Union County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff’s Officers John McGarry, Michael Heller, Tamiko Brooks, Hurley Jones standing with staff members and children in the pre-K class from the Washington Elementary School in Plainfield. The Sheriff’s Officer’s PBA Local 108 donated pumpkins to create a pumpkin patch for the kids. This the second year in a row the Sheriff’s Office has participated in this event.
Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Union County Sheriff Joe Cryan joined Community Access Unlimited (CAU) Senior Assistant Executive Director Tanya Johnson, former DYFS Director Nicholas Scalera and University of Pennsylvania student Glen Casey at the 4th Annual Union County Youth Services Networking Conference in Elizabeth.
The event was sponsored by the County of Union, CAU and a coalition of public and nonprofit youth services organizations that make up the Union County Youth Services Steering Committee and focused on improving services for youths and young adults. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
On Wednesday October 19, 2016 members of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Elizabeth and Union Police Departments, participated in the 14th Annual National Family Violence Apprehension Detail. Union County agencies were part of approximately 220 Sheriff’s Offices and Police Departments nationwide that attempted to serve outstanding arrest warrants related to Family Violence. In Union County, Sheriff’s Officers attempted to serve 36 warrants, resulting in the physical arrest of 15 individuals for outstanding Family Violence issues and the voluntary surrender of 12 people for enforcement of child support matters. Officers additionally served 11 Temporary Restraining Orders on defendants accused of Domestic Violence in a NJ DV Civil Complaint over a twenty four hour period.
This annual nationwide effort, coordinated by the Clackamas, OR Sheriff’s Office, is held in October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. The Union County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office to identify priority cases in which offenders were accused and charged with Violation of DV Restraining Orders, but never located and arrested. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation and Family Violence Units, under the supervision of LT Carlo Caparruva and LT Cliff Meros, worked leads to establish the whereabouts of all offenders and served the warrants over a twenty-four hour period on October 19.
Sheriff Joseph Cryan stated, “This is an example of harnessing the resources of all law enforcement agencies. There are victims in our County that did not feel safe knowing that the offenders had not yet faced justice for their crimes. Our Officers worked with the Prosecutor’s Office Family Violence Unit and the Police Departments where the charges originated to help ensure that those accused of Domestic Violence are brought forth to the proper adjudication of those charges. I hope that we can help a few of those victims sleep a little more soundly this evening. While this Sweep was a single day event, this is an ongoing issue and a priority for the Union County Sheriff’s Office. My Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to help ensure the safety of victims of Domestic Violence on a daily basis.”
For more information or assistance, contact the New Jersey Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-572-SAFE (7233). The confidential 24-hour, seven-day-a-week hotline aids domestic violence victims and others seeking information, referral services or crisis intervention.
Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholder Alexander Mirabella joined Union County Sheriff Joe Cryan in congratulating the winners of the 6th Annual Union County Sheriff’s Pistol Competition at the Union County Sheriff’s Firearms Training Facility in Springfield.
Officer John Perez of the Roselle Police Department won 1st Place. Sgt. Helder Freire of the Roselle Police Department took 2nd Place. Detective Ken Grady of the Kenilworth Police Department took 3rd Place. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
On behalf of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Vice Chairman Sergio Granados presented resolutions to individuals and agencies in honor of their heroic efforts in finding and defusing pipe bombs and the arrest of a suspect believed to have been involved with the incident.
Those honored include the two men—Lee Parker and Ivan White–who found the suspicious backpack in Elizabeth containing the pipe bombs and then reported it to Elizabeth police; Harinder Bains, the Linden bar/deli owner who reported the suspect wanted in connection with the pipe bombs; and the two Linden Police officers, Angel Padilla and Peter Hammer, who apprehended the suspect in connection with the incident.
The agencies that were honored included the Union County Bomb Squad, which safely handled the pipe bombs, the Union County Police who responded to the scene where the pipe bombs were discovered and also to the scene of the apprehension in Linden, the Union County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit and the Sheriff’s K-9 Squad, which was responded to the scene of the pipe bombs and was used throughout the area and incident; the Linden Police department as a whole unit for their role in the apprehension; the Union County Office of Emergency Management; the Elizabeth Police and Fire Departments as a whole which responded to the pipe bomb incident and notified all other agencies.
Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen, Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, Union County Sheriff Joe Cryan, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi and Union County Surrogate James LaCorte met with Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Commander Robert Jeans before they spoke about county services available to veterans at the VFW NJ District 5 meeting at the Kenilworth Veterans Center. The Town Hall Meeting with veterans is part of Chairman Bergen’s UC HERO initiative for continued outreach to veterans about services offered through various county agencies. For more information about Union County services for veterans visit www.ucnj.org/uc-hero/. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
The Suicide Awareness Program was held which included members of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Union County Department of Corrections.
Speakers included Sheriff Joe Cryan, Prosecutor Grace Park, and Assistant Director of the Union County Jail George Blaskewicz.
Photo by A. Anastasatos
Roselle, NJ – On Tuesday, August 30, Union County Sheriff’s Detective James Miller, and Sheriff’s Investigators Kenneth Randazza and Keith Rhyner located and arrested Christian Pacheco, a 39-year-old male Roselle resident on an outstanding warrant for eluding arrest. The warrant was from an incident on April 1st when the suspect led officers on a high-speed chase through Rahway and Linden.
After months of searching, Investigator Rhyner tracked Pacheco to an address in Roselle where he was found and taken into custody. The Sheriff’s Officers transported Pacheco to the Union County Jail and he was committed without incident.
The April incident began when Rahway Police Officer Andrew Webb stopped Pacheco for traveling 80 mph in a 45 mph zone. Pacheco then led the officer on a chase through Rahway and Linden. The pursuit was halted to concerns for public safety, with Pacheco eluding arrest.
Pacheco previously had a suspended New Jersey Driver’s License and was also wanted on an arrest warrant out of Weehawken.
County Facebook page to feature Daily Remembrance of Residents beginning September 1st
The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invites members of the community to honor the memory of the 60 Union County residents who perished in the 9/11 attacks by visiting the Union County September 11th Memorial, Sunday, Sept. 11th from the morning hours until 9 p.m. at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside.
Members of the Union County Sheriff’s Office will provide a uniformed Honor Guard standing watch at the memorial from 6-9 p.m. and the public will be able to bring and light candles in memory of those lost in the attacks.
Prior to the event, the County Facebook page will mark the 15th anniversary of the attacks by remembering a resident who was killed in the attacks, beginning September 1st and continuing for 59 more days.
“We honor those who perished in the attacks and remember the many acts of bravery that occurred that day,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “Being so close to New York City, there are very few in Union County who did not personally know someone, or the family of someone, killed or affected. The County memorial provides a location that allows for peace and reflection that gives us strength and inspiration to continue forward.”
The Union County September 11th Memorial honors those lost in the attacks using design elements that include two girders from the World Trade Center arranged within a five sided area representing the Pentagon, and an Eternal Flame representing those who died in Pennsylvania. The Flame also honors members of the Armed Services and emergency responders.
In addition to these elements, the names of the 60 deceased Union County residents are etched into the memorial.
Dedicated on Sept. 13, 2003 the memorial was constructed through private donations including in-kind work by labor unions and materials at cost.
The Freeholder Board worked with residents of Cranford, Elizabeth, Kenilworth, Linden, Mountainside, Rahway, Scotch Plains, Summit, Union and Westfield in planning and building the Memorial.
It is located near the Springfield Avenue entrance of Echo Lake Park on the border of Mountainside and Springfield.
For additional information on the Union County September 11th Memorial, or information on visitation hours, contact the Union County Office of Public Information at 877-424-1234 or visit online at www.ucnj.org/9-11-memorial.
Union County Sheriff Joe Cryan and members of the Sheriff’s Office joined Assemblywoman Annette Quijano and local volunteers in making sandwiches at the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless as part of Assemblywoman Quijano’s 4th annual “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” food drive for the needy. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)