Union County Information

Union County Criminal Defense Attorneys

Union County sees some serious street crimes with a mix of white collar crime which reflects the demographics of the county itself. For example, Union County has more arrests for fraud offense than most counties. In addition, it has the second highest amount of arrests for weapons offenses as well as a high amount of arrests for drug offenses. All other statistics are unremarkable for the size and demographics of the County.

Due to the mix of crimes prosecuted in Union County, we regularly appear to represent our clients in a wide range of matters.

Union County Court Information

All Indictable Criminal Court matters are held in the Union County Courthouse. The main Union County courthouse is located at 2 Broad Street, Elizabeth. Most of the Criminal Courts are located in the New Annex which is located behind the main courthouse.

Indictable crimes include Aggravated Assault, Robbery, Burglary, Sexual Assault, Fraud, Forgery, Firearms charges, as well as most Drug/CDS charges. Minor charges such as Harassment, Disorderly Conduct, Simple Assault, Possession of Marijuana under 50 grams, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Resisting Arrest and Obstruction are handled in Municipal Court. See the Municipal Court information below.

Union County Judges

The current Union County Criminal Court judges are:

Presiding Judge Scott Moynihan

Joseph Donohue

Douglas Fasciale

James Heimlich

Stuart Peim

John Triarsi

Union County Crime Statistics

The most recent crime statistics are for 2006. All statistics are from the 2006 Uniform Crime Reports.

VOLUME/RATE

During 2006 there were 15,599 Index crimes reported, representing a decrease of 4 percent compared to 2005.
The category of violent crime showed an increase of 5 percent while the category of nonviolent crime showed a decrease of 5 percent, when compared to the previous year.
A victimization rate of 29.4 persons per 1,000 inhabitants reflected a 4 percent decrease over 2005.
Murder increased 3 percent and Burglary increased 7 percent.
Total stolen property values amounted to $40.9 million during the year; of this total, 47 percent was recovered.

ARRESTS/CLEARANCES

Total arrests for 2006 were 20,263 persons, a decrease of 2 percent compared to the previous year.
Adult arrests decreased 1 percent and juvenile arrests decreased 3 percent.
The total clearance rate for Index offenses was 13.4 percent; juveniles were responsible for 19 percent of those cases cleared.

Union County Municipal Courts

Berkeley Heights Municipal Court, 29 Park Avenue

Clark Municipal Court, 315 Westfield Avenue, Clark

Cranford Municipal Court, 8 Springfield Avenue, Cranford

Elizabeth Municipal Court, 208 Commerce Place, Elizabeth

Fanwood Boro Municipal Court, 75 N Martine Avene, Fanwood

Garwood Boro Municipal Court, 403 South Ave, Garwood

Hillside Twp Municipal Court, 1409 Liberty Avenue, Hillside

Kenilworth Municipal Court, 567 Boulevard, Kenilworth

Linden Municipal Court, Municipal Building, Linden

Mountainside Municipal Court, 1385 Route 22 East, Mountainside

New Providence Municipal Court, 360 Elkwood Avenue, New Providence

Plainfield Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave, Plainfield

Rahway Municipal Court, City Hall Plaza, Rahway

Roselle Municipal Court, 210 Chestnut St, Roselle

Roselle Park Municipal Court, 110 E Westfield Ave, Roselle Park

Scotch Plains Twp Municipal Court, 430 Park Ave, Scotch Plains

Springfield Twp Municipal Court, 100 Mountain Ave, Springfield

Summit Municipal Court, 512 Springfield Ave, Summit

Union Twp Municipal Court, 981 Caldwell Ave, Union

Westfield Municipal Court, 425 E. Broad St, Westfield

Winfield Twp Municipal Court, 12 Gulfstream Ave, Winfield