Protect your bank account from new scam

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Tuesday:

⬛ NJ town mourns high school student killed in tragic crash

(CBS Philadelphia/GoFundMe)

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (Gloucester) — A Gloucester County community is mourning the death of a 16-year-old high school student killed in a weekend crash.

Sophia Bennett, of Washington Township, has been identified as the passenger in a vehicle involved in a fatal crash in Deptford on Friday night.

The Deptford police said two vehicles crashed around 8 p.m. at the intersection of Hurfville Road and Deptford Center Road.

⬛ NJ announces $3M study of offshore wind impact on marine life

Dolphin found stranded in North Wildwood 2/26/24 (Dorothy Prior via Save the Dolphins and Whales NJ)

As another dolphin is found stranded on a New Jersey beach the state Department of Environmental Protection said will conduct a study to make sure offshore wind energy projects are developed in an ecologically responsible manner.

The DEP announced Monday it will spend $3.7 million for "scientific research projects being undertaken to ensure ecologically responsible development of offshore wind energy," according to a statement from DEP commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Christine Guhl-Sadovy.

⬛ Disturbing rise in serious crimes in Monmouth County

Getty Stock / ThinkStock / AP

As numbers released by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office make the case that an increase in home break-ins correlates with a spike in high-end car thefts, another mayor is calling for reform.

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry told New Jersey 101.5 it's a battle he's been fighting for three years.

⬛ This scam is everywhere in New Jersey: How to protect yourself

Canva/Townsquare Media illustration

A card skimmer is a device that is illegally installed on ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps to capture data or record cardholders’ PINs.

Scam artists can recover that data and make a clone of your bank or credit card and run up thousands of dollars in charges or access your bank account.

They can take different forms and can be hard to detect. In most cases, they slide over the legitimate scanner to capture your data as you complete a legitimate transaction.

⬛ NJ couple charged with running illegal weed operation in home

LACEY — An Ocean County couple has been arrested and charged with running a marijuana growing operation at their home.

According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, John Vincentini and his wife Karen, both 64 of Lacey, were charged with the manufacture and distribution of between five and 25 pounds of marijuana, plus weapons offenses and financial facilitation.

Battleship New Jersey is towed for maintenance

The USS New Jersey left its dock in Camden on its way to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for extensive maintenance work on March 21, 2024. The vessel, guided by tugboats, will first head to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, where it will be balanced to prepare for dry docking.

Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander

Must-visit NJ shops with homemade chocolate

There are lots of options in New Jersey for delicious, homemade chocolate treats for any season, holiday or occasion. Many have been around for decades.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt