A 40-year-old township resident faces more than 30 years in jail following his Jan. 2 conviction on sex crime charges. Thomas Canales was found guilty of seven criminal counts, including three counts of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault, three counts of 3rd Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and one count of 4th Degree sexual contact, according to a press …

A 35-year-old township man was sentenced to 60 years in state prison Dec. 21 for the murder of a Perth Amboy man on Valentine’s Day in 2015. Jahmmel Cephas was sentenced in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Colleen Flynn to 50 years in state prison for aggravated manslaughter, plus 10 years in prison for begin a certain person prohibited …

Two Churchill Avenue families and a family dog were sickened Dec. 15 when the boiler in the basement of their home malfunctioned and emitted carbon monoxide, police said. Police were alerted at about 11:42 a.m. by staff from an area hospital, in which the staff requested a welfare check on residents at the home, according to a press release from …

Franklin High School officials have once again found a fake gun in a student’s possession. At about 1:30 p.m. Dec. 14, an “alert teacher” at the high school saw a 14-year-old male student put what she believed to be a handgun in his backpack, according to a press release from the Franklin Township Police Department. The teacher contacted security and …

A 25-year-old Franklin Park man faces multiple charges – including six for attempted murder – following his alleged participation in what police said was a “three-month crime spree” that resulted in one death. Anthony “Smoke” Pinson was among seven members of what authorities called a “major gang” that committed robberies and murder in Middlesex and Camden counties, according to a …

Nov. 27 A package containing a Sony Playstation 4 valued at $199 was stolen from a Minebrook Lane home’s porch. Two packages containing $170 worth of Old Navy clothing was stolen from the porch of a Holland Drive home. Nov. 28 A door frame on a Kingsberry Drive home was reported damaged. A Christmas wreath valued at $50 was stolen …

Township police are looking into why a 15-year-old Franklin High School student took a fake gun to school on Dec. 5. The gun fell out of the student’s backpack in-between classes, at about 9:30 a.m., prompting school security to call for a school lockdown, according to a press release from the FTPD. The lockdown lasted only about five minutes, police …

A Dec. 1 fight among Franklin Middle School students ended with one of the combatants being temporarily placed in custody by the Franklin Township Police Department. Police released few details because the incident involved juveniles. But FTPD spokesman Lt. Phil Rizzo did provide an emailed statement. “Our School Resource Officer and School Security were alerted to a fight at the …

Some of the computers stolen from two district schools since the start of the 2017-18 school year have been recovered. the township’s top school administrator said on Nov. 30. Although some of the electronic devices stolen from Hillcrest and Conerly Road schools were found, no arrests have been made as yet, a Franklin Township Police Department spokesman said. Thieves broke …

Update: Police said the incident was not a threat, simply a parent who was not familiar with the school’s pick-up procedures trying to get their children. No children were threatened. Original Story: Police are investigating an incident involving children that occurred Nov. 27 at Pine Grove Manor School, according to district officials. According to a statement released on the school …