Phil Murphy: Up in Smoke

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Tuesday:

⬛ NJ Sen. Bob Menendez files for independent run to keep his seat

FILE - Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dec. 7, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

TRENTON — New Jersey U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who is on trial on federal bribery charges in New York, has filed to run as an independent candidate for reelection.

Menendez, 70, had said this year that he would not seek the Democratic nomination to pursue a fourth term, and on Monday filed paperwork with the state to launch an independent bid on the ballot. He had previously said an independent run for office was possible.

⬛ Big changes proposed for NJ's endangered species list

Canva

The survival of certain birds of prey is no longer in jeopardy in New Jersey, according to a proposal made Monday by Gov. Phil Murphy's administration.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette says they're looking to remove the bald eagle and osprey from the state's list of endangered species.

⬛ NJ man stabbed his sleeping mother to death, cops say

Home of Loretta Parody in Howell (RLS Metro Breaking News)

HOWELL — Police say a man stabbed his mother to death as she slept early Monday morning.

Robert Parody, 25, went into his mother's room inside their home on Porter Road in Howell after midnight and stabbed Loretta Parody, 61, in the chest, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.

Police quickly found and arrested Parody.

⬛ Man armed with chainsaw shot by police at Keansburg, NJ home

Seabreeze Way (Google Maps/Canva/Keansburg police)

KEANSBURG — A Keansburg man is hospitalized with gunshot wounds after a police-involved shooting at a borough home.

The shooting on Seabreeze Way on Memorial Day is under investigation, according to the Attorney General's Office. The residential street is not far from the beach and Keansburg amusement park.

While it's unclear what led to the shooting, officials said that Keansburg police were called to a home on the quiet street around 1 p.m. Monday for a well-being check. Authorities did not release the home's address.