Jon Craig

Reporter

jon.craig@dailyvoice.com

Pleasantville native Jon Craig is special editor for the Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess Daily Voice sites. He is also the primary reporter for Daily Voice Plus Politics in Westchester and Fairfield.

Jon graduated from Cornell University and received his master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Across a 35-year career, he's worked as a reporter for daily newspapers in Chicago, New York, Ohio & Washington, D.C and as managing editor for weekly newspapers in Rye, White Plains and Harrison.

Jon also writes periodically for the Cornell Chronicle.

Career Highlights:

  • Covered Metro-North train wreck that killed a motorist and five commuters, 2015
  • Researched state investigative project for PublicIntegrity.org, 2011-12
  • National MADD award for database analysis of repeat drunk drivers in Ohio, 2008.
  • Henry F. Guggenheim Fellow, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2010.
  • Sentenced to jail for protecting confidential sources (won on appeal), 1999.
  • Broke 30th anniversary story about Kent State shootings — using FBI records, resurrecting theory a student informant triggered fatal National Guard volley, May 2000.
  • Covered Ground Zero after Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks.
  • Uncovered voting problems before & during presidential recount in Ohio, 2004.
  • Witnessed botched Death Row execution of Romell Broom in 2009, one of more than a dozen I covered; Wrote about three inmates whose death sentences were commuted to life without parole.
  • Won IRE, SDX and multiple national & state awards for series led by Erik Kriss investigating New York General Assembly. 1994.
  • Guest lecturer at universities in NY & Ohio. Taught Syracuse high school journalism class.
  • Co-authored IRE-award winning series on illegal restraints/beatings at juvenile detention centers. Gov. Mario Cuomo had NY inspector general confirm what Hart Seely and I found at Division for Youth & fired top directors, 1993.
  • Survived Air Force Kool School training at North Pole, 1996.
  • Covered Persian Gulf wars, including 2002 bomb missions from Turkey and stateside Army/Air Guard training. 1991.
  • Supervised overnight coverage of Pan Am Flight 103 after Libyan bomb killed 35 Syracuse University students over Lockerbie, Scotland, 1988.
  • Covered aftermath of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s fatal plane crash from Cape Cod, 1999.
  • Greeted Kurt Vonnegut Jr. as Cornell Sun sports editor during daily's 100th anniversary dinner in May 1980. 

Jon Craig's Contributions

Youth Baseball Spectator Punches Another Man Over Call During NJ Game: Police Youth Baseball Spectator Punches Another Man Over Call During NJ Game: Police
Youth Baseball Spectator Punches Another Man Over Call During NJ Game: Police A 30-year-old man was arrested after punching another man at a youth baseball playoff game in Franklin Township, authorities said. They were arguing over a call by the referee. Dillon M. Smith attacked a 44-year-old spectator after the game ended at 8:09 p.m. on June 6, Franklin Township police said. Smith drove away from the Franklin Sports Complex on Pennsylvania Avenue, but a witness took down his license plate number and gave it to police.  The Franklinville victim was treated for facial injuries by Gloucester County EMS and went to an area hospital, police said. Smith was arres…
Fire Lieutenant Who Broke Neck In South Jersey Motorcycle Crash Sees Surge Of Support Fire Lieutenant Who Broke Neck In South Jersey Motorcycle Crash Sees Surge Of Support
Fire Lieutenant Who Broke Neck In South Jersey Motorcycle Crash Sees Surge Of Support There's been an outpouring of community support for a South Jersey fire lieutenant who broke his neck in a motorcycle crash. Rich Derr suffered five breaks in his neck during a hit-and-run crash earlier this month. Other details remained unclear. "Please find it in your heart to help out Rich and his family in this time of need," a GoFundMe page says. For the last 16 years, Rich has been a dedicated volunteer firefighter, currently serving as a lieutenant for the Blackwood Fire Department. He also helps coach in the Blackwood Little League. He is a member of Local 322 plumbers and pipefit…
Youth Pastor Blackmailed Boys For Nude Sex Acts: Prosecutor Youth Pastor Blackmailed Boys For Nude Sex Acts: Prosecutor
Youth Pastor Blackmailed Boys For Nude Sex Acts: Prosecutor A youth pastor was sentenced to 25 yers in New Jersey State Prison for coaxing boys to send him nude photos and then blackmailing them, authorities said. Sean Higgins, 32, of Palmyra committed the crimes in 2020 while serving as the youth pastor and music leader at Harbor Baptist Church in Hainesport, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw. He was also a teacher at the Harbor Baptist Academy, a private K-12 school that is housed in the same facility. Higgins pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of child endangerment for each of the four victims. None …
Police ID Body Found In Central Jersey Lake Police ID Body Found In Central Jersey Lake
Police ID Body Found In Central Jersey Lake The body of a 36-year-old man from Central Jersey was recovered from a lake, authorities said. The deceased man was identified as Trinidad Perez, of Jamesburg, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. On Sunday, June 11, at about 10:30 a.m., his body was found in Thompson Park Lake. Perez had no obvious signs of trauma to his body, Ciccone said. An autopsy will be conducted by the Middlesex County medical examiner's office where an official cause of death will then be determined, she said. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked t…
South Jersey Man Arrested In Fatal Stabbing: Prosecutor South Jersey Man Arrested In Fatal Stabbing: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man Arrested In Fatal Stabbing: Prosecutor An 18-year-old man from South Jersey has been arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing, authorities said. DaJohn L. Taylor, of Hightstown, was charged with first-degree murder and other offenses, according to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, On June 11, at 2:23 a.m., the Wildwood Police Department received an emergency 911 telephone call for a disturbance in the area of Magnolia and Atlantic Avenue.  Police found Kaiden Braithwaite, 20, of Cliffwood dead from numerous stab wounds, Sutherland said. The initial investigation revealed that a grou…
Body Of Missing HS Senior, Standout Wrestler Recovered From South Jersey Lake Body Of Missing HS Senior, Standout Wrestler Recovered From South Jersey Lake
Body Of Missing HS Senior, Standout Wrestler Recovered From South Jersey Lake The body of an 18-year-old high school senior has been recovered from a lake in South Jersey, authorities said. The body of Victor Rodriguez, a star wrestler at Pitman High School, was recovered in Alcyon Lake in Pitman by New Jersey State Police on Monday, June 12. "It is with great sadness that after just over 17 hours of tedious and demanding work by many first responders, Victor has been recovered," Mayor Michael Razze announced on Facebook. It is with deep regret that we inform you about a recent loss to our school community. Earlier today, we learned that... Posted by Pitman Pub…
Fatal Shooting Investigated In Cumberland County: Prosecutor Fatal Shooting Investigated In Cumberland County: Prosecutor
Fatal Shooting Investigated In Cumberland County: Prosecutor Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting involving a 20-year-old victim. On Monday, June 12, at approximately 5 a.m., Millville police responded to the Rieck Avenue Elementary School in the 300 block of Rieck Avenue for an unresponsive male inside of a vehicle.  Police found the victim, Mark Hoffman, of Newcombtown Road, Millville, dead from an apparent gunshot wound, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office. The investigation is ongoing and there is no known threat to the public at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detecti…
Wildfires Consume 1,550 Acres In South Jersey Wildfires Consume 1,550 Acres In South Jersey
Wildfires Consume 1,550 Acres In South Jersey Two wildfires consumed 1,550 acres in Burlington County but were fully contained, authorities said. At noon Monday, June 12, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service had reached 100 percent containment of a 700-acre wildfire in the area of Kettle Run Road, Evesham Township, Burlington County. That wildfire was called the Buzby Boggs Wildfire.. Over the course of the fire, four  structures were threatened. There was no damage to any of the structures. Also by noon on Monday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service had reached 100 percent containment of a 850-acre wildfire in the area of Cit…
NJ MMA Fighter, 29, Dead In Car Accident NJ MMA Fighter, 29, Dead In Car Accident
NJ MMA Fighter, 29, Dead In Car Accident A mixed-martial arts fighter from South Jersey died in a car crash earlier this month. Sherry Ann Schmidt, a native of Voorhees, was killed on June 5. She was 29 years old. Details of the crash were unclear. https://t.co/zMXC3J18rr#MMATwitter please RT for my dear friend Sherry who we lost in a tragic car accident yesterday morning. She was a beaming light of positivity and joy and a passionate and ferocious fighter. I will miss her every day till my last day. — Ryan Kim Cafaro (@RyanCafaroMMA) June 6, 2023 View this post on Instagram A p…
Central Jersey Man Admits Sexual Assault At State Park: Prosecutor Central Jersey Man Admits Sexual Assault At State Park: Prosecutor
Central Jersey Man Admits Sexual Assault At State Park: Prosecutor A Somerset County man has admitted to committing a sexual assault at a New Jersey state park, authorities said. Rogelio Calyeca Postrero, 38, of Raritan pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated sexual assault, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. Calyeca Postrero previously was charged by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office on Aug. 5, 2022, for violent sexual assaults in Bridgewater on July 18, 2021, and Franklin Township on May 16, 2022, according to earlier reports. Those charges are still pending, Ciccone's spokeswoman said. On Sept. 28, 2021, between 4:3…
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