Hackers hit NJ water systems—NJ Top News
Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show.
🔗 Why hackers are going after New Jersey water systems
💧Two NJ municipal water utilities were targeted in a cyberattack
💧The attack is tied to similar incidents nationwide
💧The FBI says there have been at least 30 attempted attacks in seven states
A cyberattack targeting two New Jersey municipal water utilities is being linked to a broader wave of similar attacks against drinking water systems across the country.
The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell said the attacks temporarily limited the utilities' ability to remotely monitor or manage vulnerable internet-connected control systems. In some cases, IP addresses and passwords were changed, according to the FBI.
There have been at least 30 attempts in seven states to digitally break into municipal systems, according to the FBI. Like the New Jersey incidents, hackers tried to seize control of small computers used to operate equipment such as pumps and valves that help deliver drinking water to millions of people.
"Both systems have since been secured with strengthened access controls. The NJCCIC continues working with these utilities and with water systems statewide to reduce the risk of similar incidents going forward," NJCCIC spokesman Christopher M. Thoresen said.
🔗 Chicago man admits role in largest meth bust in NJ history
💊 Federal prosecutors say the conspiracy brought 260 pounds of meth into New Jersey.
⚖️ A Chicago man pleaded guilty in the record-setting drug trafficking case Thursday.
🚔 Authorities say the seizure was the largest meth bust in New Jersey history.
A Chicago man who conspired to bring 260 pounds of meth across state lines into New Jersey faces life in prison.
On Thursday, 47-year-old Marcos Cesar Acosta pleaded guilty in federal court in Camden to conspiracy to distribute meth. Federal prosecutors said the bust happened in late April.
It was the largest seizure of methamphetamine in New Jersey history, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"Over 6 million dollars of methamphetamine was seized, but what is priceless is the number of lives potentially saved by the extraordinary efforts of law enforcement in New Jersey,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy said at the time.
Law enforcement stopped a truck after it came into New Jersey, prosecutors said. Authorities searched the truck cab and found three black storage boxes, one duffel bag, and a garbage bag. They all contained massive amounts of meth. Prosecutors did not disclose where the seizure took place.
Acosta was arrested at the scene, along with a second man who was a Mexican national. Carlos Cordero-Guiterrez, 53, was also charged with conspiracy to distribute meth. That case remains ongoing.
He faces life in prison and a fine up to $10 million at sentencing on Dec. 17, 2026; the charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
🔗 New Jersey driver escapes after Tesla plunges into pond
✅A 71-year-old woman escaped after driving her new Tesla into a Piscataway pond
✅ First responders found her sitting on the roof after she got out through the sunroof
✅Police said the Tesla may have been traveling at a high rate of speed
PISCATAWAY — A 71-year-old woman escaped through the sunroof of her brand-new Tesla after driving it into a Middlesex County pond Tuesday night.
Piscataway Director of Public Safety Keith L. Stith said the woman drove the Tesla into a parking lot near Columbus Park around 8 p.m. off Lakeview Avenue. The vehicle went through a wooden guardrail near the Washington Avenue Bridge and wound up in New Market Pond.
When the woman called 911, she told the dispatcher she was not a strong swimmer but managed to climb out through the sunroof. First responders found her sitting on the roof of the Tesla, uninjured, and took her to a hospital as a precaution.
Video showed the Tesla floating in the middle of the pond before it was towed back to shore.
🔗 Smile! N.J. taxpayers get stuck with Murphy’s $135K portrait bill
🎨 Former Gov. Phil Murphy’s official portrait will cost taxpayers $135,000 — the most expensive gubernatorial portrait in New Jersey history.
💰 The portrait will cost more than the combined price of the official portraits of the three governors who preceded Murphy.
🖼️ New Jersey has commissioned official portraits of departing governors for decades, with the State Museum overseeing the collection since 1978.
He’s been out of office for eight months, but former Gov. Phil Murphy is still adding to the taxpayers’ tab.
Murphy’s official gubernatorial portrait will cost $135,000, making it the most expensive governor’s portrait in New Jersey history.
And yes, taxpayers are picking up the bill.
Murphy portrait sets a New Jersey record
The portrait will be commissioned from what state officials describe as a “world-renowned” artist who has painted U.S. presidents and celebrities.
The price tag is particularly eye-catching: Murphy’s portrait will cost more than the combined total of the official portraits commissioned for the three governors who served immediately before him.
Official portraits of former governors are a longstanding New Jersey tradition. Robert Meyner, who left office in 1962, was the first governor to have an official portrait commissioned by the state. The practice continued for subsequent modern governors, with the exception of Richard Hughes, whose portrait was donated.
Since 1978, the New Jersey State Museum has overseen the gubernatorial portrait collection.
Taxpayers will pay $135,000 for Murphy portrait
🔗 Surprise! Massive python rescued from Freehold shed
🐍 An 8-foot Burmese python was found hiding beneath a shed in a Freehold backyard, prompting a dramatic rescue.
🚒 Animal control officers dismantled part of the shed to safely remove the giant snake after it swallowed a possum.
⚠️ The Monmouth County SPCA says the case is a reminder that exotic pets should never be released into the wild.
FREEHOLD — “Can you repeat that?”
That’s what animal control officers at the Monmouth County SPCA said when they received a call about a massive 8-foot Burmese python found in someone’s backyard in Freehold.
The non-native snake was first spotted in the yard on Wednesday, but then it hid itself under the floorboards of the homeowner’s shed.
A local contractor had to come and safely remove the floorboards so trained animal control officers could reach the python and unwind it.
The animal shelter posted a video to its Facebook page of how the whole rescue went down, accompanied by music from “Spider-Man: Brand New Day Main Theme.”
“Thanks to patience and professional technique, the python was freed and taken to the MCSPCA for safekeeping,” shelter officials said on Facebook.
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