Police & Fire Top Stories
By JENNIFER DERICKS
January 23, 2025
SPARTA, NJ – A fire in detached garage or barn at 95 West Mountain Road is thought to have been started by an “improperly functioning flue” of wood burning stove, according to police,though the origin of the fire is being ruled “undetermined.One person was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene ...
SPARTA, NJ – One person has been injured in a structure fire including a barn/detached garage at 95 West Mountain Road. The Sparta Township Fire Department and emergency responders are on the scene as of 7:30 p.m.The injured person was being treated for smoke inhalation by the Sparta EMS personnel, ...
SPARTA, NJ - A Lafayette man was held in the Morris County Correctional Facility after getting stopped by Sparta Police Officers. On January 11 around 3:23 p.m. Sparta Police received information about Felix Alvarado, 60 driving erratically in the area of Sparta Junction, police said.Alvarado ...
SPARTA, NJ – An Ogdensburg woman is facing drunk driving and other charges after rolling her car on Main Street near West Mountain Road. Sparta police officers responded to the scene to find Melissa Pellegrino, 34 in her car that was resting on its right side, having hit a utility pole that was ...
SPARTA, NJ – Two young children, approximately 2-years-old, were found by a concerned citizen walking down Winona Parkway near White Deer Plaza wearing “minimal clothing” on January 10 around 11:32 a.m. The citizen called 911 and Sparta Police Officers responded together with the Sparta EMS, ...
SPARTA, NJ – Another home was broken into and burglarized on December 27. The incident is similar to three break ins that happened around the Thanksgiving holiday. This time the thief or thieves accessed another home on Morgan Drive through a second story window, according to police.“A ladder was ...
SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ – Two Sussex County New Jersey State Troopers were named 2024 Trooper of the Year, according to Col. Patrick Callahan. Sgt Marc Nietubyc and Sgt. Roy Rohel Jr. were honored for “their exceptional commitment and professionalism during a. well-being check incident involving an ...
HAMPTON, NJ – State Highway 94 is closed in the area of Carriage Estates at the Lafayette and Hampton Township border because of a structure fire, according to the Sussex County Sheriff’s office.Motorists are asked to find an alternate route through the area.
SPARTA, NJ – Sparta police are continuing to investigate a series of burglaries that happened over the Thanksgiving holiday. Three homes were broken into during a “similar timeframe,” according to police and a fourth with “the same Modis Operandi” took place one month prior."The Detective Bureau ...
SPARTA, NJ – The Sparta Police Department have revamped their emergency radio infrastructure, Chief Jeff McCarrick announced at the November 26, 2024 township council meeting. The new equipment “has been installed and is operating extremely well,” McCarrick said.“With this advancement, we were ...
SPARTA, NJ – Sparta Township Police Department began the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” year-end holiday crack down aimed at reducing drunk driving on Sparta roads. The campaign will run from December 6 through January 1, 2025.Sparta Police Department has received a New Jersey Division of Highway ...
SPARTA, NJ – The Main Street bridge reconstruction project is nearing completion. Paving trucks were working on the newly installed span over the Wallkill River on Tuesday morning,The third and final phase of the project began in August and is anticipated to be completed by December 31 according ...
PHILLIPSBURG, NJ - Authorities have confirmed that Donna Johnson, previously reported as missing has been located and is safe. Donna Johnson, 50, of Phillipsburg, NJ, was reported as missing on November 22, 2024. Born on Feb. 22, 1974, Johnson operates a white 2019 Hyundai Elantra with the license ...
PHILLIPSBURG, NJ - Updated story confirms Donna Johnson has been found and is safe. Original news reports were that Donna Johnson, 50, of Phillipsburg, NJ, was reported as missing on November 22, 2024, and the Phillipsburg Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance to be on the look-out ...
SPARTA, NJ – With significant rain in the forecast for the first time two months, the threat of fire continues. The Sparta Township Fire Department is reminding residents to respect the fire threat level and dispose of ashes properly.Last week the STFD responded to a “large woods fire cause by ...
SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ - The former Pope John XXIII and Reverend Brown schools teacher Michael Wagner,41 was sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison, according to Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan McMeen. On Friday, November 15 Hon. Michael Gaus announced the sentence for Wagner, which is subject ...
NEWTON, NJ – Firefighters from Newton and other Sussex County departments are assisting local fire departments with the Jennings Creek fire in which a young firefighter lost his life in the line of duty. Some reports say a tree fell on him as he was battling the blaze in Sterling Forest, though ...
SPARTA, NJ – With 100% of the residents in Sussex County affected by a drought according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Association the Sparta Fire Department has responded to 18 incidents involving brush fires and illegal burns between September 17 and November 4, according to Sparta ...
SPARTA, NJ – A section of Glen Road between Waters Edge Road and Linden Road remains closed today because a utility pole is leaning into the road. The road has been closed since Monday evening.As of 10:30 a.m. work crews had not yet responded to the site. The detour route is posted for motorists ...
SPARTA, NJ – For the second time in as many weeks, the Sparta Township Fire Department responded to a house fire at 190 West Shore Trail. As of 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 14 the fire fighters were still on the scene actively working on the fire where one of the residents was brought to “a local ...
SPARTA, NJ – The victim of the house fire on Sawmill Road has been identified by the Sparta Police Department as Wayne Pait. The 78-year-old died in the fire on Thursday, October 10 that police are saying was “accidental in nature.”According to Captain Thomas Snyder, the Sparta and Sussex County ...
SPARTA, NJ – A fire at a home at 132 Sawmill Road ended in tragedy on Thursday, October 10. According to police, a person was found dead inside the residence. The name is being withheld pending notification of the family.Police responded to a report of a fire around 8:42 a.m. and found “smoke ...
SPARTA, NJ – With plenty of donuts, cookies and coffee, Sparta Police greeted residents of all ages on Wednesday at the Sparta Library’s “Coffee with a Cop.” Several folks came by to chat with the officers but the highlight was visits from the preschool children from Circle of Friends and Oak ...
SPARTA, NJ – No arrests were made after a man chopped down his neighbor’s flagpole on September 30. According to police, around 5:30 p.m. they were called to Valley View Trail after Greg Gulino cut down a flagpole claimed to be owned by Richard Laird.Gulino’s ax-wielding display was the final blow ...
SPARTA, NJ – The Sparta Police Department and their friends and family celebrated six officers who received promotions at a ceremony at Sparta High School on Sunday, August “Often times, members from the public will come up to an officer and thank them for their service,” McCarrick said, setting ...
SPARTA, NJ – A Hamburg woman ran into trouble when she hit a police car that was stopped with its flashing lights on while the officers were attending to an accident on Route 15. Unlicensed driver Nicole Romeo, 43 is facing drunk driving and other charges, police said. On Tuesday, September 3 ...
SPARTA, NJ – Residents on Trafalgar Court are experiencing a water main break. According to Sparta Police “crews are currently on site assessing the situation working to locate the source.”According to Capt. Tom Snyder there is a “big hole in the ground” and they are on the scene working to find ...
SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ – A cybersecurity breach a few months ago has left residents vulnerable to identity theft and compromised credit, according to an announcement by the Sparta Police Department. The breach was not limited to Sussex County but affects people globally. According to an announcement ...
TRENTON, NJ - Two Sparta residents have pled guilty to fraudulently taking $790,000 in COVID relief fund, according to US Attorney Philip Sellinger in a statement released on August 20. Diana Valteri, 42, and Edmond Haxhillari, 43, residing in Sparta and Cypress, TX, have pled guilty to charges ...
SPARTA, NJ – The week of Sparta Junior Police Academy was capped off by a graduation ceremony. Family and township officials attended the event in the Mohawk Avenue School gymnasium. “If you work as a team, you can live the dream,” was the motto recited by the recruits before they took their ...