Good evening, New Jersey Patch readers! We’ve assembled some of the most share-worthy stories from the state for today, just for you.

Here are the top five stories from New Jersey:

1. Body camera footage has been released in the fatal police shooting of a 25-year-old woman last month. An advocacy group called the chain of events “horrifying” and has called for change. (Read more on Patch.)

2. Two were rescued from a jetty and dozens were rescued from the water as dangerous rip currents threatened the Shore this weekend. (Read more on Patch.)

3. A heavy overnight storm trapped cars, flooded basements and washed away road asphalt in one North Jersey town. More rain may be on the way, forecasters say. (Read more on Patch.)

4. After a major motor failure over the weekend, officials said an important bridge in Cape May County will be closed to traffic indefinitely. (Read more on Patch.)

5. A doctor, who is a vocal supporter of a ceasefire in Gaza, is running as an independent mayoral candidate in her town this year. (Read more on Patch.)

An antisemitic New Jersey arsonist was sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence on Friday for a crime spree targeting Jewish residents in which he burned down a Manchester home, damaged three, and vandalized 14 others, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Manchester Police.

Manchester resident Ron Carr, 35, pled guilty on June 20 to arson, bias intimidation, and criminal mischief. On Friday, he received concurrent sentences of seven years, five years, and 18 months, respectively. 

Carr, who according to WKXW-FM radio, believed that he was “saving the neighborhood” from an “infestation” of Jewish residents, began his series of attacks when he vandalized 14 homes around midnight on June 6, 2023. Manchester Police said that Carr had spray painted the houses with “Nazi symbolism.”

A few hours later, Carr used accelerants to set fire to the home of a family with Hispanic background, believing that the house was owned by a Jews, according to a rebuilding fundraising project and the Manchester Police. The house was also spray-painted in the earlier acts of vandalism. WKXW-FM radio said that Carr believed that the house would be converted into a Jewish school. 

The Rivas family home was razed to the ground, three other homes suffered heat damage, and flames spread to the woods behind the house.

“I am thankful no one was injured in these senseless acts of bigotry and hate,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a statement last year. 

Carr was arrested on June 9, 2023, according to the police. 

“This crime spree and the antisemitism that it expressed caused pain, destruction, shock, and fear among the residents of Manchester Township,” said NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin. “No community in the State of New Jersey should feel vulnerable or anxious in the face of acts of intolerance. No resident should feel their personal safety or their home is threatened by bigotry, persecution, and violence.”

Fundraiser was started to help build new home

A fundraiser was started to help the family of six to build a new home, as they reportedly did not have insurance on the newly constructed building. According to the fundraising page, the family had sold their business and invested their life savings to build the home, which they had planned to move into later that year. By August 2024, the GoFundMe had only raised $11,000. 

Manchester Mayor Rob Arace said on June 9 of last year that he was disturbed and saddened to see acts of hatred and harm in the community. 

“In the face of adversity, let us unite against hate and intolerance,” Arace said on Facebook. “Manchester is a place where compassion, respect, and understanding prevail. We can build a community that exemplifies these values and ensures a safe and welcoming environment.”

• An unidentified bus driver was filmed putting a passenger into a chokehold
• He punched and stopped on the man as the other passengers watched 

By Melissa Koenig For Dailymail.Com

Published: 04:08 BST, 19 August 2024 | Updated: 08:56 BST, 19 August 2024

A bus driver was caught on camera pummeling a passenger and putting him in a chokehold after the commuter apparently made a vile bodily fluid attack on him.

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Video posted online shows a bus driver in Newark, New Jersey confronting the passenger face-to-face after the passenger apparently spit on the driver.

‘You want to spit?’ the driver could be heard asking the man, before taunting him.

‘See me right now, see me right now,’ the driver says.

At that point, the unidentified passenger requests to take the altercation outside – and the driver agrees, waving the other commuters to the back of the bus and telling everyone to ‘get off my bus.’

Shocking video posted online shows a New Jersey bus driver confronting a passenger after he allegedly spit on him

The driver then sprang into action, putting the passenger in a headlock and throwing punches.

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‘I will motherf***ing kill you,’ he could be heard telling the commuter.

‘You got me f***ed up.’

He then proceeds to stomp on the commuter, who could be seen cowering in fetal position under a shelf for suitcases.

Meanwhile, at least one other passenger – whose commute was unexpectedly delayed by the knock-down fight – could be heard telling the driver to stop.

‘It’s OK, it’s OK,’ she pleaded. 

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The unidentified bus driver was caught on camera putting the passenger into a chokehold, punching him and stomping on him as he cowered under a shelf for suitcases

Unconfirmed reports suggest the driver was arrested for assault in the aftermath of the now-viral video.

DailyMail.com has reached out to New Jersey Transit and Newark police for comment.