New Jersey
Pou emerging as clear frontrunner in race for Pascrell’s seat – New Jersey Globe
State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) has emerged as the leading candidate for the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson)’s seat, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed, with Pou picking up the backing of local Democratic party leaders in parts of Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties.
That makes her the candidate to beat at the convention to replace Pascrell on the ballot, which will be held on August 29 in Paterson. And it immediately raises the question of whether Pou’s three declared opponents will forge ahead with underdog campaigns.
Pascrell’s death last week at the age of 87 prompted a week-long scramble to fill his seat, which covers large parts of Bergen and Passaic Counties (including the city of Paterson) and a smaller portion of Hudson County. Democrats in the district have until a state deadline of August 29 to fill Pascrell’s vacant spot on the general election ballot, with no special election or opportunity for voters themselves to weigh in before November.
Within 48 hours of Pascrell’s death, four candidates from Passaic County – Pou, Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-North Haledon), Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson), and Paterson Mayor André Sayegh – entered the race. The district is typically seen as a Paterson-based district, and all four represent Paterson in either local office or the state legislature.
But Bergen County makes up a nearly equal portion of the district as Passaic, and in fact has more Democratic county committeemembers in place thanks to vacancies in Passaic. That made Bergen Democrats potential kingmakers in the race – and raised the possibility that they could attempt to swipe the seat away from Passaic County with one of their own candidates, like Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Silna Zur (D-Franklin Lakes) or Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park).
Juliano’s support for Pou, however, nullifies that possibility and means that Zur and Calabrese won’t be mounting campaigns at Thursday’s convention.
The declarations of support for Pou are more generally part of a broad compromise. Bergen County doesn’t get to send one of its own to Congress, nor does Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie get his own first choice (Sumter) elected; instead, they’ll all come together on a candidate who’s broadly liked by all sides.
There’s a demographic angle to their choice, too: the 9th district is plurality Hispanic (around 42% Hispanic to 38% white), and Pou was the only Hispanic candidate running. If she’s elected to Congress, Pou will become the state’s first-ever Latina member of Congress (after three previous Latino members), as well as the first Hispanic member from outside Hudson County.
Assuming the 68-year-old Pou wins the convention, as now looks likely, she’ll go on to face Republican Billy Prempeh in the general election. Pou will be heavily favored in that race, although Prempeh did hold Pascrell to a modest 55%-44% win in 2022 thanks in large part to turnout discrepancies across the district.
Her victory in November would mean that the State Senate seat she’s held since 2012 would also become vacant. The field to succeed her would probably look similar to the one that’s already developed for the congressional seat, with Sumter, Wimberly, and Sayegh all likely to at least consider campaigns.
That’s jumping several steps ahead, since Pou hasn’t even won the convention to be on the ballot yet. But even if one or more of Sumter, Wimberly, or Sayegh does stay in the race, it will very much be an uphill battle with the unified strength of party leadership behind Pou.
The New Jersey Globe, along with On New Jersey and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University, is sponsoring a candidate forum on Monday evening at 8 PM. Pou, Sayegh, Sumter and Wimberly are participating.
New Jersey
Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video
Former homicide detective Brian Foley joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to provide analysis on Conor Hanlon’s 911 call after finding his wife, Brooke, stabbed to death.
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.
New Jersey
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.
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.
New Jersey
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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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