Free Republic

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) may point the finger at his wife regarding the bribery charges he faces, new court records reveal. According to recently unsealed court documents, Menendez's legal team alleges that his wife, Nadine Menendez, withheld information from the senator, causing him to believe that there was nothing unlawful going on. "While these explanations, and the marital communications on which they rely, will tend to exonerate Senator Menendez by demonstrating the absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez’s part, they may inculpate Nadine by demonstrating the ways in which she withheld information from Senator Menendez or otherwise led...

A candidate running for Senate in New Jersey was ruthlessly goaded on social media after claiming the “climate crisis” was to blame for the Friday earthquake that rocked the tri-state area. Green Party member Christina Amira Khalil shared the controversial message just minutes after the quake, which was the strongest temblor to strike near the Big Apple in 140 years. “I experienced my first earthquake in NJ. We never get earthquakes. The climate crisis is real. The weirdest experience ever,” Khalil wrote on X.

Sunday is the Jewish holiday of Purim, a commemoration of the defeat of Haman, a king’s aide under the Achaemenid Empire who planned to massacre all of the Jews — and Jews in Teaneck, NJ, are on edge that the celebration will lead to a renewed violence in their community. They’re particularly worried about their children being targeted. Everything old is new again. Over the last few weekends, a car rally called “All out for Palestine” has targeted the town, the home of the second-largest Jewish population in New Jersey. The meetup location of the protesters is in Paterson, at...

Thursday, March 21, 2024, shortly after noon, the Battleship New Jersey began traveling down the Delaware River. The ship arrived at Paulsboro Marine Terminal in Paulsboro, New Jersey, just before 4 p.m. for hull preparation. A week later, the historic ship will head to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for historic dry dock maintenance. "This battleship is just a tremendous piece of history," Battleship New Jersey CEO Marshall Spevak said. “This is a once in a generation opportunity really to see the ship move.” When did Battleship NJ depart? The ship left from Camden on March 21 around high tide --...

A Bentley driver fought off a trio of young bandits who tried to forcibly remove him from his pricey ride during a carjacking in New Jersey on Friday — and it wasn’t the first time carjackers targeted the luxury car enthusiast. The attempted theft happened in the parking lot of an Edison grocery store owned by the victim’s family and was captured in dramatic surveillance footage obtained by ABC 7. The video shows three masked men — believed to be as young as teenagers — run up to the orange Bentley Bentayga as the driver opens his door. The thieves...

The homeless man who fatally shot three relatives and carjacked two vehicles in a crime spree in New Jersey and Pennsylvania Saturday has been hit with a slew of charges in both states. Andre Gordon Jr., 26, was charged with murder and other crimes in the Keystone State and he was charged with carjacking and weapons offenses in the Garden State after his violent rampage Saturday. Gordon shot and killed his stepmother Karen Gordon, 52, sister Kera Gordon, 13, and the mother of his two kids, Taylor Daniel, officials said.

Embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez will not run for re-election in November, although he still refuses to hand in his resignation, The Post has learned. “He will not be running,” said a source close to Menendez. The three-term federal senator, who resigned his powerful position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following the initial indictment last year, faces an 18-count indictment — and stiff competition from a group of Democratic primary challengers.

A Jersey Shore police chief was suspended after reportedly showing up drunk to an accident scene and getting into a scuffle with one of his own officers — who later slammed his boss onto the hood of a police cruiser and told the chief to leave before he “gets a problem.” The confrontation between Bradley Beach Police Chief Leonard Guida and Sgt. William Major erupted on the night of Nov. 9, when the chief allegedly walked up to a suspected drunk driving crash on Main Street and began berating Major about his uniform, according to bodycam footage obtained by TAPinto,...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A former Atlantic City councilman who went to prison for bribery and a sex blackmail case is facing charges again. Craig Callaway, 64, is a sought-after political organizer and operative in and around Atlantic City, known for his ability to deliver large blocks of absentee ballots to election officials that often sway the outcome of elections. But he was arrested Thursday and charged with election fraud involving the misuse of absentee ballots — something of which his political foes had long accused him. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Callaway is charged with one count of...

NJ Transit wants to hike fares an eye-popping 15% but may still face a massive budget hole in a year – a dire situation that has the head of the MTA mocking the Garden State’s governor. MTA chairman Janno Lieber roasted New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday over his transit budgeting chaos, taking a dig at one of the most vocal critics of the planned congestion toll in Manhattan. “Phil Murphy said he was gonna fix New Jersey Transit if it kills him,” Lieber told New York state lawmakers during a budget hearing in Albany. “I’m not sure. He’s...

If the Democratic attorney general of The Garden State wants to shut down your business or scare away your donors, the federal courts cannot help you. That's the warning issued by a network of pro-life pregnancy centers fighting an allegedly harassing subpoena from New Jersey AG Matthew Platkin, who seeks a wide range of documents going back 10 years, after a federal court ruled Jan. 12 it didn't have jurisdiction to hear their constitutional challenge. First Choice Women's Resource Centers filed an emergency motion for an injunction pending appeal Tuesday to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, accusing U.S....

A New Jersey bill requiring parental approval before a minor can join social media has garnered opposition… from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business. Last November, Democrat Herb Conaway introduced a bill that would require children in New Jersey to have parental approval to use social media, including required verification of the adult’s age. “We have to get a hold of this,” Conaway told NJ Advance Media at the time. “Everyone in our country should be alarmed in the rising prevalence of mental illness among our children. Much of it can be laid at the feet of social media....

Exclusive photos show how New Jersey is systematically shepherding asylum-seekers onto New York City-bound trains in the middle of the night — as Mayor Eric Adams’ plea for neighboring municipalities to help with the migrant crisis falls on deaf ears. The images captured NJ Transit cops escorting migrants arriving in Trenton from Texas off their buses and onto trains bound for Manhattan’s Penn Station, from where they then head to the city’s main intake center. The Garden State’s moves to avoid the out-of-control migrant mess sparked the ire of at least one Big Apple pol, whose borough has been inundated...

While speaking to New York ABC affiliate WABC on Monday, Edison, New Jersey Mayor Sam Joshi (D) stated that he turned a bus full of migrants sent to the city back because local police “did not know if any of those 40 individuals were carrying weapons, they couldn’t be identified.” And this is “a major security risk. It’s a health risk. And we’re just not going to tolerate that.” Joshi, who plans to send migrants back to the border, also stated that he doesn’t want to pawn problems off on other mayors. WABC New Jersey Reporter Toni Yates stated, “The...

Busloads of asylum seekers headed for the Big Apple are thwarting Mayor Eric Adams’ crackdown on arrivals by being dropped off in New Jersey and jumping on a train to reach their “final destination” — turning a family-friendly Garden State suburb into a migrant hub. The Secaucus Police Department and town officials were informed Saturday by the Hudson County Executives’ Office that four buses transporting migrants bound for New York had arrived at the Secaucus Junction train station, according to officials. “From what we understand, after being dropped at the train station the migrants then took trains to New York...

A New Jersey wedding photographer scammed dozens of people, including his own friends and family, out of $1 million in a sham investment scheme — and instead used the money on an Audi, gambling and travel, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. Vincent Villafane — a photographer and graphic designer from Ford, NJ — allegedly tricked his victims into investing tens of thousands of dollars each into scarce computer graphic cards for gaming laptops, claiming he could sell them for more than double what they were purchased at, federal prosecutors said. His victims included elderly people, public employees like police...

Several gold bars discovered by federal agents in Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez's residence as part of a high-profile bribery investigation can be traced to a violent robbery a decade ago. According to a sprawling indictment unsealed by federal prosecutors in September, Menendez and his wife allegedly played a role in a years-long bribery scheme that involved the Egyptian government and local businessmen including Fred Daibes, a wealthy New Jersey real estate developer. Prosecutors revealed they retrieved multiple gold bars from Menendez's home which were allegedly used as payment in the scheme. At least four of the gold bars...

Excerpt - NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - A former White House official who took top secret documents from U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's office and gave them to opposition figures in the Philippines was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in prison. Philippine-born Leandro Aragoncillo, a U.S. citizen and former Marine, pleaded guilty last year to taking the documents that included details on threats against U.S. government interests and military personnel in the Philippines. Aragoncillo worked on the security detail assigned to the vice president from 1999 to 2002, where he held a top security clearance. He later took a...

A manhunt is underway in Middlesex County as police and the FBI search for a man wanted in connection to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The FBI said in a statement that law enforcement officials are looking for Gregory Yetman, 46, of Helmetta. He is described as a white man in his 40s wearing a red jacket and a ball cap. he was last seen fleeing into a wooded area Officials say they were attempting to execute an arrest warrant when Yetman ran away. They say he may be armed. There is a heavy police presence in...

Authorities were combing New Jersey woods for a man wanted on charges related to the January 6 riot at the Capitol. The search for 46-year-old Gregory Yetman began around 9am on Main Street in Helmetta, as police were trying to serve a warrant. The FBI described him as a white man in his 40s wearing a red jacket and a ball cap. Yetman fled into a wooded area, according to officials, who said he may be armed. Spotswood Public Schools sheltered in place and local streets were closed. Tactical teams could be seen in the backyard of homes. Aerial footage...