Amazing fireball lights up New Jersey sky

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Thursday:

⬛ Did a New Jersey library distribute counterfeit eclipse glasses?

Canva

A library in New Jersey handed out eclipse viewing glasses that may have not actually worked against protecting users' eyes from the sun.

Ahead of the solar eclipse on Monday, Moorestown Library posted online that the glasses they had distributed to visitors may be a sham.

⬛ Fireball streaks across New Jersey sky

Facebook/Linda Price-Heine

Mother Nature has given us a lot to talk about in the last week, from earthquakes to the eclipse.

Now add a bright green fireball to the list.

All across New Jersey, people are reporting they saw the phenomenon just after 3:30 a.m. yesterday.

It appeared to just fall from the sky.

⬛ Rutgers police investigate bias crime at campus Islamic center

Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University, New Brunswick (Google Street View)

NEW BRUNSWICK — Rutgers University police are investigating an overnight burglary, which they refer to as bias crime, within the Center for Islamic Life on the New Brunswick campus.

The burglary occurred through forced entry around 4:34 a.m. at the center, located at 122 College Ave., according to police.

⬛ NJ cat rapist pleads guilty to sadistic torture, killing of pet

(Doug Hood, Asbury Park Press/MCPO)

ASBURY PARK — A 19-year-old man has confessed to the appalling and prolonged torture of his pet cat that ended with him throwing the animal's corpse out a window last year.

Bani Mezquititla pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree animal cruelty in Superior Court in Monmouth County on Tuesday.

⬛ Longtime NJ 101.5 late night host and Manalapan booster mourned

Former New Jersey 101.5 host Tommy G died Monday after touching the lives of friends, colleagues and residents of Manalapan.

Tommy Gordon was the self-proclaimed "leader of the late night" from 2004-2009. He later worked at WCTC in New Brunswick before starting his own streaming program and then a podcast that focused on his adopted hometown of Manalapan.

LOOK! Every solar eclipse to affect NJ through 2100

From partial to complete totality, here's a complete look at every upcoming solar eclipse affecting New Jersey throughout the 21st century, according to timeanddate.com. Peak times are approximate and will vary based on precise viewing location.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant