North New Jersey

Breaking news and local stories from Bergen, Passaic and Sussex Counties, NJ

The family of a young girl paralyzed in a drunk-driving accident nine years ago received a $25 million settlement from Aramark Corp., the Giants Stadium beer vendor whose employees continued to serve the intoxicated fan who caused the crash.

The settlement with the family of Antonia Verni, who is now 11, took place last year but was not disclosed until today, when a state appeals court ruled that sealed documents in the case must be made public.

Antonia, a quadriplegic who requires a ventilator to breathe, received $23.5 million in the settlement, said the family's lawyer, David A. Mazie of Roseland. Her mother, Fazila Verni, received $1.5 million for injuries she suffered in the crash.

Jerry McCrea/The Star-LedgerIn this 2005 photo, Antonia Verni is given assistance by her mother, Fazila Baksh-Verni, as Antonia performs physical therapy while strapped to a "stander" device that gives her ia an alternative posture to sitting in a wheelchair or lying in bed.

The amount money given to the family of a 2-year-old girl paralyzed by a drunken driver leaving a Giants game at the Meadowlands in 1999 will be made public.

A state appeals court has overruled a lower court decision last year that sealed the amount of the settlement between the family of Antonia Verni and Aramark, the stadium's concessionaire.

Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerSuja Alummoottil, the aunt of slay victim Dennis John Malloosseril, 25, holds his photo today as she stands with cystic fibrosis patient John Muscarella, 21, at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, where Muscarella received Malloosseril's lungs.

From loss comes renewed life.

A 21-year-old man with cystic fibrosis walked out Newark Beth Israel Medical Center yesterday with a pair of new lungs donated by the family of a man shot and killed when he tried to intervene in a domestic dispute at a Clifton church.

The recipient, John Muscarella, said he felt sad the man lost his life, but he lauded his last actions.

"He was a great guy for trying to help and do what he did," Muscarella said, adding he was "proud" to have the donor's lungs.

Paterson Firefighters were battling a blaze at a home at Summer Street and Hamilton Avenue, according to a report in the Record.

The report said the 2 1/2 story, three-family home still had heavy fire in the attic, but no other homes were jeopardized, a Paterson fire official said. Firefighters had safely evacuated all occupants, and no one was harmed in the blaze.

A former New Jersey Turnpike Authority employee pleaded guilty today to money laundering in connection with a long-running federal loan-sharking sting.

Leroy Robinson, 51, of Maplewood, was charged in January with using his consulting business to launder $120,000 in what he allegedly thought were loan-sharking proceeds from an undercover witness.

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerGerard McAleer, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New Jersey Division, speaks during a press conference announcing the seizure of crystal methamphetamine.

Authorities today said they seized an $11 million shipment of crystal methamphetamine that was intercepted in West Paterson and lends evidence, they say, that the highly addictive drug is taking hold in New Jersey.

The drug, sometimes called ice, has long been a scourge on the West Coast, particularly in rural areas. But it has swept slowly east, finding its way into urban night clubs and onto street corners, authorities said.

"We are finally starting to see it seep into the East Coast," said Gerard McAleer, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New Jersey Division.

Louis Lanzano/APFormer commissioner of the New York City Police Dept. Bernard Kerik, 2006.

Nearly 300 people came to The Brownstone on West Broadway in Paterson Monday to pledge their support for Bernard Kerik, the troubled former New York City Police commissioner and a Paterson native, according to a report in the Record.

The report said tickets benefiting the Bernard Kerik Legal Defense Trust went for a minimum of $75, according to invitations. Kerik faces up to 142 years' prison time and $4.7 million in fines if found guilty of all 14 federal counts of fraud and false statements.

Mainstage, a rock music club that opened its doors in June 2007 in Pompton Lakes, faces closing after the borough council revoked its entertainment license, according to a report in the Record.

The report said the club planned a BYOB -- "bring your own booze" -- private party without having a liquor license. Joe Spinella, the club's owner who was issued a summons by police, said he will challenge the action.