Election Day in New Jersey on November 5, 2025, was anything but routine. Instead of a seamless exercise in democracy, voters and officials found themselves grappling with a wave of bomb threats targeting polling stations across several counties. The threats, which authorities later deemed hoaxes, forced temporary closures of multiple voting sites and prompted a swift, coordinated response from law enforcement, election officials, and the judiciary.
According to Eyewitness News and the Associated Press, the drama began early Tuesday morning when police in North Brunswick received several reports of a bomb threat at Livingston Park Elementary School. The threats arrived via text message, setting off immediate concern and a rapid investigation. Authorities quickly determined the threat was a hoax, but the incident was only the first in a troubling series of disruptions that would mark the day.
As the morning unfolded, polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic counties began receiving bomb threats by email. The emails, described by Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda as containing "fake claims of bomb threats," led to the temporary closure of multiple precincts. Election officials scrambled to redirect voters to alternative polling locations, while law enforcement officers secured the affected sites.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin laid out the situation in a public statement: "Early this morning, law enforcement responded to threats that were received by email involving certain polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic Counties. Law enforcement officers have responded at each affected polling place, and they have worked swiftly to secure these polling locations and ensure the safety of every voter. Some of these polling locations have already reopened to the public. At others, voters will be directed to a nearby polling location to cast their ballot."
While the threats were ultimately deemed not credible, the impact on Election Day was significant. Some polling stations reopened within hours, but others remained closed longer, leaving voters to seek out alternative sites. In Ridgewood, for example, public schools closed for the day, but the polling stations themselves stayed open under heightened police presence.
Authorities wasted no time in tracking down suspects. Police soon identified and arrested a juvenile in connection with the bomb threats at Livingston Park Elementary. Investigators recovered the electronic devices used in the threats, but it remained unclear whether this individual was responsible for other threats made elsewhere in the state. The FBI’s Newark office confirmed it was assisting state and local agencies in the ongoing investigation.
Elsewhere, similar threats were reported. In New York City, several polling sites received what officials characterized as hoax "swatting" threats, according to ABC News. Thankfully, no polling locations in the city were forced to close, though the New York Police Department launched an investigation into the incidents. The threats in New York bore similarities to those sent to New Jersey, but officials had yet to confirm any connection.
Election officials and political leaders moved quickly to reassure the public. New Jersey's Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who also serves as the state’s top election official, stated, "We are doing everything in our power to protect voters and poll workers and coordinate closely with state, local and federal partners to ensure a smooth and safe election." She emphasized that law enforcement had found no credible threats remaining and praised the efforts of poll workers and law enforcement for their tireless work.
Attorney General Platkin echoed these sentiments, urging voters to remain confident in the electoral process: "Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election. Make no mistake: We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process."
The bomb threats were widely interpreted as attempts to suppress voter turnout. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill was unequivocal in her assessment, telling reporters, "Obviously this is an attempt to suppress the vote here, and I don't think New Jerseyans take very kindly to that kind of tampering in our elections system." She added, "I know New Jerseyans, so I know everyone is taking this really seriously and will get out to vote." Her message was clear: the threats would not deter voters from exercising their rights.
In Passaic County, the disruptions led to a rare judicial intervention. After local Democratic officials filed a lawsuit seeking more time for voters affected by the closures, a state judge granted an emergency extension, allowing polls at three schools in the Paterson area to remain open until 9 p.m. ET. As the judge put it during the emergency hearing, "This is an unusual, extraordinary relief of opening by one more hour. Given the hour, I think it is the fair thing to do." The move was intended to ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised by the day’s chaos.
Other states faced their own Election Day challenges, though none as dramatic as New Jersey’s. In Chester County, Pennsylvania, a poll book mishap left nearly 20% of voters—those registered as anything other than Republican or Democrat—absent from the poll books at the start of the day. Officials responded by issuing supplemental poll books and extending voting by provisional ballot until 10 p.m. Virginia, too, had to relocate a polling site after a vehicle crashed into a church slated to serve as a polling location.
Nationally, the 2025 Election Day saw voters deciding key races, including gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia, a mayoral race in New York, Supreme Court elections in Pennsylvania, and ballot measures in Maine and California. The disruptions in New Jersey came on the heels of similar threats during the 2024 presidential election, when bomb threats—later attributed by the FBI to Russian actors—caused delays in key swing states. However, officials in New Jersey have not yet identified the source of this year’s threats.
Despite the tumult, officials and voters alike demonstrated resilience. As the day wore on, polling locations reopened, alternative voting arrangements were made, and the democratic process continued. Eyewitness News provided live coverage of the election results, ensuring the public remained informed throughout the evening.
In the end, New Jersey’s Election Day served as a stark reminder of the challenges facing American democracy, but also of its enduring strength. The swift response of law enforcement, the adaptability of election officials, and the determination of voters underscored a collective commitment to ensuring that every voice is heard, even in the face of intimidation and disruption.
