A New York Police Department Mounted Unit Officer handcuffs a suspected purse thief following a full gallop chase down a Manhattan Street in broad daylight. Photo courtesy of NBC New York
NEW YORK CITY (CNBNews)(April 21, 2026)— A dramatic scene played out on the Upper West Side on April 15 when an NYPD Mounted Unit officer, patrolling the neighborhood on horseback, chased down a robbery suspect in broad daylight.
According to police, the officer was riding Kelly, a retired racehorse now serving with the Mounted Unit, when a woman allegedly snatched a purse near West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. NYPD body‑camera footage shows the officer urging Kelly into a full gallop as they pursued the fleeing suspect through the busy Manhattan corridor.
The NYPD later commented on the unusual takedown, saying, “Whether on foot or on hooves, our officers are always ready.”
With help from a witness who pointed out the direction of travel, the officer closed in, recovered the stolen purse, and took the alleged purse thief into custody.
According to the Toms River Patch, Kelly was rescued by the Standardbred Retirement Foundation from a “kill pen” in 2020, the foundation’s Executive Director, Judy Bokman, told Patch. The Eyewitness News ABC7NY video below captures the chase and arrest as it unfolded.
BENSALEM, PA (CNBNEWS)(April At 8:53 PM on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, Bensalem Police responded to the parking lot at Parx Casino regarding an unattended child inside a vehicle.
Leola Dualuqua, age 37
Upon arrival, officers located a 14-month-old child in the backseat of a locked vehicle that was not running, with the windows closed. The child appeared to be sleeping but was visibly sweating, as outside temperatures were in the mid-80s.
Officers were able to gain entry to the vehicle and safely remove the child. The child’s father was contacted, and Bensalem EMS transported the child to St. Mary Medical Center, where he was evaluated and later released to his father.
Delawareans are invited to celebrate Earth Day with hikes, cleanups, tree plantings and other programs at parks and public spaces across the state through the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Parks and Recreation.
“Earth Day is an opportunity to celebrate the rich natural resources we have in the state of Delaware and contribute to efforts to maintain it for generations to come,” said Matt Ritter, director of the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. “As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Delaware State Parks, it is a great opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments we have made since 1951 and to look forward to new and exciting initiatives to continue to preserve our precious environment.”
Dover Motor Speedway will open its gates to fans for a special Open House event on Thursday, April 30, beginning at noon, featuring 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski. The event will serve to preview the NASCAR All-Star Race Weekend set to take the track just 2 weeks later, May 15-17.
Delaware DNREC and the Center for the Inland Bays host the Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale, a family-friendly and free admission event at James Farm Ecological Preserve from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 2.
K9 Cooper succumbed to heat exhaustion after being left in an unmarked police car. The vehicle was left running, and K9 Cooper’s handler believed the air conditioner was on. Because it was an unmarked patrol vehicle, it was not equipped with a temperature monitor. K9 Cooper had served with the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department for over three years, assigned to the drug unit.
Dover Motor Speedway’s Fan Zone will expand in a big way during NASCAR All-Star Weekend, May 15-17 with the debut of All-Star Village at The Monster Mile. Serving as a new hub for race weekend, All-Star Village will bring together live entertainment, interactive attractions and NASCAR-themed displays, giving fans even more to explore across the property.
Spanning more than two acres and located just steps from the Monster Monument and adjacent to Miles Beach, All-Star Village helps create the largest active Fan Zone footprint in Speedway history, adding even more entertainment, energy and space for fans throughout race weekend.
Chronicling Five Decades in the Newsroom—From the Newark Riots to Undercover Investigations
Gloucester City, NJ — January 2026 — After more than 50 years shaping public discourse across South Jersey and Philadelphia, journalist and editor William E. Cleary Sr. announces the release of his memoir, From Pen to Paper: Lessons From a Lifetime in the Newsroom. The book offers a candid, insightful look into the triumphs, trials, and truths of a career devoted to public service journalism—and a life shaped by service long before he ever picked up a pen.
Part memoir and part guidebook, From Pen to Paper traces Cleary’s journey from on-the-scene reporting to editorial leadership, revealing the tools of the trade and the unwritten rules that define the profession. With wit and wisdom, Cleary shares stories from inside the newsroom—where deadlines loom, facts matter, and integrity is non-negotiable. But the book also ventures beyond the newsroom, into the streets of a burning city and the shadowy world of organized crime.
Before Cleary became a journalist, he was a soldier. In July 1967, as a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard’s 50th Armored Division, 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment—the legendary “Jersey Blues”—Cleary was among 3,000 troops deployed to Newark during one of the most violent urban uprisings in American history.
“The Newark riot happened 57 years ago, but the memory is still fresh,” Cleary writes. “Some of us who were there called it ‘The Battle of Newark.’”
On the morning of July 12, 1967, Cleary was working as a mailman at the Gloucester City Post Office when his supervisor pulled him aside. Governor Richard Hughes had activated the Guard. Cleary was ordered to report immediately to the Pitman Armory—no phone calls, no detours home.
“As I drove south on Route 47, my mind raced,” he recalls. “I knew nothing about riots in Newark. But I did know there were reports about National Guard Units being sent to Vietnam and Berlin, Germany—both hot spots in the ’60s, oceans away.”
For five harrowing days, Cleary and his squad—a tight-knit group of young men from Gloucester City, Brooklawn, and surrounding towns—patrolled the streets of Newark as fires raged and tensions boiled over. The experience left an indelible mark on the young guardsman, shaping his understanding of civic duty, community, and the fragility of social order.
“In those days, the Gloucester guys were always there for each other,” Cleary writes. “If you found yourself in trouble, you could count on your friends to have your back. It was an unspoken bond.”
That sense of duty would follow Cleary into journalism, where he built a reputation for asking tough questions and holding power accountable.
An Enigmatic Visitor and a Three-Month Investigation
Twenty-two years later, on a sweltering Monday afternoon in July 1989, Cleary’s integrity would be tested differently.
He was four years into ownership of the Gloucester City News when a tall, impeccably dressed man walked into his office. The stranger—whom Cleary refers to in the book as “Mr. Smith”—claimed he operated in “heavyweight circles” and had been told that anyone wanting to do business in Gloucester City needed to consult Bill Cleary first.
Smith’s associate, “Mr. Jones,” was allegedly connected to an area mob boss. Their pitch: a lucrative waterfront development deal.
Cleary immediately smelled trouble. After the meeting, he worked the phones, reaching out to contacts across law enforcement. One call went to a New Jersey State Trooper he’d known since childhood. That trooper escalated the matter to his superior, Lieutenant Michael Lyons.
What followed was a three-month covert operation. At the request of the State Police, Cleary continued meeting with Smith and Jones, gathering intelligence while investigators worked behind the scenes.
“I thought they were targeting Mayor Bevan,” Cleary recalls. “But the State Police and others eventually made it clear: I was the target. They wanted to compromise the newspaper.”
The investigation revealed an attempted shakedown—an effort to intimidate or buy influence over the one institution in town that held a mirror to power. Cleary’s cooperation with law enforcement helped expose the scheme, and neither man was ever charged, though their plans were thwarted.
The incident underscored a principle Cleary had lived by since his first days in the newsroom: “Journalism isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for those willing to chase the truth, even when it’s inconvenient.”
A Career Defined by Tenacity and Integrity
Cleary began his journalism career in 1968, covering local government, public safety, and community life for the Gloucester City News and the Camden County Record. In 1978, he was named editor of both weekly newspapers, solidifying his reputation for investigative rigor and editorial leadership.
In 1984, Cleary and his wife, Connie, purchased the Gloucester City News, guiding the paper through two decades of growth and community service. After selling the newspaper in 2004, Cleary launched Cleary’s Notebook News (CNBNews)—one of South Jersey’s earliest independent online news platforms.
Today, at 82, he continues his in-depth reporting on the South Jersey and Philadelphia region, maintaining the same commitment to truth and public service that has defined his entire career.
A Memoir for Journalists and Citizens Alike
From Pen to Paper is more than a journalist’s memoir—it’s a testament to the power of local news, the importance of ethical leadership, and the courage required to stand firm when pressures mount. Whether recounting his days on patrol in Newark, his battles with deadlines and sources, or his face-to-face meetings with alleged mobsters, Cleary writes with clarity, humor, and hard-earned wisdom.
The book is essential reading for aspiring journalists, students of history, and anyone who believes in the vital role of a free press in a functioning democracy.
Availability
From Pen to Paper: Lessons From a Lifetime in the Newsroom eBook: $9.99 | Paperback: $16.99 Available Monday, February 3, 2026, on Amazon/Kindle
About the Author
William E. Cleary Sr. is a veteran journalist with a career spanning more than five decades. He began reporting in 1968 for the Gloucester City News and the Camden County Record, covering local government, public safety, and community life with tenacity and integrity.
In 1978, Cleary was named editor of both weekly newspapers, a role that solidified his reputation for investigative rigor and editorial leadership. In 1984, he and his wife Connie purchased the Gloucester City News, guiding the paper through two decades of growth and community service.
After selling the newspaper in 2004, Cleary launched Cleary’s Notebook News in 2006 (CNBNews)—one of South Jersey’s earliest independent online news platforms. Today, at 81, he continues his in-depth reporting on the South Jersey and Philadelphia region, maintaining the same commitment to truth and public service that has defined his entire career.
The DRBC and its River Basin Commission partners are hosting a free, public webinar on Data Centers: What About Water? on April 16, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The webinar will explore how water factors into the rise of data centers, why it matters for our communities and shared resources and the role of interstate River Basin Commissions. Learn more and register at https://www.nj.gov/drbc/programs/supply/datacenters.html#webinar.
DRBC Sr. Chemist/Toxicologist Dr. Jeremy Conkle will be one of the presenters at an upcoming webinar hosted by the New Jersey Section of the American Water Resources Association (NJ-AWRA). The April 23, 2026, webinar will take place from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will focus on PFAS: Toxicology, Data Collection and Treatment. Conkle’s presentation is entitled “Twenty years of PFAS data in the Delaware River Basin: Just scratching the surfactant.” Learn more and register at https://njawra.org/event-6626649.
Electric scooters and electric bikes have flooded into Gloucester City and surrounding towns, and the results are becoming harder to ignore. What began as a convenient way to get around has quickly turned into a safety problem for anyone who uses our sidewalks, jogging paths, or neighborhood streets responsibly.
The danger isn’t theoretical. On my daily walks with Sweetie, I’ve had kids on these motorized bikes come up behind us without a sound. These machines make no noise, so you can’t hear them approaching until they’re already on top of you. More than once, a rider has blown past us at high speed, leaving no time to react. In one instance, a teenager on an e‑bike came straight at the dog and me, expecting us to move aside. I was forced to step off the path or be hit. That’s not “sharing the road”—that’s intimidation.
