Teenager killed in horrific boating accident in New Jersey

Here are the top stories from New Jersey for Monday, August 26, 2024

PATERSON — A search is underway for a woman who stabbed her 4-year-old niece multiple times and sent her to the hospital, according to published reports.

Police found the child victim in a Paterson home near East 10th and 24th streets around 4 p.m. Friday, Passaic County prosecutors said.

The 4-year-old boy had been stabbed several times and was quickly hospitalized.

Faherem LaSane, the girl's father, told ABC 7 Eyewitness News the stabbing left him with a punctured lung and a punctured liver.

HARVEY CEDARS — First responders gathered on a Long Beach Island beach for what police called a “tragic boating accident” Sunday afternoon.

Law enforcement sources told New Jersey 101.5 that a teenage girl was dismembered by the engine of a boat driven by her father. Several people on board the boat were traumatized by the incident, according to NBC Philadelphia, which first reported details of the tragedy.

Harvey Cedars police did not release any details about the incident in a post on their Facebook page and referred inquiries to the state police Bureau of Marine Services.

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Demand for help through food banks has skyrocketed across the Garden State as families struggle to cope with rising prices for basic necessities.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all food items increased 25% between 2019 and 2023. Inflation has slowed, but prices remain at levels that may be out of reach for even dual-income families.

Many New Jersey families are turning to food banks for help for the first time.

“There’s absolutely no shame in that. We don’t want anyone to not know where their next meal or their children’s meal is coming from,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, president and CEO of Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “They’re just struggling to make ends meet.”

And every year, summer increases the need in New Jersey: Students are no longer covered for one or two meals a day, as they would be during the school year.

“We’re also seeing a decline in donations,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s not as much of a priority as it is during the holidays.”

TABERNACLE — A 42-year-old school aide has been charged with using social media to lure a student into having sex with him, authorities said.

Michael Van Kline, of Lumberton, was arrested Thursday and charged with third-degree child endangerment.

Van Kline has worked as a paraprofessional for the Lenape Regional High School District since 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile.

According to the Burlington County District Attorney's Office, Van Kline contacted the student on social media and sent him sexual messages.

Prosecutors say Van Kline persuaded the girl to send him nude photos. He is also accused of suggesting the two meet for sex.

Authorities said Van Kline was released after being taken to the Burlington County Jail for a court hearing.

ATLANTIC CITY — A former professional fighter has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for stabbing an Egg Harbor Township man to death at the Ocean Casino Resort.

Andrew Osborne, 35, of Philadelphia, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole, according to the Atlantic County District Attorney's Office.

Osborne pleaded guilty earlier this year to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the killing of Brian Wilkinson, 47, of Egg Harbor Township.

Wilkinson's body was found in his hotel room at the Ocean Casino Resort on September 23, 2022.

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