Gunfire on Springfield Avenue

What is the restaurant where this happened?

The drug culture is an interesting dance and not so easy to eradicate. I am from Newark and at one time,

to help a friend,   lived directly across from a building filled with dealers.  All day long cars would come by

with folks from the suburbs to make their buys.   The dealers had a code for their merchandise. Those in the

street would shout up stairs for a pack of "Cools or Marlboros" They were really quite efficient

With the use of cell phones the police were spotted while a block away. Then the comedy really  started.

The dealers would disappear into the building and the women would come out with the children and baby

carriages and

sit on the front porch

They never caused trouble on the block .  Your car and car radios were safe as they never wanted

to draw extra police attention

There was trouble once in a while from other gangs.  There were two drive bys ,  one murder and two

survivable injuries.   These were innocent bystanders there for a buy and mistaken for rivals by another

group.   The man who owned the deli around the corner put it on the Market after the first one as

the blood in the street ran into his driveway

This was in the Roseville section of Newark.........around the corner from La Casa de Don Pedro

Bradford’s Barr

https://villagegreennj.com/uncategorized/livingston-man-fatally-shot-on-springfield-avenue-in-maplewood-investigation-continues/

LOST said:

What is the restaurant where this happened?

Jacks was not by Vauxhaul....  It was on the Irvington border by the Maplewood pool on Springfield Ave.

Thanks, all, for the responses! 

As an aside, it's really neat that this forum is so active -- I think it says a lot about community engagement/caring/etc.

Then I must be thinking of another killing at a pizza place in Maplewood.  The one I am thinking of took place about 40 years ago.

Jack's pizza was the one, friendly with the son growing up. Went to school with him.

joan_crystal said:

Then I must be thinking of another killing at a pizza place in Maplewood.  The one I am thinking of took place about 40 years ago.

That pizza place is in Vauxhall I believe, not Maplewood, across from the laundromat that blew up when there was a gas leak. 

spontaneous said:

joan_crystal said:

Then I must be thinking of another killing at a pizza place in Maplewood.  The one I am thinking of took place about 40 years ago.

That pizza place is in Vauxhall I believe, not Maplewood, across from the laundromat that blew up when there was a gas leak. 

Next door to Nunzio's?

Out of curiosity, are you referring to Boyden Parkway?  I thought I had read on SOMA Lounge a few months ago complaints about traffic and speeders which seemed odd since it's a dead end. Somebody commented that there had been drug activity.  

sarahzm said:

I recognize this post may be incendiary, and I apologize, but if accurate the truth is worse than an incendiary post.   There is an Altariq Brown  who is 30 who has been arrested several times in connection with significant drug busts.   I'm wondering if it is a coincidence that this shooting / murder occurred across the street from a street (in Maplewood)  where current residents have recently and repeatedly complained about drug activity on the street.  Over 20 years ago I heard the same complaints, when as a new realtor I showed an apartment on that street and was warned by other realtors that the street was known for drug dealing.   If this is true ( and I have no reason to disbelieve the person who lives there and reported it)  maybe , finally, the Maplewood police will do something about it. 

sarahzm said:

I recognize this post may be incendiary, and I apologize, but if accurate the truth is worse than an incendiary post.   There is an Altariq Brown  who is 30 who has been arrested several times in connection with significant drug busts.   I'm wondering if it is a coincidence that this shooting / murder occurred across the street from a street (in Maplewood)  where current residents have recently and repeatedly complained about drug activity on the street.  Over 20 years ago I heard the same complaints, when as a new realtor I showed an apartment on that street and was warned by other realtors that the street was known for drug dealing.   If this is true ( and I have no reason to disbelieve the person who lives there and reported it)  maybe , finally, the Maplewood police will do something about it. 

If you’re talking about Boyden Pkwy, I highly doubt they’d ignore reports from residents—it’s simply not that easy to: a) get a warrant to raid a house on mere suspicion, b) perform surveillance, particularly without the ability to hole up nearby and, c) deal with the obvious constraints a dead end street brings.  

kthnry said:

spontaneous said:

joan_crystal said:

Then I must be thinking of another killing at a pizza place in Maplewood.  The one I am thinking of took place about 40 years ago.

That pizza place is in Vauxhall I believe, not Maplewood, across from the laundromat that blew up when there was a gas leak. 

Next door to Nunzio's?

The pizza place is across from Nunzios.  The laundromat is on the same side.  IIRC a worker at the laundry mat was closing up and smelled gas, but locked up and went home and called the owner once she was home, at which point it was too late.  I don't think anyone was injured though.

I know nothing about the shooting at the pizza place except that there was one at the pizza place across from that laundromat

joan_crystal said:

Then I must be thinking of another killing at a pizza place in Maplewood.  The one I am thinking of took place about 40 years ago.

Joan, you’re thinking of Joe’s. 

There were at least 4 murders in town last year.  And while there may be explanations for them, that's still 4 murders more than I am comfortable with.

marylago said:

joan_crystal said:

Then I must be thinking of another killing at a pizza place in Maplewood.  The one I am thinking of took place about 40 years ago.

Joan, you’re thinking of Joe’s. 

Thank you.  That is the place I was thinking of.

I can't tell from the articles that have been been published.  Maybe I'm missing something but was AlTariq Brown inside the restaurant when shot or outside on the sidewalk/street?

@Galileo, the murder you are referring to about the young waitress on Valley Street had a suspect:

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/16/archives/jury-begans-its-deliberations-in-the-murder-of-joan-kramer.html

This guy was suspected of being a serial killer, he lived down the street from us before he got divorced (he had a long history of mental instability and domestic violence) and he always gave us the willies. He was also suspected in the double-murder of Mary Prior and Lorraine Kelly in North Jersey, and Jeannette DePalma from Springfield. He was remanded to a state psychiatric hospital following an armed standoff at a VA hospital. 

mem said:

@Galileo, the murder you are referring to about the young waitress on Valley Street had a suspect:

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/16/archives/jury-begans-its-deliberations-in-the-murder-of-joan-kramer.html


This guy was suspected of being a serial killer, he lived down the street from us before he got divorced (he had a long history of mental instability and domestic violence) and he always gave us the willies. He was also suspected in the double-murder of Mary Prior and Lorraine Kelly in North Jersey, and Jeannette DePalma from Springfield. He was remanded to a state psychiatric hospital following an armed standoff at a VA hospital. 

Another article puts his office/apartment at 173 Maplewood Ave... so I guess over Kim’s Nails. Creepshow.

That's scary. Maplewood mightve had a serial killer?

mem said:

@Galileo, the murder you are referring to about the young waitress on Valley Street had a suspect:

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/16/archives/jury-begans-its-deliberations-in-the-murder-of-joan-kramer.html


This guy was suspected of being a serial killer, he lived down the street from us before he got divorced (he had a long history of mental instability and domestic violence) and he always gave us the willies. He was also suspected in the double-murder of Mary Prior and Lorraine Kelly in North Jersey, and Jeannette DePalma from Springfield. He was remanded to a state psychiatric hospital following an armed standoff at a VA hospital. 

I believe this is the murder that Galileo was referring to.  This murder of a young waitress that took place in November 1966.  As far as I know it has never been solved.  She was a waitress at Milt's Cup and Saucer on Maplewood Ave., which no longer exists.  

At that time it was the first murder in Maplewood since 1948.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/11/05/issue.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=ArticleEndCTA®ion=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article

ETA: It's on page 33, according to the NYT page number at the top of the page.  I don't know why it didn't just go to that page when I copied the URL.    

mem said:

@Galileo, the murder you are referring to about the young waitress on Valley Street had a suspect:

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/16/archives/jury-begans-its-deliberations-in-the-murder-of-joan-kramer.html


This guy was suspected of being a serial killer, he lived down the street from us before he got divorced (he had a long history of mental instability and domestic violence) and he always gave us the willies. He was also suspected in the double-murder of Mary Prior and Lorraine Kelly in North Jersey, and Jeannette DePalma from Springfield. He was remanded to a state psychiatric hospital following an armed standoff at a VA hospital. 

I remember that incident from when I was a kid.  The woman was from SO.  I had older sisters and they were terrified.  I remember the news people came to town to report on her disappearance, including a very young Geraldo Rivera.

>>Maplewood mightve had a serial killer?

Bah, serial killers are a dime a dozen. One of the bombers in the first World Trade Center bombing lived on Boyden. (https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/11/nyregion/the-twin-towers-chemical-engineer-is-held-in-the-trade-center-blast.html)

Here's another article on that 1972 incident:

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/12/archives/jerseyan-seized-in-strangulation-accountant-accused-of-72-death-of.html

yahooyahoo said:

I can't tell from the articles that have been been published.  Maybe I'm missing something but was AlTariq Brown inside the restaurant when shot or outside on the sidewalk/street?

None of the news reports I read were that specific. There was no mention of whether or not the shooting occurred in or outside of the restaurant or how many perpetrators were involved.  The press seemed very careful not to even mention the name of the restaurant, but I figured that in time at least the address would be revealed -- which it was.  For good reasons, no one ever wants to be a known witness to such an incident.   

Thank you NoraCharles who found the NYTimes article concerning the young girl's murder. It happened in November,1966. As I said she lived on Jefferson Ave,Maplewood with her parents. Carol Farino was 17 and attended CHS. Her strangled body was found on Sommer Ave,Maplewood. She worked part-time as a waitress where the Roman Gourmet is now. It's a cold case. Murderer never found. That is a good article and really describes the town as it was at that time.

Galileo, per earlier posts, they did have a suspect. Same MO.

Mem - That's a possibility. The murder I'm talking about was 9 years prior. At the time there were rumors that a family member was involved but that was disproved. Then the family of the victim  moved away.

Galileo, I think it may be a good possibility - maybe he was just starting, and that kind of murder was extremely rare, especially for Maplewood - I'm fairly sure he lived here then. We were afraid of him when I was little, and we always felt bad for his kids and their mom - he appeared to be really mean and scary (their house was on the next block). I remember my dad saying he failed lie detector tests but it wasn't enough to to convict. All the older girls were very frightened after Joan Kramer was found.

This has a lot of information about the murder on Springfield Ave.  Who the victim was, exactly where it happened (in the restaurant), etc.  

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2018/03/man_gunned_down_in_maplewood_restaurant_was_a_succ.html