July 25, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced the creation of a Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Office – a first-in-the-nation office with the specific mandate of bringing civil enforcement actions against firearm companies to hold them accountable for violations of the law that harm the health and safety of New Jersey residents.

An essential component of SAFE’s civil enforcement toolbox will be the recently enacted firearms public nuisance legislation (P.L.2022, c.56) signed by Governor Murphy on July 5, 2022, which authorizes the Attorney General to bring lawsuits against gun industry members that knowingly or recklessly contribute to a public nuisance in New Jersey through unlawful or unreasonable conduct, or that fail to maintain reasonable controls, relating to their sale, manufacturing, distribution, importing, or marketing of gun-related products.

 “Make no mistake – thanks to Governor Murphy and the Legislature, New Jersey is once again a national leader when it comes to combatting gun violence,” said Acting Attorney General Platkin. “At a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is undermining states’ efforts to protect their residents from the carnage of gun violence, New Jersey’s Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office will use the new public nuisance legislation to hold the gun industry accountable. With the establishment of this office we are sending a clear message to every participant in the firearms industry: if you violate our laws, you will pay.”

New Jersey’s commonsense firearm safety laws have helped the State maintain one of the lowest firearm mortality rates in the country. Nonetheless, New Jersey suffers hundreds of gun-related deaths each year and has not escaped the tragedy of mass shootings. In 2019, two shooters targeted a kosher market in Hudson County in an attack that claimed the lives of six people, including a Jersey City police officer. Last year, three people were killed and 11 others wounded when a shooter opened fire on a crowd gathered for a birthday party at a home in Fairfield Township. And earlier this month, nine people were injured when a gunman in a stolen vehicle opened fire on a street in Newark.

SAFE’s work will accord with the Department’s long history of working closely with law enforcement partners at all levels of government to keep our residents safe, including through smart and evidence-based police work that leads to the arrest and prosecution of individuals, gangs, and gun traffickers who violate New Jersey’s gun laws, and who bring danger and chaos to our communities. Under the leadership of Acting Attorney General Platkin, New Jersey has made it a top priority to apprehend anyone possessing and selling illegal “ghost guns,” which are firearms not imprinted with a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer, and therefore extremely difficult for law enforcement to trace.

One of the tactics being used by Acting Attorney General Platkin to prevent ghost guns from appearing in New Jersey communities is through a strategic law enforcement partnership with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Acting Attorney General Platkin has directed the Division of Criminal Justice in collaboration with the New Jersey State Police, PA and federal authorities, to focus their collective resources on apprehending individuals illegally bringing ghost gun kits across state lines into New Jersey. These cooperative investigations have led to the arrest and prosecution of 19 individuals this year. As a result of these and other ongoing efforts to protect our residents from gun violence, New Jersey law enforcement agencies have criminally seized 2,398 firearms, including 170 illegal ghost guns, so far this year.

SAFE’s work will be distinct from but supplement the Department’s ongoing – and successful – efforts to use the ­state’s Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) to stop out-of-state gun dealers from selling illegal firearm products into New Jersey over the internet.  In March 2022, Acting Attorney General Platkin announced that the State had obtained a $175,000 judgment against Florida gun vendor 22Mods4All for violating the CFA by advertising and selling illegal large-capacity magazines (LCMs) to New Jersey consumers online. The judgment also permanently barred 22Mods4All from future online sales of LCMs here. A second gun vendor named in that suit – Florida-based Elite Aluminum – agreed to pay a $150,000 civil penalty and stop selling LCMs in New Jersey.

But the public nuisance lawsuits will provide even more robust enforcement tools, by allowing the Department to hold firearms manufacturers and retail dealers accountable for endangering the safety and health of New Jersey residents through the sale, manufacture, distribution, or marketing of lethal, but nonetheless legal, firearms. 

The creation of SAFE to enforce the new firearms public nuisance legislation advances the work Governor Murphy is doing to combat the epidemic of gun violence. Among other steps, New Jersey has established a “red flag” law for gun violence protective orders; criminalized firearms trafficking; strengthened background checks; reduced the maximum capacity of ammunition magazines; banned ghost guns; established the Rutgers Gun Violence Research Center to identify evidenced-based solutions to the gun violence crisis; and established a partnership with a coalition of states (New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut) to share crime gun data between law enforcement agencies.  

March 12, 2024

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced today that an investigation conducted by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department has resulted in the arrest of a Trenton man for the shooting death of Shawn Moore.

Chelsey White, 38, of Trenton, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree certain persons not to possess a weapon.  He was arrested Sunday evening in Branchburg, NJ, by members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.  The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detail him pending trial.

Shortly before 8 p.m. on February 28, 2024, Trenton police responded to a report of a shooting in progress at 428 Ardmore Avenue.  Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive male on the porch suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.  The victim, later identified as Shawn Moore, 45, of Trenton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with information is asked to contact MCHTF Detective Tim Bruey at (609) 433-6540.  Information can also be emailed to [email protected].

Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Chelsey White, 38, of Trenton, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree certain persons not to possess a weapon. 

Names of the 2023 Trenton Homicide Victims

Shooting Homicide in Trenton Under Investigation

July 5, 2024

TOMS RIVER, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Toms River Township Police Chief Mitchell Little announced that Maxwell Johnston, 35, of Manchester Township, who was wanted in connection with the Murder of Gabriella Caroleo, 25, of Seaside Heights, that occurred in Manchester Township on June 27, 2024, is deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a nearly seven-hour standoff at 1905 Ravenwood Drive in Toms River.

“We thank everyone in the neighborhood for their patience as this situation is concluded and there is no further danger to the public,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated.

Prosecutor Billhimer and Chief Little express their sincere gratitude to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department Emergency Services Unit, Ocean County Regional SWAT Team, Toms River Police SWAT Team, Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and United States Marshal’s Service for their cooperative assistance with this situation.

“I’d like to commend the men & women in law enforcement that spent the day trying to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution.  There were many tense moments and the men & women that were out there handled themselves professionally and thankfully none of them were injured,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.

Manchester Man Wanted for Murder

Maxwell Johnston, 35, of Manchester Township, who was wanted in connection with the Murder of Gabriella Caroleo, 25, of Seaside Heights, that occurred in Manchester Township on June 27, 2024, is deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a nearly seven-hour standoff at 1905 Ravenwood Drive in Toms River.

June 14, 2024

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)– The Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department are investigating a shooting that occurred Tuesday evening in the city, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported.

At approximately 5:10 p.m. on June 11, 2024, Trenton patrol units responded to the area of Stuyvesant Avenue and Hoffman Avenue on a shot spotter activation.  While on scene, officers learned that two gunshot victims had arrived at Capital Health Regional Medical Center for treatment.  One of the males was treated for a gunshot wound and released from the hospital  The second male, Jonathan Applegate, of Trenton, was shot multiple times and later died at the hospital.

The investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with information is asked to contact MCHTF Detective Karl Johnston at (609) 439-5248 or Sgt. Roberto Reyes at (609) 256-0997.  Information can also be emailed to [email protected]

Names of the 2024 Trenton Homicide Victims

1. 01/13/2024 Eduardo Lopez-Cruz, 38, of Trenton, Shooting
2. 02/28/2024 Shawn Moore, 45, Trenton, Shooting
3. 03/19/2024 Donnell Jenkins age 52, Stabbing
4. 04/04/2024 Jose Alfredo Azcona Garcia, 46, of Trenton, Shooting
5. 05/01/2024 Jerome Francis, 43, of Hamilton
6. 05/01/2024 Chevaughn Fagan, 28, of Trenton
7. 05/19/2024 Stephon Fisher, 18, of Trenton, Shooting
8. 05/26/2024 Dwayne Penix, 20, of Trenton, Shooting
9. 06/11/2024 Johnathan Applegate

In New Jersey in 2022, 44 workers lost their lives. These workers were employed at construction sites and in general industries such as milling operations, warehousing, and manufacturing.

April 21, 2023

By Patricia Jones, Director of OSHA’s Avenel Area Office in honor of Worker Memorial Day.

In May 2022, Armando Ribau, a 53-year-old man employed at a Sayreville, New Jersey, steel mill was pulled in and crushed by a rolling mill machine he was adjusting. He tragically died from his injuries.

A federal safety investigation that followed found the equipment was not shut down using the proper, required procedures to protect employees from hazardous energy, such as the unexpected startup of a machine. Sadly, workplace deaths, like this one, are an all-too-common occurrence in the U.S.

Each year, thousands of workers of all ages die needlessly – leaving their families, friends and communities to grieve – when required safety and health standards are ignored. Each day, 14 people suffer preventable work-related deaths. Tens of thousands more die of preventable work-related diseases.

In New Jersey in 2022, 44 workers lost their lives. These workers were employed at construction sites and in general industries such as milling operations, warehousing, and manufacturing.

These numbers remind us of the dangers many workers face. Behind these numbers, there are people who mourn each loss. For them, these statistics are loved ones: they’re parents, children, siblings, relatives, friends, or co-workers.

For those left behind the day their loved one was lost becomes a sad remembrance. Graduations, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and other special times are forever tainted.

On April 28, we pay tribute to those whose jobs claimed their lives in New Jersey on Workers Memorial Day. An opportunity for us to pause and join those families, friends, and co-workers to recall those who suffered work-related injuries and illnesses. The remembrance also recognizes the grief that their survivors face in the days, months, and years after.

Workers Memorial Day also reminds us that more must be done to prevent workplace deaths, injuries, and illnesses. For those of us at the U.S. Department of Labor and, specifically, its Occupational Safety and Health Administration, this annual commemoration reinforces our commitment to developing and enforcing standards and initiatives to safeguard workers and guide employers as they work to provide safe workplaces.

Remember, we all have a role to play in making sure our nation’s workplaces do not endanger our safety and health. If you see people exposed to workplace dangers, don’t ignore your concerns. Alert the employer or contact your local OSHA office or law enforcement agency. Demand that the stores you frequent, the companies that get your business, and those you hire protect the people they employ. If they won’t, take your business to those who respect their workers’ rights to a safe and healthy workplace, and who don’t put profit ahead of the lives of the people who help them earn it.

On Workers Memorial Day 2023, let’s remember those who didn’t return home after work and commit ourselves to making sure that no one is forced to trade their life for a paycheck.

Patricia Jones is the director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration Area Office in Avenel, New Jersey

Workers Memorial Wall. In Remembrance

Name: Workers Memorial Day March and Rally

Date: Sunday, 4/23/2023

Location: Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, 222 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

Description: The NJ Work Environment Council, New Labor and an Intersectional Coalition that calls for action on worker & climate protection for Workers’ Memorial Day 2023.

Website: https://njwec.salsalabs.org/WorkersMemorialDay2023/index.html

Host: NJ Work Environment Council, New Labor, United Steelworkers District 4, New Jersey Education Association, Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War.

Contact Name(s): Cecelia Leto, project director, WEC

Contact Email: [email protected]

—

Name: New Jersey Department of Labor’s Workers Memorial Day Event

Date: Friday, 4/28/2023

Location: Virtually at https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1614957816?pwd=cy9iMWlVenJzSzNGSm9qc05GTWlzUT09

Time: 10:00 a.m. ET

Description: The NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the NJ State Industrial Safety Committee is co-sponsoring a memorial program to honor those who have lost their lives during the course of employment in calendar year 2022.

Website: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1614957816?pwd=cy9iMWlVenJzSzNGSm9qc05GTWlzUT09

Host: NJ Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

Contact Name(s): Theresa Kramarz

Contact Email: [email protected]

January 1, 2024

Washington, DC – Over the weekend, Congressman Van Drew learned from multiple law enforcement officials that ten buses from Texas and Louisiana brought illegal migrants to the state of New Jersey. This week, Congressman Van Drew will be demanding answers from Governor Murphy and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on whether there are additional buses that will be relocating illegal migrants to New Jersey.

“It is crystal clear that the crisis at our southern border is not just a border state problem. Governor Murphy has continued to show a complete lack of leadership in the state of New Jersey and has opened the door for our state to become overrun by illegal immigration. We are all border states now,” said Congressman Van Drew. “South Jersey will continue to make it fully known to the Governor that we refuse to face the same fate as New York City, which has been forced to cut public safety and education funding in order to feed and provide housing to individuals who crossed our border illegally. Governor Murphy must make it clear that New Jersey is not a sanctuary state and I want to make this abundantly clear: illegal migrants are not welcome in South Jersey.

“In addition to Governor Murphy’s refusal to fight for the safety and security of New Jerseyans, the Biden administration’s disastrous border policies are also to blame. Secretary Mayorkas continues to aid and abet the collapse and takeover of our southern border through his gross mishandling and lack of action as Secretary. Now I am demanding that he answer to the people of New Jersey on whether the administration intends to have additional buses sent to our state, how much this will cost the taxpayer, and whether there is any plan to mitigate the continual influx of migrants at the border. I will be sending letters to both Governor Murphy and Secretary Mayorkas this week demanding that they provide answers to these questions and face complete accountability for their actions.”

June 3, 2024

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–According to Lawrence Township Police, yesterday morning, June 2, 2024, at approximately 8:40 a.m., a 2016 Toyota Sedan traveling at a high rate of speed crashed through the showroom of Worldwide Floor Covering located at 2750 Brunswick Pike.

According to witnesses, the driver was proceeding east bound on Darrah Lane at a high rate of speed, he disregarded the red light at the intersection of Brunswick Pike, went through the jug handle, over a curb line and into the Worldwide Floor Covering building. The vehicle crashed through the front door and ended up approximately 50-feet into the showroom of the business.

Luckily there were no injuries reported in the crash.

Five summonses were issued to vehicle operator, Jinyan Li a 36-year-old male and Lawrenceville resident those include:

1 – Reckless Driving

2 – Failure to Observe Traffic Signal (running of red light)

3 – Failure to Follow Marked Turning Course

4 – Unregistered Vehicle

5 – Careless Driving

NJ Public Safety News Alerts

NJ Public Safety News Alerts

April 29, 2024

Update: According to Robbinsville Township OEM Route 130 has been reopened.

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)–At 11:35 a.m. Robbinsville Police, Robbinsville Fire Department and EMS responded to the area of 1203 Route 130 between Woodside Road and Gordon Road for a crash with entrapment. A person was extricated and transported to the hospital. The roadway is currently closed for a serious crash investigation. No additional details are available at this time. Avoid the area if possible.

Robbinsville Township Office of Emergency Management states Route 130 is closed between Woodside Road and Meadowbrook Road in both directions due to a motor vehicle crash. Please avoid the area.

August 28, 2023

WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)–NJ-TF1 is on the road! We received orders from FEMA to deploy our Type 3 Team (45 personnel and 16 vehicles) to Columbia, South Carolina ahead of Tropical Storm Idalia.

Further details to follow.

June 29, 2023

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on June 29, 2023, the Honorable Wendel E. Daniels, J.S.C. (retired and temporarily assigned on recall),  ordered that Ron Carr, 34, of Manchester Township, shall remain detained in the Ocean County Jail pending trial on 36 criminal counts which include Bias Intimidation, Aggravated Arson, Arson and Criminal Mischief, in connection with incidents that occurred in Manchester Township on June 6, 2023 and the early morning hours of June 7, 2023.

Carr has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his apprehension on June 7, 2023.  The detention hearing was handled by Senior Assistant Prosecutor Ashley Angelo.

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).

Ron Carr, 34, of Manchester Township, shall remain detained in the Ocean County Jail pending trial on 36 criminal counts which include Bias Intimidation, Aggravated Arson, Arson and Criminal Mischief, in connection with incidents that occurred in Manchester Township on June 6, 2023 and the early morning hours of June 7, 2023.

June 29, 2023

FREEHOLD, NJ (MONMOUTH)–Law enforcement officials are requesting help from anyone who may have witnessed a fatal shooting that took place in Neptune Township in July 2022, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago stated Thursday.

Neptune Township Police Department responded to a report of gunfire on Monday July 4, 2022, just before 1:45 a.m. in the area of Route 35/South Concourse. Upon arrival, officers located 26-year-old Ayres Gray Jr. of Manalapan in a parked vehicle on South Concourse, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

Gray was then rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries approximately an hour later.

Further investigation revealed that a house located on the 20 block of Hillview Drive also in Neptune Township was hosting a party where there was a shots fired incident shortly before the fatal shooting took place on South Concourse. Investigators continue to identify the link between the two incidents.

Members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Major Crimes Bureau and the Neptune Township Police Department continue to investigate both incidents. Anyone with information on either of these incidents is urged to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Thomas Manzo at 800-533-7443 or Neptune Township Police Detective Carrie Bartlett at 732-988-8000.

 Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about a crime can submit a tip to Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling their confidential telephone tip-line at 1-800-671-4400; by downloading and using the free P3 Tips mobile app (available on iOS and Android – https://www.p3tips.com/1182), by calling 800-671-4400 or by going to the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com

June 29, 2023

EAST WINDSOR, NJ (MERCER)–Apple Montessori Schools is continuing its expansion to more communities in New Jersey and will be opening a brand-new location at 300D Princeton-Hightstown Road in East Windsor New Jersey this August. Apple Montessori Schools of East Windsor is a modern Montessori school that will offer infant, toddler, preschool/kindergarten, and summer camp programs. The school is now enrolling for the 23/24 school year.

“We are very excited to be expanding our footprint in NJ. East Windsor is a wonderful community and we look forward to working with students both from East Windsor and surrounding areas, “says Andrea Vargas, CEO of Apple Montessori Schools. “Student success in the Montessori environment is developed from engaging and nurturing teachers and an abundance of natural and challenging materials children can work with at their own pace. Our new location will provide this amazing opportunity for many new families and their children, as well as a beautiful facility and outdoor classroom to encourage an understanding and appreciation of nature and the world we live in together.”

Family-founded Apple Montessori Schools has a 50+ year legacy of providing a safe and nurturing environment coupled with advanced academics for the 25,000+ children that have graduated from their multiple locations throughout New Jersey since its inception in 1972. This is the 3rd location that Apple Montessori has opened since 2021 bringing their total schools to 17. Highlights of the newly renovated building include 7 spacious classrooms flooded with natural light (4 preschool, 1 infant, and 2 toddler), a multi-purposes space/indoor gym and advanced safety features including a state-of-the art access controlsystem and live parent video monitoring.  The 3+ acre campus features age-appropriate outdoor play areas, a new salt water swimming pool, and a certified Outdoor Classroom with premium wooden materials.

This location is conveniently located off of the intersection of Princeton-Hightstown Road and Old Trenton Road, nearby major retailers and Route 130, Route 1 and 95.

Apple Montessori Schools strives to inspire children to reach their fullest potential— all in a safe, fun, and enriching environment. The Apple team is eager to bring their mission to the families of East Windsor and looks forward to being a part of the new community.

For more information or to enroll, please visit: https://applemontessorischools.com/locations/east-windsor

About Apple Montessori: Family-founded Apple Montessori has set exceptional standards in early childhood education since 1972. Guided by the principles of Maria Montessori, their modern Montessori environment goes beyond the traditional Montessori philosophy to provide an enriching environment where structured freedom creates the foundation for a lifetime of happiness and success. For over 50 years, Apple Montessori Schools has continued to innovate with ongoing professional development programs, well-rounded curriculum, and new additions to facilities including the introduction of Outdoor Classrooms.  Apple’s efforts have been publicly recognized and affirmed through accreditation by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and IACET accreditation for its training department.

L-R New Apple Montessori East Windsor Building, Danielle Selby, Senior Regional Director and Brian Pascal, Construction Manager at Apple Montessori Schools, what the inside of a classroom will look like when open. Photo Credit Apple Montessori.

Photo Credit Apple Montessori.

“Even Governor Murphy’s own Division of Rate Council says bill will result in higher prices for NJ ratepayers“

June 29, 2023

TOMS RIVER—Citing Governor Phil Murphy’s own Division of Rate Council, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) today issued the following statement urging the New Jersey Legislature to reject legislation—A-5651 and S-4019—backed by the Governor that will redirect US federal tax credits to the Danish offshore wind company Orsted:

“The hardworking people of New Jersey deserve better than Trenton’s plan to bail out foreign offshore wind corporation Orsted and give away billions of federal tax credits intended for ratepayers.

It is abundantly clear that New Jersey’s massive industrialized offshore wind projects will not only have tremendous environmental, navigational, economic and national security implications, but also require an endless stream of US taxpayer subsidies to try to keep these foreign-run projects afloat.

Adding insult to injury, this New Jersey state legislation will force residents—who are already being crushed by an unfair tax burden and an exorbitant cost of living due to high inflation—to pay more for their electric bills.

Even Governor Murphy’s own Division of Rate Council admitted, ‘There should be no doubt that this bill will increase the amount the developer earns on this project and will result in higher…prices being paid by ratepayers. That is the inevitable result of this bill.’

In the name of sound governance and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, New Jersey state legislators must reject A-5651 and S-4019.”

Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester)

June 29, 2023

TOMS RIVER, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on June 28, 2023, Raymond Waters, 71, of Pawlet, Vermont, was found guilty of five counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault and thirteen counts of Sexual Assault.  Following a three week-long jury trial before the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., the jury concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that between September 2002 and September 2004, Waters sexually assaulted a minor in Toms River Township, Barnegat Township, and Hillsborough Township (Somerset County).  Waters was remanded to the Ocean County Jail pending sentencing, the date of which has yet to be determined.

In January 2014, the victim responded to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office to report that he had been sexually assaulted by Waters and Waters’ husband, Allen Harbatuk, 76, of Hillsborough, New Jersey, between September 2002 and September 2004.  A subsequent investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau revealed that the victim met Waters in 2002 when he was 14 years-old – while Waters was his art teacher at Toms River High School North.  Further investigation revealed that Waters sexually assaulted the victim at Toms River High School North, the Joseph A. Citta Boy Scout Reservation in Barnegat Township, and Water’s then-residence in Hillsborough.  Additionally, the investigation determined that Water’s husband, Harbatuk, sexually assaulted the victim at the Citta Boy Scout Reservation and the Hillsborough residence.  On October 22, 2014, both Waters and Harbatuk were arrested at their residence in Hillsborough by Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and Hillsborough Township Police Department.  They were transferred to the Ocean County Jail, and subsequently released on bail.

On June 21, 2018, Harbatuk was found guilty of Sexual Assault after a jury trial before the Honorable Therese Cunningham, J.S.C.  On November 2, 2018, Judge Cunningham sentenced Harbatuk to seven years New Jersey State Prison. 

Prosecutor Billhimer commends the diligence and dedication of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman and Assistant Prosecutor Kaitlyn Burke who ably and skillfully tried the case on behalf of the State. The Prosecutor likewise extends his gratitude to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, and Hillsborough Township Police Department, for their combined and collective efforts in connection with this matter, ultimately resulting in this guilty verdict.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com