New Jersey News

Toms River joins growing stand against pot at the shore

The council is scheduled for a public hearing at its 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday at Town Hall, which could be followed by a vote on second reading of an ordinance that would, “establish prohibitions on the sale, dispensation, and cultivation of marijuana in the Township of Toms River.” The measure was approved 6-0 with one abstention…

Couple Killed on Fiery Crash on Interstate 195 in Jackson

Two people were killed late Wednesday when a nearly $200,000 sports car crashed and caught fire along I-195 in Jackson, authorities said. James Fusaro, 26, and Christina McNamara, 25, both of Jackson, died in the 11:14 p.m. wreck, State Police Trooper Alejandro Goez said. Fusaro and McNamara were engaged to be married, according to a 2016…

NJ Spotlight: New Jersey Evaluates “Get Out Jail” Bail Reform Program After First Year

After One Year, NJ Evaluates Judicial Reform Program

The state performed well for its first year of criminal justice reform, according to the New Jersey judiciary, but key data is missing from the report and the picture is incomplete. To keep the program successful, the state is going to need to spend more money and provide more services, noted the report issued by the…

‘Don’t Raise Our Costs. Please’ – NJ Manufacturers Make Case to Lawmakers

The New Jersey manufacturing industry cannot find enough skilled labor to fill jobs – which is ironic since the state’s unemployment rate continues to lag the national jobless average. That problem has drawn the attention of state lawmakers, and they’ve formed a bipartisan working group to come up with policies that could help bridge the gap.…

New Dave and Busters Opens in New Jersey

From the outside, the Dave and Buster’s in Wayne already looks like fun. But step inside the 48,000-square foot location, and the aroma of Chicken & Waffle sliders, dozens of HDTVs and flashing lights of arcade games ratchet up the fun. Dave and Buster’s in the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne officially opens its doors to the…

Bomber from N.J. handed multiple life sentences for NYC, Seaside Heights bombings

A man who set off small bombs in two states, including a pressure cooker device that blasted shrapnel across a New York City block, was sentenced Tuesday to multiple terms of life in prison. Ahmad Khan Rahimi, who was born in Afghanistan but lived in New Jersey, injured 30 people when one of his pressure cooker…

‘There’s no closure,’ say families of missing fishermen after search ends

In the year before he went missing in choppy waters 40 miles off the coast of Barnegat, Paul Alexandre Matos bought a house, had a daughter and got licensed to commercially fish on his own boat. He had been working as a fisherman for other people, said his girlfriend, Amy Romano, but he decided last summer…

Philly Chaos Shows Double Standard Over Riots: Critics

In the aftermath of the chaos that erupted in Philadelphia as Eagles fans tore through the streets celebrating their Super Bowl victory, many could not help but notice the difference in how the public and officials reacted to riots by fans compared to those prompted by civil unrest. “Somehow, it seems there’s a line drawn in…

Toms River’s Todd Frazier Agrees to Stay in New York…But

Todd Frazier is staying in New York. After a brief stay in the Bronx, Frazier will play in Flushing this upcoming season after agreeing to terms on a two-year, $17-million contract with the Mets, according to sources. The deal is pending a physical, and The Athletic first reported the deal. Frazier became a fan favorite with…

Flu oubreak closes all 3 schools in 1 N.J. district

An outbreak of the flu among “essential personnel” has forced the closure of all three public schools in Branchburg on Monday, district officials said. More than 2,400 students attend Branchburg Central, Stony Brook and Whiton schools. Students in the kindergarten-8th grade district attend Somerville High School. All schools in Somerville are open. Flu epidemic 2018: Is…

Monmouth University student dies, another injured in car crash

A 20-year-old Moorestown man died Saturday after a car veered off the road in Monmouth County and crashed into a tree in the early morning, authorities said. The accident occurred around 2:39 a.m. when Jose R. Rivera, 21, of Lyndhurst, drove his 2006 Audi AA8 off the road in Ocean Township near the 200 block South…

Toms River Votes to Spend $5 Million to Buy Downtown Drug Infested Motel

The Toms River Township Council Tuesday night unanimously voted to introduce a pair of ordinances authorizing the purchase of a crime-ridden motor lodge for $4.8 million, planning to demolish it to create open space under a riverfront development plan, the mayor said. “The plan would be to knock it down,” said Mayor Thomas Kelaher, who attended…

N.J. gets first Sikh attorney general in U.S. history

Gov. Phil Murphy’s pick for New Jersey’s top law enforcement job got swift legislative approval Tuesday, hours after Murphy took office. Former Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal became the nation’s first Sikh attorney general after Senate lawmakers approved his nomination with a vote of 29-0. Grewal, 44, is a first-generation New Jersey resident, born to Indian…

Will Phil Murphy Make New Jersey Pump Own Gas?

Don’t worry, Jersey. Your next governor may have grown up out of state, but he says he won’t make you pump your own gas. Gov.-elect Phil Murphy weighed in on the Garden State’s great gas debate Monday, saying he’s cool with allowing New Jersey to remain the last state in America where self-serve gas is prohibited.…

Murphy says N.J. will ‘soon’ end PARCC testing

As Phil Murphy succeeds Chris Christie as New Jersey’s governor Tuesday, there’s at least one thing students and teachers in the state’s public schools can expect: an end to controversial PARCC testing. But when and how that will happen remains unclear. Murphy on Monday reiterated his campaign promise to eliminate the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness…

Bamboozled: Plumbing giant A.J. Perri hit with record fine for deceiving customers

Plumbing giant A.J. Perri has been hit with a $100,000 fine – the largest ever levied by New Jersey’s plumbing board – and has agreed to reform its deceitful business practices under a consent order reached with the state Attorney General’s Office. The deal, finalized last week, follows a Bamboozled investigation that found the company routinely…