Raven: Tonight ON "NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS."

A deadly accident involving the wife of Robert Menendez is under investigation by the state's Attorney General's office.

>> they were making her comfortable.

It was crazy.

Raven: the nurses meet again with the federal mediators, hoping to secure state -- safe staffing levels as the strike reaches day 64.

>> we want to go back to work and we want things today.

Raven: evictions on the rise, new research uncovers households facing the greatest rate of evictions have children.

>> 7.6 million people are evicted each year, 40% children.

Raven: and for world homeless day, health checks and help finding jobs for those experiencing homelessness in Newark.

>> haircuts, showers, everything we can do to help people move their lives forward.

Raven: NJ Spotlight news begins now.

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♪ >> this is NJ Spotlight news.

Briana: good evening.

Indicted U.S.

Senator Bob Menendez and his wife are facing new scrutiny tonight, as the New Jersey Attorney General's office opens up an inquiry into his wife's fatal car crash in 2018.

State officials seized records on Thursday from law enforcement agencies where the crash occurred, to reveal whether the investigation was handled properly.

Newly revealed a police records first reported by the records, detail an accident where Menendez's then girlfriend struck and killed a pedestrian in pagoda.

She was released, found it not at fault, without a summons or so Friday test.

The accident was mentioned in the indictment against Menendez, his wife and three New Jersey businessmen, as the reason behind the ride to give the couple a new Mercedes-Benz in exchange for political favors.

Our Senior correspondent reports.

Reporter: surveillance cameras catch a black Mercedes as it hits and kills a pedestrian getting out of her car and attempting to cross the street.

It stops, the driver, Nadine, was dating senior senator Bob Menendez, but nobody knew on that December night almost five years ago that the couple would later marry and eventually faced charges of bribery, fraud and extortion.

Back then, police questioned her , who refused to surrender herself on.

>> I want to confirm you do not want to give your phone?

Ok. That is your statement, you are driving this way, the guy came from this way and he ran into your vehicle?

>> he jumped on my windshield, yes.

Reporter: the man killed -- his body blew a hole in the car windshield.

According to the federal indictment, she sent multiple text messages to a codefendant about her lack of a car.

Three months later, she got a brand-new Benz worth $60,000, as a bribe, in return for Senator Menendez trying to disrupt a state criminal investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General's office.

Now, the AG is re-examining those events, including the accident with details emerging after years of questions.

Michelle: I was so obsessed with it for days and days.

I kept Googling the accident and nothing.

Reporter: Coop's friend owns the cozy tavern and it set up a collection box for his family, who was popular around town.

A divorced dad with a teenage son.

He loved sports and playing darts.

Vitale's and the tavern put up plaques in his memory.

>> everybody misses him.

It is a shame.

Reporter: but they are also angry over what they see on the police bodycam.

>> if we can clear you from any wrongdoing, I want to get you home and comfortable and not here anymore.

Laurie: watching the video it feels like it is not fair, the way that she walked away.

Go home and get comfortable.

That's what that said.

Michelle: she was treated like a queen.

Reporter: she was not tested for drugs or alcohol, and reports determined she was not at fault in the crash.

Mr. Kooper was jaywalking and did not cross at an intersection or marked crosswalk.

Legal experts say it is unusual for police to forgo a breathalyzer if there is no obvious impairment.

His friends want it looked into.

Michelle: it will not bring back Rich, but it will be -- justice will be done.

Reporter: the New York Post reported after the accident, a retired chief of detectives arrived to escort Nadine home.

When the senator was asked about the incident -- >> that was a tragic accident.

And, obviously we think of the family.

Reporter: friends and family of Rich also thinking about getting to the truth.

I'm Brenda Flanagan.

Briana: the striking nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University in New Brunswick today met with a federal mediator.

The second mediated negotiation session since the strike began on August 4.

And so far, the meetings have yet to produce a contract that the nurses say make their requests, including a safe staffing ratio.

Ted Goldberg has the latest from the picket line.

>> what do we want?

>> when do we want it?

>> now!

Reporter: the nurses' union at RWJ could not agree on a contract after six hours of meaning with a mediator today.

The strike stands at 64 days now.

>> we want to move forward, we want to go back to work, and we want to contract today.

>> we put our families in the middle of this, loved ones, friends, our finances and mental health, and this is not a decision we made lightly.

It is not a vacation, despite what the executives kept saying.

Reporter: an underwriter for NJ Spotlight, RWJ, has used replacement nurses to cover the 1700 on strike.

The Union says the replacement nurses are earning as much as four times what union nurses make.

>> if they would have used the money they are spending on these nurses and invested it in the nurses that have been here for a 10, 20 years, 30 plus years, you would attract so many nurses across the state.

>> there is no price tag on the kind of care that I have seen these nurses, my coworkers, give to their patients.

The difference between having a positive experience in a hospital and negative one will have resounding effects on people and their families.

>> when hospitals worry more about money than patients.

Reporter: RWJ says staffing levels are sufficient, while the nurses disagree.

>> multiple studies have demonstrated the mortality rate of patients go up 7% for each additional patient that is added to the average nurse's workload.

You do not have enough time to assess the patients and make sure that they are safe.

Reporter: in response, RWJ sent a statement that says "the union seems to forget that they went on strike despite the hospital's request that the parties continue to negotiate.

Staffing at the hospital is the highest in New Jersey and the hospital is staffed by 170 more nurses than called for in the recently proposed staffing legislation in Trenton that the union claims and support.

The strike has lasted nine weeks because the union lost more than any health care organization."

>> it is not just important for the nurses, it is important for the community and our families.

It's important for the future of nursing.

>> I hope that the people inside realized that we are out here fighting for safe staffing.

And we are united.

And we will continue to fight until we get a fair contract and a safe staffing.

[APPLAUSE] Reporter: the union and management also met for six hours a few weeks ago, that last session produced two offers from the hospital, rejected by the union, continuing a strike that began in early August.

I'm Ted Goldberg.

Briana: new research sheds light on people most at risk of being evicted from their homes, and the findings are startling.

Children under the age of five make up the largest group of those whose households have had an eviction filed in the last year.

The racial disparities are worse, a quarter of black babies and toddlers in rental household face the threat of either action, forcing them to endure instability during the most critical years of development.

At the research comes from a collaboration between Princeton and Rutgers University, along with the U.S. Census Bureau, and it demonstrates that not only does the average a victim household include one child, but the most common age to experience such a traumatic event is during the earliest years of a child's life.

For more on the report I am joined by Nick, who led the collaboration for the Princeton eviction lab.

Thanks for joining me.

Up until now, we have known little about the individuals and families who have faced eviction.

The research you helped make connected the dots.

What did you find?

Nick: yes, the study is motivated by the fact we have never truly known who's evicted nationwide.

We have compiled studies trying to track how many evictions happen, but, it just lists the names and addresses of tenants, they do not tell you who these people are.

We do not know their race, age, who else is in those homes.

For example, children are typically invisible in the legal documents that track evictions.

Only adults, those who are summoned to court, are in the documents.

So, we got the census data to finally understand who is being evicted in America.

Briana: what you found was really stunning, because having children did not shield you from even action, but exposes families.

Nick: right, we found it overwhelmingly affects households with children present.

And we found about 7.6 million people are evicted each year, 40% of them were children.

And we actually found the most common age across the board to experience eviction is during childhood.

Briana: the very youngest, the most vulnerable, babies and toddlers.

What do we know about the long-term consequences when children as young as that, and their families, face displacement?

Nick: I think that there are a lot of reasons to see this causes issues across the life of these children.

And experiencing eviction has material consequences for children, including how their family acts in future housing, something like food security.

Having eviction on your record makes it harder for families to find new housing, especially these families with estranged housing choices given that the affordable units cannot comfortably house children.

And schools are required by federal law to identify and provide resources to homeless children.

Many children have little support.

Previous research found that about 1.3 million homeless children each year are in public schools, but we found over twice that amount who are exposed to eviction each year, so this is going to have compounding effects on stress, cognitive health and other things.

Briana: that makes sense.

What are the reasons beyond what you cited, which sounded like affordable housing and extra financial burdens -- take that how you will -- for families that they are facing this more because of the fact they have young children?

Nick: yeah, so it is tough.

Almost all evictions are for nonpayment of rent.

We know that families are especially squeezed with housing costs.

And there is a severe rent burden.

And they fall behind on that.

Landlords will not help, so they decide who to be lenient with.

I think that families are exposed to that.

They are squeezed up against that.

Briana: Nick is a research associate with the Princeton eviction lab.

Thanks so much.

There is new federal action taken tonight against what are known as crisis pregnancy centers.

Critics have long argued the facilities used deceptive marketing tactics, misleading patients by posing as abortion care providers, but backing antiabortion policies.

The resource centers and deny the claims, but a Senior correspondent reports that representative Josh Gottheimer is calling for the clinics to be shut down.

>> the way patency resource Center, it appears harmless.

But it is actually one of many deceptive, brainwashing clinics across our state and country known as crisis pregnancy centers.

Reporter: the congressman held a press conference today -- the practices of crisis pregnancy centers that advertise as a resource for pregnant women in crisis, and were some women think that they could come for an abortion.

But critics say they do not offer the help they promised.

Mary: the Center masquerade as clinics and centers that supposedly provide unbiased information to women in crisis.

But these centers are largely run by evangelical groups, who operate on the principal about women are just baby-making machines and that fetal rights trump women's rights every time.

Reporter: in January, the New Jersey Attorney General issued a consumer alert about CPCs warning that they are organizations that prevent people from accessing comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care and contraception, sometimes by providing false or misleading information.

>> I went on the website for this place and it says abortion is a highly dangerous procedure.

Untrue and a scary to read.

Joanna: attorneys around the state have sent a request to the Attorney General come asking for proof of deception.

They say that that is not what happens here.

>>>> at lighthouse, we think that life is a good choice.

We do not provide a referral for abortion.

We may get known on our website.

We make it known when someone calls.

We are here to provide abortion information in a neutral atmosphere where no one profits from the decision.

Joanna: the director pushed back when the representative announced they do not have medical professionals on staff.

>> we have nurses and stenographers registered on the state site, and there are doctors overseeing services.

>> those are not the facts we have pulled.

Joanna: as for whether they tell people abortion is dangerous.

>> there is a danger to the procedure because it is dangerous to the unborn child.

I know women who have been harmed by abortion.

We do not emphasize that, we want them to know that there are risks.

Joanna: Gottheimer is a leading and act in the house.

>> to prohibit misinformation related to abortion services and authorizes the commission to penalize organizations that break the rule.

Joanna: is calling on the state to shut down these centers.

>> the deceptive marketing practices and support state legislation to outlaw this kind of advertising that masquerades as health care.

Joanna: he sent the request to Donna Murphy this morning.

Briana: several Jersey shore towns are still reeling from the heavy rain and flooding that hit last weekend.

Congressman Frank Pallone surveyed the damage this morning, making stop that Union Beach and Asberry Park.

A lake flooded in Asbury Park, sending floods into homes and costing millions of dollars worth of damage.

Palone says he has never seen a simple rain event because this kind of damage in the area.

He toured Union Beach with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look at the construction of flood control projects worth nearly $1 billion and includes new dunes.

Climate change will continue making storms stronger and affects more severe, say scientists.

>> The small storms accumulate and become larger storms, and huge storms become horrific storms, right?

So, we cannot ignore the fact that climate change -- we are going to see more frequent and more severe storms.

That's one of the reasons we are doing this tour, because we want to see what the impact of that is and what the future might be, and what other projects have to be done in the future.

Briana: in our spotlight on business report, the U.S. jobs market is coming in hot.

Employers added 336,000 jobs in September, according to the Labor Department, nearly double what was expected and the strongest gains since January.

It is another sign the labor market is still gaining momentum, despite the higher interest rates.

And it might be a little too much momentum for people over at the Federal Reserve.

Analysts said they expected the new numbers will kick the door open for another rate hike this year.

The report suggests the economy gained met them in the summer, fueled by consumer spending, and it showed the number of layoffs remains effectively unchanged since July.

Experts say that is an indicator of workers confidence that they will land another position.

Stocks rally to the better-than-expected labor data.

Here is how the markets closed to end the week.

Tune in this weekend with Raven who surveys the landscape of higher education in New Jersey, from financial struggles for our institutions, to unique workforce training programs and the latest effort to wipe away student loan debt.

watch It at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning on NJ PBS.

♪ Briana: finally tonight, bringing focus to the issues of homelessness and an adequate housing.

Newark emergency services for families today held its fourth annual world homeless day, providing everything from haircuts to showers, to shelter placement and medical assistance.

Homelessness was on the rise during the pandemic, but has swelled since pandemic relief aid dried up.

>> food, clothing, shelter, employment, education services, mental health, medical screening, substance abuse, everything you could possibly think of.

Reporter: some of the everyday necessities the Newark emergency services for families says everybody deserves.

>> the need continues to grow.

People think that they need would lessen because the pandemic was over, but the emergency the pandemic.

It highlighted a need that was already there.

Struggling already existed and numbers continue to rise, our numbers continue to rise.

They have quadrupled in our agency.

Our homeless center for employment services, housing assistance, rental assistance -- all those numbers have quadrupled over the past few years.

Reporter: that is why she says this event is so important.

Now in its fourth year, dozens of agencies in the state gathered at Lincoln Park, providing assistance to more than 600 people.

>> we give out things like soap, shampoo, washcloths, whatever.

I think one of the biggest things is they are glad to have somebody to talk to and listen to their stories.

Reporter: Wendy is a case manager at St. James social services.

She has been participating in world homeless day events since it started.

Wendy: it seems like after COVID things got worse again.

They were on their way to being up, the numbers were lower, then COVID hit and it attacked people, so people without addresses had a hard time.

They really had a hard time.

So, being here we can reach out to folks.

Some people do not know about us.

So it is a blessing to people.

>> we call them our neighbors without addresses.

Reporter: Williams is also a returning business owner, providing information needed to stay healthy.

>> so many people are suffering, because they need help with prescription drugs, anxiety medicine, mental health services, and just preventative care.

So, it is very important to be on site and on the ground during hands-on work and getting people the coverage they need.

>> haircuts, mobile showers, everything we can do to help people move forward.

Reporter: all the resources are made possible through donations, generosity of that needs to continue so more families can get closer to the goal of having somewhere to call home.

I'm Melissa Rose Cooper.

Briana: a reminder that this weekend, be sure to tune into reporters roundtable as David talks to Republican State Senator Anthony Boko about why the GOP caucus is calling for hearings into Senator Bob Menendez's dealings with the New Jersey Attorney General's office.

That and Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. Then client Chat Box, he has an extended interview with Representative Gottheimer on what a paralyzed house means for the future of a government shutdown.

Funding for Ukraine, and of Senator Menendez indictment.

That will be Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. That will do it for us.

For the entire NJ Spotlight news team, thank you for being with us.

Have a great weekend.

We will see you on Monday.

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