>> Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News" his biggest fight yet.

Senator Bob Menendez is defined, speaking publicly for the first time since Roddy's bombshell indictment, as the governor and other lawmakers call for him to resign.

>> I believe when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, I will still be New Jersey senior senator.

>> And camera footage from last month's federal police shared -- shooting in Jersey City.

>> This situation did not have to end in death, if it had been handled differently.

>> And tropical storm Ophelia makes landfall of the we, battering parts of the Jersey shore with high wind and widespread coastal flooding.

>> You couldn't have scripted a more miserable weekend.

>> And fighting wildfires.

>> This year the Garden State has experienced 1032 wildfires.

>> Climate change has added more fuel to forest fires here in the state and they are burning through the budget.

NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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♪ >> From NJPBS, this is "NJ Spotlight News".

Briana: Good evening, and thank you for joining us this Monday night.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

The embattled senator says he's not going anywhere.

In his first public remarks since being indicted three days ago on federal bribery and corruption charges, a defiant Senator Bob Menendez today vowed to remain in office despite pressure to resign.

And predicted he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Governor Phil Murphy and other top Democrats have called for Menendez to step aside while the case plays out.

A stark contrast from the party support received by the senator during his federal corruption trial six years ago.

Equally as meaningful is the silent from other New Jersey Democrats on the allegations.

Senator Cory Booker is so far remaining quiet about the indictment.

Menendez today defended what he called his long-standing record of public service made no mention of those gold bars.

Senior political correspondent David Cruz reports.

Debbie: It was a low-key Bob Menendez surrounded by local residents who met the press today, taking no questions, but still defiant against prosecutors and fellow Democrats.

>> A cornerstone of the foundation of American democracy and our justice system is the principal that all people are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

All people.

I asked for nothing more and deserve nothing less.

The court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system.

We cannot set aside the presumption of innocence or political expediency when the harm is irrevocable.

David: The senator made no reference to those "digging my political grave" as he has in the past.

Instead, he chastised those including the governor and of the Democratic party leaders by inference, if not by name, for jumping ship, calling for him to resign.

>> To those who have rushed to judgment, you have done so based on limited facts to be as salacious as possible.

Remember, prosecutors get involved sometimes.

Sadly, I know that.

Instead of waiting for all the facts to be presented, others have rushed to judgment, because they see a political opportunity for themselves or those around them.

David: The senator didn't take any questions but gave a few ants as to what kind of strategy he may employ in his offense -- gave a few hints, including a link the expo nation of his support for human rights in Egypt.

The cash, almost a half moving dollars, found in pockets and closets, what about that?

The senator's explanation strains credulity with many observers.

>> For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies, and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba.

This may seem old-fashioned, but these were moneys drawn from my personal savings account, based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years.

>> I think this is now his second federal indictment within a decade, and unfortunately I think absolute power corrupts absolutely in times like these.

In fact, it seems like a lot of this started on the heels of his mistrial several years ago with very little gap in between.

I think there's enough separation between the Menendez story and all the start -- other stories going on that can either hinder or help Democrats in the state.

>> Top Democrats are calling for Menendez to step down and has already prompted two party members to announce primary challenges, with others, including house members, perhaps waiting in the wings.

>> For a man prone to using precise language, the senator did not specifically say today whether he expected to run for reelection.

A spokesperson told us today was not a day for that, but with a warchest of over $7 million, it seems clear that Senator Bob Menendez is ready to go to war.

In Union City, I'm David Cruz, "NJ Spotlight News".

Briana: The indictment also names his wife and three New Jersey businessmen as codefendants.

There were offered brought -- allegedly offered bribes in exchange for the senator's help with their personal and legal problems, in an tanning -- tangled web of schemes both at home and abroad.

We take a closer look at the key players in the case.

>> The cash stuffed envelopes, the Mercedes-Benz, the goal bar, a brazen trade for political influence as detailed in this indictment.

There are three codefendants, including a generous contributor to his political campaigns, but also a longtime political player in Edgewater, say state investigators.

>> There were several local officials who had financial ties directly related to these entities.

We found the mayor of the town at the time had a deferred rent, interest free permanent in a Davies >> Building.

>>He developed the posh Gold Coast along the Hudson River from but also developed a reputation for pushing legal boundaries.

For example, Edgewater awarded Davies a contract for veterans Park.

>> The town did not really fully vet or properly evaluate his bid to renovate a ballfield.

And then in turn they didn't oversee it properly.

So there were allegations of toxic dumping into that ballfield.

>> Davies also founded a bank, now Spencer savings, facing charges of bank fraud.

The indictment alleges he was asked to influence the New Jersey attorney who reportedly resisted.

Menendez and his wife received gold and envelopes of cash with Davies fingerprints on them.

Meanwhile, Davies stays busy.

>> Despite the indictment and new charges, he travels and is making million dollar business deals for properties in Edgewater.

>> A reporter cites a web of connections between Davies and another indicted codefendant, an Egyptian who was deep in debt after several failed New Jersey business attempts.

Davies reportedly paid off a lot of his debt.

>> Their offices are right next to each other.

So they knew each other.

Davies has been a longtime donor to Menendez, so the connections were there.

It was just a matter of putting the pieces together.

>> Davies Edgewater headquarters -- the only business allowed to certify halal meet.

It provided sensitive information about arms sales to the new jib should government.

Nadine Menendez served as the conduit for secrets and payments, the indictment says.

>> She sent text messages to her husband, and the next thing we know, this contract comes through and he has the monopoly and the money starts flowing back to her.

>> His friend lost his insurance brokers license due to fraud.

He allegedly bought Nadine Menendez and Mercedes-Benz.

Uribe is the third indicted businessman, but the big cheese -- >> Had it not been for the receptive ear of Bob Menendez, it would've been absolutely not business at all.

They found somebody who was a willing partner, they found somebody who was open to their gifts and was open to doing the favors back in return for them.

>> He says minute barely beat his first corruption trial back in 2018.

This alleged scheme started the same year.

>> It should have stopped with Menendez.

>> The defendant's attorneys have denied the charges.

Briana: Late Friday, as news of Senator Menendez indictment was still gripping the state, the Attorney General's office released body camera footage from the controversial police involved shooting of Andrew Jerome Washington.

The 52-year-old Jersey City man Wes Bailey shot at the end of August while experiencing a mental health crisis.

A pair of videos depict the incident from the perspective of two officers who fired a Taser and service weapon after an hour long standoff.

Melissa Rose Cooper reports.

>> He was a fun-loving, charismatic person, very intelligent.

He loved sports.

He just loved life.

>> A few of the characteristics she says she remembers the most about her nephew, but last month his life was cut short after Jersey City police shot and killed him while responding to a mental health crisis at his home.

>> We saw the SWAT people with these rifles and they came out with rifles and all this gear on like they were coming for some kind of criminal.

I'm going, no, we want help.

We want the crisis people.

My sisters screaming, no, if you do anything, just tase him because he is not trying to hurt anybody.

>> Recently released body camera footage showing the situation unfolding economic 27.

Officers arrived at the home before 3:00 p.m. and start talking to him outside his door.

>> It's a Jersey City police.

We are here to help you and make sure you are good.

>> He can be heard telling them to leave.

At around 3:18, you can see an officer holding up a gun to the door behind a shield.

Another officer comes into view at 3:27 with a Taser.

A minute later, they get the green light to break open the door.

Both the Taser and the gun can be heard firing at Washington.

He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

>> It was heartbreaking.

Each time I watched it, I did not see where some training had come into play where there was actually going to be a good resolution.

>> Now social advocates are joining Washington's family in the search for justice.

They are demanding the officers and the city be held accountable for his death.

>> What went wrong was they didn't send trained social workers who know how to de-escalate.

What was the rush?

Why did they have to break the door down, if he wasn't a threat to anyone else?

I am of the firm believe that this situation did not have to end in death.

If it had been handled differently.

>> The mayor previously said at a news conference at the officer's actions were justified and that mental health professionals called police after determining the situation was dangerous.

Now a spokesperson for the mayor's office is calling Washington's death a terrible tragedy, adding in a statement, we don't want to overstep any part of the agency investigation so we will defer to their decisions.

Still, we do hope that the office will share any remaining body camera footage to allow the public to see the entire set of circumstances and interactions.

But loved ones say the city needs to do better.

>> I have friends who call me because we would talk about their families who are struggling with mental illness, and they are scared now.

They are scared.

Everybody is scared because they have people dealing with a mental illness and they don't know what to do.

>> Right now Washington's death remains under investigation.

Family and advocates say they will keep fighting until laws are put into place so another loss like this doesn't happen again.

Briana: New Jersey state climatologist is calling this a storm that won't stop.

With as much as another inch of rain expected to fall by the end of today, the remnants of tropical storm Ophelia, on the weekend towns up and down the Garden State Parkway tallied up to five inches of rain and wind gusts over 50 miles per hour.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis has a look at Ophelia's coastal damage.

>> You couldn't of scripted a more miserable weekend.

Joanna: The steady rain left New Jersey a soggy mess.

But as tropical storms typically go here, Ophelia was pretty mild-mannered.

>> We were very fortunate that Ophelia didn't deliver a very strong blow to the state.

Joanna: You might call Ophelia the storm that nearly wasn't coming step -- except for some spotty flooding and wind gusts along the Jersey shore.

>> It was the most disruptive part of the storm along the coast.

It was also the windiest part of the storm.

We had wind gusts of up to 56 miles an hour on Saturday.

>> Overall we probably did a little over three inches of rain.

Wind gusts up to 55-50 mile -- 55-60 mile-per-hour gusts.

We experience a lot of wave action which equates to beach erosion.

Atlantic City suffered a moderate degree of beach erosion.

Joanna: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is dispatching teams today to determine how bad the beach erosion was around the state this weekend.

Atlantic cities emergency management coordinator said the biggest impact from the storm was flooding.

>> We see a moderate level of flooding affect over six neighborhoods in Atlantic City.

We've experienced major street closings, and on a Saturday night in Atlantic City, closing some major arteries creates additional hazards for traffic.

>> Other coastal towns saw similar flooding.

>> A little bit of flooding I saw from the barrier islands, some parts of Somers Point were flooded, but compared to other storms, this storm wasn't bad at all.

Joanna: Some regions were affected by power outages, mainly caused by heavy tree limbs still laden with leaves, falling on powerlines.

They responded to more than 66,000 outages this weekend.

As of this weekend -- as of this afternoon there were still hundreds without power.

He said it was a chance to see some of the flood mitigation efforts actually work.

>> It was somewhat refreshing to see that there were not a lot of major emergencies going on or reports of flooded cars or flooded basements, all the terrible things that go along with it.

That is a testament to the hard work we've done over the past several years.

Joanna: New Jersey state climatologist Dave Robinson says we are not clear of the storm system yet.

>> There is high-pressure to our north, and that is what slowed the storm.

That's what created some of the strongest winds, and this block remains.

That's why the storm can't move north and out to sea.

Joanna: The weather system to the north will keep a feel you hanging around for the next couple of days, so if you are in the coastal regions of New Jersey, expect to see sustained winds and even some possible flooding along the Jersey shore.

Joanna Gagis, "NJ Spotlight News".

Briana: Starting today, you can once again order free rapid COVID-19 test from the federal government.

The White House is bringing back the program that sends tests directly to your home by mail.

Each household is eligible for up to four free test to anyone who requests them.

The Biden administration last week announces providing $600 million in funding for the test kits and to restart the website, COVID test.gov.

The program comes as COVID cases appear to be rising nationwide with hospitalizations up or than 11% in the U.S. over the past two weeks.

It remains low here at home, with 82 people hospitalized as of today.

Medical experts say testing is still one of the best ways to minimize the spread of infection.

In our spotlight on business report, it looks like there is a deal.

After nearly 150 days on strike, members of the writers Guild Sunday night reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with entertainment companies.

The 11,000 screenwriters effectively shut down Hollywood in May, walking off the job and straight to the picket line.

That was after negotiations broke down with major studios including Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros., over protections against things like the use of artificial intelligence, along with more pay for streamed contract -- content.

Members will vote in the coming days, but called the deal exceptional, with names for -- gains for writers in every sector of the industry.

The strike technically is not over, members of the guild cannot return to work until the agreement is officially ratified.

And even when they do, actors with the SAG-AFTRA union still have not agreed on their contract.

They have been on strike since mid July.

On Wall Street, traders look to recover some of Septembers losses.

There is how the markets closed today.

♪ Briana: He could be easy to forget but the 2023 while first season was the most activity New Jersey in over a decade.

That posed a problem for the local fire departments on the burning through their budgets to put the wildfires out.

The Murphy administration is now pitching in more cash to keep up with the rising costs of climate change.

>> This year, the Garden State has experienced 1032 wildfires which have burned 18,039 acres.

14 of those fires are considered major wildfires.

Typically in a fire season, we would expect to have 3-5 major wildfires, but again, this year we've had 14.

Classify a major wildfire is a par that burns over 100 acres.

>> The assistant Commissioner for the state forest site says it is a wildfire year.

His remarks were made at a ceremony held by the four-star service which awarded six interagency partners or distinguished service during the extraordinary event of wildfires in New Jersey Spring 2023.

>> I had the opportunity and able to sit in that truck right there with the incident commander, we spent hours that evening battling that fire.

I watched as the firefighters used the water supply in the back of the truck to douse fires.

They put back fire on the ground, they moved bulldozers around houses, it was dramatic.

And jarring in many instances because of the conditions in the wind that was spreading that fire.

The next day, I was up north and we walked the fire line and saw firefighters climb the mountains , fighting that fire.

Both of those incidents made it extremely clear to me the challenges that the forest fire service faces along with cooperating agencies.

The challenge to gain control of the fire, to protect property, keep themselves safe and protect the public.

>> During the ceremony, DUP Commissioner Sean Latourette assured wildfire first responders that help is on the way.

>> The governor and legislature have made an investment of an additional $3 million into our forest fire service to help procure the equipment that we need.

And we've increased our staffing by an additional six full-time staff, which I know may not sound like a lot, but in a time of constrained government budgets where flat is the new up, six is a lot.

>> He says the funding will be put toward things like new vehicles and more staff.

>> We need new aircraft anew vehicles.

The four-star service fabricate these vehicles themselves at their own auto body shop.

These men and women can literally do anything.

New, full-time employees added to the ranks of the four-star service in order to support this continuing increase.

>> The commissioner says the goal is to continue to fight for more staffing and resources to control wildfires as they anticipate the high probability of a busy October fire season in the state.

I'm Raven Santana for "NJ Spotlight News".

Briana: That will do it for us tonight, but don't forget to download the "NJ Spotlight News" podcaster you can listen anytime.

Ask for being with us, we wish everyone who is celebrating Yom Kippur an easy fast.

We will see you right back here tomorrow.

>> The members of the New Jersey education Association, linking public schools -- making public schools great for every child.

In JN group has been part of New Jersey for over a century.

We support arts and culture related and nonprofit organizations that serve to improve the lives of children.

We bill communities, and help create a new generation of safe drivers.

We are proud to be part of New Jersey.

NJM, we've got New Jersey covered.

♪