Homeland Security Starts With Hometown Security; Social Engineering Scheme Impersonates New Jersey Department of Labor; NJOHSP Investigation Leads to Arrest of Toms River Man for Attack at Asbury Park Church

New Jersey residents, visitors, business owners, houses of worship, schools, community leaders and visitors all play a vital role in keeping our communities safe and secure. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, in coordination with the New Jersey State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, established the Hometown Security Initiative as a pathway to engage local communities and enhance their level of preparedness. Through this initiative, NJOHSP’s Risk Management Bureau coordinates with private-sector organizations and local communities throughout the state to deliver customizable in-person and virtual seminars. The seminars are designed to encourage audience participation and foster interactive discussions with government representatives on an array of topics, including recognizing and reporting suspicious activity, active shooter preparedness, cybersecurity practices for small businesses, physical protective measures and individual and community preparedness. Participating agencies, including NJOHSP, NJSP, DHS, local police departments, offices of emergency management and county prosecutors’ offices, educate communities at risk and provide them with tools and resources to enhance security and build their preparedness posture.

If interested in hosting a Hometown Security Seminar in your community, contact the Risk Management Bureau at RiskManagement@njohsp.gov.

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Hometown Security Initiative

An advanced phishing attack is impersonating the New Jersey Department of Labor in a campaign that capitalizes on unemployment benefits. The NJCCIC received notification last week of an incident in which an individual received what seemed to be legitimate personalized emails from NJDOL but contained a fraudulent domain that redirected the user to the official NJDOL website. The threat actors convinced the victim to send images of their driver’s license and requested multifactor authentication codes for several online banking accounts, including Capitol One Bank, Huntington Bank and Citizens Bank. The NJCCIC reminds users to exercise caution when receiving unexpected emails from unverified senders, including those claiming to be from government agencies, but who do not use the “.gov” top-level domain. Users unsure of a message’s legitimacy should navigate directly to the agency’s official website to locate the correct contact information. NJCCIC also recommends using a resource such as haveibeenpwned.com to maintain awareness of recent data breaches, determine the exposure of personal data and reset credentials as needed. Additional information and indicators associated with this campaign are available on NJCCIC’s website.

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Incident Reporting | NJCCIC Membership

Authorities arrested a Toms River man March 4 on charges related to throwing smoke bombs into a crowd and attempting to pepper spray concertgoers leaving an anti-racism concert at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park in January, according to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and partner agencies involved in the investigation. On January 27, Nicholas Mucci, 28, allegedly yelled, “White lives matter too” and threw two smoke bombs toward the church and into the exiting crowd before driving off in a dark colored SUV. About an hour later, Mucci entered the church parking lot, exited the vehicle and attempted to pepper spray the group while again shouting, “White lives matter.” The suspect returned to his vehicle and left. A license plate reader in the area identified a vehicle present at the time of the incident as one matching the description of an SUV Mucci operates, an NJOHSP and NJDCJ investigation determined. NJOHSP investigators, NJDCJ detectives, New Jersey State Police troopers and FBI agents arrested Mucci, who authorities then transported to the Monmouth County jail. “This investigation was a great example of outstanding teamwork and collaboration among all levels of government,” said NJOHSP Director Laurie Doran. “I am proud of the men and women of NJOHSP and all of our partner agencies who protected the residents of New Jersey by successfully mitigating this serious threat.” Officials charged Mucci with causing or risking widespread injury or damage, possession of explosive for unlawful purposes, arson, aggravated assault, terroristic threats and possession of a destructive device. The following agencies also assisted the investigation: the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Wall Police Department, the Toms River Police Department and the Berkeley Township Police Department.