Mourning NJ’s bravest – NJ Top News for Friday

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Friday:

⬛ NJ firefighters mourned after deaths in Port Newark ship fire

NEWARK — Two city firefighters killed while helping battle an intense cargo ship fire in Port Newark were being mourned on Thursday.

The fallen first responders were Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr. and Augusto “Augie” Acabou, both members of Engine 16 in Newark’s North Ironbound section, according to Newark Fire Chief Rufus Jackson.

Five other firefighters were also injured while responding to the fire — three of them from Newark's department and two from the Elizabeth Fire Department, according to city officials.

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⬛ Perth Amboy cops: 'Taxi driver' kidnapped, sexually touched woman

PERTH AMBOY — A 69-year-old man who identified himself as a taxi driver kidnapped a woman and touched her inappropriately multiple times, according to charges announced Thursday by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Andrew Giannetto, of Sayreville, was arrested on July 2 and is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center, officials said.

Perth Amboy police received a report on July 1 about an adult female who was approached by an unknown man operating a 2016 Kia Soul. According to reports, the man told the victim that he was a taxi driver, then "drove her to various locations and committed several acts of sexual contact."

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⬛ Gov. Murphy signs tax break for Orsted's NJ offshore wind farm

PAULSBORO — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Thursday giving a tax break to Danish offshore wind developer Orsted for the first of two energy projects it plans to place in the waters off the Jersey Shore.

The Democratic governor said the financial aid was necessary to ensure that offshore wind projects and the jobs they create happen in New Jersey rather than in competing states.

Before the ink was dry on that bill, he faced pressure from another offshore wind company looking for similar assistance.

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⬛ NJ judge shortage forces halt of more divorce, civil trials

An ongoing judge shortage in New Jersey has spread, making it harder for more unhappy couples to divorce and bringing a halt to many cases in the civil division.

The state court system has faced a shortage of more than 60 vacancies on average for the past three years, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said in a statement. Recently that number has dropped to 53 vacancies, but another county in North Jersey is feeling the pressure.

Seven out of 28 judicial positions remain unfilled in Passaic County. Without enough judges, all civil and matrimonial trials are on hold there starting July 31. Those cases will move forward only in "very limited circumstances," Rabner said, without expanding on what circumstances would be included.
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⬛ NJ announces plan to reimburse victims of SNAP card fraud

Card fraud also targets individuals who are getting by on SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.

In fact, the demographic is even more vulnerable to this crime because SNAP programs across the country issue electronic benefit transfer cards that only swipe and are not equipped with fraud-reduction chip technology.

For quite a while, victims of this fraud have had no way to recoup the funds they've lost electronically to thieves through card skimming schemes. But now there's a plan in place in New Jersey to get some stolen money back to the residents who need it most.

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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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