Dog survives 70-foot fall from New Jersey bridge

  Eyewitness NewsURLINGTON TOWNSHIP -- A beagle named Brandi survived a 70-foot fall from a New Jersey bridge.

The dog got away from its owner during a walk along the Burlington Riverfront Promenade Friday night.

Bridge officer Rob Bittner saw Brandi walking up the Burlington-Bristol Bridge toward Pennsylvania.

Bittner tells The Courier-Post of Cherry Hill he turned on his emergency lights to slow traffic and followed the dog. Bittner says Brandi was doing fine until she got to the top of the span and her paws felt a steel grate.

The officer says Brandi jumped into the Delaware River as motorists tried to grab her.

The beagle's owner recovered her and took her to a veterinarian. Brandi was bruised around the abdomen, but didn't have any broken bones.

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Hunt continues for Bayonne Bridge hit-and-run driver

  Eyewitness NewsBAYONNE (WABC) -- Police are still searching for the driver who was involved in an accident on the Bayonne Bridge and then stole a car and fled the scene early Friday.

The three-car crash closed down all lanes of the span, which connects Bayonne with Staten Island, for the entire Friday morning commute. The bridge reopened around 11 a.m..

Port Authority police say the suspect was initially driving a Staten Island-bound burgundy Ford van that crossed the median on the bridge and crashed head-on into a New Jersey-bound Volkswagon Passat.

When a Good Samaritan from Staten Island stopped and got out of his black Dodge 1500 pickup to offer assistance, the driver of the Ford van stole the pickup truck and sped off.

The driver and passenger in the Volkswagon were taken by ambulance to Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

A female passenger suffered lacerations to her head, while the male driver sustained lacerations to his left arm.

The suspect is described only as a man about 5-foot-6. The getaway vehicle was found abandoned on Staten Island.

No arrests have been made.

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NJ AG: jury verdict correct in baby bridge death

A New Jersey father says he threw his baby girl over a bridge.

  SAMANTHA HENRYNEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- New Jersey's attorney general says a jury reached the correct verdict Friday in convicting a father of murder for tossing his infant daughter off a New Jersey bridge.

Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said finding Shamsidden Abdur-Raheem guilty of murder was justice for 3-month-old Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem.

The child's mother, Venetta Benjamin, who testified against Abdur-Raheem, said only "God is good," following the verdict and thanked those who worked on the case.

Abdur-Raheem faces life in prison after his conviction on murder and kidnapping charges in superior court in New Brunswick.

The 24-year-old Galloway Township resident showed no reaction to the verdict. His attorney did not comment outside court or immediately return a phone message.

The case prompted changes to the Amber Alert system.

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Old Bridge Pathmark reopens after deadly shooting

  Eyewitness NewsOLD BRIDGE -- A New Jersey supermarket has reopened one week after an employee gunned down two co-workers before killing himself.

In a statement, the Old Bridge Pathmark says it is grateful for the community's outpouring of support and looks forward to serving residents.

Authorities said 18-year-old Cristina LoBrutto and 24-year-old Bryan Breen each died of a single gunshot while they worked the overnight shift last Friday. Authorities said 23-year-old Terence Tyler then killed himself. Tyler was discharged from the Marines in 2010 after suffering from depression.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOOTING

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Jury deliberations under way in baby bridge death

A New Jersey father says he threw his baby girl over a bridge.

  Eyewitness NewsNEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Jury deliberations began Tuesday in the trial of a New Jersey man accused of throwing his 3-month-old daughter off a bridge.

Prosecutors say Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem abducted Zara Malani-lin Abdur-Raheem from her grandmother's East Orange apartment in 2010 while the baby's mother was in court seeking a restraining order.

Authorities say he eventually parked on the Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway and threw or dropped the girl into the Raritan River. Her body was discovered about two months later.

Published reports say that prosecutors told jurors that Abdur-Raheem repeatedly admitted to investigators that he threw his daughter off the bridge. But defense lawyers say they've proven there's reasonable doubt he's guilty.

Besides the murder count, the 24-year-old former Galloway Township resident also faces charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and child endangerment.

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Huge fire in Old Bridge, NJ retirement community

A five alarm fire caused evacuations at a retirement home in Old Bridge, New Jersey. (Matawan-Aberdeen; patch.com)

  Eyewitness NewsOLD BRIDGE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A five alarm fire has engulfed three condos in Old Bridge, New Jersey.

The fire started after 10 a.m. in the Cheesequake Retirement Village, a community for residents above the age of 55.

No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

For more on this breaking story, stay with Eyewitness News and 7online and tune in to Eyewitness News at Noon.

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Masked man robs Old Bridge jewelry store

  Andy Field, Eyewitness NewsOLD BRIDGE, N.J. (WABC) -- A geezer bandit caught on camera robbing a jewelry store may be much younger than he appears.

The suspect walked into a jewelry store along Route 9 in Old Bridge, New Jersey, wearing a rather distinctive disguise.

The robber knew what he wanted as security cameras recorded him rushing into the counter.

He drew a gun and ordering one clerk to the floor and then demanded another fill a bag as he meticulously selected various rings and bracelets.

"He came right in knew what he was doing, he walked in approached both employees, he had one employee get down, the second employee, he had him take him around, he pointed at the jewelry he wanted, they provided the jewelry," said Captain Robert Weiss, Jr., Old Bridge Township Police.

The Halloween masked man robbed Corbo Jewelers about 5 Tuesday afternoon at the Shoppes of Old Bridge along Highway 9.

The workers inside were terrified on what was a slow post Christmas sales day.

"The employees at the store were pretty shook up, but physically everyone was unharmed, he didn't hurt anybody, he pointed the weapon at them and left the store," Weiss said.

Old Bridge Township Police don't have much to go on but they're hoping someone recognizes something in the security tapes and helps find the thief.

"He's got a mask, he's got a hooded sweatshirt, he's a bit stocky, about 5'10", he's wearing an overcoat that makes him even look a bit larger," Weiss said.

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