From the tragic killing of a well-known chef to the police shooting of a Trenton teen, here are our top crime stories of 2015.
MERCER COUNTY -- In a year highlighted by a steep drop in the Capital City's murder rate, Mercer County did not lack crime stories in 2015.
From the tragic killing of a well-known chef to the police shooting of a Trenton teen, here are our top crime stories of the year.
"World has lost a beautiful soul.''
Leonardo Coppola, a 36-year-old restaurateur and executive chef at Padrino's Bistro & Italian Steakhouse in Hamilton, died in January in a shooting in a crowded Florida mall trying to protect a woman from her armed husband who opened fire at the crowded Melbourne, Fla., shopping center in what police described as a domestic dispute.
West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose said Coppola's actions prevented Idanerys Garcia-Rodriguez from being killed by her husband, according to a story on floridatoday.com.
"Thanks to the heroic actions of Leonardo Coppola, a woman's life was saved, " the paper reported.
"He has always been our hero, and that is how he will be remembered, " his family said in a statement. "He was deeply committed to his family and his community, and the world has lost a beautiful soul."
Two police recruits shown the door
Ameera C. Blake and Angel Perez - the son-in-law of Trenton Chief of Staff Francis Blanco, were kicked out of the Mercer County Police Academy in February before graduation.
Blake was asked to leave a day before walking with graduates amid questions about her application. Perez was asked to leave weeks before after he was caught cheating on a test, officials at the time said.
Perez was allowed to re-enter the academy with the next class, on Police Director Ernest Parrey's recommendation, but he dropped out before graduation.
The murder of James Wells
James Wells, 72, formerly operated Wellsy's Restaurant and Deli on North Montgomery Street. He was a popular fixture in Trenton as a business owner, activist and recent contractor. He also ran for city council in 2002.
Wells was severely beaten in September. He died at a local hospital more than a week later. Antonio Sloan, 25, is accused of Wells' murder.
Swatting incidents in Princeton, statewide, cause widespread alarm
A series of "Swatting'' incidents in and around Mercer County spread throughout the state as bomb threats, active shooter calls and other emergency situations were anonymously called in to schools, hospitals and malls throughout New Jersey in beginning in March.
Every public school in Princeton was the subject of false alarms called in on a regular basis.
The calls are easy to make, and hard to trace, experts said.
Mysterious 'sweet-smelling' odor sickens 13 Hamilton postal employees
Authorities were at a loss in May to explain why 13 Hamilton federal employees were sickened in May by a mysterious, cloying odor that caused them to feel nauseous and dizzy inside Trenton Carrier Annex on Route 130.
Hamilton Hazmat crews swept the large warehouse facility and inspected personal vehicles of some of those affected along with all the mail trucks outside.
All test readings came back negative for contaminants and there was no evidence of spills, powders or biohazards. Operations went back to normal without explanation.
6-Alarm Fire in Hamilton displaces 50 people
A six-alarm fire that rolled along the rooftops of 15 attached houses on East State Street in early June displaced dozens of people, officials said.
Police detectives investigated the suspicious fire and later it was sparked by roofers using a torch while rolling tar paper atop the houses, starting fires in two places. No criminal charges were filed.
Video of melee in Greg Grant Park sparks outrage
Two Trenton teen girls were punched, kicked and stomped by a crowd of people in Greg Grant Park in Trenton while onlookers videoed the melee and urged more violence.
The five-minute video surfaced in April and caused Mayor Eric E. Jackson to hold a rare news conference to condemn the attacks. Three juveniles and four adults were eventually arrested and charged in the attacks.
Hamilton woman missing for a week is found in woods
A 44-year-old woman who disappeared in Hamilton was found alive in a secluded, wooded area off Kuser Road near where her car was discovered idling on the side of the road a week before.
Christine Rosie was dehydrated, weak and showed signs of being exposed to the elements for several days, like numerous insect bites on her body, but she could speak when she was found.
Hamilton woman's body found dead in park
Jessica Prusik, 38, was found dead in early October in John A. Roebling Memorial Park, off Sewell Avenue off South Broad Street.
An autopsy determined that she was killed. Tyron Lindsay, a 38-year-old felon, was eventually charged with the murder.
The shooting of Radazz Hearns
Two police officers, a State Trooper and a Mercer County sheriff's officer, shot then-14-year-old Radazz Hearns seven times in the legs and buttocks in August, an incident that sparked national attention.
The teen was eventually charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses. His trial, in juvenile court, will continue in January.
The officers -- New Jersey State Police Detective Doug Muraglia and Mercer County Sheriff's Officer James Udijohn -- were cleared by a grand jury.
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.