This week, the Camden County Police Department is proud to honor a special group of officers who went above and beyond the call of duty to help a fellow officer who was seriously wounded while on the job.

We recognize those Camden County Police Department officers and staff who organized and played in Saturday’s “Hockey Night in Atlantic City” a charity hockey game. The idea for a game was conceived by Officer Cody Smith and Detective Lucas Murray as a unique way for officers who play hockey, both here and in Atlantic City, to work together to raise money for Atlantic City Police Department Ofc. Joshlee Vadell. Officer Vadell, the father of three young children, was shot by a suspect while responding to an armed robbery in September and required complicated surgery as a result of the shooting. He faces a long road to recovery.

Members of the Camden County Police Department formed a team – the Blue Knights – to play against a team of police officers, firefighters and other first responders from Atlantic City – the Guns ‘n Hoses.

Along with working to organize a Blue Knights team, Detective Murray had commemorative T-shirts made and solicited donations for a silent auction for the event which included items from across the country. Officer Dustin Paulsson, formerly of the ACPD, coordinated with his old department and local businesses to help make the evening possible.

CCPD Crime Scene Investigator Steve Settles, who also serves as president of the Camden County Emerald Society, brought members of the band to play with the Atlantic City Fire Department Sandpipers Pipes and Drums during a moving pregame ceremony that featured Officer Vadell’s wife and children.

The game, held this past Saturday at the Flyers SkateZone in Atlantic City, was a huge success, drawing more than 500 spectators and raising more than $13,000 to date, with donations still coming in.

Even though the Blue Knights lost the game, they won by stepping up and playing for such a great cause.

So we honor the members of the Blue Knights squad as Camden County Police Department Officers of the Week! They include:

Officer Matthew Blantz, Officer Nicholas Bruns, Officer Michael Burdalski, Detective Brian Caffarelli, team trainer Officer Tom Collins, Officer Daniel Colombaro, Detective Andrew Coulter, Officer Ernest Freestone, County Communications Director Dan Keashen, CCPD IT Network Administrator Jeffrey Locke, team general manager Lieutenant John Maddox, Officer Breanna Mariner, Detective Lucas Murray, Officer Dustin Paulsson, Detective William Reese, Officer Aaron Roselli, Crime Scene Investigator Steve Settles, Officer Michael Shevlin, Detective Nigel Shockley, Officer Daniella Smarra, Officer Cody Smith and Officer Dalton Smith.

To donate to Officer Vadell’s family and care, go to https://www.gofundme.com/2n55utr8

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is looking for a missing 15-year-old from Whitman Park.

Briana Miles was reported missing today from her home on the 1600 block of Norris Street. She is described as a black female, 5’4”, 120 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She has been reported missing previously and was last seen wearing khaki pants, a navy blue jacket, red socks and black sneakers.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the CCPD tip line at (856) 757-7042.

Join us now for BLUE kNIGHT, with rain in the forecast, we’re at these 7 community centers, bring the kids and come have some fun!

• Isabel Miller Community Center, 8^th & Carl Miller

• North Camden Gym, 1000 N. 6^th St.

• Cramer Hill Community Center, 1035 Reeves Ave.

• Broadway Community Center, 713 S. Broadway

• Water tower at Whitman Square, Rose & Everett Streets

• Yorkship Community Center, 2950 B Yorkship Square Road

• Heart of Camden, MJD Field House, 1840 S. Broadway

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is looking for a missing 16-year-old from the Gateway neighborhood.

Tyonna Johnson was reported missing last night from her home on the 800 block of Haddon Avenue. She is described as a black female, 5’8”, 165 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She was last seen wearing tan pants, a peach-colored North Face jacket, a white school uniform shirt and brown Ugg boots.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the CCPD tip line at (856) 757-7042.

This week, the Camden County Police Department is proud to recognize all of the officers who helped make one of our signature community events – BLUE kNIGHT – a success this week.

This was the third year for the Camden County Police Department hosting BLUE kNIGHT. The event is held at locations citywide and is an opportunity to provide a fun night for kids and parents on the night before Halloween and for residents to meet their neighborhood police officers.

This year, rainstorms that hit Camden Sunday night threatened to dampen BLUE kNIGHT, but officers had already moved most of the activities inside community centers, and BLUE kNIGHT went on uninterrupted by the weather. Kids enjoyed hot dogs and cookies and got some great giveaways, including Camden County Police Department BLUE kNIGHT T-shirts.

We’re proud to recognize the officers who worked hard Sunday to make this event a success: Officers Dalissa Alvarez, Megan Propati, Ralph Clark, Javier Vega, Riccardo Berrouet, Damian Guanchez, Christopher Sarlo, Kyle Graf, Sandro Reyes, Darryl Dunham, Matthew Spina, Joseph Nunez, Sherrod Patterson, Edwin Robles, Michael Lichty, David Hinton, Matthew Marshall, Kevin Martina, Charles Schwenger and Jaron Jackson.

(Camden, NJ) – In a continuing effort to enhance public safety and combat the opioid epidemic the Camden County Police Department eliminated a heroin mill in the Whitman Park neighborhood. This investigation knocked out a facility that was distributing up to seven different stamps of heroin in the area while removing a cache of illegal guns.

Following a several week investigation by members of the Camden County Police Department HIDTA Narco-Gang Unit, search warrants were executed Thursday that led to the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of a large quantity of guns, drugs, drug packaging materials, ammunition and cash.

Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson praised the detectives for the arrests.

“We will maintain a relentless effort to target violent drug gangs and the poison they distribute on the streets,” Thomson said.  ”Overdoses in the region continue to rise and the correlating gang violence must be stopped.”

Narco-Gang Unit detectives and Camden County Sheriff’s Department officers executed the search warrants Thursday at two residences on the 1100 block of Thurman Street and one residence on the 900 block of Jackson Street. In total, officers recovered seven weapons:

-          A loaded Mac-11 9mm handgun with an extended magazine

-          A loaded 9mm Browning Arms handgun with an extended magazine

-          A .45 caliber Colt handgun

-          A loaded .45 caliber Ruger handgun with a laser sight and extended magazine

-          A loaded Llama 9mm handgun

-          A loaded Crossman classic .177 caliber pellet gun

-          A loaded Storm XT .177 caliber pellet gun

In addition to the weapons, officers recovered more than 300 rounds of ammunition, a quantity of packaged heroin and a quantity of crack cocaine, both packaged and unpackaged, along with numerous packaging materials for drugs and more than $2,000 in cash.

Two suspects were arrested during the execution of these search warrants.

Lewis Miller, 34, of Camden, was charged with four counts of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, four counts of Possession of Hollow Point Bullets, four counts of Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons and three counts of Possession of a Large Capacity Magazine. He was remanded to the Camden County Jail with bail set at 10 percent of $478,000.

Miguel Nunez, 39, of Camden, was charged with Possession of CDS, Possession With Intent to Distribute and Possession With Intent to Distribute Within 1,000 Feet of a School. His bail was set at 10 percent of $101,000.

From its inception, the Camden County Police Department has relied on a team of hard working officers and civilian employees to ensure that work vital to serving and protecting Camden residents is done.

The department is proud to recognize the accomplishments of our talented employees, including two individuals as civilian employee of the month and analyst of the month for September – Intelligence Analyst Colin Wall and Special Law Enforcement I Mirta Nieves.

Wall has worked at the Camden County Police Department since 2015 when he was hired as a research analyst in the Strategic Analysis Unit. During his time in this unit, Wall has used a number of intelligent investigative techniques to identify criminal suspects, including several during the month of September. Wall was able to positively identify one of the suspects involved in an armed robbery on Labor Day weekend in which Atlantic City Police Department Officer Joshlee Vadell was shot.

Special Law Enforcement Officer I Mirta Nieves joined the department in 2015 and works at the department’s substations at 10^th and Linden in North Camden and on Mount Ephraim Avenue in South Camden. Nieves works hard and does an excellent job helping Patrol Division and Neighborhood Response Team officers and commanders by managing body-camera equipment, handling platoon deployments, managing vehicle assignments and secondary assignments.

We’re proud to recognize Colin Wall and Mirta Nieves for their outstanding work as our civilian employee and civilian analyst of the month for September.

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is investigating a sexual assault that occurred Sunday and is asking the public for help to identify the suspect.

Officers responded to the 900 block of S. 3^rd Street at 6:28 p.m. on Sunday where they located a female sexual assault victim. The victim reports that she was approached by an unknown black or Hispanic male suspect in a white van. The suspect forced her to go with him to a nearby lot next to an abandoned building where he then sexually assaulted her. After committing the crime, the suspect fled the area. The victim was transported to Cooper University Hospital for treatment.

The suspect is described as a black or Hispanic male between 5’3” and 5’7”. A sketch of the suspect along with a picture of the van he drove accompany this release.

Anyone with information about this suspect or crime should immediately call the Camden County Police Department tip line at: (856) 757-7042.

This week, the Camden County Police Department recognizes two officers for their work giving back to the community and helping those in need – Officers Ryan Kennedy and Jeremy Feliciano who serve in the 3rd District Neighborhood Response Team.

 
On Thanksgiving night, officers from the 1st and 3rd Districts working that night gathered at the Camden County Police Department substation in North Camden for a small Thanksgiving dinner and celebration together. After their meal was concluded, Officers Kennedy and Feliciano wanted to help those in need in their district. They took all of the leftover food from the dinner and, during the course of their patrols that night, provided Thanksgiving meals to more than 20 individuals who hadn’t gotten a home-cooked meal that night, many of them homeless.

 
“Officers Kennedy and Feliciano went above and beyond the call of duty in what they did to help those in need. Their actions exemplified the Camden County Police Department’s idea of putting Service Before Self,” said Lt. Jeremy Merck.

 
For their act of kindness and compassion, we honor Officers Kennedy and Feliciano as Camden County Police Department Officers of the Week.

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is looking for a missing 17-year-old from Cramer Hill.

Benny Salas was reported missing today from his home on the 800 block of N. 32^nd Street. He is described as a Hispanic male, 5’7”, 240 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and teal Nike sneakers with a zebra design. He has been reported missing previously and is known to frequent Von Neida Park, Dudley Grange Park and Branch Village.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the CCPD tip line at (856) 757-7042.

Today the Camden County Police Department said goodbye to four veteran officers who are retiring after a combined total of more than 106 years of service.

Officer James Jurski (28 years), Sergeant David Weitzel (27 years, 6 months), Sergeant William Maldonado (25 years, 5 months) and Sergeant Gabriel Olmo (25 years, 5 months) all retired today after long and distinguished law enforcement careers. All four joined the Camden County Police Department in 2013 – Jurski after serving with the former Camden County Park Police and Weitzel, Maldonado and Olmo after serving with the former Camden Police Department.

Through their hard work, dedication and commitment to public safety, each of these four has demonstrated what it means to serve and protect residents and to put Service Before Self. We congratulate Officer Jurski and Sergeants Weitzel, Maldonado and Olmo, thank them for their decades of service and sacrifice and wish each of them the best in retirement!

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred Saturday and is asking for help from the public to identify the driver.

The accident occurred at approximately 7:52 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the corner of Baird Boulevard and Randolph Street. A 39-year-old male pedestrian was crossing Baird Boulevard when a vehicle traveling northbound on Baird struck him. After the accident, the vehicle fled the scene while the victim was taken to Cooper University Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The vehicle is described as a brown Buick sedan from the early 2000s.

Anyone with information about this suspect or victim should immediately call the Camden County Police Department tip line at: (856) 757-7042.

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is working to try to return 91 stolen bikes located in the basement of a bodega to their owners.

The bikes were located by officers in the basement of a small grocery store on the 600 block of Broadway during the course of an ongoing investigation which began in October. A total of 91 bicycles believed to be stolen have been recovered, and anyone whose bike was stolen in the city in recent months should review the photographs below of the recovered bikes.

“We are hopeful that we can return the bicycles recovered by detectives during this investigation to their rightful owners,” said Captain Richard Verticelli.

If one of the bicycles in these photographs is yours, please contact the Camden County Police Department Detective Bureau at (856) 757-7420.

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is looking for a missing 13-year-old from North Camden.

Elijah James was reported missing this morning from his home on the 800 block of State Street. He is described as a black male, 5’4”, 150 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black jeans and black sneakers..

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the CCPD tip line at (856) 757-7042.

Tonight, the Camden County Police Department signed warrants for the arrest of Andre D. Wesley, This is the suspect from the sexual assault that occurred on Sunday night, Nov. 27. In addition, he should be considered armed and dangerous and his bail has been set at $2 million cash. We are asking for the public’s help in identifying his location. Anyone with information about this suspect should call our tip line at (856) 757-7042 or Detective Daniel Crawford at (856) 655-3781.

(Camden, NJ) – Hours after identifying and charging the suspect in a violent sexual assault, Camden County Police Department detectives and law enforcement partners arrested the suspect last night.

On the evening of Sunday, Nov. 27, a female victim was sexually assaulted on the 900 block of S. 3rd Street. Camden County Police Department detectives immediately began investigating this crime and were able to work with the victim to produce a composite sketch of the suspect and locate surveillance video of the van he drove. This evidence helped detectives working around the clock on this case to identify Andre Wesley, 29, of Willingboro as the suspect.

Following the public release of Wesley’s name and picture at approximately 6 p.m. Friday, Camden County Police Department detectives worked with Willingboro Police Department and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office to execute a search warrant at his home last night.

During the execution of that warrant, Wesley arrived at the home and proceeded to brandish a knife toward officers and struggle against them before he was safely placed under arrest without causing harm to himself or officers. The officers were successfully able to de-escalate the tense situation.

“The depravity and disregard for human life demonstrated by this violent repeat offender made him extremely dangerous. Our detectives worked day and night, dedicating themselves to ensuring his capture, and tonight we can say that the community is safer with him in custody, behind bars,” said Chief J. Scott Thomson. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners that assisted in this operation, the contributions from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Willingboro Police Department were essential to the apprehension of this deranged sociopath.”

Wesley has been charged with Criminal Attempted Murder, Kidnapping, Robbery, three counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault, three counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault by Physical Coercion, three counts of Aggravated Assault With a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose. He was remanded to the Camden County Jail with bail set at $2 million cash.

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is looking for a missing 16-year-old from Lanning Square.

Tyreek Watkins was reported missing last night from the 400 block of S. 6^th Street. He is described as a black male, 5’4” 140 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a black coat, black and brown shirt, black jeans and black sneakers.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the CCPD tip line at (856) 757-7042.

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is looking for a missing 17-year-old from Lanning Square.

Jatoine Lewis was reported missing today from her home on the 500 block of Benson Street. She is described as a black female, 5’3”, 125 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She is known to frequent the 1000 block of Princess Avenue and Collingswood.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the CCPD tip line at (856) 757-7042.

(Camden, NJ) – The Camden County Police Department is looking for a missing adult from Bergen Square.

Robert L. Taylor Jr., 61, was reported missing last night from his home on the 600 block of Cherry Street. He is described as a black male, 6’1”, 210 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a black jacket and is known to frequent Philadelphia.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the CCPD tip line at (856) 757-7042.

This week, the Camden County Police Department recognizes the outstanding work of Officer Timothy Ramirez.

Officer Ramirez joined the department in 2014 and is assigned to the Neighborhood Response Team in the city’s 1st District.

On the night of Nov. 28, Officer Ramirez observed a suspect engaged in criminal activity. When he attempted to stop the suspect, he ran from the scene and drew a handgun from his waistband. Officer Ramirez then chased the suspect on foot for a block until he was able to catch the suspect and bring him to the ground. The suspect then struggled against Officer Ramirez for control of the weapon. Officer Ramirez demonstrated restraint while exerting enough force to dislodge the weapon from the suspect and then place him under arrest without further incident.

“Officer Ramirez showed restraint while exercising necessary force to disarm a dangerous, violent individual,” said Lt. Linda Alicea.

For his commitment to making the community safe, we recognize Officer Ramirez as Camden County Police Department Officer of the Week. Also nominated were Officers Jaron Jackson, Joseph Pemberton, Andrew Fegley and Edwin Cortez and Officer Jonathan Kerper.