Richard Jarry is accused of breaking into a car and swiping a check book.

A man accused of burglarizing a car in Hackettstown has been captured, town police report.

Richard Jarry (Courtesy photo) 

Richard Jarry, a 36-year-old homeless man believed to stay in the Hackettstown area, was arrested Saturday in Stanhope, a Sussex County borough less than 10 miles away, police announced Wednesday. He is being held on $10,000 bail.

Jarry allegedly entered a vehicle that was parked in the 400 block of Warren Street, town police said in a news release last week. He only got $2 in change but did swipe a checkbook from the center console, police said.

Police last week also alerted residents to a rash of burglaries after vehicles were broken into on Hurley Drive, Willow Grove Street and Cindy Terrace. Police said that there is no evidence linking Jarry to those crimes.

Residents are being urged to lock their car doors and not to leave valuables in their vehicles.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Drugs and a stolen handgun were recovered, authorities say.

A monthlong investigation into drug trafficking in the Washington area culminated Wednesday with the raid of an alleged dealer's home, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Heroin and a stolen handgun were found inside the house in the first block of Myrtle Avenue in the borough, according to a news release from the prosecutor.

Michael Cedola Jr., 26, who lives in the residence, faces three second-degree and one third-degree weapons offense, and two third-degree drug charges for allegedly possessing and intending to distribute heroin.

Herointown: New Jersey's 4th largest city

If convicted, the second-degree charges could each mean 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine, while third-degree charges carry up to five years in prison and $75,000 in fines.

Cedola had his first appearance in state Superior Court on Wednesday and was sent to the county jail. Bail information was not immediately available.

Washington Township police and the prosecutor's office conducted the investigation.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The driver most seriously injured in the evening crash was in a car that ended up off the road following a collision.

A two-vehicle crash Wednesday evening in Warren County sent both drivers for treatment, with one requiring CPR at the scene, according to New Jersey State Police.

It occurred about 6:30 p.m. in the 700 block of Route 94 in Frelinghuysen Township, state police at Hope said.

That's near Frelinghuysen Elementary School.

The stretch of road in that area remained closed past 8 p.m. as state police investigated, police said. Circumstances of how the crash occurred remained under investigation, and police were not immediately releasing the identities of the drivers.

Cops raid alleged heroin dealer's home

The driver most seriously injured was in a car that ended up off the road, according to police. 

Neither driver had any passengers, police said.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

It seems that these days Christmas traditions are starting before we even purchase Halloween candy.

The Christmas season seams to start earlier and earlier every year.

By "starts," I mean retailers holding Christmas sales, radio stations playing seasonal music and TV stations airing holiday movies. It seems that these days such things are happening even before we purchase Halloween candy!

Growing up in Vineland in the '60s and '70s, the season did not officially "kick off" until after the city's annual Christmas parade.

Prior to the procession, children may have paged through catalogs looking at toys, but Santa Claus was not in the mall waiting to hear wishes. Retailers were preparing for their busiest season, but it was happening in stockrooms, not in store windows.

Santa lights the lights on Landis Avenue in Vineland on Nov. 30, 1959 ... also my first birthday.Courtesy of the Vineland Daily-Journal 

Homeowners moved nary a box of decorations from their traditional spots in the attic, and absolutely no one was selling any kind of cut evergreen tree anywhere. The only sign that something was "up" was when workmen began hanging the strings of red and green lights across the length of Landis Avenue.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the city would hold its annual Christmas parade down that main shopping thoroughfare. Marching bands, floats and civic organizations would brave what was usually a cold night to march, with the evening's most special guest riding at the end. Then, for the piece de resistance, Santa himself would throw the switch to light those lovely lights and officially start the Christmas season.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

When we returned home from the event, the Christmas candles were taken down from the attic and set in the windows, the miniature creche was placed on the coffee table and the four little candle guys were arranged on the kitchen table to spell "NOEL" (my siblings and I drove my mom nuts by rearranging those pieces to spell "LEON" or "LONE.")

I liked it a lot more when the season started in late November, rather than early October.

Here's a gallery of Christmas celebrations from around the state in those good old days. Be sure to have captions enabled to read all about them.

Want more? Click here and here for a couple of galleries from previous years.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

New Jersey saw its share of bizarre police reports this year.

The 46-year-old Washington preschool teacher died in the Route 31 crash.

Jordan Biasco admitted her role in the crash that took the life of a Warren County preschool teacher last spring.

Jordan Biasco (Lehighvalleylive.com file photo) 

The 18-year-old from Belvidere feels horrible and has sought counseling, said her attorney, Scott Wilhelm. She was not texting at the time of the wreck, nor was she on her phone or any substance -- the crash was, the attorney said, an accident.

"I don't think anyone should go to jail for a mere accident," Wilhelm said.

Elizabete Lino, known to staff and students at Half-Pint Early Learning and Childcare Center in Washington as Miss Liz, left work April 26 and headed home to Oxford Township. Minutes later, she was killed in a head-on crash on Route 31.

Mansfield Township police said it appeared Lino drifted into oncoming traffic. Another driver, a 57-year-old man, was injured and flown to a hospital for treatment. Lino, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Teacher killed in crash touched lives

A civil lawsuit filed in October blames Biasco for the crash. Biasco -- then a Belvidere High School senior -- cut Lino off, causing the teacher to swerve into the oncoming lane, said the Linos' attorney, John E. Molinari, citing police reports. Biasco soon pulled over and called to report the accident, he said.

Biasco pleaded guilty Nov. 15 in Mansfield municipal court to leaving the scene of an accident and failure to stay in the lane, Wilhelm said.

On Dec. 6, she was sentenced to 180 days in jail, six months probation, a one-year loss of license and a $2,500 fine, Wilhelm confirmed. She is appealing the probation and jail terms in state Superior Court, and has been granted a stay on those parts of the sentence.

"This has been a very tough thing for her, too," Wilhelm said. "This was an accident."

The status of the civil case was not immediately clear as the sentence is appealed.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

A Kia crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a Lexus, New Jersey State Police report.

A 61-year-old man died after a two-vehicle crash Wednesday evening on Route 94 in Frelinghuysen Township, New Jersey State Police report.

A 2014 Kia driven south by Catherine Kozak, 35, of Montague Township in Sussex County, crossed the double yellow line just after 6:30 p.m. and struck the left front of a northbound Lexus driven by Thomas Pisano, Trooper Lawrence Peele said. Pisano later was pronounced dead at Newton Medical Center, Peele said.

Pisano was a resident of Newton in Sussex County, according to a New Jersey Herald report.

CPR follows 2-car crash

It wasn't immediately clear why the Kia went into oncoming traffic at mile marker 14.5 in northern Warren County, Peele said. Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to be factors, the Herald reported.

Kozak suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, Peele said.

There was no immediate ruling on Pisano's cause and manner of death, Peele said.

Emergency personnel attempted to revive Pisano with CPR, police said Wednesday night.

The investigation, which closed the 700 block of the road near the township elementary school, continues, Peele said.

There was no indication of passengers in either vehicle, Peele said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Nate Hagerty was killed two days before his 28th birthday.

Donald Auletta never faced criminal charges for the fatal accident, but the victim's family says his negligence is responsible for the death of a 27-year-old Belvidere High School graduate.

Nate Hagerty, 27, of Harmony Township, died April 2015 in a motorcycle crash in Hope Township. (Courtesy photo) 

Auletta, of Hope Township, is the defendant in a lawsuit filed last month by the family of Nate Hagerty, who was killed in the April 2015 motorcycle crash two days before his 28th birthday. He is survived by his parents and sister.

Hagerty was riding a 2006 Honda CBR through Hope when Auletta, then 47, was turning on Delaware Road (Route 609) on a 1996 Suzuki, New Jersey State Police reported in the days after the crash. Hagerty attempted to brake, lost control and overturned the motorcycle, striking the Suzuki, police said.

The lawsuit says Auletta was riding his Suzuki up and down his driveway and had turned to head east in the westbound lane.

Both men were thrown from their motorcycles, state police previously reported. Hagerty was wearing a helmet and Auletta wasn't.

Auletta, who was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, was issued motor vehicle violations but never charged criminally in the crash, state police confirmed Thursday.

Driver appeals sentence in fatal Rt. 31 crash

Neither the Hagerty's attorney, Jeffrey S. Katz, nor Auletta immediately returned calls for comment.

Hagerty, of Harmony Township, was a 2005 Belvidere High School graduate born in Seoul, South Korea. He had a "heart of gold" and was "well loved by everyone," according to his obituary, which also mentioned a 32-yard field goal he kicked as a varsity County Seater football player.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

He's been to your place dozens of times, but have you ever taken the time to really get to know Santa Claus? Time to check your Santa Claus IQ.

These days, it seems that you can't have a Christmas without Santa Claus. The man in red is almost everywhere this season from TV commercials to malls, and finally sliding down your chimney on Christmas Eve. It wasn't always this way, though.

Legend has it that Santa Claus become strongly associated with Christmas in the 1800s. Washington Irving's "A Knickerbocker's History of New York" portrayed St. Nicholas, a beloved Christian figure, as a jolly gift giver. In 1823, the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" mentioned his iconic red suit. reindeer team and prodigious belly. Beginning in 1866, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew the images of Santa Claus we still know today.

How much do you know about Santa Claus? Take the quiz below and then share your Santa Score in comments.

John Shabe, who has been known to impersonate Santa from time to time, can be reached via jshabe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter, and find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Students learn about STEM through a festive schoolwide activity.

Before students at Pohatcong Township Elementary School could start winter break on Friday, they had one last assembly. 

The final rounds of the inaugural Santa's Sleigh Ride Challenge was held in the school's gym. The schoolwide event is designed to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education among students.

The competition was started by second- and third-grade math teacher Dave Gary who said he got the idea from his wife, a fellow teacher.

"I was doing it with two of my math classes and I told the other second- and third-grade math teachers about it and they seemed interested so we opened it up to the whole school," he said. 

To keep it fair, as the school consists of grades kindergarten to eighth, the students were all limited to the same materials and allowed to design their sled using only two popsicle sticks, an index card, a portion of an egg carton and glue sticks.

"I thought we were going to be seeing the same four sleds but [the kids] really blew all of us away with their designs. It really says a lot about their creativity," Gary said of the finished sleighs.

The students learned about restraint, drag and friction in the process of building their sleds. Gary's third-grade classes also measured their earlier rounds themselves and then graphed the data. 

Governor lauds new P'burg High School

The activity got the kids thinking. Winners Liam Slack and James Benz explained that they did not use the egg carton in their design because it added too much air resistance. 

For the competition itself Gary built a ramp out of wax paper-covered cardboard, wood supports and white paper to turn it into "Mount Pohatcong." Every class then had a practice round and a competitive round, and the sleds that traveled the farthest from the bottom of the ramp won.

The two sleds from each grade with the greatest distances were chosen to compete at Friday's assembly. In all, 17 sleds moved on to the final rounds. Some were individual achievements and others a team effort like that of the winners.

The final round consisted of the top four sleighs in the school. Their creators were fourth-grader Xander Smith, sixth-graders James Benz and Liam Slack, second-grader Ani Berger and sixth-graders Ryan Banghart and Gracie Merrick.

Tying for third with a distance of 3 feet 10 inches were Ani Berger and the team of Ryan Banghart and Gracie Merrick. Coming in second was Xander Smith at 4 feet 7 inches.

In first, with the school record was James Benz and Liam Slack with a total of 5 feet 4 inches. Their prize consisted of a glittering silver and gold sleigh ornament and bragging rights.

Education notes: WCCC offers training

When asked what they would do with their prize, Benz said they would take a picture of it, then pull names out of a hat to see which one of them gets it.

Both boys were surprised they made it this far after an initial bad run but admitted they did much better in the finals than the qualifying rounds.

When asked how he thought the students liked the activity and competition Gary said: "I think they were thrilled. Everyone was into making the sleighs and I was pleasantly surprised by the crowd" who was cheering excitedly for their classmates throughout.

"I think it went very well so I would love to make it a Pohatcong tradition," he said.

Two radicals opened fire on Philip Lamonaco after being pulled over in Warren County.

It has been 35 years since Philip Lamonaco's final patrol. He only lived to be 32.

The New Jersey State Trooper stopped a car Dec. 21, 1981, on Interstate 80 in Warren County. In that car were two wanted radicals, members of the now-defunct United Freedom Front, a group responsible for bombings and bank robberies.

They opened fire, hitting Lamonaco nine times and fatally wounding him.

The trooper's family was home, making Christmas cookies at the time.

State police this week remembered Lamonaco on Facebook, posting a photo and a biography.

The shooting led to a series of reforms, including how troopers handle vehicle stops. And his family's story helped lead to the construction of a national law enforcement memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1991.

Below is the story The Express-Times ran in 2006 -- the 25th anniversary of his death -- when a roadside memorial to Lamonaco was dedicated.

She made them cry on Thursday afternoon.

Even the men wiped away tears when Sarah Lamonaco spoke during the dedication of a new memorial unveiled on this 25th anniversary of her father's murder.

"Right here someone took him from us, " she said. "Dec. 21 has been the hardest day of my life."

Signs once marked the spot along Interstate 80 West where a traffic stop placed trooper Phil Lamonaco face-to-face with two of the nation's most wanted domestic terrorists.

Now there is a 5-ton rock. The rock bears three granite pieces etched with the trooper's name, the New Jersey State Police triangle and the date of his death, Dec. 21, 1981.

Landscaping surrounds it and a walk leads down to the site, just north of the noisy traffic on I-80. Lamonaco once described the highway as a conduit where transients and criminals often pass through Warren County.

Sarah Lamonaco, 25, told the huge gathering her dad's oft-used phrase when things got tough.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy, " she said.

So they came and listened - the state police's top brass, the troopers, the honor guard, the civilians and the family who survived the unthinkable.

Music from the New Jersey State Police Bag Pipers of the Blue & Gold lent an air of sadness to the event as troopers lined up to pay homage.

One trooper escorted a horse with no rider as the rank and file stood at attention. Other troopers stood at attention on either side of the brick walk leading down to the memorial.

Those who attended placed flowers on top of the rock in a long procession down the walk and back up.

State Police Superintendent Joseph Fuentes spoke during the ceremony along with other notables. Warren County Freeholder John DiMaio and Knowlton Township Mayor Frank Vann Horn joined with other civic leaders who attended.

"He gave his life for our freedom, " said Monsignor Philip A. Lowery - chief of chaplains for the state police. The monsignor said Lamonaco possessed the virtues of honor, duty and fidelity.

Fuentes described the memorial as "a very hallowed spot."

He said Lamonaco's shooting "was one of the saddest moments in our history."

The slain trooper's son - trooper Michael Lamonaco - said: "I can only hope that I can fulfill the high standards set by my father and all the troopers before me."

He was 4 years old when his father was killed.

Service honors fallen N.J. law enforcement

One of the men convicted of the Lamonaco shooting died last year in a prison hospital.

Richard Charles Williams, 58, believed to be the triggerman, died Dec. 7, 2005, almost 24 years after the murder.

The investigation led to his capture and that of his accomplice, Thomas Manning, who remains in a West Virginia federal prison.

Williams was 34 when he and Manning were pulled over by Phil Lamonaco just east of the Route 94 interchange. Phil Lamonaco worked out of the former state police barracks in Blairstown Township, since relocated to nearby Hope Township. His wife was home with their three young children baking Christmas cookies when the shooting occurred.

He was shot nine times after he disarmed Manning and put the gun in his belt. The killers then fled.

A passing motorist found Phil Lamonaco face down in the snow. The trooper later died at the Pocono Medical Center. Police found the suspects' Chevrolet stuck in a snowbank on Station Road in Knowlton Township, six miles from the shooting scene. The bullet-riddled car had fingerprints from Manning and Williams. Inside were bloodstains from Williams on the passenger side door, head- and armrests.

Among the detectives who worked the case more than three years was Warren County Public Safety Director David Gallant - now a retired state police captain.

Pa. State Police honor their fallen

A nationwide investigation led to the separate arrests of both suspects and their convictions.

Gallant told the gathering Thursday the investigation put a lot of pressure on the suspects who were forced to move from one safe house to another. Both belonged to radical groups active in the 1970s.

Fuentes commended former New Jersey State Police Superintendent Clinton Pagano for his tenacity in pursuing the investigation despite political pressure to throttle down what had become a lengthy and costly pursuit.

Some accused Pagano of taking the Lamonaco shooting personally, Fuentes said.

Pagano spoke later.

He said state police will never slow down an investigation into the killing of a New Jersey State Police trooper.

"We do take it personally and we will never ever throttle back, " he said. "People such as these must understand that they will be pursued."

Donna Lamonaco - who prefers the term survivor to that of widow - also spoke during the ceremony.

"He loved this job, " she said. "He loved the fact that he was there to protect society."

She said he not only loved his job, but that he loved her and his family.

Donna Lamonaco said she misses her late husband.

"That's the hardest thing, " she said tearfully. "This rock is the rock of strength...it's the rock of courage."

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Residents of Wordsworth Lane in Lopatcong Township have seen this before.

Santa has more than stockings to fill on Wordsworth Lane.

A huge sinkhole opened this week on the Lopatcong Township road -- nearly in the same spot where the earth almost swallowed a snow plow in 2015.

"I keep having visions of some 'Far Side' cartoon," 63-year-old Dave Thomas quipped Friday evening as workers tended to the maw at the end of his driveway. "We'll either be living on top of a tiny spike of land ... or in the middle of a lake."

Plow pulled from Lopat sinkhole

Mayor Tom McKay estimated the hole was 20 feet wide and eight to 10 feet deep when it opened Thursday morning, fortunately before any school buses went down the road.

Residents said the water company, Aqua New Jersey, was fixing a leak in the water main on Wednesday that lead to the bigger problem.

A company spokesperson could not be reached late Friday afternoon, though an alert on the Aqua website said service was disrupted Wednesday on Wordsworth Lane due to a water main break.

"It is just concerning as a homeowner that we are getting regular leaks on the waterline that are causing sinkholes of various sizes," another resident, Curtis Vielstich, said in an email. "Prior to our massive sinkhole, we had at least two more smaller ones up the road."

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The 23-year-old is wanted on a narcotics charge.

Derbyk Divila (Courtesy photo) 

Derbyk D. Divila, 23, is wanted on a narcotics charge under a warrant dated May 18, according to the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.

Divila, whose last known address is in the 200 block of Sharp Street in Hackettstown, is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

The prosecutor's office asks anyone with information about Divila to contact investigators via a tip line at 908-475-6643, the fugitive unit at 908-475-6272 or via fugitive@co.warren.nj.us.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

From furry friends and adorable little girls to police officers breaking down with emotion, these stories made us shed tears. Watch video

From furry friends and adorable little girls to tough police officers breaking down with emotion, these stories got the waterworks flowing this year.

Get your tissues ready.

These stories made us cry, weep or moved us to tears in 2016 - mostly tears of joy.

Hero Cop Tears Up

Linden Police Officer Angel Padilla had visited Linden school children before to talk policing or shoot some hoops with kids. And he's active in the PTA at School No. 5.

But just three days after he took a bullet to the torso during a shootout with alleged terrorist bomber Ahmad Khan Rahami, Padilla was back at the elementary school to thank the children for the cards they sent him thanking him and other officers for protecting them.

Padilla was overcome with emotion - as were many others present - and choked out a "Thank you," to each student who praised him as a hero, and lined up to give him hugs.

"I Got This"

Pick your teary moment with Laurie Hernandez, the 16-year-old breakout gymnastics superstar from Old Bridge - who's also been called the Human Emoji.

Was it when she won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics? Or the individual silver she nabbed as well? Or when footage of her confidently mouthing to herself, "I got this," before starting a beam routine in Rio?

Or when she displayed professional-like dancing moves in winning the mirror ball trophy on "Dancing with the Stars" in November? 

A Piece of Her Comes Back

John Wyckoff has found many things left behind by visitors to his tree farm in White Township, but never a valuable wedding ring like the one David Penner lost there 15 years ago.

In early December, Wyckoff spotted the band in the dirt from a tractor. He asked the public for help in getting back to its owner, describing its inscription, "To David. Love, Nancy."

Days later, Wyckoff was reuniting it to an astounded Penner, who had been back to the farm many times and never found the ring - which he had never replaced.

"I thought it was a miracle," said Penner, who is 68 and lives in Great Meadows. His wife Nancy Penner passed away in September, and they were married for 42 years. He said the ring's return makes him feels like his wife is back with him. "This was a piece to come back to me, in her absence," he said.

Small Note with a Big Response

Princeton school bus driver Cindy Clausen consistently saw a brother and sister on her bus helping a classmate with a disability. Touched, she wrote a short note to their parents describing the helpful and compassionate acts she witnessed.

She ended the note saying, "I know you know how wonderful your children are, but I wanted you to know that it shows!"

The note wound its way online, first posted on Lovethispic.com, and went viral, with people saying how moved they were by Clausen's letter.

Can They be Any Cuter?

The McClure twins of West Orange are already stars of their family's YouTube channel/vlog, where their parents post adorable interviews of 3-year-old identicals Alexis and Ava, and rack up impressive Internet traffic.

In October, a video titled, "Twins realize they look the same!" went viral and you might cry from laughing at their pouty disappointment.

During the interview, Alexis has a meltdown when realized Ava is 1-minute older and later Ava has a meltdown when told Alexis is taller. The video of extreme cuteness is closing in on 2 million views.

Teen who 'Died' Returns to Hospital

In October 2015, Florence teen TJ Drahuschak was so badly injured in a crash in Trenton that a trauma team had to revive the broken 16-year-old from death three times in just a few hours.

Capital Health Dr. Michael Kelly was skeptical the Notre Dame High School student and football player would live through the night.

Drahuschak survived, ("I died three times," he said with grin), and in August, the teen walked into the Trenton trauma center, put his crutches to the side and personally thanked Kelly and the team of nurses and specialists who put him back together.

"I want to to thank them immensely for keeping me alive," he said.

Is Pedals the Famous Upright Bear Dead?

In 2014 and 2015, videos surfaced online showing a bear walking upright like a human as it scampered through backyards in the Oak Ridge and Jefferson areas.

The bipedal bear, suffering an apparent injury to his front legs, got the name Pedals. State wildlife officials asked for help locating him, and residents worried he would not last through upcoming winters.

But Pedals likely did not survive this fall's state bear hunt. On Oct. 10, officials said, a bear with injured limbs was brought to a weigh-in station.

The state it would never really know, because Pedals was never tagged or had a DNA sample taken, but the bear weighed on Oct. 10 appears - from his paws to the blaze on his chest - to be Pedals.

Man Wins Freedom after "Half A Life" Behind Bars

In July, Duquene Pierre walked out of a New Jersey jail into the jubilant arms of family members - freed from a one-time 60-year sentence for murder.

He smiled, they cheered and mobbed the 44-year-old, who spent exactly half his life behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

A few days later, he described the rollercoaster ride he took through the state judicial system. It started with the dungeon-like prison in Trenton where he was first incarcerated - "It felt like everything was closing in."

To the moment last year when he found out the state Supreme Court would look at his case. "I jumped up like a kid," he said. At a new trial this year, a judge dismissed the charges, and Pierre broke down in tears.

"I'm with my family. I'm moving on with my life," he said.

From Hoarding Home to Loving Home

The scene and numbers were staggering. Investigators on the scene of an "extreme hoarding" situation found nearly 300 dogs in 10 hours after searching a one single-family home in Howell. 

The smell was overwhelming, the excitable sounds of barking dogs everywhere and authorities said some were just 15 minutes old when taken from the home. Officers even used firefighters' thermal imaging cameras to locate dogs in holes in the walls.

But from the hoarding came several adoptions, as people stepped up gain a new furry friend. The first adoption was Elena, a bulldog mix, who joined the family of Alaina Casha, an SPCA volunteer.

"Yesterday she had just come out of surgery and I saw her laying there and she just came right up to me and there was something in my heart," Casha said. "We can't wait to bring this dog in and give (her) the best love and all the attention we possibly can give."

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Dogs and cats throughout New Jersey await adoption.

Here is this week's collection of some of the dogs and cats in need of adoption in northern and central New Jersey.

If a nonprofit rescue group or animal shelter in any of the following counties wishes to participate in this weekly gallery on nj.com, please contact Greg Hatala at ghatala@starledger.com or call 973-836-4922:

* Bergen County

* Burlington County

* Essex County

* Hudson County

* Hunterdon County

* Mercer County

* Middlesex County

* Monmouth County

* Morris County

* Ocean County

* Passaic County

* Somerset County

* Sussex County

* Union County

* Warren County

More pets in need of adoption can be seen here and here.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

Amazing teams, incredible individual accomplishments, coaching milestones, an Olympian and more

No one is badly hurt in the crash, New Jersey State Police report.

A car trying to pass crashed into a New Jersey Department of Transportation salt truck on Saturday morning in Franklin Township, Warren County, New Jersey State Police report.

A 57-year-old woman was driving a beige Infiniti G20 at 7 a.m. as a 48-year-old man tried to turn the dump truck, which was actively salting Route 57 West near Beidlem Road, left into a parking lot, Trooper Lawrence Peele said. He did not name either driver.

As the Infiniti tried to pass on the left, it struck the driver's side of the truck, Peele said.

Neither driver was badly hurt and both declined further medical attention, Peele said. No one else was in either vehicle.

The woman was cited with careless driving, Peele said.

Franklin Township firefighters and emergency medical personnel assisted at the scene.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

A meeting was arraigned to buy the stolen merchandise, police say.

A Mansfield Township man is charged with stealing power tools from a trailer parked in a driveway in Washington Township, Morris County, police report.

A Stihl chainsaw and Dewalt Multi-tool kit valued at a total of $1,050 were taken on Dec. 14, Washington Township police said.

Detective Sgt. Brian Szymanski and Detective Cpl. Roger Garrison developed a suspect from the Internet and arranged a meeting to buy back the tools, police said.

Robert A. Bace, 18, of the Port Murray section of Mansfield, was arrested Dec. 22 and charged with criminal trespass and theft, police said. He was released pending a court date in Morris County Superior County, police said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The man also urinated in a parking lot, police said.

A drunken Easton man was found by officers checking for unlocked doors while roaming around a Warren County parking lot, police said.

(File photo | For lehighvalleylive)Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive.com 

Louis Mahan, 31, just before 11:30 a.m. Friday was seen by witnesses in the parking lot of Kohl's department store allegedly wandering around in Mansfield Township. Police said Mahan urinated in the lot and attempted to enter several vehicles.

Officers found him sleeping in a parked vehicle and knocked on the window to try and wake him up, according to police. Officers had more trouble awaking Mahan after opening the door, police said.

Once the Mansfield Rescue Squad responded, Mahan eventually woke up and refused treatment while "berating" Emergency Medical Technicians, police said.

Mahan was cited for disturbing the peace and released to his girlfriend.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

It took officers multiple attempts to awake the driver, police said.

A Morris County driver was found by Hackettstown police allegedly passed out behind the wheel and causing traffic to back up along Route 57.

Officers responded at 12:10 p.m. Friday to Route 57 in the area of the Scrub-A-Dub Car Wash. Tevin Fuller, 22, of Washington Township, was passed out behind the wheel of a car, which was stopped in traffic with the shift knob still in drive, according to police.

Officers made multiple attempts to awake Fuller before he finally woke up, police said. He then allegedly got out of the vehicle and handed officers a small box of marijuana.

Police later found 17 small bags of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia in Fuller's possession. 

Fuller is charged with third-degree possession of cocaine; third-degree intent to distribute cocaine; disorderly persons possession of under 50 grams of marijuana and other drug-related, motor vehicle and traffic charges.

Fuller was taken to the Warren County jail in lieu of 10 percent of $25,000 bail.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.