Bergen County: Community activist Joan Davis. The state also boasts. On the afternoon of January 13, 1996, nine-year-old Amber Hagerman and her five-year-old brother Ricky were playing, as they often did, in an abandoned grocery store parking lot in . He tampered with IV bags and administered lethal injections for years with his crimes going unnoticed. After the suitcases turned up in the Chesapeake, investigators foundE-ZPass records of McGuire's car at a Delaware toll (which she tried to remove from her account history) and matched the luggage with a set she had in her basement. Postal Service worker in Ridgewood, had been fired in 1990 and was seeking revenge against his former supervisor, Carol Ott. "OCPOs Cold Case Unit investigators serve as advocates for victims in unsolved cases regardless of how much time has passed, working to bring peace to the loved ones of an individual who was senselessly killed or is missing.". If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Chesimard was also convicted of first-degree murderbut in 1979 escaped from the New Jersey State Reformatory for Women at Clinton and resurfaced a few years later in Cuba, where she still lives. Schultz was actually in the restroom when he was gunned downand stumbled back into the dining room. He was finally fired from his last position at Somerset Medical Center onOct. 31, 2003, and was arrested less than two months later for murder and attempted murder. New York City, one of the most famous cities in the world, has a reputationdeserved or notfor violence. (Courtesy Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society). Harris then went to the Ridgewood Post Office, where he shot to death two mail handlers arriving for the overnight shift and also shot at a mail driver, who escaped and ran to the Ridgewood police station. Police then lobbed tear gas into the house and Unruh surrendered, telling them, "I'd have killed a thousand if I'd had bullets enough." But the state has a dark side, too, and there are many scary stories linked to the area. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. (Mario Tama | Getty Images). Boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter and friend John Artis were convicted of the crimes and spent years in prison. Authorities say Johnson and a male passenger were traveling west on Levitt Parkway toward Route 130 in Willingboro when the Buick struck a Dodge Lancer that was stopped at the traffic light. Rosados remains were later found along the Delaware River and positively identified. His family was torn apart by the crime, with his youngestson standing by his father and the other sons disowning him. (Star-Ledger file photo). COMING WEDNESDAY: Part II of N.J's most notorious murders the lovers. Mercer County: TCNJ student Sigrid Stevenson. N.J.'s many cold cases, 11 unsolved homicides in Bergen and Passaic counties, Who killed the 'Cook'? Howard Unruh killed 13 people in Camden in 1949 in one of America's earliest spree killings. Name: Date: Victims: Location : B : Anthony BALAAM 1994 - 1996: 4: New Jersey, USA : Marko BEY: April 1/26, 1983: 2: New Jersey, USA: Richard Fran BIEGENWALD: 1958 / . On March 1, 1932, famed aviator Charles Lindberghdiscovered his 20-month-old son missing from hissecond-story bedroom of their Hopewell home and a ransom note on the window sill. The bills from the ransom drop eventually led investigators to a German immigrant named Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who lived near the cemetery where the alleged kidnapper met Condon. Once authorities are able to acquire sufficient Mercer County murders evidence in certain homicide cases, they are finally able tocharge their suspected perpetratorwith the crime, beforesendingthem to Mercer County murders trial. The bootlegger and early Mafioso Dutch Schultz (nee Arthur Flegenheimer) was bumped off by fellow mobsters after he proposed a hit on New York anti-organized crime crusader (and future New York governor) Thomas Dewey. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Christine Todd Whitman: Whitman was the only woman ever elected as governor of New Jersey (1994-2001) and served in the George W. Bush cabinet from 2001-2003. Howard Barton Unruh killed 13 people (including three children) during a 12-minute walk through his Camden neighborhood on September 6, 1949. FindNJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. Mary Frances Creighton with her husband John, and their two children Ruth and John Jr. Creighton. Authorities say Thor was sexually assaulted and killed by blunt force trauma the day she disappeared. Get the Asbury Park Press app today. Two years later, Coppolino and his wife Carmela moved to Florida, where Carmela died suddenly, justafterCoppolino increased his wife's insurance policy. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy. If you would like to look into some New Jersey killers, more specifically New Jersey serial killers, you can find detailed information within various lists that describes the crimes that they had committed. Some of the most well-known or infamous New Jersey murders that are most often found on the list of New Jersey murders include the 1976 murder of Cynthia Leeds, the 2007 murder of Lockey Mitten, the 2010 murder of Diane Mary Zaleski, the 1977 murder of Sigrid Stevenson, and the 2001 murder of. Vineland founder Charles K. Landis had a long-standing feud with Uri Carruth, the editor of the weekly Vineland Independent, but when Carruth published an editorial on March 20, 1875 that suggested a town leader was considering committing his wife to an insane asylum, all but naming Landis, Landis stormed the newspaper offices and shot Carruth in the back of the head. Arriving at her home, he slashed her to death with a samurai sword and shot and killed her boyfriend. After the driver was shot, the glass shattered, Johnson fell forward and the passenger tried to steer the car and bring it to a stop before the crash. Bon Jovi's evergreen classics like 'Livin' On A Prayer' and . (Star-Ledger file photo), The mom who (almost) got away with murder, 1991. Condon met twice in a Bronx cemetery with the kidnapper, who called himself John and had a pronounced accent, and then. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Flora Rheta Schreiber, the author of "Sybil," became interested in the case and Kallinger admitted to her that he had also killed his son Joey, then 14, and a 10-year-old neighbor before the robbery spree began. Edwards' wife smashed a window and screamed for help; a neighbor called police. Her computer search history also turned up "how to commit murder." Sigrid Stevenson, 25, was found beaten to deathand naked on the main stage of Kendall Hall's theater at then-Trenton State College on Sept. 4, 1977, just four days before classes started. (Marisa Iati | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com). Musicians Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston and Paul Simon, Hollywood star Bruce Willis as well as American politician Cory Booker are a few distinguished personalities from New Jersey. 1. When Edwards attempted to escape, Harris shot and killed him. Joseph Harris's lawyers claimed that a ninja spirit guided him when the former postal worker killed four people in 1991. Surprisingly, around 14,678 of those murders have been solved through the years, leaving the state with around 6,546 unsolved murders in New Jersey. No one else was ever arrested for the double murder. Lee Anthony Evans represented himself at his November 2011 trial and was acquitted, officially closing the 33-year-old cold case. He tortured and murdered two sex workers in New York City in 1979, and was eventually caught torturing another sex worker in a New Jersey motel. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This month, Inside Jersey looks back at the most notorious murders, crime sprees and serial killers to sully the Garden State. His final victims were the pharmacist and the man's wife and mother, after which Unruh returned home. GREEN, Bruno Richard He is eligible for parole in 2403. Landis went on to develop Sea Isle City and died in 1900 at the age of 67. (Newark Evening News). Atlantic County: Radio show host April Kaufmann. He is now in his 50s. There are several theories suggesting another man, John Condon, was involved but this has never been proven. Thank you! The victim is believed to have been killed on or about Jan. 1, 2006. Kristen is a writer, editor, and social media maven who loves her state. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! He got his nickname after he dismembered his two victims and set the torsos on fire. Zarinksy died at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton in 2008 before he could be brought to trial in Durrua's murder. (Star-Ledger file photo). What happened after that is a mystery. Email newstips@app.com with the subject line 'NJ crime'. Amanda Rae Carroll was last seen on May 1, 2000 in Flemington wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons database. Mobster Dutch Schultz died at Newark City Hospital the day after being shot down at Palace Chop House. From left, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, executed for the murder of the Lindbergh baby; Howard Unruh, one of America's earliest spree killers; RobertZarinsky, the first person ever convicted in New Jersey of murder without a body; Joanne Chesmard, aka Assata Shakur, convicted in the killing of a New Jersey state trooper and who then escaped from prison and resurfaced in Cuba; and John List, who masterminded the murder of his entire family and disappeared, only to be captured years later after "America's Most Wanted" publicized the case. Wendy Sue Wolin's stepbrother and sister, Jules Fleischner and Jodi Wolin, pose near a small garden marking the spot where Wendy, then seven, was stabbed to death near her apartment in 1966. To keep creating New Jersey has been in the news for dozens of incredible things. It's speculated the number could be much higher than that, into the hundreds. The homicide rate in Trenton, New Jersey, continues to increase each year, despite the fact that we have no means of knowing how many murders in New Jersey 2021 or how many murdersin Trenton, New Jersey, 2021. While he admitted his extramarital affairs, he still denies arranging his wife's murder. If he is still alive, he would beabout 84. Her parents last saw her at about 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 26, 1982 when shereceived a phone call minutes before leaving for her ballet lesson. Authorities said Chesimard shot first, but Chesimard's lawyer said the gunshot wound that broke her clavicle could only have happened if she had been sittingin the car with her hands raised. Even if you are not from or living in New Jersey, you may recognize at least one of the most famous New Jersey murders, if not more. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. He was resentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2015. Which of these stories was most disturbing? YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. A bust of John List was commissioned by 'America's Most Wanted' in 1989 for a segment on the 1971 murders. Built In 1957, The Caribbean Motel Is A Historic Inn In New Jersey That Was Once The Heart Of Doo-Wop Culture, Here Are The 5 Most-Recommended BBQ Restaurants In New Jersey, According To Our Readers, Enjoy A Farm-To-Glass Brewing Experience At This Unique Brewery In New Jersey, Few People Know About This New Jersey Quarry Filled With Dinosaur Tracks, Not Many People Know About The Deadliest Serial Killer To Stalk New Jersey, These 8 Famous Homicides In New Jersey Will Never Be Forgotten, These 7 Evil People From New Jersey Left A Dark Stain On History, 13 Reasons That New Jersey Is The Most Terrifying, Spookiest State, Choochart Choochaikupt / EyeEm via Getty Images. This past May, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office filed a motion requesting the DNA of Kauffman's husband, James Kauffman, which he has opposed. On May 2, 1973, a car carrying Joanne Chesimard of the Black Liberation Army and two others waspulled over on the New Jersey Turnpike in East Brunswick by State Trooper James H. Harper, who noticed a broken taillight and called fellow trooper Werner Foerster for back-up. The cold case was reopened in 2011, and Lodzinksi's niece, who also babysat Timothy, identified the blue and white blanket found with hisremains as the boy's. 5318. He spent the most of his life at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, dying in 2009 at the age of 88. (Clockwise, from top left) Melanie McGuire, Charles Cullen, Ambrose Harris and Jesse Timmendequas are just some of the Garden State's most notorious criminals still serving lengthy sentences in. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. First, God instructed Philadelphia cobbler Joseph Kallinger to investigate ways to relieve heel pressure, and Kallinger dutifully spent the better part of 20 years conducting orthopedic experiments for the betterment of mankind. During a massive search for the missing child, law enforcement officers ascertained that there were three sex offenders Joseph Cifelli, Jesse Timmendequas, then 36, and Brian Jenin living across the street from the Kanka family. He typically shot and stabbed his victims. All rights reserved (About Us). From the shocking Lindbergh baby kidnapping, to the infamous murder of Maria Marshall and the notorious "Walk of Death," New Jersey is home to some of the most heinous murders in the country'shistory. Uri Carruth, editor of the weekly Vineland Independent, routinely took issue with Landis' imperiousness, and on March, 20, 1875, made their feud personal, publishing an editorial that didn't name Landis but suggested a prominent townsperson was considering committing his wife to an insane asylum. famous murders in new jersey. Based onthe most recent census, Mercer County, New Jersey, boastsa population of more than365,000 residents. He participated in three documentaries before his death in 2006 at the age of 70 in the prison ward of St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. (Star-Ledger file photo). A $10,000 reward still stands for information on Mitten's death. But he is also believed to have killed at least four other teenaged girls in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Investigators speculated that fellow mob leaders wanted Morettisilenced after the talkative gangster, said to be suffering brain damage fromsyphilis, testified (but did not incriminate anyone) before local and federal committees on organized crime. Odds are youll see a couple of names on the list of all murders in New Jersey or list of murders in Jersey that at least seem familiar. The two North Bergen teens planned a trip to the Garden State Plaza on August 9th 1974. Lastly, a couple of the unsolved murders in Trenton, New Jersey, which can also be found within different databases or on various law enforcement websites include the the 2013 murder of Cornelius Boakai and the 2012 murder of Joshua Moore, in addition to a couple of unsolved murders in Mercer County, New Jersey, which include the the 1984 murder of Donna Macho and the 2014 murder of Joyce Vanderhoff. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Anyone with informationcan contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432. WOW. Lockey Mitten, 65, was found stabbed to deathin her Williamstown mobile home on July 28, 2007. Police didn't discover the bodies until nearly a month later, by which time List had disappeared. A rabbi with a roving eye, a housewife whose secret ingredient was arsenic, a failing financial planner who requested cremations for the family that he killed(more economical),a real estate mogul in a nasty feud with a newsman: the Garden State has been home to some of thenation's most singularmurderers, and some of the most horrifying acts of revenge, greed, jealousy, insanity, perversion and pure evil. Then, his God threw him a curveball: Massacre humanity. The prosecutor's office released a sketch of a suspect shortly after the killing. RUBEN BONILLA GONZALO via Getty Images While working as a nurse, Cullen killed at least 40 patients during his 16-year career. Recently, our job growth outpaced the nations and the Cape May Ferry offered free rides to injured animals. Nancy Noga, 17, was found facedown in the snow on Jan. 12, 1999 in a ravine behind a mini-mall off Ernston Road in Sayreville, five days after she went missing.It took two days for her body to thaw before the medical examiner could perform an autopsy. The driver, Clark E. Squire, drove away withChesimard, but police soon captured both. He spent the remainder of his life at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, dying in 2009 at the age of 88. plans and enthusiasm Charles Cullen, the nurse who administered fatal doses of drugs to at least 29 of his patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Burr died on Staten Island in 1836 at 80. The racially charged shooting left Assata Shakur a monster to some and a hero to others. Follow him on Twitter@JustinZarembaNJ. Noga died from a blow to the head. The mobster Dutch Schultz was the victim of a hit in Newark in 1935. "He was a quiet one, that guy. 6 The Diggs Family. Take a look back at the murder cases that rocked our state to its core in our gallery below. He was killed in the electric chair in Trenton on April 3, 1936. Listed below are some of the most prominent cold cases from each county in the Garden State. (He died before completing his lengthy sentence for his Pennsylvania crimes, so he never served any time for the killing of Maria Fasching.) Mark Himebaugh, 11, was last seen around 4 p.m. on Nov. 25, 1991 bya security guard at Cape May County Park South, who reported the boywas walking with a girl. But he was convicted of second-degree murder inCamela's deathin Florida. Morris County: Kenvil Diner owner Chafic "Steve" Ezzeddine. While working as a nurse, Cullen killed at least 40 patients during his 16-year career. After attending Montclair State University, she continued her education online, obtaining certifications in social media management. In 2014, Lodzinksi, who had moved to Florida and had two more children,was charged in Timothy'smurder, and after a high-profile trial in 2016, she was convicted of first-degree murder. Harris, a longtime U.S. Here are ten of the more gruesome murders in New York, pre-1905. He was found guilty on five counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, where he diedof complications due to pneumoniain 2008at the age of 82. Her body was found three days later in a wooded area about a quarter-mile from her home. All three men were questioned about Megan's disappearance. She was acquitted, and to escape the notoriety, she and her husband moved to Long Island, where they shared a home with another couple. FindNJ.com on Facebook. Information may also be emailed toccpotips@ccprosecutor.org. The Kitty Genovese murder in Queens, New York, in 1964 is one of the most famous murder cases to come out of New York City and into the national spotlight. These annual reports, for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report, often include the various types of crimes and their respective crime rates and statistics. More:Neptune teen could face life in prison for 10-year-old's murder, More:Asbury Park Thanksgiving Eve killing: Eyewitness watched man die, More:Long Branch murder: Two dead in apparent murder-suicide, NJ murders: These are the six most notorious NJ serial killers, Neptune teen could face life in prison for 10-year-old's murder, Asbury Park Thanksgiving Eve killing: Eyewitness watched man die, Long Branch murder: Two dead in apparent murder-suicide, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Dubbed the Jersey Shore Thrill Killer, Richard Biegenwald, a veteran of psychiatric hospitals and reform schools, had served 17 years in prison for the 1958murder of a grocery store owner before being paroled in 1975. More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. in 1975, he was convicted ofkilling 17-year-old Rosemary Calandriello of Atlantic Highlands, last seen in August 1969 on her way to the corner store. Even if you are not from or living in New Jersey, you may recognize at least one of the most famous New Jersey murders, if not more. The murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. Image/Library of Congress Called the "Crime of the Century," Charles Lindbergh, Jr. was abducted from the family's East Amwell home on the evening of March 1st, 1932. You gotta watch them quiet ones. Earlier this year, the 49-year-oldwas sentenced to 30 years in prisonwith no possibility of parole. Descendants of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton reenactthe famed duel on its 200th anniversary in 2004 in Weehawken. A friend of Biegenwald told police that Biegenwald killed three other teens and a drug dealer since 1981 and told them where to find the bodies. Throughout the years, there have been several famous homicides in New Jersey - each story more chilling than the next. Its long and beautiful coastline has long made the state a popular vacation destination, with over 50 seaside resort towns including Asbury Park, Atlantic City and Cape May. The ailing Pig Woman, wheeled into the courtroom for her testimony, was not found to be credible, and Hall and her brother were acquitted. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The body of Princess Doe was found in a ravine at Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Blairstown in July 1982. He was later convicted of poisoning Carmela. Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old girl who lived with her family in a middle-class Hamilton Township neighborhood, was lured into the home across the street by neighbor Jesse Timmendequas, who claimed he had a puppy to show her. Cumberland County, N.J., Department of Corrections By Ed Shanahan Aug. 7, 2020 Zachary Latham. April Kauffman, a radio talk show host, was found shot to deathin the bedroom of the Linwood home she shared with her husband in May 2012. The only physical trace of him investigators have found was his left sneaker, discovered on a beachalong the Delaware Bay. (Noah K. Murray | Star-Ledger file photo), Carol Neulander was beaten to death in herCherry Hill home on Nov. 1, 1994, but it wasn't untilfour years later that police had enough evidence to arrest her husband Fred Neulander, a rabbi with a wandering eye, for murder. In 1997, Timmendequas was convicted in the murder and sentenced to death, though that wascommuted to life in prisonwhen New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007. On Oct. 4, 1951, Moretti was at Joe's Elbow Room in Cliffside Parkwhen he was gunned down by four men with whom he had been joking moments before. On Jan. 8, 1975, they invaded a Leonia home, where he stabbed to death a nurse named Maria Fasching who had stopped by to check on a patient. A memorial for Trooper Werner Foerster, who was killed in a shootout with Joanne Chesimard and other black radicals on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. Matthew Carroll, then 26 and a Marine Corps captain, told police he took the couple's children, ages 2 and 5, to Long Island for a visit on May 1, 2000, and, when he returned the next day, he reported his wife missing. need your help for this. 5. (Star-Ledger file photo). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. More:NJ murders: These are the six most notorious NJ serial killers, [ Want more NJ crime news? List killed his own wife, mother, and three children at their home in Westfield in 1971, later claiming he shot them all to death because he believed they were no longer behaving in accordance with their religion. Joanne Chesimard, arrested in the murder of Trooper Werner Foerster, at the Middlesex County Courthouse in 1976. According to this page, from 1980 to 2019 there were approximately 21,224 murders in New Jersey alone. The 69-year-old, who is also known as Assata Shakur, remains on FBI's most wanted terrorist list with a $2 million reward for her capture and return. James Stanaway was 23 years old when he was beaten to deathin his Jersey Cityapartment on Feb. 2, 1990. tipton, iowa obituaries. (AP file photo). Landis' lawyer claimed he suffered from temporary insanity, which Attorney General Jacob Vanatta characterized as the sort that "never occurs with anyone unless he is very rich or holds some high social position," according to "Notorious New Jersey: 100 True Tales of Murders and Mobsters, Scandals and Scoundrels.". The murder of the popular Atlantic City entertainer Raul Suarez on March 31, 1985 was a shock to the community. Among his weapons: guns, ice picks, chain saws, hand grenades and cyanide in a nasal spray bottle. As fans of the blockbuster musical "Hamilton" are now acutely aware, Founding Father and architect of the American financial system Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded in a duel with his longtime rivalAaron Burr, then Thomas Jefferson's vice president, on July 11, 1804 in Weehawken. And yet Creighton might have escaped notice had a packet of newspaper clippings about the Newark poisonings not found its way to investigators on Long Island. And they also learned Marshall was heavily in debt and had been carrying on an affair with a woman to whom he had discussed "getting rid of" his wife. Justin Zaremba may be reached atjzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Multiple local, state, and federal law enforcement and investigation organizations provide great resources on their websites which you can visit to learn more about the various types and frequencies of crime in New Jersey, often including annual crime reports. Unruh was captured at his home after the shooting spree and toldpolice,"I'd have killed a thousand if I'd had bullets enough." A marksman, a collector of machetes, bayonets, pistols and other war souvenirs, and a faithful churchgoer who never dated, Unruh had, the day of the murder, drawn up a list of people he believed were laughing at him behind his back starting with a pharmacist neighbor. Similar to the rest of the country, Mercer County murders crime scene photos are the most common example of evidence shown to the jurors during a homicide trial. Megan Kanka, 7, of Hamilton Township, was sexually assaulted and murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. (Ervin Hess) This month, Inside Jersey looks back at the most notorious murders, crime. The 1935 trial resulted in Hauptmann's conviction, based largely on circumstantial evidence. Authorities have said the sketch resembled Thomas Butcavage, a convicted sex offender who first became associated with the case in 1993.
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