New Jersey fugitive found dead after police standoff

Here are the most important news from New Jersey for Monday, July 8

⚫ Fourth of July fireworks cause massive wildfire in 4,000-acre Wharton State Forest in New Jersey

TABERNACLE – A fire in South Jersey that has destroyed thousands of acres of state forest is now 75% contained, according to the latest officials.

Investigators now believe that New Jersey’s largest wildfire of the year so far was sparked by someone setting off fireworks in Wharton State Forest on the evening of July 4, officials said Sunday afternoon.

The state fire agency first discovered the fire in Wharton State Forest around 9 a.m. Friday morning. It broke out near the Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill.

The Tea Time Hill forest fire had destroyed over 4,000 hectares of forest and scrub by Sunday morning, despite the best efforts of the fire service. However, it has not spread since Saturday night.

⚫ Man wanted for murder dead after 7-hour standoff in Toms River, NJ

TOMS RIVER – A man is dead and a woman is charged with hindering a fugitive after a standoff with police Friday, prosecutors said.

Maxwell Johnston, 35, of Manchester shot himself in a Toms River home after the standoff lasted nearly seven hours, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

Authorities said Johnston was wanted in the June 27 murder of 25-year-old Gabriella Caroleo of Seaside Heights in Manchester.

Five people, including Johnston and Elizabeth Mascarelli, 29, of Seaside Heights, were in the apartment, Billhimer said. Johnston had a gun.

Hours later, Mascarelli left the house and was hospitalized for injuries she sustained during the standoff. Officials did not release how she was injured or provide any other details.

⚫New Jersey man charged with sexually assaulting 2 boys in church bathroom

NORTH PLAINFIELD – Authorities say a member of a local church has been charged with following young boys into the bathroom to touch them.

Pierre Joseph, 68, of Plainfield, was arrested last month, the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

He is charged with two counts each of second-degree sexual assault and third-degree child endangerment.

⚫NJ has the sixth-highest stillbirth rate in the U.S., recent data shows

It is an alarming statistic.

According to the 2021 New Jersey State Health Assessment Data Report, New Jersey has the sixth-highest stillbirth rate in the U.S., higher than the national average. According to the latest data, about 636 babies died later in pregnancy or during childbirth in 2021.

A stillbirth is the death of a baby in the womb at any time after 20 weeks of pregnancy, says Ann Mruk, director of professional development and training at the Central Jersey Family Health Consortium.

Despite many advances in obstetric care, stillbirths can still occur. Unfortunately, it is not clear why the stillbirth rate is still so high, especially in New Jersey, she said.

That’s why the state-funded New Jersey Stillbirth Campaign was launched in October 2023 – to raise awareness, as many people do not know about these factors or the risk factors that increase the risk of stillbirth.

⚫Authorities: Burglars get off lightly in New Jersey

According to politicians and authorities in New Jersey, there is currently no immediate threat that would prevent someone from breaking into your home.

A bipartisan bill currently before the New Jersey state legislature would increase penalties for burglary in certain cases, including jail time – even if the offender is a minor.

“The main point we’re trying to get across here is that if you commit these crimes, you deserve to serve a prison sentence,” Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) told New Jersey 101.5.

Bucco is one of the main sponsors of the bill, which was passed by the entire Senate at the end of June. It creates two new criminal offenses in addition to the standard burglary offense.

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