"Fulop's home was last reassessed in 1991. In New Jersey, properties generally retain their assessments until a property revaluation or after renovations, which are supposed to trigger reassessments."



Below his own wife admits in another article last year that the home was renovated by them.

"Asked about her new home on Ogden Avenue, Jackie, as she is called, said the place has been reduced to bare studs. It is being completely renovated because of its age and yes, she has a lot of say about the job. No doubt this means a big kitchen, hardwood floors, cool lighting and a choice of gun turret colors (kidding)? I kind of like her honesty -- is that the word?"

http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2 ... op_and_his_local_sup.html

Updated on July 20, 2017 at 8:12 PM
Posted on July 20, 2017 at 6:17 PM

By Terrence T. McDonald tmcdonald@jjournal.com
The Jersey Journal


JERSEY CITY -- The Hudson County tax board has rejected an attempt by a political opponent of Mayor Steve Fulop to increase the assessment -- and tax bill -- of Fulop's Ogden Avenue home.

A one-page memorandum of judgment issued by the five-member tax board on Tuesday indicates local activist April Kuzas, who filed the appeal of Fulop's assessment, did not overcome the "presumption of correctness," meaning she did not prove that the $104,000 assessment of Fulop's home is incorrect. In tax appeal cases, the burden of proof rests with the challenger.

Kuzas -- an ally of Bill Matsikoudis, the former corporation counsel challenging Fulop in November's mayoral race -- said she intends to file an appeal to the New Jersey Tax Court. New Jersey law allows third parties to file tax appeals.

"I am disappointed that the Hudson County tax board did not have the guts to determine the value of Steve Fulop's property," she said.

Asked to comment, Fulop said, "It's really pathetic and sad that Bill Matsikoudis and April are committed to running a negative campaign attacking my family. I'm going to take the high road and I'm glad that the courts decided what I said all along that my taxes are in line with every resident of Jersey City."

At a June 22 tax appeal hearing, Kuzas argued that Fulop's $104,000 assessment should be increased to $800,000. Fulop and his wife purchased the three-story, four-bedroom home in 2015 for $845,000 and their annual tax bill is $8,009. (A Jersey City homeowner with an average assessment of $100,000 pays $7,199.)

The assessments for some of Fulop's neighbors on Ogden Avenue and Palisade Avenue are similarly out of whack with their market value. Four homes in the area that have sold recently for between $825,000 and $907,000 have assessments that range from $79,000 to $160,000.

Fulop's home was last reassessed in 1991. In New Jersey, properties generally retain their assessments until a property revaluation or after renovations, which are supposed to trigger reassessments.

The mayor's critics, locally and statewide, say his tax bill illustrates the city's imbalanced tax burden, aggravated by Fulop's decision to stall the property revaluation for three years after he was elected mayor. Revals are intended to square every property's assessment on the city tax rolls with its true value.

State tax officials in April 2016 ordered the reval to proceed, saying the ratio of homes assessed at their true value was so low the city was violating state laws on fair taxation. Homeowners are expected to get their new assessments around Thanksgiving.

Matsikoudis, who has been assisting Kuzas with her tax appeal of the mayor's home, has hammered Fulop on the campaign trail for delaying the reval. In a statement emailed to The Jersey Journal about the county tax board's decision, Kuzas echoed Matsikoudis' criticism.

"Thousands of Jersey City home owners are over assessed and pay disproportionately high taxes while Fulop gets over on a (sic) artificially low tax bill, which is why a revaluation was ordered to fix the disparity," she wrote

Matsikoudis declined to comment.

Fulop's spokeswoman has previously called the tax appeal a "political circus."

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... argeting_mayors_home.html

Posted on July 20, 2017 at 5:53 PM

By Caitlin Mota
The Jersey Journal


JERSEY CITY -- Police are investigating a pair of shootings that left three men injured, officials said.

None of the men injured suffered life-threatening injuries, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

At about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a 32-year-old man was shot in the hip and wrist on Oxford Street near Bergen Avenue. He was brought to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment and was "uncooperative" with police, Morrill said.

Then on Wednesday night, two men were injured in a shooting on Lembeck Avenue near Old Bergen Road.

One of the victims brought himself to Jersey City Medical Center while the other victim was found at the Curries Woods housing complex after the shooting. Both were "uncooperative" with the investigation, Morrill said.

The shootings come on the heels of a violent weekend in Jersey City, where four men were injured in shootings and three cars were damaged.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y_city_officials_say.html

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story ... 16202&id=2162488143891896

The above link is of a Facebook video of what really happened. Seems like the victims (or at least one) were the ones jumping another girl and got stabbed by a family member of the girl they jumped.

Updated on July 17, 2017 at 5:16 PM
Posted on July 17, 2017 at 1:22 PM

By Caitlin Mota
The Jersey Journal


JERSEY CITY -- Four men were injured and three cars were damaged in shootings between Thursday and Friday nights, authorities said.

The first shooting was reported at the Booker T. Washington housing complex at about 9 p.m. on Thursday. No one was injured in the shooting, but a car parked on Bright Street was damaged, police said.

Early Friday morning, a 24-year-old man was shot in the big toe near Monticello and Belmont avenues. He was brought to Jersey City Medical Center by a "passing motorist" at about 1:30 a.m., police said.

A few hours later, a 42-year-old Wegman Parkway resident was critically injured in a shooting near Bidwell and Ocean avenues at about 5:30 a.m. The suspect approached the victim and shot him in the back and leg. The 42-year-old remains hospitalized in stable condition, authorities said.

That night, shots were fired near Martin Luther King Drive and Oak Street just after 8:30 p.m. Officers patrolling the Salem Lafayette housing complex were flagged down by witnesses who said two men shot at a man who was standing near the intersection, police said. No one was injured in the shooting.

Later that night at about 11 p.m. two men, ages 25 and 28, were shot on New Hope Lane near the Curries Woods housing complex, authorities said.

The 25-year-old victim, a Merritt Street resident, suffered a nonlife-threatening injury to his arm. The 28-year-old was shot in the thigh and buttocks and was brought to Jersey City Medical Center in a private car, police said.

In the same shooting, two cars were damaged during the gunfire, police said.

No one has been arrested in connection with any of the shootings and the shootings remain under investigation.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ersey_city_shootings.html

Updated on July 17, 2017 at 4:14 PM
Posted on July 17, 2017 at 12:39 PM

By Michaelangelo Conte
The Jersey Journal


A man was arrested this morning when police found him howling in pain inside the trash compactor of a Downtown Jersey City high-rise, a police source said.

The man, whose name was not immediately released, suffered compound fractures of both legs, the source said. At 11:30 a.m. the man was being treated in an ambulance at the scene and his screams could be heard nearby.

Just after 10 a.m. police responded to reports of a man armed with a knife attempting to break into cars along Newport Parkway in the Newport neighborhood of the city, the source said.

When the man was spotted, he fled into one of the high-rises along River Drive. The source said he had a knife when he was being chased by police officers, but when he was found, police could not locate the knife.

Police did not immediately say what charges the man will face. It could not be determined if the man injured himself by jumping in a trash chute and falling to the compactor, or if the compactor went into operation and crushed his legs.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... und_in_trash_compact.html

Didn't get to make it this year. If they have it there again next year any tips from anyone who went on the best spot to view the fireworks and what is the best time to try to work your way to that spot?

Just curious how many people were trained as kids to sleep through noise with out it disturbing their sleep and if you have kids do you do it with them also?

I did the same thing my mom did when we were kids and my daughter can sleep through any normal city sounds with out being disturbed.

I actually remember as a kid not being able to sleep a few nights when I stayed with a relative in the suburbs for a week who tried to make us sleep in complete silence. The thing that saved me after a few sleepless nights was a Mockingbird that would mimic a car alarm in a tree near the window lol.

Quote:
Double check the one you have it probably has it back on. I thought the same thing and stopped checking after the last time they took it off but found out it was back up after someone else told me it was. I use the Scanner Radio App.

It's interesting listening to it because while everyone knows many crimes don't make the JJ it's surprising how many serious crimes you may think are newsworthy that don't get reported on.

Quote:

Everything you need to know about Jersey City's July 4 festival

Updated on July 3, 2017 at 3:51 PM
Posted on July 3, 2017 at 2:08 PM

BY CAITLIN MOTA
The Jersey Journal


JERSEY CITY - Own a car and live near Exchange Place? It's about to get tougher to find a parking space over the next two days.

With the city forced to relocate its annual July 4 Freedom and Fireworks festival on the heels of the state government shutdown, multiple street closures around Exchange Place have been announced beginning Monday afternoon. The closures will remain in effect until at least early Wednesday morning.

The annual all-day event, which features a headlining performance from Kool & The Gang this year, is normally held at Liberty State Park. The park remains closed as part of the state government shutdown after a budget failed to pass by the July 1 deadline.

City officials say more closures are possible depending on the volume of people who attend the festival, which in the past has drawn more than 100,000 people.

Here's a current list of street closures and no parking zones:

Montgomery Street - no parking between Washington Street and Exchange Place beginning at 5 p.m. Monday.

Christopher Columbus Drive - no parking between Washington Street and Exchange Place beginning at 5 p.m. Monday

Greene Street - no parking between Montgomery Street and Second Street beginning at 5 p.m. Monday.

2nd Street - no parking between Hudson Street and the Waterfront. That restriction began Monday at noon and will remain in place until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Hudson Street - no parking between First and Second streets. That restriction began Monday at noon and will remain in place until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

In addition to road closures, Citi Bike has taken its Exchange Place location offline until Wednesday morning.

Parking around Exchange Place is expected to be tight and mass transit may be the best way to reach the festival. Port Authority Police spokesman Joe Pentangelo said additional officers are being added to "address the anticipated increased PATH ridership for the holiday and for the festivities."

PATH is also encouraging users to purchase their fare in advance to avoid overcrowding.

The city has also had to consolidate its live entertainment from two stages to one because of limited space. The main stage is set up directly on Exchange Place.

A beer tent will be located directly outside the PATH station with food vendors lining the streets in the direct area of Montgomery Street. Carnival rides will be located in the parking lot located on the corner of Christopher Columbus Drive and Greene Street.

A finalized map of the festival has not yet been released.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_streets_beginning.html

One of the victims was a 10 year old. Besides these four shot another man was shot three blocks away on Grant and MLK two hours earlier. After the second shooting police found a shot up car on Myrtle and Garfield.

After I found out about the second shooting I listened to my scanner app for a while and it seemed like a real busy night for police. They got alot of shots fired calls around the city but most turned out to be fireworks. There was a woman stabbed and cut on MLK and Fulton. Man climbing a fire escape with a gun on Van Nostrand and another man with a gun call (originally came in as a shots fired) on Van Horne and he fled into Booker T Projects. Robbery and assault on Newark and Kennedy.

Quote:

From what I see the price of tickets are for the comedy shows in Loews Wonder Theater online the tickets aren't unreasonably expensive compared to what I pay to see the same type of show in Newark NJPAC. It's not like the crowd is mostly Downtown types over there either. People tend to be willing to pay more for events they feel are worth it even if they aren't making a ton of money.

Quote:
Alot of the shootings and violence around Berry Lane Park, Lafayette and The Junction is the result of Montgomery Projects being demolished. If many of you remember Montgomery and Booker T Projects were always doing retaliation shootings back and forth against each other. When they displaced the Montgomery residents many moved to Lafayette and nearby areas not far from the projects they grew up and brought old beefs with them to their new neighborhoods.

This happens everytime they knock down a projects. The same thing happened when they tore down Curry Woods and Duncan. You can bet the city will get the same results when they finally decide to do it to Marion or Booker T next.

Quote:

Your wife probably interrupted his usual cigarette break in his air conditioned office before he goes for a ride on his motorcycle lol.

All joking aside when I went to that school as a kid it was considered one of the best if not the best public school in JC. I don't know if that is still true today or not.

Sounds like a place I would check out. I don't get all the complaining, JC needs more night life and not less.

Would like to see JSQ start getting more bars and restaurants as well. That always seemed like good location to me to have its own night scene.

Seems like the Newark Carjacking crews are targeting JC again. I was listening to my scanner app last night and police are looking for two Dodge Caravans one white and one brown connected to the recent jackings. So be careful if you see any Dodge Caravans following your car or you are bumped from behind by one.

Early Morning Carjacked Jersey City Uber Vehicle Swiftly Recovered in Newark

Jun 12 2017 - 5:54am

There were no use of weapons immediately reported in a carjacking that had a vehicle taken away from an Uber Driver early this morning in Jersey City.

According to preliminary reports, police were called to 500 block of Bayview Avenue for a carjacking in progress report before 5 a.m.

The victim told first arriving police officers that two black male suspects took a silver colored Audi Q7 used for Uber transportation shortly before their arrival.

City-wide and neighboring town notifications were made to police departments to be on the look out for the vehicle according to reports.

Shortly before 5:30 a.m. the vehicle was recovered in an undisclosed location in the City of Newark reports said.

There were no immediate reports of physical injuries.

The investigation is active and ongoing.

https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/early ... -swiftly-recovered-newark

Man shot for the 2nd time in 10 days, cops say

Posted on June 14, 2017 at 12:17 PM



BY PATRICK VILLANOVA
The Jersey Journal

A 26-year-old man was shot for the second time in 10 days early Monday morning in Jersey City, authorities say.

The Pavonia Avenue resident was shot in the back and legs just before 1 a.m. on Bramhall Avenue and taken to Jersey City Medical Center for his injuries, which were not considered life-threatening, Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

It was the second time the man was been shot during a 10-day stretch, having sustained a graze wound to his buttocks on June 3 at Bergen and Lexington avenues, Morrill added.

The man was uncooperative with police following both incidents, Morrill said.

It's also at least the third time the man has been wounded in a shooting. After the June 3 incident, Morrill said he had been shot once before.

Monday's shooting also followed Friday night gunfire at Ocean and Woodlawn avenues, which left a 26-year-old man shot in the hand just before midnight, Morrill added.

The victim, a Claremont Avenue resident, fled the scene and was taken to the JCMC by his girlfriend. He was also uncooperative with police, Morrill said.

The investigations into the shootings on Friday night and Monday morning are ongoing, Morrill said.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... incart_river_mobile_index

Jersey City parents livid over early dismissal for 'excessive heat'

Updated on June 13, 2017 at 5:27 PM
Posted on June 13, 2017 at 4:57 PM

BY TERRENCE T. MCDONALD
tmcdonald@jjournal.com
The Jersey Journal

Jersey City Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles is under fire from irate parents who received little notice that the public school district would end school early today because of the scorching heat.

Parents described chaos at the district's schools as parents came to collect their kids only to find out that even school staff did not know about the call for early dismissal. Others who do not work in the area said they had to make frantic calls to neighbors and friends asking them to pick up their children.

Schools let out today at 12:45 p.m., two hours earlier than usual.

Asked to describe the scene at schools today, one parent who asked not to be named said, "Madness, madness, madness." Another, Lilia R. Diaz, a parent of an 11-year-old School 37 student, said the school was "overwhelmed" when parents came to get their children.

Diaz said she was told first to go inside the school, then told to wait outside for students to come. Then she received a call from her daughter saying the students wouldn't be let out unless parents called school staff.

"It was complete and utter chaos," said Diaz.

The mercury reached into the mid-90s today. Schools across New Jersey closed early yesterday and today.

Joel Torres, president of the Jersey City school board, said even he didn't find out about today's early dismissal until just before it happened.

"I found out at 12:44," Torres said. "I bet you I found out the same time as other parents."

Torres said the school board would discuss today's events with district staff at the board's regular caucus.

District spokeswoman Maryann Dickar defended Lyles' decision, saying "the apparent build-up of heat in some schools was stifling" today and the district received reports that even in schools that have air conditioning, the systems were not functioning adequately.

The decision to close schools at 12:45 p.m. was made at noon, according to Dickar. It can take up to 30 minutes for every parent in the district to receive notice, she said.

"District staff worked hard and as quickly as they could to get parents informed," she said. "We know that a change in plan like this is hard on our families and we appreciate their quick response to the situation."

The near-record temperatures are supposed to drop dramatically starting tomorrow.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... incart_river_mobile_index

Hope one day it can be used for comedy shows so I don't have to go to Newark or NYC anymore, I can just stay in JC.

Jersey City Armed Carjacking Under Investigation

Jun 13 2017 - 5:15am

Jersey City Police reportedly recovered a vehicle that was reportedly carjacked in the city overnight.

The early morning carjacking was reported in the area of Linden Avenue and Old Bergen Road where police were called to the scene shortly before 2 a.m. to investigate.

According to reports, several male suspects approached the victim who was occupying a blue Chevy Malibu and took the vehicle.

It is not clear if the suspects used a weapon during the incident. There were no serious injuries reported.

A second reported carjacking that occurred overnight had police in the 200 block of Union Street at around 2 a.m. where two black males approached the victim armed with a gun and stole a red Honda.

There were no physical injuries reported.

Police are investigating.

https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/jerse ... cking-under-investigation

Jersey City Shooting Under Investigation

Jun 12 2017 - 11:06am

Jersey City Police are investigating a possible drive-by shooting that left a male suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Gunfire erupted in the 600 block of Bramhall Avenue shortly before 1 a.m., sending police to the scene where the officers found a male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds according to reports.

The victim was transported to
Jersey City Medical Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition.

According to preliminary reports, a vehicle - only described as an older silver Honda Civic with tints - appears to have been involved.

The motive for the shooting is under investigation.

https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/jerse ... ing-under-investigation-5

4 Jersey City cops suspended, 2 deputy chiefs reassigned over pursuit conduct

Updated on June 12, 2017 at 5:26 PM
Posted on June 12, 2017 at 3:16 PM

BY CAITLIN MOTA
The Jersey Journal


JERSEY CITY - Four Jersey City police officers were suspended without pay and two deputy chiefs reassigned following the high-speed pursuit on June 4 that ended in a fiery crash, critically injuring an innocent bystander.

Mayor Steve Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea said during a City Hall press conference today that the suspensions are related to violations of policies on police pursuits and not to the actions seen in a video of the aftermath of the crash, which show officers kicking the bystander. Those actions are the focus of an investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Offices, Fulop and Shea said today.

"This is the first step for all the officers involved to be held accountable for their actions," said Fulop, reading from a prepared statement.

Fulop and Shea said a preliminary internal investigation provided "multiple indications of our officers and supervisors acting outside of the guidelines and training."

The two local police unions have sharply criticized Fulop for announcing that he wants the officers who are seen on the video terminated and criminally charged. Robert Kearns, president of the Jersey City Police Superior Officers Association, said in a statement the union is "disappointed" in the mayor for not giving the officers "an opportunity for due process."

"We are confident that a thorough investigation will provide a clearer picture of the actions for the officers involved where they are allowed an opportunity to defend the same," Kearns said. "In the meantime, we have contacted our attorney to review the issue and take all appropriate actions. We will continue to discuss the situation with the administration as the investigation progresses and we will aggressively defend our members' rights going forward."

The four officers are Lt. Keith Ludwig, MD Kahn, Erik Kosinski and Francisco Rodriguez. Ludwig, who was promoted from sergeant on May 31, is a 24-year veteran of the department. Ludwig, Shea said today, has "an excellent record." The other three officers are recent additions to the force, joining between 2013 and 2015.

Ludwig was the supervisor responsible for overseeing the entire pursuit, Khan and Kosinski set up an unauthorized roadblock during the pursuit and Rodriguez fired at a moving vehicle, city officials said today. All are violations of state attorney general guidelines on police pursuits.

The three officers are recent additions to the force, joining between 2013 and 2015. Ludwig makes $137,172, Kahn and Kosinski each make $61,000 and Rodriguez makes $46,800, according to payroll records.

The two deputy chiefs being reassigned are Mark Hussey, chief of patrol, and John Corry Short, chief of investigations. Both have been on the force since 1979 and have both been reassigned to city command, which oversees the day-to-day operations of the department in the absence of the chief.

Fulop and Shea said Ludwig can be seen in the video but would not say if he is one of the officers seen kicking the innocent bystander.

The pursuit began just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 4 near Ocean and Cator avenues. Shea said the department's street crimes unit attempted to stop a car driven by Leo Pinkston, 48, because it matched the description of a vehicle wanted for a shooting a few days earlier. Pinkston refused to stop and the pursuit from Greenville ended in a crash on Tonnelle Avenue in the Heights.

Shots were fired at Pinkston's car on Tonnelle Avenue at the Manhattan and Carlton avenue intersections. At least two officers fired their guns, Shea said, confirming the 48-year-old was shot in the leg during the gunfire.

SEE MAP OF PURSUIT HERE

Miguel Feliz, 28, of West New York, was severely burned in the crash and remains hospitalized at the St. Barnabas Burn Center in Livingston. It is Feliz seen being kicked by officers in the video.

In a statement from today, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said her investigation is "ongoing and results are pending."

Last week, Suarez asked for the public not to rush to judgement on the video. Fulop, however, said the suspensions and departmental charges are warranted based on their internal investigation.

"We are basing our decisions today based on actions that we know are in clear violation of the guidelines," the mayor said, adding that infractions of police pursuit policies "are entirely in our jurisdiction."

City officials said about 20 officers were involved in the crash that lasted more than six minutes. Fulop said the actions of all officers involved are being looked at and others may be suspended as more information becomes available.

Journal staff writer Terrence T. McDonald contributed to this report.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y.html#incart_2box_hudson

Jun 9 2017 - 10:29pm

Police have a crime scene set up in the 400 block of Ocean Avenue after a shooting injured one person this evening.

Offcials at the Jersey City Medical Center contact police with a person entered the hospital's emergency department suffering a gunshot injury to the hand before 9:30 p.m.

The victim told police that the shooting happened at the Ocean Avenue address .

The motive for the shooting is under investigation.

https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/jerse ... ing-under-investigation-4

Jun 10 2017 - 5:41am

An armed robbery at gunpoint that occurred overnight in Jersey City has police looking for several suspects.

According to reports, police were called to the area of John F. Kennedy Boulevard at Highland Avenue shortly before 12:30 a.m. after reports of an armed robbery.

The victim was approached by several male suspects who pulled a gun and demanded -then took- cash and other proceeds before running from the scene.

There were no physical injuries reported.

The investigation is active and ongoing.

https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/armed-robbery-reported-jersey-city

Updated on June 12, 2017 at 4:03 PM
Posted on June 12, 2017 at 3:47 PM

BY PATRICK VILLANOVA
The Jersey Journal


Two armed carjackings were carried out less than an hour apart early Monday morning in Jersey City, police say.

In the first incident, police responded to Audubon Avenue at 3:15 a.m. on the report of a robbery and met a 21-year-old man whose 2012 BMW x5 had been stolen by two men with guns, a police report indicates.

The man told police he was parked at the corner of West Side and Audubon avenues when a white Dodge Caravan pulled up behind his vehicle and two men wearing white tank tops and black bandannas over their faces got out, cops say.

The victim told police the men approached the driver's side of his vehicle, opened the door and pulled him out. Both men showed dark-colored Glock handguns with "possible extended magazines," the report states.

After pulling the victim out of his SUV, one of the carjackers went into the man's pocket and stole his wallet. He then took off in the victim's vehicle and fled north on West Side Avenue, as the white van followed behind, police say.

In addition to the vehicle and wallet, the robbers got away with the victim's Samsung Galaxy s8 cellphone, an iPhone 6s Plus, and an iPad Mini. The three items, and the wallet, are estimated to be worth more than $2,300, the report states.

About 45 minutes later police responded to a Bayview Avenue address on the report of an armed robbery. When they arrived, police were met by a 24-year-old woman who had been a passenger in a Lyft vehicle that had just been carjacked, the report states.

The woman told police as she got into the car -- an Audi Q7 -- a man approached the vehicle and demanded that she and the owner get out. The car's driver, a 35-year-old Bronx man, told police that a man got out of a white SUV and demanded that he get out of the vehicle, the report states.

The carjacker was described as being 5-foot-5, wearing a white shirt and gray hoodie. The driver also told police the robber brandished a black handgun and chambered one round into the barrel, according to the report.

Both the white SUV and the stolen Audi fled east on Bayview Avenue and then north on Ocean Avenue, the report states.

The police report also states that the carjackers got away with the woman's LG cellphone, valued at $180.

Neither police report indicated whether the two carjackings are related.

Police say the incidents took place approximately .8 miles apart.

Updated on June 9, 2017 at 1:07 PM
Posted on June 9, 2017 at 11:24 AM

BY TERRENCE T. MCDONALD
tmcdonald@jjournal.com
The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY -- A man who accused Jersey City cops of beating him during a 2011 party on Martin Luther King Drive is set to receive $45,000 to drop his federal lawsuit against the city.

Michael Wheeler was arrested after police officers responded to the event on a report of there being people with handguns nearby. Wheeler, who said he was working security at the party, alleged a group of four officers grabbed him, punched him, kneed him in the gut and hit him with a baton when he wouldn't leave the scene.

The officers said there was physical contact but argued they did not use excessive force.

Wheeler suffered a fractured skull and drifted in and out of consciousness for up to six hours while he was at the hospital following the beating, according to a March 14, 2016 decision by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, who allowed some of Wheeler's claims to move forward and dismissed others. Some of the incident was caught on video that gave "credence to plaintiffs' claims of excessive force," the judge said.

Wheeler and his wife initially filed the lawsuit in December 2012. The matter was set for trial in early May when both parties settled.

The City Council is scheduled to approve the $45,000 settlement on Wednesday.

This week the city's police force faced new accusations of police brutality following a six-mile pursuit Sunday night that ended in a car crash on Tonnelle Avenue.

A video surfaced Tuesday showing police officers kicking a man who had climbed out of a burning car. The man turned out not to be Leo Pinkston, the man police say led them on the chase, but Miguel Feliz, a West New York man whose car Pinkston is accused of crashing into at the end of the pursuit.

Feliz remains hospitalized in stable condition.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... incart_river_mobile_index

Series of bad decisions led to fiery crash, Jersey City mayor says

Updated on June 8, 2017 at 4:33 PM
Posted on June 8, 2017 at 2:04 PM

BY TERRENCE T. MCDONALD
tmcdonald@jjournal.com
The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY -- About two dozen new recruits joined the Jersey City police force today as the department faces intense criticism over a video that shows cops kicking a man prosecutors call an innocent bystander to a police pursuit on Sunday night.

Mayor Steve Fulop, who yesterday stunned even those close to him by announcing he would seek to fire and arrest the officers seen in the video, told reporters today the cops' actions were the culmination of a series of bad decisions. He described the video as "outrageous."

Police "had a six-mile chase throughout Jersey City -- there's protocols on that," Fulop said. "They fired their weapons from their car at another moving vehicle. There are issues with that. There are issues with how they continued the chase after additional information (was released) ... it's one after the other."

This is the first time anyone has said officers fired from inside a car. The county prosecutor has said only that cops fired "multiple shots" at the vehicle they were pursuing.

The mayor spoke today at a hastily organized press conference moments before the 25 recruits were sworn in. He faced reporters on the second floor of City Hall, in front of a desk once used by Frank Hague.

The video at the center of the controversy shows the aftermath of a fiery crash that ended the police chase, which began late Sunday night in Greenville and ended with the crash near the North Bergen border. Authorities say the man seen in the video was not 48-year-old Leo Pinkston, the driver of the car police were pursuing, but an innocent man whose car was struck when Pinskton crashed into a utility pole.

The crash has pitted the administration against its police force, with cops saying they see the officers in the video attempting to extinguish the fire that had engulfed the innocent man. The local police officers union has made similar comments, and is blasting Fulop for saying yesterday that he wants cops criminally charged.

"Mayor Fulop speaks about protocols, but forgets that there are protocols in place to investigate incidents such as this one," Carmine Disbrow, president of the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association, said in a statement. "We stand by our assertion that all matters related to Sunday's events should be thoroughly reviewed, but it is grossly inappropriate for Fulop to cast judgment without knowing all of the facts."

Councilman Rich Boggiano, a retired police detective, echoed the union's thoughts.

"No one -- but no one -- should ever make a statement until they know the facts ... remember Maryland," he said, referring to Baltimore's 2015 decision to prosecute six officers over the death of Freddie Gray (after three acquittals, all the charges against those officers were dropped.)

Fulop dismissed claims that the officers were helping the victim.

"A reasonable person that looks at that video would say that those do not look like helping hands," Fulop said.

The incident is the latest black eye for the Jersey City police force. Last week a now-suspended police lieutenant, Ray Mahan, made his first court appearance on charges he caused a car collision in March while speeding through a red light in a police car he shouldn't have been driving. And the department has for years been the target of a federal investigation into off-duty work that city officials believe will result in multiple arrests.

In his remarks today, Fulop called these cases "isolated" incidents that do not indicate anything troubling about the department or its leadership.

"You could pick isolated cases throughout the year of officers acting irresponsibly," he said. "You're going to have an officer and city employees making mistakes and doing the wrong things ... the police department is making tremendous progress."

The city is seeking to hire its third police chief of Fulop's four-year tenure (the mayor demoted the first and the second retired last week).

Public Safety Director James Shea has been overseas on a vacation and is expected to return tomorrow. Fulop said he has been in contact with Shea multiple times daily about Sunday's incident and the two men decided jointly that the officers involved in kicking the innocent man should be identified, terminated and face criminal charges.

The officers seen in the video have yet to be identified, Fulop said today. There was a mixture of rookies and veterans on the scene Sunday night, the mayor said.

The victim remains hospitalized and is in stable condition, according to prosecutors. A spokesman for Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, who is handling the investigation of Sunday's incident, declined to comment on Fulop's comments today.

Council President Rolando Lavarro told The Jersey Journal today that the video is "atrocious."

"It's terrible," Lavarro said. "I don't want to jump to conclusions here but the video speaks for itself."

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... rash_in_jer.html#comments

Quote:

First couple kicks weren't to stomp out any flames. The first kick you can clearly see force was behind it and was used to put him down. You can see how his body reacts to the first two kicks. Towards the end it does look like after trying to hurt him a few light stomps were used to put out any flames that might of been left before dragging him across the concrete.

I can just imagine how much pain that guy was in to get kicked and dragged after being in a car accident and having his skin burned.

Also heard the reason for the shooting was police set up a road block of the path of the driver during the chase. Something they aren't supposed to do. That is what must have led up to the shooting and not the first explanation that the driver tried to go in between two lanes of traffic. They left out the part they were blocking the road. I guess we are going to have to wait and see what info comes out next and how much truth is behind that.

Quote:

From what I can find online false public alarm can get you 3-5 years.

"2013 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 2C - THE NEW JERSEY CODE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Section 2C:33-3 - False public alarms.

Universal Citation: NJ Rev Stat ? 2C:33-3 (2013)

2C:33-3 False public alarms.

2C:33-3. False Public Alarms. a. Except as provided in subsection b. or c. of this section, a person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he initiates or circulates a report or warning of an impending fire, explosion, bombing, crime, catastrophe or emergency knowing that the report or warning is false or baseless and that it is likely to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transport, or to cause public inconvenience or alarm. A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he knowingly causes such false alarm to be transmitted to or within any organization, official or volunteer, for dealing with emergencies involving danger to life or property."

http://law.justia.com/codes/new-jerse ... title-2c/section-2c-33-3/