Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show with Eric Scott on Tuesday:

⬛ Guilty verdict in Etan Patz case overturned

NEW YORK (AP) — The man convicted in the 1979 killing of 6-year-old Etan Patz was awarded a new trial Monday as a federal appeals court overturned the guilty verdict in one of the nation’s most notorious missing child cases.

Pedro Hernandez has been serving 25 years to life in prison since his 2017 conviction. He had been arrested in 2012 after a decades-long, haunting search for answers in Etan’s disappearance, which happened on the first day he was allowed to walk alone to his school bus stop in New York City.

The appeals court said the trial judge gave a “clearly wrong” and “manifestly prejudicial” response to a jury note during Hernandez's 2017 trial — his second. His first trial ended in a jury deadlock in 2015. His lawyers said he was innocent.

The court ordered Hernandez’s release unless the 64-year-old gets a new trial within “a reasonable period.”

The Manhattan district attorney's office, which prosecuted the case, said it was reviewing the decision. The trial predated current DA Alvin Bragg, a Democrat.

Harvey Fishbein, an attorney for Hernandez, declined to comment when reached Monday by phone.

A message seeking comment was sent to Etan's parents. They spent decades pursuing an arrest, and then a conviction, in their son's case and pressing to improve the handling of missing-child cases nationwide.

Etan was among the first missing children pictured on milk cartons.

⬛ New Jersey's AI data centers face new water usage bill

🔴 A single AI data center could consume 5 million gallons of water daily
🔴 New Jersey wants to make them report water consumption
🔴 Opponents say the measure is redundant, could hurt industry

A bill sitting on Gov. Phil Murphy's desk requires new thirsty AI data centers to disclose how much water and electricity they use, but it's getting pushback from New Jersey's top business leaders.

The legislation (S4293/A5548) passed in the state legislature on June 30.

The reports to the state Board of Public Utilities would have to be made quarterly, according to Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, who chairs the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

Smith said these "monsters" can use 3 million gallons of water just for cooling every day.

While environmentalist groups approve of keeping a close eye on these massive AI data centers that are driving up electricity costs throughout New Jersey, some business leaders are against the measure.

⬛ Someone trying to help firefighters at house fire makes it worse

🔥 Bystanders tried to help at a Point Pleasant Borough fire
🔥 Their action led to a 'catastrophic event'
🔥 Ocean County firefighters go through 200 hours of training

POINT PLEASANT — No matter how well-intentioned, a Jersey Shore fire company is warning bystanders from "helping" at fire scenes.

Point Pleasant Fire Department Station 75 said a bystander at a Hall Avenue house fire on Friday turned on a fire hydrant before the supply hose was attached to the fire engine, leading to what it called "a catastrophic event" where the entire roll of hose started to rapidly fill.

The 5-inch supply hose weighs 100 pounds per section when it's dry.

"Not only could this action have seriously injured people on the fire ground but worse it could of put our fire fighters in danger of running out of water while actively fighting the fire, putting not only their lives as risk, as well as causing significantly more damage to the home we are fighting to save," the department said on its Facebook page.

⬛ Earthquake in Morris Plains shakes North Jersey

☑️ The earthquake rattled area around Morris Plains at 5:40 a.m.
☑️ It was felt mostly around Morris County but one report came from 200 miles away
☑️ Earthquakes under a magnitude 3.0 are generally not felt

MORRIS PLAINS — A small earthquake that rattled several North Jersey towns was also felt 200 miles away.

The US Geological Survey reported an earthquake at 5:40 a.m. measuring 1.6 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter along Butterworth Road in Morris Plains.

Reports about the quake came mostly from Morristown, Denville, Mendham and Flanders.

⬛ Teen slapped with a slice at NJ boardwalk pizzeria

🍕 Video shows worker hurling a slice of pizza
🍕 There was a 'verbal dispute' prior
🍕 Police quickly intervened

Ocean City Police quickly deescalated a confrontation between a group of teenagers and a worker at a boardwalk pizzeria.

According to police, the incident happened last Friday night on the Ocean City boardwalk around 8 p.m.

Video posted to social media shows one teen walking in front of Primavera Pizza on the 1100 block of the boardwalk.

With a cell phone in hand, the teen appears to be recording a verbal dispute he is having with an employee of the pizzeria. The music on the boardwalk is too loud to determine what the two were saying to each other.

At one point, the teen moves to the counter and pushes the phone toward the employee. The employee makes a move to grab the phone and the teen quickly jerks back.

As the teen steps backward, a slice of pizza comes hurling at him from another employee, striking him in the shoulder.

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

Eric Scott hosts the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show from 6 - 10 a.m. on New Jersey 101.5.

Join the conversation by calling 1-800-283-1015 or download the NJ101.5 app.

You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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