Crime bill advocated by Edison Mayor Joshi was signed into law

EDISON, NJ – Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Friday that would increase penalties for home invasions and burglaries. The bill was championed by Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and signed into law by Murphy in Edison.

The legislation takes effect immediately and builds on the commitment to reduce crime and improve public safety.

Bill S3006/A4299 was sponsored by Senators Anthony Bucco, Brian Stack and Vin Gopal and Representatives Sterley Stanley, Robert Karabinchak and Alexander “Avi” Schnall.

During the ceremony, Joshi said that the problem of housebreaking and burglary has become worse with time.

What I learned is that the law in the state of New Jersey is just as deterrent as it should be. Before approaching the state, we wanted to know what we could do internally to address the home invasion and burglary crisis.”

Joshi said the township has increased the number of patrol officers in Edison to 196, but that is not enough. The community also installed 100 license plate readers throughout the city, added K-9 units and implemented other measures. However, the problem remained as the arrested youths would soon return to the streets.

“The current laws sympathize with the perpetrator rather than provide justice to the victims,” Joshi said. “But today we are turning a page in New Jersey history because democracy works.”

Joshi thanked the lawmakers who put together the bill and put it into action.

Murphy said the safety and well-being of New Jerseyans is his administration’s top priority.

“Today’s bipartisan legislation ensures that penalties for burglary and home invasion reflect the seriousness of these crimes and deter individuals from illegally entering a home,” Murphy said. “We are grateful to the Legislature, our law enforcement, local mayors and community members for supporting our shared goal of keeping New Jerseyans safe.”

Murphy spoke about Sgt. Monica Mosley, who was shot during a home invasion in Bridgeton. Mosley worked for the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office for nearly two decades.

“This is a national dilemma. We are neither unique nor exempt. “There are very few states in America that are taking the steps that we are going to take today to address this,” Murphy said.

Under the new law, residential burglary is a first-degree felony. A first-degree felony is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. Under the new law, residential burglary is a second-degree felony.

A second-degree felony is punishable by five to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. Both classifications of burglary are subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires the convicted person to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

The new law also stipulates that young people aged 15 and over face prison sentences of up to 20 years.

Any person convicted of home invasion or burglary may be denied a professional license by the Consumer Affairs Division of the Ministry of Law and Public Safety.

However, organizations like the ACLU of New Jersey have criticized the law, saying it would only encourage mass incarceration rather than providing systemic support to people who need it.

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