A 71-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder in the strangulation of a 40-year-old woman in Franklin Township, Gloucester County Prosecutor Andrew B. Johns said Monday.
Police arrived at an East Avenue home at 6:16 a.m. on Thursday after Dennis J. Hall called to alert them to the fact that Devin Hall was not breathing. Dennis Hall admitted to strangling her on the call to emergency services and to officers when they arrived at the scene, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.
A witness also told Franklin Township officers Dennis Hall woke them up the morning of the incident and admitted to strangling Devin Hall.
Prosecutors would not say whether the two Halls were related, but Jan Hall, the wife of Dennis Hall and mother of Devin Hall, told 6abc her husband woke her up, saying he had killed their daughter.
“When he woke me up, I asked him what was wrong, and he said, ‘I strangled Devin. She’s dead.’ And I thought I didn’t hear him right,” she told the station.
Officers tried to save Devin Hall and she was taken to a local hospital. The following day, she was removed from life support and declared dead, according to the statement.
On Sunday, the Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland regional medical examiner conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death was asphyxiation by homicide.
Dennis Hall was arrested at the scene and initially charged with attempted murder, then first-degree murder following the autopsy report.
He was in jail pending prosecutors’ motion for a pretrial detention. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Jackie Love, 83, of Deptford Township, longtime social justice activist, Black political pioneer, former council member and the second Black female deputy mayor of Deptford Township, former director of what is now the New Jersey Division of Disability Services, New Jersey Elected Officials Hall of Famer, mentor, and volunteer, died Friday, May 29, of age-associated decline at Shady Lane Nursing Home in Clarksboro, Gloucester County.
Born in Philadelphia, Mrs. Love moved to Deptford Township when she was 13. She was reared by her grandmother, earned an associate’s degree in business administration at Camden County College in 1972, and served in government leadership roles for Deptford Township, Gloucester County, and New Jersey for four decades until her retirement in 2009.
“Her caring spirit and willingness to help her community is a true example of a servant leader,” a former colleague said on Facebook.
Mrs. Love was hired by Gloucester County officials in the 1970s to coordinate employment training programs and later to prevent and eliminate disability discrimination. She was the first director of the old Gloucester County Office for the Disabled in the 1980s and later was director of the Gloucester County Disabled Persons Advisory Commission.
Mrs. Love stands with U.S. Reps. Donald Norcross (left) and John Lewis.Courtesy of the family
She became director at the old New Jersey State Office for Disability, now the New Jersey Division of Disability Services, in the 1990s and championed the installation of sidewalk ramps, curb cuts, and other improvements throughout the state. “We wanted to start making sure that we were accessible,” she told Front Runner New Jersey in 2025. “That’s a highlight of my life.”
Mrs. Love first ran for Deptford Township Council as a Democrat in 1989. She received more votes than any of the other nine candidates, routinely collaborated with members of both parties, colleagues said, and became deputy mayor in 1996.
“When Jackie was on council and she walked into a room, everybody knew who Jackie Love was,” Deptford Township Mayor Paul Medany told The Inquirer in 2015. “She’s known all over the state.”
As Deptford council member and deputy mayor, Mrs. Love focused on reducing juvenile crime and lobbied for sound barriers along the New Jersey Turnpike, lower speed limits on busy township roads, responsible school budgets, improvements to animal waste disposal procedures, and upgraded vendor code guidelines. In 2015, Deptford Township officials renamed Church Street Park as the Jackie Love Community Park.
Mrs. Love stands with state Assemblyman Bill Moen in 2025.New Jersey Irish Society
“To see the future politicians and others out there playing and getting involved is another highlight of my life,” she told Front Runner New Jersey about the park.
In 2005, the editorial board for the Courier-Post called Mrs. Love “loyal, hardworking, and a team player.” In a Facebook tribute, U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D., N.J.) said: “Jacquelyn Love was a force for good in Deptford for generations. She paved the way for others as a Black female deputy mayor … and long remained a champion for civil rights, faith, the disabled, and many more throughout her life.”
Mrs. Love also served as a commissioner for the Delaware River Port Authority. She was active with the Gloucester County Minority Coalition, the Gloucester County College advisory committee on diversity and civility, and other groups.
She recruited volunteer poll workers and was a delegate for Bill Clinton at the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York. In the 1970s, she traveled the country with civil rights leader Leon Sullivan and helped organize his Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America.
Mrs. Love (left) enjoyed time with her family.Courtesy of the family
She was named the 1987 Woman of the Year by the Gloucester County chapter of the NAACP, honored in 2005 by the Gloucester County Human Relations Commission, and inducted into the New Jersey Elected Officials Hall of Fame in 2010. In March, her achievements were recognized by the New Jersey Irish Society.
Mrs. Love mentored dozens of colleagues and friends, conferred frequently with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and volunteered at Mount Zion Wesley United Methodist Church and for the United Way. On Facebook, former colleagues called her “a once-in-a-lifetime type of leader” and “one of the most dedicated public officials I have ever had the honor of working with.”
Jacquelyn Williams was born Sept. 10, 1942. She dropped out of Woodbury High School at 17, earned her General Educational Development certificate later, and worked at first as a counselor at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Hammonton.
She married Arnold Love in 1972, and together they reared her daughter, Wanda, and their son, Wayne. Her husband died in 1985.
Mrs. Love participated in this 2020 drive-by salute to a friend’s 60th wedding anniversary. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Friendly and classy, friends said, Mrs. Love wore memorable hats and enjoyed shopping at local Amish markets. She visited Amish friends in Lancaster when she was young, took classes at what are now Rowan and Rutgers Universities, and lived in Jericho for decades.
Friends called her a “cornerstone of this neighborhood” and a “wonderful down-to-earth lady.” One friend said: “Jackie set the standard for leadership and dedication to her family, faith, friends, and public service.”
Her son said: “She showed love to so many people.”
In addition to her children, Mrs. Love is survived by four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives.
Visitation with the family is to be from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday, June 12, at Gloucester County Community Church, 359 Chapel Heights Rd., Sewell, N.J. 08080. A service is to follow.
Friends called Mrs. Love a “cornerstone of this neighborhood.”Courtesy of the family
Mia Garcia showed off her clothing haul: a multicolored tank top, a backless white tee, a lacy maroon cardigan, and white tights for an upcoming trip to the New Jersey Renaissance Faire.
The 19-year-old was as excited about the bill as she was about the fashion.
Her grand total: $15.
She and her friend, Salsbee Jahan, scored the deals at a massive new Goodwill store in Deptford, where local executives say a growing number of Gen Z shoppers are flocking for clothes, shoes, decor, and more. Young customers are increasingly fueling the world’s largest thrift store chain, which posted record revenue last year.
At Goodwill, “it’s definitely cheaper and easier to find older-style clothes,” like popular Y2K-inspired fits that are sold at a premium elsewhere, Garcia said. At some name-brand stores, “$20 won’t even get you get a shirt.”
The women, both Deptford natives attending Rowan College of South Jersey, say they frequent malls, too. But Jahan, 18, said they’re trying to thrift more because “everything is going up” in price.
Shoppers lined up to get inside the new Goodwill store in Deptford on opening day.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
The sentiment was echoed by several other customers at the 19,000-square-foot store, which was buzzing with dozens of shoppers around lunchtime Tuesday.
“Gas prices have gone up. Groceries have gone up,” said Kaitlin Deegan, a 38-year-old nurse from Salem County. She was wearing a graphic tee and denim shorts that she had bought for under $10 at another Goodwill. “Now it’s all about thrifting.”
Nearby, one woman put a $6.49 denim skirt in her cart, next to a pair of $7.99 sparkly shoes she’d grabbed earlier. Across the room, children perused shelves of toys, games, and stuffed animals — most under $10 — and teens eyed rows of $1.99 DVDs and 99-cent CDs.
In its first 12 days, the new location on Clements Bridge Road averaged about 600 customers a day, more than double the foot traffic recorded at a smallerGoodwill retail store that recently closed in nearby Woodbury Heights, said regional manager Josef Fortun.
Each Deptford customer has spent about $31 on average, he said, exceeding managers’ goals.
Josef Fortun, regional manager with Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey, prepares the new Deptford store to open on May 21.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
This early success in South Jersey comes amid a larger thrifting resurgence. Last year, the U.S. resale market grew nearly four times faster than the broader apparel market, according to an annual report from the online consignment platform ThredUp.
Goodwill recorded more than $7 billion in revenue last year, the New York Times reported, and annual sales across its 3,400 stores have risen 50% since 2019. Smaller secondhand shops, such as Savers Value Village and ThredUp, have also reported revenue increases, according to the Times.
In the same Deptford shopping center as the new Goodwill, there are three other thrift stores: Once Upon A Child, Plato’s Closet, and Play It Again Sports. All are owned by Winmark Corporation, which has been adding more thrift stores and reporting year-over-year revenue increases.
In nearby Cherry Hill, a Red White & Blue Thrift opened this spring, a half-mile from a 2nd Ave thrift outpost — owned by Savers Value Village — that opened in 2024.
Goodwill also opened a store a year ago in a former Rite Aid in Voorhees. And its Woodbury Heights location, which is still accepting donations, is set to reopen June 15 as a Goodwill Home Medical Equipment Store.
Boyd said the nonprofit chain is looking to expand into Cape May County in the near future.
Why are more people thrifting?
More people are buying secondhand right now for many reasons, said Mark Boyd, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia.
“Challenging economic times definitely bring people into the Goodwill store, maybe for the first time,” Boyd said. At the same time, “there’s a lot of people out there who care a lot about reuse, and that’s driving particularly younger shoppers into Goodwill.”
Friends Reed Habiak (foreground left) and Anthony Nunez (foreground right), both influencers and resellers, were first in line at the new Goodwill store in Deptford on May 21.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
And while thrifting is one of the most “tactile” experiences, Boyd said social media is playing a role in its rebirth. Many Goodwill customers are resellers, he said. They find steals in store aisles and then mark up the products to sell online or at flea markets.
On Deptford Goodwill’s opening day last month, professional reseller Anthony Nunez was first in line. He had arrived with a friend around 4:30 a.m., ready to hunt for sports jerseys, Pokemon memorabilia, video games, and vintage clothing to resell on eBay.
Since losing a job in compliance during the pandemic, the 34-year-old Sayreville resident has been reselling full-time, making more than $100,000 a year, he said.
Anthony Nunez flashes a Pokemon Stadium game he picked up in the toy section at the opening of the new Goodwill in Deptford.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
At the Deptford Goodwill, Nunez made a beeline for items with a high resale value, including a still-in-the-box Pokemon Stadium video game for Nintendo 64. He bought it for $18, Nunez said, and later resold it for $150, recouping the cost of his entire Goodwill trip.
It helped that Goodwill executives had invited several resellers to a store preview, he noted.
“They understand we help them too,” Nunez said. “I don’t know if they would be able to exist without us.”
Some longtime thrifters have started using social media to make extra cash.
Melody Appel got into thrifting decades ago, when she was a student at Drexel University.
Now 47 and living in Monmouth County, N.J., Appel recently got a TikTok account at the urging of her teenage daughters. At first, she just used the account to show off her thrifting hauls. But over the past month, she said she has started reselling items, too, making around $1,500.
Many of her TikTok followers seem to be between the ages of 30 and 60, she said, but she has noticed many younger customers in stores.
“People are seeing what they can find,” said Appel, who works as an educator and interior decorator. “And maybe their perception of what thrifting was is different from what thrifting is.”
Reed Habiak, a social media influencer and reseller, looks for items in the Deptford Goodwill’s toy section on opening day last month. Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
While some found their way to thrifting through social media, others get hooked when they stumble into a store, said Fortun, the Goodwill regional manager. He has noticed more young people at the Deptford store than at the old location in Woodbury Heights, he said, and he attributes some of that to the Edge Fitness Club right next door.
Customers often come in on a whim, he said, and are in awe of the wide selection and the price tags.
“People always look for deals,” Fortun said. “You go to discount stores like Ross and Burlington, you still don’t find items as cheap.”
Goodwill is trying to keep these customers hooked with a new online loyalty program, which will offer special deals and send push alerts to shoppers when their favorite brands are stocked at a local store, said Boyd, CEO of the South Jersey and Philadelphia locations.
Mark Boyd, CEO at Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, cuts the ribbon to open the new store in Deptford last month.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Executives are also looking into using artificial intelligence to optimize parts of their operations, such as pricing, he said. But he doesn’t think technology could enhance the customer experience much, he added, and over-digitization could detract from it.
“I really think thrifting is like one of the most human experiences you’re going to have, and it’s a great shopping experience,” Boyd said, “and that’s why it’s so popular.”
Philadelphia is expected to see its most significant winter storm in years this weekend, with nearly a foot of snow and ice expected from a formidable low-pressure system sweeping across the eastern United States.
Official National Weather Service forecasts say six to 18 inches of snow is possible across most of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia as the storm pushes through the region Saturday night to early Monday morning. More than 21 states are expected to experience at least moderate impacts from the storm, the weather service said.
Forecasters said that mixing with sleet and freezing rain could hold down overall snow totals across Philadelphia and South Jersey, but the storm is likely to hinder if not halt most travel on Sunday, regardless.
The National Weather Service puts out forecasts for every few square miles of land in the United States four times a day through a system called the National Digital Forecast Database.
The maps below display that data. Use it to find how much snow is expected anywhere in the eastern United States. It will show the most recent forecast for the next three days.
A considerable amount of freezing rain and sleet may also fall during the storm, leading to icing concerns. The map below displays the forecast for ice accumulation, or accretion, over the next three days.
