Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Friday:

⬛ NJ man gets prison for secret ‘upskirt’ videos of 27 victims

Christopher Cox gets prison for upskirt secret videos (MCPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Christopher Cox gets prison for upskirt secret videos (MCPO, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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A 35-year-old Red Bank man who admitted to recording secret “upskirt” videos of women, including several juveniles, has been sentenced to eight years in state prison.

Christopher Cox was sentenced on Friday by a Superior Court judge in Monmouth County.

He previously pleaded guilty in October to second-degree eluding police, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and three counts of third-degree invasion of privacy.

Cox will also be subject to parole supervision for life and required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.

⬛ NJ officials: Diesel theft scheme had thousands of victims

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Scammers illegally accessed credit card readers at gas pumps to fuel a multi-state scheme that made them millions of dollars in profits, according to charges announced by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice.

Twenty-five people and four companies were named on Thursday for their roles in the scheme that used stolen credit card information to purchase tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and resell it.

Officials claim the criminal enterprise operated in New Jersey and a handful of nearby states.

⬛ See how much more you're paying in NJ, compared to a year ago

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Prices of the things you need continue to climb — just at a lesser extreme than what New Jersey had been experiencing in the recent past.

The latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that overall, prices in the New York area (which includes most New Jersey counties) were up 4.3% in December 2024, compared to December 2023.

The Consumer Price Index was unchanged over the month in December. It helps to look at a longer stretch of the calendar to see how prices have moved over time.

⬛ Van Drew says he is working with Trump to stop NJ wind projects

President Donald Trump, Rep. Jeff Van Drew at Wildwood rally in 2020, Stranded dolphin in Avalon 2/19/24
President Donald Trump, Rep. Jeff Van Drew at Wildwood rally in 2020 (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File), Stranded dolphin in Avalon 2/19/24, (Jamie Vangelas Steiert via Save the Dolphins and Whales NJ) (Canva)
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U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd District, an opponent of wind energy off the Jersey Shore, says he is working with President-elect Donald Trump on a executive order that would halt its development.

Ever since the number of dolphins and whales stranding on New Jersey beaches spiked in December 2022 and continued into 2023, Van Drew and opponents have blamed work on turbines for contributing to their deaths. At least 53 dolphins, the highest number in 20 years, and 14 whales stranded themselves in New Jersey in 2023, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. In 2024, 52 dolphins and nine whales stranded.

⬛ Police: NJ 'sex predator' teacher raped student, had his baby

Laura Caron (inset) Cabrini.villanova.com
Laura Caron (inset) Cabrini.villanova.com
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More disturbing details about a Cape May County teacher accused of raping a young student have come to light in court documents revealing she became pregnant and had his baby while they lived together.

Laura Caron, 34, of Cape May Courthouse, was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree counts of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said Wednesday.

The fifth-grade teacher at Middle Township Elementary School 2 was immediately placed on paid administrative leave, school officials said.

NJ 'perv' teachers, coaches busted in two-year span

There were a number of educators, coaches and private teachers facing criminal charges for sexual offenses around New Jersey, arrested between 2022 and 2023.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

These NJ town are getting poorer

In these 20 municipalities in New Jersey, the median household income has decreased or grown the least in a decade. The data is based on U.S. Census' American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for the years 2012 and 2022.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

The 10 best and 10 worst states to retire

For their 2024 report, Bankrate.com analyzed factors such as cost of living, health care and crime to rank the 50 states as places where you might want to consider retirement. Visit this link for the complete report.

Gallery Credit: Bankrate/New Jersey 101.5

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Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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