TRENTON, N.J. — As a fast-moving wildfire scorched more than 15,000 acres in Ocean County, state officials were notably silent about the disappearance of Governor Phil Murphy — until social media posts revealed he had traveled to Poland to attend Holocaust remembrance events at Auschwitz.
Murphy resurfaced in a series of posts on X late Wednesday, detailing his participation in the March of the Living — an annual international Holocaust commemoration that marks Yom HaShoah. The event included a three-kilometer silent walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau.
Key Points
- Governor Phil Murphy was not publicly accounted for during a major New Jersey wildfire.
- Social media posts confirmed he was attending Holocaust memorial events in Poland.
- The March of the Living commemorates victims of the Nazi death marches and Holocaust.
Governor’s absence draws attention amid local emergency
While fire crews battled the blaze across Ocean County and issued evacuation orders, the governor’s absence sparked questions about his absence of leadership during the blaze.
“Deeply honored to be in Poland,” Murphy wrote in a post timestamped 20 hours ago, alongside photos of himself, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and NJ State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan. The group traveled with the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ as part of New Jersey’s delegation to the March of the Living.
In a follow-up post, Murphy described the visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau site: “Over 1.1 million innocent people were tortured and killed here,” he wrote. “We must reaffirm our commitment to learning from the horrors of the past and living up to the promise of #NeverAgain.”
According to organizers, the 2025 March marks the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation — a milestone recognized by global leaders, students, and Holocaust survivors who gathered for the memorial.
Local officials continued to handle the wildfire response in Murphy’s absence. On Tuesday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service confirmed mandatory evacuations and road closures due to the rapidly spreading fire. By Wednesday, containment efforts had improved and residents were allowed to return home.