Latest news with #WCAU
Miami Herald
08-04-2025
- Miami Herald
Woman hires man met on Tinder to kill PA cop and his daughter, NJ officials say
A woman is accused of hiring a hitman to kill a Pennsylvania police officer — her ex-boyfriend — and his 19-year-old daughter, New Jersey authorities say. The 'hitman' was a confidential informant, and 26-year-old Jaclyn Diiorio was arrested following an exchange of money, according to an April 8 news release from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. Diiorio, of Runnemede, New Jersey, met the man she believed to be a hitman off Tinder, the dating app, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WCAU. They met in person for the first time at a Wawa convenience store in Diiorio's hometown, the news outlet reported. As they continued to exchange text messages, Diiorio told the informant she wanted her ex-boyfriend — a Philadelphia police officer — and his 19-year-old daughter to be killed, reported. Diiorio offered the man $12,000 to kill both of them, the prosecutor's office said. That's when the informant spoke with the prosecutor's office, telling officials about his interactions with Diiorio, according to the complaint obtained by Patch. The investigators then alerted the Philadelphia officer, who confirmed he and Diiorio had broken up in March. When Diiorio and the informant met again on April 4, Diiorio gave him an upfront payment of $500, according to the prosecutor's office. The informant, according to was wearing a wire. Members of the Gloucester Township Police Department Special Response Team were waiting, and they arrested the woman on site, officials said. Diiorio was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and one count of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, according to the prosecutor. She also faces a drug possession charge Runnemede is about a 10-mile drive southeast from downtown Philadelphia.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NJ mayor Gina LaPlaca facing calls to resign after allegedly driving drunk with toddler in car on St. Patrick's Day
Embattled New Jersey Mayor Gina LaPlaca is facing growing calls to resign days after she was busted on St. Patrick's Day for allegedly driving drunk while picking her toddler son up from daycare. Outraged residents of Lumberton Township packed a committee board meeting on Thursday to rally against the 45-year-old Democrat, who was absent from the event. 'There is a huge black eye and black cloud over our town right now,' local business owner Amy Callahan said during the public comment portion of the hearing, according to WCAU. 'I do believe that we need to move forward as a community and for us to truly turn the page. I believe that cannot occur with her on our council,' Callahan added. The frustrated resident's comments were in response to an email she received from LaPlaca confirming that she would not resign from her mayoral position, which she has held for the past 3 years. 'I will not be resigning my position. Our community needs to be more kind and understanding about people trying to better themselves. As we all know, there is a huge black eye and black cloud over our town right now,' the email obtained by Fox 29 read. LaPlaca was not in attendance at the meeting after she and her husband, Jason Carty, separately confirmed she was getting help for her addiction. The former Anheuser-Busch regional director claimed her work for the town hadn't been affected by her legal woes. 'Despite my issues, which I am working diligently and responsibly to address and improve myself, my work for Lumberton has NEVER suffered or been neglected nor will it be,' LaPlaca said. LaPlaca's fellow committee member Terrance Benson sided with the residents and called for her resignation. 'My personal opinion is for the mayor to step down and to heal herself,' Benson said. Concerned residents weren't given ease to the fact their mayor was still in charge while away seeking treatment. 'She shouldn't be here, shouldn't be the mayor,' one resident said. Public comments weren't limited to the public comment portion of the hearing as throngs of people raced to LaPlaca's social media accounts to call for her step down. 'You are a disgrace, and danger to not only your child, but the public. Resign in shame, and get your life together!' one commenter wrote. 'Before selfishly endangering your child drunk driving. #resign,' another wrote. LaPlaca, the chairwoman for the township's Democratic Party, was first elected to the Lumberton Township Committee in 2020. She was elected mayor by the five-person committee in 2022 and won reelection in 2023 and 2024. There is no charter or law that allows the remaining committee members to remove her from office, the township's attorney told the disgruntled crowd Thursday. 'She was elected by you and the only way for her to be removed is for her to resign or for you to take whatever action you deem necessary to move forward with a recall election,' the attorney said, according to the outlet. Police were alerted to LaPlaca's alleged erratic behavior by another motorist who said the politician failed to maintain her lane and almost crashed into a utility pole. LaPlaca told officers she had picked up her 2-year-old son from daycare and brought him home. She admitted to being drunk and there being an opened container of alcohol in the car. Police arrested and charged her with driving under the influence, reckless driving and endangering the welfare of a child. She was released with a summons to appear in court on April 28. Carty confirmed in a since-deleted Facebook post his wife's drinking problems and called for compassion as she sought treatment. 'Please ignore the exaggerated political hyperbole and keep in mind her passion for helping others. This should not erase all the things she has accomplished for our community,' Carty wrote. The couple share their toddler son along with LaPlaca's stepson from Carty's previous relationship.
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Miami Herald
04-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Popular ‘Portal' art sculpture stripped of copper wires in act of thievery, PA cops say
Philadelphia's popular 'Portal' art installation was damaged after Pennsylvania police say a group of accused copper thieves ripped into it to steal wiring. The Philadelphia Police Department is searching for the suspects and shared pictures of the four people. They say one was caught on surveillance camera 'cutting a section of copper wire from the Portal Machine at Love Park,' the department said in a March 4 news release. The group stole the wiring at about 5:40 a.m. on Feb. 1, then left Love Park with a large green and yellow trash bin in tow, police said and photos show. At least one of the men appears to have boarded a train after vandalizing the art sculpture, police said. The Portal was unveiled in Philadelphia's Love Park in October and has been popular with locals and tourists. The sculpture is one of only five installed in cities across the globe, each one displaying a 24/7 livestream of whatever is happening on the other side — providing a small window into the lives of those thousands of miles away, and vice versa. Or as the project's website puts it: 'Portals are a bridge to cultures from around the world. Together, we co-own and expand this global artwork.' The Portal was first revealed in the U.S. in May in New York City and connected to Dublin, Ireland. But it was temporarily shut down soon after, as too many people were exposing their genitals and surprising unsuspecting passersby with pornography and images of the 9/11 terror attacks, outlets reported. The Portal was then relocated to the city of brotherly love. Philadelphia Parks and Recreation announced the Portal was 'down for repairs' on Jan. 30, just two days before it was struck by the accused copper thieves. It's unclear how much damage the group did to the sculpture, but officials had previously said it would be back up and running by early March, WCAU reported. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the alleged copper thieves is asked to contact investigators at 215-686-3093.
