DIY project destroys Edison, NJ, home

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Thursday

⬛ Big news with Trump and Vance in New Jersey on Thursday

https://nj1015.com/trump-campaign-visits-new-jersey/

The former president and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance. R-Ohio, are expected to hold a news conference at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster at 4:30 p.m.

The private club in Somerset County often served as a refuge for Trump during his presidency.

The stop in the Garden State will follow Trump’s rally in North Carolina Thursday night when he addressed the state of the economy, which has been the focal point of his campaign.

⬛ No criminal charges for NJ officer who struck, killed pedestrian

Body cam video screenshot from Waterford office in fatal pedestrian strike in Atco (NJOAG, Google Maps)

https://nj1015.com/no-criminal-charges-nj-police-officer-pedestrian-death-atco-wita/

On Nov. 23, 2023 around 2 a.m., Christofe “Christopher” Wita was crossing White Horse Pike — also Route 30 — when he was struck by a Waterford Township police cruiser driven by Sgt. Richard Sbarra in the Atco area.

⬛ Feds investigate demo site after NJ worker is killed by backhoe

Scotch Plains fatal incident at demo site (Google Maps, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)

https://nj1015.com/nj-worker-struck-killed-by-backhoe-scotch-plains-house-demolition/

On Monday afternoon, a crew was working at a site on the 2000 block of Mountain Avenue, News 12 reported.

One worker was struck by the bucket of a backhoe, suffering serious head trauma, NJ.com reported, citing township police.

He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

⬛ NJ homeowner's electricity-savings DIY project sets house on fire

Firefighters at a garage fire on Hill Road in Edison 8/13/24 (Middlesex County Fire Buffs)

https://nj1015.com/firefighters-battle-lithium-battery-blaze/

Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan said it took firefighters over an hour to put out the flames after the batteries being used as the power source for his a home on Hill Road caught fire in the garage attached to a home.

"He was harvesting electricity, using his own lithium ion phosphate batteries," Bryan told New Jersey 101.5. "They were around his house and some sheds in his yard. He had some solar panels outside of the house. And he was storing some of the batteries in the garage."

⬛ Mask ban — NJ could ban masks in public and at protests

AP File Photo/Noah Berger/Townsquare Media illustration

Wearing a mask at a protest would be banned under legislation being proposed by New Jersey State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield).

The idea was born not out of concerns about masking rules during the pandemic but is being proposed as a tool to help law enforcement.

"We know that most of the people breaking the law aren't wearing the masks because they're afraid of catching COVID," Bramick told New Jersey 101.5, "I'm putting this bill in to start the conversation to say, 'if you're protesting and you're violating a law, we're gonna have a statute to say you cannot wear a mask.'"