January 2018

PERTH AMBOY, NJ—An official with the Perth Amboy Fire Department (PAFD) who also served as the treasurer for Mayor Wilda Diaz's 2008 campaign has been charged with crimes.

Sammy Arroyo, a 42-year-old resident of the city, was charged with third-degree theft by unlawful taking and second-degree computer theft, apparently because a computer was used in the alleged scheme.

According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO), Arroyo used a city computer to "acquire compensatory time that was unearned."

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Roshni Rides, the passion project of four Pakistani-American Rutgers Business School students, won the $1 million Hult Prize in September.

The project is a business which aims to bring accessibility and integrity to displaced refugees, was started by Najeeha Farooqi, Moneeb Mian, Hasan Usmani, and Hanaa Lakhani.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—The Middlesex County Sherriff’s Office is distributing three publications featuring artwork from students around the county and safety tips on topics including riding bicycles safely, traffic safety, stranger awareness, home security, and injury prevention.

In addition to a 2017-2018 calendar, the offerings include one coloring book on "bike safety," and another on "personal safety."

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—A man who admitted to aggravated assault on a city police officer did not show up for his sentencing on September 29, sparking a manhunt that eventually led to his arrest more than 800 miles away.

Donnell Cook, a 27-year-old man from Newark, was captured by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at a residence in Lithonia, Georgia two months later, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO).

SOMERSET, NJ—A Franklin Township man who worked for the controversial US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is now behind bars in a Michigan federal prison.

Arnaldo Echevarria, age 40, served as a "deportation officer" with ICE prior to being convicted of corruptly demanding bribes and sex from undocumented immigrants, harboring another immigrant who he was dating, and lying to federal authorities about his side business.

WOODBRIDGE, NJ—Craig Coughlin, an attorney who represents many local governments in the area, is now the leader of the state's 80-member General Assembly.

In what marks a major power shift in state government, Coughlin arguably became the first person from Central Jersey to serve as Assembly Speaker since the early 80's.

The change in leadership officially took place on January 9, as Hudson County legislator Vincent Prieto yielded the powerful position after losing a months-long campaign to Coughlin.  Both men are Democrats.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–The Rutgers University Geology Museum will host its annual "Open House and Mineral Sale" on Saturday, January 27 in New Brunswick.

This year marks the open house event's 50th anniversary.

The museum – a hidden gem and one of the best kept secrets on Rutgers' historic campus – has been open to the public since 1872 and features one of the oldest collegiate geology collections in the United States.