New Jersey

Murphy gets high marks in early COVID: This week in Central Jersey history, April 21-27

Published

1 month ago

April 21, 2025

Murphy gets high marks in early COVID: This week in Central Jersey history, April 21-27

According to a Monmouth University Poll, Gov. Phil Murphy’s approval rating among New Jersey residents skyrocketed to 71% amid the coronavirus pandemic, jumping 30 points since September 2019, it was reported on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.

The poll also showed wide approval of the strict measures the state had taken to slow the spread of the virus.

Here’s a look at events that happened in Central Jersey from five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years ago this week.

Five years ago

April 21, 2020: The Somerset County Park Commission announced the annual July 4th fireworks display at North Branch Park in Bridgewater and other popular events had been canceled due to the financial and health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

April 21: Seton Hall basketball star Myles Powell earned a second straight Haggerty Award as the metropolitan area’s top player, becoming the first Pirate ever to receive the honor twice.

April 22: Gov. Phil Murphy reported 3,551 new cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey at the state’s daily briefing, bringing the statewide total to 95,865. He also reported 314 more virus-related deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to 5,063.

April 24: It was reported seven New Jersey schools were in the top 100 in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best 500 high schools released earlier in the week, including Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies on the campus of Middlesex County College in Edison.

April 24: Bon Jovi canceled the band’s upcoming summer tour with Bryan Adams, which included at show on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, at the Prudential Center in Newark, it was reported.

April 25: It was reported the cities of South Amboy and Perth Amboy had canceled their annual joint Fourth of July celebration and several other large annual outdoor events due to the coronavirus pandemic.

April 27: According to a new Monmouth University Poll released three days after “Weed Day,” a sizeable majority of New Jersey voters would vote to legalize marijuana in November 2020, it was reported.

10 years ago

April 25, 2015: It was reported a person associated with Raritan Valley Community College in the North Branch section of Branchburg had been diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and Somerset County and state health officials were conducting an investigation to identify those people who may have had sufficient exposure to require further testing.

April 25: Marisa Eve Girawong, a physician’s assistant, was killed in the 7.8 earthquake in Nepal. Before leaving to work there in 2014, Edison was listed as her place of residence.

April 25: Jonathan Morgan, 28, of Plainfield, one of two men responsible for the 2010 robbery and murder of Isidro Leonardo, 44, a Plainfield taxi driver, was sentenced to 45 years in state prison, it was reported.

April 25: The Stone Temple Pilots and Dreamers performed at The Wellmont Theater in Montclair.

April 26: The Franklin Township Food Bank’s annual Tour de Franklin fundraiser, featuring 62-, 40-, 25- and 10-mile rides, as well as others, was held in the Somerset section of Franklin Township.

April 26: The Montgomery High School boys tennis team won four of their five matches to beat Pingry, 34-30, clinching their seventh straight Somerset County Tournament tennis team title at the Green Knoll Tennis Center at Bridgewater.

2000

April 21, 2000: Lightning struck at least four homes in Middlesex County between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., setting one of them on fire.

April 23: It was reported New Jersey actors Avery Brooks and Joe Morton would be featured in the 11th annual “Genesis Festival 2000, New Voices in African-American Theatre,” which would begin Saturday, April 29, 2000, at Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick.

April 24: New Jersey voters passed a record number of school budgets the previous week, approving 88.1 percent of spending plans, up from the previous year’s 82.8 percent, it was reported.

April 25: The Transcontinental Gas Line Co., a Texas-based natural gas pipeline company, won final approval to build a controversial 155-mile gas line through Pennsylvania and New Jersey. On Wednesday, April 26, 2000, New Jersey officials said they would contest the federal approval.

April 25: Shawnetta Stewart and Usha Gilmore became the first Rutgers University women’s basketball players selected in the WNBA Draft.

1975

April 21, 1975: In high school baseball, Rich Gabriel’s two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning gave South River a 3-1 win over Woodbridge, which had its first defeat of the season.

April 22: During a five-hour Somerville Board of Education session, 12 teachers were put out of jobs and two programs were cut despite protests from students, teachers, parents and citizens.

April 24: Secretary of State J. Edward Crabiel was back on the state government payroll, one day after his acquittal on highway bid-rigging charges.

April 25: East Brunswick Mayor Jean Sears Walling died of cancer at Middlesex General Hospital in New Brunswick. She was 53.

April 25: It was reported poet-singer Patti Smith would make her first New Jersey appearance on Wednesday, April 30, 1975, at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.

April 26: County and state health inspectors had ruled out problems in the Dunellen High School cafeteria as the cause of sickness which had kept nearly one-third of the students home for two days, it was reported.

1925

April 21, 1925: Ground was broken by the Charter Construction Company, Inc. of New York for the erection of First Church of Christ, Scientist, at Prospect Avenue and East Ninth Street in Plainfield. It was reported on Wednesday, April 22, 1925, the cost would be $55,000.

April 22-23: The movie, “The Last Laugh,” starring Emil Jannings, was shown at Reade’s Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

April 23: Josephine Krysowaty, 11, who lived on Neshanic Mountain and was stabbed 20 times, died at Somerset Hospital, making it a murder case.

April 24: It was reported more than 700 people of Plainfield and vicinity had pledged active support of the campaign for $500,000 for Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield.

April 24: Rutgers University’s relay athletes regained the Middle Atlantic States Championship in the annual Penn relay games in Philadelphia, Pa., by beating Johns Hopkins, New York University and Lafayette in the mile relay.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

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New Jersey

New Jersey community mourning death of Justin Rivera, Hudson County sheriff’s officer who fell from building

Published

7 hours ago

June 1, 2025

Press Room

New Jersey community mourning death of Justin Rivera, Hudson County sheriff’s officer who fell from building

The Bayonne, New Jersey, community is devastated over the loss of one their own – Hudson County sheriff’s officer Justin Rivera, who fell nine stories to his death Friday morning.

The 29-year-old was on duty when he fell from a window at the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. Officials said the building was closed to the public due to an unrelated power outage at the time, and the fatal fall appears to be accidental in nature.

Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari, in a statement, described Rivera’s death as “one of the saddest and most horrific days that the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office has ever experienced,” calling Rivera an “excellent officer and outstanding young man.”

The Hudson County prosecutor’s office has no new details on the investigation surrounding his death at this time.

“It doesn’t even feel real”

Rivera ran Bayonne Boxing along with his father. A sign on the door says the gym is closed due to a family emergency.

A memorial was growing outside the front door of the beloved business Saturday as passersby offered prayers and dropped off flowers in Rivera’s memory.

A memorial was growing outside Bayonne Boxing on May 31, 2025, after the death of Justin Rivera, who ran the gym with his father.

CBS News New York

“It’s unbelievable, honestly, like how this could just happen out of nowhere. So it was like, it was honestly like it doesn’t even feel real,” said Jayden Morales, who has been training at the gym for the past year.

Morales said Rivera and his father were both great coaches.

“You could tell they loved each other,” Morales said. “He was funny, too, always cracking jokes.”

A neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous, lived near Rivera’s childhood home, where he lived with his daughter. The neighbor describes the Riveras as a beautiful, hardworking family she’s come to know for the past 20-plus years.

“He would meet my daughter at the gym and say, ‘I love your mom. I’m here for her if she ever needs anything.’ And I knew that … ’cause that’s the kind of kid he was,” the neighbor said. “They kissed goodbye in the morning, and he got in his car and he went to work and that was it. We never know.”

“He loved to box, police officer, being a family man. That was him as a person,” Morales said.

“We’ll miss that wave, that smile. We’ll miss it,” the neighbor said.

Rivera’s father told CBS News New York his son is now with God and that there’s nothing he can say that will bring him back.

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New Jersey

The oldest ice cream parlor in New Jersey is right here in Monmouth County

Published

24 hours ago

May 31, 2025

Press Room

The oldest ice cream parlor in New Jersey is right here in Monmouth County

It’s no secret that New Jersey is known for it’s beautiful boardwalk and beaches, but there are many historical entities nestled in quaint towns of the Garden State.

According to mashed.com, New Jersey is home to a historic ice cream parlor that’s been satisfying customers at the Shore since 1876.

The multi-platform publication dedicated to food, took a look at the oldest known ice cream parlors in every state to find which unique, century-old, family-owned establishments evolved into full-service dessert destinations that’s more than just places that you go to grab a cone but also serves as living history.

“Whether you’re a history buff, an ice cream lover, or a bit of both, these time-honored establishments offer a delicious glimpse into America’s frozen dessert heritage,” said mashed.com.

Nestled in a popular resort town with quaint Victorian houses, known as ‘God’s Square Mile,’ is Day’s Ice Cream in Ocean Grove.

The Monmouth County dessert shop has been serving ice cream one scoop at a time for more than 135 years. Day’s, is currently Ocean Grove’s oldest operating business that is still occupies its original location on Pitman Avenue. According reports, Day’s Ice Cream had three locations; Asbury Park, Morristown, and Newark in the earlier years. In 2017, Day’s launched another shop in Ocean Grove, Just Another Day’s, that closed due to a massive fire in 2019.

Here’s the story behind New Jersey’s oldest sweet institution, Day’s Ice Cream, according to mashed:

“Day’s Ice Cream opened in 1876 in Orange Grove, consistently serving ice cream to its customers ever since. It was opened by two brothers, William and Pennington Day, who were already in the ice cream business. The parlor has since become a local institution, known not only for its longevity but also for its classic homemade flavors and nostalgic atmosphere that reflect its rich history.”

Day’s Ice Cream is located at 48 Pitman Avenue on Auditorium Park in Ocean Grove. Operating hours are daily from noon to 10 p.m. through October.

Popular flavors incclude toasted coconut, black raspberry chocolate chip, peanut butter moose tracks, cinnamon, almond joy, salted caramel pretzel and hazelnut truffle latte. There is also an alternative menu with low fat frozen yogurt, sugar free ice cream, dairy free sorbets, dairy free soy, coconut milk and almond milk options.

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New Jersey

Rite Aid files bankruptcy, to close 300 stores. Which NJ Rite Aid stores are closing?

Published

2 days ago

May 30, 2025

Press Room

Rite Aid files bankruptcy, to close 300 stores. Which NJ Rite Aid stores are closing?

If you frequent drug stores, you could soon be in for a longer ride.

Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy for a second time this month, and will close more than 300 stores during its restructuring.

“As we move forward, our key priorities are ensuring uninterrupted pharmacy services for our customers and preserving jobs for as many associates as possible,” Rite Aid CEO Matt Schroeder said in a news release.