TOWN WATCH
NEWARK – What started out with gunshots at the corner of Broadway and Carteret Street 6:30 p.m. March 7, killing Det. Joseph Anthony Azcona and wounding his patrol partner, has left its reverberations.
Officers from various law enforcement agencies. for example, gathered March 13 at the t-intersection’s northwest corner, where Azcona’s police car had sent it and a dislodged fire hydrant into Christ Assembly Lutheran Church’s fence. They gathered before a makeshift shrine at 664 Broadway for a 6 p.m. balloon launch which detoured NJTransit’s No. 13 buses for an hour.
Some of the thousands of officers from hundreds of agencies made sure that they accompanied the body of now-Sgt. Azcona, 26, of Newark from when he was first transferred from University Hospital to the adjacent State Regional Medical Examiner March 8 to Bloomfield-Belleville’s Glendale Cemetery Saturday afternoon.
“Local Talk” noticed 15 police cars and motorcycles – from Paterson and Union City police and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office – parked alongside South Orange Avenue at 1:30 p.m., waiting to take him to the Buyus Funeral Home. That honor escort grew as his remains were taken to his Funeral Mass, officiated by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart by 10:30 a.m. March 15.
Tobin and the thousands of mourners inside and outside the basilica remembered Azcona, who was born here May 18, 1998, was remembered for his love of Newark’s community and who always wanted to be a policeman. The five-year officer assigned to firearms investigations was taken away March 8 from parents Nereida and Jose, six brothers and a sister, a grandfather and two uncles who are respectively an NPD officer and a detective, among other mourners.
Azcona’s final escort included 10 helicopters from Newark and State Police, flying west over I-280 and north on the Garden State Parkway 2 p.m. to Glendale. A GoFundMe.com page, established by FOP Lodge 12 for both officers’ families, is approaching $250,000 as of press time.
Back at 664 Broadway the morning of March 18, the fire hydrant was taken away and a “Walk/Don’t Walk” corner signal has been replaced. An NPD school crossing guard took her usual place. Azcona’s shrine, perhaps not as fast as the previous weekend, continues to grow.
IRVINGTON – A township man, who has been committed to Newark’s Essex County Correctional Facility on burglary and sexual assault charges since Feb. 20, may have had his pretrial detention hearing by now.
Kedwens Auguste, 23, said a Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, March 7 press release, is being held of three counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault during a robbery and two counts each burglary and purposefully engaged in conduct. He also faces single counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second-degree criminal restraint with threat of serious bodily injury.
Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. “Ted” Stephens II and Irvington Public Safety Director Tracy Bowers said that Auguste was arrested Feb. 19 by detectives from the county’s Special Victims Unit and the Irvington Police Department.
Auguste is accused of sexually assaulting two separate occupants after invading that victim’s address on two occasions in Irvington Feb. 16 and 18.
Stephens and Bowers said that Auguste’s arrest was based on “surveillance footage and other evidence” leading to his identification. He is being held without bond. The joint investigation continues.
EAST ORANGE – City police taped off South Burnet Street between Central and Elmwood avenues the afternoon of March 1 to investigate an injurious shooting there.
East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi said that her officers responded to Central and South Burnet Central and South Burnet avenues on a shooting report at 11:54 a.m. that Saturday.
Officers found a man who was shot in one of his shoulders Local EMS took him to University Hospital, where he was treated for his wound and discharged.
Field investigators have so far determined that a handgun was used in the shooting. That weapon, however, has not been found.
Witnesses or anyone who has information is to call EOPD at (973) 266-5060 and ask for Det. Felix Lantigua.
ORANGE – Proponents of a $350 million project to mostly replace the vacant Orange Memorial Hospital / Ippolito Funeral Home complex with 1,005 apartment units and limited public amenities fielded questions from some residents here at the last City of Orange hosted town meeting here at St. Matthew AME Church March 6.
Some of those questions in the second of the two public meetings seemed to concentrate on whether the two OMH buildings that will be renovated and the structures to replace the other six buildings within the 8.25-acre lot bordered by Henry Street, Ivy Court, Matthew Street, Central Avenue and South Essex Street will be separate from or integral to the neighborhood.
Development partner spokesman Thomas Murray, when asked about whether or how much Coalition for Affordable Housing units will be for the projected 1,500 residents, replied with an “it depends” statement. One plan before Gateway Merchant banking, SYM Real Estate and three other partners has a 20 percent affordable unit set aside and the other as totally market rate with zero set aside.
“The affordability will largely be driven by the incentive package that we can put together,” said Murray of gateway, “and the type of financing we ultimately put together.” Whatever that package they assemble is subject to a later Payment in Lieu of Taxes or tax abatement proposal put to the City Council at a later date.
Murray, both here and at the Feb. 19 meeting at Shiloh Baptist Church, said that the project would “preserve the legacy of the hospital and bring out more of Orange’s identity and history.” One way is by setting aside 1.5 acres for a public open space and a year-round ice and roller skating rink.
The area would fall under the Privately Operated Public Space real estate category, which explains in part why the park and rink would be open to the public only during the daytime.
That prospective City Council PILOT meeting, approval from the N.J. State Historic Preservation Office Historic Sites Commission and, supposedly, the Orange Historic Preservation Commission are what is left in the approval process. The Orange Planning Board had approved SYMREC Orange JV LLC’s plan, 7-1, Nov. 22. Murray estimates that construction would start at the end of 2026.
WEST ORANGE – “Local Talk” has learned that there are more changes pending along Tory Corner’s Main Street – and more than just the just-closed Tory Corner Diner. What had been the Llewellyn Hotel plus three adjacent mixed-use commercial-residential buildings along 253-59 Main St. were put back on the market last month by its owner, Daniel Garcia-Pedrosa.
The 3.5-story hotel on the southeast of Kling Street has been closed since he bought it in 2018. Xclusive Barber Shop has called the two-story 257 Main home. Willow & Olivia Dessert Cafe and a vacant storefront share the three-story 253-55 Main’s storefront.
West Orange’s Zoning Board of Adjustment had approved Garcia-Pedrosa’s plan to convert the 30-room 1891 hotel into 11 apartment units. The plan included extending the apartments to the back half of 257 Main.
The owner, however, said that “with costs and rates where they are, the project didn’t seem feasible anymore. We looked at every possibility, including working with someone to renovate the rooming house.” Garcia-Pedrosa and Kislak real estate have made the entire holding available for $2.5 million.
The Llewellyn, in later years, offered long term leases on its rooms. 257 Main had long been Steve’s Jewelers until 2008; 253 Main had long been a hairdresser and a barber 1960-2022.
255 Main had previously been Gladys Restaurant in 1960, Chubby’s Subs in 1974 and The Wagon Wheel luncheonette in 1995. Willow & Olivia’s Gia Garcia told a reporter that her dessert bakery has gone online.
SOUTH ORANGE – The South Orange-Maplewood School District will start its “residency confirmation” process of its students with the first of two town hall webinars 1 p.m. March 26.
“This process will begin with an electronic records review for all students to verify their domicile within the district,” said SOMSD Superintendent Jason Bing March 13. “If any questions arise during this review, we’ll reach out to families and request documentation to confirm residency.”
The two-town public district, said Bing, is to maintain class size, assess transportation needs and plan school resources.
The March 26 webinar is focused on confirming the residency of Eighth Graders. Some recall that the district last ran a confirmation process on 10th Graders in 2011-12.
Bing assured that the information will be kept within SOMSD and “once confirmed, no further action will be taken.” WebEx reminders will be emailed to families of Eighth Graders. Questions may be asked at somsdk.org/webinars or regristration@somsd.k12.nj.us.
MAPLEWOOD – Those who want to remember township native and restaurant entrepreneur Harold Jaffe can order a sub at the Sandwiches Unlimited store at Orange and/or East Orange. Jaffe’s family is scheduling a private memorial but held his cremation at Fords’ Flynn and Son/Mitruska Funeral Home in Woodbridge’s Fords section.
Jaffe, 82, who died at Edison’s JFK Hospital March 5, was known for opening or revamping 25 restaurants in New Jersey and New York City. The Maplewood native opened his namesake pub and delicatessens, serving ample portions, in Randolph, Lawrenceville, Lyndhurst Rutherford and Parsippany and bought the Clairmont Diner, on the Verona-Montclair border, He was the Carnegie Deli’s “Har-Mil” meat processing and cheesecake factory partner while managing the famed New York City eatery in 1985-90.
That life’s work started with the first Sandwich Unlimited store in Orange in 1970. He was an East Orange resident when he took over a “Little King Sub Shop” franchise in Orange’s 244 Main St. – formerly Jacobson’s Sporting Goods.
Jaffe sold 244 Main to current owner Randy West in 1974. West went on to open East Orange Sandwiches Unlimited at 372 Main in 1982 and 405 Central Ave. in 1984. West replaced 372 Main with 405 Central in 2001 and moved the Orange store to its present 23 North Center St. in 2006.Jaffe meanwhile opened a “Sandwiches” in Livingston in 1974 and on the Route 10 traffic circle in Ledgewood.
Harold Stephen Jaffe was born into a family of four here Feb, 20, 1943. The Columbia High School Class of 1960 was a Cougars scholar-wrestler and junior varsity football player before joining the U.S. Marine Corps 1961-65. He credits the Marines’ “One foot in front of the other” training for his work ethic.
Jaffe, a longtime Edison PBA Local 75 supporter, last lived in Marlboro.
Second wife and “life-long friend” Kathleen, friend and store manager Yvette Cuevas, partner Esther Serrano, daughter Jessica Griscom, a grandson and a granddaughter are among Jaffe’s survivors. First wife Lainie, parents Lou and Rose Jaffe, brother Joel and sister Janet predeceased him. Memorial donations may be made to supportwoundedwarriorsproject.org
BLOOMFIELD – A 50-year championship football coach who spent his last two seasons with the Bloomfield High School Bengals and legendary coach Michael Carter, Sr., received part of a $900,000 settlement from one of his former employers.
It became public March 12 that former 25-year Cedar Grove High School head football coach Ed Sadloch and three assistant coaches received shares of a $900,000 settlement from that township’s board of education over claims that they were unlawfully fired in 2016.
Sadloch, as head coach, helped amass a 203-65 win-loss record and five NJSIAA North 1, Group 1 sectional championships in his 25 years with the CGHS Panthers. He was told, however, to clean out his desk and vacate the high school by Feb. 17, 2016.
He and five of his then assistants, in March 2015, saw an Administrative Law Judge dismiss mishandling a Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying charge that a parent and the CG BOE had lodged against them. The board said that the student was to wear a question mark on his jersey and be called “The Riddler,” after a Batman cartoon villain, for asking many questions.
The ALJ ruled that the school board had failed to notify Sadloch and the assistants in a timely manner and “failed to comply with the investigatory process.” All four had meanwhile filed suit against the BOE for violating their First Amendment and civil rights, retaliation and, in Sadloch’s case, age discrimination. It was the latter suit that led to the $900,000 settlement made Oct. 29.
“Coach Sadloch has dedicated 50 years as a coach to football,” said Carter in 2023. “Eddie’s one of the most prepared and intense coaches you can find. He demanded much of himself and his players – and (they) have a ton of respect for him.”
MONTCLAIR – “Mission Accomplished” summed up what the Immaculate Conception High School girls basketball team likely felt when they left Rutgers Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway Friday afternoon.
The ICHS Lady Lions won their first – and only – NJSIAA Non Public B State Championship by staying ahead of the Gloucester Catholic Rams, 41-30. They left the hardwood having played their last ever game since the Archdiocese of Newark and Immaculate Conception High School Board of Trustees announced Feb. 12 that the co-ed institution will close June 30.
The 21-9 Lions, for the first time in three years, had won the sectional championship over the Peapack-Gladstone Gill St. Bernard Knights, 61-53, at Paterson’s JFK High March 8. They had lost the sectional round to Denville’s Morris Catholic Crusaders in 2024 and 23. The West Orange Mountaineers, however, spoiled ICHS’s bid for a fourth straight Essex County Tournament title, 43-41 Feb. 22.
The Lions Friday pulled ahead, 9-1 in the opening quarter but the Rams outscored them, 16-9 in the second. ICHS held an 18-17 lead at halftime. Immaculate kept scoring double digits in the latter half, 12-9 in the third and 11-4 in the closer.
Junior Nilah Rivera was the game’s top scorer, 11 points to GCHS’s Janzarah Green 9 and drew even with Jalyn Moore in steals at four each. Senior Nila Giraud ended her high school career by making 10 rebounds to Green’s 8.
Head Coach Jimmy Kreie and the Lady Lions have apparently performed ICHS’s last athletic feat. The school’s website that would normally set boys and girls outdoor track and softball spring schedules have been left blank.
CORRECTION: The Montclair town historian sent a contemporary news clipping past the deadline where Immaculate Conception Elementary School was set to close June 30, 1997. “Local Talk” had based ICHS’s shuttering on “IC Grammar School’s” telephone listing disappearing from the 2002 Verizon phone book.
BELLEVILLE – The Township Council voted to make sure The Great Lawn at 520 Belleville Ave. will remain so by approving its purchase at their Feb. 25 meeting.
The council unanimously voted that Tuesday night to bury the 9.2-acre property surrounding “The SoHo Hospital” from Alma Realty, of Long Island City, N.Y. The grassy knoll itself was last assessed at $80,000.
The council had approved a “no build” open space provision on the property in 2023, when Alma was seeking permission to convert the 11-story, 275-bed former county hospital into a luxury apartment building. That conversion has apparently stalled, leaving the township and DPW to maintain the lawn on a “clean and lien” basis.
An attorney for Alma protested the Feb. 25 purchase, saying that the company had been maintaining The Great Lawn since its 2017 purchase at a county auction. Alma had to buy the building and the lawn separately since a 1993 county auction had divided the parcels. The county received $3.7 million for both properties back then.
The county sought to break up the overall 35 acres it owned after the Essex County Geriatric Center was moved away to Cedar Grove in 1990. Another parcel off the northwest corner of Belleville and Franklin avenues, where an orphanage and powerhouse stood, became condominiums.
The SoHo neighborhood landmark was built as the Essex County Isolation Hospital for tuberculosis patients in 1905 and 1931. It returned to the auction block after the Garden State Cancer Center became bankrupt in 2017. The township planning board denied a plan to build single-story commercial retail space on the lawn’s Belleville Avenue side in 2002.
UPDATE: Contractors for NJDOT has started their latest phase of their Washington Avenue/Route 7 modernization project between Belleville Avenue and Mill Street north of the Newark Border 8 a.m. March 17. Through traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction while the center lanes are closed. Curbside parking along those five blocks have been suspended for the duration.
