Brief News

Assemblywomen Introduce Bill Package tightening punishment for car thieves

The Garden State Parkway in New Jersey was shut down last week for miles after a crash caused by a police chase involving a car that was reported stolen. One of the suspects fled on foot through Clark. Officers caught up with him, arrested him and three other suspects who were then turned over to State Police. 

A similar incident occurred a few days later in Holmdel, after a police pursuit of a stolen car ended with a crash. Two were arrested. There were more pursuits reported in both Jackson and Manalapan in the days after. And this week, a Florida man was arrested in a Paterson crash that killed one person, and injured five others. Prosecutors say he was behind the wheel of a stolen car. The uptick in pursuits comes just a few weeks after Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin reversed a policy that allows officers to pursue suspects of a stolen vehicle. It was changed after a statewide spike in motor vehicle thefts.

Now, Assemblywomen Kim Eulner (R – District 11) and Marilyn Piperno (R – District 11) have introduced a package of bills to increase punishment for car thieves. “We believe the issue must be addressed legislatively and demand enhanced penalties for criminals charged with these crimes,” Eulner said in a statement. Under the legislation, a person would be subject to pretrial detention if they’re charged with the theft of a motor vehicle and also caused or created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person.

New Priest at St. Benedict Church, Newark, NJ

An Elizabeth man is on his journey to priesthood and will be celebrating his first mass at St. Benedict Church in Newark’s Ironbound section on May 29 at 11 AM. Roberto Julio Moreno Andrión, 37, will be ordained as a priest on Saturday, May 28, at 10 AM in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Newark.

According to a press release from the Diocese of Newark, Father Andrión was born and raised in Panama, where he worked as a physics teacher and researcher for many years before a friend reintroduced him to the Church. Inspired to share God’s love, he entered the seminary in 2013 and earned M.A. and M.Div degrees from Seton Hall University.