December 21, 2024
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–Police say that on December 20, 2024 at approximately 10:05 p.m., a three-vehicle collision occurred on South Broad Street near the intersection with Hempstead Road. The area of S. Broad St. where the collision occurred runs in an east to west direction geographically.
The incident involved a 2021 VW Tiguan driven by Anthony Pipitone, a 45-year- old male from Waterford Twp, a 2011 Hyundai Sonata driven by a 62-year-old woman from Lawrenceville, and a 2003 Toyota Camry driven by Byron W. Zepeda Gonzalez, a 43-year-old male from Trenton, NJ.
The preliminary investigation appears to indicate that the VW driven by Pipitone (eastbound) and the Hyundai (westbound) collided in a head-on fashion on S. Broad St. The Toyota driven by Zepeda Gonzalez then collided into the rear of the Hyundai following the initial collision. The cause of the collision is still an on- going investigation, however the weather at the time of the incident was inclement with an active snow fall.
Pipitone and the driver of the Hyundai were both transported via ambulance to Capital Health Regional Trauma Center in Trenton, NJ. Zepeda Gonzalez was transported to RWJ Hospital in Hamilton via ambulance. During the morning hours of 12/21/24, the driver of the Hyundai succumbed to the injuries she sustained and was declared deceased. Her name is being withheld until the notification of her legal next of kin is confirmed.
The crash is being investigated by Officer B. DiBiasi of the Hamilton Police Traffic Unit. Any witnesses are asked to contact the Hamilton Police Traffic Unit at (609) 581-4000.
Distribution Center to be Used to Store Toys for this Holiday Season
December 21, 2024
PERTH AMBOY – Santa Claus is coming to Perth Amboy. Because that’s where all the toys will be, ready for distribution across northern New Jersey.
The toys will be stored at a 10,000-square-foot warehouse at 1160 State St., generously donated by Bridge Industrial. The warehouse will host “Toys for Tots,” which provides a happy holiday of gifts for thousands of children each year.
The benevolent gesture came after Toys for Tots, a non-profit organization that collects and distributes gifts for children with need, sought a distribution site in central New Jersey to support this year’s Newark area campaign.
“The Toys for Tots organization shares the value of generosity we hold in our city,” Perth Amboy Mayor Helmin J. Caba said. “We are devoted to improving the lives of people both within and beyond our borders, and our work with Toys for Tots is helping us achieve this mission.”
Toys for Tots Coordinator and US Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John Sardine, who is leading the North Jersey campaign, reached out to Mayor Caba to help secure a warehouse to store the toys. The pair had collaborated on Toys for Tots initiatives for the past three years.
Caba, along with Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Tashi Vazquez, seized the opportunity to offer assistance to the great cause and connected Sardine with Bridge Industrial, the commercial real estate company that owns the State Street warehouse.
The answer from Bridge Industrial was an emphatic “yes, of course.”
“It feels great to be able to give back to the community in such a major way,” said Jeff Milanaik, a Northeast Region Partner at Bridge Industrial. “Toys for Tots is a special organization, and we are glad to play a part in bringing joy to children this holiday season.”
The donation includes more than 10,000 square feet of storage. With Christmas Eve days away, Toys for Tots is quickly filling the warehouse with toys slated for delivery in Union, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic counties. With easy access to major state roads such as the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike, Perth Amboy is an ideal distribution center for the toys.
“Perth Amboy’s central location gives us efficient and easy connectivity to the rest of New Jersey,” Vazquez said. “We are pleased to be able to use this connectivity for charitable purposes and bridge the gap between Toys for Tots and the northern portion of our state.”
“Mayor Caba, the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency, and Bridge Industrial have been great partners in helping us secure a much-needed warehouse for our first North Jersey campaign,” Sardine added. “The City and Bridge Industrial’s generosity will help bring joy to the holiday season for thousands of kids who will now be able to open amazing presents their families may have not been able to afford otherwise.”
December 21, 2024
EAST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)– Mayor Janice S. Mironov, along with Deputy Mayor David Russell and Council Members Anthony Katawick, Johnnie Whittington and John Zoller, joined Getinge Logistics Americas executives Vice President Frank Kozar, Chief Financial Officer Agreta Palmer and Chief Logistics Officer Christopher Lambrant to celebrate Getinge’s grand opening in the new 165,500 square-foot building in the Innovation Park complex on Princeton-Hightstown Road and One Mile Road.
Getinge, founded in Sweden in 1904, is a global medical device technology company which develops and produces innovative equipment and systems to healthcare industries, to improve peoples’ quality of life and save lives. Getinge, using digital advances, is helping to create an improved work environment for healthcare staff with products that simplify their work, lead to increased productivity and save more lives. Getinge assists, among other items, with devices and systems for intensive care, cardiovascular procedures, operating rooms and sterile processing. The company has over 11,000 employees operating in 40 countries and 25,000 customers in over 130 countries.
Mayor Mironov stated, “East Windsor is excited that successful global life science company Getinge has chosen to locate in the prominent landmark Innovation park complex. Getinge Pharmaceutical is a global leader in their chosen business segments, innovating medical equipment and systems technologies to support healthcare industries for both professionals and patients.
Getinge Pharmaceutical is an ideal fit for the modern Innovation Park facility, and their high-tech operations are consistent with the Township’s vision for the property as a larger part of the East Windsor designated Einstein’s Alley area. Getinge joins several other globally established high- tech and pharmaceutical-related corporations that have chosen to make the Route 571 corridor in East Windsor home, including Shiseido America, Aurobindo Pharma, Hovione, QTS Data Centers, R.K. Pharma and ForDoz Pharma.
“We are excited to have East Windsor, New Jersey, serve as the homebase for Getinge’s North America Distribution Center, where we ensure life-saving medical devices are packaged and shipped safely to healthcare facilities worldwide,” said Frank Kozar, President, at Getinge Group Logistics Americas. “Many thanks to Mayor Janice Mironov and East Windsor Township for helping make this happen.”
This new Getinge location in the East Windsor Innovation Park facility will join facilities in France, China, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The newly constructed modern Innovation Park, located on 86.97 acres formerly occupied by McGraw Hill and comprised of two buildings, was designed to attract innovative high-tech business and incorporates modern unique architectural features and extensive outdoor green areas and landscaped public spaces, benches and a walking pathway
Mayor Janice S. Mironov and Council Members join Getinge executives to celebrate the grand opening of Getinge in the new Innovation Park complex at the intersection of Princeton-Hightstown Road and One Mile Road. Pictured (from left to right) are: Council Member Johnnie Whittington; Council Member John Zoller; Frank Kozar, Vice President, Logistics Americas, Getinge; Mayor Janice S. Mironov; Agreta Palmer, CFO, Getinge; Christopher Lambrant, Chief Logistics Officer, Getinge; Deputy Mayor David Russell, and Council Member Anthony Katawick.
December 20, 2024
TRENTON – The New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC), in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), is announcing the middle school and high school winners of an annual video contest to promote awareness about how single-use plastics harm the environment.
The “Reduce Single Use” video contest, for students in grades 7-12, encouraged greater understanding of the state’s single-use plastics law, which went into effect in May 2022. The winning videos appear on the LitterFreeNJ.com website and will be featured at the Garden State Film Festival in March, at theaters in Cranford and Asbury Park.
“The DEP and I are proud that New Jersey students are promoting a very important message about the harm of single-use plastics to our environment,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “Our partnership with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council on this contest further advances and instills in young people a lasting commitment to reduce the use of plastics in the same way that their parents and grandparents learned the value of recycling as a result of New Jersey’s first-in-the-nation recycling law.”
The contest challenged middle and high school students to create an original public service announcement (PSA) video to promote awareness of how single-use plastics contribute to litter and marine debris, harm the environment, or negatively impact marine wildlife. Students were encouraged to focus on plastic bags, polystyrene, or straws.
In their videos, students cleverly addressed how to reduce single use plastics (plastic bottles/cups, plasticware, etc.), showcased innovative ways people are complying with New Jersey’s plastic bag restriction law, or suggested what next steps the state should undertake to reduce plastic litter.
“New Jersey’s nation-leading single-use plastics law has very been effective in preventing billions of bags from the supermarket sector alone from entering the waste stream or environment,” Commissioner LaTourette added. “We also see far fewer foam containers and plastic straws during litter cleanups. All of this means cleaner communities and a healthier environment. The DEP and I thank the New Jersey Clean Communities Council for being a critical partner with us in educating the public and helping residents adapt to this change.”
Winning videos may be offered for broadcast to New Jersey television and cable stations. They may also be used as part of public forums hosted by the NJCCC and DEP and posted to social media.
“What the teens have submitted brings me to tears,” NJCCC Executive Director JoAnn Gemenden said. “They are so clever, so committed and so deserving to be winners. I love their enthusiasm. And I often watch their videos to further reaffirm our commitment to fight litter, every day of every year.”
The contest had two age categories, grades 7-9 and grades 10-12. Winners were awarded in first, second, and third place.
For the first category, all the winners are in eighth grade. They are:
First Place:
William R. Saltz Middle School (Holmdel)
Winner: Keoni Baheti
Second Place:
Keyport Central School
Winners: Leah Castro, Grayson deSimas, Conor Hands, Isabella Hawley, Nathaniel Lehnert, Jalyssa Soto and Asyel Obando
Third Place:
Ocean Township Immediate School
Winners: Aiden Collins, Skylar Irvin, Connor Schafer, Kyle Blake and Oliver Wolfe
For the second category, grades 10-12, the winners are:
First Place:
Biotechnology High School (Freehold)
Winner: Mariana Silverio (Grade 11)
Second Place:
BCIT Westhampton
Winners: Zander Johnson, Christian Johnson and Ezra Ferguson (Grade 10)
Third Place:
Marine Academy of Science and Technology (Highlands)
Winner: Tyler Terhune (Grade 12)
Learn more here about how to Get Past Plastic in New Jersey.
For more about the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, visit https://www.njclean.org/
