Several New Jersey polling sites received bomb threats as residents prepared to vote, according to authorities. The incidents occurred overnight, with reports of six threats across multiple cities, including Newark and Patterson.
Passaic City Mayor Hector Lora confirmed that four to six threats were made at polling locations in Passaic, Newark, Patterson, and Lodi, all near New York City. He emphasized that none of the threats were deemed credible but stated local authorities were conducting safety checks “out of an abundance of caution.”
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin reported that threats were emailed to polling sites in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic counties, leading some locations to close temporarily. “We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections,” Platkin stated on X, vowing to hold accountable those disrupting the electoral process.
The nature of the threats remains unclear, though bomb threats have become a recurring issue on Election Day in recent years. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump participated in a tele-rally Monday night, urging support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey while avoiding mention of Virginia’s GOP nominee, Winsome Earle-Sears.
Additional disruptions included voting machine outages in Republican-leaning counties, though no direct link to the threats was confirmed.