Richard Cowen

6 days ago | nj.com | Richard Cowen

The family and friends of Maryrose Fealey say they’re devastated by a recent court ruling in which the man charged with murdering the Somerville anti-drug activist was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. After hearing testimony from three psychiatrists who examined David C. Shroitman, Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober found the defendant suffered from severe mental illness and could not participate in his own defense.

1 week ago | nj.com | Richard Cowen

Family and friends of an Elizabeth woman who mysteriously disappeared amid a breakup more than a month ago are seeking help from the community in a desperate attempt to find her. Janaina Freire Goncalves, a 47-year-old Brazilian immigrant, has been missing since March 10. Her disappearance has been reported to Elizabeth police, who referred questions to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor’s office didn’t respond to numerous phone calls and emails from NJ Advance Media.

1 week ago | nj.com | Richard Cowen

Spring has arrived, and the flowers will soon be blooming at Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown. And for that, we can thank the notorious mobster, Vito Genovese. You got a problem with that? Genovese, the self-made gangster who made a ton of money running rackets in New York, was flush with cash and looking for a quiet place to raise his family when he bought the rolling, 52-acre estate with its Colonial-style mansion off Red Hill Road in 1935.

2 weeks ago | nj.com | Richard Cowen

The family and friends of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot dead on Sunday by Israeli soldiers are demanding a federal investigation in what they’re calling the “murder” of the teenager from Saddle Brook. Palestinian leaders joined with the grieving father and uncle of the slain boy at a news conference in Clifton to condemn the shooting of Amer Mohammed Saada Rabea, who they described as the latest child to die at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces.

2 weeks ago | nj.com | Larry Higgs |Richard Cowen

In Montclair and Monroe, Toms River and Red Bank, Princeton and Bridgewater, protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trump gathered in spots across New Jersey on Saturday to demonstrate The gatherings, which drew hundreds at several locations throughout the state, were part of a mass mobilization of protests across the nation Saturday called “Hands Off!” There were more than 20 rallies scheduled in New Jersey.