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By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
MANSFIELD — Human remains found in the woods last week have been identified as those of a man reported missing in April 2008.
James P. Latham, 50, of the Columbus section of town, was identified Monday evening through medical exams that included forensic dental comparisons, police said. The Burlington County medical examiner’s office performed the identification.
Patrolman Craig Fink said Tuesday the investigation into the cause of death was still pending.
Mr. Latham’s family reported him missing in the early morning of April 8, 2008, and he was last seen that day at 5 a.m. when his daughter dropped him off at his Sheffield Drive residence, police reported previously. They said at the time they believed he left his residence on foot soon after being dropped off.
Patrolman Fink said the search for Mr. Lathan was active for several months after his disappearance.
Police have said hunters discovered several articles of clothing Sept. 24 that led police to human remains in the forest along Jacksonville Road near the New Jersey Turnpike. Mansfield police investigated with the assistance of the Burlington County prosecutor’s office, the New Jersey State Police and the county medical examiner’s office.
Sunoco Inc., Mr. Latham’s employer, had offered $10,000 through its Crime Spotter Reward Program for information that led to the case being solved. No information on the status of that reward was available by press time.
This was the second time in a period of just over three weeks that an unidentified body has been discovered in the woods in Mansfield.
The site where Mr. Latham’s body was found is approximately a mile away from Kinkora Road, where the body of 57-year-old Philadelphia resident Lyudmila Burshteyn was spotted Sept. 2 by a motorist, who saw it on a narrow dirt road that leads through a wooded area to a field of crops.
Officials sought the public’s help in identifying her remains, and soon learned she had missed a lunch date with her friend that same day. The county medical examiner determined the manner of her death was homicide, though officials did not release a cause of death.
On Sept. 4, police announced they were charging three adult men and one teenage boy, all from Philadelphia, in the murder.
gwertime@centraljersey.com

MONTGOMERY — A school bus and garbage truck collided head on near the entrance of the Upper Middle School this afternoon, resulting in injuries to both drivers, according to township police.
There were no children in the bus at the time of the crash, police said. Burnt Hill Road was closed for about three hours while police investigated the crash and heavy-duty wreckers cleared the scene, police said.
The driver of the garbage truck, Tony Thompson, 53, of South Brunswick was trapped inside and had to be extricated by the fire department, police said. The truck is owned by Blue Star Carting of Neshanic Station, police said.
Mr. Thompson was transported by Montgomery EMS to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital with head and leg injuries that did not appear life threatening, police said.
The driver of the school bus, Robert McGuirck, 70, of Manville, was transported by Hillsborough EMS to Princeton Medical Center with minor arm and head injuries, police said.
Before the crash, Mr. McGuirck had just finished his route, dropping off morning-session kindergarten children, and was returning to the bus garage on the grounds of the middle school, police said.
The garbage truck, which was headed south on Burnt Hill Road, crossed into the oncoming lane, resulting in the head-on collision, police said.
No summonses have been issued, and the accident is under investigation by Montgomery Township Police and the State Police Commercial Carrier Safety Inspection Unit.
Also responding to the scene were Montgomery Fire Companies No. 1 and No. 2, the Rocky Hill Fire Department, Montgomery and Hillsborough EMS units, Somerset MICU, and the Somerset County Haz Mat team.

   The 600,000-square-foot hospital, which is currently under construction, will replace the hospital company’s existing Princeton facility when it opens in late 2011 as the centerpiece of a 160-acre medical campus off Route 1 in Plainsboro Township.

     PRINCETON — John A. Heim, MD, has been named chairman of the Department of Surgery At University Medical Center. According to an announcement by UMCP, Dr. Heim is board certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery and, will have a thoracic surgery practice at the hospital, along with his administrative duties.

    “To be associated with such a prestigious surgical department long committed to excellence in patient care is a great honor,” Dr. Heim said. “I will work tirelessly to continue UMCP’s tradition of excellence and will help position our health system to best meet the challenges we will surely face in the near future. Nothing will be more important to me than to provide our community with the safe, effective and patient-centered care it deserves.”

     Dr. Heim replaces J. Thomas Davidson, MD, FACS, a board certified general and vascular surgeon, who has served as chairman for 17 years. Dr. Davidson will remain at UMCP as the General Surgery Residency Site Director.

     Dr. Heim most recently served at the Frankford Health System, a member of the Jefferson Health System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Director of Surgery, as well as the section head of thoracic surgery. He has also served as a cardiothoracic surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey, at Cooper Hospital University Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey, and in the department of surgery at the Virtua Health System in Marlton, New Jersey.

     He has also participated as a volunteer on international pediatric cardiac surgery missions to Paraguay and St. Petersburg, Russia.

     Dr. Heim holds a bachelor of science degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey and a medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry, The New Jersey Medical School. His post-graduate training included a residency in general surgery at the University of Connecticut-Hartford Hospital. He served as a fellow in thoracic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Heim also completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Rush Medical College, in Chicago, Illinois.

By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer

   MANSFIELD — Three men and one teenage boy have been charged with murdering a woman whose body was discovered Wednesday in the woods off Kinkora Road.

   Charged with felony murder are Marcus S. White, 18; Damion D. Williams, 27; Robby R. Willis, 26, all of Philadelphia; and a 17-year-old Philadelphia boy, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Mansfield Public Safety Director Richard C. Bendel announced today.

   The body has been identified as that of Lyudmila Burshteyn, 57, also of Philadelphia, according to the press release. Ms. Burshteyn reportedly did not appear at a Wednesday lunch date with a friend in Philadelphia, who tried several times to contact Ms. Burshteyn before filing a missing persons report with Philadelphia police.

   Mansfield police were called around 3 p.m. that day after a motorist saw a body on a narrow dirt road that leads through the wooded area to a field of crops. The county medical examiner determined Thursday the manner of death was homicide, and the prosecutor’s office released a description and photo of the then-unidentified Ms. Burshteyn, asking the public’s help in determining who she was. Officials are not disclosing the cause of death.

   In the early hours of Thursday morning, the prosecutor’s office said the four Philadelphia men were stopped by police in Summerton, S.C. while driving Ms. Burshteyn’s car, a silver 2009 Nissan Murano. A girl and a woman from Philadelphia, ages 16 and 18, also were in the vehicle, but were not charged in the crime, according to the press release.

   South Carolina police recovered three handguns during the stop and also found what appeared to be bloodstains in the car, the press release said.

   Detectives from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Mansfield Police Department are continuing the investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113.

gwertime@centraljersey.com

By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — Two nearly identical motorcycle accidents on the same stretch of I-295 killed two men within about eight hours Wednesday, State Police said.

   Ronald Ross, 42, of Macungie, Pa., was driving north in the right lane when he attempted to change lanes at about 12:23 p.m., according to Detective Brian Polite.

   ”As a result of that, the driver was ejected from the motorcycle, and sustained serious head and chest injuries,” Detective Polite said.

   The State Police Fatal Accident and Crime Scene Unit responded to the scene, he said, and Mr. Ross was transported to Capital Health Center — Fuld Campus, where he was pronounced dead around 3 p.m..

   Detective Polite referred questions about the cause of the accident to the state Department of Transportation, which did not immediately return calls today, Thursday.

   However, a very similar incident Wednesday morning, which Detective Polite confirmed took place “in the same approximate area,” could shed some light on Mr. Ross’ accident.

   At about 4:11 a.m. that same day, 52-year-old Jude Bihari of Birch Hollow Drive, Florence, fell off his motorcycle while attempting to change lanes near Exit 57, Sgt. Stephen Jones said Wednesday, before information on Mr. Ross’ crash was available.

   He said Mr. Bihari was driving a 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the right lane, but lost control when trying to switch to the center lane. He fell off his bike and was struck by two cars, a 2001 BMW 525 driven by a New Jersey woman and a 2001 Hyundai Sonata driven by a Virginia man. Sgt. Jones said neither of the drivers would be charged in the incident.

   The top layer of pavement in the right lane of the road had been removed due to construction, creating a 2-inch dip below the middle lane, but Sgt. Jones said signage there warns motorists and a solid white line is painted to keep people from crossing out of the right lane in that area. The road was reopened after the first accident at 5:13 a.m.

   Construction had ended at 3 a.m. but all signs remained in place at the time of the first accident. Sgt. Jones said.

gwertime@centraljersey.com

By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
   Four Hillsborough residents and a Manville man were among 33 individuals arrested Wednesday in connection with cocaine distribution initiated by two different sets of drug dealers in Middlesex Borough and South Bound Brook, authorities said.
   Christian Figallo, 23, of Auten Road, Hillsborough, was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine for making arrangements to sell the drug during the course of the four-month investigation, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest.
   Pamela Crossan, 43, of Atkinson Circle; Michael Miller, 41, of Richmond Court; and Vincent Strelko, 42, of Amwell Road, all in Hillsborough, were charged with attempt to possess a controlled dangerous substance and conspiracy to possess a controlled dangerous substance.
   While search warrants were executed during the investigation, police also arrested Bruce Ferguson, 53, of Main Street in Manville, and charged him with violating probation on a previous charge of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, Mr. Forrest said.
   The prosecutor said the investigation began in May when detectives from the Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force received information that South Bound Brook resident Jessica Coats, 27, was selling cocaine, with assistance from Jessie Lopez, 27, also of South Bound Brook.
   Mr. Forrest said detectives also learned that Isiah Casey, 27, of Middlesex Borough, was selling cocaine, with assistance from Cedric Sanders Jr., 26, of Middlesex Borough. Both sets of dealers were selling the drugs to buyers in such places as Hillsborough, South Bound Brook, Dunellen, Green Brook and Bridgewater, Mr. Forrest said.
   It was later discovered that Mr. Casey and Mr. Sanders were supplied the cocaine by Richard Coleman, 32, of Somerville, the prosecutor said.
   Search warrants on the homes of both sets of drug dealers were carried out Tuesday, Mr. Forrest said, adding that police also searched Mr. Coleman’s vehicle after seeing him arrive at one of the residences.
   Inside Mr. Coleman’s vehicle, officers found 5 ounces of cocaine and four handguns hidden in a trap in the center console, Mr. Forrest said.
   Mr. Coleman was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute while within 1,000 feet of school property, four counts of unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a handgun while committing a drug offense, person not to possess weapons, conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a defaced weapon.
   A search warrant executed at Mr. Casey and Mr. Sanders’ residence yielded the discovery of 7.5 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, empty Baggies and $5,004, Mr. Forrest said. They both were charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute while within 1,000 feet of school property, conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana.
   A search of Mr. Lopez and Ms. Coats’ vehicle and home yielded three bags of cocaine in the vehicle with their 6- and 1-year-old children, as well as a digital scale, empty bags and a cutting agent in their home, Mr. Forrest said. They both were charged with endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
   Ms. Coats also was charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana.
   Mr. Forrest said all five individuals were lodged in the Somerset County Jail.
   Twenty-one of the remaining individuals arrested in the investigation were charged with various drug offenses, while the final two were charged on warrants of violating parole.
   The total amount of cocaine seized in the investigation has an estimated street value of $16,800, according to Mr. Forrest.
   Assisting in the operation were the Readington Police Department, Bound Brook Police Department, Middlesex County prosecutor’s office, Manville K-9 Unit, Somerset County sheriff’s office and the Somerset County sheriff’s office K-9 Unit. 

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer

   MONTGOMERY — A Montgomery man has died from injuries he sustained in a three-vehicle crash Saturday night on Route 533, according to township police.

   Motorcyclist Allan Meyners, 56, was trapped underneath another vehicle in the southbound lane after the crash at about 9 p.m. a half mile north of the Griggstown Causeway, police said.

   Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 responded to the scene and used the Jaws of Life to jack up the vehicle and free Mr. Meyners from underneath, police said. He was resuscitated at the scene by emergency medical services and transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center.

   A few hours later at the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, police said.

   According to police, Mr. Meyners had been traveling north on Route 533 on his 2001 Suzuki and had stopped for a car to pass in the other direction so he could make a left turn into a driveway. While stopped, he was struck from the rear by Anna O’Brien, 48, also of Montgomery, who was driving north in a 2008 Honda Odyssey.

   Mr. Meyners was propelled into the southbound lane, where he was struck by the oncoming vehicle, a 2006 Toyota Highlander driven by Saawan Gupta, 16, of Montgomery, police said.

   Route 533 is a winding, hilly road that runs along the Millstone River, which divides Franklin and Montgomery townships. The crash occurred on a straight section of the road on an incline, police said. The road was wet and it had been raining at the time of the crash, police said.

   Ms. O’Brien was traveling with five children in her vehicle, ranging in age from 7 to 11, police said. Meanwhile, Mr. Gupta was driving with a graduated driver’s license learner’s permit, accompanied by his father, Pawan Gupta, 49.

   There were no other reported injuries in the crash, police said.

   Ms. O’Brien was issued a summons for careless driving. The crash remains under investigation by the Somerset County Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team and the Montgomery Police Department.

   ksnodgrass@centraljersey.com

   MANSFIELD – A collision between a tractor trailer and a full-size cargo van this morning closed Route 206 for about 4 hours in both directions, according to township police.

   Police said the tractor trailer, driven by 45-year-old Lamont Sonds of Hampton, Ga., tried to make a u-turn about one-eighth of a mile south of Atlantic Avenue at 6:34 a.m. when the crash occurred.

   The crash, police said, sent the three van occupants – Brooklyn, N.Y. residents Hoang T. Truong, 59, who was driving; Jenny Truong, 18; and Hai Le, 34 — to Capital Health Center–Fuld Campus for injuries. The two people riding in the tractor trailer were uninjured, police said.

   The cause of the crash is under investigation, and no charges have been filed. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call police at 609-298-4411.

-– Geoffrey Wertime

MONTGOMERY — A tenth member was sworn into the Montgomery Township Board of Education on Tuesday night to serve as Rocky Hill’s representative in the newly merged district.

The new nameplate belongs to Randie Zimmerman, a longtime member of the Rocky Hill Board of Education.

The move is the result of legislation enacted earlier this summer that clarified the procedure to eliminate nonoperating school districts and merge them into existing ones. The state Department of Education announced the first 13 mergers involving such districts on July 1.

The action, which will eventually reduce the state’s 616 school districts to 590, includes a forced merger of Rocky Hill into the Montgomery Township School District. With no school of its own, the borough in the past paid tuition for its children to attend Montgomery Township Schools.

Ms. Zimmerman, wife of borough Mayor Ed Zimmerman, will serve until April when the board will revert back to a nine at-large seats, elected by the entire combined district.

However, Rocky Hill officials hope they may yet reverse the merger. A complaint was filed July 2 with the Somerset County Superior Court over the dissolution of the borough’s Board of Education. A court date of September 18th has been assigned to hear the motions pursuant to the case.