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Roselle Park: During January 2008 - one day it was an unusual 75 degrees. My husband (older man in 50's) was walking in Roselle Park on weekday around Walnut Ave. & East Clay -midafternoon. A convertible car with top down pulled over from the other side of the street in opposite direction. There were 4 men in car with ski masks on (remember, it was sunny and about 75 degrees that day - you did not need a ski mask to keep warm that day). They eyed him up and down (I guess to determine if he had anything of value to take?). My husband, who still thinks he's 25 and buff, glared back at them. Thankfully they just laughed at him and drove away. We have seen the deterioration in the Union Township/Roselle Park area for the past few years and Kenilworth is next. I am originally from Newark/Irvington area & this area (Union Twp/Roselle Park) is beginning to feel the crime stats increasing in the same way that the Irvington/Newak border did 20 years ago. The Maplewood/Irvington/Newark border was hit with higher crime 20 years ago as well. I have relatives still in West Ward of Newark near South Orange and they hear gun shots quite often; neighbors on the block shoot off "38s" on holidays like 4th of July. Even a stray bullet is unwanted. I've been "down this road" for over 30 years now watching crime increasing in the towns and having to constantly move out to get a little further away from the crime each time I move. What's next? I suppose I will have to either move over the Driscoll Bridge or go southwest into Somerset County/Mercer County area or western Union county. If only I could afford it.....
Now some of you want proof that the crime exists and I can only say check the statisics on the County's crime reports. As for me, while in Newark we had a car stolen in our family and while in Irvington we've had our car vandalised twice. While in Irvington a friend of mine (female age 40) was punched in the face and robbed (25 years ago) - and I am sure it hasn't gotten any better.
Earlier this year 2009 a friend of mine was in Rt. 22 W parking lot of Pathmark/Best Buy and an attempted abduction was done to her. She's about 65 years old! 2 vans pulled up as she got out of her car and they were blasting music to act as a "cover." A man started pulling her into an open van but a bystander (man) saw what was going on. At first she thought he was part of the scheme but he was pulling her away from the man in the van. When she was rescued, the vans pulled off onto Rt. 22 West and when called by cellphone by the hero man, the police refused to come to the scene siting that it's too late: the vans were gone and neither of them got the plate number of the vans in all the excitement. So much for Union Township....She doesn't live in Union Twp. but up until that point she was about to move back into Union from Millburn but changed her mind after this incident.
I attended the grammar school in Newark where those teenagers were executed in the playground in broad daylight a couple of years ago. My mother lives just a few blocks from there in Newark. I visit her, but only during daylight hours and I bug out before sunset. She can't receive any mail larger than a manila evelope because the mailman can't get into her building because the front door is locked - so he has to push the mail throught the "mail slot." Last time the door was unlocked, their mail was stolen from the vestibule. These are also the little nonsenses you have to put up with when living in a bad area. I've been living in Union for many years and just recently the mail in our hall has begun to get stolen. So it's starting in Union too.
My sister in law in Maplewood on Irvington border told me that several months (Fall 2008) ago someone tried to pry their front door open during the night but were unsuccessful. We saw the mauling of the wooden door for ourselves.
I think Union Twp. can be compared to be the same as Linden was about 5 years ago, but maybe not Elizabeth yet.
Roselle Park: During January 2008 - one day it was an unusual 75 degrees. My husband (older man in 50's) was walking in Roselle Park on weekday around Walnut Ave. & East Clay -midafternoon. A convertible car with top down pulled over from the other side of the street in opposite direction. There were 4 men in car with ski masks on (remember, it was sunny and about 75 degrees that day - you did not need a ski mask to keep warm that day). They eyed him up and down (I guess to determine if he had anything of value to take?). My husband, who still thinks he's 25 and buff, glared back at them. Thankfully they just laughed at him and drove away. We have seen the deterioration in the Union Township/Roselle Park area for the past few years and Kenilworth is next. I am originally from Newark/Irvington area & this area (Union Twp/Roselle Park) is beginning to feel the crime stats increasing in the same way that the Irvington/Newak border did 20 years ago. The Maplewood/Irvington/Newark border was hit with higher crime 20 years ago as well. I have relatives still in West Ward of Newark near South Orange and they hear gun shots quite often; neighbors on the block shoot off "38s" on holidays like 4th of July. Even a stray bullet is unwanted. I've been "down this road" for over 30 years now watching crime increasing in the towns and having to constantly move out to get a little further away from the crime each time I move. What's next? I suppose I will have to either move over the Driscoll Bridge or go southwest into Somerset County/Mercer County area or western Union county. If only I could afford it.....
Now some of you want proof that the crime exists and I can only say check the statisics on the County's crime reports. As for me, while in Newark we had a car stolen in our family and while in Irvington we've had our car vandalised twice. While in Irvington a friend of mine (female age 40) was punched in the face and robbed (25 years ago) - and I am sure it hasn't gotten any better.
Earlier this year 2009 a friend of mine was in Rt. 22 W parking lot of Pathmark/Best Buy and an attempted abduction was done to her. She's about 65 years old! 2 vans pulled up as she got out of her car and they were blasting music to act as a "cover." A man started pulling her into an open van but a bystander (man) saw what was going on. At first she thought he was part of the scheme but he was pulling her away from the man in the van. When she was rescued, the vans pulled off onto Rt. 22 West and when called by cellphone by the hero man, the police refused to come to the scene siting that it's too late: the vans were gone and neither of them got the plate number of the vans in all the excitement. So much for Union Township....She doesn't live in Union Twp. but up until that point she was about to move back into Union from Millburn but changed her mind after this incident.
I attended the grammar school in Newark where those teenagers were executed in the playground in broad daylight a couple of years ago. My mother lives just a few blocks from there in Newark. I visit her, but only during daylight hours and I bug out before sunset. She can't receive any mail larger than a manila evelope because the mailman can't get into her building because the front door is locked - so he has to push the mail throught the "mail slot." Last time the door was unlocked, their mail was stolen from the vestibule. These are also the little nonsenses you have to put up with when living in a bad area. I've been living in Union for many years and just recently the mail in our hall has begun to get stolen. So it's starting in Union too.
My sister in law in Maplewood on Irvington border told me that several months (Fall 2008) ago someone tried to pry their front door open during the night but were unsuccessful. We saw the mauling of the wooden door for ourselves.
I think Union Twp. can be compared to be the same as Linden was about 5 years ago, but maybe not Elizabeth yet.
I would say Union is what Linden was probably 10 years ago, but a far cry from what Elizabeth is now.
Some people like living in hell. I remember in school there was this girl that moved from Irvington and we had to write essay about our town. SHe wrote that she hates Union and thats its a Brady Bunch town because when she leaves her house nothing happens and that is boring. I think she liked hell because they moved out of town couple years later (probably to better place that has shootings, robbieries not a boring Brady Bunch town)
Elizabeth is actually steeped in early American history, you just have to wade through a lot of present living to see it. George Washington, Christopher Columbus, 1600's, all that stuff. It's where it all began.
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