Here’s the stories you’ll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show with Eric Scott on Tuesday:

🍼 Two NJ cops are credited for bringing new life into the world
🍼 They delivered a baby with only minutes to spare
🍼 Mom and baby are doing well

HOLMDEL — It’s a girl!

Was the luck of the Irish on the side of this brand new Monmouth County mother? Maybe. But one thing’s for sure, she certainly had the luck of the Holmdel Police Department, with no medical assistance available, and minutes to spare.

On Sunday, March 16, at approximately 6:10 a.m., officers responded to a home for a report of a woman in labor.

Officer Brendon Bernard was the first to arrive at the home within a minute of that call. Officer Rich Enzerillo arrived a few minutes later, according to the department’s Facebook post.

With no medical personnel around and the birth imminent, these officers, relying on their own training and instincts, sprang into action. Imminent is right. Together, they delivered a baby girl who made her entrance into the world, six minutes after that phone call—at 6:16 a.m.

🚨Two men were found shot in a parking lot
🚨Two other shooting victims took themselves to hospitals
🚨Police say three people are considered suspects

VERONA — Four people were shot in connection with an argument in a parking lot near a wedding venue on Saturday night.

An argument between two people who had been attending an event at Palmetto Venue led to three people exchanging gunfire in the nearby municipal parking Lot 1 off Bloomfield Avenue around 11 p.m., according to Verona police.

Police found a 41-year-old man with serious gunshot wounds in the abdomen and a 40-year-old man with a gunshot wound in the right arm. Both were hospitalized.

Two other victims sought treatment on their own.

🔺 NJ man arrested with explosives
🔺 Police say blast was near rail tracks
🔺 Home had devices, materials cops say

MAPLE SHADE — A 61-year-old township man landed in trouble after police traced an explosion near some local railroad tracks to him and found a stockpile of explosive devices and materials.

Louis Monica, of Maple Shade, was charged with causing or risking widespread injury or damage, possession of prohibited destructive devices and two counts of possession of weapons for unlawful purpose.

On March 10, police responded to reports of an explosion in a grassy area near freight railroad tracks that run along West Front Street. No injuries were reported.

Surveillance footage from the area showed a white SUV slowing down as something was thrown from the vehicle, after which a blast sent up a dense white cloud of smoke.

Monica was identified as a suspect and two days later, police searched his home less than a mile from where the blast was seen.

💲Eggs are 10 times as expensive as a year ago, according to one diner owner
💲Prices have come down in recent weeks
💲Coffee, meat and vegetables may jump in price

EAST BRUNSWICK — The price of eggs has given New Jersey restaurant owners yet another punch in the gut and presented a quandary of whether to raise prices or ride it out.

Since restrictions were put in place by Gov. Phil Murphy during the COVID-19 pandemic the industry has faced the challenge of just staying open and waiting for the return of “normal” dining habits. Labor costs and changing social habits have also impacted the industry.

The latest challenge is the skyrocketing price of eggs, which reached a high of $5.81 per dozen at the start of January, according to the website TradingEconomics.com, which tracks the price of commodities nationwide.

Egg prices have dropped 40% since the beginning of January to $3.45 per dozen.

Hadjiyerou said it’s not just egg prices that are on the rise. The price of beef has gone up “tremendously” in the past month and it has been the worst season for Arabica coffee beans, which is what most restaurants serve. Tariffs imposed on products from Mexico will also impact menus.

“A lot of vegetables are coming in from Mexico. Anything avocado on your menu sells like crazy. Tomatoes are coming from Mexico. A lot of the vegetables are coming out of Mexico,” Hadjiyerou said. “It’s just a matter of time before you have to look at your menu. Do you take items off your menu? Do you increase the prices? And most likely, you’ll increase prices.”

Hamas said Saturday it will only release an American-Israeli and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel implements their ceasefire agreement, calling it an “exceptional deal” aimed at getting the truce back on track.

Israeli airstrikes meanwhile killed nine people in the Gaza Strip who the military identified as militants, allegations denied by a U.K.-based aid group that said eight of its workers were killed.

A senior Hamas official said long-delayed talks over the ceasefire’s second phase would need to begin the day of the release and last no longer than 50 days. Israel also would need to stop barring the entry of humanitarian aid and withdraw from a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Israel has said it won’t pull out from the corridor, citing the need to combat weapons smuggling.

Hamas would also demand the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks.

Edan Alexander, 21, who grew up in New Jersey, was abducted from his military base during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. He is the last living U.S. citizen held in Gaza. Hamas still has 59 hostages, 35 believed to be dead.

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

Eric Scott hosts the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show from 6 – 10 a.m. on New Jersey 101.5.

Join the conversation by calling 1-800-283-1015 or download the NJ101.5 app.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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