Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Wednesday:

⬛ NJ driver wanted for deadly summer crash arrested in PA

Site of deadly Wall Township crash at Route 138 (Google Maps, MCPO, Canva)
Site of deadly Wall Township crash at Route 138 (Google Maps, MCPO, Canva)
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A year after a deadly three-vehicle crash in Monmouth County, a fugitive from Howell has been arrested in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, law enforcement confirmed on Tuesday.

Thomas A. Redding has been charged with second-degree death by auto and third-degree possession of cocaine, in connection with the death of 55-year-old Leonard Akers of Wall Township.

Redding also faced a disorderly persons offense of possession of drug paraphernalia.

⬛ Taking a trip? This NJ measles alert is for you

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Canva
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Compared to the entirety of 2023, the number of reported measles cases nationwide in 2024 so far is up by more than 200%, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC's latest weekly update reported 188 cases of the infectious illness across the country this year. The total was 58 for all of 2023.

According to an alert on the New Jersey Department of Health website, many of the cases reported in 2024 are linked to international travel and are among children and individuals who had not received measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination.

⬛ Perth Amboy teen drowns at beautiful but dangerous NJ quarry

Crystal Lake in Manchester, map showing its location
Crystal Lake in Manchester, map showing its location (Whiting Fire Company Sta. 33)
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MANCHESTER — The second person this summer has drowned in a lake on private property where swimming is prohibited.

Victor Arias-Peralta,18, of Perth Amboy, and others had been trying to swim across the lake on the 7,000-acre Heritage Minerals Asarco Corp. property around 6 p.m., Police Chief Antonio Ellis said

Arias-Peralta became severely fatigued and went into "distress" about 20 yards from the shore. Friends tried to help him but he eventually went under and disappeared in the current, the chief said.

⬛ Judge rules AR-15 rifles are legal in New Jersey

Canva/Townsquare Media illustration
Canva/Townsquare Media illustration
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A federal judge has struck down New Jersey's ban on the Colt AR-15 rifle.

Following several recent pro-second amendment rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court, the judge agreed with gun rights advocates that New Jersey residents have a right to posses an AR-15 for self defense in one's own home.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin vows to appeal.

In a statement, Platkin claims the AR-15 has become the weapon of choice for the epidemic of mass shootings.

⬛ NJ unclaimed property is worth billions — check if some is yours

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Canva
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You moved out of a home but never collected the balance of your utility deposit. Your share of dividends never reached you as a shareholder. You're the heir of property left behind by someone who's passed.

Those are just a few examples of reasons you may want to check out a website run by New Jersey.

Right now, it has records on billions of dollars' worth of money and property that New Jersey is waiting for you to claim — and there's no catch. It's free to search, and free to get the property that's rightfully yours, with interest.

Places in NJ where gun owners have sued to carry a legal gun

New Jersey passed its own law in December, trying to ban legal guns from “sensitive places.” 

A federal judge found many of those spots to be legally protected on grounds of armed self-defense, noting in her opinion, “Crowded locations are not sensitive places."

As of June, a federal appeals court granted the state attorney general's request to keep part of the law that bars people from carrying handguns in “sensitive places” in effect.

The decision means handguns cannot be carried in places such as zoos, public parks, public libraries and museums, bars, and health care facilities.

The law bars handguns from being carried in those places as well as schools and child care facilities. The lower court's May injunction did not specify those locations, and the appeals court also didn't remove the prohibition in those places.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt & The Associated Press

FBI's Top 5 Most Wanted violent fugitives in NJ

The FBI currently lists more than two dozen fugitives with ties to New Jersey on their ‘most wanted list.’ These are the five most violent and dangerous suspects.

Gallery Credit: Eric Scott

Look for these NJ athletes at the Paris Olympics

There will be lots of NJ ties in Paris for the Olympic games this summer, running July 26 through Aug. 11 — with events airing on NBC and online at NBC.com.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

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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.

National Murrow Award Winner featured
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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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