Woman Struck, Killed by NJ Transit Train in Short Hills

Spokesperson: Engineer sounded horn, used emergency brake, but woman "made no attempt to move."

The investigation continues into the death of a woman struck and killed by a passing NJ Transit train near the Short Hills train station Saturday night, according to NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder. The woman, who was not identified, was struck by a Dover-bound train near the Forest Drive crossing just west of the Short Hills train station at about 10 p.m., Snyder said. The engineer reportedly sounded the train's horn and used the emergency brake, but the woman "made no attempt to move," officials said. There were no injuries reported among the 325 passengers and crew on the train and no delays in service.

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Authorities Investigate The Drowning Deaths Of Two Brothers, Ages 3 and 5

The bodies of the two young brothers were found on the bottom of a neighbor's swimming pool in Union.

The Union County Homicide Task Force continues to investigate the drowning death of two siblings that occurred on Thursday evening, Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said. According to a press release from the Union County Prosecutor's Office, Union police were called to the 200-block of Parkside Drive in Union at about 6:45 p.m. on Thursday on a report of missing children. After a canvass of the area, the two boys, Kendell Francois, 3, and Kenley Francois, 5, were discovered in a swimming pool in an adjacent back yard, Romankow said. "It appears, based on the initial investigation, that the boys climbed over a 4-foot high fence and entered the pool, according to the press release. They were transported to a local hospital where they were …

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Man Killed on Millburn Train Tracks

Fatality stalls NJ Transit trains for 30 to 60 minutes.

A man died after being struck by a NJ Transit train at the Millburn station around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, authorities have confirmed. According to witnesses, the man was apparently on the tracks when a train struck him. NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett said the train that struck the man was not carrying passengers and was on its way to New York's Penn Station. The incident caused delays up to an hour during the evening commute on the Morris/Essex line and also closed the station to one track. Bassett Hackett said they had not yet identified the man and that NJ Transit police were investigating the death. She said only the state Medical Examiner could determine if it was a suicide or accident. Eyewitnesses said the train …

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Man Killed in Motorcycle Accident on Route 24

Union City man dies after being thrown off his Harley-Davidson on the state road.

A man riding a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle was killed Thursday on State Road 24 eastbound near Hobart Avenue when he lost control of the motorcycle and was thrown off, sustaining severe head injuries. Edwin Serrano of Union City was traveling eastbound on 24 around 4 p.m. when he came upon traffic congestion, was unable to brake, skidded and the Harley flipped over, throwing him off, said State Police Captain Frank Davis. The report does not specify whether Serrano was wearing a helmet, Davis said. The accident closed the center and left lanes of Route 24 eastbound during the evening rush hour commute.

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Woman Charged for 2009 Drug Induced Death of Springfield Teen

Union County officials say Martinsville woman sold Springfield resident fatal dose of heroin.

Last week, the Union County Homicide Task Force charged and arrested a 20-year-old Martinsville, NJ woman with the 2009 death of a Springfield teen. County officials say Megan Plank sold heroin to 18-year-old Springfield resident Sara Malaker on Nov, 12, 2009. Malaker's mother found Sara and Bridgewater resident Christopher Coppola dead at her Springfield home the next day. The Union County Medical Examiner determined both died from acute heroin intoxication. According to an online tribute set up in her memory, Malaker was born in 1991. She is listed in this MyCentralJersey.com article as having graduated from Jonathan Dayton High School in June of 2009. On her MySpace page she displayed an interest in fashion and beauty, particularly hair…

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Arraignment in Summit Beating Death Set for Friday Morning

Khayri Williams-Clark, 18, of Summit, is charged with manslaughter in the death of Abelino Mazaniego.

Khayri Williams-Clark, 18, of Summit, who is charged with manslaughter in the death of Abelino Mazaniego, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday. Williams-Clark will be arraigned on manslaughter charges at Union County Superior Court in Elizabeth at 10 a.m, before Judge Joan Robinson Gross.  Williams-Clark was charged by police Wednesday along with a 17-year-old minor in connection with the death of 47-year-old Summit resident Abelino Mazaniego, who worked as a dishwasher and cook's assistant at Dabbawalla, an Indian restaurant on Springfield Avenue, for a little over three years. According to Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow, Mazaniego was on a bench in the promenade off of Springfield Avenue on July 17 around 9:…

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Child Dies in Springfield Pool Accident

Union County officials say death was accident.

A 21-month old boy was pronounced dead at Overlook hospital in Summit after drowning in a pool in a Springfield home. Union County officials are calling the death accidental. Union County officials say the child was found in the pool early on the afternoon of Saturday, July 10. The boy was pronounced dead at Overlook at 2:17 p.m. Officials have not revealed the name of the child. The Union County Prosecutor's office is investigating the accident, which is the standard procedure for these incidents. 

Township Officials And Civic Leaders Mourn Charles Wagner

The former Springfield Lions Club President died on Tuesday, April 13

On Tuesday, April 13, Springfield lost an important member of its community. Former  Lions club president and longtime member of the township's planning board and Environmental Commission Charles Wagner died, leaving his friends, neighbors and colleagues uncertain of how to move forward in his absence. Township Committee member Hugh Keffer said that as an engineer with an expertise in sustainable energy sources, Wagner's professional expertise was invaluable to Springfield. Keffer, a neighbor and friend of Wagner's, recently worked closely with him on efforts to install solar panels on municipal buildings and exploring the implementation of a waste to energy facility at the quarry. "I don't want to take the next step without Charlie beside…

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Suspect in Union Deli Killing Turns Himself In

The owner of the Three Stooges Supermarket was found dead on Nov. 30. Suspect Daivon Brinson turned himself in Dec. 10.

The suspect in the killing of a deli owner on Springfield Avenue in Union turned himself in Elizabeth on Tuesday, Dec. 10, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Daivon Brinson, 20, of Newark, was charged with murder, robbery and weapons offenses. After being arrested, he was taken by police to a hospital to be treated for injuries possibly sustained during the fatal struggle. Brinson is now being held in Union County Jail on $750,000 bail.  On November 30, a customer found the body of deli owner Mohinder Singh at 2 p.m. at the Three Stooges Supermarket deli in the 2100 block of Springfield Avenue in Union.  The shop is on a route heavily traveled by area residents heading to the nearby Target, Whole Foods and Home Depot. The …

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Police Identify Suspect in Three Stooges Deli Killing in Union

Police are looking for Daivon Brinson, who has been identified as the suspect in the Nov. 30 killing of a Union Deli owner.

Union police say they are now looking for a man named Daivon Brinson as a suspect in a homicide on Springfield Avenue in Union last week. Brinson is a 20-year-old resident of Newark, NJ. A customer found the body of deli owner Mohinder Singh at 2 p.m. on Nov. 30 at the Three Stooges Supermarket deli in the 2100 block of Springfield Avenue in Union.  Union police did not release the cause of death but did report that the suspect left a trail of blood and exited through the back door. Union County assistant prosecutor Al Cernadas stated at an on-site news conference on November 30, that the crime appeared to have resulted from a robbery or argument. Union police found a weapon at the scene but have not yet released the cause of death. On Dec…

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