Hopatcong, NJ Area Cold Cases
Name
Boris VarshavskyAge
Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Boris Varshavsky's body was found in a shallow grave, burnt from a fire in a wooded area. The body was described as a Caucasian or light-skinned Hispanic male approximately 25-30 years old, height 5'11", weight 210-230 lbs with black hair and very clean dental work.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Jose SolanoAge
Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Jose "Eric" Solano was involved in an altercation between members of the 18th Street and LaMugre/Los Primos gangs on Suydam Street and Joyce Kilmer Avenue. During the altercation, Solano was fatally wounded. A passing-by civilian was also wounded but sustained no serious injuries.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
William LewisAge
24Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
William "Tweety" Lewis was shot on the back porch of his girlfriend's home at 209 Suydam Street. He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Lewis had a criminal history and investigators believe he knew his killer.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Dominic SantosAge
47Cause of Death
MissingInfo
Dominic Santos, a plumbing contractor, was reported missing. He was last seen driving to his lawyer’s office in Bayonne. He was driving a 1986 Isuzu Trooper with license plate number BAR-80E. He was wearing blue jeans, a blue & white shirt, boots, and a gold wedding band. He had approximately $1,000 in cash at the time.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Jum NoAge
Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Jum Kam No was found dead at the Hidden Valley Apartment Complex. She was killed while babysitting an infant son who was unharmed.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Zarinah BrownAge
2Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Zarinah Brown, a two-month-old infant, was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital after becoming unresponsive and having trouble breathing. She was visiting her father in Edison.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Francis DowdAge
Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Francis Dowd was found dead in his apartment on Remsen Avenue. Two individuals were seen in the building within hours of his death. One was a thin white female approximately 25 years old with blond hair wearing a sundress, and the other was a Hispanic looking man approximately 30 years old, stocky build, wearing blue jeans with a wide black belt, a white t-shirt, and black work boots.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
John O’RourkeAge
Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
On December 3rd, 1987, the body of John “Jack” O’Rourke was found inside of his taxi off of Burnet Street in New Brunswick. He had suffered from fatal wounds. A man wearing a black leather jacket was seen in the area was described as white, approximately 28 years old, heavy set with brown shoulder length hair, and clean shaven. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
John LawsonAge
50Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Found dead in the parking lot of Private Formulations Inc. His car was missing, and his pockets were emptied, suggesting robbery.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Harry HawkAge
35Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Found in the road in front of 27 Richmond Street. He was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries after a week.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Christopher BrownAge
Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Found dead at the Hess Gas Station. The time of death is unknown.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Sylvia ParsonAge
24Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Found dead in Buccleuch Park, with injuries from an attack the night before.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Lawrence SmithAge
28Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Lawrence Smith, 28, was found shot to death on the grounds of Apco Extrusions factory. His body was discovered by employees finishing up the second shift.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Dilipkumar PatelAge
37Cause of Death
Blunt Force TraumaInfo
Dilipkumar Patel, 37, was murdered during a robbery at his gift shop. The suspects were two black men, described as thin, one 5'7" and the other 5'9", both wearing leather jackets.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Karl ProtzeAge
42Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Karl Protze, 42, was found dead after being shot while getting into his work vehicle. The suspect was described as a white male, medium build, wearing an oxblood leather jacket.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Karl ProtzeAge
29Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Karl Protze was attacked outside the Westinghouse Corporate Trucking Company. He was shot near his truck and later died at Middlesex General Hospital.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Shirley KirschAge
52Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
On May 16, 1974, Shirley Kirsch was assaulted at her home by two suspects. One suspect knocked on her door in a Postal uniform, claiming a special delivery. When the door opened, a shot was fired, killing her. The suspects escaped in a Dodge. The weapon was a .38 Caliber revolver.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
John SabbatinoAge
29Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
John D. Sabbatino, 29, was found dead in Edison after being shot. His death is related to the murder of Jeanne Biondo, whose body was found hours later in Plainfield.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Jeanne BiondoAge
37Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Jeanne Biondo, 37, was found dead in an automobile in Plainfield. She was murdered hours after John D. Sabbatino, and their deaths are believed to be related.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
John Savage JrAge
Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
John Savage Jr. Was found dead in a wooded area with fatal wounds. His vehicle was later found in the Bronx, and witnesses saw two males wiping it off.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Sheila SmithAge
22Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Sheila Smith, 22, was found dead near the Raritan River. She had been missing for over two weeks. The cause of death was a fractured neck and cerebral hemorrhage, possibly from a fall or assault.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
George UlrichAge
39Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Shot while making night deposit at Edison Bank. Suspects: one white male and one black male in their 20s.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Karen StephanishenAge
31Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Found at Parkside Hotel. Manager at the hotel.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Anne RubensteinAge
41Cause of Death
StabbingInfo
Anne, 41, and her daughter Mae, 11, were found fatally stabbed in their home at 437 South Third Ave by an unknown assailant. No weapon was found, and no suspects were ever identified.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Mae RubensteinAge
11Cause of Death
StabbingInfo
Mae, 11, was stabbed to death in her home at 437 South Third Ave along with her mother Anne. The attack remains unsolved.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
William AndrewsAge
Cause of Death
AssaultInfo
William Andrews was assaulted on Redmond St. And Joyce Kilmer Ave by an unknown attacker. He died later from his injuries.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Andrew PuskasAge
Cause of Death
Explosion (bomb)Info
Andrew and Patricia Puskas were killed by an explosion caused by a bomb disguised as a package on their front porch. The bomb contained blue glass bottles.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Patricia PuskasAge
Cause of Death
Explosion (bomb)Info
Patricia Puskas, along with her husband Andrew, was killed by a bomb on their front porch. The bomb contained blue glass bottles.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Julio TelloAge
21Cause of Death
AssaultInfo
Julio Cesar Tello was assaulted by several men and died from his injuries. The attack occurred after a dispute with 3-4 men.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Irwin EdelmanAge
72Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Irwin Edelman, 72, was shot by an armed robber while attempting to close his check cashing business. The suspect fled the scene and has not been identified.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Antonio ReyesAge
35Cause of Death
StabbingInfo
Antonio Reyes, 35, was stabbed while working at a warehouse. He collapsed from the wound and died. The motive remains unknown.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Mildred FulmerAge
72Cause of Death
StrangulationInfo
Mildred Fulmer was found strangled in her home at Colonial Square Townhouses. She frequented Foodtown Supermarket and Burger King in Edison, and Clark Community Pool in Clark Township. Investigators seek information about any activities near her home between 8:30 PM on October 11 and 12 PM on October 12, 1991.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Christopher HigginsAge
51Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
Christopher Higgins, 51, was found near a dumpster behind his apartment on April 7, 2008, after being reported missing on March 28. Investigators are awaiting the autopsy results.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Jesse SimonsAge
Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Jesse Simons was shot and killed on Remsen Avenue in New Brunswick. Video evidence led to three persons of interest, but the case remains unsolved.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Raul TorresAge
Cause of Death
MurderInfo
Raul A. Torres was found dead in the driver's seat of his truck at the Sears Parking lot in New Brunswick. He was identified as a murdered victim.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Mohammed JabbieAge
60Cause of Death
StabbingInfo
Mohammed Jabbie, 60, was stabbed outside a friend's house in New Brunswick at 12:03 AM on November 8, 2009. A group of unknown persons confronted him before the stabbing.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Travis DiCapuaAge
23Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Travis DiCapua, 23, was shot and killed after leaving Marita's Cantina in New Brunswick. He was confronted by a group of men who shot him and his friend, Jason "Jay" Redecki.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Offie DennisAge
Cause of Death
ShootingInfo
Offie Dennis was shot and killed while walking with friends on Senior Street. A blue vehicle fired upon him and his group, then fled the scene.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Todd AveretteAge
Cause of Death
MurderInfo
Todd Averette was found in his vehicle in New Brunswick. Surveillance footage showed a male carrying a bag walking toward Somerset Street. Investigators are seeking leads.Agency
Middlesex County Crime Stoppers
Name
Sharon ThorAge
15Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
On October 26, 1982, at approximately 5:30 p.M., 15-Year old Sharon Thor was preparing to leave her Franklin Township home for her weekly ballet dance lesson which was three miles away in Bound Brook, when the home telephone rang. Sharon appeared to be pleased to hear from the caller. As soon as she hung up the phone, she told her mother that she would be right back as she rushed outside to the street. She climbed into the passenger side of a vehicle that had pulled up in front of her house, according to a child who had been playing in the front yard. Three days later, at team of searchers found Sharon’s body discarded in a wooded area about a quarter-mile from her home.Agency
Somerset County Prosecutors
Name
Gary ButlerAge
25Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
On February 26, 1996, twenty-five year old Manville resident, Gary Butler was found dead in a retention pond on North Main St in Manville near the border of Bridgewater and the Raritan River. The cause of death as reported by the Regional Medical Examiners Office was multiple blunt force trauma. The investigation revealed that the victim had been at Perhach’s Bar on Main St. In Manville earlier in the evening on February 25th shooting pool with several of the bar’s regular patrons. After leaving the bar sometime after midnight he walked a friend home and then returned to the Chester House where he rented a room on the second floor. Sometime between 2:00 a.M. And 6:00 a.M. The victim managed to travel to the town of Bound Brook. The investigation reveals that Butler was apparently returning to Manville from Bound Brook when he was assaulted.Agency
Somerset County Prosecutors
Name
Tamara TignorAge
23Cause of Death
HomicideInfo
At approximately 5:00 p.M. On November 4, 1997, the body of an unidentified white female was discovered lying on a dirt cul-de-sac off of Gilbride Rd. In the Township of Bridgewater, New Jersey. The victim was subsequently identified as twenty-three year-old Tamara Tignor a known drug user and prostitute who had recently been living in Newark, New Jersey. Tammy, as many people knew her, was also known to frequent the areas of Somerville, South Bound Brook, Plainfield, and Union Beach. Due to the remoteness of where Tammy was found it is possible that the person(s) responsible for her death may have close ties to the area due to their familiarity with this location. There is also a strong possibility that Tamara was murdered at some other location and subsequently transported to the Gilbride Rd. Area and disposed of from a vehicle.Agency
Somerset County Prosecutors
Name
George KavanaughAge
75Cause of Death
Vehicular HomicideInfo
On March 6, 2015, at approximately 9:27 p.M., 75-Year old Somerville resident George R. Kavanaugh was found lying in the parking lot/sidewalk of the Lincoln Hose Fire Company located on Warren Street in Somerville. Mr. Kavanaugh was struck by an unknown vehicle which left the scene prior to police arrival. Mr. Kavanaugh was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. A witness told investigating officers that a light-colored sports utility vehicle was observed backing in the driveway of the firehouse and struck George Kavanaugh and then drove onto Warren Street and left the area. The investigation revealed that Mr. Kavanaugh had attended a gathering at the Lincoln Hose Fire Company that night and was leaving when he was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot.Agency
Somerset County Prosecutors
Name
Richard PlinioAge
42Cause of Death
Gun/FirearmInfo
Agency
Newark Police Department