Father Kills Son, 11, Self in Murder-Suicide in Scotch Plains by FRED T
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, September 11, 2014 OUR 124th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 37-2014 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com [email protected] SEVENTY FIVE CENTS Father Kills Son, 11, Self In Murder-Suicide in Scotch Plains By FRED T. ROSSI mises, they found the bodies of Jens did ignite the clothes and parts of the Specially Written for The Westfield Leader Eberling and his son, Thomas home were burned, but said a larger SCOTCH PLAINS — Law en- Eberling. Acting county prosecutor fire did not result; most of the clothes, forcement officials said a 48-year- Grace Park said a joint investigation he said, were merely smoldering old father killed his 11-year-old son by her office’s homicide task force when police arrived. The fire depart- last week, then attempted without and the township police department ment responded to extinguish the lin- success to set his Jerusalem Road revealed that both died from gun- gering effects of the fire. house on fire before killing himself. shots from a rifle found at the pre- Chief Mahoney told The Leader Township police arrived at the mises. the scene was “one of the worst I’ve home on Saturday morning after re- It was surmised that after shooting ever seen. Who takes the life of an 11- ceiving a telephone call from the his son late last week, the father, in an year-old child?” boy’s mother, who was involved in a attempt to burn down the house, then In the days after the bodies were custody dispute with the father and stuffed clothing into the kitchen oven discovered, there were rumors that had not been in contact with her son and laid out more clothing in a trail the two individuals had died in a fire in several days. When officers ap- leading from the oven through the and questions that perhaps a third proached the Cape Cod-style home kitchen and living room and into a person had committed the killings. located a block from Mountain Av- bedroom in hopes of igniting a larger For most of the day last Saturday, enue, they could hear the carbon fire. police cars and a crime-scene van monoxide alarms beeping inside. Police Chief Brian Mahoney told from the Union County Sheriff’s After forcibly entering the pre- The Westfield Leader that the oven Office were parked on Jerusalem Road, a segment of which was blocked off to cars. Officers and other law enforcement personnel could be seen entering and exiting the home at 330 Jerusalem Road while others ex- amined the home’s exterior and its yard. According to a NJ Advance Media report for nj.com, the father and son Paul Lachenauer for The Westfield Leader had lived in the house less than a NEVER FORGET...Members of the Westfield Police Department Color Guard and Fire Department march in the 9/11 month. ceremonies held at Memorial Park on September 11, 2011 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in The report said Thomas Eberling New York City and Washington, D.C. Westfield will hold a ceremony tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the 9/11 Memorial. was a gifted chess player, ranked fifth in the country in his age group, and that the Elberlings were members at the Chessmates chess club in Rahway. Adam’s Tavern Approved Westfield Leader archives show that Thomas had been a member of the Westfield Chess Club. For Former Acquaviva Site NJ Advance Media reported that Thomas had been a student at Oak By LAUREN S. BARR Trap Rock in Berkeley Heights, got called it “a welcome addition to Specially Written for The Westfield Leader Paul Lachenauer for The Westfield Leader Knoll School of the Holy Child in the green light from the board to that part of the Elm Street SNIFF TEST...Customers stop to smell the apples at the Cranford Farmers’ Summit. WESTFIELD – At last week’s reconstruct and add onto the former streetscape.” Market held September 4 in the municipal parking lot on North Union Avenue. Jens Eberling’s wife, Kate Chou, planning board meeting the board Acquaviva site on Elm Street for its The board also approved an ap- had filed for divorce from her hus- gave unanimous support to a con- new restaurant, Adam’s Tavern. plication for an addition to 354 band in May, according to the report. struction application for Adam’s Under the approved plan, the South Avenue East along with a New Storage Pipes to Alleviate According to Mr. Eberling’s Tavern at 115 Elm Street and an building will receive a second-floor new parking lot by paving a grassy LinkedIn account, he was a project addition with new parking at 352 addition, as well as a remodeled area that exists between 354 and manager for TKJ International, a and 354 South Avenue. ground floor. The new second floor 352 South Avenue East. The exist- Flooding on High Street market developer company for new The Harvest Restaurant Group, will house dining space and an out- ing two-family home on the prop- By CHRISTINA M. HINKE mean ripping up the parking lot and products including renewable energy. owners of 11 restaurants including door herb garden. erty will be completely gutted while Specially Written for The Westfield Leader laying new outflow pipes to the Rahway CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 the Huntley Tavern in Summit and While the applicant requested and adding a 540-square-foot addition CRANFORD — Construction will River that are larger in diameter, which was granted eight variances, sev- to allow for office space on the begin Monday on High Street to install would require New Jersey Department eral of them were pre-existing con- entire first floor. The second floor new water pipes underground for storm of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Freeholders to Vote on Capital ditions or improvements over vari- will house a two-bedroom apart- water storage, Township Engineer Carl permits. ances granted to the prior restau- ment and a three-bedroom apart- O’Brien said Monday at the township Orchard Brook improvements are at rant. A variance was granted for a ment, while the third floor will committee workshop meeting. Some another standstill. “You have permits, Improvement Contracts 1.67-foot roof overhang, pending house a one-bedroom apartment. committee members questioned if this you have some easements… But that By PAUL J. PEYTON era and Video Service of Spring- an easement with Carol Greco, the Professional Planner Kevin was a “Band-Aid” or a permanent fix. was all approved under a previous per- Specially Written for The Westfield Leader field for the purchase and installa- owner of the driveway which bor- O’Brien said the existing gravel “It will alleviate some of it. When the mit a while ago…. None of it is valid COUNTY — The Union County tion of a CaseCracker Premium ders the building. Ms. Greco had driveway between the two build- intersection does flood it goes up to two anymore…from what today’s standards Freeholder Board is expected to vote System for investigative interviews. provided the board with a letter ings will be paved and striped to to three feet against the building,” Mr. are,” Mr. O’Brien said. He said he tonight to approve a number of con- It is the same system used by the indicating that she would be will- allow for 17 delineated parking O’Brien said. would set up a meeting with the NJDEP tracts for capital improvements. county police and prosecutor’s of- ing to grant an easement. spaces. He said that the new park- The property owner of Riverfront at to discuss the previous plans and find Among the contracts are con- fice. Chester Grabowski, the owner of ing area will remove cars from the Cranford Station, which is on the cor- out how the township can move for- struction of a handicapped-acces- The county is once again set to Harvest Restaurant Group, said that street where they are currently ner of High Street and South Avenue, ward with the project. The project has sible fishing dock to be located at enter a three-month grant agree- the new restaurant will be open parked. was told by Mr. O’Brien to lay new been delayed for about 10 to 20 years, Warinanco Park in Roselle. The ment with the U.S. Department of seven days a week, from 11:30 a.m. Board member Robert Newell pipes, Mr. O’Brien said. This work and the brook is only getting worse, $24,680 contract to be awarded to Health and Human Services, Office to 12 a.m., and will feature new called it a “good proposal” that would be in conjunction with the town- Mayor Andis Kalnins told The Westfield Harbor Consultants, Inc. of Cran- of Refugee Resettlement, Division American cuisine. “definitely cleans up the neighbor- ship laying down two, 12-inch pipes on Leader. He said he is hopeful ford is for engineering services. of Unaccompanied Children’s Ser- Board member Frank Smith hood.” High Street up to Chestnut Street for homeowners along the brook will be USA Architects Planners and In- vice (DUCS) for $271,190 for 10 additional storage of rain water. more sympathetic to the flooding is- terior Designers, of Somerville, is beds at the county’s juvenile deten- “They said they were supposed to fix sues in the township given the after- set to receive a $146,000 contract tion center in Linden for unaccom- that problem,” Commissioner Robert math of Hurricane Irene and will begin for design and construction admin- panied and undocumented children D’Ambola said of the property owner to allow the easements.