Gravestone Maker Defrauded 500 Grieving Families, Feds Say: Top 5 NJ Stories

Good evening, New Jersey Patch readers! We've assembled some of the most share-worthy stories from the state for today, just for you.

Here are the top five stories from across New Jersey:

1. Officials said an 8-year-old boy died after he was hit by an SUV on Tuesday evening in Parsippany. The child is believed to have been on a bicycle when the driver of a 2022 Mazda CX5 struck him, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. Read More.

2. A local woman and Navy veteran who received the first-ever combined mechanical heart pump and gene-edited pig kidney transplant has died at 54. Read More.

3. A self-proclaimed Wawa connoisseur has reached a new level of super-fandom. He's collected one of every Wawa order slip, from 0 through 999. Read More.

4. A Manchester Township man repeatedly told police to shoot him and that he expected to die during a standoff in December that ended with his death, video of the incident released Wednesday shows. Read More.

5. A Pennsylvania man who ran a custom headstone and engraving service failed to provide the service he promised to hundreds of his grieving customers around New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Read More.