Start Time: 11:00 a.m.
Date: 2010-08-15
End Time: 5:00 p.m.

A performing arts school that scouts young talent may shut its doors today for failing to pay $80,000 in back rent and related charges.

Fusion School of Music, Dance and Acting LLC wants a few more weeks to come up with the money, some of which it will raise with a major fund-raiser and an improvised version of "The Wizard of Oz."

But Camden County sheriff's officers could evict the staff as early as this morning.

A Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of the landlord's request to evict the school from a 10,200-square-foot unit in the Cherry Hill Industrial Park it has occupied since November 2007.

Fusion tailors programs for students from underserved populations, including those with disabilities.

The school's CEO Carla Mandell and Artistic Director Ryk Lewis attribute the school's financial woes to a combination of things, including delays in obtaining nonprofit status from the IRS and new laws that barred the school from acting as a charity until that status was granted.

Other factors, they say, include a sluggish economy, dwindling donations, and a temporary drop in student tuition because most students are on summer recess. Students who attend summer sessions are on scholarship, which allows their parents to pay what they can afford.

Monthly rent for the school runs about $5,600 and, as an industrial park tenant, the school must pay an additional levy of $2,600. Meanwhile, late charges also are accruing.

Court documents show the landlord, Cherry Hill Umbrella LLC, would have allowed Fusion to remain on the premises had certain conditions been met, but the school never complied fully with demands outlined in an amended leasing agreement. Among them: Holding the nonprofit organization associated with the school "jointly liable" for leasing obligations, one payment of $63,238 in back rent and reimbursement of attorneys fees.

The landlord also wanted Mandell and Lewis to assume liability for the leasing agreement and any amendments. But in an interview this week with the Courier-Post, the two officers insisted they ran a separate limited-liability corporation and -- despite its affiliation with the Fusion School -- could not be held liable.

Mandell and Lewis said they're working hard to avoid eviction because it would end the summer camp prematurely, force cancellation of "The Wizard of Oz" musical, undercut a fund-raising campaign and ultimately force Fusion to drastically scale back its programs.

Both officers said they have pleaded with the landlord's property management company, Endurance Real Estate Group of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., for its patience and even received a concession: Eviction proceedings would be stopped if a lump payment of $20,000 was made for back rent.

But Mandell and Lewis insist the school can't come up with the money so soon and they've exhausted all options.

Top officers for Endurance Real Estate Group were away on vacation and could not be reached for comment. A message left Thursday for Amy L. SantaMaria, an attorney for Cherry Hill Umbrella, was not returned.

As eviction approaches, exasperation and disappointment began to set in for Mandell and Lewis, who see the school as an opportunity to teach the arts to youngsters and teens while helping them discover their potential.

The two officers said the school is unique for its specialized arts training, top priority on community service and emphasis on talent before profit.

"We finally reached the status we wanted so much and could do what we wanted for the community, so it's a really hard time," Mandell said.

The school's rented building has specialized equipment acquired over the years, including a music room and dance studio space.

Relocating to a comparable facility would be virtually impossible.

"It's not going to happen," Lewis said.

Reach Wilford S. Shamlin at (856) 486-2475 or wshamlin@courierpostonline.com

Over 180 crafters and artists are expected at the Collingswood Crafts and Fine Arts Festival held along Haddon Avenue this weekend.

Jazz music will be provided as well as face painting and other activities. The event will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Start Time: 10:00 a.m.
Date: 2010-08-14
End Time: 6:00 p.m.

Camden County children may be eligible for a week of learning about boating this month at the Cooper River Yacht Club.

The yacht club in Collingswood will conduct a free boating camp from Aug. 23 to 27.

This program is supported by a scholarship fund from I BOAT NJ. The fund supports young people who are unable to pay for summer sailing programs at the yacht club.

"This outreach program enables kids who wouldn't be able to come and do yachting now to come and take a safety class," said Judy Lazo, the commodore of the Cooper River Yacht Club.

Lazo said the students who finish the one-week course will receive a scholarship to a two-week sailing class, which includes 10 sessions of three hours.

The boating camp is for nautical-minded children between the ages of 9 and 16.

Lazo explained revenue from fees paid into the Maritime Industry Fund I BOAT NJ helps support the scholarships.

I BOAT NJ seeks to promote, improve and enhance the marine industry in the state and to benefit the general boating public.

Students who receive assistance to pay for school lunches or are enrolled in Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare are encouraged to apply for the I BOAT NJ assistance. The application includes completing a 50-yard swimming test at a local swimming pool.

Enrollment at the Cooper River Yacht Club's boating camp is limited to about 20 students.

"They have to know how to swim," Lazo said, "and they have to have a lifeguard sign off on them."

Life jackets, books and lunches will be provided for all youths attending the camp.

"Students will learn to sail and paddle and be given an overview about boating laws, boating safety and rescue techniques as well as employment in the boating industry and proper stewardship of the river environment," said Marci Ridenour, program coordinator.

Kevin Callahan can be reached at (856) 317-7821 or by e-mail at kcallahan@courierpostonline.com.

Phone: (856) 833-1330

Start Time: 10:00 a.m.

Date: 2010-08-05
End Time: noon

“ I keep hearing, ‘you guys need to go into business’, anytime someone tries our ribs”, says Pickens, 53, who has competed in the Maddox Challenge twice before. On the urging of his son, Dan, 23, Pickens decided to form a real team for this year’s competition. Dan’s idea for the team name was “Easy Pickens BBQ”. Jeff decided to add “& More” to incorporate some other indoor specialties, such as chili and Italian dishes.

“Our passion for food stems from a rich family tradition, growing up watching my Dad from a young age and experiencing the “thrill of the grill”, and watching and learning from my Mom, Grandmother, and aunts, all of whom were consummate Italian cooks” Pickens recalls. “I remember my Dad and uncle cooking their traditional New Years Eve filet mignons outside every year, sometimes in the snow”.

The team, which consists of Jeff, Dan, along with sons Dennis, Frank, and Rob, and some of their friends, will be ready for the Maddox BBQ Challenge with entries in the ribs, chicken, chef’s choice, and Garry’s Rib Challenge, decked out in their newly minted Easy Pickens BBQ & More t shirts. The team t shirt and logo will feature a smiling pig, surrounded by the team name. The pig’s face was drawn by Jeff’s cousin Susan Mauro, a prominent New Jersey designer. “I drew the pig, it’s Jeff’s job to make it taste good”, says Susan.
Anyone interested in learning more about Easy Pickens BBQ & More should pay a visit to the Stephen Starr Garry Maddox BBQ Challenge, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Saturday, August 7, 2010. If you can’t make it to the event, please visit the website:http://www.easypickensbbq.com

About Easy Pickens BBQ & More:

Easy Pickens BBQ & More is a family-based barbecue team and catering service, serving South Jersey and the greater Delaware Valley. We specialize in ribs, chicken, and beef, smoked or grilled to perfection according to your tastes. "& More" means we are more than just barbecue; we offer a variety of Italian and Southern comfort foods, as well as desserts.
Contact:Jeff Pickens, Managing Partner
Easy Pickens BBQ & More
easypickensbbq@gmail.com

http://www.easypickensbbq.com

Pricing: $19.95 plus tax

Phone: (856)833-1330

Ages: Elementary | Teen
Start Time: 10:00 a.m.
Date: 2010-08-03
End Time: 11:30 a.m.

Phone: (856) 833-1330

Start Time: 10:00 a.m.
Date: 2010-07-29
End Time: 11:30 a.m.

Stephen Bair, a longtime athletic trainer at Overbrook High School, didn't look at his job as just taping ankles and icing injuries.

He looked after the student-athletes.

"Every one of the athletes is someone's kid," said Bair, "and for four hours a day you are the one looking out for their well-being."

Bair, 61, did his job so well for so long he was selected by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Research & Education Foundation as the 2010 Volunteer Service Award recipient and the Tim Kerin Award recipient for excellence in athletic training.

The Collingswood resident received the first award at the NATA Foundation 2010 Donor Reception -- Night of 1000 Stars on June 23 at The Fels Planetarium at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

The Volunteer Service Award is given to a current NATA Foundation board or committee member who has provided significant advancement or financial growth to the organization.

"There is no one more deserving of this honor than Steve Bair," said Jeff Ryan, chief operating officer at the Hahnemann University Hospital Physician Practice Plan and a member of the NATA Foundation Board of Directors. "He is a mentor, a friend and a role model to many of us who studied to be athletic trainers and to the athletes and coaches he has worked with over the years. Bair has definitely left his mark on the sports medicine community."

Two nights later, Bair received the Kerin Award in conjunction with the NATA Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia.

"The Kerin award was a real surprise to me," Bair said.

Bair's career as an athletic trainer at Overbrook began in 1988 as head athletic trainer. He retired in January because of cardiac-related health issues.

"I didn't want to do a disservice to the kids," he said. "I wasn't anywhere near as good of an athletic trainer as I was 10 years ago."

Before arriving at Overbrook, Bair served as the assistant trainer and then head trainer at Temple University.

At Temple and at Overbrook, he worked with future pro athletes.

"And I was cut from my seventh-grade team," said Bair, who went to high school in Indiana.

In his retirement, Bair has started a business, Bair Essentials, which specializes in matching people and projects in the athletic health care marketplace.

Reach Kevin Callahan at (856) 317-7821 or kcallahan@gannett.com.

Pricing:$32.50 plus tax

Phone: (856) 833-1330

Ages: Elementary | Teen
Start Time: 10:00 a.m.
Date: 2010-07-27
End Time: noon

Pricing: $32.50 plus tax

Phone: (856) 833-1330

Ages: Elementary | Teen
Start Time: 10:00 a.m.
Date: 2010-06-27
End Time: noon

Patricia Johnson knows her son had his troubles.

As a high schooler, Naquan Johnson got into trouble with the law. In 2008 he was sentenced to prison.

This week, police say the 21-year-old from Williamstown went on a four-day crime spree, committing three home invasions, assaulting two women and critically shooting a Philadelphia man before being shot to death by U.S. marshals in Gloucester Township on Wednesday night.

But Patricia Johnson said family members saw a different side -- that of a doting son, who called to say "I love you."

On Wednesday evening, Patricia Johnson was asleep inside a Gloucester Township house when members of a U.S. Marshal's Regional Fugitive Task Force barreled through the front door with guns drawn. They were in search of her son.

She was waiting in the back seat of a police cruiser minutes later when she heard the radio crackle with the words "shots fired."

Naquan Johnson was dead.

"If he was involved in all this stuff then he's not innocent, but he didn't deserve to die," Patricia Johnson said in a phone interview Friday.

Officials from the state Attorney General's Office said Johnson was shot in an upstairs bedroom of a home in the 200 block of Cherrywood Drive after he pointed a revolver at two members of the task force.

On Friday, Patricia Johnson said she thought police could have avoided the situation.

"If they had him trapped in a small room, why did they have to shoot him dead? Johnson asked, over the chatter of relatives offering suggestions. "Why couldn't they taser him?

"They could have smoked him out. They could have got him out there without using all their force."

The incident is under investigation, which is customary in police-related shootings.

Meanwhile, Patricia Johnson said she knew nothing of the four-day crime spree police said her son was responsible for this week. According to police, Johnson and three others carried out two violent home invasions in Franklin Township on Sunday. On Tuesday, the men allegedly broke into a Monroe home and sexually assaulted a woman.

At around 1 a.m. Wednesday, Johnson was at a gathering at a Collingswood apartment when he made romantic overtures toward an 18-year-old woman. When the woman rebuffed him, he tasered her and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, police said. He then shot and critically injured a 21-year-old Philadelphia man during a dispute connected to the sexual assault.

Patricia Johnson said the crimes don't sound like the son she knew.

"To me, Naquan was a loving kid," she insisted. "He would call me to tell me he loved me. They painted him as a big monster, but he's not that person."

An athletic teen, Naquan loved football. But at Williamstown High School, he started to make bad decisions, his mother said. He never graduated and was hospitalized for nearly a month after being stabbed.

At 19, he was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to two weapons offenses. But Johnson, who was released from prison in February, seemed to have another chance in June, after making the semiprofessional South Jersey Vikings football team.

"He was so happy and so proud," Patricia Johnson recalled.

While tryouts for the Voorhees-based team had occurred in March, Coach James MacNeill said Naquan's June tryout was impressive enough to earn a spot at fullback and outside linebacker.

He showed up regularly for practice, MacNeill said. Naquan's uncles also showed up in support, inquiring as to whether their nephew might have a future as a pro.

But after a month, Naquan Johnson told MacNeill he was quitting because of an injury.

The team's first game of the season is today.

Reach George Mast at (856) 486-2465 at gmast@camden.gannett.com

An elbow to the face sends the combatant crashing into a chain-link fence.

The aggressor who delivers the crushing blow continues to rain punches on his victim and then fires a quick jab to an already bloodied face. But the seemingly defenseless fighter returns the pain with a swift kick to his stalker's abdomen, then takes the opponent down with a sweep of a leg.

Brawls like this could land the participants in jail for a night, unless you're inside the cage of mixed martial arts (MMA) fight.

It has been called the "fastest growing sport in the world," by Sports Illustrated. The full-contact combat sport -- which combines skills of boxing, Muay Thai kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling and wrestling -- has reached new heights in popularity since it was introduced to Americans in 1993.

Twenty-four sanctioned professional and amateur events have been held in New Jersey this year. The next one will be today and Saturday, when New Breed Fighters XXXI and XXXII are held at Resorts' Superstar Theatre in Atlantic City.

Twenty more events are on the New Jersey docket this year, from the Prudential Center in Newark to the Tropicana and Trump Marina casinos, according to the State Athletic Control Board.

MMA, a global sport outlawed in the United States from 1997 to 2000, appears here to stay.

You can't scan through TV channels on any given night and not see two combatants -- sweaty, bloodied and beaten -- slugging it out inside an octagon surrounded by a chain-link fence.

The widely sought-after demographic of males 18 to 34 eats it up. Television ratings for the sport, at times, have topped those for college football games, while pay-per-view MMA performances regularly beat boxing and professional wrestling.

But detractors call the sport legalized thuggery and human cockfighting. They point at the June death of a competitor at an event in South Carolina as an example.

Scott Morgan, president and CEO of New Breed Fighters, LLC, a promotion company that puts on MMA events featuring professional and amateur fighters, is trying to shake the sport's negative image while getting more casual fans on board.

"The biggest problem is the perception of the sport, and that's why there's very few corporate sponsorships," said Morgan, a 51-year-old Berlin Borough resident.

Who does it?

Some call them inspirational. Others call them crazy or marvel at their dedication.

But MMA fighters come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

There are professional fighters and aspiring pros, serious amateurs and those who are in it for the tremendous workout rather than full contact.

Audubon's Chris Weaver and Deptford's Brian Palakow are two amateurs who will make their sanctioned-fight debuts this weekend on the New Breed Fighters card.

Weaver, a 25-year-old auto painter who works in Oaklyn, was a football, soccer and baseball player at Collingswood High School. He originally got into MMA as a fan, watching matches at parties with family.

Then Weaver started participating just to keep active, and his enjoyment of it has taken him to the next level.

"I've always been into sports, but once you get to a certain age, you run out of things to get involved with," said Weaver, who was surprisingly chipper after a recent grueling two-hour training session that would have left most people curled up in the fetal position.

"But I found this. Just lifting weights doesn't really do it for me. This is just really fun, a great thing to do with my spare time. I really enjoy it."

Palakow, a 35-year-old minority shareholder in two companies, will battle in a heavyweight (210 to 235 pounds) fight Saturday. The former high school and college wrestler has been a successful businessman but always had an itch to compete in MMA.

The sport has done wonders for Palakow, mentally and physically.

"After I got married and we had our first child, I was creeping up in weight," said Palakow, who has lost 41 pounds from his training.

"In watching this sport grow up, I had this thing in the back of my mind that I could do it. I saw it in A.C. and I got healthy and made a choice.

"It's a chess match in there, a battle of skills and mental state too."

Brian Cahill, a spokesman for Resorts, has been working out since February at at L.A. Boxing in Washington Township. Although he has no interest in stepping into the ring, he certainly has seen the value of an MMA workout.

"I would see these fights and it started to really interest me and I said to myself, "These guys are in such great shape, how can I do that?' " said Cahill, who has lost 10 pounds.

"I stopped by and they gave me a test run. I had never thrown a punch before in my life and they're telling me to put boxing gloves on. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but it's the best workout that I've ever had.

"I'm in the best shape of my life at 39 years old."

"This sport has proven to me, don't judge a book by its cover," said New Breed Fighters' Morgan.

Gym impact

With the rise of MMA has come an explosion of places that offer training.

Cardo Urso, 51, opened a traditional karate/Jiu Jitsu club within Tilton Fitness in Northfield in 2002. Two years later, the Egg Harbor Township resident converted it into an MMA club. He only trains amateurs, including his 20-year-old son Dominic, who aspires to become a professional MMA fighter.

The younger Urso will oppose Weaver in the first match on Saturday's card.

"There's definitely a demand there," said the senior Urso, a former Marine who currently trains federal law enforcement personnel.

"They're everywhere and that's what happens when there is a rise in popularity. Traditional martial arts is a hard sell unless you're dealing with children."

Michael Castro, a Mount Laurel resident, is the owner of L.A. Boxing in Washington Township and one of Weaver's trainers.

"There's a demand for it, most definitely," said Castro, an international Muay Thai kickboxing champion.

"We offer conditioning classes and people come in to get in shape, but then you get those that want to take it a step further.

"We've got a lot of ladies that like to do this. There's MMA classes for young kids, and older guys are out here, too. It's a great workout."

Fan frenzy

Joe Lozito, a 39-year-old Philadelphia resident, has been a fan for 17 years.

"It's competition in its purest form," Lozito said. "One on one. The better man that night wins.

"People who have never watched it will call it barbaric and dismiss it as thuggery. These are athletes at the highest level putting their bodies through extreme workouts just to get into fighting shape, then they have to go fight."

Morgan, who got into MMA after attending an event at Eastern High School in 2006 and broke into the business of MMA in February 2007, says the high-energy nature of the sport is what resonates with fans.

"It's a very passionate crowd," said Morgan, who owns Morgan Associates International, a protein commodities trader that buys and sells poultry.

"Whatever criticism you get from people that actually give it a chance, you'll rarely hear them say it's boring."

For Cahill, spokesman for Resorts, MMA cards attract potential customers. Atlantic City casinos have taken a hit since legalized casino gambling began in Pennsylvania last year. MMA opens doors.

"It's a way for us to introduce a whole new audience to Resorts," Cahill said. "We see that audience of 22- to 28-year-olds on the night of an MMA fight. On a typical night, our demographic is 35-plus, so it's a way to introduce ourselves to a whole new audience.

"The audience is split 50-50 male and female, and I was really surprised at that.

"We have a nightclub here and it's turning into a date night: Go out to dinner, go to the MMA event, then go to the club."

Reach Mike Shute at mshute@courierpostonline.com

When Naquan Johnson pulled a revolver on two U.S. marshals in Gloucester Township Wednesday evening, police say it was the final act in a four-day crime spree that spanned two counties.

By then, authorities say, Johnson had joined other suspected gang members in three armed home invasions in Gloucester County, had sexually assaulted two women and had shot a Philadelphia man in the head.

The spree that began in the pre-dawn hours in Franklin Township on Sunday ended in gunfire around 6:30 p.m. in the upstairs bedroom of his relative's Gloucester Township home. That's when two members of the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force shot the 21-year-old Williamstown man as he pointed his revolver toward them, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

"This all happened relatively quickly," Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said of the raid at the home in the 200 block of Cherrywood Drive where Johnson was found.

But the events that culminated Wednesday had built up for days.

Johnson's alleged crime spree began in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday when he and several others broke into a home in the 3500 block of Coles Mill Road in Franklin, assaulted two men and a woman and stole about $350 in cash, according to Franklin Township Police Sgt. Rick O'Brien.

An hour and a half later, Johnson and the others carried out a similar hit at a home at the corner of Route 40 and Grubb Road, O'Brien said.

Two days later, Johnson and two others broke into a home along the Black Horse Pike in Williamstown, assaulted a 21-year-old man and sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman, according to Monroe police. The assailants also made off with money and prescription pills.

Then, at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, authorities say Johnson was at a gathering at a Collingswood apartment when he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at gunpoint and subsequently shot a 21-year-old Philadelphia man in the head. The shooting victim remained in critical but stable condition on Thursday afternoon, according to Jason Laughlin, a spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Sometime after the shooting at the apartment complex in the 1000 block of Collings Avenue, Johnson went to the two-story Cherrywood Drive home, where he was fatally shot by the marshals -- one a Gloucester Township police officer and the other a state police trooper, Loriquet said. The shooting is being reviewed by the Attorney General's Shooting Response Team, which is standard procedure in police shootings.

In all, four men have been charged with robbery in connection with the Monroe home invasion. Three of those have also been charged in connection with the Franklin Township home invasions.

O'Brien said Johnson headed up the robberies in each of the Gloucester County incidents.

"He was the big kahuna," O'Brien said of Johnson, who was released from state custody in February of this year after serving a prison term for aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

O'Brien said the men, identified as self-proclaimed Bloods gang members, appeared to be targeting suspected drug houses in Gloucester County, although investigators believe the crew meant to rob an adjacent home in the first robbery on Sunday.

O'Brien said Franklin Township and Monroe police worked nearly around the clock after the same suspects were determined to have committed the Monroe home invasion on Tuesday.

O'Brien said Johnson was already a suspect in the three Gloucester County home invasions when his name surfaced again on Wednesday in connection to the Collingswood incident. An arrest warrant used in Wednesday's Gloucester Township raid stemmed from charges out of the Gloucester County home invasions.

This is what police say happened in the Collingswood incident:

Inside the three-story apartment building, Johnson made romantic overtures toward an 18-year-old woman. When the woman rebuffed him, he tasered her and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.

He then shot a 21-year-old Philadelphia man during a dispute connected to the sexual assault.

Laughlin said there were four people at the apartment, Johnson, an unidentified tenant, the 21-year-old Philadelphia man and the 18-year-old woman.

Laughlin said there was no evidence that any of the others participated in the sexual assault, and added that Johnson allegedly threatened all three of the people with the handgun in relation to the assault.

Laughlin said it was not clear if the alleged sexual assault occurred in front of the others.

"We're still looking at the circumstances surrounding the event," he said.

The alleged crime spree this week isn't the only time Johnson has seen trouble.

In a three-month span in 2007, Johnson was charged with two robberies and a homicide.

On March 7, Johnson, then 19, broke into a home on the 1900 block of Broadway in Camden, Laughlin said. Robbery and kidnapping charges in that incident were later dropped when Johnson pleaded guilty to two weapons charges.

On May 30, 2007, 17-year-old James Zeme went to Camden to sell a handgun and at about 2 a.m. met with potential purchasers along Broadway between Emerald Street and Ferry Avenue in South Camden. An argument broke out and the Brooklawn teen was fatally shot in the back.

Johnson was charged in the killing, along with Gregory Kellum and Zoran Harris. Kellum and Harris were convicted, but Johnson's charges were dropped after investigators struggled to get witnesses to testify, Laughlin said.

Laughlin said Johnson was not believed to have been a triggerman but was accused of being a "participant in the events."

Just two weeks after Zeme's killing, Johnson was arrested June 13 for a robbery charge, according to court records. That charge was also dismissed. Details of that incident were not available on Thursday.

For the March robbery and May homicide charges, Johnson hired high-profile defense attorney Mike Pinsky to represent him, according to court records. Pinsky could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

A man who came to the door of the two-story townhome where Johnson was shot on Thursday said the 21-year-old had apparently come to the home to visit his father, the man's roommate.

"We got along real good," the man, who declined to identify himself, said of Johnson.

The middle-aged man, who came to the door shirtless, said he works nights and was asleep in his room when marshals broke through the front door on Wednesday.

The man said he had no knowledge of the alleged incidents earlier this week and that visits from Johnson at the house were rare.

"He was cool with me," the man said.

Charged in both the Monroe and Franklin Township home invasions are: Dennell Weaver, 19, and Harry Fletcher, 20, both of Sicklerville, as well as Michael Kahlbom, 19, of Williamstown. Charged only in the Monroe home invasion is Ronald McCracken, 18, of Williamstown.

All four of the men are being held in the Gloucester County Jail in default of bail.

Reach George Mast at (856) 486-2465 at gmast@camden.gannett.com