DUI Lawyers in Jefferson, NJ

Emily Van Cleef pitched a masterful eight-inning shutout as Hunterdon Central, No. 15 in the NJ.com Top 20, defeated Jefferson, 1-0, in extra innings in Flemington.

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Van Cleef was dominant on the mound for Hunterdon Central (16-1), striking out 11 batters while allowing just four hits and no walks in her complete-game performance.

The game remained scoreless through the regulation seven innings as both pitchers engaged in an impressive duel.

Jefferson’s Kama Skrek was nearly as effective, striking out eight Hunterdon Central batters while allowing just five hits and one walk over seven innings.

The breakthrough finally came in the bottom of the eighth inning when Paige Seemon delivered the game-winning hit for Hunterdon Central, driving in Cambria Tucker for the walk-off victory.

The Jefferson offense was limited to just four singles, with Kylie Plunkett, Katie Kopera, Kama Skrek, and Gianna Catania each collecting one hit.

For Hunterdon Central, Sara Czarnecki, Cassandra Stallwood, Julia Duggan, Maitland Halsted, and Paige Seemon each recorded one hit in the victory.

The win extends Hunterdon Central’s impressive season record to 16-1, while Jefferson falls to 15-3 despite the strong showing.

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Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff.

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Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media

Boys Lacrosse: Jefferson vs Roxbury, April 7, 2025.

Logan Fitzsimons (17) of Jefferson knocks the ball from Jimmy Murphy (33) of Roxbury during the boys lacrosse game at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, NJ on Monday, April 7, 2025.Get Photo

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Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media

Boys Lacrosse: Jefferson vs Roxbury, April 7, 2025.

Griffin Warsaw (20) of Roxbury and Jamison Reid (13) of Jefferson battle for the ball during the boys lacrosse game at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, NJ on Monday, April 7, 2025.Get Photo

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Josh Hale wasted no time cementing himself as a steady performer.

As a freshman during a record-breaking 2023 season, he became an integral part of the lineup after recording two hits in five of his first eight games.

He finished with 33, a single-season program record for freshmen.

Hale’s upward trajectory continued last year with 40 hits and a .435 average. Through 16 games in 2025, he’s on pace to blow past both of those totals and joined rare company with a major milestone on Friday.

Though Jefferson fell to Pequannock in the first round of the Morris County Tournament, 5-3, Hale went 2-for-3 to reach 100 career hits. His milestone moment came with authority, as he drove a double into the alley in right-center.

He joins Doane Academy’s Jacob Powell as the only two active juniors who have jumped into the 100-hit club out of the 1,484 who have recorded at least one hit this season.

Only four players recorded their 100th hits in their junior seasons in 2024.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working really hard, and past couple weeks, obviously I was getting close and trying not to think about it, trying to hit and it’s tough, but I tried to set it aside.”

Hale picked up hit No. 99 in the top of the first inning with a single to left. As much as he tried to not think about triple digits, he eventually gave in.

“I will admit it was kind of on my mind,” he said. “I tried to flush it, but it was a little hard. When I hit it, I kind of knew it and got excited.”

His consistency in three years has anchored him at the heart of the Jefferson lineup and he pulls through. Hale has gone hitless in just two of 16 games this season and in 16 of 70 career games overall.

“Hitting is obviously really hard,” Hale said. “I personally try to hit all the time, whether it be at Pure Performance or just the winter really is the biggest part. You got to really work in the winter, and that’s where I really try to shine. Getting weight in the weight room and hitting every day really helps.”

That strength is what he points to as his biggest improvement since his freshman year.

“He doesn’t get cheap ones,” said Jefferson head coach Jason Kalish. “Just his physical strength to drive the ball, that’s where I’ve seen (the most growth), but he is incredibly hard working. He hits every day, 365, and he deserves everything he gets.”

After recording the most hits as a freshman in 2023, his 40 last spring set a record for sophomores.

Now with 27 and a .562 average, Hale has the potential to pick up another record. With 100 career hits, he’s already third in program history, according to Kalish, with Brandon Magnotta’s 126 at the top.

Hale isn’t a player who’ll exhaust himself digging into his own stats. It’s all about the team in his mind, but if he stays healthy, there’s a good chance his name will be included in the Jefferson record books a few more times.

“Every kid around our whole team, they always know their stats,” Kalish said. “He, for three years, has had no idea what his stats are. He’s gone 0-for-3 this year in a game and we won and he was so happy. Against Vernon, we lost 3-2 and he went 4-for-4 and he’s upset. (Friday), he went 2-for-3, he got his 100th hit, but he’s more upset that we lost. That’s the kind of kid he is.”

Brian Bobal may be reached at bbobal@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @BrianBobal.

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Cherry Hill West went into Saturday morning with a 7-5 record, and left West Windsor-Plainsboro North High School with an 8-7 record after two losses, one to Old Bridge, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, and West Windsor-Plainsboro North.

In a four-team quad match, Cherry Hill West (8-7) went into its final match of the day against Jefferson, who was also looking for its first victory of the afternoon.

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Jefferson (6-11) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first set, and it was quickly erased, after Cherry Hill West rattled off seven consecutive points to take a 7-3 lead.

Senior Angel Torres Jimenez led the way for Cherry Hill West, contributing two kills and an ace in the first set.

There was a total of five ties in the first set, but Cherry Hill West never fell behind after its slow start, paving the way for a strong and more prepared second set.

“We started off strong, we had to play the No. 1 team in the state (Old Bridge) earlier in the day,” Jimenez said. “That sort of intensity got us going which culminated in us coming out and performing the way we wanted to against Jefferson.”

In the second set, both teams traded blows early on, as there were four lead changes in the infancy stages of the match.

Anthony Francis had four kills in the second set, leading the charge for a Cherry Hill West offense that was also dominated by Jimenez, who had six kills of his own.

The second set was tied 23-23 after Jefferson mounted a small comeback, one that was cut short after Francis earned a kill to fend off the threat.

“Overall, today is the best we have played in the last two weeks,” said Cherry Hill West head coach Scott Arnauer. “Even though it only translated to one win here today against a few other good teams, we battled, and asked the guys to keep a high level of play. I am very pleased with the teams performance and effort.”

While Cherry Hill West has found some success this season, Coach Arnauer has made some adjustments in the past week, switching four out of the seven starters to new positions in hopes to find a different look.

“Everyone has accepted their roles, which has been great,” Arnauer added. “That isn’t an easy thing to do, especially once the season has already been going on for over a month, but I am excited about the new look, it’s all about playing with passion and effort and that is what our guys are going to bring for the rest of the season.”

Cherry Hill West is currently 4-4 in conference play, and is tied for third place in the Olympic-American division.

Jefferson finds itself on a five game losing streak, but is still 6-5 in the NJAC, good for fourth place in the conference.

“On the day we played three games in a row,” Jefferson head coach Gino Rose said. “It is definitely something that isn’t easy to do and out guys got a little fatigued at the end there. Our goals for the remainder of the season stay the same, we want to move up and get more power points, and that will happen by continuing to battle and pick up wins along the way.”

Tyler Duffy can be reached at tduffy@njadvancemedia.com.

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Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Tuesday that sets aside nearly $29 million for 17 dam restoration and repair projects across New Jersey.

The bill (S-2594/A-3951) allocates funding for several key dam project loans, including a handful in Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties. Among them are a $4.7 million loan to the Lake Winona Civic Association in Jefferson Township and multiple loans for dam projects in West Milford: $3 million to the Mount Glen Lakes Association, $350,000 to the Farm Crest Acres Association, and $1.75 million to High Crest Lake Lodge Inc., in two separate loans.

The bill is also set to fund a $3 million loan to Mountain Creek Resort for the Mountain Creek Lake Dam in Vernon Township and a $100,000 loan for the Lake Swannanoa Dam in Jefferson.

State Sen. Anthony M. Bucco, a primary sponsor of the bill, who represents residents in West Milford and parts of Morris County, said he was pleased that the projects would be moving forward.

"These critical dam repairs will preserve and protect our local environment, which is critical to our quality of life,” he said. “This funding will also protect the flow of clean drinking water to communities throughout the state, support recreational activities and provide habitats for fish and wildlife.”

The bill, approved by members of the state Assembly in March, taps into funding generated from two bond acts: $22.4 million from the 2003 Dam, Lake, Stream, Flood Control, Water Resources and Wastewater Treatment Project Bond Act and $6.2 million from the 1992 Green Acres, Clean Water, Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act. Originally introduced in 2022, the bill was approved by members of the state Senate in May 2024.

Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, another of the bill's primary sponsors from the state's northwest, said Tuesday that the legislation should have been moved through the Statehouse much more quickly, with major storms like Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 demonstrating that dam safety can pose serious challenges in New Jersey.

“Sussex County is home to the most dams in New Jersey. We also have a large portion of dams that would cause significant destruction and economic losses if they were to fail,” Fantasia said. “Although New Jersey has been largely fortunate to be spared from catastrophic dam failures, even small failures can cause damage that come with hefty cleanup costs.”

The Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Dam Safety reports that the state is home to 1,730 regulated dams. Almost half are privately owned, many by lake associations that often rely on partnerships with local governments to secure loans for dam repairs, related projects and administrative costs.

New Jersey has about 11,300 bodies of water, DEP records show. Roughly 1,900 cover more than 5 acres, are at least 1 meter deep and are classified as lakes by the state for monitoring purposes.

The vast majority of those lakes are artificial, created for anything from irrigation and recreation to milling and mining. It is estimated that the number of naturally occurring lakes in the state is 60 to 70, DEP records show. All those are found in the state's north, where glaciers last shaped the landscape around 21,000 years ago.

The funds from the 2003 bond act support 13 projects, including High Crest Lake Dam, Mount Glen Dam, Lake Winona Dam and several others across the state. The 1992 bond act will provide funding for four additional projects: Mountain Creek Lake Dam, Silver Lake Dam, Lake Garrison Dam and Swannanoa Lake Dam.