Lakewood Briefs

Municipal Building Stabber Pleads Guilty

The attacker who stabbed an Orthodox man in Lakewood’s municipal building this past February has pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault as well as to an additional charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer.

Reginald Patillo, a 48-year-old Lakewood resident, attacked the victim with a knife wounding him several times. Shortly afterwards he punched a police officer who had begun questioning him. The attack was judged to be a random act of violence.

The victim was briefly hospitalized and has since recovered from the incident.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer is recommending that Patillo be sentenced to no less than 10 years in prison with no possibly of early release.

Jewish Veterans Organization Honors Jackson Officers who Arrested Attempted Car Rammer

The Jackson police officers involved in the arrest of a suspect in the attempted car ramming of two Orthodox residents were honored by the nation’s main organization of Jewish veterans.

According to a report by the Asbury Park Press, last Wednesday, the group presented a plaque to officers Stephen Cilento, Detective John Rodriguez and Sargent Martinez.

On Shabbos, September 15, the suspect, whose identity has not been released due to his being a minor, allegedly drove the car involved in the incident. In addition to charging the two men standing roadside, the driver and several passengers screamed obscenities and anti-Semitic insults.

Those at the scene were able to memorize the license plate and file a complaint with the police who also took reports from other witnesses.

He was arrested shortly afterwards and charged with assault, attempting to cause serious bodily injury harassment and bias intimidation. The case is scheduled to be heard in family court.

The Jewish War Veterans of America has been involved in efforts to bring perpetrators of anti-Semitic crimes in Jackson to justice in the past. In June they offered a $500 reward has been posted by for information on perpetrators who vandalized a home with anti-Semitic slurs.

New Candidate Lines up to Challenge Rep. Kim in 2020

A Burlington County republican has thrown their hat into the upcoming race to unseat Congressman Andy Kim.

Kate Gibbs, who serves as Deputy Director for the Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative, a group that works to create jobs for union members, served on Burlington’s board of county freeholders until losing her seat to a democrat in 2018.

Mrs, Gibbs outlined some of her policy positions in a campaign statement.

“Turning our back on America, embracing socialism, threatening to eliminate private health insurance, and adopting Phil Murphy’s out-of-touch policies on Sanctuary Cities and taxpayer-funded giveaways to illegal immigrants is not a message that is going to sell in the Third Congressional District in 2020,” she said.

She is the second republican to enter the race, as Barnegat Township Deputy Mayor John Novak announced his intention to run for the seat earlier this month.

The district has mostly sent republican’s to congress, but in 2018, Congressman Kim bested former Congressman Tom MacArthur by a razor thin margin. In what is sure to be a key battleground for both parties, the district covers Ocean County, New Jersey’s biggest republican stronghold and Burlington, which includes areas of densely populated Philadelphia suburbs which lean heavily democratic.

Bill Sponsored by Assemblyman Dancer Commemorating End of WWI Passes Senate Committee

The state senate’s Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved a joint resolution Thursday, sponsored by Assemblyman Ron Dancer, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I and recognizing New Jersey’s contribution to the war effort.

“As the years pass, we need to make the conscious effort to never forget the sacrifice and heroism of more than 140,000 soldiers from New Jersey who served overseas during the war, and the 3,400 who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Assemblyman Dancer (R-Ocean). “The role of our state in fighting and winning the war cannot be over-stated.”

New Jersey played a major role in America’s mobilization and was home to 38 training facilities.

The armistice that ended fighting in the First World War took effect on November 11, 1918. The day was inaugurated as Armistice day and was changed to Veterans Day following the Second World War. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in June 1919, formally ended the hostilities. The Knox-Porter Resolution ratified the treaty, was signed by President Warren Harding in Raritan, New Jersey on July 2, 1921, and officially ended America’s involvement in the war.

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