by Walter Elliott
NEWARK / IRVINGTON – Detectives from both police departments and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force have been investigating the second border homicide in 20 days here since July 20.
Responding city and township officers, said Acting County Prosecutor Theodore “Ted” Stephens III and Irvington Police Director Tracy Bowers, found Alex Jean by 6 Melrose Ave., shot and unresponsive late that Monday.
Jean, 24, was declared dead at the scene at 11:38 p.m. Witnesses said “a gunman chased Jean west from Newark and shot him;” He died within inches of a “Welcome to Irvington” street sign.
Jean’s hometown remains unknown as of 9 a.m. July 29. Neither Jean nor Anthony E. Young’s funeral announcements have not been announced.
Young, 37, of Newark, who was killed by the Newark/Irvington border July 2, also remains actively investigated. Young was found shot at 18th Avenue and 21st Street 10:15 p.m. that Thursday.
Bradley Court Shooting
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose announced that Rashidah Y. Sutton-Bryant, 21, of Newark was fatally shot at Bradley Court Complex on North Munn Avenue.
The shooting occurred July 26 at approximately 10:22 p.m. Sutton-Bryant was rushed to University Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 10:58 p.m.
The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
EAST ORANGE – People in and around the McIver Homes may well be walking around with their fingers crossed during the next heat wave.
Those among the 87 residents of the low income senior citizen apartment tower are hoping that what HVAC repairs vendors for WinnResidential and Carthage Advisors have authorized will weather the wave.
Several residents here at 111 S. Munn Ave. reached out to City Hall July 20-22, complaining that the 1976-built HVAC system had failed and were unable to reach Winn, the property manager, and Carthage, the owners. They first told Fourth Ward Councilman Casim Gomez and Mayor Theodore “Ted” Green Tuesday and that they recorded indoor temperatures of 105-degrees that Monday, 102-degrees Tuesday and 87 degrees Wednesday.
Casim, followed by city Code Enforcement inspectors, arrived to assess the situation July 21 and in reaching Winn/Carthage officials. Authorized contractors came in to make repairs on or after July 22.
“We’ve been responsive and steadfast in ensuring that this issue is resolved,” said Gomez July 22. “The owners (Carthage) are being held responsible and have been instructed by our Department of Code Enforcement to immediately implement a temporary solution, followed by a viable long term solution, to relieve residents during this heatwave and during this summer.”
By “being held responsible,” it is not clear at press time whether the East Orange Housing Authority is withholding or about to withhold USHUD rent subsidies from Carthage until 111 S. Munn’s repairs are made. EOHA had resorted to holding up HUD funds while Carthage and Winn remediated mold found on some of the tower’s 10 floors Oct. 15 – Feb. 15.
McIver renters and lease-holders pay 30 percent to Carthage with HUD the rest. Carthage, who bought McIver in 2013, brought Winn aboard for daily management Oct. 1.
ORANGE – The latest transit-oriented housing development around Orange Station, by Ruso Developments for 51 Lincoln Ave., was presented for the Orange Planning Board’s consideration here July 22.
Russo, of Carlstadt, is proposing a five-story luxury apartment building on six lots that are now 33-53 Lincoln Ave. and 60 Scotland Rd. 51 Lincoln Ave., which would qualify for state incentives for being in the Transit Development Zone, would hold 201 units, a pool, a clubhouse, a garden terrace and 350 indoor parking spaces.
The building, as drawn by Livingston architect Lance Blake, would replace the mostly automotive -oriented business around “Politi Plaza.” Landowner Daniel Politi had rented out space to the likes of Al’s Auto Parts and Tuneway Automotive since 1985.
Al’s Auto, who took over a Shell station in 1975, closed June 1.
Russo had recently presented “The Vermillion at 377 Crane St.” to the OPB. That 209-unit development would replace five office and factory buildings ranging from early 20th to mid-19th centuries.
WEST ORANGE / MONTCLAIR – The Montclair Board of Education has brought back West Orange resident Terry Trigg-Scales as, this time, interim Montclair High School Principal.
Trigg-Scales – a Newark native and a West Orange homeowner since 1984 – had recently retired from MPS as its assistant superintendent of instruction. She had also doubled as interim Mt. Hebron – now Buzz Aldrin – Middle School last summer.
Trigg-Scales has spent most of her 39-year educational career with Montclair. She rose from teacher to assistant principal, principal and administrator among MPS’ elementary and middle schools plus MHS.
A majority of participating West Orange voters elected Trigg-Scales to their board of education in November 2018. She is on WOBOE’s policy committee.
SOUTH ORANGE / NUTLEY – Seton Hall University, as of July 16, has handed Hackensack Meridian Health administrative power over the Nutley-Clifton medical school that they had co-founded in 2016.
SHU, said President Dr. Joseph Nyre, will still send its medical students from South Orange to study in-person and/or online to the former Hoffman LaRouche pharmaceutical headquarters that straddle Route 3.
The university’s profile at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine will continue to shrink, starting with the removal of “at Seton Hall” from its titles.
SHU’s diminishing role at HMSM may be likened to a parent, gaining confidence in a child’s bicycle riding, removing the training wheels.
The Nutley-Clifton campus had just opened in 2018 when the university gave financial responsibility to HMN, followed more recently for its academic accreditation.
“There was a significant change of leadership at Seton Hall and they had a different idea of financial stability,” said school dean Bonita Stanton. She was referring to the Aug. 1, 2019 appointment of Nyre as SHU’s 21st president.
“We thank Seton Hall for their assistance in getting our start,” said Stanton. “We’ll find ways to work together moving forward.”
BLOOMFIELD – Township police officers are still looking for the accomplice of an Irvington man who robbed a driver at a gas station at gunpoint here July 13.
A man came to Bloomfield Police headquarters that Monday to say he was just stuck up at the Exxon at 491 Bloomfield Ave. The man said that he was in his car when “two African American males entered, struck him with a .22 cal handgun and stole his Apple AirPods.”
An investigation led the Bloomfield Detective Bureau to apprehend a man identified as Aaron Larathe. Larathe, 19, was charged with robbery and weapons possession counts.
