An off-duty New Jersey cop was arrested after she allegedly broke into a residence and assaulted two victims, according to police.
Rebecca Sayegh — a 32-year-old officer with the Toms River Police Department — was arrested and charged with two counts each of assault, two counts of criminal mischief, one count of terroristic threats, one count of home invasion burglary, and one count of resisting arrest, according to jail records.
'Sayegh previously was commended and presented an award for her "bravery" as part of rescuing a woman and her pets from a January 2021 Toms River house fire.'
Sayegh used a baton to smash the front door glass of a home in the Bayville neighborhood around 11:20 p.m. Friday, according to the criminal complaint.
Citing court documents, NJ.com reported that Sayegh began arguing with her former boyfriend and a woman at the house.
The verbal altercation quickly escalated into a physical confrontation when Sayegh allegedly began pushing and shoving the man and woman.
One of the alleged victims suffered swelling to the eye, the complaint stated.
The man and woman reportedly restrained Sayegh in the living room before she “broke free” and smashed items in the house and knocked pictures off the wall, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Sayegh scratched one of the alleged victim's vehicles on the hood.
Once police responded to the crime scene, Sayegh allegedly attempted to fight with officers and needed to be physically restrained.
The complaint noted that Sayegh made a threat to burn down the house as cops escorted her down the property's driveway.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated: "Sayegh was taken into custody at the scene — after having resisted efforts to peacefully place her under arrest."
"Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Berkeley Township Police Department for their efforts in connection with this investigation," the prosecutor's office noted.
Sayegh reportedly was suspended with pay.
Sayegh's attorney, Terrance Turnbach, told NJ.com: "Officer Sayegh understands the significance of the charges filed against her. She has been a member of the Toms River Police Department and proudly served her community for almost nine years. She is taking all of the appropriate steps to properly address the matter at hand and will remain cooperative throughout the pending legal proceedings."
Sayegh is being detained without bail at the Ocean County Jail ahead of her court appearance scheduled for Friday morning to determine if she will be granted bail.
Complicating issues, Sayegh has a lawsuit pending against the Toms River Police Department that was launched last year.
In November 2024, Sayegh filed a lawsuit against the township, former Police Chief Mitch Little, former Capt. Shaun O'Keefe, former Deputy Chief Patrick Dellane, and Sgt. Matthew Broderick.
The lawyers for the defendants have called the lawsuit 'frivolous and without legal basis' and 'baseless and/or meritless.'
According to the Asbury Park Press, Sayegh claims there was a "boys club" culture in the department that led to her "being sexually harassed, passed over for promotions, and written up for supposed offenses that were ignored when committed by male officers."
Sayegh, who joined the department in 2017, claims O'Keefe "shamelessly" pursued a sexual relationship with her. She alleges that during a Toms River Police Foundation event at the Bey Lea Golf Course in June 2022, O'Keefe purportedly followed her into the women's restroom, took out his penis, and told her to perform oral sex on him.
O'Keefe retired from the department in 2021.
In April 2025, Superior Court Judge Robert E. Brenner dismissed the claims against O'Keefe without prejudice because the lawsuit was filed after the two-year statute of limitations had passed.
The lawyers for the defendants have called the lawsuit "frivolous and without legal basis" and "baseless and/or meritless."
Sayegh previously was commended and presented an award for her "bravery" as part of rescuing a woman and her pets from a January 2021 Toms River house fire.
"Officer Sayegh went to the front door and made entry, locating Ms. Nicolo and her pets. Officer Sayegh was able to escort Ms. Nicolo and her pets across the street to safety. Officer Sayegh is commended for her swift action, bravery, and lifesaving actions," the department stated.
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A male has been charged with aggravated arson "purpose to destroy forest," jail records say, in connection with a New Jersey wildfire that reportedly is one of largest in the state over the last 20 years.
Joseph Kling, 19, of Ocean Township also was charged Wednesday with arson, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release.
The cause of the fire was 'determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire.'
There is no bail listed for Kling, jail records also say.
The wildfire was first located Tuesday morning in Ocean Township, officials said, adding that emergency personnel observed a fire within the Forked River Mountains Wilderness Area of the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust. The area is about 60 miles east of Philadelphia and about 10 miles west of the New Jersey shore.
The prosecutor’s office's Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office plotted the origin of the fire through GPS and said the cause of the fire was "determined to be incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire."
Kling set wooden pallets on fire and then left the area without fully extinguishing the fire, the prosecutor's office said.
Kling was taken into custody at Ocean Township Police Headquarters and then taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he awaits a detention hearing, officials said.
The wildfire is one of largest in the New Jersey over the last 20 years, Patch reported. The wildfire has been 50% contained, officials said Thursday.
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You can view a video report here about the arrest.
WPVI-TV said it's "peak forest fire season" in the Pinelands wilderness area, which covers more than 1 million acres and is about the size of the Grand Canyon.
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way (D) declared a state of emergency in response to the wildfire, the station said.
The growing wildfire forced 5,000 residents to evacuate Tuesday night, WPVI said, citing the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. As 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, all evacuation orders were lifted, the station said.
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A Manhattan jury convicted Nadine Menendez on federal bribery charges for her central role in the elaborate, years-long bribery scheme that earned her husband, disgraced former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.), an 11-year prison sentence.
After eight hours of deliberation, the federal jury convicted the Democrat's wife on all 15 counts including bribery, honest services wire fraud, extortion under color of official right, obstruction of justice, and conspiring to make her husband an agent of Egypt.
"Nadine Menendez and Senator Menendez were partners in crime," Matthew Podolsky, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. "Over the span of five years, Nadine Menendez agreed to accept and accepted all sorts of bribes — including gold bars, cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and a no-show job — all in exchange for the senator's corrupt official acts."
Mrs. Menendez had wrecked her old Mercedes-Benz sedan fatally running over 49-year-old Richard Koop.
"Together, Nadine Menendez and the senator placed their own interests and greed ahead of the interests of the citizens the senator was elected to serve," added Podolsky.
After leaving the courthouse Monday, Mrs. Menendez told reporters, "I think this is politically motivated," reported the New York Times.
According to her updated indictment, the bribery scheme spanned several years — from at least 2018 until 2023.
The Democrat and his wife traded his political power and access to sensitive U.S. government information for gifts including cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, tickets to events, and a Mercedes-Benz. The new car, a bribe from New Jersey businessman Jose Uribe, came in handy, as Mrs. Menendez had wrecked her old Mercedes-Benz sedan fatally running over 49-year-old Richard Koop in December 2018.
Bob Menendez, who became chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2021, reportedly used his political clout to favor the Qatari government and to act as an agent of Egypt, while Mrs. Menendez facilitated the bribes. The Washington Post indicated that while on the Senate committee, Menendez even committed to help Egyptian officials obtain military aid.
When federal agents raided the couple's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home in June 2022, they found "the fruits" of the bribery scheme, including $150,000 worth of gold bars, over $480,000 in cash hidden throughout the residence, and $70,000 stuffed into Mrs. Menendez's safe deposit box.
Some of the envelopes containing the cash were traceable by DNA and fingerprints to Fred Daibes, a real estate developer who faced a bank fraud case and sought the Democrat's help in installing a sympathetic U.S. attorney in New Jersey.
Daibes was found guilty of bribery, fraud, and obstruction last year with former Sen. Menendez and Wael Hana, the Egyptian-American businessman for whom Menendez pressured a senior U.S. Department of Agriculture official in an effort to protect a halal beef exporting agreement with the Egyptian government.
U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein set a sentencing date of June 12 for Mrs. Menendez — just days after her husband, who resigned in disgrace last August, is scheduled to report to prison, reported CNN.
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The 2026 U.S. Senate race in Michigan now has its first official candidate: State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Millennial Democrat from Oakland County who shot to national attention with a viral floor speech. She’s betting that moment can carry her all the way to the world’s greatest deliberative body.
Before Democrats and their media lapdogs start drafting puff pieces and polishing the pedestal, they should ask a harder question: Who is Mallory McMorrow — and more importantly, who is she not?
This isn’t just political positioning. It’s a fundamental disconnect. McMorrow’s politics are tailored for retweets, not results.
McMorrow isn’t a product of Michigan grit. She’s a coastal transplant from suburban New Jersey with a degree from Notre Dame and a résumé that reads like a LinkedIn influencer’s dream. She landed in Michigan less than a decade ago and began branding herself as the conscience of the Midwest. But Michiganders know the difference between authenticity and ambition.
McMorrow presents herself as a pragmatic progressive. In reality, she mimics the Instagram-ready style of coastal elites and peddles the kind of policies that might play in Brooklyn or Silver Lake, but not in Battle Creek or Midland.
Take her recent appearance on “Off the Record” with Tim Skubick, a Michigan political staple. Asked about boys competing in girls’ sports, McMorrow didn’t just sidestep the issue — she leaned into it, defending the far-left line with social media polish and no concern for the working-class parents listening at home.
This isn’t just political positioning. It’s a fundamental disconnect. McMorrow talks unity and moderation while aligning herself with activists who push fringe agendas. She sells herself as a consensus-builder while alienating the very voters she claims to represent. Her politics are tailored for retweets, not results.
If Attorney General Dana Nessel jumps into the primary, that contrast will become impossible to ignore. Say what you will about Nessel — she’s blunt, combative, and never confused for anything but herself. She doesn’t hide her ideology or try to sugarcoat her record for the national press. In a matchup, McMorrow won’t just have to explain her platform — she’ll have to explain her reinvention.
A real race demands contrast and courage. Michigan voters don’t need more social media senators. They need leaders who know the price of gas, not just the latest polling memo. They need fighters who understand what Michigan families face every day — not what’s trending in a D.C. group chat.
To her credit, McMorrow is young, articulate, and eager to chart a new course. That’s not nothing. But the path forward for Michigan isn’t progressive posturing. It’s common-sense governance rooted in the lives of working families — not curated identities shaped by PR consultants and filtered through national donor networks.
Republicans need to seize this opportunity. Michigan requires a new generation of GOP leadership — grounded, principled, and ready to fight. I know that generation exists. I see it in the state legislature. I see it in young constitutional conservatives who understand the dignity of work, the sanctity of family, and the value of a dollar.
As a Millennial myself, I know we don’t need more viral fame. We need values. We don’t need slogans. We need substance.
In the coming months, you’ll hear a lot about Mallory McMorrow — there will be glossy profiles, glowing press, and lots of digital fanfare. But underneath the branding is a clear ambition: to take Michigan’s Senate seat and turn it into a springboard for the next liberal celebrity.
We’ve seen that movie before. We know how it ends.
The real question is whether Michigan voters will choose performance or principle.
I believe they’ll choose principle. Because in Michigan, authenticity still matters. Common sense still counts. And we still believe a senator should represent everyday citizens worried about the price of a gallon of milk — not the Met Gala elite sipping champagne just across the Hudson from McMorrow’s home state.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) announced on Thursday that the state had filed a lawsuit against the messaging application Discord.
Platkin claimed that Discord has engaged in "unlawful practices that expose NJ kids to violent, sexual content and online child predators." He further accused the platform of "deceptive and unconscionable business practices."
'Discord markets itself as a safe space for children, despite being fully aware that the application's misleading safety settings and lax oversight has made it a prime hunting ground for online predators seeking easy access to children.'
According to the AG, Discord "misled parents into thinking its app was a safe space for kids despite knowing it was a hunting ground for sexual predators."
More specifically, the lawsuit called out the platform's direct messaging safety settings as being deceptive to parents. Discord's safety messaging features automatically scan and delete messages containing explicit content.
Despite the alleged safety features, lurking predators are still able to "stalk, contact, and victimize children," the lawsuit stated. The AG's office noted that the platform "fell, and continues to fall, flat."
Additionally, the platform allegedly misrepresented that children under 13 years old could not create an account. The complaint stated that Discord requires users only to enter their date of birth and does not perform any additional checks to verify age.
Platkin stated, "Discord markets itself as a safe space for children, despite being fully aware that the application's misleading safety settings and lax oversight has made it a prime hunting ground for online predators seeking easy access to children."
"These deceptive claims regarding its safety settings have allowed Discord to attract a growing number of children to use its application, where they are at risk. We intend to put a stop to this unlawful conduct and hold Discord accountable for the harm it has caused our children," he added.
During a Thursday press conference, Platkin noted that the messaging platform "has been at the center of numerous criminal cases involving predators that were found to have used the app to engage in sexual grooming, extortion, and exploitation."
New Jersey's lawsuit resulted from a multiyear investigation by the AG and the Division of Consumer Affairs, which released an informational video explaining the basis of the state's complaint.
New Jersey is the first state in the nation to sue Discord over its alleged failure to protect children online.
A Discord spokesperson told NBC News, "Discord is proud of our continuous efforts and investments in features and tools that help make Discord safer."
"Given our engagement with the Attorney General's office, we are surprised by the announcement that New Jersey has filed an action against Discord today. We dispute the claims in the lawsuit and look forward to defending the action in court," the spokesperson said.
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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) sent letters to several "sanctuary governors" on Thursday, inviting them to testify before lawmakers as part of the committee's ongoing probe into the public safety impact of sanctuary policies.
Comer requested Democratic Governors Kathy Hochul of New York, Tim Walz of Minnesota, and JB Pritzker of Illinois testify before the committee during a May 15 hearing.
'President Trump is preparing to take executive action to withhold federal funding from sanctuary states.'
The letters stated, "The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is continuing to investigate sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States and their impact on public safety and the effectiveness of federal efforts to enforce the immigration laws of the United States."
"Sanctuary jurisdictions and their obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities," it continued. "This threatens Americans' safety."
Comer requested several documents from the state leaders, including all materials and communications related to sanctuary policies.
The committee previously heard testimony in March from Democratic mayors of sanctuary cities, including Eric Adams of New York, Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, and Mike Johnston of Denver.
Comer stated Thursday, "Harboring aliens is a federal crime. Sanctuary policies championed by these governors jeopardize the safety of Americans and defy U.S. immigration laws."
"President Trump is preparing to take executive action to withhold federal funding from sanctuary states," he added. "Working alongside President Trump, Congress must ensure federal immigration law is enforced and that criminal aliens are swiftly removed from our communities."
Hochul indicated that she would be willing to testify, Politico reported.
She told reporters on Thursday, "We just received notification of their interest in my opinion on state laws, which I'm happy to share with them."
"I told people like Tom Homan that I will continue doing what our practice has been from the beginning, which is to cooperate with ICE when they have a warrant or they have evidence that there's a person who's committed a serious crime," Hochul said.
According to Alex Gough, a spokesperson for Pritzker, the governor is still reviewing Comer's request for documents. He has not yet determined whether he will testify.
Gough stated, "Let's call this what this is: another partisan dog and pony show."
Teddy Tschann, a spokesperson for Walz, said, "Governor Walz is happy to work with Congress, but since Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, one can't help but wonder if this is, perhaps, politically motivated."
Meanwhile, acting U.S. District Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced that she is launching her own investigation into Governor Phil Murphy (D) and state attorney General Matt Platkin over New Jersey’s order prohibiting local police from cooperating with federal immigration agents.
"That will no longer stand. [U.S. Attorney General] Pam Bondi has made it clear and so has our president that we are to take all criminals, violent criminals and criminals out of this country and to completely enforce federal law," Habba told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday.
"And anybody who does get ... in the way of what we are doing — which is not political, it is simply against crime — will be charged in the state of New Jersey for obstruction, for concealment," Habba continued. "And I will come after hard."
Murphy's office and Platkin's office declined a request for comment from ABC News.
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A Bell 206 L-4 helicopter carrying six people — three children and three adults, including the pilot — crashed Thursday into the Hudson River, just off of Jersey City, New Jersey.
Footage of the incident shows the fuselage pitching backward and plummeting hundreds of feet into the cold waters below, its tail and main rotor system apparently shorn off. Moments after the helicopter crashes into the river, just missing a Jersey City pier, its rotor can be seen in the footage smashing into nearby waters.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch indicated that four victims were pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where they succumbed to their injuries. New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that all six passengers are deceased.
According to the Telegraph, Agustín Escobar, the technology company Siemens' CEO for rail infrastructure, was aboard along with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, ages 4, 5, and 11. The family, visiting from Spain, were on a sightseeing trip. They chartered a helicopter with Michael Roth's tour company, New York Helicopter.
'We're all devastated.'
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend, Agustin Escobar, and his beloved family," Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens, said in a statement Friday. "We will miss him and his family immensely."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the accident an "unimaginable tragedy."
President Donald Trump said in response to the tragic incident, "The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims."
The doomed aircraft left the Downtown Skyport in Manhattan at 2:59 p.m. and crashed roughly 15 minutes later.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that the tour helicopter was in New York's Special Flight Rules Area, "which means no air traffic control services were being provided when the helicopter crashed." Before the helicopter entered the area, air traffic control from LaGuardia airport was providing assistance.
Tisch indicated that shortly after passing the George Washington Bridge, the aircraft "lost control and hit the water."
The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the incident.
Roth told the Telegraph, "He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive."
"We're all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying," said Roth.
"I got a call from my manager and my downtown heliport and she said she heard there was a crash, and then my phone blew up from everybody," continued Roth. "Then one of my pilots flew over the Hudson and saw the helicopter upside down."
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said in a statement Thursday evening that dive operations by the NYPD and New Jersey State Police would resume Friday, as major parts of the aircraft had not yet been recovered.
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While media cries about Trump eradicating fraud, and protesters punish Musk over DOGE findings, Social Security cons are plentiful.
Criminals ICE could remove are released from prison into the warm embrace of sanctuary jurisdictions to destroy the lives of more victims.
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