Here are the top New Jersey stories for Monday, August 19, 2024

⚫ 3 Millville, NJ men die in morning crash when BMW overturns

VINELAND – Police have identified three victims from Millville who died in a car crash Saturday morning.

An investigation revealed that at approximately 8:30 a.m., a 2006 BMW traveling west on Mays Landing Road lost control near Panther Road in Vineland. Three people were inside the vehicle.

The car was traveling at high speed when it left the road and struck a power pole. It overturned when it struck an irrigation winch in a nearby field.

All three occupants of the vehicle were dead at the scene of the accident. Two of them were thrown from the car.

The driver was identified as Ian Rodriguez, 23, of Millville. Vineland police also identified the passengers as Joquan Carter, 26, and Shamere Bryant, 24, both of Millville.

⚫ Arsonist behind house fire and hate campaign in Manchester, New Jersey, sentenced

MANCHESTER – An Ocean County man has been sentenced to prison for a series of anti-Semitic crimes that left a young Hispanic family’s new home destroyed.

Ron Carr, 35, admitted earlier this year that he was responsible for the destruction of 14 homes in his hometown of Manchester on June 6, 2023, according to the Ocean County District Attorney’s Office. The series of graffiti targeted a Jewish neighborhood.

Carr was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for arson. He also received five years for bias intimidation and 18 months for criminal damage, but the sentences will be served concurrently.

According to an affidavit, Carr told police he believed the house would be converted into a school after the fire. He believed he would “save the neighborhood from the Jewish residents,” whom he described as a “plague.”

⚫ According to survey, there is not enough support for electric vehicles in New Jersey

New Jersey expects that in the not too distant future, all new cars sold will be fully electric.

However, many people cannot imagine being part of such a future.

In a new survey from AAA Northeast, 55% of consumers said they never plan to buy a vehicle that doesn’t rely on gasoline at all, and 35% of respondents either already own an all-electric vehicle or plan to purchase one by 2035.

Eight percent expect to buy a purely electric vehicle, but not until 2036 or later.

New Jersey plans to completely phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Before that phase-out, Governor Phil Murphy’s plans require at least 51% of all new vehicles sold in New Jersey to be electric vehicles by 2027.

⚫ Major Jersey Shore bridge to Wildwood Crest, NJ closed indefinitely

LOWER TOWNSHIP – A major bridge further down the coast is expected to remain closed for the rest of the summer, causing headaches for both locals and tourists.

The Middle Thorofare Bridge or Two Mile Bridge was closed late Saturday morning due to engine failure.

The canal will remain open and closed to vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, but Cape May County officials say boats can still use the waterway.

Tests revealed that the engine was malfunctioning and could not be repaired.

⚫ NJ is getting bigger: Obesity report shows impact of pandemic

Have you gained weight during the pandemic?

According to new data, you’re definitely not alone. But that fact shouldn’t reassure you—it’s still a major problem and a bad sign of what’s to come for New Jersey’s health care system.

According to CHART’s analysis of emergency department visits in New Jersey, the proportion of patients classified as obese or overweight increased from 1% (30,245) in 2017 to 2.3% (68,342) in 2022. That’s a 126% increase in five years.

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