Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Lifestyle
Visit The NJ Corn Maze That Farmer Made For Surprise Helicopter Proposal Visit The NJ Corn Maze That Farmer Made For Surprise Helicopter Proposal
Visit The NJ Corn Maze That Farmer Made For Surprise Helicopter Proposal New Jersey resident Killian Leahy knew her boyfriend Zach Freeborn was going to pop the question sometime this fall. But she didn't know when, or how a-maize-ing it would be. On Sept. 13, Freeborn took Leahy for a helicopter ride over Sussex County, where his family owns Tranquility Farms. She assumed it was just a quick trip to take some pictures, seeing as Leahy's never been on a helicopter before. But at some point during the ride, Leahy noticed something unusual.  The words "Marry me?" had been plowed into a corn maze on the Andover farm below. Of course, Leahy said yes. She sa…

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by Cecilia Levine
Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ
News
North Jersey Native, Beloved Son, Brother Chris Fecko Dies In Motorcycle Crash On 23rd Birthday North Jersey Native, Beloved Son, Brother Chris Fecko Dies In Motorcycle Crash On 23rd Birthday
North Jersey Native, Beloved Son, Brother Chris Fecko Dies In Motorcycle Crash On 23rd Birthday Lifelong North Jersey resident and beloved son, brother and friend Christopher Fecko died at Garnet Medical Hospital in Middletown, NY after he got into a motorcycle crash while celebrating his 23rd birthday on June 25. Born in Belleville, Fecko lived in Oak Ridge and graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 2016, where he won the Baseball State Championship during his senior year, his obituary says. Fecko was an aspiring welder and worked at Airside Sheetmetal in Andover at the time of his death, his memorial says. Fecko was known for his love of all things outdoors, including hun…

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by Valerie Musson
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Police & Fire
Police ID Driver Killed In Route 206 Sussex County Crash Police ID Driver Killed In Route 206 Sussex County Crash
Police ID Driver Killed In Route 206 Sussex County Crash A 62-year-old man died when his vehicle became pinned underneath a tractor-trailer on Route 206 in Sussex County Friday afternoon, authorities said. Richard Hamm, of Andover, was heading northbound behind the wheel of a Dodge when he struck the trailer, which was perpendicular across the roadway while backing into a loading dock 2:20 p.m.,  Police Chief Eric Danielson said. The Andover Township Fire Department and first responders removed Hamm's car from under the tractor trailer, and Hamm died of injuries suffered in the crash, police said.

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by Cecilia Levine
Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ
News
Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement
Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement A nursing assistant who may end up losing a leg from a head-on crash with a Passaic County driver in Morris County reportedly has won a $1.49 million settlement. Melissa Van Orden, now 47, of Budd Lake was driving home from work on southbound Route 206 in Andover when an oncoming Volkswagen crossed the double-yellow center line and slammed head-on into her Hyundai Santa Fe shortly after 7 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2019, authorities said. Both Van Orden and the Volkwagen driver, Enrico Stampone, now 27, of Totowa, were airlifted to Morristown Medical Center, responders said at the time. Va…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Police & Fire
Police: Sussex County Woman Struck By Car In Grocery Store Parking Lot Police: Sussex County Woman Struck By Car In Grocery Store Parking Lot
Police: Sussex County Woman Struck By Car In Grocery Store Parking Lot A Sussex County woman was hospitalized with hip and shoulder injuries after being struck by a car in a grocery store parking lot Thursday morning, police said. Kathleen McMickle of Andover was struck in the parking lot of Weis Market on Water Street in Newton just before 9:45 a.m., Newton Police Lt. Mike Monaco told Daily Voice. She was taken to Newton Medical Center with injuries to her left hip and shoulder, Monaco said. The driver — Maria Fiedorczyk of Newton — was issued a summons for careless driving and is scheduled to appear in Newton Municipal Court. Officers were assisted at the …

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by Valerie Musson
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: 2-Alarm Fire Consumes Sussex County Home PHOTOS: 2-Alarm Fire Consumes Sussex County Home
Photos: 2-Alarm Fire Consumes Sussex County Home Firefighters put out a fire that broke out at a two-story Sussex County home over the weekend. The blaze was reported at 3409 Rt. 94 in Hardyston Township just after 4 p.m. Saturday, the township volunteer fire department said on Facebook. Crew members placed hand lines in operation after ensuring that all occupants had safely exited the home, authorities said. The fire was placed under control about an hour later, and no injuries were reported, authorities said. Fire departments in Hamburg, Franklin, Ogdensburg, McAfee, Vernon, Pochuck Valley, Lafayette, Andover, and Byram also responded…

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by Valerie Musson
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: Fire Crews Douse Sussex County 4-Story Apartment Blaze PHOTOS: Fire Crews Douse Sussex County 4-Story Apartment Blaze
Photos: Fire Crews Douse Sussex County 4-Story Apartment Blaze Fire crews in Newton jumped to action to put out a blaze that broke out on the first floor of a 4-story apartment complex Wednesday morning. A rear bedroom at Gateway Condos on Sparta Avenue went up in flames shortly after 4 a.m., the Newton Fire Department said. Nobody was found inside the apartment during a search by fire crews, who worked quickly to put a line into service and get control of the blaze, officials said. The scene was cleared within about two hours, and no injuries were reported in the fire, the department said. Fire crews in Andover, Sparta, Fredon and Hampton also …

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by Valerie Musson
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Police & Fire
Police: Sussex County Man Struck, Killed Removing Debris From Route 206 Police: Sussex County Man Struck, Killed Removing Debris From Route 206
Police: Sussex County Man Struck, Killed Removing Debris From Route 206 An 88-year-old man who got out of his pickup truck to remove debris from Route 206 in Sussex County Friday evening was struck and killed by a vehicle, authorities said Saturday. John A Nordmeyer Jr., was operating a 2009 Chevy Malibu when he got out and began walking along the highway around 7:50 p.m., Andover police said. Nordmeyer was walking near Brighton Road when he was struck by a northbound white Acura outside of Simon Peter, police said. Nordmeyer was pronounced dead at the scene and the road remained closed for approximately 6 hours. The accident remains under investigation by th…

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by Cecilia Levine
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
News
Community Rallies For Sussex Widow Who Lost Husband To Heart Attack In Line Of Duty Community Rallies For Sussex Widow Who Lost Husband To Heart Attack In Line Of Duty
Community Rallies For Sussex Widow Who Lost Husband To Heart Attack In Line Of Duty The Sussex and Warren communities are rallying for a local woman whose husband died of a heart attack in the line of duty after her workmen’s compensation claim was delayed due to COVID-19. Andover first responder E. Scott Danielson — who served as Director of Communications and 9-1-1 Warren County Department of Public Safety — died of a heart attack at age 49 while responding to a car accident involving his then-19-year-old daughter in Byram Township on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, NJHerald reported. “The last interaction I had with my son before his passing was me closing his eyes and promisi…

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by Valerie Musson
Middletown, NJ
News
See The List: More Than 500 NJ Longterm Care Facilities With COVID-19 Cases See The List: More Than 500 NJ Longterm Care Facilities With COVID-19 Cases
See The List: More Than 500 NJ Longterm Care Facilities With Covid-19 Cases Health officials on Monday updated a list of every longterm care facility in New Jersey with coronavirus cases -- accounting for more than 50 percent of the state's total. Altogether, there are more than 500 nursing homes and healthcare facilities with COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the state. The number of cases and fatalities were reported by the facilities themselves. The facilities in each county with the most fatalities per population: Atlantic: Hammonton Center: 154 cases, 12 deaths Bergen: Veterans Memorial Home - Paramus: 256 cases, 57 deaths, with Oakland Rehabilitation a…

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by Valerie Musson
North Hunterdon, NJ
Obituaries
Sussex County Pizzeria Waitress Nicole Tomova 'Always Had Smile On Her Face' Sussex County Pizzeria Waitress Nicole Tomova 'Always Had Smile On Her Face'
Sussex County Pizzeria Waitress Nicole Tomova 'Always Had Smile On Her Face' Several communities are mourning the death of Columbia's Nicole Geletova Tomova, who died on Dec. 14. she was 19 years old. Born in Passaic, passed away in West New York, her obituary says. She worked as a waitress at Firehouse Pizza in Andover and wass described in her obituary as a “beautiful, happy girl who always had a smile on her face.” Nicole was survived by her mother, Daniela Pradarits and stepfather Stephen; her father, Marian Toma; four siblings, Daniela Geletova Tomova, Alexandra Pradarits, Dax Pradarits and Samuel Pradarits; grandparents Daniel and Viera Geleta and uncle and a…

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by Valerie Musson
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Police & Fire
Bedroom Candle May Have Sparked Sussex County Fire That Injured Resident, Police Say Bedroom Candle May Have Sparked Sussex County Fire That Injured Resident, Police Say
Bedroom Candle May Have Sparked Sussex County Fire That Injured Resident, Police Say An unattended bedroom candle may have caused a Sussex County house fire that injured one person overnight. The Lakeview Drive home in Andover was fully-engulfed in flames when patrol officers responded to the scene around 2:40 a.m. Monday, Andover police said. The 2nd-alarm blaze brought the Andover Township Fire Department along with the Newton Fire Department, Sparta Fire Department, Andover Boro Fire Department and Ogdensburg Fire Department.  Additional water tenders were requested from Byram Township and Green Township Fire Departments.  The Lakeland Emergency Squad re…

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by Cecilia Levine