Shocking number of long-COVID cases in NJ — NJ Top News

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Monday:

⬛ New Jersey will host 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium

The 2026 World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19.

FIFA made the announcement Sunday at a Miami television studio, allocating the opener of the 39-day tournament to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on June 11.

"As a lifelong soccer fan, I am thrilled to announce that the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final will be hosted by New Jersey and New York City!" Gov. Phil Murphy said on social media.

⬛ A shocking number of NJ residents may have long-COVID

Figures from the National Institutes of Health suggest as many as a million New Jersey residents have never fully recovered from COVID.

Long-COVID symptoms include shortness of breath, brain fog, joint pain, prolonged loss of smell and taste, and fatigue.

For some, the symptoms result in a total disability.

⬛ Suspicious woman put child into trunk in North Jersey, cops say

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (Bergen) — Police are trying to identify a woman seen putting a child into the trunk of a car.

A Washington Township resident witnessed the suspicious incident late Saturday afternoon around 4:40 p.m., police said.

⬛ New residents of wealthy NJ town sue to stop youth baseball

BERNARDS — For decades, youth baseball has been played at the local ball fields in Bernards Township, along Valley Road.

The land is leased by a nonprofit, volunteer organization, which entirely covers maintenance and operating expenses for the four playing fields — with thousands of kids coming through as athletes.

Five new households and three other neighboring properties are suing the town, upset with the seasonal activities of youth baseball at the fields they live across from.

⬛ Armed gunmen rob Cherry Hill Mall jewelry store

CHERRY HILL — Two suspects are wanted by police for a brazen midday robbery at the Cherry Hill Mall on Friday.

The armed robbers took everything from inside the safe at the Philly Diamond Connection jewelry store, police said.

Officers were called to the store around 10:40 a.m. Friday morning.

Management said the suspects held employees at gunpoint as they emptied the safe.

⬛ 'Sadistic' NJ man who killed pet cat on video sentenced to prison

HOWELL — A 29-year-old Monmouth County man has been sentenced to over four years in prison for the depraved killing of his roommate's pet cat last year.

Christopher Sanchez decapitated the pet cat and forced his disabled roommate to watch, prosecutors said in Monmouth County Superior Court.

"There's a sadistic quality underlying this defendant's actions," said Sevan Biramian, an assistant prosecutor for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the longest running news program in New Jersey. Eric Scott began hosting the program in 1991.

It airs live on New Jersey 101.5 each weekday morning from 5:30 - 6 a.m.

New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the winner of the prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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