New Jersey
Crime in N.J. keeps dropping, Murphy says. See the new stats on shootings, car thefts.
As he enters his final weeks in office, Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday touted a decline in crime across New Jersey.
Speaking at a court and police building in East Rutherford, Murphy said there were 559 shooting victims statewide last year, a 28% decline compared to the previous year.
Of the 559 victims, 107 were fatalities.
At the start of his term, more than 1,300 people were shot annually, Murphy said. The 2025 reduction marks the fourth consecutive year of declines in gun violence injuries.
“That’s not to say we are perfect,” Murphy said. “Because the objective is to get it down to zero.”
Motor vehicle thefts also dropped in 2025 — from 15,041 to 13,693 — according to New Jersey State Police statistics. That was a 9% decrease.
Murphy signed legislation in July 2023 that increased criminal penalties for auto theft offenders, focusing on repeat offenses and large-scale automobile trafficking.
“While there is more work to be done, this moment underscores the strength of the tools, practices and initiatives that have been put in place during the Murphy administration to protect residents and support lasting public safety across our state,” Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way said.
State Attorney General Matthew Platkin attributed the decline in crime to treating gun violence as a public health issue.
“That happened because of a sustained commitment to treating gun violence like the public health crisis it is,” Platkin said.
Platkin also cited drops in shootings in New Jersey’s largest cities, including Paterson, which saw a state police takeover after a corruption scandal. Shootings in the city fell to 42 last year from 127 the year before, he said.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said his city also saw historic lows in shootings and murders, with killings dropping to 31 last year, a 19% decrease from the previous year.
“Even as we laud our accomplishments, and we have many to talk about, we still have people who have been victimized in our city,” Baraka said last week.
State officials lauded local gun violence interruption groups as integral to the reduction.
“These groups are doing good and important work,” Platkin said.
Murphy said the coalitions often engage communities in ways law enforcement cannot.
“They’re on the streets, they know the community unlike any of us,” Murphy said. “They know it better than law enforcement. They know it better than elected officials.”
New Jersey’s acting State Police superintendent, Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz, said the reduction in crime was the result of collaboration between multiple government agencies and community partnerships.
“These reductions in crime represent more than statistics — they represent lives saved,” Sierotowicz said.
“Dangerous heat is expected to continue across much of our region through today, with several record highs likely to be challenged again. High temperatures are forecast to peak into the low to mid 90s across most of the area,” the National Weather Service said Friday.
A Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. across the state except for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
PHILADELPHIA – Philip McPherson II, a 37-year-old from Riverside, New Jersey, was sentenced Thursday, June 11, to 78 months in prison for his role in a 2022 plane crash in Lehigh County that killed a student pilot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sentencing and charges for fatal Lehigh Valley crash
What we know:
United States District Judge John M. Gallagher sentenced McPherson to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, a $4,300 special assessment, and $19,530 in restitution. Judge Gallagher also barred McPherson from working in the aviation industry.
McPherson pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of an administrative proceeding, and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate.
The backstory:
Court filings show that on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off from Queen City Airport in Allentown as the pilot-in-command with student pilot K.K. and crashed shortly after, resulting in K.K.’s death.
Prosecutors said McPherson acted with gross negligence, knowing he was not competent to fly as pilot-in-command. He had two prior crashes, nearly a third, and failed a reexamination for his pilot’s certificate in September 2021.
McPherson voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate in October 2021 and let his Temporary Airman Certificate expire in November 2021, acknowledging his inability to meet FAA standards.
He admitted to flying with passengers without a valid FAA pilot’s certificate between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, FAA, and Salisbury Township Police Department worked on the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
On Sunday, June 14, a bell will ring at the Historic Olde Courthouse in Mount Holly, New Jersey, as part of a festival to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
In the summer of 1776, officials rang the same bell at the courthouse in Burlington City, the seat of Burlington County at the time, after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The bell was moved to Mount Holly in 1796 when that city became the Burlington County seat.
Marisa Bozarth, Burlington County’s museum curator of history, said courthouse bells were rung in the 1700s to signify that something important was taking place.
“They would have rung it when there was a large court case of any significance, when the jury was coming back, so people knew to return to the courthouse to hear the verdict,” she said. “The bell was also rung any time there was any public reading of any sort of important document. It was their way to get the information out to the masses quickly.”
After the wording of the Declaration of Independence was finalized and the document was signed, every state received a copy so it could be shared with the people living there. At the time, some Burlington County residents wanted to remain loyal to Britain, while others supported the movement for independence, Bozarth said.
“I would think it was a bit of a scary time because when the Declaration of Independence was finally signed and then presented, it meant we were really going to war,” she said. “We were declaring our independence, but we weren’t officially an independent nation yet. It meant a scary time was coming because Britain wasn’t going to accept that and just let us walk away.”
-
Wyoming59 seconds agoWyoming judge strikes down ultrasound requirement, two other abortion laws – WyoFile
-
Crypto4 minutes agoMohave County Sheriffs Office Apprehends Suspect in Kingman Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme – The Buzz -The buzz in Bullhead City – Lake Havasu City – Kingman – Arizona – California – Nevada
-
Finance16 minutes agoFed’s Barr Warns Bank Deregulation Threatens Financial Stability | PYMNTS.com
-
Fitness19 minutes agoJust four minutes of key exercise can quadruple fitness in older adults
-
Movie Reviews31 minutes agoGene Shalit, longtime Today show movie critic, dies at 100
-
World39 minutes ago
Visa denial sidelines Thomas Partey for Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama in Toronto
-
Business54 minutes agoHow Betters Use Arbitrage to Make Free Money on Kalshi and Polymarket
-
Health1 hour agoThought Yo-Yo Dieting Ruined Your Metabolism? New Research Says Otherwise
