Jersey City Live Wire Briefs

Jersey City; 08/15/25 A repeat sex offender and low-level drug dealer was released from incarceration last month after avoiding an attempted murder charge and various weapons and drug offenses. In a plea bargain deal with now-retired Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez’s office, Michael “Mike” Singleton was able to plead guilty to less serious offenses stemming from an incident in October of 2022 when Singleton fired six shots from a .22 revolver at an intended victim at close range but did not land a single shot. Singleton was arrested shortly thereafter still in possession of the gun used in the attempted murder as well as undisclosed amounts of CDS packaged for distribution.

    Singleton has previously been convicted of at least eight counts of child molestation and in 2017 was arrested for exposing himself to children outside of an elementary school. He is believed to be staying at a Jersey City homeless shelter or sleeping on the street. According to NJ State Police, aliases used by Singleton include Herbert L. Sanders, Michael K. Singlton, Nieves Singleton, Tyquan H. Singleton, and Micheal Singletonn. [sic]

    Jakhi Lodgson-McCray, of Maplewood, is wanted for setting fire to NYPD vehicles on June 12 in Brooklyn.

   Suspect may have been spotted boarding light rail train with a bicycle at Liberty State Park station and exiting at Garfield Avenue station on Sunday, June 22nd, between 11am-12pm. Last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, green pants, and a blue face mask, police said.
If you have any info, contact @NYPDTips NYPD Crimestoppers or call 800-577-TIPS

    It’s Soccer Sundays all day long under the auspices of the World Trade Center on the field at Berry Lane Park. Jersey Cityans who relish this town’s international vibe can catch the game of nations played out in all its glory and agonies from sunrise to sunset on any given Sunday. With a variety of area semi-pro, intramural, and neighborhood leagues doing battle out on la cancha, you’ll hear calls, exclamations, and cuss words in at least a dozen different languages and thrice as many dialects.

    Though grudge matches and bragging rights challenges have been gruelingly played out in the dead of winter, the season opens unofficially in late April and runs merrily to a flurry of very official, and some much less formal (though equally colorful), championships and exhibition games. The last match of the day is decided when the lights go out at ten.

    If you’re wearing your lucky jeans, you might also catch a Central American or Middle Eastern food vendor to make your outing complete with some churros or shawarma, elotes or shish kebob. And with World Cup 2026 only one year, two weeks, and six days away from a kick-off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, you can keep the fever burning right here in Hudson with your favorite country’s team jersey.

Greenville– This past Tuesday evening, in the Community Room of the Gloria Robinson Court Homes on Duncan Avenue, about two dozen area residents joined Captain Joseph Olszewski and three accompanying police officers from the city’s West District for the regular monthly Captain’s Meeting, held in varying locations in the precinct.

    One of the topics of discussion was auto thefts and auto break-ins. Attendees learned from Capt. Olszewski, who previously worked in the auto theft unit of the police department, that Hyundai and Kia models are the easiest to steal and that while the real world of car theft is nowhere near as glamourous as the Hollywood movies and a certain video game portray it, local police have indeed witnessed on more than one occasion a skilled thief make a car Gone in 30 seconds, not even 60.

    The captain further described how there are essentially two types of car thieves: drug addicts who are desperate to feed their habits and walk around pulling on card doors to see what people leave inside; and groups of boys as young as fourteen and fifteen who will take the car itself. The officers repeatedly asserted the effectiveness of rudimentary safeguards from steering wheel clubs to patches of tin foil to ward against key fob McGyver-type thieves.

    Many of the residents seemed to already be familiar with one another, indicating a positive continuity of the monthly meetings. Also in attendance was labor organizer Joel Brooks, currently a candidate for the City Council’s Ward B seat in this year’s municipal elections.

Another concern among the residents was the spread of vagrants and loiterers from the commercial districts. Mention was made of the classical music solution long known by exasperated 7-11 owners in the northeast and only recently discovered by major cities like San Francisco and London.

    During the talk, the captain briefly touched upon recent changes in the reporting and classification of crimes and the resulting reflection in official statistics.

Residents and officers then discussed camouflage storefronts used by drug dealers and illegal cannabis distributors, and the Whack-A-Mole reality of combatting the street drug industry. Enforcement efforts include citations for health and business code violations.

    A smaller discussion broke out regarding a particular neighborhood bodega and its owner who were literally under siege by drug dealers. The phrase “being terrorized” was used more than once.

The officers also touched upon a complaint common among law enforcement officials, namely recent statewide bail reforms enacted to protect the rights of ordinary citizens and which are routinely exploited by professional and petty criminals alike, who operate in a turnstile fashion through the penal system.

    Talk turned to the issue of understaffing at the police districts and one of the attending patrol officers illustrated for the group how an already limited evening shift can easily be bogged down with minor incidents like disorderly persons and non-emergency domestic disputes.

    According to Capt. Olszewski, Jersey City’s West District is the third-busiest police precinct in New Jersey. (Live Wire neglected to ask which were the top two.)

    Towards the close of the meeting, a few of the residents proposed small pop-up family-friendly events with a casual police presence in neighborhood hot spots. Resolutions were made to follow up with scheduling and concrete ideas to coordinate between officers and the community.

    Other police districts in the city hold similar monthly meetings. To contact your district’s liaison, go to: Division of Police - City of Jersey City

Bergen-Lafayette

    Over a dozen community outreach and healthcare organizations showed up at Jackson Square this past Monday for a rescheduled Opioid Awareness Day health fair organized by the city’s Healthier JC initiative staffers and volunteers. With a focus on discussion, treatment, and prevention, exhibitors presented a myriad of health options for addiction recovery and continued well-being in Jersey City, Hudson County, and throughout the state.

    Among the participating organizations were Hudson Pride Center, New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ+ social services center, Hudson Speaks Against Sexual Violence, a countywide nonprofit sexual assault program that provides victim-centric services for individuals of all gender, ages 13 and up, and Prevention Links, a Union County-based recovery network that in Jersey City’s Journal Square operates the Recovery Junction, a free and inclusive community recovery center.

    A partner agency in the event was the city’s Community Solutions, a court-based probationary treatment program available to low-level non-violent offenders which gives Jersey City Municipal Court judges discretion and berth to sentence offenders to social services and community service rather than fines and incarceration. Enrollment is voluntary and defendants who opt to participate receive individual screening from community court staff who also help guide mandates for effective alternatives to incarceration.

    A variety of healthcare professionals and representatives were on hand to discuss with attendees their concerns about treatment options and abilities as well as offer basic screenings and answer general health questions as they might relate to opioid use and abuse.

    Authorities have identified the man killed early Sunday morning on the light rail tracks as James Edward Porch, 40, of Bayonne. NJ Transit has accepted responsibility for striking and killing Mr. Porch on a restricted and wooded stretch of tracks between Liberty State Park and Richard Street Stations.

    A Star Ledger obituary describes Mr. Porch as having worked for the NY Giants and as the proprietor of Back Porch Professional, LLC. He leaves behind three children, his fiancé, and his parents.

    Viewing will be held today, Friday, April 25th from 1–3 and 6–9pm at the G. Keenen O'Brien Funeral Home, 984 Avenue C, Bayonne. Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, April 26th at 9:30 AM at Faith & Victory Deliverance Church of God, 118 Lord Avenue, Bayonne (viewing will be held at the church from 8:30 to 9:30 AM before the service). Interment to follow, Rosehill Cemetery, Linden.

    In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the family for his children.