New Jersey is a state situated within both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is the most densely populated of all 50 U.S. states,and is situated at the center of the Northeast megalopolis. New Jersey is bordered on its north and east by New York state;on its east,southeast,and south by the Atlantic Ocean;on its west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania;and on its southwest by Delaware Bay and Delaware. At 7,354 square miles (19,050 km2),New Jersey is the fifth-smallest state in land area,but with close to 9.3 million residents as of the 2020 United States census,its highest decennial count ever,it ranks 11th in population. The state capital is Trenton,and the state's most populous city is Newark. New Jersey is the only U.S. state in which every county is deemed urban by the U.S. Census Bureau with 13 counties included in the New York metropolitan area,seven counties in the Philadelphia metropolitan area,and Warren County part of the heavily industrialized Lehigh Valley metropolitan area.
Passaic County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census,the county was the state's eighth-most-populous county,with a population of 524,118,its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 22,892 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 501,226,which in turn reflected an increase of 12,177 (+2.5%) from the 489,049 counted in the 2000 census. The most populous place in Passaic County is Paterson,with 159,732 residents at the 2020 Census,more than 30% of the county's population,while West Milford covered 80.32 square miles (208.0 km2),the largest total area of any municipality and more than 40% of the county's area. The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.
Passaic is a city in Passaic County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census,the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,with a population of 70,537,falling behind Bayonne,an increase of 756 (+1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 69,781,which in turn reflected an increase of 1,920 residents (+2.8%) from the 2000 census population of 67,861. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 69,128 in 2022,ranking the city the 546th-most-populous in the country. Among cities with more than 50,000 people,Passaic was the fifth-most densely populated municipality in the United States,with more than 22,000 people per square mile.
Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census,the city was the state's third-most-populous municipality,with a population of 159,732.
Wayne is a township in Passaic County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Home to William Paterson University and located less than 20 miles (32 km) from Midtown Manhattan,the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census,the township's population was 54,838,an increase of 121 (+0.2%) from the 2010 census count of 54,717,which in turn reflected an increase of 648 (+1.2%) from the 54,069 counted in the 2000 census.
Justin Gregory Smith,known professionally as Just Blaze,is an American record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson,New Jersey,Smith attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue a career in music production. He gained recognition as an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s,developing the "chipmunk soul" sampling style that was prominent in hip hop during that time.
Hinchliffe Stadium is a 7,500-seat stadium located in Paterson,New Jersey. The stadium is located atop the Great Falls of the Passaic River,and is part of the surrounding National Historical Park. The stadium,built in 1932,was closed in 1996 after years of neglect but reopened in 2023.
The Heights or Jersey City Heights is a neighborhood in Jersey City,New Jersey,located atop the New Jersey Palisades,along the west side of the Hudson River. It is bound by Paterson Plank Road on the north,Highway 139 on the south,Hoboken on the east,and the Hackensack River on the west. and Penhorn Creek on the west. Its postal area ZIP Codes are 07307,and portions of 07306.
Danforth Memorial Library,also known as the Paterson Free Public Library,is located at 250 Broadway in the city of Paterson in Passaic County,New Jersey,United States. The library was built in 1905 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 1,1984,for its significance in architecture,education,and social history.
The Paterson Armory,an armory in Paterson,New Jersey,was a facility of the New Jersey National Guard and an arena. The building at 461-473 Market Street was long disused and in a state of disrepair when on November 10,2015,a fire damaged it heavily. As of November 16,2015,the armory was in the process of being demolished. Certain decorative features,such as the keystone in the arch at the entrance,may be chiseled out and given to the Paterson Museum
Gerald Speziale is an American law enforcement officer and Public Safety Director of the Paterson Police Department and the Paterson Fire Department in Paterson,New Jersey. A former member of the New York City Police Department,Speziale has also served as the Sheriff of Passaic County,New Jersey,as Deputy Police Superintendent - Assistant Director of Public Safety for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department,and as Chief of Police for the City of Prichard,Alabama. He has worked as an undercover officer in the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),and for the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force while in the NYPD.
Jamel Curtis Holley is an American Democratic Party politician from the state of New Jersey,who served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 20th Legislative District from 2015 to 2022. He is the first African American to represent the district,serving out the unexpired term of former Assemblyman and now State Senator Joseph Cryan,and formerly served as councilman and then mayor of Roselle,New Jersey;at age 32,he was the borough's youngest-ever mayor. In 2021,Holley unsuccessfully challenged Cryan in the June 2021 New Jersey State Senate primary,losing by 29 points. Two years later,Holley attempted a comeback and unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Mayor Donald Shaw in the Roselle Mayoral Democratic primary and lost by 2 points.
Jose "Joey" Torres is an American politician who served as Mayor of Paterson,the third-largest city in New Jersey. Torres served two terms as mayor between 2002 and 2010 and had previously served five terms as a city council member. He was again elected May 13 and was sworn in July 1,2014. He pled guilty to corruption charges on September 22,2017,and was forced to step down from his mayoral position. Torres was superseded by Ruby Cotton,the president of the city council,and was replaced by retired city clerk Jane Williams-Warren on October 10,2017.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey were held on November 6,2018,to elect the 12 U.S. representatives from the state of New Jersey,one from each of the state's 12 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
On December 10,2019,a shooting took place at a kosher grocery store in the Greenville section of Jersey City,New Jersey. Three people were killed at the store by two assailants,David N. Anderson and Francine Graham. The assailants also wounded one customer and two police officers before being killed by police during an ensuing shootout. A Jersey City Police Department detective had also been shot and killed by the assailants at a nearby cemetery just before the grocery store attack.
The Paterson Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Paterson,New Jersey. It has about 400 sworn law enforcement officers and 125 support staff. As of March 2023,it is under the control of the Attorney General of New Jersey in response to a series of incidents of misconduct and alleged misconduct,including three controversial shootings.
Following the murder of George Floyd,an unarmed black man in Minneapolis,Minnesota on May 25,2020,protests erupted around the nation and world. Dozens of protests,several involving thousands of protesters have been held in New Jersey. Unlike in other areas of the country,protests have been mainly peaceful. This is attributed to relatively good community-police relations,memories of the race riots of 1967,and activist leadership maintaining focus on systemic racism. After protests in Trenton and Atlantic City grew violent on May 31,curfews were set for the first time. Residents of Atlantic City helped clean up damage after the protests turned destructive.
The 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 4,2025,to elect the governor of New Jersey. Incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Murphy is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term. Jack Ciattarelli,the Republican nominee for governor in 2021,has stated he intends to run again.
Jane Williams-Warren served as the second female African-American mayor of Paterson,New Jersey (2017–2018).
Matthew J. Platkin is an American attorney serving as the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey.
