Mom catches horrifying child rape on video

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Wednesday:

⬛ Drinking water of 200,000 customers in NJ went untested for year

Trenton Water Works headquarters (City of Trenton) (Canva)

The drinking water in New Jersey's capital city and some surrounding communities went largely untested for more than a year, the utility belatedly told roughly 200,000 affected customers, noting that it fired a worker who falsified the relevant reports.

Trenton Water Works said in a letter to customers last week that it became aware of the problem a year ago and that an investigation determined that the water sample collector fudged reports meant to monitor for disinfection byproducts, E. Coli and other things from October 2022 through last December. A majority of the water samples taken by the utility during that time were deemed to be invalid, it said.

⬛ NJ town council ban on flags as props slammed by civil groups

Edison resident holds American flag at Edison Nov. 25 town council meeting (New Brunswick Today via Youtube)

EDISON — The township council has been slammed by civil liberties groups, over its recent restriction of public speakers from using any props, which include copies of the U.S constitution and American flags.

A meeting on Nov. 25 included at least two men who held small flags while at the podium — prompting the first to be escorted from the room.

Video of the session — posted to YouTube by New Brunswick Today — has gone viral, prompting response from the organization, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

⬛ FBI asks for public video to investigate scary mystery drones

Drone over Morris County (@MendhamMike via X)

The FBI's Newark office is looking for the public's help in its investigation into drones and other craft over several New Jersey counties.

Reports have been coming in for several weeks across Morris County and other areas of North Jersey. The Morris County Prosecutor's Office issued a statement that law enforcement is aware of the activity and was monitoring it. It also warned people to be "mindful that what they read online may not be accurate."

⬛ Teens forced to have sex: NJ officials bust 2 sex rings

Canva

A home-based brothel and a violent sex operation involving teen victims were dismantled in sting operations targeting human trafficking rings on both ends of the state.

Authorities on Tuesday announced indictments against seven New Jersey residents charged in sex and drug crimes in Essex and Cumberland counties

"2025 is just a few weeks away, and yet we live in a world where some of us look at fellow human beings simply as property," said Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

⬛ NJ mom's cam caught boyfriend, 43, raping her 5-year-old child

Canva/Atlantic County Prosecutor/Townsquare Media illustration

ATLANTIC CITY — A city man will be behind bars for over two decades because of disturbing actions in 2022.

Oscar Oberlino Gomez Miralda, 43, was sentenced this week to 25 years in state prison for the first-degree aggravated sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl. He must also serve seven years in prison for endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct.