Friday, May 18, 2012
Bank error in your favor? Not this time, said police.
A Riverside man who refused to return money to a bank after the teller gave him too much was arrested on theft charges this week, according to police. Felipe S. DePaula, 27, of the unit block of Scott Street, went to Delanco Federal Savings Bank on Route 130 to cash a $300 check on May 16, Cinnaminson Police said. The bank teller accidentally gave DePaula $3,000 instead of $300. And police said he was caught on tape watching the teller count out the amount. But DePaula didn't ride high with the cash for long; the bank contacted him the next day to ask for the money back. DePaula said he lost the envelope. He was apprehended by Cinnaminson Police, processed and remanded to Burlington County Jail on $2,500 cash bail. This information comes …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Camden County Prosecutor's Office refuses to release any information, saying an investigation is ongoing.
There are no answers yet about Friday's police tactical operations in the vicinity of the Heights of Collingswood. Collingswood police confirmed that multiple arrests were made during the incident, but referred all other questions to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, which refused to provide any information when contacted by Collingswood Patch on Tuesday. Jason Laughlin, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said no details would be forthcoming because an investigation is "ongoing." Under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act, law-enforcement agencies are required to provide basic information within 24 hours of an arrest being made. Images of the incident captured by Patch readers depict a white, unmarked van and several police …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
One winds up on the train tracks, another on a front lawn.
Each week, Patch takes a peek at some of the more surprising, shocking, stunning and occasionally silly police-related incidents reported throughout New Jersey for "OMGs from NJ PDs." On the Wrong Track: Contrary to popular belief, there is no "wrong side of the tracks." Well, not unless you count the top side. A driver who made a wrong turn wound up on the train tracks paralleling Route 17, leading authorities to shut down New Jersey Transit traffic on the line, according to Hasbrouck Heights Police. It took police about an hour to remove the vehicle from the tracks. We're not sure how long it took onlookers to remove their palms from their faces. Not Quite a Smoking Gun, But Close: You think smoking's bad for you? It's even worse if you'…
Monday, May 14, 2012
Vandals spray-painted racial slurs on a church, cars and homes in a historically black neighborhood in Haddon Township. A resident calls the attacks "nerve-racking."
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Also, someone made off with a whole lot of cooking oil. Slick.
Each week, Patch takes a peek at some of the more surprising, shocking, stunning and occasionally silly police-related incidents reported throughout New Jersey for "OMGs from NJ PDs." Big Wheels Keep on Turning: A runaway van veered into oncoming traffic on the White Horse Pike, crashed against a guard rail and nearly struck a small gathering of people at the edge of Newton Lake in Camden County (our title for this section would have worked better if it was a river onto which the van was almost rollin'). Amazingly, no one was hurt, but police say an intoxicated driver may have been asleep at the wheel. At Least it Wasn't a Cow: Scotch Plains Police say a horse escaped from Watchung Stables. After a brief chase, he was cornered by Scotch …
Monday, May 7, 2012
Metal thieves strike again.
Metal thieves, who have plagued Haddonfield for more than a year, put a new twist on their capers. A Moorehouse Lane resident reported an air conditioner at his home had the copper wiring stolen out of it on April 26. The incident was reported at 2:27 p.m. The victim said it was stolen between noon and 2 p.m. Copper downspouts had been the metal of choice in a rash of previous borough burglaries. In other another police report, a caller reported a woman passed out behind the wheel of a car near the intersection of Kings Highway East and Tanner Street at 3:58 a.m. on April 29. Jennifer Passarella, 22, of Eaton Circle in Laurel Springs was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving after police responded.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
A family shares their story of the effects of addiction, and West Deptford Detective Sgt. Sean McKenna offers advice on what to do when it comes to prescription drug abuse.
Connie and Andy Tighe were like many other parents a decade ago, unaware of the escalating problem of prescription drug abuse. That all changed when their son, Kevin, started showing the telltale signs of painkiller addiction, which led to what Connie Tighe described as “a rollercoaster of treatment and relapse,” eventually ending in Kevin’s untimely death a little more than two years ago at the age of 29. And when their nephew also died after becoming addicted to prescription drugs, the Tighes said it was time to speak. “I wasn’t aware of prescription pill abuse,” Connie Tighe said during a recent presentation at West Deptford High School. “It really wasn’t on our radar screen.” As photos of Kevin—from his youth soccer team, or hanging …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The father of 10-year-old Akian Chaifetz, an autistic boy from Cherry Hill, will hold a press conference tomorrow to discuss what has become a national and legal matter.
The following statement was issued by Stuart Chaifetz to Collingswood Patch today. We are reprinting it here without alteration. As always, stay with Collingswood Patch here as well as on Facebook and Twitter for the latest. New here? Sign up for our email. A little over one week ago, I posted a video on YouTube which was, at its core, a public statement of my love for my son. Little did I realize, or could ever dream, that people from around the world would hear my son’s story and open their hearts to him. I am truly overwhelmed and grateful beyond measure. When I produced that video all I had hoped for was an apology from the classroom staff, something I could offer my child on the day he was ready to face what had happened to him. Now…
Haddonfield officials agreed to keep a ban on overnight parking in place, but will consider ways to mitigate time drain on police.
The Haddonfield Board of Commissioners this week agreed to keep a ban on overnight street parking in place after more than a month of public debate. They also agreed to change the hours of the ban to 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Previously it was 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. A deadline for requesting overnight street parking on a Camden County phone system will also be moved up to midnight instead of 2 a.m. A first reading of the ordinance change will be heard next Tuesday, May 8, at the commissioner's action meeting. A public hearing and vote will be held next month. The changes will not go into effect until the ordinance is changed. "I'm certainly not in favor with getting rid of it," said Commissioner Tish Colombi, the mayor. Colombi had previously cited a …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Also, the infamous train fighter gets a ticket to jail.
Each week, Patch takes a peek at some of the more surprising, shocking, stunning and occasionally silly police-related incidents reported throughout New Jersey for "OMGs from NJ PDs." Special Delivery: A Hopatcong man had almost a pound of pot from California delivered to his home through the post office, police said. We assume that little buzz from licking the stamp just wasn't doing it anymore. Da Bears: Two black bears were seen fighting each other outside a Bloomingdale residence last week, and they reportedly damaged two vehicles before leaving the scene. Police didn't get there until after the scuffle was over, so we may never know what caused the fight. Unless one of them was really a Packers fan. Mi Casa No Es Su Casa: There are at…
Stephen Lyford
3:28 pm on Sunday, May 13, 2012
I still haven't heard about a SINGLE bust of any of the scrap metal dealers. Thieves wouldn't brazenly steal from your homes and communities if no-one was willing to buy what has to be obviously-stolen metal. So there are very, very crooked scrap metal dealers out there who know full well they are paying money for stolen merchandise. Why haven't the police busted any of them? Why hasn't the … more ›