The mayor of Woodbridge is hoping to satisfy any constitutional questions by adding something new this year.

One could call it a sign of the times.

1010 WINS’ John Montone reports

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It is a season of symbols outside the Woodbridge Town Hall — a Christmas tree, a nativity scene, a menorah — it’s all there, by law.

“You can only please some people some of the time, not all of the people all of the time,” resident Robert Rangel told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis on Thursday night.

“There’s much bigger issues to worry about than what’s in front of town hall,” Pat Spaldi said.

New this year is a banner observing the African cultural tradition of Kwanzaa, added by Mayor John McCormac.

He said it abides by state and federal rules separating church and state, adding that just a nativity scene or religious figures only, could have meant a lawsuit.

“The law says you can have multiple, different things and you can’t favor one over another, so we have a nativity, we have a menorah, we have a Kwanzaa, we have non-secular, we have Santa Claus, we have Frosty, we have everybody,” McCormac said.

The mayor admitted to broadening the display to be more inclusive, but it’s also safer legally. Still, with Kwanzaa having been around since the 1960s, the question is, why now?

“Some of this is sometimes sort of oversight,” Adebola Adekoya said.

Adekoya, 69, is a Woodbridge resident and a native of Ghana. He said the Kwanzaa banner looks like an add-on, an after-thought, but added at least it’s something for those who celebrate the holiday.

“Whether it is for show, whether it is for religion, or anything, it’s still okay,” Adekoya said.

One group keeping tabs on the display is a national atheist group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has threatened to sue.

In a statement, its attorney said “It’s definitely a scheme, a way to skirt the constitution and not follow it and it could still be a liability for the town in a court of law.”

“It’s not a way around the issue, it’s a way to be conformist with the law,” Mayor McCormac said in response.

The mayor said the ACLU and the League of Municipalities have approved the Woodbridge town display.

What do you think? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

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As CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis reported Tuesday, the resilient residents of the town have been working hard to collect donations and rebuild. But hope is hinging on outside help.

Linda Connelly is rehabbing her home by hand. Her living room, walls and kitchen cabinets were all left flooded by Sandy.

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The damage totaled $88,000 – a price tag that Connelly said many of her neighbors can’t afford. Those neighbors have given up and left.

“It’s a ghost town, you know?” Connelly said. “We want people back. We want it back to the way it was.”

The storm surge from Sandy left 1,600 of the town’s 2,100 homes damaged or destroyed. About six weeks later, the mess remains.

One house was split in half, and the police department was using donated cars from as far away as Wilmington, N.C., after losing 10 of its 12 cruisers in the storm.

“I’ve lived in this town for 37 years,” said Union Beach Fire Chief Rob LaBerta. “This is the worst.”

LaBerta has been pleading for material donations – water heaters and other building supplies – after his volunteer fire department was hit with seven feet of flooding.

“Whatever money we can’t receive from the town, we get from donations from the townspeople,” he said. “That’s how we basically survive.”

And the call for donations isn’t just talk — it may actually be the solution here. Donated supplies such as drywall could be the difference between a house that can be rebuilt, or one that’s too expensive to fix.

Carl Williamson runs the Union Beach Donations Relief Center, which is stocked with canned goods, blankets and diapers for residents only. The average annual income in town is just above $65,000.

“We still need, we need people to bring in money so that we can give it to the families so that they can rebuild; so that this town can get back,” Williamson said.

But there is hope. A makeshift Christmas tree was recently erected, and serves as a place for neighbors such as Mary Mancini and her daughter to reflect and find strength.

“The rebuilding of Union Beach — we’re going come back bigger and better than we ever were before,” Mancini said.

Union Beach officials have not put a price tag on all the damage from Sandy, but they said the level of destruction is staggering and restoration could take years.

Please leave your comments below…

Earlier in the day, a horse-drawn carriage brought the former boxing champion’s body to Saint Cecilia’s Church in East Harlem on East 106th Street.

Literally thousands came out to say goodbye to “Macho” Camacho. For many, the fighter was a symbol of strength, a source of Puerto Rican pride and a boy from the neighborhood who never forgot his roots.

1010 WINS’ Al Jones Reports

Download: camacho-2jones-w42-soc-afarr.mp3|titles=Al%20Jones%20Reports|artists=1010%20WINS

Cheers greeted the flag-draped casket carrying the boxing legend as he got a hero’s final farewell.

“Yes he is a hero. He is always gonna be a hero to us,” fan Anna Castra told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.

Camacho’s death touched Hispanics everywhere, especially those who shared his Puerto Rican roots.

They lined up by the hundreds to pay their respects. Some came just to get a glimpse of Camacho’s casket before he was to be laid to rest.

Laura Pagano said she came with an autographed picture and old boxing gloves Camacho gave to her when they were neighbors.

“I know him like 40 years, 112th and 2nd Avenue, his mother live over there, and me, too,” Pagano said.

Camacho was left unconscious and brain-dead after being shot in the face the Tuesday before Thanksgiving while sitting in a car in Puerto Rico.

The gunman still hasn’t been caught.

Four days later, his mother Maria took Camacho off life support last Saturday, ending the legend’s last fight for his life.

“I mean the way he died, very sad,” said fan Rose Jaquez.

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Before his funeral, Camacho’s four sons helped escort his casket in a carriage procession through Spanish Harlem and then back to Saint Cecilia’s while being cheered by the community he loved and surrounded by the people who loved him.

“This is his life. I think he’s gonna keep on fighting in heaven,” Jaquez said.

The 50-year-old Camacho fought professionally for three decades.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below…

As CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis reported, one family from the Rockaways has proved how that works. Three generations – a mother, her six children, and 24 grandchildren, have come together after tremendous losses.

The family of survivors – siblings, wives and parents – remained together after being battered by Superstorm Sandy in their homes in the Rockaways.

“It was raging out there, raging. We were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, it felt like,” said Regina Carey.

Regina and Craig Carey are one piece of the huge family of six brothers and sisters, and 24 grandchildren.

Almost all of them live just blocks from each other in Belle Harbor, and have been left temporarily homeless by the storm.

“We’re spread out all over the five boroughs right now,” said Craig Carey. “We’re in Brooklyn, we’re in Queens, we’re in Floral Park, and we’re in Westchester.”

Sandy hit every one of the family’s houses, one by one. The storm flooded basements, knocked out electrical systems, destroyed boilers and heaters, and left memories such as wedding photos ruined.

“We saw all the embers coming, and we said, ‘We have to go,’” said Ann Coughlin, the second daughter from the oldest.

For Coughlin, it was not the flooding, but a fire. She and her family live steps away from what used to be the Harbor Light Bar and Grill in Belle Harbor.

Reduced to rubble, the restaurant went up in flames in the storm and ignited several other houses. Coughlin’s home was spared, but she was still devastated.

“And walking past my block and seeing houses on fire and my neighbors — they lost their houses. My God,” she said tearfully.

Past the fire and through the water, family members had to rescue their matriarch, Diane Erhard, 73. Home alone, she waded through waist-high water to get out alive.

“The water was so high, and the embers from the fire were going over,” Erhard said. “It was almost like a war zone, like you had to make sure that one of those embers didn’t hit you.”

Not lost in the all the work that still has to be done is the holiday of Thanksgiving. The storm actually brought this close-knit family even closer, and so this holiday, they have so much more to be thankful for.

“Everybody’s alive,” said eldest daughter Mary Moran. “It’s a headache going through FEMA. It’s a headache rebuilding your house, getting new boiler systems. But thank God. Thank God every child and every parent came out alive.”

Moran, her husband and three children live in Westchester, and have taken in the rest of the family. The one casualty is a broken food, but otherwise, everyone came out OK.

“I had to sleep on the couch two nights. I had to sleep on a mattress a couple of nights,” said Liam Moran, 10.

Now, the focus is on rebuilding in the Rockaways, because for these storm survivors, home remains where the beach is.

Do you have any stories of hope in the wake of Superstorm Sandy? Please leave your comments below…

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As CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis reported, Simeonette “Cissy” Mapes-Crupi, 25, was found brutally stabbed to death in her Staten Island apartment back in July.

Jonathan Crupi was arrested at his mother’s home in Brooklyn early Tuesday. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports

Download: teacher3-papa-w38-soc-abarone.mp3|titles=Husband%20Of%20NYC%20School%20Teacher%20Arrested%20For%20Allegedly%20Stabbing%20Her%20To%20Death|artists=Juliet%20Papa

Jonathan Crupi originally told police he found his wife face down in a pool of her blood in their New Springville apartment in the middle of the afternoon. Mapes-Crupi had been stabbed repeatedly.

“Fifteen stab wounds — most of them to the back but a couple to the neck and punctures to the lung and to the heart,” Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne told 1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa.

Police initially looked into a home invasion theory, but sources told CBS 2 there was no evidence to support it, other than a home in disarray.

WCBS 880′s Irene Cornell reports

Download: si-murdercornellv2-intern1.mp3|titles=Husband%20Of%20NYC%20School%20Teacher%20Arrested%20For%20Allegedly%20Stabbing%20Her%20To%20Death.%20WCBS%20880's%20Irene%20Cornell%20Reports|artists=WCBS%20880

Police also said Crupi’s story that he found his wife dead in their apartment didn’t add up.

“Detectives found inconsistencies in the timeline and what we could document as to where he was and when,” Browne said.

Mapes-Crupi worked at several schools, most recently in East New York, Brooklyn.

CBS 2′s Dennis talked with Mapes-Crupi’s parents on Tuesday. Her mother was filled with tears and anger directed at Jonathan Crupi.

“It was 10 years of deceitfulness, 10 years of betrayal, and if he did kill my baby, I want to know why?” Theresa Mapes said.

The arrest was a major breakthrough for grieving family members, who tried to reconcile the revelations with the person they thought they knew.

“I feel confident that they have the right man, and that in and of itself is very, very sad,” said Mapes-Crupi’s father, John Mapes. “Theresa and I loved him like a son.”

“We were totally shocked. We were not ready for this at all,” Theresa Mapes said. “But you’re never ready. Never ready.”

Despite Crupi’s claim that his wife was killed by a home invader, her parents were suspicious because there were no signs of forced entry.

“There was no communication, and we kind of figured, uh oh, something’s going on here,” John Mapes said.

In a statement, Crupi’s attorney said: “I am surprised at the arrest, have been cooperating with the police all along. We deny the allegations and look forward to our day in court.”

So does the Mapes family. Mapes-Crupi’s parents hope her murder will be a wake-up call for women.

“The only thing I can say to all the mothers out there, tell your daughters to find a best friend, someone to confide in,” Theresa Mapes said.

Mapes-Crupi’s parents said that will be justice for Cissy.

Jonathan Crupi was scheduled for an arraignment on Wednesday.

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Are you surprised by the arrest? Sound off in our comments section below.

As CBS 2’s Derrick Dennis reported, FEMA has been red-tagging homes and shutting off the gas for days.

Ismael, of Hoboken, was still cleaning up two weeks after Superstorm Sandy’s floods.

“We got lucky. We only had 20 inches of water,” Ismael said.

The damage to his lower level was extensive, but his furnace and electrical service – intentionally installed 3 feet off the ground – were spared.

“All my stuff is fixtures, and furnace, water heater is all high, so we never got affected by that,” Ismael said.

Ismael was lucky. The town hall meeting with residents and representatives from FEMA and the Public Service Enterprise Group – formerly the Public Service Electric & Gas Company – was filled with residents asking what happened to their gas and heat.

“I got a notice saying that they disconnected the utility because it was flooded,” one resident said.

It turned out that some 15,000 homes and businesses in the flood zone in Hoboken have been red-tagged, meaning there will be no gas service until the flooded lines and any related appliances inspected for safety.

“They need to communicate with the township, and they then have to get a licensed plumber or installer, and then there’s a process that we’ve designed that’s documented and detailed in the township for them to follow,” said Michale Schmid of PSEG.

PSEG and FEMA have set their focus on Hoboken because the damage there was so severe. Water rose so fast that electric systems and gas service were immediately compromised, and sandbags were of virtually no use.

If the cleanup looks and sounds daunting, Gov. Christie said that impression is absolutely right. And it applies for hundreds of thousands throughout New Jersey.

“I’ve been pretty straight with the fact that the rebuilding process is not going to be easy,” Christie said. “It’s going to be expensive. It’s going to be complicated, and it’s going to take time.”

It may even take a year, as Hoboken digs out from under the piles of problems left in Sandy’s wake.

PSEG as of Monday had 200 workers going home-to-home around Hoboken, inspecting the gas lines and ready to turn the service back on.

Hoboken residents, how are you feeling about the situation? Leave your comments below…

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They’ve already lost their homes, and now they’re being forced out of their shelters, CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis reported.

Security wouldn’t let CBS 2 past the gates Thursday night, but Dennis had come upon a micro-city of tents, set up in the wake of Sandy, primarily to house power crews arriving from other states to help in the restoration effort.

However, CBS 2’s Dennis learned that storm victims had been relocating to the tent city since Wednesday — families, children, living under massive tents, more than 200 people that had been made homeless by Sandy.

“They’re helping people. Beats them staying in a hotel,” nearby resident Ryan Katsch said.

Neighbors said they noticed people moving in by the busload. Pictures inside showed the cots people were sleeping on and the open spaces everyone was sharing.

But the complaints have ranged from the drafty conditions inside the tents, to the outdoor Porta Potty people were using in the cold.

A spokesperson from the New Jersey Department of Human Services said the accommodations were temporary, but made necessary after school shelters were closed in the area, as schools started reopening after the storm.

Outsiders said they were torn, especially as the cold set in.

“It doesn’t look warm at all. [Government must] do a better job or finding housing for people,” Susan Hunt said.

“I don’t think it’s fair at all, [but] take what you can get until everything is fixed, you know?” Katsch added.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

PSE&G crews worked to restore electricity that had been knocked out when several huge trees fell and snapped power lines during Hurricane Sandy.

“Whoever Mr. PSE&G is, come here and flick the switch , let’s get it going, we’re ready,” Glen Rock resident Terry Streaser told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.

PSE&G workers gave CBS 2 an inside look at what it takes to restore power to families like the Streaser’s in the aftermath of a massive storm like Sandy.

“We’re all frustrated, unfortunately the storm was very, very large. If you’re an isolated incident on a block, we apologize, we ask your patience and forgiveness,” said Mark Kahrer a Restoration Service Manager with PSE&G.

With a long list of work to be done and Nor’easter threatening on Wednesday, isolated outages were at the bottom of a long line of priorities, officials said.

For families like the Streaser’s that information was understandable but not necessarily welcome.

“That’s difficult for me to hear, that we’re not the priority. Life goes on,” Susan Streaser said.

PSE&G told CBS 2 that 87 percent of customers affected by Sandy have had their power restored.

Is your power back up and running? Let us know in our comments section below…

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There were nearly 1 million Tri-State Area residents sitting in the dark on Tuesday. And the consensus among the masses is, after more than a week of this, someone definitely dropped the ball.

As of 6 p.m., PSE&G reported 227,000 customers without power. The utility company had restored more than 80 percent of its outages.

JCP&L had more than 240,000 customers still impacted by Sandy.

LIPA had 193,000 reported outages, but homes in the Rockaways, Long Beach and Fire Island were not included in the outage numbers.

For Con Ed, it was possible power wouldn’t be restored to its customers until the following week. As of 6 p.m., there were 106,000 without power.

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Orange and Rockland utilities had 24,000. NYSEG reported more than 8,700 customers without power. Connecticut Light & Power reported a little more than 3,600 outages.

In Howard Beach, the street lights weren’t working so traffic cops were, and so were the power crews, trying to bring the electricity and the closed businesses, churches, and schools that depend on it back to life, CBS 2’s Sean Hennessey reported.

In the neighborhoods, where possessions were tossed along the curb piled up in dumpsters, there was a familiar sound.

“We’re very cold,” resident Marsena Drzewicki said.

Like so many, Drzewicki was without electricity. Adding to her discomfort was the fact she has three children and two nephews to try and keep warm.

“It’s very hard to see them. It’s very painful and like when they watch them, tears come up,” Drzewicki said.

Some of the kids wore blankets, while others donned double socks and sweaters.

“It’s kind of hard because most of my stuff has been flooded in the water and is now all wet and destroyed,” Martyna Drzewicki said.

Michele Ramos lives on the Lower East Side, which saw power restored last Friday but her building was still in the dark on Tuesday.

“I need some power, please help us,” Ramos said.

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Crews were pumping out the basement where water destroyed the electrical panel. Until the power returns, two children were staying elsewhere while Ramos boiled water to keep herself and her grandmother warm.

“It’s just been dark and wet and gloomy and kind of scary,” Ramos said.

Seniors like Irma Bermudez were also in a world of hurt with no working elevator.

“I am on the 23rd floor and being without power and without any water has created a hazard going up and down,” Bermudez said.

Back at the Drzewickis, the generator was used only when it got really cold, which was starting Tuesday.

“It’s very stressful,” Marsena Drzewicki said.

Power crews said some people in Howard Beach would have power back very soon; the rest they hoped within the week. They were not alone in that hope.

PSE&G Catches The Wrath Of Customers

Jeff Goldstein of Fairlawn, N.J., said he can’t even celebrate a PSE&G crew finally on his block. It’s been more than a week since he and his neighbors lost power, eight days of calling the utility complaining about a maze of downed live wires, eight days he said of no response.

“Oh, I’m angry. No guarantees, no promises, no predictions and no help,” Goldstein said.

“They just give no communication whatsoever on a time frame, on what we can do,” a neighbor added.

While this crew got to work, so did CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis, heading straight into PSE&G headquarters in Newark, down to the basement command center for an exclusive look at where the restoration plans being were made.

Dennis cornered the restoration service manager, Mark Kahrer, front and center.

Dennis: “We’re with families today who still have no power. What do you say to those people?”

Kahrer: “We’re all frustrated. Unfortunately, the storm was very, very large.”

He showed Dennis this targeted list of work being done in Roselle, N.J., the coordination effort with the Red Cross, and the threatening radar showing the pending Nor’easter.

But on camera, he could only give a loose Friday deadline of when everyone’s power will be back on — with exceptions.

“If you’re an isolated incident on a block, we apologize, we ask your patience, forgiveness,” Kahrer said.

As for PSE&G’s apologies, Fairlawn residents said they didn’t want to hear it.

“It doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t take away the eight days, not to be able to get to work, not to have food, get out of the house and have heat,” a woman said.

That frustration was echoed by Gov. Chris Christie, who said Tuesday he had had just about enough of the utility’s slow response.

“My patience is starting to wear thin. If PSE&G doesn’t get their act together, they will have ‘Hurricane Christie’ swooping in soon.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

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As CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis reported, flashlights were the only light for blocks in Glen Ridge, N.J. Entire streets were dark.

But for the Chaudhuris, it was just their side of the street with no power. The neighbors directly across had lights and heat.

“Because they’re on a different grid than we are, they have power,” said Sunita Chaudhuri, “and we don’t.”

Such was the frustration for so many in North Jersey, now a full seven days without power.

The Chaudhuris were surviving on hats and heavy coats to keep warm, candles lighting their home, and flashlights to get around.

They said they feel like they have been left to fend for themselves.

“It’s hard to believe that we live in America; it feels like worse than a third world country,” said Shankar Chaudhuri.

“And no one’s come by, no one’s done anything,” said Sunita Chaudhuri. “We’ve called repeatedly and we haven’t seen anyone.”

The problem was massive downed trees snapping power lines, and cutting the power on one grid, while leaving another grid, just across the street intact.

The Chaudhuris blamed the power company, PSE&G, for what they said has been a painfully slow, no rhyme or reason, response.

“And I hear that we’re not alone. It’s not just Glen Ridge. It’s not just Montclair,” Sunita Chaudhuri said.

So they waited for power, relying on the latest promise from PSE&G that most, if not all of those still without power, will have lights by Friday.

But their time in the dark has left them without much hope.

Earlier, Jeanette Hanson of Mahwah told CBS 2′s Christine Sloan that while she is thankful that the trees did not destroy her home, she has been living with only a generator to light up a single room, for the past week.

“That tree leaning toward the house. We had three pine trees miss the house,” Hanson said.

For Mahwah residents who have been living on debris-strewn streets, it was a long and uncertain week.

“It’s cold at night and the fireplace does just so much,” Jackie Bryan said.

The threat of a Nor’easter on Wednesday had residents who were already living in the dark, on edge.

Fallen trees and power lines trapped Carol McEvilly inside of her Rutherford home. She said she used the little gas in her car to get to a friend’s house.

“I have no power, no heat. My kitchen is 47 degrees,” she said.

In Jersey City, officials were preparing for the worst. Mayor Jerramiah Healy asked the Newark Archdiocese to use empty schools as shelters.

“We’re asking FEMA for 5,000 cots just in case this storm hits us hard,” he said.

You may add your thoughts in our comments section below…

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According to CBS 2′s Jim Smith, the fire on the 600 block of Bramhall Avenue started in one three-story building and quickly spread to an adjoining building.

1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg reports

Download: jc-fire-1sandberg-w40-soc-afarr.mp3|titles=One%20Dead%20When%20Large%20Fire%20Engulfs%20Apartment%20Buildings%20In%20Jersey%20City|artists=1010%20WINS'%20Steve%20Sandberg%20reports

The fire broke out shortly after noon and grew to four alarms.

There was no immediate word on what started the fire, but residents said the two buildings had no power since Superstorm Sandy hit. Utility crews were on the block working to restore power, residents told 1010 WINS.

Witnesses said flames erupted after they saw sparks on a pole where a cable crew had hooked up a generator to make repairs, 1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg reported.

“It started on the pole,” one woman said. “Two wires came apart and hit the house.”

“There was a generator that they were trying to power up and repair the cable,” landlord Matt Lusky said. “The generator backed up and there was an explosion in between the two buildings; instantaneously both houses burned up.”

Residents said the blaze started just moments after power was restored.

“They turned the power on and the damn thing blew up,” one resident told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.

The side of one of the buildings is gone, Dennis reported.

“It’s terrible. Terrible. Don’t you think they have enough sense? The power’s ready to get turned on, they got generators running with gasoline all over the place. You didn’t think something was going to happen?” displaced resident Duane Springer told Dennis.

Nearly 50 people who lived in the two buildings were said to have no place to live.

“As soon as everything came on, the wire just popped and it hit the building,” Theresa Tutten told Dennis.

An 80-year-old man was killed in the fire, which broke out just before noon. The man had been boiling water to stay warm when the fire broke out, Dennis reported.

Jersey City Fire (credit: CBS 2)

The victim’s son said he is heartbroken.

“I’m hurt, I’m stung, I’m hurt,” Anthaworn Sims told Dennis.

The fire also injured at least four firefighters. One was carried away on a stretcher after falling at least three stories between the buildings, officials said.

Jersey City’s fire director said an investigation had been launched looking into whether a power surge sparked the fire.

“I can’t confirm that but by the same token, some blocks have power, the other side doesn’t so they may have had power. But it doesn’t mean that that particular building had power at the time of the fire,” Jersey City Fire Director Armando Roman said.

The Red Cross was assisting the residents who were left homeless, despite surviving a week without power and heat.

Residents who lost their homes and everything inside were left helpless and speechless Monday evening.

“Right now I am numb. I don’t know anything to say right now, I’m just numb,” Janice Hines told Dennis.

PSE&G and fire officials remained on the scene as of Monday evening. Both were investigating what may have sparked the fire.

Fire officials recommend that residents should unplug and turn off all appliances in a power outage to prevent a potentially dangerous power surge.

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But things seemed far from normal after the governor issued a gas rationing system to ease the strain several hours later. Starting at noon Saturday, New Jersey will move to an odd-even gas rationing system in 12 counties as part of a “limited state of energy emergency.”

Christie ordered odd-even fuel sales to help ease shortages and long gas lines that have occurred since Sandy decimated the coast earlier this week.

LINK: Read The Executive Order From Gov. Christie

Residents with license plates ending in an odd number can make gas purchases on odd-numbered days of the month Residents with plates ending in an even number will be able to buy gas on even-numbered days, the governor said.

Specialized plates or those not displaying a number will be considered odd numbered plates, a release from the governor’s office stated.

Not everybody was in love with the idea.

“I think it’ll hurt. I think they should just let people line up and get gas — first come first served,” Secaucus resident John Lambert told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis on Friday night.

“Come on. People got jobs, gotta go to work. What difference does it make — odd days or even days? It really doesn’t matter,” added Todd Swain of Passaic.

The following counties are included in the gas rationing system: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Monmouth, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.

“This system will ease the strain on those gas stations still operating, while we work to bring more online for the public to access fuel, in a manner that is fair, easy to understand, and less stressful,” Christie said.

Christie and Attorney General Jeff Chiesa pledged to aggressively enforce the order to ensure compliance and gauge effectiveness of the policy in the affected counties.

“The orderly and reliable sale of gas to our residents is essential to maintaining a steady and reliable source of power for both transportation and the maintenance of essential services at home.  With the challenges we face in the storm’s aftermath, we will be vigilant in enforcing this odd-even system, as we ease the stresses on the system,” Chiesa said.

On the issue of gasoline, Christie called the situation a “tale of two states” that was separated by I-195.

“South of 195, 95 percent of stations are open and operating. North of 195, 25 percent of stations are open and operating,” Christie said.

The governor also said “a lot of these gas stations are not equipped to use generators to get going,” referring to stations unable to serve customers.

Gas companies Gulf and Hess both said they would deliver gas with the National Guard and FEMA to any station that is out of gas, the governor said Friday afternoon.

Despite the fact that the casinos have opened in Atlantic City and travel bans have been lifted in areas like Cape May County, Christie expressed grief that there are places in the state “You can’t recognize…anymore.”

“It is heartbreaking for every New Jerseyan to see our shoreline cut in half,” Christie said, referring to communities in Bay Head and Mantoloking.

“You can’t recognize the places anymore,” Christie said.

The governor said the most important priorities for the state include getting power back on, getting gas to the pumps, getting kids back in school and making sure people have clean water to drink.

With regard to getting power restored in the state, which still has nearly 1.5 million customers in the dark, Christie said good progress was being made, but utilities must continue to work diligently.

“It’s fine for us to show the patience we’ve shown so far,” Christie said, adding though that utilities would have “problems with me” if they didn’t continue making progress.

“I understand personally the anxiety and stress from not being at your home and being without power,” Christie said.

With respect to Tuesday’s election, Christie said that New Jersey residents could go to county courts offices, which will be open over the weekend, to vote.

LINK: Find Your Polling Place In NJ

“No reason to wait,” Christie said.

The governor said that if polling places are open, residents can vote as normal. However, if they are not, there will be a truck near the polling location, where people can vote with a paper ballot.

Officials in New Jersey said that if your polling place does not have power on election day, you should text 877877 and you will be given real-time information on where to vote.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below…

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(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

“I just never thought I would see what I saw today. Ever,” Christie said as the state’s death toll.

Christie said the Jersey Shore will never be the same.

“We’ll rebuild it — no question in my mind we’ll rebuild it. But for those of us who are my age, it won’t be the same. It’ll be different because many of the iconic things that made it what it was are now gone and washed into the ocean,” Christie said.

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Many landmarks that Christie had known personally his whole life had disappeared.

“It’s gone. It’s not there,” Christie said. “The boardwalk we walked on together this summer, greeting residents, talking to those business owners – it’s gone.”

The remains of the boardwalk has ended up two or three blocks away along side streets, and all the homes sustained severe structural damage from wind and water.

Also vanished was the pier in Seaside Heights, which featured a boardwalk and an amusement park with an assortment of rides and arcades.

“Those rides are in the Atlantic Ocean. The log flume is in the Atlantic Ocean. The log flume that my two younger kids rode this summer is in the Atlantic Ocean. The roller coaster that all of them rode this summer – it almost looks like the pier came out from underneath it, and it just fell onto the ocean floor and stayed almost fully constructed,” he said.

Nearby, Lavallette was “a site of devastation that made it look like there had been a bombing there,” Christie said.

SUPERSTORM SANDY: Power Outages | Road & Tunnel Closures | Sandy Claims Lives | Submit Your Pictures | Sandy In Photos | Viewer Pics |  Videos | WATCH: CBS 2 | LISTEN: 1010 WINS | WCBS 880

The storm killed at least six people in New Jersey, including an identified man whose body was pulled from the Hackensack River in Hackensack on Tuesday, a 61-year-old Princeton man killed Monday night by a tree that fell on him as he cleared debris from his driveway, and a Hawthorne man who was killed when a tree fell into his house.

As of Tuesday evening, 2.6 million New Jersey households were without power – a figure down slightly from the afternoon. The figure broke down to 1.47 million PSE&G customers, just under 1 million JCPL customers, 179,000 Atlantic City Electric customers, and 49,000 Orange & Rockland customers.

Christie said it is unclear when power will be fully restored. Earlier, PSE&G urged customers to be ready for lengthy outages that could last seven days or more.

But Newark International Airport was back online Tuesday night, and parts of Newark were also back up with power.

The outages in Newark and Jersey City meant traffic signals were out and there were numerous fender-benders at intersections where police were not directing traffic. The state has a total of 15,500 traffic signals.

Trees and power lines were down in every corner of the state. Schools and state government offices were closed for a second day — and many were calling off classes for Wednesday, too. While many major roads were reopening, officials were urging residents to stay home. It was unclear when mass transit systems would start running again.

Christie has also decided to call off Halloween, although trick-or-treating and other activities will be rescheduled.

“The staff has prepared an executive order – Halloween is not going to happen tomorrow, unfortunately,” he said. “It’s just not safe enough for kids to be going around.”

President Barack Obama, who was canceling campaign appearances, was planning to visit the state on Wednesday to thank first responders.

Christie, who called the shore damage “unthinkable,” said a full recovery would take months at least, and it would likely be a week or more before power is restored to everyone who lost it.

President Obama on Sunday night signed a federal disaster declaration, which cleared the way to make federal funds available to people affected by the storm in Atlantic, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union counties.

“He accelerated the major disaster declaration for New Jersey without the usual red tape and I can’t thank the president enough for that, Christie said earlier.

There was also major damage on all New Jersey rail lines, Christie said.

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“Large sections of track were washed out on the Jersey coastline,” Christie said. “Numerous power lines and trees have fallen across NJ TRANSIT rail ways across the state.

All NJ TRANSIT service remains suspended. The only bus service that is in operation is in Camden, which will run on a Saturday schedule.

Stations in Jersey City and Hoboken were flooded by the storm surge. Christie said the PATH trains will be out of service at least seven to 10 days.

Also, boil orders have been issued for water customers served by the Atlantic City MUA, the New Brunswick Water Department, and the Independence Municipal Utility Authority.

The tidal surge forced the Hackensack River to go backwards, up through storm drains, over a berm and onto the streets of Moonachie and Little Ferry. gary verdian saw it unfold.

WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb reports

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“We’ve been here since 1976 and last night we were probably one of the last houses…this block, probably the last houses to have electric. I happened to be looking out the window, the eletric went off and all of a sudden I just watched the lake come up to the house. It just kept coming,” Little Ferry resident Gary Verdian told WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb.

Verdian’s basement was spared, but others in his neighborhood were not so lucky. Some had to be plucked from their water-logged houses and boats. Another man who’s lived in Little Ferry for 55 years said he’s never ever seen so much water.

In Mountainside in Union County, some neighbors have banded together. Those with power have invited others left in thee dark in to enjoy television, hot food and company.

WCBS 880′s Jim Smith reports

Download: smith3.mp3|titles=Union%20County%20Neighbors%20Helping%20Neighbors%20After%20Sandy.%20WCBS%20880's%20Jim%20Smith%20Reports|titles=WCBS%20880

“Community electricity, community heat, community eating. Three families in two houses, we had everything we want thanks to our friend Sandy,” Mountainside resident Joe Calderon told WCBS 880′s Jim Smith.

Still, Calderon said ‘there’s no place like home’ now rings true to him.

“It would be nice to be able to have lights and heat on and your own shower and things like that. We’ll get it back,” Calderon said.

Storm Causes 5 Deaths In New Jersey
Sandy is being blamed for five deaths in New Jersey.

Princeton Township police said 61-year-old William Sword was found trapped beneath a tree which had fallen as he cleared debris from his driveway on Monday night.

An unidentified man was pulled out of the Hackensack River, which overflowed its banks and swamped two towns. The body was recovered Tuesday from the river in the city of Hackensack.

Mendham Township police said a man and a woman were killed and two children were injured when a large tree fell on their pickup truck on Monday night.

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Hawthorne police said a 77-year-old borough man was killed when a tree crashed into his house in the Passaic County community.

Rescue operations were also under way from one end of the state to the other hours after the powerful storm ripped through.

1010 WINS’ Gary Baumgarten reports

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The Jersey Shore
CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis had a look at the Belmar boardwalk that Christie mentioned. Sandy’s strength was enough to break apart and carry off one huge section, while on another, the boards were broken and splintered.

On a third section, the boards were intact, but about 100 yards from where the boardwalk was supposed to be.

“And they just finished it, just finished it. It’s gone. It’s gone, and I think it’s going to be years before it comes back,” said spectator Christine Morris.

In the daylight, the sight of the mangled, demolished boardwalk drew onlookers to survey the extreme damage for themselves.

Meanwhile in Belmar and Spring Lake, what was Ocean Avenue lining the waterfront was reduced to nothing but sand. The storm surge brought the ocean onshore, and right into neighboring homes.

“It was scary,” said Belmar resident Lloyd Sokoloff.” Windows were vibrating from the wind; water passing your house at a 4-foot level.”

Sokoloff stayed through Sandy, defying evacuation orders. On Tuesday night, he was one of the 4 million people in New Jersey left in the dark.

At the height of the storm, he watched as the boardwalk buckled, and the ocean came rushing through. A day later, he could only marvel at how the landscape was changed overnight.

“This is beachfront, where we’re standing is beachfront property,” he said. “I came away pretty lucky today.”

Little Ferry
Not far inland in Little Ferry, N.J., the waters were receding late Tuesday night, and pockets of power were coming back on. But the homes in the town were empty after a massive rescue and evacuation that took more than 12 hours before finally wrapping up around 8 p.m.

As CBS 2′s Jessica Schneider reported, all day, rescue boats motored through the streets of Little Ferry, and trucks moved dozens of stranded Sandy survivors to dry ground.

When the storm struck, tidal floodwaters overwhelmed a natural berm holding back the waters from the Hackensack River and Newark Bay, sending a deluge into the roadways.

“It was so scary. It was like an ocean,” said Anais Peralta. “We were like a little island surrounded by water.”

Peralta first heard the sounds of trouble around midnight Monday night. Car alarms began blasting as the water rose higher.

“It was very scary, and you know, the cars were floating, things flying around, and it was very scary; something I will never forget,” added Walter Peralta.

Search and rescue teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with National Guard members, went house to house and saved more than 400 people in Little Ferry.

In neighboring Moonachie, hundreds more escaped their trailer park despite the rising flood.

“I’ve lived here for 50 years,” said Tom Quinco. “We’ve never had water in the street let alone in the house.”

“There really wasn’t anyone around to come help us at the time, so that was really scary because we didn’t know when it was going to stop,” added Patricia Urdaz. ”The water was just not – it was going higher and higher and higher.”

Cars were destroyed, and some homes were consumed by 10 feet of water. Alexis Chavez just bought a 2012 Ford Fiesta, which now might be undrivable forever.

“A lot of water got inside and the engine won’t turn on. The computer got destroyed, basically,” Chavez said. “I have to wait for it to dry out and get it fixed.”

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) was out in Little Ferry Tuesday evening, preparing for President Obama’s arrival.

“I’ve been talking about what’s up here, and getting a good sense so that (Obama) can get the full picture,” Menendez said. “I know that Atlantic County, Monmouth, Ocean got hit real bad – it was the entry point – but I want him to know that other parts of the state got hit really bad as well. So we need an all-hands-on-deck response by the federal government. I’m sure we’ll get it.”

Hoboken
Just across the Hudson from New York City in Hoboken, floodwaters had taken over late Tuesday afternoon. CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli reported trucks were trying to brave the virtual lakes on the streets. But few were able to navigate the waters safely.

Around 8 p.m. Monday, the Hudson River spilled in on one side Hoboken, and water from a shipping canal spilled in on the other. Parked cars were picked up and ended up floating into each other, leaving rearview mirrors knocked apart and dents in the sides of the cars’ bodies.

An ambulance was even stranded in the middle of the town.

Meanwhile, power was completely out in the area. Some larger buildings had generators, but everyone else was stuck with candlelight or battery power.

On Monday night, police were going around with megaphones and even making robocalls advising everyone to evacuate. But not everyone did.

At the height of the storm, 75 percent of Hoboken was underwater, Puccinelli reported.

A mandatory curfew has been extended in Hoboken through 6 p.m. on Tuesday and driving is prohibited, officials said.

Sections of an old boardwalk are seen destroyed by flooding from Hurricane Sandy on October 30, 2012 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In Atlantic City, a portion of the Atlantic City boardwalk was destroyed by the pounding surf and 2.3 million people were without electricity, many in flooded communities.

The barrier island of Ocean City was cut off from the mainland by the storm; an estimated 2,000 people had no way on or off the island during the storm.

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“It’s coming from the Hackensack River. We had a failed gate so the water is just spilling out devastating the town of Moonachie,” said Bergen County chief of staff Jeanie Berrata.

The police and fire departments were themselves flooded. They were using boats to try to rescue about 800 people living in a trailer park and other stranded residents. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

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1010 WINS’ John Montone reports

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The Garden State Parkway was reopened to traffic Tuesday, but more than 200 other state roads remained closed, many of them inaccessible due to fallen trees and downed power wires.

Major flooding had hit Toms River, and several people were trapped on upper floors of their homes near Barnegat Bay.

Jersey City closed the city to vehicles because traffic lights were out.

The Lincoln Tunnel was open, but the Holland Tunnel remained closed. All bridges with the exception of the Rockaway bridges were reopened Tuesday at noon.

Please share your thoughts below…

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(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

In scenes reminiscent of the gas crisis of the 1970′s, people were left waiting in long lines in places like Wall Township, New Jersey to fill up.

CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis, reporting from a Sunoco gas station, spoke with one woman who had waited for nearly two hours to get gas.

EXTRA: Power Outages | Road & Tunnel Closures | Sandy Claims Lives | Subway Tunnels Flood | Submit Your Pictures | Sandy In Photos | Videos WATCH: CBS 2 LISTEN: 1010 WINS | WCBS 880

“I had to do it. We’re totally out of gas,” the Monmouth County resident told CBS 2′s Dennis.

She said that the situation near her home was “pretty bad” and that the Wall Township location was the closest gas station she could get to.

Long line at a gas station on Route 46 in Garfield, N.J. (credit: Steve Sandberg/1010 WINS)

A number of communities in the Tri-State have no gas and at some stations, the stations had closed down to prevent contamination of gas from flood waters.

There were also dozens of people waiting in line on foot with red gas cans trying to fill them up for cars and generators, CBS 2′s Dennis reported.

The situation was orderly and there was nobody trying to cut the line, or do anything unscrupulous at the Wall Township Sunoco, CBS 2′s Dennis reported.

Around 3:30 p.m., there was also a line about 200 cars long waiting for a chance to fill up.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below…

HURRICANE SANDY: Track | Forecast | Listen Now: 1010 WINS | WCBS 880 

On Friday night, CBS 2 severe weather expert Lonnie Quinn said the storm, still a Category 1 hurricane, would get stronger as it moved north.  Quinn said that wind speeds would be near 80 mph as it approaches Virginia and between 65 and 75 mph when it makes landfall, likely somewhere in Delaware.

Quinn said that on its current track, the storm would be less than 100 miles from New York City by 8 p.m. Monday.  He said the fact that the storm is 2,000 miles wide is a major problem that the area will be dealing with for a while.

On the boardwalk, CBS 2′s Emily Smith found piles of sandbags outside of one Point Pleasant Beach businesses along with miles of silt fencing and houses battened down in preparation for the storm.

While Point Pleasant Beach wasn’t immediately added to the list of voluntary evacuations, several towns along the Jersey Shore were.

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For more information on how to prepare for the storm, click here

The Cape May County Emergency Management Office issued voluntary evacuation orders for Friday and Saturday for barrier islands. Those evacuation orders will become mandatory on Sunday.

In Ocean County, the beachfront town of Mantoloking also issued a voluntary evacuation order on Friday, and several other shore towns were considering doing likewise.

In Pompton Lakes, town workers were handing out sandbags to residents of flood-prone neighborhoods, and Manville planned to activate its reverse 911 system Friday night, urging people to take precautions as the storm drew nearer.

Governor Chris Christie, who was on his way back to the state from a political trip to North Carolina, urged residents to prepare for a “serious storm.”

Sandy has the potential to bring five inches of rain or more. New Jersey’s rivers are currently at or below normal levels, but it would only take four inches of rain to send them over their banks, officials said.

The slow, calm stream of the Passaic River was nice to look at Friday night, but for residents in low lying Little Falls, living just steps from the river’s banks is nerve wracking.

“We have to move all our furniture up to the second level…and find places to store everything,” Tammy Lamontanro told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.

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Tropical Storm Irene was still fresh on everyone’s mind, especially its wind, rain and flooding. Now, Hurricane Sandy is threatening to bring more devastation.

“That was horrendous for us, I mean these people down the block, they lose their houses, they lose everything,” Little Falls resident Danny Clark said.

“This could be a storm that many have never seen before, including myself,” said Jay Amberg, assistant to the borough administrator in Sea Girt.

Crews in Sea Girt were bolstering winter berms and quickly moving sand into mounds meant to protect the shore and the boardwalk.

“They will help diffuse the power of waves, save permanent dune structure,” Amberg said.

Sandy rolled out of the Bahamas on Friday after causing 40 deaths across the Caribbean, churning toward the U.S. East Coast, where it threatens to join forces with winter weather fronts to create a devastating super storm.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker was urging residents to stock up on supplies and prepare for the worst.

“The storm itself will be bad, but I worry about the aftermath — people being caught without power,” Booker said. “When you have power outages, it’s not just your ice cream is going to spoil. There are people with medical conditions. There are elderly. A lot of people rely on power.”

Utilities were gearing up. Outages that lasted for days after last year’s freak Halloween snowstorm and Hurricane Irene in late August 2011 have been pressuring power companies to be more ready this time.

CHECK: PSE&G | JCP&L | Orange & Rockland

Jersey Central Power & Light, which was criticized for its response to Irene, notified employees to be ready for extended shifts.

Public Service Electric and Gas was monitoring Sandy and stepping up emergency preparations. The utility requested more than 1,300 linemen and 600 tree contractors from utilities in other states for assistance.

Officials in Belmar were pumping water into the ocean from Silver Lake and Lake Como, a move residents like Ann Murphy hope will save their homes if Hurricane Sandy comes close.

While the ocean was calm heading into the weekend, many down the Jersey Shore were worried and were taking Sandy’s threat seriously.

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“I am thinking this has the potential to be catastrophic with the storm surge. They’re predicting 10-foot storm surge. It’s going to be a full moon,” Belmar resident Jenny Hoffman told CBS 2′s Christine Sloan.

The local hardware store in Belmar was packed all day Friday with people coming by for storm necessities.

“Batteries, flashlights, generators, which we are sold out right now. A lot of propane,” Taylor Hardware store owner Joe Connor said.

Grocery stores were busy, too.

“I bought milk and bread, the normal things, and water. And hope it’s going to go to the west,” said Joanne Desheplo, of Belmar.

During Hurricane Irene, Belmar, Asbury Park and Spring Lake took a beating. This time around, crews in Asbury Park were taking trash cans off of the boardwalk.

“Irene posed some special problems we never encountered in terms of back-area rivers and streams that feed those bay areas because they flooded,” Monmouth County Sheriff Sean Dalton said.

From the city to the suburbs, people were bracing for the brunt of the storm.

In Hillsdale, just a year after getting hammered by Irene, Jerry Pasinski said he expected to suffer once again.

“I’ve seen the heartache,” he told CBS 2′s Steve Langford.

Suffering residents in the North Bergen community said the situation could be alleviated if the Woodcliff Lake reservoir were lowered ahead of the storm. It was expected to turn the tiny brook into a torrent of tragedy.

But it’s up to the state of New Jersey to issue that order and as of early Friday evening, the state had not committed to sparing the homeowners unnecessary misery.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Darrell Fuller was arrested Tuesday after police said he shot and killed Officer Arthur Lopez, 29, and 52-year-old Raymond Facey.

After a massive manhunt, Fuller was captured by police. He had apparently shot himself, officials said. He was taken to a hospital and was last listed in stable condition.

On Wednesday afternoon, however, Fuller was transported from Jamaica Hospital to Nassau County. The move for the heavily bandaged Fuller was made possible after his condition was upgraded on Wednesday morning, 1010 WINS’ Al Jones reported.

Fuller was escorted by a convoy of officers to the Nassau police headquarters. He was put into an unmarked car as a caravan of police cars escorted him from the hospital to Mineola.

As Fuller was escorted, his arm was in a sling, and his head was hung low as he faced cries of outrage and calls for justice, CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis reported.

“You deserve it!” someone yelled at Fuller. “You should have killed yourself! Coward! Coward!”

Fuller arrived in Mineola late Wednesday afternoon as the unmarked police car was driven into an underground garage. He will face a judge on Thursday.

1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reports

Download: cop-shot-2riveraw41-soc-bradolf.mp3|titles=Officials:%20Why%20Was%20Alleged%20Nassau%20County%20Cop%20Killer%20On%20Parole?|artists=Mona%20Rivera

The 33-year-old had been released in May 2011 after being jailed the year before for violating his parole. He had served four years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder in 2005.

David McDonald was the victim of that attempted murder. Fuller nearly killed him 10 years ago in a beef over a parking space.

McDonald still carries the mark where one of three bullets fired by Fuller ripped through him.

“I look like this, and I’m looking up into a gun, and I know he’s deadly serious about it,” McDonald said. “He is scary. I’m scared even now.”

McDonald said he was shocked that Fuller was paroled for shooting him after just five years.

Even after he was paroled, Fuller was arrested again for drug sales. But he was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor.

He could have gone back in for the full six to seven years on the attempted murder charge for shooting McDonald if prosecutors had hit him with a felony. So, there seem to have been a lot of missed chances, victims’ family members said.

“Your voices are louder than ours and I want you guys to ask the governors, the people who legislate — if a guy shot somebody before, he shouldn’t be on the street,” said Joslyn Cameron, Facey’s brother-in-law. “You let him back out to kill.”

Police said they agree, and want an investigation launched.

“We’re going to ask for an official investigation to find out why was this guy not sentenced to complete the rest of his sentence when he violated parole by selling crack cocaine while he was on parole,” PBA President James Carver said. “To me, this makes no sense.”

WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall: Lopez’s Uniform Was Removed From His Home Today

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An officer removes late Officer Arthur Lopez’s uniform from his Babylon home – Oct. 24, 2012 (credit: Sophia Hall / WCBS 880)

“Sadly, this violent felony offender did only nine months and was paroled again,” Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said. “The laws of the state really must change.”

The only support for Fuller so far has come from a family friend who said Fuller is on kidney dialysis, and wondered whether that might have set him off.

“It’s very hard for me to say – a possibility – but whatever happened does not fit his profile from the past,” friend Michael Rogers said.

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Lopez was on patrol Tuesday on the border between Nassau County and Queens near the southbound entrance ramp of the Cross Island Parkway when he and his partner noticed a damaged Honda that was “running on its rims,” officials said.

Thinking the car may have been in an accident and was leaving the scene of the crash, the officers gave chase and pulled the car over.

There was “a brief exchange of words” between Lopez and the driver before the driver left the vehicle and shot Lopez, police Chief Steven Skrynecki said. Lopez wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest.

Lopez’s partner administered first aid while the suspect returned to the car and fled on the Cross Island Parkway, officials said.

The officer was rushed to North Shore-LIJ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Darrell Fuller (credit: Nassau County Police Department)

He left behind grieving parents in Flushing, Queens, heartbroken neighbors where he lived in Babylon, and a former girlfriend who never got a chance to say goodbye.

“He just loved his family and he’s all they had, he was just wonderful – he was the best person I ever met,” Danielle D’Auril said.

Minutes later, Fuller allegedly shot and killed Facey in an apparent carjacking near the Cross Island Parkway and the Belmont Park Race Track, police said.

Facey had pulled over to avoid getting a cell phone ticket and was talking to his 21-year-old daughter on the phone. That’s when the suspect came up to his car and shot him in the head, police said.

WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reports

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In a statement Tuesday, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said “justice will be done.”

“Yet again we mourn the loss of a dedicated member of the Nassau County Police Department who lost his life protecting the community he so honorably served,” she said. “…A cold-blooded killer cut short the lives of Officer Arthur Lopez and an innocent civilian and my thoughts and prayers are with both of their families, friends and colleagues.”

Mangano ordered all Nassau County government buildings to fly their flags at half-staff in honor of Lopez from Nov. 19 through Dec. 19.

Flags are currently being flow at half-staff until Nov. 18 for another Nassau County cop, Officer Joseph Olivieri, who died in the line of duty on Oct. 18. Lopez attended Olivieri’s funeral on Monday.

“To say that this is a difficult time is an understatement,” Carver said. “This is the second time in a week that we’re going to be burying someone whose parents are still alive.”

Lopez was a decorated police officer and an eight-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department. He was also a volunteer firefighter and an EMT.

On Wednesday, a fellow Nassau County officer was seen taking Lopez’s uniform from his house in Babylon.

“I hope he’s at peace now, away from the bad guys,” said family friend Nancy Vasquez. “Only the good die young.”

A wake for Lopez has been scheduled for Thursday and Friday. His funeral has been set for Saturday.

A memorial fund has been established in the name of Lopez. Checks can be made payable to the PO Arthur Lopez Memorial Fund and mailed to the PBA office at 89 East Jericho Turnpike Mineola, N.Y. 11501.

Note from the PBA: You may have seen other donation pages or memorial funds in Arthur Lopez’s name posted on the internet. Be advised: THIS IS THE ONLY FUND THAT THE PBA IS ASSOCIATED WITH.  The legitimacy of other funds has not been confirmed, so to avoid any issue, if you want to make a donation, please make your donation using the above information only.

Please share your thoughts below…

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Commuters were hot under the collar Monday over changes to NJ TRANSIT’s train schedule.

But there may be a light at the end of the tunnel, CBS 2’s Derricke Dennis reported.

“It’s a miserable situation,” Fred Rosenberg said. “The change in the schedule is absolutely horrible, an extra 12-minute to my commute every day.”

It’s an NJ TRANSIT schedule change that’s put hundreds of train commuters off schedule.

“It makes absolutely no sense. I don’t know what they were thinking, but they need to really rethink this,” Dana Wade Smith said.

The problem is precious travel minutes from New York Penn are now gone during the evening rush. The popular 5:54 p.m. express train has been eliminated, pushing commuters to the later 6:19 p.m. train that makes seven stops, getting into South Orange at 7 p.m. or later.

A 25-minute commute is now 40 minutes or more, making it tough to pick up kids and keep other evening commitments.

Former New Jersey governor, now state Sen. Richard Codey heard about the changes and has joined the fight.

“There’s a limited amount of time that a commuter has when he comes home,” Codey said. “Twenty-five minutes may not seem like a heck of a lot of time when you’re commuting but it’s a heck of a lot of time.”

His voice and his contacts with NJ TRANSIT got the agency to put observers on those evening commuter trains, and representatives at a recent meeting, working on a solution.

“I can promise you we will be in close touch and others will be in touch with us,” a NJ TRANSIT representative said.

But even with the transit agency taking note, officials said with the holidays almost here, January will be the earliest anymore changes can be made.

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HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — CBS 2 has learned the FBI foiled a bomb plot targeting a Home Depot on Long Island on Monday.

Law enforcement sources said Wednesday a person had been taken into custody and that charges were pending, but that person was later released, CBS 2 reported. Authorities had been trying to determine if the person should be charged on a state or federal level.

On Wednesday afternoon, police responded to a report of a suspicious package at a Home Depot in the Nassau County town of Elmont. Police said they are beefing up security at area Home Depots as authorities continue to analyze the device from Monday’s incident in Huntington, 1010 WINS reported.

The person was taken into custody in the Huntington case hours after sources told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis that a pipe bomb was planted inside the store, on or near a shelf where innocent people could find it, and get hurt.

Police said the store, which had about 50 people inside at the time, was evacuated. Customers were left to wonder what could have happened.

“I think it’s crazy. People are calling in bomb threats to Home Depot? It says a lot about what our world is like now, that there are crazy people and we have to be careful,” customer Nick Warywoda said.

“Obviously, we all should be safe to walk into every place we wish to do business,” customer Nancy Graffeo added.

Warywoda came back to the store, after being turned away Monday by the police activity. Sources said the pipe bomb was found around 4 p.m., was isolated and then removed.

“Thankfully it was dealt with. I pulled in here yesterday and the police had everything cordoned off,” one customer said.

The bomb was believed to be part of a larger plot against the store — with possible theories including an extortion attempt, or a full scale attack timed for the holidays, possibly on Black Friday.

“The first thing that comes to mind is I’m here multiple times a week and sometimes with my little girl, so that’s a little bit unnerving,” customer Ted Kohler said.

On Tuesday, the FBI, along with Suffolk County police, was checking store surveillance video and interviewing employees to find the person responsible.

Home Depot released a statement, which said: “We are cooperating with authorities on their investigation. The safety of our customers and associates is certainly of the utmost importance to us.”

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Seven family members were viewing the proceedings Monday via closed-circuit television at Fort Hamilton, a U.S. Army base in Brooklyn.

“It’s very hard to go into those courtrooms,” said Jim Riches, whose firefighter son, Jimmy, died at the World Trade Center. “You sit there and you watch these men smirk and laugh and say that they’re proud of what they did and then nothing gets done. There’s nothing but motions and movements. The trial hasn’t even started yet.”

The Fairbens of Floral Park lost their son on 9/11 and said they wanted to watch the proceedings at Fort Hamilton to ensure justice is served.

“I want the people responsible to pay the consequences,” Diane Fairben told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.

But Kenneth Fairben suggested the terror suspects are given too many rights at Gitmo.

“I can’t imagine us getting the same kind of considerations that these folks are getting. Amazing,” Kenneth Fairben told Dennis after watching day one of the pretrial hearings. ”To think that they would not do the same to you, you’re sadly mistaken. Sadly mistaken. Given the opportunity, they would inflict the same harm on you as they did to almost 3,000 people that day.”

Former FDNY firefighter Robert Reeg was seriously injured in the South Tower collapse and said it was important for him to watch the hearing from Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

“Many of my brother firefighters I was with that day were killed. I saw numerous people jump from the upper floors. I’ll be scarred by that memory for the rest of my life and I want to see justice,” Reeg told Dennis.

Some family members said they hope the five terror suspects are not given the death penalty that they’re seeking if convicted, because that would allow them to become martyrs, the families said.

Instead, they said they want to see the defendants locked up for life so they can think about the lives lost in the attacks.

1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck reports

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An earlier round of hearings in May was also broadcast via closed-circuit TV to family members, survivors and first responders who wished to see the hearings. Those proceedings were an exercise in frustration for some viewers, as the suspects refused to cooperate with the court, or interrupted proceedings to kneel in prayer.

Debra Burlingame, whose brother, Charles, was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, said it was disturbing to watch the suspects showing disrespect to the court and their own attorneys during the spring hearings.

“One of the defendants made a paper airplane and balanced it on the top of the microphone to mock the victims and their families,” Burlingame said.

She plans to attend the latest round of hearings sometime this week and feels she needs to be there to see what the rest of the world can’t.

“I think it’s very important for the world at large to know that the families have not forgotten,” Burlingame said.

The suspects include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.

His four co-defendants are accused of support roles in the Sept. 11 attacks: Binalshibh, a Yemeni, was allegedly chosen to be a hijacker but couldn’t get a U.S. visa and ended up providing assistance such as finding flight schools; Waleed bin Attash, also from Yemen, allegedly ran an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan and researched flight simulators and timetables; Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, a Saudi accused of helping the hijackers with money, Western clothing, traveler’s checks and credit cards; Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, a Pakistani national and nephew of KSM, allegedly provided money to the hijackers.

All five face charges that include 2,976 counts of murder, one for each person killed in the Sept. 11 plot that sent hijacked commercial airliners slamming into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. They could get the death penalty if convicted.

On Monday, the judge, Army Col. James Pohl, started the pretrial hearing that is expected to last a week to consider about two dozen preliminary legal issues required to move the case toward an eventual trial, likely at least a year away.

WCBS 880′s Alex Silverman reports

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Riches is hoping the case will finally move forward.

“We were promised swift and certain justice from President Obama in February ’09 when we met with him,” Riches said. “Hopefully this will move forward now because it’s been 10 years, we’ve had no justice.”

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(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The alleged runaway bride was caught on camera taking off from the Seng Couture Dress Shop with a hoisted dress and a toddler in tow.

“I don’t know what I’d call her…a thief I guess,” Mary Cosgriff told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.

The bridal gown bandit and her young sidekick took off fast from the Fanwood, New Jersey dress shop two weeks ago.

Store owner Sanh Truong said the stolen dress had a hefty price tag.

“It was one of the most expensive in our store — retail for almost $5,000,” he said.

The theft started with a party of eight phony customers acting as decoys, trying on gowns in a fitting room. While store workers helped group, the thief took off out the front door and down the street past a surveillance camera.

The owners of the store believe that the woman is training the little girl to follow in her footsteps.

“I really feel so bad for the kid, they trained the kid to be this way,” said Chamron Seng.

Police said the surveillance footage is the best they have ever seen and are working on identifying the woman and the child.

Neighbors can’t believe what happened.

“It’s kind of crazy actually to be honest,” said Plainfield resident Carl Michaud.

The store is insured for the loss of the dress, but the owners told CBS 2 that they want the thief caught before she strikes again.

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The resurrection of the group, famous around the world for performances at the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Vatican, is being welcomed by some, but the choir’s past has others questioning if it’s the right thing to do.

“I think it’s great. It’s good for the community,” Priscilla Crockett, of Washington Heights, told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis on Tuesday night.

Founded in 1968, the choir featured scores of under-privileged African-American boys. However, it disbanded in 2006 due to financial and legal problems and a child sex abuse scandal involving then 14-year-old David Pinks, who accused a choir director of molesting him in a case that ultimately sent his abuser to prison.

“I can’t change what happened in the past. I can just assure people that going forward this is what we’re going to do,” the choir’s former vice president, Horace Turnbull, told CBS 2′s Dennis.

Turnbull said he wants to move beyond the past, with new safeguards, counseling and mandatory reporting in place, with the goal of giving more boys an outlet to sing.

“I’m just looking for young people who are committed and who will allow the music and the training to help them become the best that they can be. I just want to give them a chance,” Turnbull said.

But Pinks, now a music producer living in Las Vegas, is opposed, saying in a statement: “Horace Turnbull was the first person I spoke to about my abuse, and he never did anything about it. The idea of that same leadership starting another Harlem boys choir is scary.”

“It happened, I am truly sorry it happened, but again, we have to go forward,” Turnbull said.

Harlem residents are cautious, but said they are willing to give the new boys choir a chance.

“There should be checks and balances — some system in place to make sure that doesn’t happen, but you don’t throw the baby out with the bath,” Harlem resident Billy Spearman said.

Auditions start next Monday at the Church of the Ascension on 107th Street near Broadway. Boys in grades 4 through 12 are invited.

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The former Penn State assistant football coach is set to be sentenced on Tuesday, but spoke out from prison Monday, claiming to be a victim of a conspiracy, CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis reported.

“Over and over, I asked ‘Why?’ Why didn’t we have a fair opportunity to prepare for trial? Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations?’” Sandusky told PSU ComRadio.

Defiant, accusatory and unapologetic, Sandusky claimed he did not abuse boys and was being wrongly sent to prison.

“What’s the purpose? Maybe it will help others — some vulnerable children who could be abused — might not be because of all the publicity,” Sandusky said.

The 68-year-old Sandusky not only blames the media for his conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse, he also blames the initial whistle-blower — assistant football coach Mike McQueary. He originally reported he saw Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a Penn State locker room shower.

Sandusky said McQueary wanted fame and fortune.

“A young man who was dramatic, a veteran accuser, and always sought attention, started everything. He was joined by a well-orchestrated effort…They won,” Sandusky said.

Still, Sandusky vowed to appeal his June conviction for abusing 10 boys over a period of 15 years, including some attacks at his home, and at Penn State. He said he is the victim of a conspiracy.

“Evaluate the accusers and their families. Realize they didn’t come out of isolation. Look at their confidants and their honesty. Think about how easy it was for them to turn on me given the information, attention and potential perks,” Sandusky said.

In the end, Sandusky maintains he has only ever had sex with his wife of 46 years, Dottie, and said he will continue to fight the charges against him.

“They could take away my life, they could make me out as a monster, they could treat me as a monster, but they can’t take away my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting acts,” Sandusky said.

As many as half-dozen victims are expected to be heard at Sandusky’s sentencing on Tuesday. He’s facing a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 30 years, which would put him behind bars until he’s nearly 100.

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Following the wild and horrible crash, a crowd of strangers came to the rescue.

Bystanders heroically lifted the car with their hands, freeing the two young children and a grandmother.

“We all just picked it up, we just put our hands underneath it and lifted it,” Edwin Padua told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis. “There was kids under there, you could hear them screaming. You could hear the child screaming, [we] had to get them out.”

The victims are 52-year-old Elizabeth Castillo, her 3-year-old grandson Tyrese and a 17-month-old baby girl who was in a crushed stroller.

Castillo’s daughter thanked the heroes, who helped her mother away from the scene of the crash.

“If it wasn’t for them, it would’ve been worse. It would have been way worse,” Camille Castillo said. “My mom dove under to get the get the kids out, and he backed up again, and my [mom] got crushed underneath the car. Twice he rolled over her.”

The 17-month-old baby girl’s father was in tears on Friday night.

“I’ve been crying ’cause that’s my baby, that’s my baby girl, my youngest one,” Michael Green said.

Police are still investigating, but witnesses said the driver was parked and seemed to hit the gas while in reverse, hitting another parked car and then barreling onto the sidewalk and into a lot, pinning the victims underneath.

Police said the driver, who was in his 70s, was not hurt and won’t be criminally charged. Mechanical failure or a medical condition are considered to be possible causes.

That driver was surrounded and held by witnesses until police arrived.

The victims are all at Bellevue Hospital, listed as stable but critical because of their numerous injuries.

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Rafael Velez, 42, allegedly lured women into an office building near City Hall in Paterson and led them to the sixth floor at knife point.

Residents told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis that the possibility of an encounter with Velez makes even the most mundane activities seem dangerous.

“It’s a shock. What if I’m just coming and he tried to get me as I’m getting money out of the ATM?” Sherkeya Cuffie said Wednesday.

According to police, Velez stood outside of the building at 129 Market St., grabbed his targets, forced them inside, and then held them blade to throat. The first attack happened on Sept. 14, the second occurred on Monday, and a third attack that may have occurred near the Paterson falls is under investigation, police said.

Detectives identified Velez as a suspect and tracked him to his Paterson home but he escaped. A manhunt is underway.

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A new Internet modem lease fee is going to add an extra $3.95 to monthly Time Warner bills.

“I’m just paying more money for the same modem. I’m not getting anything extra,” Doris Chong told CBS 2′s Sean Hennessey on Wednesday night.

For Chong, the Internet is a necessity. Multiple-sclerosis has confined her to a wheel chair.

“I tend to rely on it to do shopping online,” she said.

The change will result in an additional $50 a year for Internet users. Time Warner blamed the charges on increased equipment maintenance, and repair costs. Customers can avoid the fee if they buy a Time Warner approved modem. The modems range in price from $50 to $150.

Customers like Yves Mathurin, a subscriber from Harlem, told CBS 2′s Hennessey that they feel trapped.

“I can’t go to satellite because of my building, and they don’t let us put satellite, so basically I’m stuck with them,” she said.

The new fees will affect Time Warner customers who have had service since before March. Customers who signed up after March are already paying a modem fee of $2.50 a month. By comparison, Comcast customers pay a $7 monthly fee for their modems.

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