Clarence Clemons Performs National Anthem: Marlins/Mets Opening Day '11

Jose Reyes Out for up to a Week, Grandmother Dies

Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will be out up to a week on bereavement leave as his grandmother has died. With Reyes gone, the Mets' entire infield is now different than it was on Opening Day.

Plane, Helicopter Collide Over Hudson River Near Hoboken; One Dead

A plane and helicopter have collided over the Hudson River near Hoboken, CNN is reporting. Another media outlet is reporting that at least one person has been pulled from the river by the United States Coast Guard. It is not immediately clear whether that person is alive.

The helicopter is believed to be a tour chopper. The plane is described as a small, twin-engine plane registered to a company in the Philadelphia area. The FAA says the plane likely took off from Teterboro Airport shortly before noon because a plane disappeared from its radar, according to reports.

Any eyewitness told CNN the plane and chopper were both traveling southbound over the Hudson. The plane then struck the chopper, its rotors broke off -- and both the plane and chopper plunged about 1,200 feet into the Hudson River, the eyewitness said.

A Circle Line tour boat, which was also heading southbound in the river, immediately turned around and headed toward the scene, the eyewitness told CNN.

The New York City Fire and Police departments, the Hoboken Fire and Police departments, the Hudson County Sheriff's Office, the United States Coast Guard and the Port Authority Police Department, as well as private ferry operators, are on scene conducting the rescue.

The plane and chopper were flying in what is known as the Hudson River VFR (Visual Flight Rules) Corridor. Aircraft in the VFR Corridor are not required to be in contact with any air traffic control until they approach either Newark Liberty or LaGuardia Airport airspace, but are supposed to (but are not required to) announce themselves on the frequency 123.05, according to Fox News. One aviation expert says pilots often don't announce their VFR locations.

More information as it becomes available.

Belleville policeman killed in car crash this morning

A Belleville police officer was killed and another is in hospital after the cruiser they were driving in lost control and struck a utility pole in Nutley, the Star-Ledger is reporting today.

The officer who died is identified as Kenneth Santucci, 33, of Nutley. His partner, who Melissa Corrado, 28, was treated at Mountainside Hospital and released.

The Star-Ledger says the two were responding to a call near the Nutley-Belleville border at around 8 this morning.

Click here to read the entire story from The Star-Ledger.

Perth Amboy police officer dies in Route 1 car crash

If you listened to the traffic reports this morning, you likely heard about the accident on Route 1 in Woodbridge involving a Perth Amboy police car. The Star-Ledger is now reporting one officer died and another is being treated for serious injuries. The officer who died is Thomas Raji, 31. Mr. Raji was married to another Perth Amboy police officer, who at present is pregnant with the couple's child.

The accident happened at the intersection of Route 1 and Green Street. A car traveling west on Green plowed into the police car, which was traveling south on Route 1. Reports say it's not immediately clear whether the police or the other car involved had right of way.

In an incredible twist of fate, the driver of the second car, 23-year-old Sean McGuirk, of Colonia, is brother to a Woodbridge police officer.

Click here to read the entire story from The Star-Ledger.

[Photo: Perth Amboy Police Officer Thomas Raji].

Beware of imposter SPAM e-mails

E-mails that appear to have come from MSNBC or CNN over the last 12-plus hours may very well be SPAM, according to a technology blog on MSNBC. The e-mails, which appear quite similar to the MSNBC and CNN Web sites, actually contain malicious codes that will cause harm to your computer—and that may wind up sending out more malicious codes from your own computer. The best way to avoid being SPAMMED? Don't open the e-mails unless you're absolutely certain where they're from. Find out more about the SPAM by clicking here.

Isaac Hayes dead at 65

MEMPHIS — Singer Isaac Hayes has died, The New York Daily News is reporting. He was 65. Reports say family members found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill. An hour later, the '70s icon was pronounced dead at a Memphis hospital.  Click here for the full story.

Nutley police search for suspect who held up Commerce Bank Sunday

Police say suspect was a Black man who fled in black car

NUTLEY — Police and the FBI need your help finding a suspect who is believed to have held up a Commerce Bank on Kingsland Street Sunday afternoon at around 2:25.

Detective Lt. Steven Rogers, of the Nutley police Detective Bureau, says the suspect, described as a black man, around 45 years old, wearing a white fisherman’s hat and glasses, entered the bank Sunday afternoon with a note that demanded money. Rogers says the teller gave the suspect an unknown amount of cash. The suspect, who was unarmed, then fled, in an unknown direction, in a black car.

At present, the Nutley Police Department is investigating the matter along with the FBI, according to Rogers. He says both agencies are in the process of reviewing surveillance footage to get a better description and picture of the suspect.

No one was injured during the holdup, Rogers said.

Rogers urges anyone who was near the bank Sunday at around 2:25 p.m. — and who might have seen the suspect — to call the Detective Bureau immediately at 973-284-4940.

Essex Prosecutor's Office: Fire victim was burned badly; dental records were used to identify her

The Nutley woman who died in a fire at 276 Harrison St. Thursday morning was burned so badly that authorities had to used dental records to positively identify her, Essex County Prosecutor's Office Press Secretary Paul Loriquet said today.

The victim was ultimately identified as 35-year-old Rebecca Lee, of 276 Harrison St., according to Nutley Fire Inspector Lt. David Wilson.

The fire, which was reported to public safety at 5:42 Thursday morning, was contained to the home's second floor, according to Wilson. It was completely extinguished within 15 minutes of the fire department's arrival on the scene.

As Nutley units worked at the scene, units from Belleville and Lyndhurst provided backup coverage for the rest of the town, according to Wilson.

The Nutley Fire Department, Nutley Police Department, Essex County Prosecutor's Office and the Regional Medical Examiners Office are conducting a full-scale investigation as to the cause of the fire, Wilson said.

About an hour after officials left the scene of the fire, workers could be seen nailing up wooden boards to cover broken windows in the front portion of the home's second floor. Others were removing items from the home, where there appeared to be minimal damage on the first floor.

From time to time, curious onlookers, who were driving by, would slow down to look at the home. One resident, who asked her last name not be used, said while she didn't know the victim, she still felt deep pain about the community's loss.

"I didn't know her at all, but I wanted to come by to pay respects," the woman said. "In a small community like this one, when one person suffers, we all suffer. This is a terrible tragedy."

Loriquet says an autopsy is pending to determine the precise cause of Ms. Lee's death.

34-year-old woman dies in Nutley fire

A 34-year-old Nutley woman died in a fire early this morning, Detective Lt. Steven L. Rogers said.

Rogers says police here received a 9-1-1 call about a fire at 276 Harrison St. Both police and fire responded to the scene, and when they did, they found the woman, whose name has not yet been released, dead.

Though the Essex County Prosecutor's Office's Arson Squad is investigating the fire, Rogers says he believes there is no reason to believe anything suspicious led to the fire or the victim's unfortunate death.

We'll have more as this story continues to develop.

May be 3 more years before World Trade Center rebuild is complete

Here's a story update from The New York Post via the Associated Press on the progress at Ground Zero. The report indicates there could be as much as a three-year delay, as if it hasn't already taken long enough to rebuild there.

Nutley police capture Alberti

Nutley police today announced they've captured Mario Alberti, 47, of Nutley, a man for whom an arrest warrant had been issued.

Alberti is alleged to have beaten up one of his employees after he kicked down the front door of the victim’s home, only to attack the man and rob him of nearly $200. The victim is 70, and police say he may lose vision in one eye.

A motive is still not clear, according to police.

Ted Kennedy has brain tumor

U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., has a malignant brain tumor, the cable news networks are reporting.

Kennedy was taken the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston over the weekend, after he apparently suffered two seizures.

News of Kennedy's tumor has hit people in the greater Boston area very hard, including Amy Shea, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"People are in shock," Shea said. "My dad called me at work to tell me. Kennedy is such a big name in politics and even bigger in Boston. But on Saturday when they said he had two seizures, my immediate reaction was ... brain tumor. I, personally, am a big fan of Teddy. He is a great guy who goes to bat for the average citizen. He is the patriarch of this family, so I do not know what will happen now."

The normal course of treatment for malignant glioma, which Kennedy has, includes aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. Surgery is also an option, but reports say further test must be done on Kennedy before a decision on a course of action can be taken. Survival rates, according to the American Medical Association, can be less than a year in advance stages, and as long as five years in less advance cases.

As more news becomes available, we'll bring it to you right away.

Ted Kennedy hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms

In case you haven't already heard, U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., has been hospitalized, with a possible stroke, the news networks are reporting.

The Associated Press is also reporting Kennedy may have had a seizure.

Kennedy was first taken to hospital in Hyannisport, but has since been airlifted to Mass General Hospital in Boston.

Reports say Kennedy's condition is "serious," and many of his family members and friends have gathered at the hospital in Boston. His Senate colleague, John F. Kerry, is also at the hospital.

If more information becomes available, we'll share it here with you.