MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Chief of Detectives Christoph K. Kimker, and Rockaway Township Police Chief Martin McParland announce that a jury has found Kyriakos Serghides, 41, of Rockaway Borough guilty of one Count of Second Degree Sexual Assault; one Count of Second Degree Attempted Kidnapping; one Count of Second Degree Luring; one Count of Second Degree Attempted Sexual Assault; and two Counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Serghides was acquitted of one Count of Third Degree Terroristic Threats; one Count of Third-Degree Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purposes; and one Count of Fourth Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.

The charges arise from incidents that occurred in August and September of 2015 in Rockaway Township. On August 28, 2015, while at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, Serghides touched the private area of a five-year-old boy in the food court restroom within the Mall.

In addition, on September 10, 2015, Serghides lured another five-year-old boy and attempted to leave the Target Store in Rockaway Township with him. Serghides was arrested on September 11, 2015, on charges related to these incidents. The charges against Serghides were tried before a jury between January 31, 2022, and February 10, 2022. The Honorable Robert M. Hanna, J.S.C. presided over the trial, and the State was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Reema Sethi Kareer and Assistant Prosecutor Jacqueline Marotta. The jury returned its verdict on February 10, 2022. Serghides is scheduled to be sentenced on March 25, 2022.

He remains in custody at this time. Prosecutor Carroll would like to acknowledge the Rockaway Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit for their efforts in this investigation and prosecution.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker, and Jefferson Township Chief of Police Paul Castimore announce that Kelvin Briggs, 64, formerly of Nevada, has been sentenced to 24 years in New Jersey State Prison.

On September 1, 2021, a Morris County jury returned a verdict finding Briggs guilty of multiple offenses including Endangering the Welfare of a Child (production of sexually explicit images and video of a child engaged in a sexual act), Sexual Assault, Endangering the Welfare of a Child (distribution of sexually explicit images of a child), Endangering the Welfare of a Child (engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a child), Invasion of Privacy, and Stalking. These incidents occurred over a period of time from August through November 2017 while the defendant was a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, and the victim, a 13-year-old female, was a resident of Jefferson Township.

On February 10, 2022, the Honorable Stephen J. Taylor, P.J.Cr. imposed an aggregate sentence of 24 years in New Jersey State Prison. The first 16 years of the sentence are subject to the No Early Release Act, which makes the defendant ineligible for parole until he has served 85% of 16 years. The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender pursuant to Megan’s Law and will also be on Parole Supervision for Life. Prosecutor Carroll would like to thank and acknowledge the agencies that participated in the investigation that led to the successful guilty verdict, including the Jefferson Township Police Department, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the Sex Crimes and Child Endangerment Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

MORRIS COUNTY — On February 8, the State of New Jersey will launch the Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance Program (ERMA), a federally financed program for homeowners who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible homeowners may receive up to $35,000, plus free housing counseling services, to cover mortgage arrearages, delinquent property taxes, and other housing cost delinquencies.

This lifeline makes loss mitigation options, such as refinancing, a viable option.

ERMA, which is being administered by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), utilizes $325.9 million of federal Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) money under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

ERMA will also provide free housing counseling services to help New Jersey homeowners apply for this program, guide them through all available options, and even work with their loan servicers to achieve the best outcome available for their families. These counselors will also ensure that the process is accessible to those without access to the Internet or those having difficulties navigating the process.

Click here to review program eligibility guidelines and sign up for program updates.

To qualify for the ERMA program, homeowners must meet the following requirements:

• Be a New Jersey homeowner with a demonstrated COVID-19-related financial hardship occurring after January 20, 2020
• Own and occupy an eligible primary residence
• Have an income below 150% of their Area Median Income (AMI).

NJHMFA will provide the centralized application intake platform, eligibility review, and payment of assistance, which will be made directly to the servicer.

Housing counselors are available to assist homeowners with applications or understand all available options. ERMA applications can be submitted using a personal computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet, or call (855) 647-7700 to be put in touch with a housing counselor.

The ERMA application portal will open for applications click here on February 8, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.

NJHMFA will work to accommodate homeowners with disabilities as well as to assist applicants with limited English proficiency. The application portal is available in many languages. Applicants seeking accommodations should contact NJHMFA at (855) 647-7700 for assistance.

To receive updates and notifications on the program via email and/or text, visit the NJHMFA HAF page and complete the “Receive HAF Update Notifications” form by clicking here.

NEW JERSEY HOUSING AND MORTGAGE FINANCE AGENCY

NJHMFA, an independent agency of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, is a statewide and national leader in providing and advocating for affordable housing and homeownership. The Agency provides financing to developers to create quality homes and provides mortgage loans down payments and closing cost assistance to help homebuyers achieve their dream of homeownership. For more information about NJHMFA programs, click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Although New Jersey has shown signs of progress from the worst of the omicron wave, an artist slated to perform at the Mayo Performing Arts Center postponed shows because of the variant. Richard Marx’s February 22 show has been postponed to November 2 after the Grammy Award winner decided to push back his February concerts.

The Mayo Performing Arts Center will honor all tickets on the November date. People can contact the MPAC box office with any questions.

Marx tweeted the following Tuesday: “My friends: Due to the recent surge of Omicron and for the safety of my fans, the February shows have been rescheduled for this fall. All purchased tickets will be honored.

MPAC has been able to run most shows during the omicron wave, but the Morristown theater practices several precautions. The venue joined dozens of theaters in New Jersey last summer for the “Opening Night, Opening Right” safety campaign, which includes certain requirements for vaccination or negative testing among audience members.

All patrons 12 and older attending a performance must show proof of full vaccination or a recent negative test — a PCR or rapid antigen test administered by a medical professional or pharmacy. Click here to read complete MPAC guidelines.