Secure your home as burglaries surge

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Thursday:

⬛ NJ man decapitates mom and lies naked on her body, cops say

Jeffrey and Alexandria Surgent (6 ABC/GoFundMe)

OCEAN CITY — New shocking details have been revealed in court documents charging a Cape May County man with the murder of his mother.

Jeffrey Surgent, 46, was arrested at his Ocean City apartment on Friday. The Cape May County Prosecutor's Office announced the next day that he was charged with first-degree murder and two weapons offenses.

⬛ The scary way burglars are breaking into NJ homes

Canva/Townsquare Media illustration

Police are again warning residents in New Jersey to secure their homes and vehicles amidst a new wave of burglaries and thefts.

How do you stop this from happening to you?

Law Enforcement and security experts have several recommendations to victim proof your vehicle and home.

⬛ See how much more you're paying in NJ today than a year ago

Canva

The year-over-year price increases continue to pile on for New Jersey consumers.

New figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics find that consumer prices fell slightly in November compared to a month prior, but they're still noticeably higher from a year ago.

In the New York-Newark-Jersey City region, which encompasses 12 New Jersey counties, prices across all categories were up 3% in November compared to the same time last year.

⬛ Rutgers under fire over antisemitism, discrimination since Oct. 7

Rutgers Newark campus (Rutgers Newark)

Rutgers University’s Newark campus is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for "ethnic discrimination" that allegedly occurred after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

Details of the complaint are not disclosed in the DOE document first reported by Politico.

At Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting, members applauded President Jonathon Holloway for keeping the school out of the headlines regarding conflicts between supporters of Israel and Palestinians.

⬛ NJ man faces federal charges for attacking and stalking women

Herman Brightman (Justice.gov, Canva)

A New Jersey man has been accused of preying on women he met online, physically attacking and threatening them in a violent pattern of abuse carried out in New Jersey and New York.

A grand jury in Manhattan federal court returned an eight-count indictment against
30-year-old Herman Brightman, who now faces charges of kidnapping, kidnapping a minor, cyberstalking and interstate stalking.

To all New Jersey drivers who do the off-ramp reverse

Missed your exit? A message for all NJ drivers who back it up.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

Top 30 schools most violent schools in New Jersey

These are the schools in New Jersey with the highest rates of violence. The rankings are based on the annual School Performance Reports for the 2021-22 school year. New Jersey 101.5 ranked the schools based on the rate of reported violent incidents per 100 students. Schools with enrolment less than 100 are excluded.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

LOOK: Retail workers share 21 of the worst things customers do, especially during holidays

Buzzfeed conducted a list of comments left by retail employees about what they hate most about certain customers, especially during the holidays. Here's what they had to say, plus additional comments provided by customer service retail workers in New Jersey.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

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New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the longest running news program in New Jersey. Eric Scott began hosting the program in 1991.

It airs live on New Jersey 101.5 each weekday morning from 5:30 - 6 a.m.

New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the winner of the prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.

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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Filed Under: New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott