June 13, 2024
Story by: Fonda Bock, U.S. Army Human Resources Command
FORT KNOX, Ky. – The remains of Army Pfc. Anthony J. Lopa, a Soldier killed during the Korean War, will be interred June 28 at Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veteran Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, New Jersey. Maxwell Funeral Home, Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, will perform graveside services preceding the interment.
A native of North Arlington, New Jersey, Lopa was a member of Delta Battery, 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons (Self Propelled) Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action Aug. 31, 1950, while fighting the North Korean People’s Army along the Naktong River, near Yongsan-Myeon, South Korea. He was 17 years old.
Lopa was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency July 21, 2023, after the remains of Korean War unknowns were exhumed for identification July 2018 from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating Family members of missing Soldiers from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The process begins with locating the Family member most closely related to the missing Soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for Family reference samples or DNA, which are used as a main source in identifying remains.
Once a Soldier has been identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the PCRB notifies and briefs the Family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.
Above file photos of Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veteran Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, New Jersey.
June 13, 2024
TOMS RIVER, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on June 13, 2024, Anthony Brown, 20, of Toms River, was charged with Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, all in connection with an incident that occurred on June 12, 2024, in Toms River.
On June 12, 2024, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Officers from the Toms River Township Police Department responded to a residence on Adams Avenue for a report of a gunshot victim. Responding Officers discovered a 24-year-old male victim with a gunshot wound to his leg. The victim was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of his injuries, where he was treated and subsequently released.
An ensuing investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Toms River Township Police Department revealed that Brown retrieved a handgun from the subject residence and fired two shots at the victim’s vehicle, striking the victim. Brown then fled the scene.
A short time later, Brown was taken into custody at his residence without incident. Brown was transported to the Ocean County Jail where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their combined and cooperative assistance in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).
June 13, 2024
TOMS RIVER — Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on June 12, 2024, Million Brown-Bey, 47, of Toms River, was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on charges of Attempted Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and being a Certain Person Not to Possess a Firearm.
On January 7, 2024, the Lakewood Township Police Department received a 911 call reporting gunshots in the area of the West Gate Shopping Complex. A short time after the 911 call, a 27 year-old male victim arrived at Hackensack Meridian Health Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township with gunshot wounds to both of his arms. The victim was treated for his injuries and released.
A subsequent investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Lakewood Township Police Department Detective Bureau revealed that the victim arrived at a residence on Hillside Avenue, at which time an individual approached his vehicle and fired at least one round – striking the victim, causing injury to both of his arms. The victim was able to leave the area and drive himself to the hospital. Through further investigation, law enforcement identified Brown-Bey as the individual responsible for the victim’s shooting.
On January 11, 2024, Brown-Bey was taken into custody by Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Lakewood Township Police Department. Brown-Bey was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since his apprehension.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater who presented the case to the Grand Jury on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs/Intelligence/Homeland Security Squad, Lakewood Township Police Department, Lakewood Township Police Department Detective Bureau, South Toms River Police Department, Lakehurst Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their collective and cooperative assistance in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).
Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com
June 13, 2024
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER) – Asrith Katragadda, a senior at Robbinsville High School with an interest in math and computer science, has been named a National Merit Scholar.
Katragadda will use his $2,500 scholarship to help pursue studies at the University of Texas at Austin as he pursues a career in software engineering. He is eager to take the next step in his academic pursuits.
“Robbinsville High School has excellent teachers who made learning these fundamentals really fun, which helped a lot,” he said. “The most satisfying part is knowing that my hard work paid off and this will give me confidence in my academic abilities ahead of college.”
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recently announced more than 2,900 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. An additional group of scholars will be announced in July, bringing the total number of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipients in the 2024 competition to more than 3,600.
“I would like to thank my mother for always pushing me with my education and giving me the mindset to strive for excellence,” Katragadda said. “That mindset is what made me a competitive and academic driven person.”
When he is not studying computer science, Katragadda enjoys playing volleyball and basketball and watching cricket.
Asrith Katragadda, a senior at Robbinsville High School with an interest in math and computer science, has been named a National Merit Scholar.