Sex Offender Escapes Custody, 8-Year-Old Shot Dead: NJ Weekend

NEW JERSEY — An 8-year-old boy was fatally shot in Newark and several people were displaced after structures were damaged in a fire in Belmar.

Here’s what made news in New Jersey over the weekend:

Sex Offender Escapes Custody

A registered sex offender escaped from custody while en route to a Newark hospital, authorities said Saturday.

Nicholas Voutsas escaped from the state corrections department's medical-transport van around 9 a.m. Thursday, according to State Police. The van was traveling to University Hospital in Newark.

He was arrested May 9 in Middlesex County and charged with sexual contact with a child, luring or enticing a child, and failing to register as a sex offender.

Read More Here: Sex Offender Escapes Custody In Newark: Police

Boy, 8, Fatally Shot In Newark

An 8-year-old boy was fatally shot in Newark on Friday. The shooting took place around 5:30 p.m. on the 100-block of Osborne Terrace, Essex County prosecutors said. A 36-year-old man was also found with a gunshot wound on the 30-block of Yates Avenue.

Mayor Ras Baraka said, “The killer should know— we are coming after you.”

Read More Here: Boy, 8, Fatally Shot In Newark; 'We Will Find You,' Mayor Tells Killer

Man Found Dead In Fire

A man was found dead Friday night after firefighters extinguished a blaze at a makeshift shelter, officials said.

Firefighters were responding to a fire in the vicinity of 1000 Newark Ave. when they found the body after flames were extinguished around 6:49 p.m. The man is currently unidentified.

Read More Here: Man Found Dead In Fire At 'Makeshift Shelter' In Jersey City: Prosecutor

Several Displaced In Belmar Fire

Three people were injured and several displaced after a blaze ripped through a home in Belmar on Saturday evening. Around 7:37 p.m. on Saturday, Belmar Police received a report of a structure fire at a residential home on the 500 block of 14th Avenue, authorities said.

Multiple structures were damaged as a result of the fire. Two firefighters were injured, and one resident sustained burn injuries, Belmar Police said.

The Belmar Fire Department along with emergency personnel from Belmar and surrounding municipalities responded to the scene and extinguished the flames.

The fire is currently under investigation by the Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Woman Killed In Tractor-Trailer Crash

A Somerset County woman died in a crash involving a tractor-trailer in Franklin Township over the weekend.

On Saturday at 2:49 a.m., the Franklin Township Police Department received a 911 call reporting a serious motor vehicle crash in the area of South Middlebush Road near Jacques Lane.

A 28-year-old North Plainfield woman, who was the driver and sole occupant of a 2020 orange Dodge Charger, was pronounced dead on scene.

Read More Here: Woman Killed In Crash With Tractor Trailer In Somerset County

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