Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show with Eric Scott on Thursday:

⬛ Misinformation about nuclear plant spreads like wildfire

Jones Road Wildfire seen from Forked River 4/22/25, Oyster Creek nuclear generating plant
Jones Road Wildfire seen from Forked River 4/22/25 (listener photo), Oyster Creek nuclear generating plant (NRC)
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🔥 Facebook page spreads wrong information about Oyster Creek
🔥A substation was powered down during the fire

The company tasked with decommissioning the former Oyster Creek nuclear power plant refuted social media reports about fires on the plant's property during the Jones Road Wildfire in Ocean County.

An independent Facebook page with lots of followers cited unverified "radio waves" to claim that one building was a "total loss" while "numerous other buildings have small fires."

Pat O’Brien, a spokesman for Holtec International, said the report was wrong.

"Earlier this evening, embers from the fire blew onto a small patch of grass on plant property, north of all buildings and structures, and was completely and safely extinguished," O'Brien said on the company's Facebook page.

"All the buildings on the Oyster Creek site as well as the entire Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation are designed and constructed to withstand fires."

⬛ UPDATE: Wildfire burns 18 square miles, destroys business

Smoke from Jones Road Fire 4/22/25
Smoke from Jones Road Fire 4/22/25 (NJ DEP)
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🔥 11,500 acres burned — growing to be largest fire in 20 years
🔥 Power should be restored by late afternoon
🔥 Mandatory evacuations were lifted, highways reopened

The fire, which was first spotted Tuesday morning, grew from 150 acres in the early afternoon to 8,500 by the end of the night and 11,500 acres the next morning. From the middle of the forest, the fire spread to the east, crossing the Parkway and then reaching Route 9 along the densely developed coast.

The fire was 40% contained at 12,500 acres as of 4 p.m. Wednesday — and by the time it's over by this weekend, state Environmental Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette says this could be the largest fire in 20 years with as many as 24 square miles burned.

Still, none of the 1,300 homes initially threatened or any lives have been lost in the second major forest fire in a week. The fires, however, did destroy a door and awning business in Lacey. Numerous standalone outside structures and vehicles were also damaged.

Acting Gov. Tahesha Way has declared a state of emergency in Ocean County so resources can easily be moved into the affected area. Gov. Phil Murphy is traveling on state business in Poland.

⬛ Major landlord 'cartel' colludes to drive up NJ rents — officials

NJ Platkin high rent
A "cartel" of New Jersey landlords is conspiring to raise rents, Attorney General Matthew Platkin says in a new lawsuit. (NJOAG/Canva/Townsquare Media Illustration)
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🔴 New Jersey says it has uncovered a rent price-fixing scheme
🔴 Landlords are accused of sharing private information with competitors
🔴 RealPage says officials are making tech a scapegoat

New Jersey officials say landlords who collude using algorithmic software, not mysterious market forces, are driving rents to unsustainably high levels.

Ten of the biggest landlords in New Jersey are sharing non-public data as part of a cartel, according to Attorney General Matthew Platkin. On Wednesday, his office filed a lawsuit claiming they violated the state's antitrust law.

According to the lawsuit, the landlords use RealPage to share that data and drive up rents to increase their profits.

"But what's the result for New Jersey's renters? Increasingly high rental prices and few, if any, options. RealPage and every one of the landlords knew what they were doing. They knew the harm they were inflicting on thousands of New Jerseyans," Platkin said.

⬛ Philadelphia Eagle recovers stolen car in NJ by offering deal

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) talks to the fans during the team's NFL football Super Bowl 59 victory parade
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) talks to the fans during the team's NFL football Super Bowl 59 victory parade (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
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🏈Philadelphia Eagle A.J. Brown chronicled the theft of his car on social media
🏈He offered not to press charges if the thief returned the car
🏈It was recovered in Mt. Ephraim

A car stolen from Philadelphia Eagle A.J. Brown was recovered after he went public with the theft.

The wide receiver posted a tweet that has since been deleted stating that his vehicle was stolen. If the thief returned it, Brown said he wouldn’t press charges, according to the New York Post. Otherwise, "it's going to be what it's going to be," Brown wrote.

Brown repeated the offer on his Instagram account later in the day with the times of the theft and escape from the scene. He inferred that he was tracking the vehicle.

"You’re fast on your feet, real fast, but I’ll show you how fast I am on my feet … you might as well pull back up and drop the car off bro. We know where you’re at right now," Brown said in the tweet.

⬛ How Fast Can You Legally Driver Over The Speed Limit In NJ?

Canva (Townsquare Illustration)
Canva (Townsquare Illustration)
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🏎️ It's no secret that we can be speed demons here in the Garden State.
🏎️ In New Jersey, it's a "go, go, go" lifestyle.
🏎️ Some people believe it's no big deal to go only 10 miles over the speed limit.

I've heard that before, too. That cops don't actually care one way or the other if we're only going a few miles over the speed limit. Did I think it was legal to do so in the grand scheme of things? Absolutely not.

It turns out, there really are people here in the Garden State who believe we're actually ALLOWED to speed.

Spoiler alert: we're not.

As for the rumor that going 10 miles per hour over the listed speed limit is legal, well, that's obviously not true either.

You can still be pulled over and fined for exceeding the speed limits set on the NJ roadways regardless of how fast you're going.

And, how much you'll have to pay is based on a tiered system.

Frightening scenes of the Jones Road Wildfire

The smoke from the Jones Road Wildfire in a forest of Ocean County on April 22, 2025, could be seen for miles, including from the coast.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

A look back at NJ's COVID-19 lockdown

Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy

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Eric Scott hosts the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show from 6 - 10 a.m. on 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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