Calls for investigation after kindergartner denied school lunch

  Eyewitness NewsMATAWAN, N.J. (WABC) -- Assemblyman Jason O'Donnell has called for a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the five-year-old non-verbal, autistic child from Matawan who was denied school lunch.

As Eyewitness News, first reported John Robert Caravella was in just his fourth day at Cliffwood Elementary School in Matawan when he was left without lunch and made to sit and watch other children eat due to a miscommunication between the school and his parents over the $2 per day lunch fee.

"Regardless of the reason, it is outrageous that a five-year-old child was forced to go hungry for an entire day," O'Donnell said. "While it is inexcusable for any child in our public schools to sit through a lunch period watching others eat while having been denied a meal, this particular case is even more appalling. This student was a nonverbal autistic child who couldn't possibly even begin to defend himself. The school staff had an obligation to look out for this child."

O'Donnell wants an investigation into the matter to be conducted by the New Jersey Department of Education.

John Robert's parents acknowledge they didn't fully understand Cliffwood Elementary School's payment system and that their lunch account was in the red.

Matawan's School Superintendent said this has never happened before and it will never happen again, but O'Donnell says he believes the investigation is necessary.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New Jersey News »

new jersey, student, new jersey news

View the original article here

911 calls released from Pathmark shooting

  Eyewitness NewsOLD BRIDGE -- Employees at a New Jersey supermarket can be heard on 911 calls begging for police to send help as a gunman goes on a rampage.

The calls from the Aug. 31 shooting at the Pathmark in Old Bridge were released Thursday.

LINK: LISTEN TO 911 CALLS Several of the calls are from terrified employees trapped inside the store during the shooting. One female employee can be heard breathing heavily as she begs a police dispatcher to send help.

Other employees give the dispatcher eyewitness accounts of a fellow employee entering with a shotgun and firing. Authorities determined the gun to be an assault rifle.

Authorities say 23-year-old employee Terence Tyler shot two co-workers and then killed himself. Eighteen-year-old Cristina LoBrutto and 24-year-old Bryan Breen each died of a single gunshot.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOOTING

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New Jersey News »

new jersey, old bridge, shooting, new jersey news

View the original article here

Calls to halt Port Authority toll hikes

FORT LEE, NJ (WABC) -- About eight months from now, the commuters at the George Washington Bridge and at other Port Authority Crossings will have dig a little deeper in their pockets for another toll hike, but New Jersey lawmakers are already pushing against it.

"Now is not the time for another punishing round of toll hikes for the people of New Jersey," Sen. Frank Lautenberg said.

The lawmakers want the Port Authority to address what they call critical deficiencies identified in an audit of the authority, which described it as a "...challenged and dysfunctional organization."

Federal and state lawmakers in New Jersey say the Port Authority first needs to get its own house in order.

"Until you take the word dysfunctional out of the description of that agency, don't charge our commuters," State Senator Loretta Weinberg said. "Don't charge them another increase come December."

That's when tolls will increase during peak periods to $13 for cash payments, $10.25 with EZPass. In 2015, peak hour commuters will be paying $15 cash, $12.50 with EZPass.

The Port Authority initially said the hike was needed to help pay for the redevelopment of the former World Trade Center site. In subsequent court filings, the agency said the additional money would be used for bridges, bus terminals and other transportation buildings.

"Before New Jersey commuters are forced to pay a penny more, the Port Authority must reform its financial and management practices," State Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Hunter said.

Daily commuters, who pay the ever increasing tolls, believe there needs to be more accounting for the additional money. Other commuters say they've not seen tolls this high in other cities.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more New Jersey News »

new jersey, port authority, toll hike, new jersey news, tim fleischer
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

View the original article here