MORRIS COUNTY — Traditional Halloween celebrations often involve crowds, close contact between individuals, and activities in closed spaces. It is important to plan early and identify safer alternatives for celebrating the fall season. Outdoor activities, as opposed to indoor parties and events, are recommended. Those planning celebrations or participating in Halloween activities should keep in mind public health recommendations of social and physical distancing, wearing masks that cover the nose and mouth, and hand hygiene. Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute for cloth or disposable masks. Individuals should minimize interaction and contact with others who are not a part of their household.

As a reminder, no one should participate in these activities if they or a household member have a known exposure to COVID-19, are sick/symptomatic, or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have not yet met the criteria for discontinuing isolation.

This year, as New Jersey continues to respond to ongoing transmission of COVID-19 in our communities, recommendations for adapting traditional celebrations and considerations for ways to celebrate Halloween safely are listed below. Some communities may choose to cancel Halloween activities, so check with local sources before making plans.

• Outdoor Door to Door Trick or Treating
  • Those who plan to trick-or-treat should limit their groups to current household members, consider staying local and limit the number of houses on their route. Social distancing should be practiced between all who are not in the same household.
  • For those putting out treats:
    • Good option: Limit interaction or contact with trick-or-treaters wear a mask when individuals come to the door and regularly wash hands.
    • Better option: Leave a treat bowl on a porch or table or in a place where it may be easily accessed while adhering to social distancing requirements.
    • Best option: Arrange individually packaged candy so that trick or treaters can grab and go without accessing a shared bowl.
  • Consider coordinating with neighbors to develop a system, such as signs or on/off porch lights, for distinguishing houses participating in trick-or-treating from those that do not wish to participate.
  • Wear a face mask to mitigate against COVID-19 exposure. Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute but can be supplemented with a cloth or disposable mask. Children under two should not wear a cloth mask.
  • Candy should be commercially packaged and non-perishable. Consider individual non-food “treats” to avoid the sharing of food.
  • Practice hand hygiene (wash hands or use hand sanitizer) before leaving your home, after touching objects such as wrapped candy, and when arriving home.
• Outdoor Trunk or Treating (when children go car to car instead of house to house)
  • Limit the number of participating cars to ensure adequate space for social distancing and minimize crowds. Ensure the outdoor area has sufficient space per car to avoid overcrowding and to allow adequate space for social distancing.
  • Follow the outdoor gatherings limitations in effect at the time.
  • Design event in a long line, rather than a circle to ensure social and physical distancing to discourage crowding.
  • Consider having assigned times or multiple shifts to minimize crowding during the event.
  • Wear a face mask. Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute but can be supplemented with a cloth or disposable mask. Children under two should not wear a cloth mask.
  • Candy should be commercially packaged and non-perishable.
  • Practice hand hygiene before the event, after touching objects such as wrapped candy, and after the event.
• Halloween Parties
  • Avoid large indoor or outdoor parties, which would be subject to the limitations currently in effect on indoor and outdoor gatherings.
  • Keep up to date with the most current restrictions on outdoor and indoor gatherings.
  • Avoid participation in activities that require close contact and/or shared items such as bobbing for apples
• Haunted houses, hayrides, and corn mazes
  • Wear a cloth or disposable mask while participating in these activities. As noted above, a costume mask does not suffice.
  • Indoor haunted houses should be avoided because of the possibility of the congregation and screaming in close quarters. If hosting a haunted house, ensure visitors maintain an appropriate distance by staggering start times and limiting occupancy. A better option would be to host an outdoor haunted house without live performers.
  • Hayrides should limit the number of passengers per ride and keep openings to the same party. Any shared materials should be cleaned and sanitized after each use.
  • Corn mazes should only permit individuals to proceed in one direction, should limit occupancy according to the applicable restrictions in effect at the time, and should avoid the use of shared materials.
  • Entities hosting these events are encouraged to take reservations and/or sell tickets in advance.
• 5. Examples of socially distant Halloween activities that would require minimal or no additional health and safety protocols include:
  • Virtual activities such as online costume parties.
  • Drive through events where individuals remain in their vehicles and drive through an area/neighborhood with Halloween displays.
  • Carving pumpkins with family.
  • Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations.
  • Halloween themed movie nights with family

MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey’s young changemakers have one month left to apply for scholarships, grants, and more through The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Through November 10, Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) are calling on middle level and high school volunteers to apply for local, state, and national recognition through this prestigious program.

New Jersey students in grades 5-12 are eligible for the 2021 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards if they have made meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteering within the past 12 months — virtually or otherwise. The application is available by clicking here.

The top middle level and high school volunteer from each state and the District of Columbia will be named State Honorees in February. They will receive $1,000 scholarships, engraved silver medallions, and an invitation to the program’s national recognition events. In May, the program will name America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2021. Those National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 scholarships, gold medallions, crystal trophies for their nominating schools or organizations, and $5,000 Prudential grants for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.

Local-level honorees in each state will receive awards ranging from bronze medallions to certificates. Qualifying local honorees also receive President’s Volunteer Service Awards.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards was created in 1995 to recognize the exemplary volunteer work of middle level and high school students. Since then, awards have been granted to more than 140,000 middle and high school students across the country at the local, state, and national levels.

For complete details on the 2021 program and the stories of New Jersey’s top youth volunteers from years past click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Wharton Police Chief David Young announce an investigation into a fatal accident involving a pedestrian.

On Wednesday, October 7, at approximately 6:46 p.m., Wharton Police responded to the area of West Randolph Avenue on a report of a pedestrian who had been struck by a motor vehicle.

First responders located a female in the roadway and a 2019 Honda HRV in the area.

The 77-year old female was pronounced dead at the scene. The operator of the Honda was not injured. The identities of these individuals will not be released at this time. Members of the Wharton Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit participated in the investigation, which remains ongoing.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker, and Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon announce the culmination of a narcotics investigation that resulted in the arrest and guilty pleas of four Morris County Correction Officers and one Morris County Sheriff’s Officer for drug-related offenses.

Today’s guilty pleas arose from a multi-month investigation that was conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Enforcement Unit (Narcotics Task Force) after receiving a Morris County Sheriff’s CrimeStoppers Program tip forwarded by Sheriff Gannon about illegal drug activity involving the use by a Morris County Sheriff’s Officer.

The investigation identified four Morris County Correction Officers employed in the Bureau of Corrections who were engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to purchase cocaine for their own personal use.

Two of these correction officers were also engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute cocaine to their fellow officers. Additionally, this investigation identified a Morris County Sheriff’s Officer within the Bureau of Law Enforcement who was engaged in the ongoing conspiracy to purchase oxycodone prescription pills for his personal use.

Two of the officers were also charged with obstructing the administration of law or other governmental function for utilizing a county law enforcement database for an unauthorized purpose in connection to their drug conspiracy.

On October 7, 2020, the following defendants appeared before the Honorable Stephen J. Taylor, P.J.Cr. and pled guilty to the below-referenced charges:

Dominick Andico, 33: One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 & N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10a; One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 & N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5 and One Count of Disorderly Person Obstructing the Administration of Law or Other Governmental Function in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-1.

Albert Wyman IV, 36: One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 & N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10a  and One Count of Disorderly Person Obstructing the Administration of Law or Other Governmental Function in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-1.

Robert Busold, 27: One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 & N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10a and One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 & N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5.

Brian T. Rzucidlo, 35: One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 & N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10a.

Nicholas Ricciotti, 31: One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Oxycodone (prescription medication) in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 & N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10a.

As part of the plea agreements, all defendants agreed to immediately resign from their positions as law enforcement officers, forfeiting their current public employment and will be disqualified from holding any future position in public employment.

In addition, the plea agreements call for a term of probation with mandatory drug treatment. Dominick Andico, Albert Wyman, Robert Busold, and Brian Rzucidlo were all employed by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and assigned as correction officers at the Morris County Correctional Facility.

Nicholas Ricciotti, a former Morris County correction officer, was now a Morris County Sheriff’s Officer assigned to the Bureau of Law Enforcement.

Prosecutor Knapp stated: “All law enforcement officers must be held to a high standard of conduct. The illicit drug use of these individuals must be dealt with swiftly and effectively. There has been no evidence of distribution other than for their personal use amongst each other. Nevertheless, they are all being terminated immediately and shall forfeit any and all possibility of future public employment.

We thank Sheriff Gannon for his unswerving cooperation throughout this investigation.” Sheriff Gannon stated: “After discovering this information through our Morris County Sheriff’s CrimeStoppers program, I immediately forwarded it to the County Prosecutor for investigation.

One of the silver linings to this sad episode, frankly, is how effectively the Crime Stoppers reporting system works. It proves that nobody – even Corrections and Sheriff’s Officers – are above the law. I trust that the people of Morris County won’t allow the criminal actions of a few bad apples to cast a shadow over the other 322 honest, moral, and hardworking staff at the Sheriff’s Office.

I am proud of my team and we are stronger today for rooting out and removing those who would bring dishonor to our organization and our county.”

Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank the units and agencies that participated in this investigation including the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Enforcement Unit (Narcotics Task Force), Mt. Arlington Police Department, Morris County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs Unit, and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Unit, Intelligence Unit, and High-Tech Crimes Unit.