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Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and his running mates easily win primary
EDISON – Mayor Sam Joshi and his slate of township council candidates easily secured victories in June 10's Democratic primary. With all 78 districts reporting, unofficial results show Joshi with 8,717 votes followed by businessman Lav Patel with 2,245 and Councilman Richard Brescher with 1,893, according to the Middlesex County Clerk's website. "Thank you. Everything we do is for the residents of Edison. On to the general election in November," Joshi said in a Facebook post shortly before midnight Tuesday and added an image of the poll results, adding the numbers are not final and his margin is growing. Joshi will face two new challengers for his second term in the November general election, Republican Gloria Dittman who received 2,103 votes in the GOP primary and David Tingle, an independent candidate running with the "People's Choice 2025" slogan. Joshi's township council running mates significantly outpolled their opponents. Unofficial results show Biral Patel with 6,956 votes followed by Kelli Dima with 6,882 and Robert Kentos with 6,815. The results show Lav Patel's running mates Jayesh Mehta with 3,144 votes, Yingnan "Ingrid" Chen with 3,070 and Anthony DeAmorin with 2,810 votes. More: With victory, Mikie Sherrill finally comes out swinging — at Jack Ciattarelli | Opinion Some of Brescher's campaign signs had also included Joyce Ship-Freeman as a council candidate. Ship-Freeman, who formerly served on the council, received an unofficial 2,378 votes in the primary. The Democratic council victors will face Republicans Russell Azzarello, Kartik Nath and Samiksha Sharmas in the November general election, along with independent candidate Elizabeth Conway who running under the "People's Choice 2025" slogan. Unofficial results show Azzarello received 2,074 votes, Nath 1,622 and Sharmas 1,589 in the uncontested primary. Email: srussell@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and his running mates easily win primary
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Edison Democratic mayor candidates share differing views on township's priorities
EDISON – Politics in Edison is always a bit complicated and this year is no exception. Voters will be choosing from three mayoral candidates in the June 10 Democratic primary in which Mayor Sam Joshi, who is completing his first four-year term in office, is being challenged by Councilman Richard Brescher and small business owner Lav Patel. Edison has a long history of electing democrats, but the winner in the Democratic primary will face Republican mayoral candidate Gloria Dittman in the November general election. Joshi has focused his campaign on the things he has gotten done during his first term in office while also promoting this year's unanimous council approval of the budget which will help maintain and upgrade town parks, courts, fitness trails, fields and splash parks, fund upgrades to the water and sewer systems, complete construction on the youth sports complex, rehabilitate the Stelton Community Center, improve the sidewalks and drainage on Amboy Avenue and continue efforts to get rid of blighted properties, according to his Facebook page. Brescher meanwhile has pointed out that the work on the Stelton Community Center has tripled in cost, flag poles rather than the promised paddle boats are at Oak Tree Pond, there are only new signs and not new playing surfaces at Polansky Park, Edison does not have a ward system or a new high school and Woodbridge Avenue has not been fixed. He said the youth complex was imagined as a $5 million project that now costs more than double, according to his Facebook page. Patel is committed to having no cannabis in town, safer neighborhoods and lower taxes, according to his Facebook page. Patel also wants to see a dedicated senior citizen center in town, manned police substations in both the northern and southern sections of the town, expanded police patrol coverage and responsible budgeting that invests in public safety. More: Grocery stores in talks to replace shuttered Stop & Shop in Edison With the elimination of county lines on the ballot, voters may have difficulty figuring out which council candidates are running together or with a mayoral candidate. None of the incumbent council members, Margot Harris, Nishith Patel and John Poyner, who ran with Joshi four years ago, are seeking reelection this year. Joshi is on the Middlesex County Democratic Organization slate with Township Council candidates Kelli Dima, Robert Kentos and Biral Patel. Campaign signs for Lav Patel, who is listed on the Empower Dems Unity slate, indicate he is running with Township Council candidates Jayesh Mehta, Yingnan "Ingrid" Chen and Anthony DeAmorin, who are all running on the Democrats for All slate, according to the sample ballot. And while initially Brescher, who is on the Residents First slate, had no Township Council running mates, campaign signs posted around town now also list his name along with Joyce Ship-Freeman, a former councilwoman who is on the Real Experience Counts ticket, and DeAmorin. DeAmorin said he's honored to get support from both Lav Patel and Brescher and he's fine to have his name on lawn signs for both mayoral candidates. He said both Patel and Brescher's campaigns are focused on the town's safety and affordability. DeAmorin maintains he's still running with Lav Patel's team but there was also interest in giving him support from Ship-Freeman and Brescher with whom he has a long-standing relationship. "We're all after the same goal of turning Edison around," DeAmorin said. The three Democratic Township Council candidates who win in the primary will face Russell Azzarello, Kartik Nath and Samiksha Sharmas in November. Email: srussell@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Edison mayor candidates share differing views on township's priorities
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
300 teens force shutdown of New Jersey carnival after TikTok-inspired meetup descends into chaos and spreads to nearby mall
Hundreds of teenagers shut down a New Jersey carnival after a TikTok meetup spun out of control and spread into a nearby mall, mirroring a similar teen rendezvous at another local mall that injured a cop last week. The Woodbridge Police Department responded to an unruly horde of approximately 300 youths gathered at the Woodbridge Center Carnival around 9 p.m. Saturday, according to RLS Media. The teens were supposedly rallied by a series of TikTok posts calling for an impromptu linkup at the carnival. The carnival required anyone under the age of 18 be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All adult attendees were also required to show valid identification to be permitted entry, according to the carnival website. But still, the crowd of youths at the carnival grew so unruly that Woodbridge police had to call on neighboring departments for backup, RLS reported. Eventually, the chaos spread into the Woodbridge Center Mall, forcing many stores to lock up early and even shelter shoppers inside as the teens ran wild. On Sunday, many of the carnival attendees posted video compilations of their time observing or participating in the havoc across Woodbridge. 'menlo first and now this wth,' one TikTok user commented. 'can we like, keep this in Jersey Gardens,' another added. Some of the teenagers broke away from Woodbridge and started making their way towards the Menlo Park Mall in Edison — the site of the last hooligan meetup — on foot. Edison police turned up at the mall ahead of the group to ensure there were no repeats of last week's brawl, according to the local outlet. Last Saturday, similar posts about a gathering at the Menlo Park Mall sparked a massive mob that resulted in the arrest of seven minors from nearby towns, including Woodbridge. The Woodbridge Center Mall, where the carnival was hosted, is a mere 7.5 miles away from the Menlo Park Mall. Edison Mayor Sam Joshi called for increased security and even a curfew at the Menlo Park Mall in the wake of last week's melee — which left one cop with a fractured ankle. He hopes that the new regulations will be implemented in a few weeks, according to My Central Jersey. Joshi also asserted that the parents should be held responsible for their children's actions, especially since some trekked from nearly an hour away in the dead of night for the meetup. 'Parents need to be focused on their kids, making sure they are not causing this type of rowdiness in other towns,' he said. It's unclear if any participating youths were arrested following the carnival or if anyone was injured. The Post reached out to the Woodbridge and Edison Police Departments for clarity.
New York Post
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
300 teens force shutdown of New Jersey carnival after TikTok-inspired meetup descends into chaos and spreads to nearby mall
Hundreds of teenagers shut down a New Jersey carnival after a TikTok meetup spun out of control and spread into a nearby mall, mirroring a similar teen rendezvous at another local mall that injured a cop last week. The Woodbridge Police Department responded to an unruly horde of approximately 300 youths gathered at the Woodbridge Center Carnival around 9 p.m. Saturday, according to RLS Media. The teens were supposedly rallied by a series of TikTok posts calling for an impromptu linkup at the carnival. 6 Around 300 teenagers turned up at a carnival in New Jersey on Saturday evening, sparking chaos. 6 Police tried to break up the massive crowd, but many retreated to a nearby mall. The carnival required anyone under the age of 18 be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All adult attendees were also required to show valid identification to be permitted entry, according to the carnival website. 6 The carnival gathering mirrors an incident at another nearby mall last week that led to seven arrests. But still, the crowd of youths at the carnival grew so unruly that Woodbridge police had to call on neighboring departments for backup, RLS reported. Eventually, the chaos spread into the Woodbridge Center Mall, forcing many stores to lock up early and even shelter shoppers inside as the teens ran wild. On Sunday, many of the carnival attendees posted video compilations of their time observing or participating in the havoc across Woodbridge. 6 Woodbridge police responded to the crowd around 9 p.m. 6 The carnival was age-restricted and required anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by a legal adult or guardian. 'menlo first and now this wth,' one TikTok user commented. 'can we like, keep this in Jersey Gardens,' another added. 6 It is unclear if any arrests were made. Woodbridge Center Some of the teenagers broke away from Woodbridge and started making their way towards the Menlo Park Mall in Edison — the site of the last hooligan meetup — on foot. Edison police turned up at the mall ahead of the group to ensure there were no repeats of last week's brawl, according to the local outlet. Last Saturday, similar posts about a gathering at the Menlo Park Mall sparked a massive mob that resulted in the arrest of seven minors from nearby towns, including Woodbridge. The Woodbridge Center Mall, where the carnival was hosted, is a mere 7.5 miles away from the Menlo Park Mall. Edison Mayor Sam Joshi called for increased security and even a curfew at the Menlo Park Mall in the wake of last week's melee — which left one cop with a fractured ankle. He hopes that the new regulations will be implemented in a few weeks, according to My Central Jersey. Joshi also asserted that the parents should be held responsible for their children's actions, especially since some trekked from nearly an hour away in the dead of night for the meetup. 'Parents need to be focused on their kids, making sure they are not causing this type of rowdiness in other towns,' he said. It's unclear if any participating youths were arrested following the carnival or if anyone was injured. The Post reached out to the Woodbridge and Edison Police Departments for clarity.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
'It's not going to be tolerated:' NJ mayor demands more mall security after teen brawl
EDISON - Mayor Sam Joshi said he is asking Menlo Park Mall management to increase security and consider a curfew after 300 teenagers were involved in a weekend brawl that resulted in seven arrests and one police officer being injured. Police from nine different departments, including Woodbridge, New Brunswick, Carteret, Metuchen, Piscataway, Cranbury, South Plainfield, Highland Park and New Jersey State Police, responded to the mall on a report of a brawl shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Seven teenagers from Hillsborough, Linden, New Brunswick and Woodbridge were arrested. Six were charged under juvenile statutes with disorderly persons offenses for refusing to comply with police instructions and failing to disperse. One was charged with assaulting a police officer. The juveniles ranged in age from 15 to 17. They were all released to their parents. Joshi said he wants Simon Property Group, the Indianapolis-based owner of the mall, to add license plate readers, cameras and security personnel. He said he also wants what he described as one of the last thriving malls in New Jersey to impose a curfew. "Changes needed to be made within Menlo Park Mall and Simon Properties and we will continue to work with them until that happens," the mayor said. Police Chief Tom Bryan said the teens were pushing, shoving and fighting and when police arrived, the teens started confronting and fighting with officers. It took about an hour and 20 minutes to disperse the crowd, the chief said. Bryan said one officer was injured in the melee, but no one else. There was no damage to the mall, according to Joshi. The gathering of teens at the mall was apparently prompted by a social media post on TikTok. Joshi said no charges have been filed against the social media influencer who posted the video, but "everything is on the table" as the investigation continues. He said the video did not indicate the intent of the gathering was to cause a fight, but it was to cause a disturbance. More: Edison mayor skips budget presentation that calls for slight tax increase Joshi said the teen who posted the TikTok indicated he wanted to conduct interviews in the hope of recruiting other teens who wanted to become social media influencers. After speaking to Simon representatives, Joshi said he hoped the increased security measures would be implemented in a few weeks. Joshi said the police substation at the mall continues to serve its purpose − reducing response time and streamlining processing during incidents. However, the mall is privately owned and security remains Simon Properties' responsibility, he said. "We also are considering, and this will require a second conversation with senior management of Simon Malls, whether we should push them to have a curfew at the mall. It's going to require a further review," the mayor said. More: Three first responders taken to the hospital in Edison house fire Simon has not responded to email and telephone requests for comment. "Edison Township is a thriving community and I understand these types of incidents have happened in other malls throughout the state but under no circumstances is Edison Township going to tolerate this type of behavior within our community. It is not going to be tolerated at all. We do want to make sure these expectations are met, very, very soon," the mayor said. With some of the teens traveling nearly 45 minutes to the mall, Joshi questioned if their parents were aware what their children are doing. "Parents need to be focused on their kids making sure they are not causing this type of rowdiness in other towns," the mayor said. "The parents also need to be held responsible." Email: srussell@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Edison mayor demands more Menlo Park Mall security after teen brawl
