Grandfather charged after crash killed grandkids – NJ Top News
Here are the top stories on NJ 101.5 for Monday, August 17, 2026.
⬛ Passaic man charged after crashing into 2 Clifton police cars on Route 21
CLIFTON — A Passaic man is charged with driving while intoxicated and assault by auto after striking two Clifton police cars on Route 21 early Sunday morning.
Three police officers were investigating a crash in the left lane near River Road at approximately 3:40 a.m., when a 2024 Acura MDX driven by 32 year old Matthew Cancel drove through and struck both vehicles.
Police say one officer who was sitting in one of the cars, suffered a head injury, but is expected to be okay.
Two other officers who were outside the cars narrowly missed being struck. One of them jumped over a concrete barrier to avoid being struck, police said.
⬛ Grandfather charged in Barnegat Bay boat crash that killed his grandkids
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP — The grandfather who police say drove a motorboat into a channel marker in Barnegat Bay in July was charged Friday with the deaths of his grandchildren.
Stephen Schneider, 63, of the Bayville section of Berkeley was "impaired by alcohol" when he hit Intracoastal Waterway Marker #39 while driving a 28-foot Tidewater Center Console on July 19, according to court documents.
His grandchildren Mya Bella Golabek, 9, and Sigmund "Siggy" Paul Golabek, 7, were killed in the crash. His wife Laurie Schneider, 64, was also on board the boat.
The impact ejected the children from the boat, according to State Police. The adults got the children out of the water and got them to shore. They were taken to a hospital where they died.
NJ State Police Trooper Christopher Postorino said Stephen Schneider voluntarily surrendered on Friday and was charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide/death by vessel, a second-degree charge, operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.
⬛ FBI places NJ man on its "Most Wanted Fraudsters List"
HOBOKEN — For the first time, the FBI has named a New Jersey resident to its "Most Wanted Fraudsters List."
Rey Grabato is from the Philippines but lived in Hoboken where the FBI says he ran a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 2,000 investors.
The scheme operated for four years, between 2018 and 2022, bilking clients, many of them New Jerseyans, out of $650 million.
An arrest warrant was issued for Grabato in 2022 but he remains at large. The FBI thinks he may be hiding in the Philippines.
A $150,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to an arrest and conviction.
⬛ Actress Hayden Panettiere, Dead at 36
Actress Hayden Panettiere is dead, and no cause of death has been given at this time.
Law enforcement sources confirm police responded to an incident involving Hayden Sunday and there is currently an open investigation, according to TMZ.
A source close to the actress tells TMZ she recently had been complaining about back pain in the past year.
The 36 year old was known for her roles on the NBC sci-fi series, "Heroes," as well as the musical drama, "Nashville" and the "Scream" horror franchise.
Panettiere got her start as a child star, when she played Sarah Roberts on the soap opera, "One Life to Live," when she was only four years old.
She leaves behind an 11 year old daughter.
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Asbury Park and the perfect summer day in the summer of '26!
Gallery Credit: Eric "EJ" Johnson
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