It’s been nearly four years since prosecutors uprooted Frank McVey’s life, indicting him for allegedly threatening the mayor of Phillipsburg in a blackmail scheme.  He lost his standing in his community as a decorated former State Police captain and cost him his seat as a Phillipsburg councilman.

Exonerated last Friday when Superior Court Judge Reema Sethi Kareer dismissed the indictment, McVey must now work to regenerate his reputation after being accused of threatening Mayor Todd Tersigni.

The state’s allegations “reeked of a political persecution,” said McVey’s attorneys, Michael Critchley and Armando Suárez.  “The politically motivated prosecution of innocent individuals not only devastates the lives of those directly targeted but also erodes public trust in legal institutions and threatens the principles of justice and equality.”

“This is a case study of what happens when cavalier, overly aggressive prosecutors bring baseless charges against innocent individuals,” Critchley and Suárez stated.  “

Because Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer had once represented Tersigni in a private legal matter, a Superior Court Judge has disqualified the entire prosecutor’s office from participating in the case against McVey.   That included Anthony J. Robinson, the first assistant prosecutor and a former top lawyer at the embattled Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

McVey, who turned down a plea deal that would have included an expungement, spent years trying to pry discovery from the state, which the State was legally obligated to provide but purposely and strategically withheld.

Tober found the case against McVey “politically charged” and said the state’s prosecution “clearly demonstrative impropriety.”

“In a healthy democracy, the justice system serves as an impartial arbiter, ensuring that laws are applied fairly and without bias,” Critchley and Suárez stated.  “However, when legal mechanisms are manipulated for political gain, they become tools of oppression, undermining the very foundations of democratic governance.”

The charges against McVey forced him to drop his 2023 bid for mayor.

“Defending against politically motivated criminal charges and the challenges to have the charges dismissed can be unbearable,” said Critchley and Suárez.  “Even with this dismissal, the personal, professional, and public damage on Mr. McVey is irreversible.”

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

❎ SAT scores fell for the third straight year
❎ 63% of NJ high school seniors took the test
❎ Fewer colleges use SAT grades for admission

For the third year in a row, the average SAT scores has fallen among high school seniors who took the test in New Jersey.

More high school seniors took the SAT test for the 2023/2024 academic year despite fewer colleges and universities using the test as key admission criteria.

Educators suspect learning loss from the pandemic is contributing to the drop in average scores.

According to figures from the New Jersey Department of education, the average score in New Jersey dropped to 519 in math and 530 in reading/writing. A perfect score for either section is 800.

🔵Drivers have noticed a “dip” in the pavement on Route 78 East
🔵NJ DOT engineers checked the pavement and drainage to determine the road is safe
🔵Milling and paving takes place Monday night to smooth out the road surface

The complaints of drivers about a dip in the pavement on Route 78 have been heard and will be repaired on Monday.

Contributors to the I-78 Commiserator’s Club on Facebook had been commenting for several weeks about the issue in the right lane and shoulder near milepost 5 in Warren County. Some were concerned that it could develop into another sinkhole situation like the one on Route 80.

NJ DOT spokesman Steve Schapiro said that engineers checked the pavement and the drainage system to figure out what caused the dip in the road. The road was found to be safe but signs warning of a bump were put up along the road.

The state’s abandoned mineshaft map shows no mineshafts in the area along Route 78.

🔴 A family of five was killed in a crash last week
🔴 New York Helicopter Tours halts operations ‘immediately’
🔴 NTSB investigating cause of the crash

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday that the helicopter tour company whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in flight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a family of five visitors from Spain, is shutting down operations immediately.

The FAA, in a statement posted on X, also said it would launch an immediate review of New York Helicopter Tours’ operating license and safety record.

The move came hours after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer had called on federal authorities to revoke the operating permits of New York Helicopter Tours.

The company’s sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, killing the tourists from Spain and the pilot, a Navy SEAL veteran.

At a news conference Sunday, before the announcement by the FAA, Schumer said the company should be required to halt all flights as the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the deadly crash.

🚨 NJ woman convicted of murder is freed by Gov. Murphy
🚨 Convict claims she killed her abusive boyfriend
🚨 Outraged prosecutors said she was the abuser and was not rehabilitated

Early on the morning of Sept. 4, 2010, Paige Pfefferle stabbed her 21-year-old boyfriend to death in the kitchen of her family’s Audubon Park home.

Pfefferle was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes. She rejected two plea deal offers from prosecutors before heading to trial.

She was sentenced to 30 years in prison with no eligibility for parole. State prison records showed she wasn’t supposed to get out until Sept. 21, 2043.

However, Pfefferle was freed from Edna Mahan Correctional Facility on Thursday. She was one of five convicted killers who received clemency from Gov. Phil Murphy this week.

“I’m grateful to be granted clemency so I can advocate for those who suffer from mental health issues and women and young girls who are survivors of domestic abuse,” Pfefferle said in a statement provided by the ACLU of New Jersey.

In a scathing response, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said they strongly objected to Murphy’s decision to commute Pfefferle’s sentence.

And they warn that Pfefferle’s “repeated lies” throughout her appeals process show she is not rehabilitated.

☑️ Gov. Phil Murphy and AG Matt Platkin are under investigation
☑️ Both Murphy and Platkin defended the Immigrant Trust Directive
☑️ Murphy says NJ law enforcement works daily with ICE

Gov. Phil Murphy denied the allegation that the Immigrant Trust Directive prevents New Jersey law enforcement from working with ICE in the face of an investigation by U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.

Appearing on the MeidasTouch podcast on Friday, Murphy said the state goes after criminals “hard” regardless of their immigration status. The Democrat said that directive has helped make New Jersey “the safest state in America,” by his estimation.

“What we don’t do is go after someone for jaywalking or where there is no probable cause of a crime and we are very clear on that,” Murphy said. “But if there are immigration issues, we cooperate regularly, frankly, daily, with federal authorities. If you are a criminal in New Jersey, we’re coming after you.”

The governor said if there is an “immigration angle,” the state will work with the feds. He said that New Jersey law enforcement is “obsessed with bringing justice on crimes and against criminals.” But the state is “not in the immigration business.”

“Law enforcement doesn’t fight fires. There are firefighters for that. We to not cross those wires but we are vigilant about crime in New Jersey and as a result we have the safest state in New Jersey,” Murphy said.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last Thursday night that she is launching an investigation into Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy because she said the directive violates orders from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Trump to remove violent criminals from the country.

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

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

Join the conversation by calling 1-800-283-1015 or download the NJ101.5 app.

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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A 26-year-old New Jersey woman, Jaclyn Diiorio, has been arrested on charges of attempting to hire a hitman via Tinder to kill her ex-boyfriend, a Philadelphia police officer, and his 19-year-old daughter.

Diiorio allegedly offered to pay a confidential informant $12,000 for the murders, according to a Camden County criminal complaint and affidavit obtained by CNN. Diiorio connected with the informant on the dating app Tinder and exchanged phone calls and text messages before meeting in person. During their interactions, Diiorio reportedly expressed her desire to have her ex-boyfriend, a 57-year-old officer, and his daughter killed. She allegedly paid the informant $500 in cash as part of the arrangement, which led to her arrest last week in Gloucester Township, located about 15 miles southeast of Philadelphia.

Authorities also found that Diiorio was carrying a bottle of pills with the label removed, believed to be alprazolam, a controlled substance typically used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. She has been charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, and one count of third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

At a hearing, prosecutors revealed that Diiorio had attempted to arrange the murders on a previous occasion. Judge Yolanda Rodriguez denied Diiorio’s request for bail, and she remains in custody ahead of her next court date scheduled for June 11.