True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Motorist Revving Engine to Free Car From Snow Dies After Vehicle Catches Fire

By HardBoiledNews Staff

LITTLE FERRY, New Jersey — A man whose car got stuck in the snow in a New Jersey park died when the vehicle caught fire after he repeatedly revved the engine even as police told him a tow truck was on its way.

Police were called to Losen Slote Creek Park after a public works employee spotted the disabled car on park property, Police Chief James Walters told NorthJersey.com. 

When an officer arrived, the driver was revving the engine in an effort to rock it back and forth and out of the snow, Walters said. 

Police say the officer told the man that a tow truck was on its way and that he should take his foot off the gas, but the man ignored him and kept revving his engine. 

Soon after, the car caught fire. Officers tried to get the man out, but the doors were locked and before they could break the windows, flames and smoke had engulfed the vehicle, driving the officers back. 

The man’s identity was not immediately released.

Killer 13-Year-Old Girl Charged With Gunning Down 35-Year-Old Man in NJ Street

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Niles Holmes was found bleeding to death in the street

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — A 13-year-old girl was busted on Christmas Eve with gunning down a man who was found bleeding to death on a New Jersey street weeks earlier, prosecutors said.

Niles Holmes, 35, was shot multiple times in his upper body on Dec. 10 , on a street corner in Jersey City. By the time cops got to him, he was unconscious and bleeding heavily. 

He was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center where he died a few hours later, cops said.

Authorities did not release the name of the suspect in the shooting because she is being charged as a juvenile. They also didn’t release a motive. 

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office says a second victim of the shooting survived with graze wounds to the arm.

NJ Shrink Busted for Paying Gangster to Disfigure Man Shaking Her Down

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The NJ shrink thought she was hiring a paid killer, but was stalking to an undercover FBI agent instead

CAMDEN, New Jersey (Nov. 8, 2018) — A screwy shrink has been busted for trying to hire a hitman to brutally beat a man who she said was shaking her down for cash, saying: “he needs his pretty little face bashed in.”

Diane Sylvia, 58, a mental health counselor in Linwood, New Jersey, began trying to arrange to attack in September, when she asked one of her patients — a former member of a violent gang — if he could help her kill someone, prosecutors said.

She said the man, who lives in Massachusetts, “had been bilking her for money over the years,” and she wanted him hurt, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

The former gang member, however, contacted the FBI, who had him introduce Sylvia to an undercover agent acting as a hitman. She told the agent that she didn’t really want the target dead, but rather beaten and permanently disfigured.

“He needs his pretty little face bashed in, that’s what I really want,” she was quoted as saying. She later added that “a broken arm would help, too,” explaining that “all he has is, like, his big muscles and his cute face.”

She later repeated, “I really just want his face punched in, I swear to God. And his arm broken, that’s what I want.” When the undercover agent asked why Sylvia wanted to do this, she claimed the man “ended up with some stuff on me that he was gonna report me to the licensing board, which means I have no job.”

When asked how assaulting this man would help Sylvia, she replied, “It’s just gonna make me feel better” and “it’s the only way I can get him back.”

The agent then told her to get a pre-paid phone for them to further discuss the assault. In further meetings, at Sylvia’s officer, she said she wanted an attack, that would disfigure the target.

“Something that makes him not so cute,” she said, while making a slashing motion on her chee. “Something so he can’t do push-ups, so he can’t work out.”

Sylvia then agreed to pay the undercover agent $5,000 and she was arrested. She was charged with one count of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, which carries a sentence of up to five years if she is convicted.

NJ English Teacher Charged With Sending Nude Pics to Underage Student

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Michelina Aichele allegedly had been sending racy texts and nude pictures to her student for months

MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, New Jersey — A 29-year-old high school teacher has been busted for allegedly sending racy text messages and nude pictures of herself to one of her students.

Michelina Aichele, an English teacher at Montgomery Township High School had allegedly been sending the steamy pics to her 17-year-old male student for months before school officials caught wind and reported it to police, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s office said.

Montgomery Township police interviewed the student who “provided details of sexually explicit conversations that defendant Aichele engaged in with him through social media sites and email,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Aichele, of Hillsborough, was arrested on Friday, authorities said. She was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Aichele was making $72,500 as a teacher at Montgomery high school and had been teaching there since 2012.

Woman Who Dressed as Nun to Rob Banks Gets 15-Month Prison Term

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The thieves dressed as nuns to knock over banks

NEWARK, New Jersey — She might want to say a prayer to the patron saint of prison inmates.

A 20-year-old stick-up artist has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for a string of bank robberies in which she and her partner dressed up as gun-toting nuns.

Swahilys Pedraza-Rodriguez, of New Haven, Connecticut, had pleaded guilty in June to robbing a bank in Garfield, New Jersey, while wearing a head covering and for a botched attempt to rip off an ATM at a bank in Scotrun, Pennsylvania.

Her co-defendant, 24-year-old Melisa Aquino Arias of Passaic, New Jersey, was sentenced last week to 37 months behind bars.

The two women were also accused of two other failed bank robberies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in which they donned Muslim head scarves to disguise their identities.

Melisa Aquino Arias (l) and Swahilys Pedraza-Rodriguez

In all, they only managed to score $2,900.

They were finally arrested after one of the botched robberies when a bank employee recognized them from photos that had been made public from one of the earlier robberies and called police. While they managed to get away from the bank, they were arrested by officers as they drove away.

 

Serial Rapist Sentenced to 150 Years for Chilling Motel Room Sex Attack Spree

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Serial rapist, Rasheed Powell, attacked women in motel rooms across northern New Jersey

ELIZABETH, New Jersey — A serial rapist who ambushed couples entering their motel rooms forced them at gunpoint to engage in sex acts before assaulting the women himself, has been sentenced to nearly 150 years in prison.

Rasheed Powell, 42, who has been in and out of jail since he was 14-years-old, was convicted in March of four separate terrifying episodes at northern New  Jersey motels in 2012. He was originally charged with two other similar assaults but those cases were thrown out of technicalities.

“Since 14, (Powell) has been literally a never-ending crime spree,” Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch said, according to NJ.com. “The record of Mr. Powell’s conduct is lifelong and never-ending – until today.”

Calling Powell’s actions “heinous” and “depraved,” the disgusted judge read details from each of the case reports

At a variety of low-cost motels along expressways between Elizabeth and Linden, New Jersey, Powell “preyed” on vulnerable victims as they entered their rooms, the judge said.

Powell would then force his way into the room and, armed with a handgun, force the couples to engage in sex acts with each other. He then would order the men into the bathrooms and then rape the women.

Cops eventually caught Powell in 2012 after tying him to DNA evidence left behind at the crime scenes.

“The terror they lived through in those motel rooms stayed with them for years afterward,” Assistant Union County Prosecutor Caroline Lawlor said. “I can think of no more heinous crime than what was inflicted upon these eight individuals.”

Some of the victims read chilling statements in court, describing how Powell had permanently affected their lives.

“I believe you deserve execution,” one victim said, “the death penalty if it was my choice. I hope you never see daylight again.

“I want to see you cry,” she continued, banging her hand on the table. “You’ve made your bed, now lay in it.”

 

Jailbird Dog Finds Way Home After Becoming Internet Star

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Bean the runaway pug landed behind bars before being reunited with her owner

CAPE MAY, New Jersey — Pug life, yo.

A runaway pug was returned to her owner after cops in Cape May, New Jersey posted her mugshot online.

Bean was found wandering in a family’s backyard on Sunday, prompting Patrolman Michael LeSage to look to the web to find her owner.

“This is what happens when you run away from home. This guy was captured sneaking through yards on the 1300 block on New Jersey Avenue. #pugmug,” the Cape May police posted on Facebook along with the mugshot which quickly went viral.

A few hours later, Bean’s owners contacted police after being informed by a neighbor that their dog had become a minor internet sensation.

“The pug’s owner has been located, and he has been released on bail,” police joked later on Facebook.

Hadley Hubbard, of Baltimore, Maryland, identified herself as Bean’s owner on social media.

“Bean is sound asleep at home after an exciting afternoon on the run,” she wrote.

Schools Superintendent Busted as Serial Pooper at Rival Athletic Fields

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Superintendent Thomas Tramaglini kept dropping loads at a rival school

HOLMDEL, New Jersey — Call him the pooper-intendant.

A New Jersey school superintendent has been identified as a serial pooper who had allegedly been taking a dump on a “daily basis” at the athletic fields of a rival school.

Thomas Tramaglini, 42, who is the superintendent of the Kenilworth school district in New Jersey, was caught after school officials at Holmdel High School set up surveillance after repeatedly finding human feces on their football field and running track, the Holmdel police said.

Tramaglini was charged with lewdness, littering and defecating in public.

He was busted as he ran at Holmdel High’s track early Monday.

Tramaglini, who makes $147,504 a year, was placed on paid leave after his arrest. He had previously served as chief academic officer at nearby schools.

 

Men Busted With Enough Fentanyl to Kill All of NY and NJ Sentenced to Prison

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jesus Carillo-Pineda and Daniel Vasquez had enough fentanyl on them to kill 18 million people, cops say

TRENTON, New Jersey  — Two drug dealers busted with enough fentanyl to kill the entire populations of New York and New Jersey have been sentenced to jail.

Jesus Carillo-Pineda, 31, of Philadelphia, and  Daniel Vasquez, 28, of Somerton, Arizona, were busted last June when narcotics cops watched them exchange a 40 kilos of the drug in a parking lot in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Cops later found another five kilos of fentanyl at a home in WIllingboro where Carillo-Pineda had been staying. The owner of the home, Omar Zeus Rodriguez, 38, remains a fugitive, authorities said.

“A seizure of this magnitude, which had enough lethal doses to wipe out the entire population of New Jersey twice over, in all likelihood prevented someone from ever taking their first dose, saving them from a life of misery and addiction,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

Carillo-Pineda was sentenced to 10 years for the drug charges, while Vasquez was hit with six years behind bars.

Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid that drug dealers often mix with heroin and other drugs. But if they mix in too much, it can easily result in an overdose.

Officials say the number of fentanyl overdose deaths in New Jersey — much like the rest of the country — have been skyrocketing. In 2016, 800 people suffered fatal overdoses in the state, up from 517 the year before.

 

Drunk School Bus Driver Busted in Road Rage Incident

By HardBoiledNews Staff

LAKEWOOD, New Jersey — Talk about setting a bad example!

A New Jersey school bus driver was arrested after getting into a road rage incident while dead drunk and driving a busload of kids, police said.

Angel Colon, 54, of Toms River, New Jersey, was driving with about 20 kids on their way to school Wednesday morning, when he got into an argument with another motorist, the Lakewood police said.

When cops arrived, they noticed that Colon had alcohol on his breath. They also described him as having “slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.”

He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and endangering the welfare of children.

Drunk Driver hits Road Sign, Goes 10 Miles Without Noticing it Sticking Out of Her Car

By HardBoiledNews Staff

This should have been hard to miss

SOUTH HACKENSACK, New Jersey — She was feeling no pain, or really noticing much of anything at all.

New Jersey police pulled over a woman they say drove several miles with a sheared-off road sign sticking out of the sunroof of her car without even noticing it.

Not surprisingly, the motorist, Maria Vazquez, 52, of Hawthorne, failed a field sobriety test and cops say she was so drunk she was unaware of the sign hanging out of her car, the Hackensack Daily Voice reported.

Officers determined she had hit the New Jersey Transit road sign in Secaucus early Saturday and then drove nearly 10 miles before cops noticed her.

“Thankfully no one was in the backseat of the vehicle or this could have been a different situation,” Capt. Robert Kaiser said.

Pantless Man in Heels Barges Into Stranger’s Home Yelling ‘I’m Here!’

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

Justin Christodoro

RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — When just being creepy isn’t enough.

A New Jersey man was arrested after he barged into a stranger’s home wearing nothing but a tight black t-shirt and high heels and screaming “I’m here!”

Police in Rutherford, New Jersey say Justin Christodoro, 39, busted into the home unannounced last week, startling a couple who were sitting watching television.

“No explanation was offered as to why he chose the Rutherford residence,” Rutherford Police Capt. Patrick Feliciano told NJ.com. “He does not know the Rutherford residents.”

He then ran off without further incident, cops said.

Investigators later caught up to Christodoro, who is an attorney, several hours later as he slept in his car parked in the driveway of another home, while still wearing just the shirt and heels.

Cops said he appeared out of it and said he didn’t know how he had gotten there. They later found a bag containing ecstasy pills in the vehicle.

He was taken to a local hospital and was given summonses for criminal trespass, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, lewdness, and a motor vehicle violation for blocking a driveway.

Plane Passengers Stopped With 13 Lbs of Cocaine in Their Neck Pillows

By HardBoiledNews Staff

NEWARK, New Jersey — It certainly wouldn’t have helped anyone sleep.

Two airline passengers were busted flying into Newark International Airport carrying 13 pounds of cocaine sewn into the neck pillows they had brought with them, federal authorities said.

Rafael Francisco Bautista Perdomo and Brenda Alyssa Mancebo, both 20, were stopped on Wednesday after landing on a flight from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic

A routine baggage screening revealed that the neck pillows they had brought as carry-on were stuffed with about 6.5 pounds of cocaine each.

Perdomo admitted he had been $10,000 to take the drugs into the United States. He initially told federal agents that he didn’t know Mancebo, but a search of her phone turned up a number of “selfies” taken by Perdomo and photos of them together.

There were also WhatsApp messages between them the day before the flight in which Perdomo allegedly wrote, “If you are afraid, don’t do it,” and “leave it alone, get rid of it.”

Both were charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and face at least 10 years in prison. They were both held without bail.

Giant Powerball Winner Charged in Child Sex Assault Case

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Pedro Quezada won $338 million in the Powerball in 2013

PASSAIC, New Jersey — A former bodega owner who hit it big with one of the largest Powerball jackpots in history has been charged with sexually assaulting a child over a three year period, authorities said.

Pedro Quezada, 49, who won $338 million in 2013 is accused of assaulting the female victim when she was between the ages of 11 and 14, Passaic County prosecutors said. They said it did not appear that there were other victims. It was not made public Quezada’s relation to the victim.

When Quezada scored his big win, he was naturally overwhelmed, but said he intended to help people.

” I felt pure joy and happiness because I can help my family,” he sai when he officially claimed the prize at New Jersey lottery headquarters. “My life will change because of it — so much money –but it will not change my heart.”

Lottery officials said Quezada opted for  a $211 million lump-sum payout that dropped to $152 million after taxes were taken out.

Similar to some other big lotto winners, Quezada’s life took some rocky turns after he took home the big jackpot.

Eight months after winning, his girlfriend of 10 years and the mother of one of his five kids,sued saying he wasn’t sharing the winnings with her. Neighbors also accused him of reneging on a deal to pay their rent for a month. His former landlord also said Quezada never paid him more the $7,000 he owed in back rent.

If convicted, Quezada faces up to 40 years in prison.

N.J. Woman Walking Dog Narrowly Escapes Terrifying Coyote Standoff

By HardBoiledNews Staff

SADDLE RIVER, New Jersey — Cops are on the hunt for a pack of wild-eyed, killer coyotes that surrounded a woman and nearly tore apart her dog in a sinister suburban standoff.

Police in Saddle River, New Jersey have warned residents to let small children and pets outside alone following Thursday’s terrifying episode.

Cops say the woman had been walking her dog down a suburban street when a pack of about five snarling coyotes began circling around them. They eventually came within six feet of the woman and her pooch.

They only gave up their pursuit when a passing motorist began honking his horn, scaring the beasts away.

Animal control officials have suggested residents consider carrying a compressed air horn or a walking stick to fend off any similar encounters.

Security Guard Charged With Stealing $100K on First Day on Job

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Larry Brooks

FAIRFIELD, New Jersey — This guy didn’t waste any time.

A New Jersey armored car guard has been charged with walking off with $100,000 in cash on his first day on the job.

Police in Fairfield, New Jersey say they got a call on Wednesday from the private security firm, Garda, saying that a new employee, Larry Brooks, 19, had been caught on camera pocketing a giant pile of cash.

The case against Brooks appeared pretty open and shut when security officers from the firm went to his house in Elizabeth and found $85,900 in cash stashed in his car. It’s not clear what happened to the rest of the money.

Brooks was charged with second degree theft and was released on his own recognizance.

Man Charged With Killing Gal Pal Whose Body Parts Washed Up in NYC

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jenny Londono was last seen on June 25

HACKENSACK, New Jersey — A 40-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with murdering his stunning nightclub manager girlfriend and chopping her body into pieces that he dumped in the Hudson River.

Bergen County prosecutors say Raphael Lolos, of Bergenfield, New Jersey, was arrested Friday in the death of 31-year-old Jenny Londono, parts of whose body had washed up on the shores of New York City on July 27.

Police were able to link the remains to Londono through a distinctive sanskrit tattoo she had on her right hip. A leg that is believed to have been hers was found floating in the Hudson days later.

Investigators found traces of Londono’s blood in Lolos’ bathtub, sources said. Prosecutors say he had been using her credit cards up until the day he was arrested.

After he was detained, authorities say he suffered a “medical episode” and was hospitalized.

Raphael Lolos

Friends say Londono had only recently opened the Luna Lounge in Englewood, New Jersey after working as bartender at a separate club nearby.

Lolos has been charged with murder, desecration of human remains, hindering apprehension, credit card fraud and stalking.

 

Florist Busted Stealing Flowers From Cemetery

By HardBoiledNews Staff

PEQUANNOCK, New Jersey — A sticky-fingered florist has been arrested for repeatedly stealing graveside flowers and plants from a cemetery in New Jersey, cops said.

Lynda Wingate, 59, of Riverdale has been charged with theft of moveable property.

Pequannock Township police say that after receiving numerous complaints about stolen lowers at the First Reformed Church Cemetery in Pompton Plains, they decided to replace some pilfered plants and place surveillance cameras nearby to see what would happen.

Sure enough, cops say that within two days the plants were gone and a review of the surveillance footage revealed a woman driving up in a silver minivan and taking off with the plants.

Unfortunately for Wingate, officers recognized her as a former police dispatcher who now owned a flower shop in town.

Police say Wingate claimed she was just removing old flowers from graves of people she knew, but investigators didn’t buy her story. At the same time, they said there was no evidence that she attempted to re-sell any of the plants she allegedly stole.

American Idol Dope Forgets to Leave Weed at Home for Court Appearance

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Khaleef Chiles appeared on the first season of American Idol in 2003

SOMERSET, New Jersey — Come for the bail jumping, stay for the weed.

A New Jersey man who had been a contestant on the first season of “American Idol” found himself in hot water this week when he came to court to surrender on charges of jumping bail and court officers found a bag of weed in his pocket.

Khaleef Chiles, 34, of Plainfield, arrived at Somerset County court on Thursday to face charges for failing to appear for an earlier court date. When he was searched before being placed in a holding cell, officers found the drugs, NJ.com reported.

Chiles was charged with third-degree drug possession in addition to the bail jumping charge and Judge Robert Reed ordered him to return to court on Friday to enter his pleas.

“When you come back tomorrow, make sure your pockets contain no weed,” the judge said. “I’m just saying.”

Chiles appeared on American Idol back in 2003, landing a spot on the show with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour,” but was voted off early in the season. He later co-authored a song for R&B singer Christina Milian, called “Whatever U Want.”

On Friday, prosecutors agreed to drop the drug charge in return for a guilty plea in the bail jumping case for which Chiles will be sentenced to probation and court-ordered drug counseling.

Chiles has a history of poor attendance in court.

He was initially arrested in March 2016 on charges of  LSD and marijuana possession. On June 24, he failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He turned himself in to authorities in December but failed to show up in court again on April 3

New Jersey Sicko Sets Record for Largest Child Porn Stash

By HardBoiledNews Staff

This creep had the biggest child porn stash NJ prosecutors ever saw

This creep had the biggest child porn stash NJ prosecutors ever saw

TRENTON, New Jersey — Prosecutors say 36-year-old Charles Diggs, of Roselle, N.J. had 325,000 files depicting child pornography including 14,000 videos showing the rape of very young children.

“Diggs allegedly had the most child pornography ever found in a state investigation – more than four times the prior record,” said Attorney General Christopher Porrino. “It’s heartbreaking to think of the many thousands of children who were raped and robbed of their innocence to create the images and videos he allegedly possessed.”

Authorities became aware of Diggs after getting a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a Twitter account that was allegedly uploading child pornography onto the web. An investigation led police to Diggs who was arrested Sept. 3.

A search of his computers revealed the scope of his sickening collection.

A grand jury indicted Diggs on Friday on charges of with second-degree distribution of child pornography and third-degree possession of more than 100 files of child pornography. Diggs faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

 

 

MS-13 Gang Members Charged With Plotting to Kill Informant in New Jersey

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Members of the gang MS-13

Members of the gang MS-13

UNION CITY, New Jersey — Two high-ranking members of the vicious gang MS-13 were charged with conspiring to kill a fellow gang member they believed was an informant.

Federal investigators say Juan Pablo “Humilde” Escalante-Melgar, 27, and Elmer “Locote” Cruz-Diaz, 28, both of Union City, NJ, had received approval from their superiors in El Salvador to carry out the hit against the man they believed was cooperating with law enforcement.

“MS-13’s rules strictly prohibit cooperating with law enforcement, and it is well understood within the gang that police informants will be punished by death,” the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark said in a statement.

Escalante-Melgar is the leader of the Pinos Locos Salvatrucha clique of the gang and Cruz-Diaz heads the Hudson Locotes Salvatrucha  clique, prosecutors said.

Investigators zeroed in on the plot in early August when they heard the two  men discussing with other MS-13 members on the phone the need to kill the intended victim as well as three other people. Within days, the gang had received approval from leaders in El Salvador to carry out the hits.

The two men assigned a gang member to tail the victim and take note of his movements to determine the best time and place to kill him.

But on Sept. 3, Esclante-Melgar and  Cruz-Diaz were taken into custody on immigration charges. They were later hit with federal charges of conspiring to kill a person to prevent them from talking to police and have been held without bail.