Phil Murphy Issues Pardons on His Final Day

As his term wrapped up, New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, granted 97 pardons and 51 commutations, leaving behind quite a bit of controversy.

One notable pardon was for Harris Jacobs, who was convicted in a deadly hit-and-run incident. Jacobs is the son of Joe Jacobs, a prominent Democratic fundraiser and power player in Atlantic City—a known friend of Murphy. It’s reported that hundreds of thousands were donated to support the failed Senate campaign of Murphy’s wife, Tammy Murphy.

Orlando Fraga, a Cuban immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1980 searching for a better future, sadly lost his life in a tragic accident. He was struck by a vehicle while crossing Atlantic Avenue on September 4, 2022.

Jacobs was aware he had hit Fraga. Surveillance footage supposedly captured him pulling into a nearby Dunkin Donuts, where he looked over the bloodied victim before making a quick getaway.

Defense attorney Lou Barbone suggested that the emotions surrounding Fraga’s situation were simply too overwhelming for Jacobs to confront the aftermath.

“It was just too much for him,” Barbone stated.

At Jacobs’ original trial, prosecutors highlighted the fact that, after the hit-and-run, Jacobs made 10 calls to his father, but not once did he contact the authorities.

The jury failed to reach a decision during his first trial in May, but this time around, they delivered a guilty verdict for knowingly fleeing the scene of a fatal crash. If he had been sentenced, it would have likely been between five and ten years in prison.

Barbone claimed that his client had an inkling that the jury’s verdict would be decided long before it was announced.

“A call from the governor’s legal team came in at 7:30 a.m., informing us that the pardon was granted before we even had the verdict in hand,” he explained.

Barbone is now considering a motion to vacate the conviction, emphasizing that the pardon issued prior to the verdict creates an issue.

Murphy defended his actions, stating that “each pardon and commutation tells a story of responsibility and growth.” He added, “By allowing second chances to those who’ve shown they’ve turned their lives around, we improve not just individual lives but our state’s well-being as a whole.”

In response, a spokesperson from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office voiced concerns, stating, “When political influence permeates justice, the legal system can become undermined. The actions of a jury can lose significance, not due to their decision, but because of political interference.”