patching...
Update: Have a news tip or something interesting you think would make a great story? Email nicole.bitette@patch.com
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

Union County Prosecutor's Office

Monday, May 6, 2013

Union County Prosecutor's Office Trains Law Enforcement on Autism

More than 300 officers from 125 municipalities from all over the state attended a seminar to train them on the signs of autism.

Following an in-depth training session that educated more than 300 law enforcement officers from more than 125 municipalities across the state on recognizing signs of autism, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office has purchased and distributed an instructional video for additional training to all those who attended the session recently held in Elizabeth. The video, created by nationally renowned autism/law enforcement trainer Dennis Debbaudt of Port St. Lucie, Florida, details numerous scenarios that people diagnosed across the autism spectrum could produce, and ways that officers and first responders can best react. “The Center for Disease Control predicts that 1 in 49 births in New Jersey will result in a child diagnosed with an autism …

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Law Enforcement Officers Train To Communicate With Autistic Individuals

Nearly 300 local, county and federal officers gathered at Union County College in Cranford to learn to effectively communication with those who have autism.

The Centers for Disease Control predicts that one in 49 births in New Jersey will result in a child diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Subsequently, the chances of a law enforcement official encountering someone in the field with the disorder is significant and could present problems for those not properly trained to deal with such individuals. That's where Dennis Debbaudt comes in. A renowned author and internationally acclaimed autism instructor, Debbaudt spoke to an assembly of nearly 300 law enforcement officials from Union County and more than 100 other local, state and federal agencies during a special day-long training session at Union County College in Cranford Monday. The focus of the training — which was coordinated by …

Monday, January 28, 2013

Cranford Resident Fights Subpoena From County Prosecutor

Tina Renna, president of Union County watchdog group is being asked to reveal county employees who improperly used generators after Sandy.

Tina Renna, who for several years has been a strong advocate for transparency in county government, is in hot water for not sharing her own documents with the county. According to an article in the Star-Ledger, her website The County Watchers tipped-off the Union County Prosecutor's Office to a list of names Renna has. The names are of county employees allegedly caught up in "generatorgate". Following Superstorm Sandy, county officials discovered that there may have been misuse of county generators by some employees. According to court papers filed by Renna's lawyers (and attached to this article as a PDF) the county was tipped to her knowledge of 16 employees from a December post on her site entitled "Generatorgate – An exciting …

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Crips Gang Member Charged With Murder In Union County

The Union County Prosecutor's Office arrested a 23-year-old in connection with a murder that took place in 2011.

On Wednesday the Union County Prosecutor's Office arrested 23-year-old Eugene Cady aka "FU" a Rollin 30's Crip and charged him with the Aug. 21, 2011 murder of Kason Wilson. Wilson was shot and killed in the area of 913 Union St. in the City of Linden, New Jersey, said Union County First Assistant Prosecutor Albert Cernadas, Jr. According to the investigation Wilson was a member of the G-Shine Bloods and his death was the result of warring rival gangs. Cady's bail was set by Judge Stuart Peim at $1 million. He was arrested while in jail on an unrelated gun conviction. He was transported to the Union County Jail and will have a first appearance in the coming days. These criminal charges are mere accusations. The defendants are presumed …

Summit Man Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault Of 19-Year-Old Woman

Cyrus Fakroddin, known for walking his goat around Summit, Manhattan, is being held on $250,000 bail. An investigation is being conducted by Summit Police and the Union County Prosecutor's Office.

Summit resident Cyrus Fakroddin was arrested and charged Wednesday with first Degree Aggravated Sexual Assault against a person who was physically helpless and is being held in Union County Jail on $250,000 bail, according to a press release from the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Fakroddin, who is most known for walking his goat, Cocoa, around Summit and Manhattan, was arrested by members of the Union County Prosecutor's Office and the Summit Police Department without incident, according to the release. According to the investigation, Fakroddin encountered a mentally and physically incapacitated 19-year-old woman in Manhattan during the early morning hours of Nov. 17, 2012, said Albert Cernadas, Jr, Union County First Assistant …

T Durden

3:00 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

..additionally detectives are also questioning the goat....   more ›

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Three Guilty Pleas in 2010 Summit Beating Death

Abelino Mazariego, 47, was beaten in Promenade Park in July, 2010 and died from his injuries. Three young men, two from Summit, will be sentenced on Mar. 8, 2013.

Three young men charged in 2010 with the death of Abelino Mazariego, a 47-year-old Summit resident, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the case, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow. According to a press release from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, the young men who pled guilty before Superior Court Judge Stuart Peim are: According to the release, Fitzgerald was previously charged as a minor. However, he was waived to adult court on Jan. 13, 2011. Under the terms of the pleas each man accepted, Fitzgerald faces 18 years in prison while Dumas and Williams-Clark each face 15 years in prison, according to the release. Sentencing is scheduled for Mar. 8, 2013. During a July 30, 2011 press conference, Romankow said …

Leslie Brothers

3:00 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

I wish they had gotten more time. That was such a sickening crime.   more ›

Thursday, October 4, 2012

After More Than A Decade, UC Child Advocacy Center Becomes a Reality

Located in Elizabeth, the center will assist victims of child abuse and sex crimes under one roof.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Union County Prosecutor's Office held a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the county's new Child Advocacy Center on West Jersey Street in Elizabeth.  The $3 million facility will allow a multi-disciplinary team to tackle child abuse and sex crimes under one roof in order to bring the investigating time down from days to hours, while also providing a better more comforting experience for children and families. Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow spoke about the former location that used to deal with child abuse and sex abuse cases. More than a decade ago when he first became prosecutor, the Westfield Avenue facility occasionally had insufficient heat in the winter and no sprinkler system. Romankow said he …

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Union County Prosecutor's Office: Beware of Telephone Scams

Scammers often prey on the elderly.

The following is a press release from the Union County Prosecutor's Office: Over the last several weeks the Union County Prosecutor's Office has experienced a rise in the number of complaints from residents who say they are being subjected to attempted fraud via telephone calls and Internet correspondence. Often scammers will pose as officials asking for credit card or banking information, saying they are calling on behalf of a jailed relative, or a friend in immediate financial trouble, said Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.  "The scammers will talk quickly, with a sense of urgency. A kind human response is to react quickly without fully considering the facts," said Romankow. "This is what the scammers want. The faster they can get your …

Saturday, July 21, 2012

John G. McCabe Sworn in as UCPO Deputy Chief

John G. McCabe joins Union County Prosecutor’s Office bringing years of expertise in law enforcement and has received numerous commendations from Federal and State Agencies.

After twenty five years as an expert investigator with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, John G. McCabe, Jr. was sworn in on July 2 as the Deputy Chief of Investigators for the Union County Prosecutor's Office.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University and is an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police  He has been the recipient of Federal, State and Local Commendations, including 2010 National HIDTA Outstanding Commander of the Year Award and several DEA Administrator Awards. This is one of the DEA’s highest honors. His career began in law enforcement with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, where he worked as a Special Agent in 1990. This position allowed him to …

Friday, July 13, 2012

Clark Homicide Investigation Continues, Police Awaiting Forensic Evidence Results

Vera Pecoraro, 73, was found dead in her home on Rolling Hill Way.

The Union County Homicide Task Force has been working through the night as they continue their investigation into the death of Vera Pecoraro while also working two other active homicide investigations in the county – the shooting death of a Linden teen and the stabbing of a 17-year-old during a large fight in Rahway. According to the Union County Prosecutor's office, police still have not ruled out anyone as a suspect and the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are also awaiting the results of forensic evidence that was collected from the crime scene. The Prosecutor's Office had no other developments to report at this time. Pecoraro was found Saturday with her throat slit on a couch in the home she lived in alone on Rolling Hill Way. …

Got a Hot Tip?