Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Wednesday:

⬛ A dead whale found on the bow of a ship in New Jersey sparks an investigation

GLOUCESTER CITY, N.J. (AP) — After a dead whale was found on the bow of a container ship docked in New Jersey, authorities were working Tuesday to remove the carcass and determine the endangered animal’s cause of death.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a New Jersey-based animal rescue service, said in a social media post that the whale was reported Sunday by the U.S. Coast Guard at the Gloucester Marine Terminal. The port is at the base of the Walt Whitman Bridge linking New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The center said in a follow-up post Tuesday that it was working to tow the carcass away in order to conduct a necropsy and determine how the whale died.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday confirmed its enforcement office has opened an investigation into the death but declined to comment further. It said anyone with information about the dead whale should call the agency’s hotline.

⬛ ‘Unspeakable tragedy’: 3 family members dead in Piscataway

🚨 Jordan Barnes, 29, was shot after he allegedly came at officers with a machete
🚨Officers discovered Barnes’ mother and grandparents dead inside the home
🚨A motive for their deaths has not been disclosed

PISCATAWAY — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has identified the man shot by police after he allegedly came at them with a knife late Monday afternoon at a home where his mother and grandparents were found dead.

According to the investigation, Jordan Barnes, 29, of Piscataway was threatening relatives inside the home on River Road, a 911 caller told police. Information released by the state Attorney General's Office said that officers first tried talking to Barnes through the closed front door, but when they noticed two people lying unconscious on the floor, they opened the door and saw Barnes holding a knife.

Officers ordered Barnes to put down the knife and get on the floor but he instead continued to walk towards the officers, according to the state Attorney General's Office. After three of the officers unsuccessfully tried forcing Barnes to the ground by firing tasers, one of them fatally fired his service weapon, officials said. Barnes was pronounced dead at the home.

⬛ NJ keeps pediatric vaccine rules despite CDC rollback

💉 CDC rolls back widely recommended childhood vaccines, alarming pediatric experts.
🏫 New Jersey will continue evidence-based vaccine guidance for schools, child care, and insurance coverage.
⚠️ Public health leaders say the changes could lead to preventable hospitalizations and child deaths.

While the federal government has cut the number of widely recommended pediatric vaccines, New Jersey was holding steady on evidence-based guidance to start 2026.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved removing across-the-board recommendations for flu and COVID vaccines for children, as well as rotavirus, meningitis, hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

Public health experts have warned the rollback from 17 to 11 widely recommended vaccines could lead to preventable hospitalizations and deaths.

In New Jersey, vaccines remain covered by insurance and available through the Vaccines for Children state program.

New Jersey’s minimum requirements for school and child care attendance also remain unchanged by federal actions to date, as outlined under New Jersey Administrative Code, state officials said.

⬛ Drunk driving arrest of Sea Bright police chief kept quiet

🚨Police body cam video shows a Jersey Shore police chief charged with DWI
🚨Sea Bright police chief Brett Friedman told officers he had not been drinking
🚨 The arrest was never publicly announced

SEA BRIGHT — Newly released body cam footage shows the arrest of a Jersey Shore police chief on drunk driving charges in 2024, three months before his retirement.

The footage obtained by the YouTube channel Transparency Bodycam shows former Sea Bright Police Chief Brett Friedman and his SUV with "confidential plates" on Nov. 29, 2024, after hitting a fire hydrant and a utility pole along Ocean Avenue.

The chief told a Monmouth Beach police officer that a deer ran in front of his blue Ford Explorer, causing him to go off the road. He told the cop that "no drinking was involved."

However, the chief's speech was slurred. The officers left the chief and talked among themselves, realizing the situation they found themselves in.

"How do we handle this?" one of the officers asks. "This sucks."

⬛ Less than 600 shootings in a year: NJ posts historic crime record

🔻NJ recorded fewer than 600 shooting victims in 2025 — the lowest total ever tracked statewide.
🔻Shootings dropped dramatically in major cities like Newark, Camden, Paterson, Atlantic City, and Trenton.
🔻State leaders point to intelligence-led policing, technology, and community programs as key drivers.

EAST RUTHERFORD — New Jersey saw fewer than 600 shootings in 2025 — marking the state’s third year in a row with its lowest number of shootings on record.

The major milestone in cracking down on crime was announced at a Tuesday event attended by state, county and local leaders in East Rutherford, as the governor’s administration was poised to hand the reins of the state over to Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill.

Gov. Phil Murphy outlined the crime reduction data, saying the effort was rooted deeply in eight years of “sustained coordination and collaboration at every level of government and across communities statewide.”

The numbers of victims shot and those fatally shot have now fallen for four consecutive years to reach their all-time low.

The historically low numbers also come at a time when gun ownership and permits to carry a concealed weapon are at an all-time high in New Jersey. Some have suggested having a large number of legally owned firearms by responsible gun owners has also contributed to the reduction in gun deaths.

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

The New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show airs from 6 - 10 a.m. on New Jersey 101.5.

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You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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