Updated 8:17 p.m.
VINELAND, N.J. – State Senator Michael Testa Jr. dropped an Election Day bombshell on Tuesday morning, warning New Jerseyans that Governor Phil Murphy plans to release COVID-19 inmates on November 4th.
In a press release distributed to the media, Testa shared an excerpt from an internal Murphy Administration memorandum; Testa reports receiving the memo on Monday from “a concerned Corrections Officer” (whose name he knows but won’t disclose in order to protect the source). The memo suggests that the Department of Corrections plans to deposit some COVID-positive inmates at New Jersey bus and train stations on the day after Election Day.
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The Administration’s concern appeared less directed towards the general public than DOC personnel and other released inmates who aren’t infected, directing staff to wear protective gear and keep any infected releasees “alone or cohort[ed].”
“After subjecting law-abiding residents to draconian restrictions and enforcement actions to ‘stop the spread,’ we have an internal memo detailing how the Murphy administration is planning the early release of inmates who are known to be infected with COVID-19 into our community with no oversight or warning,” said Testa. “Even worse, those inmates will be released at transportation hubs where they’ll board trains and buses with unsuspecting passengers and employees who won’t realize they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus. Instead of being forced to quarantine like everyone else, those sick inmates will have the opportunity to be super spreaders of the coronavirus all over New Jersey with bus and train tickets paid for by Governor Murphy.”
The releases are part of a Trenton Democrat scheme to set 20% of the state’s prison population free purportedly to combat the spread of COVID-19. The total number comes in around 3,000.
“NJDOC staff are being directed to don full PPE to transport sick and potential infectious prisoners, but where’s the warning or concern for the general public who will be exposed to the newly released inmates just minutes later?” asked Testa. “After all the governor’s bloviating, this ‘knucklehead’ action by his administration is completely hypocritical and a clear threat to public safety. It’s yet another Murphy mess that will end in disaster.”
In a comment to NorthJersey.com offered subsequent to Testa’s release, the state denied that COVID-19 patients would be dumped at depots but the article presented no explanation for the memo’s wording which suggested otherwise.
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