September 29 Evening News
NJ.COM REPORTED A LOCAL SPORTS TRAINER IS SET TO STAND TRIAL AFTER A FATAL CAR CRASH IN 2019. NJ SPORTS TRAINER, DONALD DAVIS, DECLINED THE FINAL PLEA DEAL THE GOVERNMENT OFFERED OF EIGHT YEARS AND WILL FACE TRIAL STARTING OCTOBER 27TH. ACCORDING TO PROSECUTORS, HE WAS DRIVING 67 MPH IN A 25 MPH SPEED LIMIT ZONE ON HARRISON AVENUE IN LODI AROUND 6:45 PM ON JUNE 29, 2019. IT WAS THEN THAT HE STRUCK A CAR ENTERING THE ROADWAY. 68-YEAR-OLD DRIVER, MUHAMET OPARAKU, WAS KILLED ON IMPACT, AND HIS 64-YEAR-OLD WIFE, BUKURIE OPARAKU, WAS TRANSPORTED TO HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, WHERE SHE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD. BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR CHRISTINE HOWLAND SAID BLOOD WAS DRAWN FROM DAVIS SHORTLY AFTER THE CRASH AT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. THE NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE TESTED THE SAMPLE, AND IT WAS REVEALED THAT HIS BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT WAS OVER THE LEGAL LIMIT. DAVIS FACES A MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF 60 YEARS IN PRISON IF CONVICTED, YET DAVIS HAS MAINTAINED HIS INNOCENCE.
TAPINTO.NET REPORTED THAT U.S. ATTORNEY ROBERT FRAZER ANNOUNCED THAT FOUR MEMBERS OF A PATERSON STREET GANG HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR OPENING FIRE ON RIVAL GANG MEMBERS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA DURING A NOVEMBER 2022 SHOOTING, WHERE MORE THAN 60 ROUNDS WERE UNLEASHED. THE FOUR PATERSON MEN, ALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED GANG KNOWN AS 4K, RECEIVED PRISON SENTENCES RANGING FROM SEVEN YEARS TO EIGHT YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS IN PRISON. ACCORDING TO FEDERAL PROSECUTORS, THE SHOOTING OCCURRED DURING THE EARLY HOURS OF NOVEMBER 6TH, 2022, AS PART OF AN ONGOING ISSUE BETWEEN 4K AND A RIVAL GANG KNOWN AS THE 230 BOYS. ALL FOUR MEN PREVIOUSLY PLEADED GUILTY BEFORE U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE BRIAN R. MARTINOTTI TO ASSAULT WITH A DANGEROUS WEAPON IN AID OF RACKETEERING AND BRANDISHING A FIREARM DURING AND IN RELATION TO A VIOLENT CRIME. THEIR SENTENCES WERE HANDED DOWN THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER. JATRAIL AVENT, ALSO KNOWN AS “CURRY”, WAS SENTENCED SEPTEMBER 2ND TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE YEARS OF PROBATION. ON SEPTEMBER 9TH, SHEQUAN ROBERTS, ALSO KNOWN AS “SHINGY”, WAS SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS IN PRISON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE YEARS OF PROBATION. ON THE SAME DAY, JAHMIR MOODY, ALSO KNOWN AS “JAHDI,” WAS SENTENCED TO SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON, FOLLOWED BY 3 YEARS OF PROBATION. ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, WIZIAR JOHNSON, ALSO KNOWN AS “WABABY,” WAS SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE YEARS OF PROBATION. THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES IDENTIFIED 4K AS A NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED STREET GANG OPERATING IN THE AREA OF ROSA PARKS BOULEVARD NEAR LYON, KEEN, AND MERCER STREETS IN PATERSON.
NJ.COM REPORTED THAT TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD AFTER A BOAT CAPSIZED SEVERAL MILES FROM AN UNINHABITED ISLAND WEST OF PUERTO RICO. THE U.S. COAST GUARD RESCUED AT LEAST 40 PEOPLE IN OPEN WATERS DURING A SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION. ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, TWO PEOPLE WERE FOUND DEAD, WITH SURVIVORS REPORTING AN ESTIMATED 60 PEOPLE ABOARD. RESCUE EFFORTS WERE ONGOING AS OF MONDAY EVENING. ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, SURVIVORS SPENT MORE THAN 12 HOURS IN THE WATER BEFORE A BOAT PASSING NEAR MONA ISLAND SPOTTED THEM ON MONDAY AROUND NOON AND CALLED AUTHORITIES, HELPING RESCUE FOUR PEOPLE AT THAT MOMENT.