New Jersey's fattest counties

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Tuesday:

⬛ NJ man with illegal gun and drugs in fanny pack goes free

Javarus Patterson (NJ DOC/Canva)

PATERSON — An appellate court has sided with a Passaic County man who had a gun and drugs in his fanny pack during a police search.

Javarus Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree handgun possession and two third-degree drug charges.

He was sentenced to seven years in state prison on June 7, 2023.

But on Monday, Patterson won his appeal that said Paterson police violated his rights when they searched his fanny pack.

⬛ Check the fridge — popular grocery chain recalls apple juice

AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File

Check the juice in your house, especially if you shop at Walmart.

Walmart is recalling its Great Value apple juice after the discovery of alarming levels of inorganic arsenic that exceed industry guidance.

The voluntary recall is for its six-pack 8oz apple juice in plastic bottles; the products have a “best if used by” date of DEC2824 CT89-6 and the UPC code 0-78742-29655-5.

⬛ NJ's cheating employers: 19 more added to public list

Canva

New Jersey's list of cheating employers has grown again, and not one entry has come off the list in months.

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development says it has added 19 businesses to its Workplace Accountability in Labor List (The WALL), for failing to follow wage, benefit or tax laws.

Now the public database has 197 entries. It went live in September 2023.

In total, the newly added businesses owe nearly $1.4 million. The 197 businesses collectively owe $19.5 million, to the state or to their workers.

⬛ Popular NJ beach closed as man's dead body is found

Cove Beach Cape May (Google Maps, CCPO)

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP — A popular Cape May beach was closed for part of Monday after a grim discovery.

Early in the morning, patrol officers from the Cape May Police Department found a man’s body at Cove Beach, near the end of Beach Drive.

The person was believed to be about 50, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said.

It was a non-suspicious death and no foul play was suspected, he added.

⬛ Obesity figures reveal New Jersey's fattest counties

Canva

Nearly 30% of New Jersey adults are considered obese, according to new data from the state Department of Health.

The latest figures suggest the obesity rate among adults aged 20 and up has increased by 25% since the year 2011.

The rate topped 30% in nine counties, according to the NJDOH data.

The most obese counties in New Jersey

New Jersey Department of Health age-adjusted data for 2011 and 2022 reveals the percentage of the adult population over 20 that is obese. The counties are listed from lowest to greatest percentage. Because of a small sample size in the survey in 2022, percentages were not available for the first two counties.