S.P. Sullivan
@spsullivan
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I cover crime and government in New Jersey. But I repeat myself! Reporter/records troll for @njdotcom . You can call me Sean. DMs are off the record.
on NJ.com & in the Star-Ledger
Joined April 2008
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FIFA in New Jersey. The potential for shenanigans across the criminal spectrum. Business crimes. Politics crimes. Sports betting crimes. Waste disposal crimes. The only limit is our imagination.
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This happened November 1 but is being disclosed the afternoon before Thanksgiving.
Newark cop hit a pedestrian on the highway, loaded the dead body in his car, then went home to talk it over with his mother, prosecutors say. Eventually his father -- also a Newark cop -- called 911 to say his son was in an accident.
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Newark, Camden, Trenton & Atlantic City have all had — and continue to have — problems between police and their communities. Yet none of the protests in those cities the last two days turned ugly. One common denominator: Officials & police met with protestors, showed solidarity.
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I regret to report a hedge fund has since purchased Grover’s paper and laid him off
As a news reporter, I always do my research before I break a story. I am confident to report that you are so special and amazing!
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I have reported for years on the absolute gauntlet wrongfully convicted people have to go through to clear their names. Dion Harrell was a tireless advocate for himself and others. He died last week. He deserves to be remembered.
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The Associated Press has called it: You can smoke weed in New Jersey as long as you don't try to pump your own gas.
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Excited to announce I’ll be covering the indictments that come from this FIFA - New Jersey crossover event. No way of knowing what they’ll be for yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the writers room cooks up.
N.J.’s MetLife Stadium will host 2026 FIFA World Cup final
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I cannot understate how much
@sydneemcelroy
and
@JustinMcElroy
have stepped up to the plate during the pandemic.
@Sawbones
used to be a welcome distraction in The Before Times and now it's one of my go-to sources for debunking bullshit.
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Amazon Considering Moving To New Jersey Instead But Will Tell New Friends At College It's From The "New York Area," Sources Say
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Hi, this is just to say that I’ve taken a temporary leave from work to deal with some mental health stuff. I’m getting the care and support I need but many people aren’t lucky enough to say that and that’s why I decided to share this publicly, because it shouldn’t be that way!
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*whispers*
regardless of what the Mueller report says, there are sketchballs getting away with shenanigans at the local and state level because nobody is paying attention to what they're doing and the business model for local news no longer supports digging through their trash
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A Jersey cop said he secretly recorded the mayor, police chief and other using racist slurs for Black people and degrading female cops. So the town paid him for his silence. It worked. Almost! w/
@riley_yates
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I’m in line for the Kids in the Hall doc at SXSW and the actual Kids in the Hall just walked by and heckled us.
“Are you guys a flash mob?” Dave Foley asked the crowd.
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I spoke with the lawyers who won freedom for these two men today. It will be several days - maybe weeks - before they are actually out. Overturned convictions like this are so rare in NJ that the logistics get tricky. “After all this time, we are in a state of shock," they said.
After 25 years, prosecutors drop case against 2 N.J. men serving life for murder
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In Camden and Newark today, police and elected officials marched alongside demonstrators. Neither city saw the violence that has raged elsewhere.
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I witnessed this at a red light just off Route 80 in New Jersey. I have no other context to offer you. I love this man.
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"Track coaches and staff at Holmdel High School told the district's resource officer that they found human feces on or near the football field and track daily..."
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Johnny Mnemonic (1995) predicted that in 2021 there will be protesters wearing N95 masks, Newark will remain a free city and
@FINALLEVEL
will be there to protect us.
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So far the best explainer on novel coronavirus I’ve come across is this episode of
@Sawbones
from
@sydneemcelroy
and
@JustinMcElroy
. bonus points for teaching me what a civet is
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Some ~professional news~: I'm moving up at
@njdotcom
and will be reporting and editing investigations full-time. This means giving up my beat covering law and politics in the statehouse bureau, but I will still be digging deep into criminal justice issues in New Jersey.
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New Jersey's Supreme Court has authorized the release of jail inmates serving time as a condition of parole or because of a municipal court conviction. Public defender, AG, ACLU and county prosecutors assoc. all consented.
@ACLUNJ
estimates ~1000 detainees will be released.
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Reminder that if you live in New York and made fun of New Jersey at any point in the last 5 years and you try to visit our dispensaries they are legally required to give you a plastic bag filled with oregano, you absolute herb
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I have confirmed that the State Police saw all the tweets asking if those were white supremacist tattoos on the body of the state trooper who went missing and "there is currently an internal investigation into the matter."
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For some reason this week I keep thinking of that Kurt Vonnegut quote: "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."
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If you are a reporter struggling to write a story, I urge you to just have a plain-language conversation with *literally anybody* about what the story is about. We tend to over-complicate things that are very simple. Talking it out eliminates the throat-clearing.
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@eliehonig
If this tweet gets 10,000 likes I will release my Twitter DMs with Elie from back when he was an egg avatar with no followers
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Standing rule:
"We don't comment on pending legislation."
"We can't comment on active litigation."
"We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of investigations."
These are not rules. The government can and will do all these things when it is in its interest to do so.
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The thing they don’t teach you in journalism school is that the hardest part of the job is selecting all the pictures that contain A Bus to prove to the criminal court records terminal you’re not a robot
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@Nicole_Cliffe
My family laughed about a relative who washed and reused zip-loc bags in the 90s. Now I’m married to a woman who has probably been using the same zip-loc bags *since* the 90s.
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NEW:
@NewJerseyOAG
just announced New Jersey will be opening up a statewide use of force database for police departments. This is modeled after the work
@njdotcom
did on our investigation, .
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Can't wait to love this album unconditionally regardless of whether or not it is good, as required by state law
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So many people in NY/DC media mistake their personal experiences for universal ones.
>
@SaraFischer
on Reliable: "So many people in news have personal connections to people in power. Does this change the way that we think about how reporters and correspondents and anchors deal with those personal situations? I assume it will. But we will only see as time goes on"
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In 2018, stories I worked on at
@njdotcom
shined light on two wrongful convictions, prompted the governor to overhaul the medical examiner system, sparked a legislative hearing on prison sex abuse and created transparency in police use of force. How was your year, Bill?
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@colleenstone
It is a police press release. The point is that this was the official police account that likely would have become the only public account had there not been bystander video.
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New Jersey’s Senate President wants the AG to tell cops to stop making marijuana arrests. AG previously said hands are tied because Legislature needs to pass enabling legislation first. Feels like a thing they could have worked out before a very popular ballot question passed!
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Spoke to a bunch of eighth graders who are learning how to write news articles today. Told one of them it was fine to start a sentence with "And." Also introduced them to the fight over the serial comma. I am an agent of chaos.
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I have an anxiety disorder, which has made me an excellent fact checker who has done some really great work but also didn’t set me up for success during a global pandemic. My colleagues and bosses have been amazing about all of this. I am not special. You also deserve such grace!
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Oh man, The Dream podcast is probably one of the best pieces of investigative journalism this year. Personal, engaging and thorough as hell. Answered a ton of questions that arose on my Facebook feed the last few years. Bravo,
@SeeJaneMarie
and team.
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THREAD:
Yesterday, the
@TheJusticeDept
released a damning 31-page report finding a "culture" that encourages sexual abuse and exploitation of inmates at New Jersey's women's prison, a problem that at least two administrations "failed to remedy."
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Stop trying to give us Staten Island
One of the donors to the Adams campaign now involved in the federal investigation listed his home as "Staten Island, New Jersey"
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I can’t understate how much shenanigans like this undermine the important work of local journalists. When people complain about “the media” nine times out of 10 they mean cable news, but it reverberates down to the local level. It is disgusting.
NEW: CNN host Chris Cuomo used his sources to get info on brother Andrew Cuomo's accusers. He also engaged with sources to get a read on upcoming stories that took aim at his brother.
"I have a lead on the wedding girl," Cuomo told Melissa DeRosa.
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My wife texted me to ask for my aunt and uncle's address to send them a thank-you card and because I am a bad nephew I do not remember it but because I'm a reporter I pulled up their property records.
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Master of all mediums
@amywilson
turned some of my records requests into throw pillows. The one on the right is William Carlos Williams’ FBI file.
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Last week a random guy emailed me a racist comment in response to one of my stories, so I did a cursory google search and found out where he worked. He did not respond to my reply.
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Here's Dion in his own words from 2019. The bill he was advocating for still hasn't passed.
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I wasn’t planning on this but
@DavidCruzNJ
and
@jicklan
asked if I’d be comfortable talking about my struggle with panic disorder as a journalist for Mental Health Awareness Month. It felt very cathartic. I hope it helps somebody else stop being a dummy and go to therapy.
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Two things to look our for in the next 14 days:
-- News orgs dropping public interest bangers nobody reads because of perverse incentives created by big awards
-- Governments and businesses quietly airing dirty laundry because said news orgs are short-staffed for the holidays
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Wow: New Jersey's chief justice says there's 787,764 open warrants for minor offenses like parking tickets dating back before 2003, and they're considering throwing them out as part of an overhaul of the local court system
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The Kids in the Hall just tried to stage a dramatic walkout of their own film
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I made this shillelagh to beat monarchs and loyalists.
Everyone is Irish today so don’t forget to wear sunscreen and avoid talking about your feelings at all costs.
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Census figures are a reminder New Jersey has too many towns. Towns that are golf courses. Towns that are airports. Towns consisting of three non-contiguous landmasses. Towns named after Washington. More towns named after Washington. Even more towns named after Washington.
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One of the many ways covering New Jersey has broken my brain is every time I hear the song "Atlantic City," I think, "How did Bruce not know we have county prosecutors instead of DAs?"
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The last thing I’ll say about this is, without naming names, as I’ve come forward to friends and colleagues, many have traded notes on medication and types of therapy. I understand some people can’t afford it, and that is wrong, but if you can, absolutely fuck that stigma.
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congratulations to the graduates at my alma mater and to
@jaketapper
, whose rise from obscure television newsman to guest bailiff on the Judge John
@Hodgman
podcast has inspired us all
CNN’s
@JakeTapper
Calls on Graduates to Embrace the Humanity of Others as UMass Amherst Awards 5,500 Degrees
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@hankgreen
take this down before humans start eating the cow magnets and there aren’t enough for the cows
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data journalism idea: investigate the disparity in halloween costume participation between the newsroom and sales side of news organizations
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New Jersey will shut down its women's prison after decades of failing to rein in abusive, exploitative and criminal behavior by its staff against prisoners.
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I dug into a case where a NJ police chief was accused of misconduct, then quietly retired. When I tried to get the chief’s side of the story, his lawyer said I had no right to publish confidential info, threatening a lawsuit. These details would be public record in most states.
N.J. police chief put witness’ life in danger, got a $177K payout, documents reveal
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Reporting question: If you texted a government official and they didn't reply, but they had iMessage read receipts on, is that "did not reply to a message seeking comment" or "declined to comment?"
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A note to all the spokespeople in my life that if you tell me, "We don't comment on litigation or investigations," I will note every time that that is not a real thing, that's just a string of words you put together for when "no comment" looks bad. I will die upon this hill.
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RIP iTunes you were good as hell in 2006 and now I mostly accidentally open voicemails in you and then have to force quit
R.I.P. iTunes: Apple will kill the clunky, but world-shattering, icon next week
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Some of the biggest babies on the internet in Jeremy’s mentions today
Good morning! I wrote about Dave Portnoy, and why New Jersey pizzerias shouldn’t associate with him.
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FYI in New Jersey, unlike many other states, the only way to get access to records on police misconduct is if they become exhibits in criminal or civil legal proceedings (and often those have seal orders) or if somebody leaks them to an annoying reporter like me.
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So you're telling me the former president of the United States
*squints*
pulled strings in the New Jersey U.S. Attorneys Office to
*cocks head*
get Bruce Springsteen off on a DWI to
*sighs deeply*
protect their new podcast deal?
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Sex with an inmate is unequivocally rape under NJ law, because an incarcerated person cannot legally consent to sex with someone who wields so much power over them. Yet this is how a New Jersey court describes the behavior.
Published
#OPRA
appellate opinion today w/ huge negative implications. Thread: Plaintiff read in state pension board minutes that a county corrections officer was allowed to resign w/ pension despite allegedly having sex with inmates...
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Two things can be true at once: There is too much hyperbole on the internet, and all leaf blowers should be banned and confiscated by the government immediately
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thank you for visiting this tweet. if you're not from new jersey and make a new jersey joke in my mentions I will block you
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I've covered four attorneys general. I have only gotten angry, racist emails about one. This is not a coincidence. Myself and other members of the press corps are a pain in the AG's butt over policy. But this racist garbage should not be part of the job. It's not remotely funny.
Dennis of
@nj1015
’s
@DennisAndJudi
Show just called New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal — a practicing Sikh — “turban man.”
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I love New Jersey but you ever try stopping for a pedestrian in a crosswalk here? Even they look at you like, buddy, what are you doing? Internalized car culture.
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WAIT IF THEY RELEASED BIGFOOT'S FBI FILE DOES THAT MEAN HE DIED???
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News: A New Jersey mayor asked the largest mall operator in the U.S., "What’s your plan to shut down the mall?” as coronavirus spread.
“What’s your plan to cut my taxes?" an exec allegedly replied.
Company later requested ~$3M in tax breaks.
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I spent a lot of time this summer reporting on and thinking about the existing structures for police officers to complain about their own departments. It came from a question I see lay people ask all the time: Why don't more cops speak out?
⬇ Here's what we found.
Why don’t more cops speak out about alleged misconduct? Look what happened to one who tried.
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I’m selling shit I made out of wood in Jersey City next weekend (Dec. 1-3). I made you this commercial. Please clap.
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I'm begging all of you to stop sending emails with the subject line "your article" unless you are flagging a grievous error in my article. I can't handle the stress of seeing an email with the subject line "your article." I have nightmares about the subject line "your article."
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baby boomers talk a lot of shit about millennials but I've been house hunting and you dummies put ugly carpets down on all your hardwood floors
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Sometimes I forget this is not A Thing everywhere like it is here
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The president-elect came out to Springsteen I’m required by law to tweet this
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Seems a lot of people are worried about what happens when prisoners get released thanks to COVID-19. The New Jersey Department of Corrections was worried about them telling news reporters what they saw behind bars. w/
@BCunninghamN
N.J. tried to ban inmates from talking to media if they are released amid coronavirus crisis
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We obtained copies of the recordings, the settlement agreement and other documents. The language used on these recordings is straight out of the 1950s. Or...2019
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people say my best quality as a reporter is my soft and subtle approach
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I finally got two at-home test kits earlier this week thanks to the video game deals account. Shout out to Wario but jfc is that a bleak sentence to write.
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Everybody in New Jersey is getting mad about public records access now and I’m trying not to act like the guy who was into the band before they got popular about it. Welcome! Grab a shovel.
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hi hello this is just to say I'm back from my leave today and remain deeply interested in your tips on skullduggery and shenanigans in the Garden State. missed u 2
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At the public hearings today speakers kept referencing “what’s left of our press corps” and gesturing in our direction like I’m an endangered lemur
N.J. Dems are fast-tracking changes to public records laws. A lot of people are alarmed.
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