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NJ state trooper arrested in Wayne and accused of shooting his dog, assaulting an officer

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NJ state trooper arrested in Wayne and accused of shooting his dog, assaulting an officer


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  • New Jersey State Trooper Alexander Lark was arrested in Wayne Thursday after shooting his dog, vandalizing a stop sign and assaulting a Wayne Police officer.

A New Jersey state trooper was arrested in Wayne on Thursday after shooting his dog at his condo, vandalizing a stop sign and assaulting an officer outside of Wayne Police headquarters, according to Detective Captain Daniel Daly of the Wayne Police Department.

At approximately 12:55 a.m. Thursday, residents of a condo complex in Wayne called the police after they heard a “commotion” in one of the condos, possibly including a gunshot. Officers from the Wayne Police Department responded to the complex to investigate.

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Several minutes later, additional officers were leaving the Wayne Police headquarters when they found a man in the front parking lot “acting erratically.” According to Daly, the man, who was later identified as New Jersey State Trooper Alexander Lark, was destroying a stop sign in the parking lot.

Lark appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Officers engaged Lark and attempted to calm him down. Per Daly, Lark then shoved one of them and was subsequently taken to the ground, restrained and placed under arrest. He was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

Police determined that Lark was also the resident from the condo complex. Upon entering the condo, according to the affidavit, officers found Lark’s dog that was shot and killed with his service Glock 43 handgun. The gun was left on the floor near the dog.

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Lark was criminally charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. According to Daly, he was also charged with a municipal ordinance violation for discharging a firearm. Animal cruelty charges are pending.

The New Jersey State Police Internal Affairs Division was notified of the incident by the Wayne Police Department. An emailed request for comment from the NJ State Police has not been returned.

Lark has been employed by New Jersey State Police since 2017, public records show.



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Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video

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Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video


Former homicide detective Brian Foley provides expert insights into the newly released 911 call from Conor Hanlon, whose wife, New Jersey therapist Brooke Hanlon, was found stabbed to death. Foley analyzes the husband’s emotional state and the police’s approach, noting the case’s ‘suspicious’ designation 13 minutes into the call.



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NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call

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NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call


A young firefighter died two weeks after being badly hurt in a crash while responding to a fire call, according to the Malaga Fire Company.

Robert (Bobby) Reider, 23, was driving north along Delsea Drive while trying to get to the scene of fire on Saturday, June 27 when his car went off the road, officials said.

When first responders got to the scene of the crash, they found Reider trapped in his car and worked to remove him.

Reider was then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he was treated for severe and traumatic injuries.

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Weeks later, on July 10 around 4:30 a.m., Reider died from his injuries while still in the hospital.

The Malaga Fire Company says that Reider joined their team in 2018 when he was just 16 as a junior firefighter.

He then went on to earn a certificate at Fire 1 at the Salem County Fire Academy in 2022.



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NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice

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NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice


New Jersey lawmakers are deliberating on a law that would create a three-year autonomous vehicle pilot program in the state, but Tesla might be banned from participating altogether over a technical choice made by the Texas-based carmaker for its self-driving vehicles.

The bill, officially known as S1677, would establish autonomous vehicle testing requirements with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. One of these proposed requirements is that autonomous vehicle operators use camera-based technology and two additional forms of sensor tech, such as lidar or radar. Of course, Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology is purely camera-based, meaning the brand could be banned from testing in New Jersey.

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The text of the bill is fairly straightforward, requiring prospective autonomous operators to submit a “law enforcement interaction plan” and detail redundant safety systems, crash-avoidance technology, and data recording capabilities. The specific language that would ban Tesla’s system requires autonomous operators to “be equipped with crash-avoidance systems, including a camera system and two distinct sensing modalities that are capable of detecting and tracking obstacles in the event of failure of the camera system.” The bill also favors keeping traditional steering wheel and pedal controls available. While initial testing would be completed with human safety operators, the bill would allow fully autonomous operation once certain metrics, such as 50,000 crash-free miles, are met.

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The decision to require both camera- and sensor-based technology is not a coincidence, according to The Verge. “This is not anti-Tesla. I’m pro-New Jersey safety,” Democratic state senator Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor and a physicist by trade, said to The Verge. “At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can.”

Tesla is, unsurprisingly, upset about this development, and the company is fighting back. The automaker’s public policy platform, Engage Tesla, features a call to action for Tesla owners to contact members of the New Jersey Legislature to oppose the bill, with the plea claiming the autonomous vehicle testing program is the opposite of progress, and saying that Tesla would be legally barred from testing in the Garden State. Statistics about roadway death rates in New Jersey and denying freedom of movement for elderly populations are also included.

pilot project with self driving teslas in the eifel region

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“Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market,” the site reads. “Every arbitrary roadblock is a delay for the people who need this life-changing technology most. Legislation that bans Tesla’s proven AV technology from the market is not caution — it’s anti-competitive favoritism that will cause New Jersey to fall behind while other states move forward.”

The bill, introduced on January 16, is currently under consideration by the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The bill’s language closely mirrors talking points from the nonprofit SAVE-US, which is lobbying for stronger oversight of autonomous vehicle testing. New Jersey is not the only state pondering additional autonomous testing regulation; New York legislators are working on similar legislation. Just yesterday, federal safety regulators called out autonomous vehicle operators like Waymo for interfering with first responders.

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Headshot of Emmet White

A New York transplant hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for anything that goes: cars, bicycles, planes, and motorcycles. After learning to ride at 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022 and Road & Track in 2024. The woes of alternate side parking have kept his fleet moderate, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a BMW 318i E30 street parked in his Queens community.



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