New Jersey on Tuesday became the ninth state to prohibit homicide defendants from claiming that panic brought on by a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity could be used a legal defense. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed the measure, saying it promotes “full equality for all our residents.” “Gay and trans panic defenses are rooted in homophobia and abhorrent...

Rutgers University named a high-ranking Northwestern University official as its new leader on Tuesday, making him the school’s first black president. Jonathan Holloway, 52, will start his new job on July 1 after receiving approval from the Rutgers Board of Governors. He will be the 21st president of New Jersey’s flagship university, succeeding Robert Barchi, who has led Rutgers since…

No, the luxurious Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa has not relocated to a central New Jersey wildlife preserve.
The Jackson Township Police Department, however, has recently seen a spike in the number of drivers headed for the Atlantic City resort winding up stranded in a wildlife area in the shadow of Six Flags Great Adventure.

New York Attorney General Letitia James and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine are co-leading a lawsuit filed Thursday to stop the Trump Administration from eliminating food assistance for nearly 700,000 Americans, James’ office said.   The lawsuit, which was joined by 13 attorney generals — including those for New Jersey and Connecticut — as well as New York…

It’s now official! The son of the Garden State’s own legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen is now a Jersey City firefighter. On Tuesday, Mayor Steven Fulip and Public Safety Director James Shea swore in 15 new firefighters to the Jersey City Fire Department. Twenty-five-year-old Sam Springsteen was among the new firefighters. He was accompanied by his proud parents — Springsteen and…

The man ran full speed at the cockpit door, then attacked a flight attendant who tried to intervene; once of the ground, he attacked police officers as well.

1486-B_BLOCK-YOUTUBE

A New Jersey man was indicted on federal charges for his alleged role in a scheme to bilk thousands of GoFundMe donors out of more than $400,000 with a fake feel-good story about a homeless veteran, officials announced Wednesday

Families who laid their loved ones to rest at Lake Nelson Memorial Park in Piscataway, New Jersey, are demanding answers. “It just looks like a garbage dump,” said Judy Beekman, who has relatives buried there. Visiting them can be challenging, she says.

A man who set off fireworks near a theater as his friend made a marriage proposal created panic among moviegoers who mistook the fireworks for gunshots, leading to 911 calls and an evacuation, authorities said. Howell Township police responded to the Xscape Theater around 6 p.m. Wednesday and soon learned the theater manager had confronted a man who had lighted…

The acting secretary of Homeland Security is taking aim Tuesday at new laws in New York, New Jersey and other states that allow immigrants to get driver’s licenses without proof they are in the U.S. legally, and restrict data sharing with federal authorities. Chad Wolf sent a memo to all the components of Homeland Security, which include U.S. Customs...

The remains of a 33-year-old American soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan have been returned to the United States, arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Goble of Washington Township, New Jersey, was killed Monday in a roadside bombing in northern Kunduz province. The Taliban has claimed they were behind the attack. Goble was…

Michael Barisone faces attempted murder and weapons charges in the two-count indictment stemming from an alleged shooting at his New Jersey farm.

A bail hearing for a man whose number was found in the pocket of one of the perpetrators of last week’s fatal attack on a Jewish market was halted after prosecutors said they had evidence he was selling firearms from his pawn shop

Police have released the 911 call a heroic 4-year-old New Jersey girl made when her mother suddenly collapsed and became unresponsive this month. Isla Glaser was home — in the Somerset section of Franklin Township — with her mom, her twin 1-year-old brothers and her 2-year-old sister on December 6 when her mother suddenly fell ill. Isla couldn’t wake her….

A 55-year-old bedridden woman was killed Tuesday morning after a pickup truck lost control and crashed into a New Jersey home, police say. According to Brick Township Police, Barbara Anne Filan was in a bed in the living room when a 2014 Ford F-150, driven by 86-year-old William McEvoy, crashed into the house around 8:48 a.m. The woman was taken…

As if the girl’s heroics for her mother weren’t enough, she was also able to feed her three younger siblings breakfast while telling them “mommy was going to be okay”

Nearly a dozen people surprised a New Jersey waitress with a $1,200 cash tip
as an early holiday gift.
Teacher and activist Zellie Thomas said he and a group of his friends left the tip with a waitress at an IHOP restaurant in Paterson on Saturday. Each person brought $100.

Staffers for New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew are resigning after the lawmaker announced he would break from the Democratic party and vote against impeaching President Donald Trump.

New video shows the moment the Jersey City shooters stormed into the Kosher market, before blasting at the helpless victims inside. The surveillance video obtained by NBC News is shot from above the entrance to the JC Kosher Supermarket on Martin Luther King Drive. The U-Haul truck shooters David Anderson and Francine Graham were driving in, which New Jersey Attorney…