If you’re seeking the best, New Jersey has it all!

From the best beaches, best steakhouses to the greenest cities, the Garden State has wanderers covered.

And, as one of safest states in America, it also offers the comforts of suburban living and the conveniences of being near big cities, says travelandleisure.com.

The travel magazine report on 10 best places to live in New Jersey sourced real estate experts from the entire state to find the towns that offer idyllic living.

Out of the top 10 picks of New Jersey cities, towns, and boroughs one on the list resides on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County.

Asbury Park was ranked as the second best place to live in New Jersey. In addition, this Jersey Shore town was crowned the Best small beach town in America.

Below is what the writers said about Asbury Park:

The shore town is best known for its boardwalk and the music venue, as well as a freewheeling vibe that makes it as enticing for visitors as it is for residents. 

Located on the Jersey Shore about 60 miles south of New York City, the beach town’s average home sales were around $662,000 accordig to zillow.com rates. Plus, there’s been a 58.7 percent increase in owner-occupied households, according to a Point2Homes study, showing folks are making their moves more permanent.

Here is what real estate editors said about Asbury Park:

Bruce Springsteen was onto something when he named his 1973 album “Greetings from Asbury Park.” “Everyone loves to live here with the art and music scene, the food, the balance of being in a peaceful neighborhood within walking distance of a vibrant downtown with tons of thriving small businesses, and obviously the beach!” Chin said.

10 Best Places to Live in New Jersey

1. Jersey City
2. Asbury Park
3. Montvale
4. Woodland Park
5. Woodcliff Lake
6. Morristown
7. Fair Lawn
8. Tenafly
9. Hamilton
10. Monroe

A New Jersey offficial upheld the firing of a death investigator who leaked details of the crash that killed NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau in 2024, according to court documents.

A court filing shows a Gloucester County death investigator shared details of the Aug. 29, 2024 crash with a group chat. Someone in that chat later posted information about the Gaudreau brothers’ deaths — and a New Jersey State Police trooper’s cell phone number — on social media, prior to the information being released to the public.

The Gaudreau brothers — Johnny, a Columbus Blue Jackets winger, and Matthew, a Gloucester Catholic High School hockey coach — were riding bicycles on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township when a driver, Sean Higgins, allegedly struck them while under the influence. 

Defense attorneys have argued Higgins’ blood alcohol level was below the legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash, while prosecutors say he was intoxicated. The Gaudreaus were struck the night before their sister’s wedding.

The Gloucester County Medical Examiner’s office worker sent a picture of his notes to a text message group with members of his hockey team, after receiving news of the crash from a state trooper, documents filed with the New Jersey Civil Service Commission say. 

The worker said he took the photo because he was emotional and knew the victims, and that it would also serve as a way of informing the team he could not make it to their scheduled game that night. Someone from that group chat posted the photo on Twitter, the documents say. The post at some point made it to Reddit.

Overnight, multiple articles were written based on the social media post that originated from the group chat. The trooper whose phone number was visible in the picture received about a dozen phone calls from the media trying to confirm details of the crash, documents say.

The worker was accused of failing to safeguard confidential patient information, conduct unbecoming of a public employee and other offenses.

An administrative law judge recommended the worker be suspended for six months before the Civil Service Commission ruled to fire him. 

While the worker had no prior disciplinary record, the commission said that “some disciplinary actions are so serious that removal is appropriate notwithstanding a largely unblemished prior record … the [worker’s] offense … constituted a serious breach of the standard of conduct expected from all public employees who have access to confidential personal information.”