The body was too decomposed for the medical examiner to determine the cause of death, and carried no identification.
One of the work boots was missing its shoelace, and a noose found in a tree above the body matched the lace on the boot, DeFazio said, suggesting the death might have been a suicide. The man’s head was also found at the location. No note was found at the scene.
Persons with information that might assist the identification should call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.
Life ain’t easy for a boa in Secaucus
SECAUCUS –A seven-foot boa constrictor found Monday morning at the Century 21 distribution warehouse will get a new home in Ridgefield Park after several local zoos and animal shelters said they didn’t want the reptile.
Employees of the fashion warehouse located at 70 Enterprise Avenue North found the seven-foot boa in a drainage pipe and called Secaucus animal control.
For several hours, animal control and other town officials tried in vain to get someone – anyone – to take the seven-footer away.
Then local resident and reptile aficionado Angel Marra came to the rescue. Marra picked up the snake and has told animal control that it will be given to well-known state-licensed conservationist Joseph D’Angeli.
D’Angeli, who runs a number of educational programs featuring bats, snakes, and other animals, runs a wildlife center in Ridgefield Park.
So, how exactly did the reptile make its way into a drainage pipe in Secaucus? Town officials point out that boas are not indigenous to the area and the animal was almost certainly someone’s abandoned pet who got dumped somewhere nearby.
Next six months ‘critical’ for gas pipeline project
JERSEY CITY AND BAYONNE — As Spectra Energy applies to the federal government for approval to run a natural gas pipeline through Staten Island, Bayonne and Jersey City to customers in New York City, the Jersey City Council was poised to hire a Boston firm to lobby federal officials and coordinate opposition to the project, according to a report in NJ.com.
A resolution to hire O’Neill and Associates for $32,500 was reportedly on the council’s agenda for its meeting Wednesday night.
Last Thursday two city residents opposing the pipeline, which would deliver 800 million cubic feet of gas per day to New York, launched a website, www.nogaspipeline.org, to disseminate information about the project and provide a focus for the fight against it.
Deputy Mayor Rosemary McFadden reportedly told the council at their Monday caucus that the next six months will be critical because the final route for the pipeline will be determined before the end of the year.
Mayor Jerramiah Healy, in supporting the O’Neill hire, said the city needs help from a firm with experience dealing with federal agencies on the project. The firm’s contract would reportedly require them to issue regular reports to the city on their efforts.
Citywide back-to-school giveaway Saturday in JC this weekend
JERSEY CITY – Hudson County Freeholder Bill O’Dea, City Councilpersons David Donnelly and Steven Fulop, and community leaders are sponsoring a “Citywide Back-to-School Book Bag & School Supply Giveaway” this Saturday at three locations across Jersey City.
The giveaway of 3,000 bookbags will take place at Audubon Park (Kennedy Boulevard & Audubon Avenue), the Hank Gallo Center (inside Lincoln Park at the playground near West Side Avenue), and the Hudson County School of Technology (525 Montgomery St.).
Volunteers are needed for the giveaway. To sign up, e-mail backpacks@stevenfulop.com.
The corporate sponsors for the event include the United Way of Hudson County and Walgreens.
Hudson hospital study stalled indefinitely
HOBOKEN AND JERSEY CITY— A state-sponsored analysis of operations at Hoboken University Medical Center, Jersey City Medical Center, and Christ Hospital aimed at recommending improvements at the facilities has been delayed because the contract for the study was awarded late and 2009 data for the study wasn’t available until last month, according to published reports quoting a spokesperson in Gov. Christopher Christie’s office.
A national consulting firm was hired by the state Health Care Facilities Financing Authority in March to conduct the study, financed with $200,000 payments from each hospital. But the June 1 deadline for the study’s completion has now been pushed back indefinitely while the firm waits for updated statistics from the hospitals.
The governor’s spokesman, Kevin Roberts, is quoted as saying once completed the report will be made public “at the appropriate time.” Meanwhile an official at JNESO, a health care union, doesn’t believe the reasons given for the study’s delay.
Jeanette Gabriel is quoted as saying she’s concerned the state is holding back the report because it’s conclusions may call for employee layoffs at the hospitals.
JC animal shelter seeks adopters and foster homes
JERSEY CITY – The Liberty Humane Society animal shelter in Jersey City is looking for good homes for the many cats and dogs currently living at the shelter and is asking the community to consider adopting or temporarily fostering a cat or dog this summer.
All adopted pets are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and micro chipped. The adoption fee for dogs is $175 and for cats it is $120. Adoption fees are reduced half price ($60) on Tuesdays for cats one year or older.
To find out more about adopting, fostering or volunteering, call Liberty Humane at (201) 547-4147 and press 0, or visit the website www.libertyhumane.org. The shelter is open every day for adoptions except Wednesday. Adoption hours are 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except for Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The shelter is located at 235 Jersey City Blvd., directly across the street from the Liberty Science Center parking lot.