ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Mayor Mario Kranjac has blamed state and local Democratic leaders for creating what he calls an “anti-police environment” following the fatal shooting of Newark Police Detective Azcona and the injury of another officer.
In a statement Monday, Kranjac, a Republican and outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, claimed that policies from Governor Phil Murphy, Attorney General Matt Platkin, former Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka have contributed to lawlessness.
“The horrific murder of a Police Officer by a 14-year-old child-criminal shows how decades of a left-wing, Marxist, anti-police ideology have hollowed out a once great city,” Kranjac said, adding that the officials “have the blood of fallen police officers on their hands.”
The shooting, which involved a teenage suspect, has reignited debates over crime, policing, and public safety in New Jersey. Kranjac, who is considering a gubernatorial run, vowed to “restore law and order” in the state.
