Latest news with #CamdenCounty
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Camden County Public Works crews, residents and businesses brace another round of rain in New Jersey
Beginning at 6 a.m. Friday, Camden County Public Works crews were making the rounds with the threat of heavy rain and potential flooding. "Checking the inlets, all the storm inlets, all the drainage outlets, making sure they're clear of any debris," said Bob Harris, director of Public Works. CBS News Philadelphia caught up with the team in Bellmawr near Kings Highway and West Browning Road. Most of the storm drains were clear, but some had to be vacuumed out in order for the water to flow freely. "The pipe could back up in several directions and it could affect the other side of the road, you'll get water ponding on the road," Harris said. Perhaps no one knows the impact of flooding like Vinny Morelli. "It's a low point here and the next thing you know, within a matter of minutes, we got three foot of water out here," Morelli said. Morelli recorded video about two weeks ago when he said part of the Black Horse Pike flooded, and the water started filling his family's store, Tony Morelli's Market in Glendora. Now, he's bracing for another round of rain. "Before we leave tonight, we'll make sure everything is off the floor, we go into our flood protocol," he said. Morelli said compressors on the store's refrigerators have broken, doors have been damaged, and he's hoping for a long-term solution before heading into summer. "I was in contact with the mayor's office three times already this week. They say they got engineers from the state and local levels, they got things going," Morelli said. Back in Bellmawr, as crews packed it in for the day, they said they will also be ready to respond later Friday night. "We'll have a standard crew on call just in case we get a tree, an issue with a tree or a tree limb, same thing if there's flooding," Harris said.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Immigration case against New Jersey restaurant co-owner remains unresolved as deportation hearing is postponed
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement case against a co-owner of Jersey Kebab in Haddon Township, New Jersey, remains unresolved. Celal Emanet's deportation hearing has been pushed back another four years, according to his son. In February, ICE agents arrested Celal and his wife, Emine Emanet, at their restaurant in Camden County. Celal Emanet was later released with an ankle monitor while his wife was taken to a detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She was released on bond about two weeks later. During her detention, neighbors and elected officials rallied around the family. Many described the Emanets as kind small business owners who often share with those in need. The family hosted a free community feast to celebrate Emine Emanet's release. The government says the Emanets are in the United States illegally. The couple, who immigrated from Turkey in 2008, said they applied for green cards and their status has been pending since 2016. During a press conference while Emine Emanet was detained, local leaders spoke out in support of the family. "What happened to Celal and Emine is outrageous. And here in Camden County, we take it as a personal attack on all of us," Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. Capelli said the family was being "torn apart by this broken immigration system." "We couldn't ask for better people in our community, better people to have a business in our community," Haddon Township Mayor Randy Teague said.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
New Jersey couple accused of abusing child for years to stay in jail until trial: "domestic torture"
New Jersey couple accused of abusing child ordered to remain in jail until trial New Jersey couple accused of abusing child ordered to remain in jail until trial New Jersey couple accused of abusing child ordered to remain in jail until trial A New Jersey woman accused of holding her daughter captive in their own home appeared before a judge Thursday. Brenda Spencer and her boyfriend Branndon Mosley were ordered to be held in jail until trial. Camden County prosecutors said the couple from Gloucester Township beat Spencer's daughter, who is now 18, with a belt and locked her in a dog crate for a year with her hands handcuffed behind her back. The victim told investigators that Mosley sexually assaulted the victim multiple times and that Spencer failed to do anything about it. While prosecutors and defense attorneys referred to Mosley as the victim's stepfather, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the couple was not legally married. "What our victim has suffered — physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse — is nothing short of domestic torture," Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said. During a detention hearing, Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Testa from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office laid out details of life inside the couple's home. The victim told authorities she was confined to a bare room for hours with only a bucket for a toilet and that at one point, she was chained to a toilet by her ankles. Testa said Mosley sexually abused Spencer's daughter when she was 7 or 8 years old while she was sitting on his lap while watching a football game and again when she was 13. The couple is accused of depriving the girl of her education, and at times, food, during the seven years that she was supposed to be homeschooled. The victim was punished for talking back and not doing her chores, like cleaning up animal feces, Testa said. There were five Great Danes, one husky, two other dogs and 26 chinchillas in the house, along with birds, snakes and bearded dragons. The victim lived in the home with her 13-year-old sister, who observed some of the abuse, Testa said. The abuse only stopped when the victim ran away from home on May 8, Testa said. "What we heard today, it's just unfathomable to me," Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said. The evidence includes photos of the victim's injuries, text messages between the defendants, statements from neighbors and a confession from Mosley. Testa said Mosley admitted that he used to drink and when asked if he sexually abused the victim, said he didn't remember, but that it could have happened. Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue described the defendants' alleged conduct as barbaric and dangerous. The couple is charged with kidnapping, assault and endangering the welfare of a child, among other crimes. They face life in prison if convicted. Blue ordered Spencer to have no contact with either of her daughters unless ordered by the family court or New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency. Mosley's parents were in court to support their son, but they did not want to speak on camera. Defense attorneys for both defendants also declined to comment. If you need to speak with a counselor about child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
New Jersey crews had to clear debris, stabilize house before rescuing dump truck driver in Woodbury Heights
Specialized rescue crews responded Tuesday afternoon in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, to save a man trapped inside a dump truck lodged inside a crumbled house. There are only a few search and rescue units in South Jersey that can tackle that kind of emergency, and the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, made up of units from Cherry Hill, Camden and Winslow Township fire departments, were already behind because it took them about 25 minutes just to get to the scene in Gloucester County. "It requires the most manpower, the most equipment," Captain Stephen Kinky with the Cherry Hill Fire Department said of the shoring process to stabilize a structure prior to a rescue. On Tuesday afternoon, Lt. Sean Carlin said his team had to meticulously assess the situation and evaluate the next steps when they arrived on scene. "We have to worry about a couple things: One, structural integrity; two, a gas leak going on; and three, there's a life at stake, which is the most important thing," Carlin said. Fortunately, the utility company was able to shut off the gas, and the truck driver was alert and talking to first responders. Rescue crews then focused on the structural integrity of the demolished house but before they could even begin the shoring process, crews had to clear mounds of debris because the entire first floor had been blown out by the impact of the truck. Rescue squads in Camden County regularly practice shoring a building using mechanical struts that fit together to achieve the necessary bracing. The struts are kept on a rescue truck for this very type of operation. "They make life very simple. If we don't have them, we're going back to old school to cutting wood, measuring, putting wedges and building shores. These (mechanical struts) streamline that and speed us up in the process," Kinky said. Once the house was structurally safe, crews were able to slide the driver out of the dump truck and bring him to safety.
CBS News
20-05-2025
- CBS News
Woman charged after allegedly leaving dog inside trash bag in New Jersey, police say
A woman was arrested Tuesday on animal cruelty charges after she allegedly left a dog inside a trash bag in Lindenwold, New Jersey, police said. Turquoise Morton, 38, was charged with abandoning a domestic animal, cruelty to animals and other offenses after she put a dog inside a trash bag in March, according to police. Police said officers were called to the Belmont Apartments on White Horse Pike for a report of a dog found inside a trash bag in one of the property's dumpsters. According to police, the dog was still alive but severely malnourished and suffering from multiple injuries. Morton was taken to the Camden County Correctional Facility after her arrest. Her court appearance is pending.
