Police & Fire
By RICHARD K. REIN
March 2, 2026
Princeton, NJ – Few people are as closely related to the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad as Mayor Mark Freda. He began volunteering for the squad as a teenager in July of 1975. In 2018 he was appointed to the paid post of president. That’s been Freda’s “day job” ever since, including the ...
Princeton, NJ – “Purloined Purse” is a cheap headline for our editor, but it’s an expensive loss for the victim, and we’ll begin our weekly police blotter report with this item:On February 18, police investigated a reported theft that occurred at a Princeton undergraduate eating club on Washington ...
Princeton, NJ — At the Monday, February 23, Council meeting, Princeton Police issued a polite warning to the town’s snow-shovel scofflaws. Clear the snow off your property’s sidewalk, or be prepared for a little ‘enforcement’.Princeton’s town ordinance decrees that snow be cleared within 24 hours ...
Princeton, NJ — Missing: one feathery red gown, one sequined party dress, one mineral wash denim miniskirt, and two moto jackets. All five items, which had been purchased from the fast-fashion retailer, Fashion Nova, were stolen from a Herrontown Road apartment lobby, according to the latest police ...
Princeton, NJ – Back in July, 2021, when Luis Martinez-Balbuena was introduced as one of three new officers on the Princeton police force, the department’s Facebook page asked the community to “please help us welcome them and wish them a safe and memorable career in law enforcement.”In recent days ...
Princeton, NJ – At Council’s meeting on Monday, February 9, Princeton officials responded to several residents who were disappointed by the town’s decision to eliminate Carnegie Lake as a site for town-authorized ice skating. Among the officials' concerns – that Carnegie Lake would be a difficult ...
Princeton, NJ — Twenty snow-related crashes. Seven struck curbs. Six drivers plowing into road signs and trees. January was a busy month for the Princeton Police Department as vehicles of all types slipped, slid, and fishtailed on icy roads.In our 15th monthly traffic report below, we summarize the ...
Princeton, NJ — We have had several reports recently of companies and institutions, including the public school district, sending off checks to vendors only to discover later that the check never made it to the intended party and instead was spirited away into the financial netherworld, with the ...
Princeton, NJ — At the Council meeting on Tuesday, January 27, Police Chief Matthew Solovay presented the December, 2025, police monthly report. This document collates all police departmental activity, including detailed information about motor vehicle crashes.Solovay noted that the report captures ...
Princeton, NJ — Princeton Police are investigating a reported shoplifting incident on Palmer Square West involving the theft of an $11,000 leather jacket. Police said the suspects may have been wearing wigs.On January 15 at 9:59 p.m., staff at an unnamed business on Palmer Square West told the ...
Princeton, NJ – Last week, in recapping news of an ICE operation that apprehended two Princeton residents, TAPinto Princeton referred to a January 11 Princeton rally in response to “the fatal shooting of Renee Good, an American citizen protesting the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ...
We used to live in Princeton and try to keep up with news. Your article today in TAPinto Princeton Community News contains some inaccuracies and bias that prompt me to write.Renee Good was not just protesting. She drove her car into a federal officer (who was injured and suffered internal bleeding) ...
Editor's note: When ICE came to Princeton on Thursday, January 15, rumors quickly spread that immigration enforcement activities were taking place at various public schools. During the course of the day, both the superintendent of schools, Mike LaSusa, and the high school principal, Cecelia Birge, ...
Princeton, NJ – Princeton residents turned out in force on Stockton Street on Sunday, January 11, to protest the fatal shooting of Renee Good, an American citizen protesting the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. Indivisible Princeton hosted the rally, organized ...
Princeton, NJ — Is the rising price of copper providing inspiration for the thieves who targeted Rosedale Road twice in the last two weeks? The latest police blotter issued by the Princeton Police Department on January 13 raises questions.On January 1, a technician discovered cut wires and missing ...
Princeton, NJ — December was a rough month for pedestrians. Two were struck by cars in crosswalks, and another was hit while crossing a street mid-block. In all three cases, the crash happened after dark, raising questions about the degree to which street lighting and pedestrian visibility play a ...
Princeton, NJ – At its last full meeting of 2025, Princeton Council unanimously approved the promotions of three Princeton Police officers:Sergeant Daniel Federico to the rank of lieutenant.Corporal Michael Schubert to the rank of sergeant.Detective Ashley Levins to the rank of corporal.From the ...
As a follow-up to recent coverage published in TAPinto Princeton, an experience I had in Princeton underscores the dangers associated with unlit mid-block crosswalks. While driving north on Nassau Street one evening recently, I suddenly encountered a group of pedestrians crossing the street at an ...
Princeton, NJ – A fire that broke out late Tuesday evening, January 6, in a fourth floor apartment at 25 Spring Street was quickly extinguished, resulting in no injuries but leaving the apartment unit and several neighboring units temporarily uninhabitable due to water damage.The five-story ...
Princeton, NJ – Some amateur sleuths in our readership might have taken note of this item that appeared in TAPinto Princeton’s December 30 police blotter report:$178K in Accounts Payable, $178K Lost. On December 19 at 8:03 a.m. patrols responded to an office on Valley Road for a report of a theft ...
As a downtown resident and pedestrian, I'm concerned that either I, or bike riders, don't know the rules of the road. When I cross with the light, I expect road traffic to stop when they have a red light. Motor vehicle drivers know this but many bike riders do not. They mostly ride in the street ...
Princeton, NJ -- This e-mail is in response to Richard K. Rein’s first-person account of a new-miss with a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Clearly you were shaken by what could have been a very sad encounter. It's good to know no real damage was done and it is brave of you to 'think out loud' about it ...
Princeton, NJ — I happened to see TAPinto Princeton’s recent article on pedestrians and cars. I have a comment on bikes and cars. I’m in a quandary because I bike a lot in Princeton. I don’t even own a car. I foolishly thought I’m relatively safe if I bike defensively. Now I’m not so sure. You can ...
Princeton, NJ — The serious injury of a pedestrian, struck by a car while crossing Nassau Street in a marked crossing on December 12, is a painful reminder of how dangerous our roads can be. Our hearts go out to the injured person and to all affected by this devastating crash, but sympathy alone is ...
Princeton, NJ – Santa couldn’t have arranged a better gift for would-be thieves than the 2023 white Range Rover, complete with ignition key inside, parked unlocked in the driveway of a Prospect Avenue residence. Police report that exterior residence surveillance footage revealed the theft of the ...
Princeton, NJ – We have had plenty of storms worse than the one that visited Princeton, central New Jersey, and the northeast region Friday and Saturday, December 26 and 27. And we have had many storms that left a scenic blanket of white in their wake. A storm that came through town in January of ...
Princeton, NJ — If you can’t trust Bitcoin, who can you trust? On December 10 a resident reported to Princeton Police that she had been victim of an online financial scam. The resident received an email on her phone from an unknown individual claiming to be an Apple representative. The e-mail ...
Princeton, NJ – The crosswalk in the middle of the block on Nassau Street between Washington Road/Vandeventer Avenue and Moore Street is an important pedestrian passageway that is high on the town’s list of crosswalks to be made more visible to motorists and even safer for those using it.In June, ...
Princeton, NJ – Police were watching but motorists apparently were careful over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The result: No arrests for driving while intoxicated in Princeton. For the Princeton Police, who noted in late November that DWI arrests for the year had already surpassed the ...
Princeton, NJ — In November, a pedestrian was struck in a crosswalk by a driver who told police he had not seen her because it was dark, and she was dressed in black. This report marks the 18th case of a crosswalk crash this year. Meanwhile, an electric scooter rider struck a car last month, making ...