JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A public interview with Jackson Mayor Jennifer Kuhn at the township’s annual Jackson Day celebration escalated into a police response after the mayor sought assistance from officers while being questioned about access to her mayoral Facebook page and denied public records requests.

Kuhn maintains that her page is private, but it was created by a township contractor and managed by township employees.

The encounter, captured on video by the independent YouTube channel In This Day & Age, began as the reporter approached Kuhn to ask why OPRA requests seeking records related to her mayoral Facebook account had been denied. The reporter contends the page was created in 2025 using township resources and managed by township employees or contractors, making it a government record subject to New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act.

The mayor said she felt the reporter was threatening and “in her space,” but the video showed the reporter several feet from the mayor and maintaining a polite composure during the engagement.

Questions over access to the mayor’s Facebook page

According to the video, the reporter initially asked Kuhn whether she could help facilitate the production of records associated with her mayoral Facebook page after previous OPRA requests were denied.

Kuhn responded by asking whether he was referring to her “personal Facebook page.”

The reporter replied that the account was not personal because it contains numerous posts about township business, municipal events and official announcements.

He also referenced the New Jersey case Wronko v. Borough of Carteret, arguing that public officials’ social media accounts used for government business may constitute public records.

The exchange remained verbal as the reporter continued asking Kuhn whether she would help obtain the requested records. Kuhn repeatedly responded that Jackson Day was not an appropriate venue to discuss the matter.

“This is Jackson Day,” Kuhn said during the encounter, adding that she wanted to be left alone. She also stated that she felt threatened by the questioning.

Mayor seeks assistance from nearby law enforcement and township employees to dispatch reporter

After ending the conversation, Kuhn walked toward a police officers dressed in fatigues, and retired Jackson Police Officer Fred Meabe, who now serves as the township’s Recreation Department and Special Event Coordinator after being hired by the township.

The officer began engaging the reporter who noted the officer was not wearing a body worn camera during the interaction.

The mayor then entered the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Office of Emergency Management command vehicle. Moments later, several police officers approached the reporter and began questioning him about the encounter.

According to the video, officers instructed the reporter to move away from the area surrounding the command vehicle, and a covered table area for Jackson Day workers, describing it as restricted. During the discussion, however, another officer acknowledged the event was taking place in a public park, leading to conflicting explanations over where members of the public were permitted to stand.

The reporter questioned why other adults and children continued walking through the same area after police tape was erected while he was being directed elsewhere.

Reporter disputes mayor’s account

In comments accompanying the video, the reporter denied behaving aggressively during the exchange.

“I spoke to her at a normal distance, not loud, not aggressive, but I pressed her on facilitating getting me the public record,” he wrote. “She went over to the golf cart, grabbed a walkie talkie and requested officers.”

The reporter further alleged that Kuhn falsely claimed he had been “in her face” before retreating into the sheriff’s command vehicle while officers responded.

The reporter also stated he began recording the encounter after police were summoned because he believed it was necessary to document the interaction.

Questions remain, is Jackson Day, an event held in the public park off-limits to the public and members of the media asking the mayor questions?

Jackson Council President Mordechai Burnstein, who has been accused of being one of the people who manage Kuhn’s Facebook page said the interview was a political stunt carried by her opponents from the Fight For Jackson Team.

“A family day is not an appropriate place for an outside agitator to ambush a mayor . This was a set up designed for clicks in the wrong setting and is hurting the ffj (Fight for Jackson) cause,” Burnstein said, adding, “Campaigning was fine.”

Internal Affairs complaint requested

As officers continued speaking with him, the reporter requested to file an Internal Affairs complaint, alleging one officer was interacting with the public without an activated body-worn camera and another initially declined to accept his complaint.

After additional discussion, a detective advised that a supervisor would respond and the complaint process could begin at the event rather than requiring the reporter to travel to police headquarters.

Throughout the encounter, the reporter maintained he was exercising his First Amendment rights by questioning an elected official in a public place about government records. Kuhn maintained Jackson Day was not the proper setting for such questions and requested police assistance after stating she felt threatened.

The incident occurred while Kuhn was appearing at Jackson Day both as mayor and as a candidate for reelection. She was staffing a campaign table alongside council candidates John Pejoski and Brian McCarron, both former Jackson police officers.

Sources: In This Day & Age YouTube Channel, New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), Wronko v. Borough of Carteret (referenced by the reporter)