Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show with Eric Scott on Friday:

⬛ Breaking news! No more toll cheating at Connie Chung rest stop

💲Savvy drivers knew how to avoid the Watchung Ave toll on the Parkway
💲The Turnpike Authority took down a gate in 2022 that was blocking the shortcut
💲A study revealed the exit was getting heavy use

BLOOMFIELD — As the saying goes, "if you know, you know."

For years, savvy local Garden State Parkway travelers heading south knew how to avoid paying the toll at the Watchung Avenue exit in Bloomfield by getting off at the Connie Chung rest stop and heading for the rear, where they could leave (for free) via Broad Street.

“To my knowledge, this local access to Broad Street has been around for decades. It was one of the best-kept shortcuts and secrets until now," New Jersey Fast Traffic reporter Bob Williams said.

A gate had been in place to block access to Broad Street until August 2022, when renovations began at the service area, according to Turnpike Authority spokesman Tom Feeney. When the new building opened a year later, two-way traffic was allowed to continue.

⬛ Shark River Bridge to reopen...then close one more time

☑️ The Route 71 bridge over the Shark River will stay open through Columbus Day
☑️ After Columbus Day the bridge will close again to make permanent repairs
☑️ A plan is already in place to replace the bridge

BELMAR — The Shark River Bridge will temporarily reopen to vehicles and pedestrians Thursday night for the rest of the summer.

The 93-year-old bridge between Belmar and Avon-by-the-Sea, also known as Route 71, was completely closed on June 13 when the South Bridge leaf suffered a mechanical failure and unable to go up and down.

The bridge was required to stay in the up position in order to accommodate marine traffic, which it is legally required to do.

Interim repairs have been completed on the concrete foundations and electrical and mechanical components. Following a week's worth of testing the bridge is scheduled to resume normal operations Thursday at 7 p.m.

⬛ ICE releases driver in double fatal crash back to Ocean County

🚨ICE took Raul Luna-Perez into custody after announcing he is in the U.S. illegally
🚨His BAC was later determined to be a .19, three times the legal limit during the crash
🚨The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office took him back into custody

ICE has released the driver of an SUV that killed a mother and her young daughter in a head-on crash to the custody of the Ocean County officials after additional charges were filed.

Raul Luna-Perez, 43, of Red Bank, was in the U.S. illegally when he hit a Nissan Sentra driven by Maria Pleitez and her 11-year-old daughter Dayanara Cortes on Cross Street in Lakewood on July 28.

After his arrest, ICE filed an arrest detainer and initiated removal proceedings. Luna-Perez also had been arrested in March and April on DWI charges and a domestic violence charge in 2023, all in Red Bank.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said his office's major crimes unit and Lakewood police went to an ICE detention facility in Elizabeth and took back custody of Luna-Perez with ICE's cooperation.

He is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing during which prosecutors will ask a judge to keep him locked up.

⬛ Tragic killings reveal gaps in response to police domestic abuse

🔴 New Jersey State Trooper suspected in killing of ex-girlfriend
🔴 Latest report on police misconduct includes domestic violence
🔴 Officers were dismissive of domestic violence victims in some cases

More than 70,000 domestic violence incidents were reported to New Jersey police in 2023, resulting in nearly 27,000 arrests, according to the latest available state data.

But what happens when the accused abusers are police officers themselves?

The double-killing this month of a couple in Hunterdon County by a state trooper who had briefly dated one of the victims is raising questions about how the criminal justice system handles intimate partner or domestic violence involving law enforcement.

Officers have friends in police departments and the courts and victims may be discouraged from coming forward if they believe other police officers will cover for their abusers.

Several domestic violence-related incidents stand out for their shocking details in the state's 2024 major discipline report.

In some cases, detailed further in this article, the officers covered up for other officers or had lapses in judgment.

⬛ Police chief suspended over botched killer trooper case

FRANKLIN (Hunterdon) — The double slaying of a couple by a jealous state trooper has resulted in the suspension of this township's police chief and sergeant and takeover of the police force by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office.

Chief Timothy Snyder and Sgt. Kevin Bollaro were placed on administrative leave by the governing body after several days of anger and frustration over how the double homicide investigation had been handled.

On Friday at 7 p.m., Pittstown neighbors called 911 reporting the disturbing sounds of shots and screams in the area of Upper Kingtown Road, where 33-year-old Lauren Semanchik lived.

But it was not until 18 hours later that the bodies of Semanchik and 29-year-old Tyler Webb, of Forked River, were found.

Suspected gunman, State Police Lt. Ricardo J. Santos, was found Saturday evening, over 30 miles away, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot inside a Mercedes SUV in Piscataway.

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office will supervise operations of the police force until further notice.

Its “active investigation into the homicides in the Pittstown section of Franklin Township on or about August 1” has raised “serious concerns” about the department’s operations and effectiveness, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson said on Thursday.

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

Eric Scott hosts the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show from 6 - 10 a.m. on New Jersey 101.5.

Join the conversation by calling 1-800-283-1015 or download the NJ101.5 app.

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

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.