Regional Briefs – June 6, 2019

NY Senate Passes New Limo Safety Rules Following Fatal Crash

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – The New York Senate approved new safety regulations Thursday for limousines, following an upstate crash that killed 20 people last fall.

The nine bills endorsed Thursday include provisions that would require large stretch limos to have seat belts, increase licensing requirements for limo drivers, strengthen criminal penalties for drivers who violate traffic laws, and make it easier for the state to impound unsafe vehicles.

The bills haven’t yet received a vote in the state Assembly. They were introduced in response to two limo crashes in recent years that killed 24. Several relatives of those lost attended Thursday’s vote in the Senate.

NJ Transit Rolls Out Bus Fare Scanners on Select Routes

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – New technology is greeting passengers on select New Jersey Transit bus routes.

Starting Thursday, passengers will use a new onboard ticket validation system which scans barcodes on NJ Transit paper and mobile tickets. Passengers can scan the barcode on paper or mobile tickets or passes when boarding.

The pilot program is available on N.J. Transit bus route numbers 871, 872, 873, 874, 875 and 880, which operate out of the Morris Garage.

Prosecutors: Bookkeeper Stole $1.7M in Check Fraud Scheme

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Federal prosecutors say a bookkeeper for a northern New Jersey company stole $1.7 million from the firm by writing herself fraudulent company checks.

Tammy Martinez was arrested Thursday and charged with bank fraud. The 46-year-old South Amboy woman was an office manager and bookkeeper for a Newark-based firm.