MORRIS COUNTY — Sheriff James M. Gannon is pleased to announce the promotions of three members, Detective Lieutenant Tracy Medwin, Detective Sergeant Greg Lukaszyk, and Sergeant Travis Somerville.

Detective Lieutenant Tracy Medwin was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in December of 2000. She has previously been assigned to the Protective Services Division, the Research and Planning Section of the Administration Division, and the Process Section of the Legal Services Division. She will assume command of the Community Outreach and Planning Section of the Office.

Detective Sergeant Greg Lukaszyk joined the Morris County Sheriff’s Office in January 2008 and attended the 71st Basic Police Academy Class. He spent the first 12 years of his career in the Protective Services Division, with additional assignments to the Marine Patrol Unit and as an agency firearms instructor. During these years, He also served in the NJ Army National Guard until retiring, at the rank of Sergeant First Class, with 22 years of service in 2018. In September 2020, he was selected to become a Detective in the Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab, with special emphasis on Ballistics and Firearms Examination. Detective Sergeant Lukaszyk has since attended the New Jersey State Police Forensic Investigations Course, along with numerous firearms training and armorer courses. With his current promotion, Detective Sergeant Lukaszyk will supervise the new Ballistics and Firearms Section within Crime Scene Investigation Services.

Sergeant Somerville earned an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and went on to study at the College of St Elizabeth where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2012. He was hired by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office in July 2013. He successfully completed his police academy training in December 2013. After his academy graduation, Sergeant Somerville was assigned to the Protective Services Division, working in Criminal Courts and Holding until April 2016 when he was reassigned to the Community Outreach and Planning Section. While assigned there, his responsibilities included the Explorer Program, Project Lifesaver, Crime Stopper, and the agency’s CALEA Accreditation function. He is also a member of the Marine Patrol Unit and agency Search and Rescue Operations. With his current promotion, Sergeant Somerville will now supervise the Community Outreach and Planning Section.

Chief Sheriff’s Officer Kelley Zienowicz stated, “I am so proud of these three stand-out members. They bring experience and knowledge to their well-deserved new ranks and will continue to be a benefit to the agency in their new roles.” The Morris County Sheriff’s Office recognized these individuals and their accomplishments in a promotional ceremony held in the historic courtroom at the Morris County Superior Courthouse this Monday, November 7, 2022. Sheriff Gannon said, “It is my honor to promote Detective Lieutenant Tracy Medwin, Detective Sergeant Greg Lukaszyk, and Sergeant Travis Somerville today. I’ve witnessed each of these great leaders professionally serve the citizens of Morris County every day. I am very confident in their collective knowledge, skills, and abilities to further advance the goals and objectives of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.” These promotions will enhance the professionalism of the Community Planning and Outreach Section and the Criminal Investigation Services Division of the Sheriff’s Office.

MORRIS COUNTY — All NJMVC facilities will be closed in observance of the state holidays on Tuesday, November 8, and Friday, November 11.

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MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll and Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker announce the hiring of Jenna Powers and Gregory Federici as Detectives for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.  Both were officially sworn in at the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office on October 31.

Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Detective Powers was as a Detective for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office since 2020, serving in the Special Victims Unit and Adult Trial Section.  Before serving in that position, she was an Assistant Prosecutor for that same office from 2016 until 2020, was an attorney for a private law practice from 2015 to 2016, and was an Assistant Prosecutor for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office from 2012 to 2015 serving in the Domestic Violence Unit and Specialized Services/Megan’s Law Unit.  Detective Powers possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Washington College in Maryland, and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan.  She has been assigned to the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit, within the Tactical Division of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Detective Federici was a police officer in Cranford, Union County, New Jersey since 2013, where he served in patrol operations and in the Community Policing Unit.  Before serving as a police officer, Detective Federici was a Communications Officer with the Cranford Police Department from 2011 until 2013, a Personal Trainer in 2010, and a Substitute Teacher and Football Coach at Cranford High School from 2008 to 2010.  Also, from 2008 to 2013, he served as a volunteer Auxiliary Police Officer for the Cranford Police Department.  Det. Federici possesses an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Union County College.  He has been assigned to the General Investigations Unit, within the Courts & Administration Division of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutor Carroll said, “The addition of Detective Powers and Detective Federici to our office brings a valuable cross-section of talent and experience.  We welcome both and anticipate that they will contribute positively to the effectiveness of our operation.”

MORRIS COUNTY —The Morris County 4-H “ResistoJets” Rocketry Club is one of only 18 middle-and-high school groups nationwide to qualify for this year’s NASA Student Launch Initiative and the only team from New Jersey. More than 50 college-age teams will also participate.

During the NASA Student Launch Initiative, or SLI, student teams design, build and launch a rocket and payload according to NASA’s specifications as part of a rocketry competition. The goal of this year’s challenge is to simulate photographing the surface of a planet. The team will design and build an 8-foot-tall rocket that will lift its payload to over 5,000 feet.

During the pandemic, club president and team Captain Sean McConoughey of Califon pursued rocketry as a hobby with his father, Luke. When he learned about the NASA challenge, he approached 4-H to sponsor the team, which includes Brian Sun of Belle Mead, Holt Englander of Morristown, Mya McConoughey of Califon, and Sahisnu Santhosh of Lake Hiawatha. New team members are welcome.

“When I first heard about the NASA Student Launch program I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn and grow after running out of ideas for my own projects,”  said McConoughey. “However, we quickly found out we had to qualify first, in our case through TARC. In hindsight, I think that was a great thing that helped prepare us a lot for the Student Launch. What’s driven me over the last year, since starting the competitions, has been everything I’ve learned and the experiences I have to look forward to.”

To qualify for the 2023 NASA SLI, the ResistoJets Rocketry Club’s five members had to compete and succeed in the prerequisite American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) last year, designing a rocket to transport two eggs to a certain altitude before landing them safely on the ground — intact. Their design was successful on a competitive launch day in Virginia, which enabled the 4-H group to progress.

Now that they are officially accepted into the SLI program, the team interacts with NASA along the lines of a contractor by writing and submitting precise proposals for their rocket, specifying the design, ultimate altitude, and performance. Accurate estimation of the rocket’s performance is an important piece of the proposal, said 4-H Program Assistant Britt Wagner.

The competition will take place in April at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. This phase of the challenge is built around the current Artemis NASA mission.

The team is currently in the preliminary design review phase and working to give a 30-min presentation on design and performance to the NASA team in early November. The next steps are to build a smaller-scale model of the design, then launch, test, and fine-tune it. The challenge also includes requirements for media presence for each team as well as a STEM education plan to reach more than 250 students in the area.

“This competition has the potential to transform students into well-qualified professionals for the modern-day workplace,” said Fred Kepner, activity lead for Student Launch at Marshall. “Many former students now work with NASA or our industry partners across the nation, some supporting the next chapter of space exploration, the Artemis program.”

“I am very proud of what the team has accomplished so far, and I look forward to everything that lies ahead,” McConoughey said.

For more information email [email protected].

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker, announce that on October 28, the Honorable Noah Franzblau, J.S.C., sentenced Tajinder Tung, 61, of Stewartsville, to 60 days at the Morris County Correctional Facility as a condition of a 3-year probationary term.

On September 22, a Morris County jury returned a verdict finding Tung guilty of Stalking a Mount Olive High School student beginning in 2017 and continuing until May 2019. Tung was a teacher at Mount Olive High School when he committed this crime. Forfeiture of his public employment was also ordered at the time of sentencing.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker thank the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office’s Professional Standards Unit, the Mount Olive Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Greenwich Township Police Department for assisting with this investigation and prosecution.

The Prosecutor also credited the Trial Team: Assistant Prosecutor Noelle V. Fiorentino and Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Tolentino for their professional and dedicated service, and commended MCPO Professional Standards Unit Sgt. Marshall Wang for his contributions to the investigation and successful prosecution in this case.

PARSIPPANY — On Sunday, October 30, 2022, at approximately 12:18 p.m., Parsippany Police responded to the Hilton Hotel, One Hilton Court, on a report of a stabbing during the “Chiller Theatre” event.

David C. Knestrick, 47, of Norwalk, Connecticut was arrested in connection with a stabbing.

A private security officer who was working during the event was stabbed with a knife while intervening in an altercation between Knestrick and other patrons at the event.

The victim of the stabbing was transported to Morristown Medical Center for treatment, and as a result of the investigation, Knestrick was arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault, a crime of the second degree; Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, a crime of the third degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, a crime of the fourth degree.

The Defendant was charged on a warrant complaint and remains in custody pending a court appearance.

“The incident today is a criminal matter under investigation by the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department and Morris County Sheriff’s Department. We appreciate the concern of those asking about the status of our friend and colleague affected, but please understand he has a family and it is not for us to discuss anything regarding his health,” organizers said in a statement on social media.

Chiller Theatre was a three-day event held at the Hilton. Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30.

If anyone has any information related to this investigation, they are encouraged to call the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department at (973) 263-4300 or the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6200.

Editor’s Note: An arrest or signing a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.