ROCKAWAY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp announces that the Morris County Grand Jury has returned an Indictment against Bhavuk Uppal, 23, with a last known address in Mountain Lakes, charging him with various crimes related to the July 11, 2015 motor vehicle crash that left three dead and two injured.

During the early morning hours of July 11, 2015, a motor vehicle crash occurred involving multiple vehicles on Route 80 westbound in Rockaway Township.  Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that Defendant crashed his motor vehicle into the rear of one vehicle, a Kia, which then caused that vehicle to collide with the vehicle in front of it, a Jeep. Uppal was driving a 2014 Cadillac Escalade.

The crash resulted in the death of the three occupants in the first vehicle struck, a Kia, and injuries to the two occupants in the second vehicle, a Jeep.  It is alleged that Defendant operated his vehicle recklessly, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life. It is also alleged that at the time of this incident, Defendant was operating a vehicle recklessly, in part, by speeding, driving while having a suspended license, and being under the influence of alcohol and narcotics.

The impact of the collision sent the 2004 Kia Sedan crashing into a Jeep located in front of it. Flames consumed the Kia, killing Briana Mae Anderson, 21; her fiance, Edward Russell Hitt, 24, and their 18-month-old daughter, Charlotte Reagan Hitt, all of Jeffersontown, Kentucky. Anderson was 18 weeks’ pregnant at the time of the crash, a fact which her family only discovered via news reports of her death.

The occupants of the Jeep were treated for minor injuries.

Uppal’s prior criminal history includes six arrests since 2009 on charges ranging from theft to failing to turn over a controlled dangerous substance to law enforcement, Troiano said.

On May 19, 2016, the Morris County Grand Jury returned an Indictment formally charging Defendant with three (3) counts of Aggravated Manslaughter, crimes of the first degree, three (3) counts of Death by Auto, crimes of the second degree, three (3) counts of Death Caused While Driving with a Suspended License, crimes of the third degree, two (2) counts of Assault by Auto, crimes of the fourth degree, and two (2) counts of Unlawful Taking of Means of Conveyance, crimes of the third and fourth degree.  Defendant was previously charged by way of a summons-complaint with Possession of Hypodermic Needle, a disorderly persons offense, which is also related to this incident.

Defendant remains in the custody at the Morris County Correctional Facility, with a bail set at $750,000 cash, bond or property.

Members of the New Jersey State Police and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit contributed to this ongoing investigation and prosecution.

If anyone has any information related to this investigation, they are encouraged to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6200.

The family of Anderson has retained an attorney to file a lawsuit against the driver believed to be responsible for the crash. While the attorney does not plan to file a lawsuit immediately, he described his intentions to protect the family’s interests throughout the criminal investigation, and to ensure that evidence of Uppal’s responsibility remains protected until a civil trial can move forward. The attorney will also be investigating other possible causes of the accident and deaths, including whether or not Uppal was served an excess of alcohol before driving that night, such that the bar might be responsible in part for the deaths, or if the Kia was defective in some way, leading to the vehicle becoming engulfed in flames in an accident that may otherwise have been survivable.

Editors Note: Despite this Indictment, the Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

PARSIPPANY — Police say they busted a marijuana grow operation Tuesday being run out of a Force Place home, arresting two neighbors and seizing dozens of plants. The owner of the home, Barton R. Harris, 58, was arrested when police executed a search warrant there. Also arrested was 40-year-old Matthew Greist, who was at the house…

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Officers responded to the Saint Christopher’s Church located at 1050 Littleton Road where they were met by a priest who stated that between 5:20 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, unknown actor(s) burglarized the rectory by forcing entry through a rear door.

The church’s collection money in an undisclosed amount was taken during the burglary. The Parsippany Police Investigative Division and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division responded for investigation.

Anyone with information can contact the Parsippany Police at (973) 263-4311.

PARSIPPANY — Reports of a working electrical fire at Care One, 200 Madzabrook Road, were reported at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 15. It was reported a heater on the first floor malfunctioned.

Parsippany-Troy Hills Fire District 5 and 6, and Lake Hiawatha Volunteer Fire Department District 4 Rapid Intervention Crew were called to the scene.  Also Boonton Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC) was also requested at the scene.

Rockaway Neck Volunteer Ambulance Squad and Parsippany Volunteer Ambulance Squad are also at the scene.

Lake Hiawatha Fire District 4 was requested to assist in the evacuations of the residents. Members of the Office of Emergency Management are on scene.

Parsippany Focus will update this story as additional details become available.

PARSIPPANY — Edward M. Stanel, 25, Parsippany was one of the five men appearing in federal court on Thursday, May 12 to face charges for their roles in a heroin distribution conspiracy that reached from Bronx, New York, to Paterson and suburban communities in New York and New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

Also appearing in federal court with Stanel was Charlie Rodriguez, 32, Paterson, Reinaldo Rodriguez, 27, Paterson, Victor Alfonso Alvarez Martinez, 26, Bronx, New York,  and Joseph Trimarco, 28, Stony Point, New York, are charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin. Martinez and Trimarco were arrested Wednesday night, May 11. The rest were arrested on Thursday morning, May 12. All five defendants appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.

According to the complaint from June 2015 through May 2016, the defendants participated in a drug trafficking organization that amassed wholesale quantities of heroin at multiple locations in and around Bronx and used couriers to deliver large quantities of that heroin to mid-level drug dealers operating in and around Paterson. The heroin was either sold in the Paterson area or re-distributed to street-level drug dealers in suburban areas, including but not limited to, Morris County and Rockland County, New York.

In addition to the defendants who appeared in court today, Juan Pablo Goris-Castellano, 25, Bronx, Edwin Lopez, 30, Elmwood Park, and Carolina Almonte, 27, Bronx, were charged on April 20, 2016 in a separate but related federal criminal complaint with conspiring to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.

Goris-Castellano, who was based out of Bronx, packaged and then distributed large quantities of heroin to Lopez, who operated out of Paterson.

Almonte and Martinez brought the heroin to Lopez and returned to Goris-Castellano with Lopez’s payment. Lopez then sold portions of that heroin to Charlie Rodriguez, who worked closely with Reinaldo Rodriguez to re-sell portions of that heroin to street-level dealers in Paterson and to street-level dealers in suburban areas including Stanel who operated in Morris County and Trimarco who operated in Rockland County.

The drug distribution conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a maximum $10 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara F. Merin of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.

This case was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

Editors Note: A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department is now accepting applications from its residents for enrollment in the 2016 Citizen’s Police Academy.

The Citizen’s Police Academy is a ten-week program designed to give the participants a working knowledge of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department.

The goal is to increase communication and partnership between the citizens and the police through education and discussion in order to establish a safer community.

The series consist of sessions held once a week, on Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. starting Thursday, September 22.

The classes provide an in-depth view into various areas of law enforcement such as criminal investigations, neighborhood watch, crime prevention, firearms, use of force and advancements in technology utilized in law enforcement today. It is an educational and informative program that allows citizens the opportunity to learn about the issues that affect law enforcement efforts in the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills.

Class size is limited to approximately twenty students and there is no cost to anyone attending the academy.

When residents take a more personal interest in the protection of their community and neighborhoods, they enjoy a safer and closer relationship with their neighbors.

It is the hope that the graduates become partners in identifying problems and solutions to the crime and safety issues that are affecting our community.

Community Oriented Policing plays an important and vital role in reducing crime.

Graduates of the academy are able to take what they have learned back into their neighborhoods where they can utilize it to enhance the quality of neighborhood life. Upon completion of the course with a minimum attendance of eight classes, graduates will receive a diploma, and a class photo.

Click here to download the application which can be downloaded and mailed or saved to a computer and e-mailed directly to us.

For more information or to receive an application by mail, please call Officer Remo D’Alessandro at (973) 263-4383.

Applications will be accepted until Monday, August 22 or until the class is filled.