NJ State Police Seek Public Assistance in Identifying Suspect in Armed Robbery

The New Jersey State Police Sussex Station is seeking the public's help with identifying a suspect wanted for the armed robbery of a Dairy Queen located in Montague Township.

On July 11, at approximately 10:24 p.m., a male suspect wearing a red mask depicting a horned devil, a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, black baggy sweatpants, and grey cloth gloves with rubber palms, entered a Dairy Queen in Montague Township, brandished a handgun and demanded money. Prior to fleeing the scene, he struck an employee in the forearm. 

NJ State Police Seeking Volunteers For Domestic Violence Response Teams

The New Jersey State Police and partnering domestic violence advocacy groups are seeking volunteers for Domestic Violence Response Teams in Morris, Burlington, Somerset, Sussex, Warren, Atlantic, Hunterdon, and Ocean Counties.

Volunteer advocates work in conjunction with police, county prosecutor’s offices, and private organizations to provide support, information, referrals, and a safety plan to victims of domestic violence.

NJ State Police Seek Public's Help in Identifying Man Who Exposed Himself to Children

The Hackettstown Police Department is seeking the public's help with identifying a man who was reported exposing himself to children at the Hackettstown Community Pool in Warren County, NJ.

On July 2, 2014, there were multiple reports of a man following children who were wearing goggles and swimming underwater. He would then expose his genitals to them underwater. When confronted by pool staff, he immediately left on foot.

He is described as a white man, 5'08"-5'10", 190-210 pounds, blond/grey hair, and a pale complexion. He stated his name was "Billy." 

Troopers Arrest One of New Jersey's Top 12 Most Wanted; Sex Offender on the Run for 25 Years

James Wade Barclay

Convicted Sex Offender On the Run for 25 Years

Boswell, P.A. - On Saturday, April 5, 2014, members of the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit arrested James Wade Barclay, ending the hunt for one of New Jersey’s top 12 fugitives that spanned for more than two decades.

In September of 1989, Barclay was arrested in Cinnaminson Township, Burlington County, for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old child. The victim was assaulted multiple times during a period of two years. Barclay was arrested and charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He pleaded guilty to the charges; however, he failed to appear for sentencing in Burlington County, in September of 1991.

New Jersey State Police Announces Dates for Application Process on New Hires

West Trenton, N.J. – Today, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and State Police Superintendent Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes announced the dates for the opening of the New Jersey State Police application process. Applications will be accepted online from April 21st through May 5th.  All eligible men and women are encouraged to apply. Those interested should visit www.NJTrooper.com to complete the online application.  

New Jersey State Police Seek Assistance on Couple Missing from North Jersey

The Wayne Township Police Department, Garfield City Police Department and the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit are seeking the public's assistance in locating 24 year old Jorge Rodriguez and 25 year old Melissa Pereira.

Jorge Rodriguez is 5'10, 181 pounds with brown eyes, and black hair. Melissa Pereira is 5'07, 141 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.

They were last seen on Friday, December 27 in Wayne, N.J. driving a White Honda, with tinted windows and a New York Giant's decal on the rear of the car. That vehicle has a NJ license plate of E77-AYX. 

UPDATED: New Jersey State Police Seek Help in Identifying Body Found in Stafford Forge State Forest

Updated Dec 22, 2013

UPDATED: According to Asbury Park Press, NJ State Police have released an updated colored rendering of the unidentified man. 

Eagleswood, N.J. - State troopers from Tuckerton Station are investigating the suspicious death of an unidentified man found in the Stafford Forge State Forest yesterday at mid-day by two people walking a dog. There was no obvious signs of trauma. An autopsy was performed yesterday, but the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

Galloway Resident Among the 153rd New Jersey State Police Recruit Training Class Graduates

Fernando J. Gensollen of Galloway Township is among the 153rd New State Police Class Recruit Training Graduates.

Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, presented badges to New Jersey’s newest state troopers during graduation ceremonies at Elizabeth High School this morning.

The153rd State Police Class is the most racially diverse in the history of the State Police, with 54 percent of the graduates coming from minority groups.

“The 153rd class represents a major step forward in our continuing effort to develop and maintain a State Police force that reflects the diverse population it serves. That is critical because the State Police is the most visible symbol of law enforcement throughout New Jersey, and every individual Trooper who puts on the uniform is recognized as a leader -- on the road, in his or her neighborhood and in the community at large,” said Governor Chris Christie of the new troopers.

16-Year Old Chelsea M. Ortiz still Missing from Woodstown, New Jersey

Chelsea M. Ortiz

According to the New Jersey State Police’s official Face Book page, 16 year old Chelsea M. Ortiz was reported missing to Woodstown Police Department on November 27 2013. 

Anyone with information on her whereabouts please contact Woodstown Boro Police Department (856-769-1330 or 856-769-2121) 

Port Norris Troopers Arrest Brothers For String of Cumberland County Burglaries

James Fentress

Port Norris, N.J. – State Troopers arrested two brothers and recovered numerous stolen items in connection with a recent spate of burglaries in Cumberland County.  Jeffrey Fentress, 25 and James Fentress, 27, both of Quail Drive in Port Norris, were arrested on Tuesday, November 12.   Trooper Jared Castellari arrested James in front of his home, and troopers located and arrested Jeffrey nearby. 

A search warrant was executed by troopers and detectives from Troop A Criminal Investigation Office.  In the Camry and the home were found numerous items including a car starter, vehicle batteries, tools, electronics, and other articles described by victims as stolen from their vehicles and boats over the previous week.  Also found in the home was suspected crack cocaine and marijuana.

UPDATED: Missing Person: New Jersey State Police are Searching Kyle Greco missing from College of NJ Campus

UPDATED: According to New Jersey State Police, KYLE GRECO HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE AND UNHARMED.

Thank you to everyone who shared and got the word out. 

The New Jersey State Police and The College of New Jersey Campus Police seeks your help in locating a missing person: 

Kyle Greco, 22 yoa, white male, 5'8", 135 lbs. 

Last seen 11-19-13 at 1:15 p.m. at The College of New Jersey campus. Kyle was last seen wearing a black leather waist length jacket, black short sleeve T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and blue sneakers. 

UPDATED: Steven Hadley Jr., Transported to ARMC, City Division after Early Morning Accident on the Garden State Parkway

UPDATED: See Press Release by Clicking Here regarding Charges issued against Hadley by the ACPO on a separate matter.

New Jersey State Police responded to a single vehicle accident on the Garden State Parkway, northbound at mile marker 57.1 in Little Egg Harbor, Ocean County, according to Sergeant First Class Gregory Williams of the New Jersey State Police. 

An accident occurred at 8:51 a.m. when a Grey Dodge Pick-up Truck driven by Steven W. Hadley, 31 of Port Republic, left the roadway.  Hadley is currently a Detective with the Egg Harbor City Police Department.

SFC. Williams stated this evening that a witness saw the Pick-up truck driven by Hadley, leave the roadway of the right side and strike several trees and subsequently catching fire. 

Hadley was out of the vehicle, alert and conscious when New Jersey State Police arrived on scene, according to SFC. Williams. Hadley was airlifted to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center, City Division by South Star Medevac, which landed on the Parkway. 

Hadley sustained sever lacerations to his head and leg.  Hadley's vehicle which was extensively damaged by the fire, was towed by Stohrer Brothers Towing to the Bass River Police Barracks for further investigation. 

No cause of the accident was determined as the accident is still under investigation by the the New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Unit. Hadley's condition is unknown, however sources indicate Hadley was transported to Cooper Medical Center. 

Several local Fire Departments from the Ocean County area responded, including the Forest Fire in order to extinguish the fire of the Vehicle and the surrounding forest. 

The NJSP is seeking the public's assistance identifying a white male found deceased in the water in Sea Isle City

The New Jersey State Police is seeking the public's assistance identifying a male found deceased in the water near 43rd street adjacent to the Lobster Loft restaurant in Sea Isle City, Cape May County. 

The unidentified white male is approximately 50 to 65 years old, 5'5" to 5'10", 140 to 150 pounds, wearing black cargo shorts and a tan short sleeve collared shirt.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the New Jersey State Police at (609)561-1800 ext. 3355

NJ State Police Seeking Public Assistance in Locating a Missing Juvenile

The New Jersey State Police Bordentown Station is seeking the public's assistance in locating missing juvenile Jada Johns. 

Jada Johns, 16, female, black, 5'5", 195 pounds with blonde medium length hair usually worn in a pony tail, was last seen on 07/21/2013 at a group home in Hainsesport, N.J.

She left in an unknown vehicle and may be in the Camden, N.J. area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the New Jersey State Police Bordentown Station at (609)298-1171.

Troopers Seize 57 Pounds of Marijuana During I-78 Accident Investigation

Bethlehem Township, N.J. – If you’re going to drive around with $114,000 worth of marijuana in a vehicle, you probably don’t want to crash the car and a have a box of the stuff fly out of the window ending up in the grass with troopers and other first responders walking around. But that’s what happened yesterday when State Troopers arrested a New York woman for marijuana possession after responding to a serious crash on Interstate 78 in Hunterdon County.

At 12:56 p.m., Perryville Station troopers responded to milepost 8.2 westbound, and located a 2002 white Mercury Mountaineer in the center grass median. The preliminary accident investigation determined that the driver, Paulette Murray, 48, of Brooklyn, N.Y., failed to control the SUV, ran off the roadway into the center grass median, and struck the guiderail.

Murray suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to St. Luke’s hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The front seat passenger, Pauline Douglas-Dawkins, 50, of Cambria Heights, N.Y., was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

During the accident investigation, troopers observed Douglas-Dawkins attempting to cover a damaged cardboard box with a blanket. In the cardboard box, troopers discovered a large package of marijuana with fabric softener used to mask the smell of the drugs.

Douglas-Dawkins was arrested and the vehicle was towed to Perryville Station for further investigation. Troopers executed a search warrant on the vehicle and found additional packages of marijuana. In total, 57 pounds of marijuana was seized with an approximate street value of $114,000.

Douglas-Dawkins was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was lodged in the Hunterdon County Jail in default of $100,000 full cash bail.

Murray, who remains hospitalized, will be served with criminal complaints on a later date.

Charges are mere accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

UPDATED: Missing Juvenile: Japanese National, Masahiro Hisamatsu, age 15 Last seen in NYC

UPDATED: Masahiro has been FOUND and is SAFE, according to NJ State Police. 

The Jersey City Police Department and the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit are seeking the public's assistance in locating a missing juvenile. 

Japanese National Masahiro Hisamatsu was last seen traveling with other students and staff from the Pastoral Care Program at Saint Peters College, on the "5" train in New York City from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, located on 85th Street.

The group exited the train at 59th Street at 4:30 p.m., when the group was boarding the "R" train, they realized Masahiro was not with the group.

Masahiro Hisamatsu, 15, 5'10, 165 pounds, black hair, brown eyes, was last seen wearing a navy blue LL Bean t-shirt, brown long pants, white sneakers and prescription glasses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jersey City Police Department at (201)547-5434 or the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (800)709-7090.

New Jersey Troopers Participate in National Highway Safety Initiative

West Trenton, N.J. – The New Jersey State Police is teaming up with law enforcement officials from throughout the country for a special “I-80 Challenge Highway Safety Initiative” to ramp up enforcement of life-saving traffic safety laws during one of the busiest travel times of the year.

From July 24th to July 31st, troopers and other law enforcement officials patrolling the Interstate 80 corridor across the U.S. will be cracking down on drivers who are speeding, driving while intoxicated, or not wearing a seat belt, with the goal of achieving a zero fatality rate for the eight-day period.

Law enforcement and highway safety officials say too many lives are being lost on I-80 from those who violate basic traffic safety laws.

“During this critically important traffic safety initiative, troopers will be on patrol to ensure that drivers are obeying New Jersey traffic laws and arriving at their summer-time destination safely.” said Colonel Rick Fuentes Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “This joint effort by police departments across the country sends a clear message that the law enforcement community is determined to reduce fatalities on Interstate 80.”

This safety initiative targets a heavy summer travel period when the rate of fatal and injury crashes on Interstate 80 is higher than any other time of the year.

New Jersey experienced 13 crashes resulting in 14 deaths on Interstate 80 in 2012. This year on Interstate 80 there have been four crashes resulting in four deaths. That is a 42.8 % decrease from this time last year.

Nationally, in 2011, more than 21,000 passenger vehicle occupants across the nation were killed in traffic crashes. Of those fatalities, 52 percent were not wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.

Approximately 9,900 people were killed in drunk driving crashes, with more than 3,300 killed in fatal crashes involving a distracted driver, and nearly 10,000 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has partnered with the New Jersey State Police to implement combined highway safety law enforcement campaigns which focus enforcement on multiple traffic safety laws at one time. 

For more information on the campaign, please visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.

Follow the New Jersey State Police online at Twitter and Facebook. The social media links provided are for reference only. 

The New Jersey State Police do not endorse any non-governmental websites, companies or applications.

For additional information visit our website at www.njsp.org.

State Police Charge Man in 1985 Cold Case Murder

Dennis Township, Cape May County, N.J. – Today, detectives from the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit, Woodbine Station, and the Cape May County Prosecutors Office charged a man currently incarcerated at East Jersey State Prison with the 1985 cold case murder of Carl Robinson. William Tozer, 53, was served with the murder warrant during an unrelated court appearance at the Cape May Superior Court on Monday afternoon.

The murder warrant stems from an investigation that commenced on December 9, 1985, when detectives from the New Jersey State Police Port Norris Station, Arson Investigation Unit, and Crime Scene Investigation Unit, responded to 831 Dennisville Road, in Dennis Township for the report of a body discovered in a burned residence. That body was later determined to be Carl Robinson, 57 years old. The residence had been completely gutted by a fire, which was subsequently determined to be arson. The medical examiner was unable to determine a cause of death during the autopsy.

During the investigation, detectives learned that William Tozer had served a 2 ½ year prison sentence at Bordentown State Prison for assaulting and robbing Robinson. The murder is believed to have occurred because Robinson provided testimony in a unrelated incident that resulted in Tozer’s incarceration.

Over the next several years, detectives followed up on investigative leads and interviewed several individuals, but did not have enough evidence at the time to charge Tozer.

In 2012, the State Police Major Crime Unit and Cape May County Prosecutors Office reviewed the case. Detectives re-interviewed persons of interest and met with the Southern Regional Medical Examiner. The original autopsy of Robinson was reviewed and the manner of death was amended to homicide, and that Robinson was beaten prior to the fire being set. As investigators reviewed the case, Tozer was determined to be the prime suspect and person responsible for the death of Robinson.

“There is no statute of limitation for murder,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “William Tozer is accused of murdering Carl Robinson 28 years ago and now he will answer these charges in court. I commend my detectives and the Cape May County Prosecutors Office for their determination during this investigation.”

“I want to commend the New Jersey State Police and detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office for their dedicated work on this 28 year old case,” said Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor. “Every cold case in Cape May County has at least one detective assigned to it on an ongoing basis.”

Today, during court proceedings regarding an unrelated matter, William Tozer was charged with the murder of Carl Robinson. Tozer is currently serving a 99 year sentence for an unrelated murder.

Charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty

Troopers and Middle Twp. Police Arrest Atlantic Co. Man For Multiple Thefts in Cape May Co.

Upper Township, Cape May County, N.J. – On Friday, July 12th, troopers working with the Middle Township Police Department arrested an Atlantic County man for the theft of air conditioning parts from multiple businesses and residences in Upper, Dennis, and Middle Townships.

During the next two and a half months, troopers and detectives from the Woodbine Station would join detectives from the Middle Township Police Department to investigate the thefts. The thefts involved the removal of radiators and copper piping from air conditioning units at 21 different residences and businesses throughout Cape May County.

The most recent theft was investigated by troopers on Tuesday, July 9th, at a local business in Dennis Township. The owner told responding troopers that the air conditioning unit used by his business was dismantled and the radiator along with the copper piping was removed.

State Police and Middle Township Police continued the investigation and identified Wayne Kapuscinski, 50, of Corbin City as the main suspect. Kapuscinski allegedly removed the air conditioning parts and would sell them to local scrap yards throughout Cape May County.

Kapuscinski was arrested and charged with 21 counts of Theft, Criminal Mischief, and Fencing. He was lodged in the Cape May County Jail with bail set at $50,000 full cash.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

NJ State Police Troopers Investigate a Home Invasion Assault

Mannington Township, Salem County, N.J. – Troopers and detectives from the Woodstown State Police Barracks are investigating a home invasion assault and are asking for the public’s help to identify a suspect based on a sketch.

On Saturday, June 29, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the 24 year old female victim was in her residence when she heard her front door open slowly. When she checked to see who had opened the door, she observed a man standing in the foyer of her residence. According to the victim, the man approached her and threw her down onto a glass table that shattered. She was able to fight off the attack and the subject fled south on State Highway 45 towards Salem City.

The suspect is described as a dark skin, black male in his mid to late 20’s, approximately 5’10” tall with a thin build. He has brown eyes with a wide flat nose. He was wearing a black tee shirt and baggy light blue jeans. He also has a small mark on the right side of his neck, possibly a birth mark or scar.

Anyone with information that would assist in the identification of this suspect is asked to contact the NJSP Woodstown Station detectives at (856) 769-0775. Callers may remain anonymous.