Crime News

An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen from Chase Bank on Route 27 in Franklin Park on August 22 by a man who escaped on a motorcycle, authorities said. Township police were notified about the robbery at about 2:08 p.m., according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. WItnesses said a man entered the bank and demanded …

A 39-year-old Douglasville, Georgia man faces charges of attempted murder and kidnapping after an August 21 incident at a township hotel, in which he allegedly held a woman and her two children at gunpoint before shooting her when she tried to escape. Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a shooting at the unnamed Worlds Fair Drive hotel at about 1:25 …

A 32-year-old Somerset man remains in the Somerset County Jail, Somerville, on several charges, including attempted murder. The man was charged July 27 after allegedly trying to stab a man on Easton Avenue. Police said the incident began in the evening of July 22 when the two men were involved in an altercation at an unnamed Easton Avenue gas station. …

Police investigate a late-night accident on Easton Avenue that left an 18-year-old township resident dead. A 19-year-old township man was killed July 20 when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a Toyota Camry on Easton Avenue, in front of the Harrison Somerset apartment building. Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting the accident at about 8:59 p.m., according to a …

ShopRite employees return to the store July 20 after having been evacuated for a bomb threat. Police are investigating a bomb threat that was called in to the ShopRite on Elizabeth Avenue the afternoon of July 20. The Franklin Township Police Department was notified of the bomb threat by a ShopRite employee at about 12:56 p.m., according to a press …

Update 2: An arrest in the assault has been made. Police on August 10 charged a 38-year-old Raritan man with this assault, as well as an assault in Bridgewater. The man was arrested on Aug. 4 after he was allegedly caught masturbating in front of children near a bridge in Raritan Borough. Police said they found a bicycle matching a …

Tayyab A. Ware of Augusta, Ga. and Todd Smith of Edison, left to right, were sentenced May 10 for the murder of a Franklin Park resident. (Photos: Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.) Two men were sentenced to state prison on May 10 for their role in the 2020 murder of a township man. Tayyab A. Ware, 31, of Augusta, Ga. was …

Left to right, Romero, Gnecco, Volz, and Allen. (Photos: Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office). Four township residents were sentenced to a combined 67 years in prison for their roles in the sexual assault of one of their 7-year-old children, authorities said on May 6. The four – Marina/Matthew Volz, 32; Ashley/Adam Romero, 28; Sean Allen, 54, and Dulcinea Gnecco, 21 pled …

A Cedar Grove Lane homeowner was injured and an undisclosed amount of cash stolen early in the morning of April 30 after a home invasion by three armed men, police said. Township police received a 9-1-1 call at about 12:34 a.m. April 30 from the homeowner, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. The homeowner told …

Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather speaks to the Township Council about township crime statistics at the April 12 meeting. The overall incidence of major crimes decreased by about 12 percent from 2020 to 2021, although there were small increases in some categories, according to statistics compiled by the Franklin Township Police Department. The total number of major crimes dropped from …