Thursday, May 23, 2013
Grace Park will replace outgoing Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow.
A former federal prosecutor will replace outgoing Prosecutor Theodore Romankow as Union County's Acting Prosecutor effective June 17, Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa announced Thursday. Grace Park, of Westfield, who spent several years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Newark, will take over for longtime Union County Prosecutor Romankow who announced his resignation earlier this month after serving in the role for more than 10 years. "I am confident that Grace Park will do an outstanding job of leading the effort to bring criminals to justice and protect the residents of Union County, Chiesa said. "Having worked with her at the U.S. Attorney's Office, I know that she is an intelligent, energetic and capable lawyer, and will be extremely …
Dennis McGorty, 42, of Westfield, was hit by a landscaping truck Monday afternoon while riding his bike.
Dennis McGorty, 42, of Westfield, was listed in fair condition Thursday, according to a University Hospital spokesperson, after being struck by a landscaping truck Monday afternoon while riding his bike. Both McGorty and the truck were traveling east on South Avenue West shortly after 2 p.m. on May 20 when the truck turned onto Downer Street, striking McGorty and dragging him beneath its trailer, according to Westfield Police Capt. Scott Rodger. When the Westfield police and fire departments arrived at the scene, McGorty needed to be extricated, Rodger said, though he was conscious and alert. A Westfield High School graduate and avid cyclist, McGorty was transported to the trauma center at University Hospital by the Westfield Volunteer …
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South Ave W & Downer St, Westfield, NJ
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Monday, May 20, 2013
Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad transported the victim, a white male in his mid-40s, to a trauma center.
This story was updated at 5:25 p.m. to include information from the Westfield Police Department. Update: A Westfield man in his mid-40s was struck by a landscaping truck shortly after 2 p.m. Monday afternoon while riding his bike on South Avenue in Westfield. According to Westfield Police Capt. Scott Rodger, a landscaping truck with a trailer and the cyclist were both traveling east on South Avenue when the truck attempted to make a right turn onto Downer Street and struck the cyclist, dragging him under the trailer. Rodger said when the Westfield Police and Fire Departments arrived at the scene, the cyclist was trapped under the trailer and need to be extricated. "We don't know the extent of his injuries, but he was conscious and alert …
40.64783
-74.3539
South Ave W & Downer St, Westfield, NJ
/articles/cyclist-taken-to-trauma-center-after-accident-at-south-av-and-downer-st
/locations/9403715
Sunday, May 19, 2013
One man is hoping fans will open their wallets to fund the defense of an Internet celeb accused in the murder of Clark resident Joseph Galfy.
Will fans of 'Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitcher' stand by him now that the Internet celeb has been arrested for the murder of Clark's Joseph Galfy? At least one fan is, and he's asking other supporters of Kai (whose real name is Caleb Lawrence McGillvary) to open their wallets to fund his $3 million bail and the cost of his legal defense. Galfy, 73, was found in his Clark home on Monday morning after hosting McGillvary, 24, overnight on Saturday and Sunday. Police say that McGillvary murdered Galfy, who was found in his underwear and socks, severely beaten. McGillvary was arrested in Philadelphia on Thursday night. For his part, in a Tuesday post on his Facebook page, McGillvary alleges that he was drugged and raped, and asks readers, "…
Friday, May 17, 2013
Clark has had more than its 15 minutes of fame with three turns on the nightly news in the past 12 months.
The you-couldn't-make-this-up nature of Thursday's events has thrust the once quiet town of Clark into the media spotlight again, as the community came to grips with the arrest of alleged killer Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, aka Internet celeb "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker." After a national search, McGillvary, 24, was arrested in Philadelphia on Thursday night for the murder of Starlite Drive resident and local attorney Joseph Galfy. It was the third such high-profile case in recent months, including the faked kidnapping and worldwide Twitter frenzy over runaway teen Kara Alongi in October and the still-unsolved murder of 73-year-old Vera Pecoraro, found with her throat slit in her home on Rolling Hill Way last July. "This many …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Caleb Lawrence McGillvary has been arrested by the Philadelphia Police Department at a Greyhound Bus Terminal for the murder of Clark resident Joseph Galfy.
Around 6:30 p.m. Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, aka Internet celeb "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker," was arrested at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Philadelphia, by members of the Philadelphia Police Department, announced Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow. McGillvary has been charged with the homicide of Joseph Galfy, Jr., 73, which occurred in Clark on May 12. McGillvary will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days. His bail was previously set at $3 million and he will be lodged in the Union County Jail in Elizabeth, said Romankow. "I am grateful for the overwhelming response and dedicated effort by the public and law enforcement that led to this arrest," said Romankow. "I believe that …
Police allege the murder of Joseph Galfy, 73, was committed by Internet celeb Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 24, better known as Internet sensation "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" on YouTube and Facebook.
Update, May 16, 7 p.m. CAUGHT: 'Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker' Arrested in Philadelphia --- Original story, May 16, 4 p.m. Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow revealed Thursday new details about the alleged murder of Joseph Galfy, 73, by Internet celeb Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 24, better known as Internet sensation "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" on YouTube and Facebook. At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Romankow explained that Galfy picked up McGillvary in Times Square on Saturday, May 11, and that McGillvary stayed overnight at Galfy's home on Starlite Drive before leaving for Asbury Park. McGillvary returned to Galfy's home later that day and allegedly committed the murder. McGillvary then left and met up …
Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 24, better known as Internet sensation "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker;" alleged on Facebook that he was drugged, raped.
Update, May 16, 7 p.m. CAUGHT: 'Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker' Arrested in Philadelphia --- Original story, May 16, 2 p.m. CLARK, NJ -- Police are on the hunt for an Internet celebrity identified as the suspect in the homicide of Clark attorney Joseph Galfy, Jr., 73. Authorities are searching for Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 24, better known as Internet sensation "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" on YouTube and Facebook. (Video here - warning, contains profanity.) McGillvary became an Internet sensation in February: After saving a woman by smashing her attacker in the head with his hatchet, McGillvary’s offbeat personality in an interview made for a YouTube video that garnered nearly 4 million views. He also recently appeared on …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The fire began on the third floor of the home; no one was injured.
The Westfield Fire Department with assistance from other local crews extinguished a two-alarm fire at 714 Hanford Place on Wednesday afternoon. According to Fire Chief Daniel Kelly, the fire began in a closet on the third floor of the single-family home and caused damage to the third and second floors. "When we arrived there was heavy smoke coming from the third floor," Kelly told Patch. Union County Mutual Aid and crews from Cranford, Roselle and Plainfield were also called to the scene. The fire was called in at 11:17 a.m. and was placed under control about 45 minutes later, according to Kelly. One Westfield firefighter sustained minor injuries and was taken to Overlook Hospital. Homeowner John Tabachnik told Patch he was at work when a …
The following information was obtained from the Westfield Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.
May 1: A business in the 100 block of Central Avenue reported the theft of approximately $556.45 worth of Wusthof kinves between 8 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The matter is under investigation. A business in the 200 block of W. South Avenue reported the theft of approximately $16 worth of merchandise between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. The matter is under investigation. May 3: Kathryn Daleo, 24, of South Plainfield was arrested for driving while intoxicated pursuant to a motor vehicle stop at Willow Grove Road and Rahway Avenue. Daleo was transported to headquarters, processed and released with summons to a sober adult. May 6: Andrea Block, 42, of Park Place, Springfield, NJ, was arrested at the 600 block of North Avenue on a complaint of shoplifting…
Rationally Speaking
7:48 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
Westfield has the perfect landscape (flat and many very wide streets) to easily make life in and around 07090 safer and more pleasant for bikers, pedestrians, the disabled and motorists alike. The NJ Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center was developed “To motivate, educate, and empower citizens to create safer and more accessible walking and bicycling environments through cutting edge research, … more ›