The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office has just released the identity of a 29-year-old sheriff’s officer who died from accidental fall from a ninth story window at the County Administration Building.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Shortly before 9:30 a.m., law enforcement was notified of an injured sheriff’s officer at the Hudson County Administration Building, located at 595 Newark Avenue, in Jersey City, County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said in a statement.
First responders located the injured Officer along the exterior of the building on Central Avenue. The officer – later identified as Justin Rivera, 29 – was transported to Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 10 a.m.
Based on a preliminary investigation by the HCPO Homicide Unit and Internal Affairs Unit, the officer fell from a ninth floor window and his death appears to be accidental in nature at this time.
The cause and manner of death are pending the findings of the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. Rivera was on-duty at the time of his death.
The Hudson County Administration Building was not open to the public when the incident occurred due to an unrelated power outage.
The circumstances leading up the officer’s death remain under investigation, authorities said.
Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari called Rivera “an excellent officer today and an outstanding young man” before noting that the department is doing everything they can for his family.
I spent several hours today at the Jersey City Medical Center with Justin’s family. Their grief is unimaginable for anyone who has not lost a child in such a sudden and horrific manner. We are doing everything we can to assist them in this tragic moment in time,” he said in a statement.
“Grief counselors from the medical center and our own Crisis Intervention Officers and Chaplains are available to assist family members and also fellow sheriff’s officers who are grieving at this tremendous loss. We will continue to help in any way we can. Justin Rivera was a great young officer who exemplified the highest ideals of integrity, compassion and professionalism. He is lost to us all but he will never be forgotten.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari.
https://gofund.me/df8e5f8d
We need answers:Why wasn’t he in uniform?
Why was he inside a closed government building?
Who were the two individuals seen at the window?
What happened on the 9th floor?
Why was there a power outage?
Where is the security footage?
No footage in the official Government building of the county? on the 9th floor? High floors requiring top security clearance?
This was a man who served, protected, mentored, and loved.
And now? He’s gone. He is dead. With silence surrounding his story.
An officer. dead. and yet still an ‘accident’?
Justin was on duty, but not in uniform.
The building was closed to the public due to a so-called “power outage.”
Power outage 9:30am Friday? not a holiday. and conveniently the power was out? why? to Delete data? evidence? to cover something up?
This was a Friday morning, 9:30 AM. Not a holiday.
Eyewitnesses heard a loud bang, then glass shatter, then saw his body fall.
Two individuals were seen looking out the window just after the fall.
CPR was performed briefly, then stopped.
Justin had just dropped off his daughter. There were no signs of distress.
He was a Golden Gloves champion, a martial arts instructor, and a youth mentor.
Now, he’s gone. And there is no surveillance footage.
A man fell from the 9th floor of a government building in the most densely populated county in the United States—and we’re told there’s no footage? at 9:30 am on a business day that was not a holiday. That building? on a busy street in a major city like Jersey City.
The 9th floor of the Hudson County Admin Building? That’s not public access. That’s high clearance. Government offices. Secure territory.
And the building? It’s made of strong structure and reinforced windows. These aren’t casual glass panels. These are hard.
No one simply “falls through a window” in that building. Not without cause. Not without force.
We demand more than condolences.
We demand transparency.
We demand footage.
We demand truth.
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Frank Hague Never Left the Building: Prohibition Power Still Echoes in Hudson County
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To understand the full magnitude of what Hudson County is—and why it matters on a national and global scale—you must know this name:
> Frank Hague was the mayor of Jersey City from 1917 to 1947. But more than that, he was the political boss of Hudson County, and one of the most powerful unelected figures in U.S. political history.
That’s right—Frank Hague served as mayor for 30 years. Thirty. At a time when the average life expectancy was just 50 to 60 years, he held office for more than half a lifetime. That wasn’t just tenure. That was total control.
– He controlled police, elections, media, and the courts.
– He had direct lines to the White House.
– His quote was simple: “I am the law.”
From prohibition to post-war politics, Hague built a shadow government that operated by loyalty, silence, and favor-trading.
His era may be gone—but his blueprint remains.
The same buildings. The same neighborhoods. The same networks of protection and silence.
When people say Hudson County is corrupt, they aren’t just being cynical. They’re remembering something real.
And today, that legacy lives in how justice is administered—or denied.
When Justin Rivera dies mysteriously in a fortified government building with no public footage, that’s not new. That’s inherited.
Hudson County is not just local politics. It is a case study in how concentrated power, secrecy, and erasure operate inside the borders of a democracy.
If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
And it already does.
The Revolutionary DNA of New Jersey: A Crossroads of American Power
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There’s a reason the infamous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr took place across the river from New York—in New Jersey.
There’s a reason George Washington crossed the Delaware into New Jersey during a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War.
New Jersey was one of the original thirteen colonies—not just a state, but a foundational piece of this country’s DNA.
New Jersey—particularly Hudson County—is a political crossroads.
It sits between Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. It is surrounded by—and infused with—the power corridors of the United States.
And that makes it more than a backdrop. It makes it a battleground.
A staging ground for decisions. A playground for shadow actors.
What happens here, at these intersections of history and power, is not accidental. It is designed.
Which is exactly why we must pay attention.
Here’s the reality: Hudson County is one of the most politically entrenched and historically influential counties in New Jersey, and it absolutely has tentacles that stretch far—into New York City, into state politics, and, at times, into the federal sphere. It’s not just “local.” It’s a microcosm of machine politics with national fingerprints.
Historically:
Hudson County has long been run by political bosses (e.g. Frank Hague, who was basically a kingmaker for decades).
It’s been known for tight-knit patronage networks, loyalty-driven appointments, and a kind of smoke-filled room decision-making that is rarely challenged.
There’s a reason people say: “As Hudson goes, so goes Jersey.” And as Jersey goes, policy and influence bleed into NYC, especially because of shared infrastructure, transit authorities (Port Authority, PATH), union leadership overlaps, and money flows.
In short: Hudson County is not just a dot on the map—it’s a shadow node in the national grid. A power portal disguised as a county. Corruption isn’t the whole story, but it’s baked in.