Community Corner

State Wrap: Long Branch Boy Killed by NJ Transit Train, Westfield Firefighter Dies After Battle with Cancer

This week's top news from around New Jersey

A 17-year-old Long Branch boy was on Friday night, NJ Transit confirmed. Spokesman Dan Stessel said the boy was lying on the tracks when he was hit by the train, but that it is still to early to identify the incident as a possible suicide. Reports say the victim was declared dead-on-arrival just before midnight, and that the accident occurred at about 11:20 p.m.

The boy was hit by the 9:30 p.m. train traveling southbound out of New York City, according to Stessel. Fifty-five passengers were aboard the train at the time of the accident, and they were all transported by bus to their desired locations. The train was delayed by two hours after the accident and subsequent trains were delayed by one hour.

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Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In a grand opening that turned into a dedication to emergency responders who gave their lives in the line of duty, Blue Line Emergency Lighting opened a Saturday on Route 37 East in Toms River. The store sells everything from uniforms to equipment to custom built vehicles, for emergency responders.

The event was an open house for the community to remember officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, with fellow officers on hand from Lakewood, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, Toms River and elsewhere paying tribute. The region was most recently rocked by the death of , who was fatally shot while on patrol earlier this year.

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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A 60-year-old woman struck by a van on Wednesday in the parking lot across from the Bellevue Theatre in Upper Montclair , according to Montclair Lt. Kenneth Miscia Jr. Although police did not release her identity, a Patch reader called the woman a "longtime Montclair resident and a fantastic woman. She was transitioning into semi-retirement, with her golden years just around the bend. This is so tragic and she will be deeply, deeply missed."

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Westfield Firefighter Danny Maglione, 41, following a 15-month battle with cancer. His was held Friday at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church.

Maglione, who was a Westfield firefighter for over 11 years, was diagnosed in late 2009 with unknown primary cancer, a rare cancer faced by two to four percent of all cancer patients. Maglione, a married father of two daughters, ages 14 and 12, had been waging an aggressive battle, including traveling to Tennessee to seek treatment.

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A policy plan that could serve as a was presented to the public Tuesday.

The presentation was the second public meeting in what Peter Kremer, supervising transportation planner with the consulting firm Parsons Brinkerhoff, described as a “community-based planning process.” The circulation plan, he said, centers around the theme of connecting residents with opportunities through transportation.

Among the plan’s goals are to:

  • Maintain and modernize the county’s transportation system
  • Reduce traffic congestion
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • Protect and enhance the natural and built environment
  • Improve mobility and connections between travel modes
  • Integrate transportation, land use and site design
  • Maintain a high level of safety and security

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Atlantic Health, the parent company that owns Morristown Memorial, in Morristown, and Overlook Hospital, in Summit, on Thursday announced the between Atlantic Health and Newton Memorial Hospital, based in Newton, Sussex County.

“The unification of Atlantic Health and Newton Memorial presents tremendous benefits, first and foremost, to patients in the region,” said Joseph A. Trunfio, CEO of Atlantic Health. “This partnership expands our health care footprint and better positions our hospitals to deliver the highest quality care and services to even more members of the community.”

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Once again, in Hoboken was at the center of Operation Bid Rig on Wednesday afternoon. But this time, rather than and FBI Operative Solomon Dwek, authors Josh Margolin and Ted Sherman took place at the table in the left corner of the diner, right under the surveillance camera. In the same exact spot where Cammarano agreed to take a $25,000 bribe, the authors about their experiences reporting their newly released book, The Jersey Sting.

Sherman and Margolin also held a signing in the Malibu's parking lot, promoting a book that outlines the story of Dwek and the largest sting operation in the state’s history.

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Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-28) said this week that in November—even if he doesn’t know exactly whom he would be representing.

“We do a lot of good work here out of this office at 148 Franklin St.,” said Caputo, referring to his Belleville office.

Caputo, who holds another elected office—vice president of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders—also said he will not seek re-election to the freeholder board in the interest of "fairness."


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