Crime

Somerset County Chief of Detectives John Fodor, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Robertson, Township Manager Robert Vornlocker and schools Superintendent John Ravally at the February 4 town hall meeting about violence, held at Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street campus. A special “crime suppression team” comprised of township and county detectives made nearly three dozen arrests in January, the Somerset County …

Township Councilman Carl Wright speaks about the upcoming town hall to discuss ways to end violence in Franklin. Ways to stem the kind of violence that has recently resulted in shooting deaths in the township will be the topic of a town hall meeting set for 6 p.m. February 4 at Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus, 415 Francis …

Two people were hurt when this ambulance veered out of its lane, hit a parked car and then a house on Hamilton Street. (Photo: FTPD). Police are investigating the circumstances which led an ambulance driver to veer off the road on Hamilton Street January 31, hit a car and then hit a house near Pershing Street. The driver and passenger …

Somerset County Freeholder Director Shanel Robinson speaks during the January 14 press conference on the Bound Brook fire. In the wake of news of an arrest in the massive January 12 Bound Brook fire that destroyed nearly two blocks, the Somerset County Freeholder Director promised the county’s help in the borough’s rebuilding efforts. The fire, which burned for about 4.5 …

Noyola-Narvaez The 20-year-old township woman killed in her car in October may have been mistaken for another person, prosecutors said in announcing the arrest of a suspect on January 8. A 19-year-old Franklin Boulevard man was arrested and charged with 1st Degree Murder in the shooting death of Monserret Noyola-Narvaez, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s …

Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Robertson speaks to the congregation at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens on January 5 regarding gun violence in the township. The Somerset County Prosecutor told a responsive audience at a local church January 5 that local and county law enforcement will not allow the recent spate of gun violence in the township to continue. Prosecutor …

Four township men have been arrested – and a fifth person is being sought – in connection with the New Year’s Eve murder of a 19-year-old and wounding of a 70-year-old Franklin residents and several other shootings in the township. The murder victim, Samaad Frazier, was found by police inside a car parked at the rear of a Churchill Road …

A 19-year-old township man faces a murder charge in connection with the death of Sharif Austin, 21, of New Brunswick, according to a January 2 press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Police say that Austin was shot at the corner of Lee Avenue and Handy Street in New Brunswick at about 11:55 p.m. on December 23. The defendant …

Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that occurred on Barker Road on December 30. There were no injuries in the shooting, just property damage, said Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Det. Frank Roman. “We can confirm that there was a shooting with no injuries, just property damage,” Roman said in an email. “The matter is actively being investigated by …

UPDATE: A Somerset County Grand Jury handed down indictments for the four Rubin family members and their two employees, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said on December 20. The Grand Jury charged David Rubin, Lisa Rubin, Sherylee Rubin, Batsheva Rubin-Rivera, Andre Watts and Dunia Patricia Hernandez with second degree operating an organized retail theft enterprise, second degree receiving stolen property, …