Husband and wife found dead on Summit Avenue
Raymond S. Haddad, 54, and Monica L. Haddad, husband and wife, were pronounced dead at about 7:15 a.m. on June 14 in what authorities believe to be a murder-suicide.
Jersey City police responded to 908 Summit Ave. at about 7 a.m. after a 911 call reported gunshots.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, the police found the husband and wife in the residence with gunshot wounds.
“Investigators believe the husband shot his wife then himself in what appears to be a murder suicide,” Suarez said in a press release. “A firearm was recovered in the residence.”
Posts on Facebook mourned Monica, saying she was a kind person who was well known on the block. A post on the McGinley Square Facebook page said Monica had worked at the thrift shop on Bergen Avenue next to Dunkin’ Donuts.
The Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit is actively investigating the case with the assistance of the Jersey City Police Department. The findings of the Hudson County Medical Examiner are still pending.
Four Jersey City cops indicted for alleged corruption
Four Jersey City police officers have been suspended without pay pending the outcome of a 100-count corruption indictment filed by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office on June 14.
“We have taken an aggressive approach to root out corruption that has plagued Jersey City for decades,” said Mayor Steven Fulop, “as this is the second high profile case we initiated ourselves through the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. Today’s 100-count indictment speaks to the extensive nature of the abuse by these individuals. We are thankful for the partnership with the HCPO and we will continue to change the culture by rooting out employees who take advantage of the public trust.”
The charges include theft by deception, conspiracy to falsify records, official misconduct, and pattern of official misconduct.
This is the second corruption case the Fulop administration initiated on long-standing Jersey City employees. According to sources in the city, the police Internal Affairs Bureau worked closely with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office on the case.
“The other corruption investigation we initiated was at the JCIA, a now dissolved autonomous agency, that led to the arrest of four employees last summer,” Fulop said.
Pulaski Skyway repairs delayed
The reopening of Pulaski Skyway lanes in both directions will not occur until mid-2017, according the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Infrastructure work on the bridge started in April 2014 and was projected to be completed in 2016. The bridge is currently only open to southbound traffic.
State officials blamed winter storms and unforeseen additional deterioration for the delay.
Payne to host Homeland security hearing in Jersey City
Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, will host a field hearing titled “Protecting our Passengers: Perspectives on Securing Surface Transportation in New Jersey and New York” on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 a.m. at New Jersey City University.
The field hearing will bring together transportation officials, law enforcement officers, emergency management officials, emergency medical coordinators, and others to better understand how transit operators and first responders prevent, prepare for, and respond to incidents on mass transit.
Death of 2-year-old baby probed
JERSEY CITY — The death of a 2-year-old girl is being investigated by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, according to officials from Jersey City.
The girl was found dead in her crib at her home on Union Street in Jersey City.
The Hudson County Medical Examiner is currently seeking to determine the cause of death.
The mother of the infant ran into the street with the baby screaming for help, and neighbors called the police, witnesses said. The mother, according to published sources, had moved to Union Street in late April or early May with two other siblings and another relative.
Chiaravalloti and O’Dea call for increased penalties for crimes involving weapons against teens
Responding to a recent incident in Jersey City where a man pointed a gun at an 11-month-old in a stroller in front of the child’s mother, Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti D-31 and Freeholder Bill O’Dea of Jersey City have joined forces in an effort to increase the penalties for crimes involving weapons against juveniles in New Jersey.
“I was mortified and angry when I read the story in the Jersey Journal about the incident that occurred in the West Side Ward last month,” said O’Dea. “I thought to myself about how traumatic this is for the parent. I also wondered about the long term psychological impact on this has for a child of any age who is threatened or harmed with a dangerous weapon such as a gun.”
A few days later O’Dea and Assemblyman Chiaravalloti where together at a local television station filming a cable show with when the topic arose and the two began talking about the incident: “Nicholas, we have to do something, we have to send a strong message on this,” said O’Dea. “Assemblyman Chiaravalloti agreed that increasing the penalties for these types of crimes was a good first step. Nick went to work right away on getting the law drafted.”
Under the proposed legislation, several crimes against youth under the age of sixteen including aggravated assault and threatening with a handgun will now carry with them an increase in the criminal penalty and also the prison sentence imposed.
“This law when passed will act as a deterrent,” stated Chiaravalloti. “As a father of three sons, I can only image how I would feel or my wife would feel if something like what happened to that eleven month old baby ever happened to one of them.”
“Individuals will know that if you are going to use a weapon to harm or a gun to even threaten an innocent child, the penalty will be more severe,” Chiaravalloti and O’Dea said in a joint statement.
O’Dea has invited the Assemblyman to the Freeholder Caucus next Tuesday at 4 p.m. to discuss the legislation further and plans to introduce a resolution next Thursday in support of the law. “Let’s hope and pray that the law passes quickly and unanimously.”
Team Walker kicks off summer programs with the help of BCB bank
Team Walker will hold Opening Day on Saturday, June 25 at Dr. Lena Edwards Park in Jersey City starting at 3 p.m.
The Opening Day event, sponsored by BCB Your Community Bank, will offer free food, T-shirts, games and entertainment to the community in order to get the residents involved with the program that helps keep kids off the streets and stresses education.
“This is one of the many ways Team Walker reaches out to the entire community,” said founder Jerry Walker, who grew up in the neighborhood and now is raising his family in the same area. “While our main focus is on academic programs, we want to engage families and community members as well.”
“Thanks to BCB Community Bank, this year’s opening day will be a tremendous event,” said Walker. “They make it a priority to reach out and support their community and the programs they have to offer. They are making a lot of dreams come true and I am truly grateful they’ve invested in Team Walker.”
This summer, Team Walker will also offer programs such as the Summer Fun Camp, the Summer Step Team Academy, The 2016 annual Golf Open as well as SAT Testing Prep.
St. Michaels hosts concert
The St. Michael Singers and Friends will present “In Pastures Green,” a concert in the Music at St. Michael Series on Sunday, June 26 at 4 p.m. in St. Michael Catholic Church, 252 Ninth St., in Jersey City Free will offerings will be accepted. For further information, please call (201) 653-7328, ext. 100.