Here’s the stories you’ll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Thursday:
Second Amendment advocates in New Jersey react to the shooting death of Alex Pretti at the hands of Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray/Insert: AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Second Amendment advocates in New Jersey react to the shooting death of Alex Pretti at the hands of Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray/Insert: AP Photo/Eric Gay)
🔴 Fatal Border Patrol shooting sparks fierce debate over guns at protests.
🔴 Bystander video appears to contradict claims that Alex Pretti brandished a weapon.
🔴 New Jersey gun rights advocates weigh in as scrutiny grows.
New Jersey gun owners and libertarians are weighing in after Alex Pretti was shot to death by Border Patrol agents on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Since Pretti’s killing, a firestorm of debate has erupted over funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and whether Americans should expect to be shot if they bring a firearm to a protest.
On Tuesday, President Trump said to reporters, “You can’t have guns” at protests. His words sparked fierce backlash from gun rights activists.
New Jersey 101.5 reached out to several pro-gun groups for reaction.
New Jersey Second Amendment Society President Alex Roubian said they declined to comment until the investigation into Petti’s death was complete. No response was received from the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, the Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners, and the New Jersey Firearm Owners Syndicate.
Daniel Francisco is the Englishtown mayor; he’s also a proud gun rights activist. The mayor is currently involved in three Second Amendment lawsuits, including one to restore New Jersey residents’ right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.
Francisco said that, while he has no insight into whether Petti assaulted a law enforcement officer, the Minnesotan had every right to carry a gun. Petti shouldn’t have been harmed for going to a protest while armed, according to the Republican mayor.
“I am seeing Republican or right-wing groups incorrectly attacking him, saying he shouldn’t have been carrying, he shouldn’t have been doing this. That’s his innate right as an American,” Francisco said. The Second Amendment “purist” said that someone being in the presence of a police officer or federal agency should not restrict their right to self-defense.
He also criticized “duplicitous” New Jersey Democrats who are now defending Petti’s right to carry after passing laws to ban firearms from “sensitive” places, including public gatherings. A federal appeals court upheld that law in a September 2025 decision.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is doubling down on her resistance to federal immigration enforcement.
In a wide-ranging interview on The Daily Show, Sherrill declared: “We will not allow ICE to stage raids from state property.” This is similar to a policy recently adopted in Jersey City.
Perhaps the most controversial element of Sherrill’s plan is a proposed statewide “portal” that would allow residents to upload cellphone video of ICE activity.
“If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out. We want to know,” Sherrill said on The Daily Show.
Administration officials say the portal would be used to alert communities, document enforcement actions, and ensure agents are operating within the law. Supporters argue it empowers residents and increases transparency.
Opponents see it very differently. Critics warn the system could encourage vigilantism, interfere with federal operations, or even put officers and bystanders at risk. Legal experts also question whether a state-run database tracking federal agents could invite court challenges or federal preemption claims.
Julio Garcia Barrera is charged with robbing people while dressed as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (AP Photo/Richard Drew/Newark police)
Julio Garcia Barrera is charged with robbing people while dressed as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (AP Photo/Richard Drew/Newark police)
👮♂️ Newark police say a man posed as an ICE agent to intimidate victims.
👮♂️ Investigators linked him to two early-morning robberies on North 8th Street.
👮♂️ The suspect was arrested near the crime scene days later.
NEWARK — A city man is charged with dressing up as an ICE agent to intimidate people while he stole their money, according to police.
Julio Garcia Barrera, 44, is charged with robbery and impersonating a public servant, Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, Sr. said.
Police said they’ve responded to at least two separate robberies within the last week that they’ve connected to Barrera.
On Jan. 22, around 3:30 a.m., a man walked into the 7th Precinct police department on North 10th Street and reported that he had been robbed. He said the robbery happened two streets over, around half a mile away, on the 600 block of North 8th Street.
According to the victim, he was walking when a dark-colored SUV stopped on the street next to him. The driver got out, shined a flashlight on the victim, and then pointed to an emblem on his sweatshirt.
The driver said that he was an immigration officer and then put the victim up against the vehicle for a search, police said. During the pat-down, the suspect stole $500 in cash from the victim’s wallet before he got back in his car and drove off.
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a reversal in a decade long trend of people moving out of New Jersey. (Canva)
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a reversal in a decade long trend of people moving out of New Jersey. (Canva)
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a reversal in a decade long trend of people moving out of New Jersey.
Now, people are flooding INTO the Garden State.
New Jersey added nearly 42,000 residents between July 2024 and July 2025. We are now the fastest growing state in the Northeast and have seen the tenth largest population growth of any state in the nation.
More than 9.54 million people now call New Jersey home, up from more than 9.28 million during the April 2020 census.
What do you think is driving more people to New Jersey?
Liberty Science Center is hosting its 2nd Annual Puppy Bowl
Liberty Science Center is hosting its 2nd Annual Puppy Bowl
🐶 Liberty Science Center hosts its 2nd Annual Puppy Bowl in Jersey City on Feb. 7 and 8
🏈 Puppies from The Seeing Eye will “compete” in adorable football-style games
📍 Games run throughout the day in LSC’s lobby stadium and are open to the public
JERSEY CITY — If you love football and puppies, then you’re in for a special New Jersey treat.
It was such a hit last year that Liberty Science Center in Jersey City is hosting its 2nd Annual Puppy Bowl on Feb. 7 and 8.
Teams of K-9 cuties will be taking to the field (well, actually the LSC’s lobby stadium) for a face-off of “epically slobbery proportions.”
The doggie athletes will be visiting from The Seeing Eye, a local nonprofit in Morristown that trains dogs to guide people who are sight-impaired or blind.
Established in 1929 in Tennessee, The Seeing Eye is the world’s oldest guide dog school.
Accused NJ sex predator teachers, school staff this year and last
A number of teachers, coaches and school staff around New Jersey were arrested in 2024 and 2025 for a range of sexual offenses.
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
The 10 commandments of surviving pothole season in NJ
Gallery Credit: Judi Franco
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The New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show airs from 6 – 10 a.m. on New Jersey 101.5.
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You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com
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