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Essex County Prosecutor's Office
Serving the People of Essex County, NJ
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By Robert Florida Superior Court Presiding Judge Mark S. Ali sentenced James Height to life in prison for fatally shooting Renown Wilson, 55, of Orange, N.J. Back on August 9, 2023, a jury found Height, 54, guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree unlawful possession of a gun, and second-degree possession of a gun for an…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II and Belleville Chief of Police Mark Minichini announced today that Scott Hurring, 43, of Belleville, has been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of Erica Voloshin, 37, of Nutley. On October 1, at 10:24 a.m., Belleville police were notified of a shooting on…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II announced that Matthew Swajkowski, 36, of Verona, was taken into custody on September 22 and charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, among other charges. Swajkowski was employed as a teacher at Verona High School, where he oversaw the school’s…
By Robert Florida Two ECPO prosecutors and the Narcotics Task Force have been honored for excellence by three organizations that advocate for effective law enforcement. Child Advocacy Partner of the Year Nicole Buermann, an Assistant Prosecutor in the Special Victim’s Unit, was recognized by VidaNyx for outstanding work prosecuting child sexual abusers. VidaNyx, which designs…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II announced that Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler sentenced Essex County Jail inmate Byad Lockett to 20 years in state prison for attempting to murder inmate Jayshawn Boyd by brutally beating him with a microwave oven and other items. Under the No Early Release…
By Robert Florida This summer, more than 30 interns worked in various units of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, such as the appellate division, the adult trial team, and the homicide unit. The interns, a combination of undergraduates and law students, helped prosecutors write legal briefs and motions and had a chance to watch major…
Acting Prosecutor Stephens offers the following comments on the life and legacy of the late Lieutenant Governor: “I met the Lieutenant Governor in the 1990s. She was born in Newark but moved to East Orange, where I’ve lived most of my life. We first met when Mayor Cardell Cooper appointed Sheila to the East Orange…
By Robert Florida Jovanny Crespo, a suspended officer of the Newark Police Department, was convicted by an Essex County jury of First Degree Aggravated Manslaughter, Second Degree Aggravated Assault and Second Degree Official Misconduct for shooting two men, one fatally, during a car chase through Newark in January 2019. Following a ten-week-long trial before Superior…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II held a press conference Friday to discuss a multi-agency warrant sweep that apprehended fugitives on felonies ranging from homicide and aggravated assault to weapons possession. The warrant sweep was conducted across Essex County during the month of April, and resulted in the arrest of…
Acting Prosecutor Stephens spoke to seniors at West Side High School in Newark yesterday on the importance of education as well as his own journey to becoming Essex County’s chief law enforcement officer. “You have more opportunity than all generations before you,” Acting Prosecutor Stephens told the seniors. “You have all the information in the…
