What aren't they telling us about drone mystery? NJ Top News

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Friday:

⬛ NJ forcing your town to build 1,000 new affordable apartments

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)(Canva)

New Jersey is forcing its towns to build hundreds of thousands of new affordable housing units and defiant mayors say the plan pushes communities too far.

The state Department of Community Affairs has released its first affordable housing requirements since a recent law to standardize each municipality's constitutional obligation.

When he signed the law in March, Gov. Phil Murphy said it would establish new processes for towns to meet their Mount Laurel Doctrine obligations.

⬛ Prosecutor: Closed social network sells drugs to Rutgers students

Accused drug network at Rutgers University (Rutgers.edu, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)

A North Brunswick man who attended Rutgers University has been accused of creating a closed social media network to sell illegal drugs to current students at his alma mater.

A months-long investigation dubbed “Operation RU Pharm” led to police making seven arrests and seizing a large amount of marijuana, LSD, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, Adderall and Xanax.

All the individuals arrested were in their early 20s — four men and one woman from Central Jersey, with the remaining two defendants from New York.

⬛ Gov. Murphy finally speaks about UFO drones buzzing NJ

Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated that there is no threat to the public "at this time" from recent drone sightings over New Jersey.

Dozens of drones have been reported hovering over the state since before Thanksgiving mostly in northern areas about Route 78. The Democrat said he held a briefing Wednesday with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, senior officials from federal and state homeland security and State Police.

⬛ Don't let your kids use this app, experts say

Canva/Townsquare Media illustration

Dangers lurk all over the internet, but one particular app has safety experts particularly concerned.

Child predators have been found to use this app because it's rarely monitored and it not moderated.

If you find this app on your child's phone or computer, get rid of it.

⬛ Watch now: Protecting NJ kids from online predators

(Canva/Townsquare Media illustration)

In what is an alarming statistic, the FBI estimates that 500,000 predators are online daily, with kids between the ages of 12 and 15 most at risk. These predators are lurking on social media sites, online gaming platforms, chatrooms, and anywhere else popular with kids.

Watch the replay of this New Jersey 101.5 Town Hall with Eric Scott to learn how to protect your kids.

Accused NJ sex predator teachers, school staff in 2024

A number of teachers and school staff around New Jersey have been arrested for alleged sexual contact with minors within this calendar year, alone.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

NJ schools that made the most calls to police

These are the 30 schools in New Jersey that made the most notifications to police during the 2022-23 school year for reasons including violence, weapons, vandalism, substances and harassment or bullying. The number of arrests made by police at the schools is also provided when applicable. The schools are listed by number of police calls from least to greatest. The data comes from the state Department of Education's annual School Performance Report.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

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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