A multi-vehicle pileup injured five people and disrupted traffic along the New Jersey Turnpike Friday evening, emergency officials confirmed.
The accident occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. along the northbound side of the Turnpike just south of Interchange 7A (Interstate 195). Officials said five cars, a dump truck and a box truck were involved.

State police were forced to close all three northbound lanes while emergency personnel from Robbinsville and Hightstowns Paramedics and EMT's attended to the injured. Northbound traffic quickly backed up, but was able to crawl past the crash scene by using the left shoulder as a lane.
Officials said five patients, all suffering from minor injuries, were transported by ambulance to area hospitals.The cause of the crash remains under investigation by state police.

A botched robbery early this morning left a 25-year-old man dead

A botched robbery early this morning left a 25-year-old man dead in Newark's Ironbound section, authorities said.

The victim, Delvisson F. Campos, 25, of Newark, was shot once in the chest and once in the chin at about 3:20 a.m., near 270 Ferry St., authorities said. A man he was walking with escaped unharmed, said Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Paul Loriquet.

"Two individuals were walking down the street when they were approached by two perpetrators," Loriquet said. "Detectives believe it was a robbery attempt."

Campos was treated by New Jersey Paramedics then transported to University Hospital in Newark where he was pronounced dead at 3:52 a.m. said Newark Police Detective Todd McClendon.

No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing, Loriquet said.

Authorities have asked that anyone has any information about the shooting, please call Lt. Lou Carrega with the Essex County Prosecutor's Homicide Squad at 973-621-4586.

Two people were killed today during a shootout in Newark's

Two people were killed today during a shootout in Newark's South Ward, police said.

The victims, both male, were struck while shooting at one another on Hawthorn Avenue, near Huntington Terrace, sometime after 2 p.m., police said.

One victim was pronounced dead at the sceneby NJ Paramedics; the other was treated by EMT's and Paramedics then taken to Newark's University Hospital, where he died at about 2:40 p.m., police said.

Neighbors reported hearing multiple shots, fired in quick succession.

The Plainsboro Volunteer Fire Company(WEB PAGE)will be scooping out 31-cent ice cream cones during a fundraiser Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Baskin-Robbins store in Plainsboro Plaza, 10 Schalks Crossing Road.

Township firefighters will be on hand not only to dish out the ice cream but also to provide fire prevention information while raising money for a nationwide push to support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

All scoops will sell for 31 cents but "tips" are encouraged and will be donated to the foundation, which preserves the memories of firefighters who died in the line of duty, assists their families and provides safety training to firefighters nationwide.

man stabbed a woman today in a shopping mall parking lotAuthorities say a man stabbed a woman today in a shopping mall parking lot in Mercer County before turning the knife on himself.

It's not clear what sparked the violence outside the MarketFair mall in West Windsor.

Authorities say the man stabbed the woman shortly after they arrived there around 4 p.m. The woman then went inside, seeking shelter in a bookstore.

Police say the man then stabbed himself in the neck and fell out of his car while it was moving through the parking lot.

Both were treated by New Jersey Paramedics and EMT's then taken to Capital Health System's Fuld campus in Trenton, where the man was pronounced dead a short time later. The woman was reported to be in serious condition.

Their names were not immediately released.

Boy riding a miniature ATV was killed
A 6-year-old Franklin Township boy riding a miniature ATV was killed Saturday as he attempted to cross Skillmans Lane and was hit by a Jeep, police said today. The child was thrown off the small, black Honda ATV and then struck by a van, police said.

He landed in a field about seven to 10 feet from the roadway, according to police. He was C-collared backboarded, secured with straps and a headbed to prevent movement by the ambulance personnel at the scene.The boy was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital by paramedics and emt's, where he was pronounced dead.

The Jeep was driven by a 36-year-old Hillsborough man, while the van was operated by a 54-year-old North Brunswick man.

The accident occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday, on Skillmans Lane, east of South Middlebush Road.

Vineland man killed, four others injured and charged with DWIA Vineland motorcyclist was killed and three of his companions injured Friday night, just prior to midnight, when all four struck the back of another vehicle, near the intersection of Landis Avenue and Cimino Boulevard.

The three surviving cyclists and the vehicle driver all have been charged with driving while intoxicated.

Sgt. Stephen Jones, of the New Jersey State Police public information office, said it still is not known how the accident happened.

"All four cyclists and the car were traveling in the same direction and he did not turn in front of them," Jones said.

All four men were thrown from their bikes. Torrey Johnson, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene by NJ Paramedics.

His companions, Michael Woolston, 45, of Millville; Steven Brizak, 27, of Vineland and Dennis Arendarezyk, 42, of Millville, treated by AtlantiCare Paramedics on scene then taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Mainland campus, with non-life-threatening injuries, which included two minor injuries of an unspecified nature and one broken leg.

The driver of the vehicle which was struck, Willie Collier Jr., 34, of Bridgeton, also was taken to Atlantic Care. He was released early Saturday morning,

Jones said the investigation into how the accident occurred is continuing.

Man beaten by robbersA 51-year-old man suffered several contusions and abrasions at the hands of two robbers near Casper Alley on Friday.

As the men beat the city resident, they demanded money and reached inside his pockets at about 6:25 a.m. Detectives said the injured victim was treated by New Jersey EMT's then rushed to Capital Health System at Fuld hospital.

The robbers were described as two black men in their 20s, according to police.

Detective Scott Peterson is investigating the robbery and can be reached at (609) 989-4074. Anyone with information may also contact the police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663

A 16-year-old Elizabeth High School student was stabbed Wednesday during a fight outside the school.
Police responded around 4:15 p.m. after officers supervising dismissal noticed a group of about 200 students walking along Pearl Street near Bridge Street. At the center of the group were about a dozen teens who appeared to be fighting, said Elizabeth police Lt. Daniel Saulnier.

During the melee, a 16-year-old student who was not involved in the fight was stabbed in the shoulder, Saulnier said. He was treated by NJ EMTs and taken to Trinitas Hospital, where he received stitches and released.

After breaking up the fight, police arrested two students, both 17, for failing to disperse. One of the students was also charged with resisting arrest, Saulnier said.

Police did not find a knife at the scene and believe the assailant escaped through the crowd. The after-school fight was apparently the continuance of a dispute earlier in the school day, though police are not positive that all the participants were actually Elizabeth High students, Saulnier said.

Police are investigating the stabbing and working with Elizabeth school officials to identify the assailants, Saulnier said.

Irvington cop injured by gunfire kills robbery suspect

An Irvington police detective who happened upon an armed robbery at a township bodega this afternoon shot and killed the suspect after the man shot the officer in the arm, authorities said.

The incident began shortly after 5 p.m., when Detective Roman Melenka, an internal affairs investigator just three months from retirement, walked into P&P Tobacco and Grocery at the corner of Union and Nye avenues and discovered a robbery in progress, Police Chief Michael Chase said.

The robber fired at Melenka, who was in plainclothes but wearing a badge, hitting the officer in the upper left arm, Chase said. Melenka then fired once at the suspect with his department-issued service revolver, wrestled him to the ground, took his weapon and handcuffed him, Chase said.

Melenka was transported to University Hospital by Paramedics in Newark. His condition was not immediately known, but Chase said the injuries were not life-threatening. The suspect, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chase said a third person fled the store immediately after the shoot-out and is being considered a suspect.

The shooting took place at this shop at the corner of Union and Nye avenues.

Melenka, who is in his 25th year of service with the Irvington police department is being described as a "hero" by the chief.

Nearly 40 million U.S. adults are classified as obese.

Of these, it is estimated that four million are severely obese and 1.5 million are morbidly obese.

A number of medical conditions have been associated with obesity – osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease – to name a few. The annual health care costs for obesity-related diseases now represent some 5.5% of total healthcare expenditures in the U.S.

Because of their tremendous size, transporting such patients has become problematic. 1 in 80 men and 1 in 200 women weigh more than 300 pounds.

Many facilities find standard equipment ill-suited to address the transportation requirements of these patients. Prior to the advent of more accommodating equipment, moving a morbidly obese patient might require upwards of six men. On occasion EMTs would get hurt. Given such a need, it’s hardly surprising to see enterprising companies bringing novel solutions to market.

Stryker (SYK) has developed the MX-PRO Bariatric Transport to “move bariatric patients with dignity”. The design features a wide patient surface and wheel base to provide stability during transport. The gurney can accommodate up to 1600 pounds.

In order to get a patient of this size into the ambulance, TranSafe has developed a Ramp System that can load gurneys without lifting, pulling or pushing (using a winch that attaches to the cot).

According to the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, sales of stretchers designed for bariatric patients are expected to grow to $50 million by 2012, nearly double sales in 2004. Sales of specialized lift systems are projected to rise to $193 million.

Ambulances too require expensive modifications. A gurney typically connects to a wall mount, but for obese patients, this has proved impractical. New vehicles can be ordered with floor fasteners so that a cot can ride in the center of an ambulance. Modified suspension and loading systems are also growing more commonplace.

In the hospital setting, reinforced wheelchairs, larger waiting room seats and rolls of a special plastic material that can be placed under a patient to help slide him or her from one cot to a hospital bed, are increasingly being viewed as standard equipment.