Major storms headed to New Jersey — NJ Top News

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Tuesday:

⬛ $1.5M lawsuit: Trooper handcuffed then punched woman in crisis

A woman has filed a $1.5 million excessive force lawsuit against the New Jersey State Police after being handcuffed and then punched in the face by a trooper. Before the bloody encounter with troopers, she had been waiting for a mental health evaluation.

False imprisonment and failure to intervene are also claims in the federal lawsuit filed on July 31 by Tiffany Conto, whose encounter with State Police led to rare career-ending criminal charges against a trooper, who pleaded guilty last month.

⬛ NJ funeral home kept remains for 31 years, lawsuit says

MIDDLETOWN — For 31 years Debbie Uraga has dutifully visited her father's grave site on his birthday, holidays and Father's Day.

But it turns out his cremated remains were sitting on a shelf in the basement of the funeral home that handled his arrangements, according to a lawsuit.

George Jonas, an Army veteran, died on May 16, 1993. The John F. Pfleger Funeral Home of Middletown was to inter his remains in the family's plot at Mount Olivet Cemetery next to St. James Church in Red Bank, according to the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Union County.

⬛ Mom 'forgot' — Details in NJ case of baby left to die in hot car

EAST HANOVER — The mother of an infant who died after being left inside a parked vehicle on July 17 told police she "forgot" to drop her daughter off at daycare, officials said.

Livia Patelli, 33, of Roseland, left her daughter inside her vehicle at her job on South Ridgedale Avenue in East Hanover for four-and-a-half-hours on July 17, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll. Patelli was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and was released Thursday following a detention hearing.

⬛ Health warning: Harmful algal blooms found in NJ waters

Know the water quality before taking a dip. That’s the latest reminder from the New Jersey Department of Health.

The department took social media this weekend to warn swimmers about high levels of harmful algal blooms in state waters.

As of Monday, two state waters are in the warning category: Alloway Creek in Salem County and Spruce Run Reservoir in Hunterdon County. According to the same sampling status map from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, there are 52 other watches and 45 advisories.

Unless otherwise mentioned, the map display states the result applies to the exact testing site, not the entire waterway.

⬛ How Debby could impact NJ this week: 3 scenarios

Tropical Storm Debby has moved menacingly into some of America’s most historic Southern cities in what is expected to be a prolonged event of torrential downpours and flooding after slamming into Florida with heavy rain and high winds.

Record-setting rain from the storm that killed at least five people on Monday was causing flash flooding in Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, among other areas of coastal Georgia and South Carolina.

Debby's impacts will be felt in New Jersey and there are growing concerns about flooding in many areas of the Garden State.

Here is what you need to know this morning.

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.

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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