Rible & Angelini Will Introduce Bill to Reform Amber Alert
System Measure Would Require the Issuance of Amber Alerts in All Instances  

Assemblyman Dave Rible and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini will introduce legislation to reform the Amber Alert System in New Jersey.

The legislators stated that they were prompted to sponsor this bill in light of the recent incident where it took 4 hours to issue an Amber Alert after a man allegedly abducted his infant daughter and dropped the baby from the Driscoll Bridge into the Raritan River in Sayreville.

Authorities say the girl's father, 21-year-old Shamsiddi Abdur-Raheem of Galloway Township, allegedly forced his way into the grandmother's East Orange apartment striking her in the face, choking her, and forcibly taking the baby, wrapped in a blanket and a pink and gray onesie, before fleeing in his vehicle.

“This horrific tragedy has shown that there is a flaw in the current Amber Alert system,” said Rible. “It is vital that we reform this system to help prevent the lose of another innocent child’s life in the future.”

According to the New Jersey State Police, under the current system an emergency alert is broadcast when a child has been abducted and believed to be in grave danger, but that does not generally include family cases of child abduction or child custody.

“We need to enact strict oversight of this system that can be vital in saving a child’s life,” said Angelini. “We are drafting legislation to codify the Amber Alert regulations in order to work with the State Police and Attorney General’s office to ensure that an alert is given immediately following any suspected child abduction.”

Current regulations give considerations towards issuing an Amber Alert if the child is suspected to have been taken by a family member. The bill would make clear that any child abduction regardless of domestic or parental involvement would warrant the issuance of an immediate amber alert.

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