7:10- p.m. - Essex County Prosecutor’s office has charged Felicia Williams with aggravated manslaughter, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon with unlawful intent. Bail is set at $250,0000 cash or bond, Williams was remanded to Essex County Correctional Facility. Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly says the office will not comment on whether or not there were any previous charges of domestic violence against Williams or the victim.
Update: Herbert Spriggs, 47, was pronounced dead at Mountainside Hospital, after being stabbed at his residence on Claremont Avenue. Police are detaining a person of interest who is being questioned.
Assistant Prosecutor Fennelly tells Baristanet that the stabbing occurred on the 2nd floor of 285 Claremont Avenue before 5 a.m. The victim drove himself to the emergency room at Mountainside Hospital. Police were contacted and went to the victim’s residence. The victim, who was pronounced dead at Mountainside at 6:35 a.m., is believed to have died as a result of the stabbing but cause of death will not be confirmed until after an autopsy. Essex County’s homicide task force and Montclair Police are investigating.
This is the second Montclair stabbing this month. Two people were stabbed in Upper Montclair earlier this month, after a disagreement, but neither victim was fatally injured.
Police have been stationed outside 285 Claremont Avenue in Montclair since early this morning and Montclair’s Deputy Chief Todd M. Conforti confirmed the residence is currently a closed crime scene. Earlier this morning, both a crime scene unit and Essex County prosecutor’s office (ECPO) were outside the house and police questioned neighbors, asking if they had heard or seen anything in the early hours of the morning. Neighbors who spoke with Baristanet said they had not heard anything, until the police came to the scene.
A tipster reports seeing police called to the same house sometime in the last few weeks; a neighbor also recalled seeing police and ambulance at the home recently. According to tax records, the home is owned by Herbert Spriggs. Neighbors confirmed that Spriggs lives at the residence, and that a woman had been living there with him. Other than his name, neighbors knew little about Spriggs.
Never ever drive yourself to the hospital in an emergency. Call 911 – it will make sure that you are taken into the ER and have priority treatment.
When my husband’s femoral bypass failed in 2012 it took almost 30 minutes to get into the ER. The triage nurse want to argue about his name (he uses his first initial) as he writhed in pain. I threw open the door to the emergency room a screamed for a doctor – they came and put him in a room and then told me they were going to tow my car- I thought he was going to get care and so went and put my car in the parking garage.
When I got back they had his pants down and were asking him questions. I took one look at his blue/grey leg and knew there was no bloodflow and yet the Physicians Assistant kept asking questions about sciatica. Major screaming and alerting on my part finally brought his cardiologist and the knowledge that there had been no bloodflow to his leg for the entire time we had been there at Mountainside.
I don’t know if faster treatment would have changed the outcome – amputation above the knee.
Pat, no more Mountainside
Outlaw assault knives
Pat you are so right. No one should ever drive themselves to the hospital in an emergency. Especially to Mountainside ER which is a total imcompetent nightmare. Even if you DO get there in an ambulance. I also wonder if immediate attention would have saved your husband’s leg. Their non-response in his case was nothing short of medical malpractice.
@lauren and frobnitz You are right – when I called him from the GSP and he said come home and take me to the hospital I should have said call 911.
At that point I doubt that anything would have saved his leg. It wasn’t amputated until April (the initial failure was in January) – we tried everything in the meantime and he was back and forth between Mountainside and Kindred hospital (a 38-bed ICU for wounds located in Dover at St. Clairs/Dover general. They had the most advanced treatment – wound vacs and hyperbaric. At this point I’m just happy he is alive.
I do NOT recommend Mountainside emergency. If anything like this ever happens again we’re going to St. Barnabus or St. Claires via ambulance!!!
Mountainside is a scary place. We had a relative go in for fairly straightforward elective surgery several years ago. He contracted a bacterial infection while at the hospital and died. Go figure. My personal experience pales in comparison. I went in for a badly cut finger, sat for ~3 hours until a person claiming to de a doctor put my hand in a bowl of warm water, wrapped up the finger in gauze and charged me $400. At least I lived to tell about it.
My prayers and sympathy go out to the family of Herbert Spriggs. It is very sad that he did not make it.
Sadly our local hospital is NOT the place to go with an emergency. The staff takes their time and has serious attitudes with their patients. Last summer when my son had chemical burns on his face from a defective toy exploding in his face Mountainside took thier sweet time getting a screaming kid pain into a room. Once in, the Physicians Assistant had a very bad attituted refused to listen to our story even though we had the defective toy with us. She said, “we don’t know what this is, could be a rash.”! A rash!! We quickly ran out of that place went to St. Baranabas where we were immediately treated like an emergency and saw two burn specialists immediately. He had 2nd degree burns on his face, in his mouth and luckily not in his eyes. I regret to say after months with fighting with Mountainside I still had to make out a check last week for the LACK of care we received there. I got tired of the fight. This is not our first problem we’ve had wit Mountainside, but it will surly be our last!!!
Isn’t Hackensack General supposed to be taking over Mountainside? Hopefully, that will improve its abysmal emergency room care.
Sad to read this. May Mr. Spriggs RIP.
RIP Mr. Spriggs!
I doubt that the change in management will make any difference – all of the emergency room doctors are consultants- you’ll see that when you get your bill
Somehow this thread is a discussion about Mountainside and ER care. But nothing about the actual incident (save for the always worthy Nellie)? That surely says something about navel contemplation in Baristaville.
I tried not to comment – but i have to here. I went to mountainside for what looked like a broken finger. It took about 3 hours as well to take an xray and then when the results finally came back I was handed gauze to wrap my own finger and sent along my way…the charge was $900.00.Had my finger not blown up like a balloon we would have never gone there.
I had one of my son’s doctors put it this way for us. Even if you or your kid is laying on the front lawn of Mountainside dying from a bullit wound – call and ambulance and have them take you to another hospital – any hospital is better than Mountainside.
If you’re bleeding a gallon a minute or less, head to St. Barnabas.
Are people implying Mountainside was to blame in this incident? While I haven’t heard the best of things in regards to the hospital, let’s not forget, the hospital didn’t stab this man. I would certainly go to another hospital for any elective/scheduled procedure, but I can’t imagine being critically wounded and wanting to go an extra 20 mins to another hospital when one was all of two blocks away from this man’s residence.
Re: Mountainside – For all the complaints, isn’t it still better to have a hospital in the immediate vicinity than none at all ??
that’s a terrible way for anybody to die.
R.I.P., Mr Spriggs
and yes cathar – several of us commented on Mr. Spriggs passing.
this a very sad rip Mr Spriggs