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In one of his final acts in office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy pardoned the son of a Democratic powerbroker after he was convicted in a deadly hit-and-run in Atlantic City. On Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, Harris Jacobs, 28, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, was found guilty of second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident. The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred back on Sept. 4, 2022. Jacobs was driving a 2016 Toyota 4Runner along the 1800 block of Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City around 3:35 a.m. when he struck 76-year-old Orlando Fraga, also of Atlantic City. Surveillance video showed Jacobs getting out of his vehicle and walking to Fraga and leaning over his body on two separate occasions. He then returned to his vehicle and drove away without calling police. Fraga later died from his injuries. Jacobs’ attorney, Lou Barbone, told NBC10 his client had no criminal intent when he left the scene of the crash. “The accident was a tragic no escape impact in light of the pedestrian walking into the lane of travel at a construction site area,” Barbone said. “There was nothing Harris could do to avoid the accident.” Barbone told NBC10 Harris was trying to help Fraga after the crash. “He checked his pulse, made sure a bystander was calling 911 and checked the victim again, realizing he had expired,” Barbone said. “That was simply too much of an emotional trigger. And while Harris left the scene thereafter, he was turning himself in to report the accident the same morning.” Jacobs’ initial trial in 2025 ended in a hung jury, according to Barbone. A retrial then took place in January 2026. Jacobs was then convicted on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. That same day, however, Gov. Murphy announced Jacobs was one of the 97 people he had pardoned as one of his final acts in office. “Each pardon and commutation represents a story of accountability, growth, and redemption. From the outset, we have been guided by a fundamental belief that mercy and fairness are essential to a system that truly serves everyone,” Murphy wrote. “By offering second chances to individuals who have demonstrated rehabilitation and a commitment to their communities, we have strengthened not only individual lives, but our entire state.” Barbone told NBC10 the pardon was granted before his client was convicted. “The pardon was issued by Gov. Murphy around 8:30 a.m.,” Barbone wrote. “And while the state attorney called Harris and told him the pardon was being granted at 7:30 a.m., we did not have it by the time the jury announced it had a verdict at 10 a.m. We are filing a motion to vacate the conviction based on proof the pardon was granted prior to the jury’s verdict.” NBC10 also reached out to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. A spokesperson confirmed they were told that Murphy’s pardon was coming Tuesday morning while the jury was deliberating but the official release from the governor wasn’t posted until after the verdict. “It must not be overlooked that the defendant’s conduct resulted in the death of an elderly gentleman who leaves behind a grieving family,” the spokesperson wrote. “This case was thoroughly investigated and prosecuted by the dedicated men and women of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO), who brought this defendant to justice today.” According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Harris Jacobs is the son of Joe Jacobs, an Atlantic City power broker and Democratic fundraiser who has ties to Murphy and his wife Tammy Murphy. “Unfortunately, when politics pervades justice, the rule of law becomes subordinate to influence and power…a conviction can be rendered meaningless not by the verdict of a jury, but by the intervention of political power and connections,” the ACPO spokesperson wrote. “Justice must be blind to status, relationships, power, and expediency; when it is not, the community loses faith in the very system meant to protect it.” NBC10 is reaching out to Gov. Murphy for comment.

The feds are warning shoppers to steer clear of cans of potentially tainted Genova Yellowfin Tuna that were mistakenly shipped this week to six grocery store chains in nine different states. The suspect cans were part of a larger recall of tuna products last February after Tri-Union Seafoods learned that some of the “easy open” pull tab lids were defective, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. That defect could cause the cans to leak or become contaminated “with clostridium botulinum, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning,” the agency warned. But for reasons unclear, these cans of quarantined tuna were recently “inadvertently shipped by a third-party distributor,” the FDA said. “Consumers should not use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled,” the FDA warned. “Consumers feeling unwell should seek immediate medical attention.” The chains that received the suspect shipments include Meijer stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and Giant Foods stores in Maryland and Virginia. The recalled tuna was also shipped to Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions stores in California. Economy Jan 14 Rising cost of basic necessities could widen a gap between the well-off and everyone else Food & Drink Jan 7 The 6 biggest changes in the new dietary guidelines The products shoppers should immediately pitch — or return to their places of purchase for refunds — are the four packs of five-ounce cans of Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil, which bear the UPC number 4800073265. The cans stamped with the code numbers S84N D2L also bear a best used by date of January 21, 2028. The cans with the code numbers S84N D3L list January 24, 2028, as their best used by date. In addition, consumers should get rid of five ounce-cans of Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Sea Salt that have the UPC numbers 4800013275S88N and the code numbers D1M1/17/2028. The best used by date for these cans is January 17, 2028. Consumers with questions about the suspect tuna are urge to contact Tri-Union Seafoods at (833)374-0171 Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, or email the company at support@thaiunionhelp.zendesk.com.

A major winter storm is set to sweep the nation this weekend, bringing snow, sleet, ice and sub-zero windchills from the southern Plains to the Northeast from Friday to Monday. While it’s still too early to predict snowfall totals for areas east of the Mississippi River, heavy snow is expected in Memphis, Nashville, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. Further west, 8 to 14 inches of snow is expected in Oklahoma City, 6 to 12 inches in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 5 to 10 inches in Amarillo, Texas. Simultaneously, a long-duration extreme cold event is likely to move in during and after the storm. Those who lose power might endure several days of below-freezing temperatures. Extreme Weather Jan 6, 2025 Take these steps to protect yourself from winter weather dangers In the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region, wind chills of 40 to 50 below zero are possible. In Texas and along the Gulf Coast, temperatures could feel like they are in the single digits, down to 10 below zero. More than 50 record lows are possible from Sunday to Tuesday, with Texas and southern states most at risk of record cold. Cities like Dallas could spend more than 48 hours below freezing, and cities like Chicago could see the same time frame with temperatures below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The threat of a deep freeze jogs memories of a similar situation that unfolded in Texas in 2021, when a winter storm prompted freezing temperatures and days without electricity after generator facilities froze and demand for electricity overwhelmed the system. Deep freeze in the southern Plains The storm will get its start in the southern Plains on Friday, first wreaking havoc on Texas and Oklahoma before moving east with heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain that make travel unlikely to impossible. But perhaps the largest threat to the region is the freezing temperatures that will set in as the snow and ice melt. As of Tuesday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had already activated the state’s emergency response resources. The state’s department of transportation will pre-treat and then treat roads, and will help with traffic control. The Division of Emergency Management will provide maps of warming centers. The National Guard will be on call to assist stranded drivers, and a number of other departments will be available to clear snow, monitor utility providers and natural gas supplies, and monitor air and water quality. Abbott urged Texans to remain aware and check alerts before any necessary travel. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said on Facebook that it is monitoring the approaching cold weather and will keep Texans informed about power grid conditions. As of Wednesday, the agency said grid conditions are expected to be normal, but Texans can monitor changes through social media and through their app. Icy in the southeast The storm is set to expand across the South on Saturday, with ice storms continuing in Georgia and the Carolinas throughout the weekend. Wind chills will be as low as the single digits to -10 degrees Fahrenheit along the Gulf Coast, and many of these areas are at risk for pipe freezing, including Memphis and St. Louis. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein advised residents in a Tuesday post on X to get prepared now — especially in anticipation of power outages — by collecting necessities such as batteries, food, and drinks. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety said people should plan to stay home and off the roads all weekend, and urged people in the state to wrap up their preparations by Friday night before the worst of the storm hits. The North Carolina Department of Emergency Management suggested stocking emergency kits in case roads become impassable. “Items like flashlights, batteries, and battery backups can make all the difference,” the department said on Facebook. NCDPS added in an emailed statement that items such as gallon jugs of water, non-perishable foods, pet supplies and food, cell…

A Canadian man posed as a commercial pilot and as a working flight attendant to obtain hundreds of free flights from U.S. airlines, authorities said. Dallas Pokornik, 33, of Toronto, was arrested in Panama after being indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii last October. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday following his extradition to the United States. According to court documents, Pokornik was a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019, then used fake employee identification from that carrier to obtain tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants on three other airlines. U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday that Pokornik even requested to sit in an extra seat in the cockpit — the “jump seat” — typically reserved for off-duty pilots. It was not clear from court documents whether he ever actually rode in a plane’s cockpit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to say. The indictment did not identify the airlines that let him fly for free except to say they are based in Honolulu, Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas. Representatives for Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines — which are respectively based in those cities — didn’t immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment. The indictment also does not identify the Toronto-based airline. Air Canada, with headquarters in Montreal and a hub in Toronto, said in an email Wednesday it had no record of anyone named Pokornik having worked at the carrier. The scheme lasted four years, the U.S. prosecutors in Hawaii said. A U.S. magistrate judge on Tuesday ordered Pokornik to remain in custody. His federal defender declined to comment. The allegations against Pokornik are reminiscent of “Catch Me If You Can,” the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio that tells the story of Frank Abagnale posing as a pilot to defraud an airline and obtain free flights. In 2023, an off-duty airline pilot riding in the cockpit of a Horizon Air flight said “I’m not OK” just before trying to cut the engines midflight. That pilot, Joseph Emerson, later told police he had been struggling with depression. A federal judge sentenced that man to time served last November. —- This story has been corrected to note that Air Canada is based in Montreal, not Toronto.

The signing of Kyle Tucker by the Los Angeles Dodgers may have been the final straw for many on the path towards a work stoppage in Major League Baseball. And you can count longtime ESPN reporter Tim Kurkjian among those who feel it is now inevitable. Tucker is yet another free agent that the Dodgers Read more... The post ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian predicts MLB work stoppage is coming appeared first on Awful Announcing.