Thursday, March 14, 2013
Flanders man charged with motor vehicle violations in accident that resulted in the death of a Hackettstown woman's unborn baby.
A 40-year-old Flanders man whose 2012 Chevy Express van struck a pregnant Hackettstown woman's Lincoln Navigator last month has been issued summonses for speeding and failure to keep right, according to Thomas Zelante from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. The citations were written for Jason Mooney following the accident on Feb. 11, where according to the prosecutor's office, Mooney's van crossed the double yellow line close to the intersection of Route 206 and Cooper Lane. The ensuing accident resulted in the death of the woman's unborn baby. The investigation remains open and active, Zelante said. According to a release sent by the prosecutor's office Wednesday, Mooney, 40, of Flanders, was driving a 2012 Chevy Express van when he …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Officials say lack of functioning smoke detectors caused occupants to be trapped.
Acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp said that altered wiring in the foyer caused a space heater fire at 56 Main Street in Flanders with fatal results. Hesham Moustafa, 52, and his 7-year-old stepson Cristiano Bonner perished in the blaze. Cristiano's sister, 9-year-old Bianca Bonner, and their mother, Carmella Moustafa, also were injured, Knapp said. Carmella Moustafa was released from the hospital while Bianca Bonner remains in stable condition after being revived at the scene. Rewan Moustafa, 19, Hesham Moustafa's daughter, was present during the fire but was not injured, Knapp said. The Mount Olive Police Department, Mount Olive Fire Marshal, Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major …
Monday, February 18, 2013
Family of Cristiano Bonner and Hesham Moustafa trying to raise money for medical, burial and counseling expenses.
The fire that destroyed a Flanders home Monday and claimed the lives of 52-year-old Hesham Moustafa and his 7-year-old stepson Cristiano Bonner is only the beginning of the trial for the family as they are struggling to find funds for burial expenses for the victims and recovery for the survivors, said Amy Bonner Langdo. Langdo is a Hopatcong resident and Cristiano's aunt and has started a Give Forward donation page in hopes of raising enough money to cover the medical, burial and counseling expenses. "My niece Bianca is in the hospital with burns and damage to her lungs," Langdo said. According to Langdo, her niece was brought out of the burning home and wasn't breathing, but that first responders were able to revive her at the scene. …
Main Street resident and 7-year-old child die in Monday-morning blaze.
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Monday, February 18
Two Flanders residents died after an early-morning fire on Main Street Monday. Acting Morris Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Mount Olive Police Chief Mark Spitzer confirmed in a release that Hesham Moustafa, 52, and a 7-year-old child died in the blaze. Two other 56 Main St. residents are hospitalized for treatment. Flanders Fire Chief Frank Zeller said the boy's body was found in a bathtub in the residence, with Moustafa's body located slumped over the same tub, according to nj.com. Three residents were rescued from the blaze, according to Mt. Olive Police Chief Mark Spitzer in a report by dailyrecord.com. One of them, a young girl, was taken from the residence not breathing, but was revived at the scene by emergency medical responders, …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The 2012 Christmas tree donated by Flanders resident Joseph Balku will be used in the construction of houses for Morris County Habitat for Humanity.
When Joseph Balku agreed to have his 80-foot tall, ten-ton Norway spruce used as the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center, it was because he believed it was something everyone would see. "It is something the whole country can enjoy," Balku said. And now that the holidays are past, Balku's donation will now be enjoyed permanantly by Morris County families who need homes. According to a report by the Daily Record, Tishman Speyer, the company that co-owns and operates Rockefeller Center, is donating the lumber milled from this year’s Rockefeller tree to Morris Habitat for Humanity to be used as building material for local homes. Balku, a resident of Mount Olive since 1972, said that his tree survived Hurricane Sandy due to the timely wrapping…
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
80-foot Norway spruce cut from Mount Olive man's property.
One foot for every year. The Christmas tree for the 80th annual Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting ceremony is an 80-foot tall Norway spruce that came down on Flanders-Drakestown Road in Mt. Olive on Tuesday morning. This tree's felling was the first in weeks to be celebrated, rather than lamented, as the 10-ton tree wasn't part of the damage sustained during the recent visit by Hurricane Sandy. Joseph Balku, the Mount Olive resident who owns the property the tree resided on, said that the Nov. 12 festivities were the culmination of a whirlwind two months. "They called me two months ago," Balku said. "And three weeks ago they told me my tree was selected and I was happy to donate it." The street Balku lives on still shows scars of …
Monday, November 12, 2012
10-ton Norway Spruce to be cut down Tuesday morning in Mount Olive.
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Monday, November 12, 2012
From Morris County to Rockefeller Center. A 10-ton Norway Spruce will be cut down Tuesday morning in the Flanders section of Mount Olive and transported on a 115-foot-long trailer and transported to New York. The tree, which is 80 feet tall and 50 feet in diameter, will be brought down on the property of Joseph Balku and will be erected in Rockefeller Center on Wednesday. The 80th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony will be held in two weeks on Wednesday, Nov. 28. This is the first time since 2009 a New Jersey tree will be used at Rockefeller Center, according to NJ.com.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Judge releases Mt. Olive males from juvenile detention center.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Two teen males accused of raping a female peer in a Flanders home are being released from the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center and put on house arrest, according to a report on nj.com. Judge Michael Paul Wright ruled Tuesday the boys will not be allowed to leave their homes, and must be supervised by at least one parent 24 hours a day, the report stated. The teens are also prohibited from discussing the case with anyone, barring them from the Internet. For the full report on the ruling, go here. If the teens violate any of the house arrest orders, they will be sent directly back to the juvenile detention center, the report stated. The ruling comes less than a week after Judge Wright would not allow one of the teens to be released on…
Friday, October 5, 2012
Defense for teen boy will hire toxicologist to prove alleged victim was not initially incoherent in Flanders incident.
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Friday, October 5, 2012
The defense for a male teen accused of sexually assaulting a female peer at a Flanders home last month plans to hire a toxicologist to prove the alleged victim was able to give consent before becoming intoxicated, a Daily Record report said. The male teen, now 16, is one of two accused of assaulting the girl at a Flanders home belonging to another 16-year-old male. The defense lawyer, James Porfido, said based on discovery and police reports, the girl consented to having sex with his client prior to becoming intoxicated, the report says. For the full story on dailyrecord.com, go here. Homeowners and parents of the hosting teen were present at the time of the alleged crime, police indicated. Judge Michael Paul Wright acknowledged the …
Friday, September 28, 2012
Family court judge says alleged perpetrators need to remain in juvenile detention center.
Two teenage males accused of raping a female peer will remain at Morris County Juvenile Detention Center instead of being released to house arrest, Judge Michael Paul Wright ordered Thursday, according to a report on nj.com. The boys, ages 16 and 15, whose names are not being released because they are juveniles, were arrested Saturday, Sept. 15 by Mt. Olive police after the victim's mother called authorities out of concern. Read the initial report on Patch here. After a police investigation, it was alleged the female victim had been sexually assaulted while being severely incapacited by alcohol, police said. For the full story on nj.com, go here. Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Samantha DiNegri told Judge Wright the alleged victim was …
Russ Crespolini
9:28 am on Tuesday, February 19, 2013
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