Alarming spike in home invasions — NJ Top News

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Friday:

⬛ Don't look up, NJ — unless you have these glasses for the eclipse

Do not be fooled during the partial solar eclipse in New Jersey on Monday.

It may seem safe to look up at the spectacle because there's less light blinding you, but the radiation that's shining down is still as strong as it would be on any typical sunny day in the Garden State.

Folks elsewhere in the country who are in line to view a "total" eclipse will actually have some time to look up unprotected. But the maximum coverage of the sun in New Jersey on Monday afternoon is expected to be around 90%, so at no point will it be safe to stare up in New Jersey without some type of protection.

⬛ Will NJ prisoners be allowed to watch the solar eclipse?

TRENTON — While inmates in New York are fighting for their right to see the Great American Eclipse on April 8, the New Jersey Department of Corrections is putting its foot down.

A total solar eclipse will darken skies across most of the continent on Monday afternoon. New Jersey won't experience a total eclipse due to the path of totality, though the sun will be covered around 84% to 94%, according to NASA.

⬛ 2 more Toms River, NJ homes broken into, vehicle stolen

TOMS RIVER — A string of violent crimes continued in Toms River early Thursday with a burglary and a car theft in the same neighborhood.

Police Chief Mitch Little said three suspects entered through a window into a house on Brentwood Avenue in the Tallymawr Estates development around 3:30 a.m. When they heard the residents make a commotion, they ran from the the back door.

⬛ Cops: NJ field hockey coach traded sexual texts with teen girl

A travel field hockey coach tried to pay a 17-year-old for sexual photos, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

Authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of 39-year-old Brett Clay, of Flemington.

According to officials, Clay was exchanging sexually explicit text messages with a female field hockey player while he was employed as a coach by a private program in Mount Olive, Morris County.

⬛ Verona man arrested for overnight church fire

VERONA — An overnight church fire is being investigated as a bias incident.

Verona police responded to a fire alarm at The Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church on Lakeside Avenue at around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Officers "observed a heavy smoke condition" at the church, according to officials.

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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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