District Judge Esther Salas

By Maryclaire Dale, AP:

A gunman shot and killed the 20-year-old son of a federal judge as he answered the door of the family home Sunday in New Jersey and shot and wounded the judge’s husband before fleeing, according to judiciary officials.

The shootings occurred at the North Brunswick home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, and killed her son, Daniel, Chief District Judge Freda Wolfson told The Associated Press. Her husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl, was injured in the attack, Wolfson said.

Salas was in the basement at the time and wasn’t injured, according to a judiciary official who wasn’t authorized to comment and spoke anonymously to the AP.

The perpetrator, believed to be a lone gunman posing as a FedEx delivery person, was not in custody, the official said. The FBI tweeted Sunday night that it’s looking for one suspect in the shootings.

Daniel Anderl, a college student, was the judge’s only child, the official said.

Salas, seated in Newark, was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed in 2011. Prior to that she served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in New Jersey, after working as an assistant public defender for several years.

Her highest-profile case in recent years was the financial fraud case involving husband-and-wife “Real Housewives of New Jersey” reality TV stars Teresa and Joe Giudice, whom Salas sentenced to prison for crimes including bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion. Salas staggered their sentences so that one of them could be available to take care of their four children.

In 2017, she barred federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against an alleged gang leader charged in several Newark slayings, ruling the man’s intellectual disability made him ineligible for capital punishment. Salas later sentenced the man to 45 years in prison.

More recently, Salas has presided over an ongoing lawsuit brought by Deutsche Bank investors who claim the company made false and misleading statements about its anti-money laundering policies and failed to monitor “high-risk” customers including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, who backed Salas’s nomination to the federal bench, said in a statement Sunday night, “My prayers are with Judge Salas and her family, and that those responsible for this horrendous act are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice.”

In an emailed statement, Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called the shooting “a senseless act” and said “this tragedy is our latest reminder that gun violence remains a crisis in our country and that our work to make every community safer isn’t done.”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

130 COMMENTS

      • … Bill, … Hillary, … Prince Andrew, … etc., etc., etc., …

        And the Guvnah towing the company line – ‘cuz gunz.

        “Hello, Fed Ex? I’d like to send a message.”

    • There should be a good video of the killer. I expect he will be caught shortly.

    • The shooter also suicided, how convenient. And people tell me there is no Clinton body count, hur hur hur.

      • I bet you’re one of those people that was aghast over the photo of Epstein with the Clintons but didn’t bat an eye when Fox cropped a photo where he was standing the Trumps.

        Stop turning everything into this idiotic “lib versus conservative” narrative. These are child abusers. And they’re being protected by the rich and powerful. And the rich and powerful are not on one side of the political aisle.

        But useful idiots who immediately blame “Hillary” hur de dur are doing their job for them.

        • When you show me a manifest that shows Trump rode the “Lolita Express” to Epstein’s pedophuck Island, then I’ll scrutinize Trump. Just having a photo with Trump means nothing, all of these dirtbags want a selfie with a billionaire like Trump to hang on their wall.

    • I will shed no tears nor have sympathy for any of these leftist scumbags and their spawn. This is just a form of “karma” affecting these two assclowns who have spent their lifetime supporting and contributing to the decay of this nation, him a leftist lawyer and her a leftist judge, and you can bet that kid would have been just like them! I only hope that their suffering every day constantly reminds them of their anti-2nd amendment stances, and what many other families have had to experience because of these two supporting the anti-constitutional anti-gun laws of NJ and the lenient sentences they provided to violent criminals, not to mention the failure to push for prosecution of the corrupt, like them, in NJ’s government!!!!!

  2. “In a related story, several Democrats suffered trampling-type injuries in a mad stampede to jump up and down on the young victim’s corpse.”

    That being said, what an awful, awful event. I very much doubt the young man deserved this, and with any luck the bastard responsible will be caught and severely punished.

    • Right, they finance terrorists and Trump.

      They are bad news.

      “Deutsche Bank lent money to rogue states that funded terrorist activities that hurt U.S. soldiers. They laundered money for Russian oligarchs, sold securities they knew were bad, gave out multimillion-dollar bonuses, and fired whistleblowers who tried to tell. They lent money to Donald Trump, despite his repeated defaults on his loans, and Jeffrey Epstein long after he was shunned for molesting young girls.

      You may wonder how this could happen. Basically, a massive lack of accountability on behalf of the Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, shareholders, board members, and the federal government. That’s a lot of people.”

      • Don’t forget the Clinton Foundation and Obama. Wouldn’t want to seem uniformed and biased there, would’ya?

  4. The judge was assigned to the Epstein case a few days ago.

    “When we win, do not forget that these people want you broke, dead, your kids raped and brainwashed, and they think it’s funny.”

  6. This will be solved in no time. It is nearly impossible to get permission to possess a firearm (or ammo!) in NJ, so the list of possible suspects will be vanishingly small, right? Seriously, do you suppose that anyone, ever, suggested starting an investigation by interrogating all holders of the state permission slip, established by a law which promised to eliminate such crimes? If not, why maintain the law?

    • Because they aren’t serious people, and only say and do whatever will help them politically.

      • I think the FBI is serious, recent crimes by upper leadership excluded.

        But I don’t know what to think about this. If the shooter was a pro hired by powerful people the judge threatened, he completely botched the job. You’d think someone like Deutsche Bank or Epstein’s powerful pedos (Clintons, UK royal family, and I’m sure many others we’ve never heard of) could afford a decent mercenary. Unless the shooter didn’t really mean to kill the judge? But that doesn’t make sense either.

        • I’d say the hit exactly according to plan. It’s easier to control a judge than replace one. I’m guessing she wouldn’t play ball and the son was retribution for it. The wounded husband was a second warning.

          Seriously, these people are extraordinarily powerful (probably the most powerful people in the world, depending on how you look at it) and their ethical code makes Stalin look like an upright guy. The CIA has been known to botch hits like that, but for all their drug dealing money and bribery they’ve got absolutely nothing compared to the wealth and connections of the world’s most powerful bankers.

        • Mercury. This was the judges only child. You do not control a person by first killing their only child. You control them by threatening that child.

          This is the left eating its own. Socialism/leftism is just one big crime family and they kill one another on a regular basis.

        • “Either way, this gets her off the trial.”

          I hadn’t thought of that. If so, then perhaps killing her only child wasn’t intended to influence THIS judge, but was intended to intimidate the next judge assigned. Or maybe it was just botched.

        • @ Dude

          “I was referring to the politicians.”

          Fair enough, and what you said about the politicians is true I think.

        • “I think the FBI is serious, recent crimes by upper leadership excluded.”

          Har The FBI is a lawless joke. Very surprising every case they have touched in decades isn’t on appeal using the Gen Flynn fiasco as an excuse.

        • I think the FBI is serious, recent crimes by upper leadership excluded.

          You mean serious like sending 13 agents to Charlotte NC for a week to investigate a non-existent “hate crime” over a common garage door pull that had been in place for at least a year?

    • That’s assuming the weapon was legally purchased. The majority of crimes are committed with weapons gained illegally. At this time, they.don’t know for sure if the Judge was the primary target. It’s entirely possible that the son was the intended target, and dad was collateral damage.

    • It is nearly impossible to get permission to possess a firearm (or ammo!) in NJ,

      Why do you assume the shooter is from New Jersey?

      • Maybe the “FEDEX” driver was pissed that the kid answered the door not wearing a covid mask! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  7. NJ Governor is a sharp guy. Weak gun laws motivated the killer to don a disguise, go to that home, open fire as soon as the door was opened, and then flee the scene. Nothing to see hear other than senseless gun violence. /s

  9. I’m surprised and disappointed to see TTAG covering this story but not the shooting of Ryan Whitaker by the Phoenix Police Department.

    • You’re surprised and dissapointed TTAG is covering a shooting that happened yesterday vs one that happened 2 months ago?

      • The fact that the search function returns nothing found for the name and I probably wouldn’t have known about it until someone mentioned it is telling. It’s true, there are no more neutral platforms or civil discussions, everyone has their agenda and a bone to pick. TTAG has theirs too and it makes em no better than the left by selectively omitting relevant events. Another murder that paints blue thugs in a bad light; can’t have that, it goes against party lines and narrative.

        I have to agree with FBS in that it’s a story that SHOULD have been in the news feed but wasn’t. Both of these stories are relevant and in the public interest.

        • What’s to learn from the Whitaker incident? Don’t open the door holding a gun when someone pounds on your door and yells “Phoenix police!” There’s no need to endanger yourself. If you think they’re fake, ask to see id before opening the door, or call the police department and confirm they sent officers. The department came forward with the body cam video and are investigating. If they don’t press charges, then you can complain about a miscarriage of justice.

        • arc, if you think ttag is pro police you have some serious issues of your own to work on.

          Robert Farago absolutely detested the police and at least one of his regular contributors, our very own Ralph, is still snarking on the cops nearly daily here.

        • jwm,

          TTAG as a site (e.g., Dan), or TTAG within its commenters? I myself am solidly pro-LE, and am only for the demilitarizing of departments. Either that, or allow us to own/use the very same equipment and weaponry that they have. Same rules across the board for all U.S. citizens, regardless of badge or lack of.

        • TTAG can’t cover every obscure story in the country.
          Did YOU email TTAG about the story?
          No. Shut up and stop demanding to be spoon fed.

        • Haz. When RF ran things there was a real anti bias towards cops from the site and its commenters.

          RF told the story of being spit on by a cop when he was 16 and on a date with a young lady. Colored his perception of cops, to say the least.

          For someone to show up here and claim ttag is pro cop or censoring anti cop stories and comments is simply silly.

    • I am a news junky and I missed this entirely.

      Terrible….and why this didn’t make main stream news with the whole ACAB narritive going on I have no idea.

      weird.

      • I don’t know why it didn’t ping TTAG’s radar, but it’s easy to see why it didn’t make any national waves.

        The victim was too white, too male, and too gun-owner-ish. Just like Daniel Shaver, Duncan Lemp, and a couple dozen other people whose names we could be chanting while we got all BurnLootMurdery if we were so inclined.

        • TTAG has no magical knowledge of events. If it’s not in the mainstream news or sent to TTAG, it’s unlikely you’ll see it here.

        • You’d think an attempted hit on a federal judge would be big news, wouldn’t you?

        • Yeah, that’s fair; I just didn’t want to assume any particular reason.

          The point I wanted to make is that it got near-zero attention because some deaths matter more than others. Nobody gains money or influence by blowing up news of some poor-ass white guy getting killed, no matter how egregious the authorities’ disregard for life. In that regard, black lives matter and white lives don’t — and that’s the plain truth.

  11. Wow. She was nominated by and in the same line of thinking of “their” team. cough Obama cough Clinton cough Epstein. Is there a MAGA patsy lined up?

    • They’ll probably “catch” some poor MKUltra’d-up fall guy who thinks he did the job in a few days. You can bet he’ll be a nonstop fountain of political “support” for all kinds of right-wing figures as he shouts over the advice of his lawyer.

      • Men’s rights attorney as it turns out. Seems he’s guilty of “hate speech” against the judge, though so far the only quote I’ve seen has him saying that Salas is “lazy and incompetent.” I don’t know if that’s “hate speech,” whatever that is (aside from any statement that leftists find distasteful, either in content or in who the speech refers to), though it’s certainly not complementary.

    • “What country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”

    • I’m pretty sure her days are numbered regardless of where she it. The people she’s threatening will kill her, even if it’s an obvious murder (or more obvious than Epstein’s was). I’ll be shocked if she survives to testify.

    • NAH… Extreme Late Term Abortion. Right in the wheelhouse of the Socialist Liberal Democrat Ideology.

      • Shooter better be watching out, loose ends and all. The hit is entirely botched though, judge has nothing left to lose by throwing the book, the fridge, the kitchen sink, and her husband’s gunsafe ontop of whoever is involved in the Epstein linked case.

        • Unless she’s more concerned about her self than she is about her family, or this broker her. But I wouldn’t assume that without reason. So if it’s a pro, I agree he’ll probably be disappeared. Or it’s an amateur, perhaps a lone wolf political activist of some kind, the FBI will probably have him very soon.

          Or, it’s also possible this had nothing to do with the judge in her professional capacity, and the family was targeted for other reason? At this point anything is possible.

      • “And whoever ordered this is probably plenty pissed off that the job was botched.”

        The kid may have been the intended target.

        Who knows what he may have been involved in. Some kids of LE deliberately hang around criminal types to prove they are ‘cool’.

        Whoever did that may have wanted her scared rather than dead. Makes her more compliant for rulings…

        • It could be the son, but everyone that’s been a judge long enough has enemies. It’s just a question of how crazy, evil, or connected said enemy is.

  18. Does anybody care that this lady lost her only son and had her husband shot up? I agree this looks very suspicious and strange, like something off a TV police drama. I hope they catch the bad guy and any co-conspirators quickly.

    • No, it seems that many of the people who comment on this page now are the gun-friendly version of the psychotic and hateful “progressives” and liberals.

    • Really? I don’t know this person or her family, the world is overpopulated, why *should* I care about her? If we believe the left-wing nonsense about the climate, we should applaud the next few billion stories like this. And she should have insured that whoever answered the door in her home was *always* armed.

      • The shooter had a fed ex uniform and fired as soon as the door opened. The kid didn’t have a chance, even had he been armed. Took one through the heart.

      • ^^^ This ^^^

        The Left wants to go “tribalism” so this is me saying OK I’ll play that game.

    • Well, she is an Obama appointed, Democrat Federal Judge in *New Jersey*. Ergo, she wields her power like a hammer against certain types of honest citizens. The left started this (currently cold, though rapidly heating up) civil war so why should we be sorry about viewing someone as an enemy when they’ve personally declared themselves our enemy? No, folks like you are the problem. You’ll insist on being a “good person” right into the cattle cars

    • Having sympathy for leftists who are intent on robbing, stealing, and killing from the rest of us is a fools errand. These people are no different than the scumbag who shot their kid! It’s not about hate, it’s about reality, and the hate that these leftists have for us!

  19. “Move along, civilian, no conspiracy to see here.”
    This will disappear from the public eye as fast as Epstein did after the media found out they couldn’t connect him to Trump.

    • Hey don’t jump to conclusions… this time, it could be Tom Hanks (you may remember him from such films as “Forrest Gump”).

    • You are the useful idiot that the rich and powerful use to deflect blame from themselves.

  21. As a (retired) attorney, I can understand the urge to bump off a judge now and again. But c’mon. You can’t actually do that. It would be wrong.

  22. Somehow, a possible contract killing or assassination attempt on a federal judge and her family getting lumped in with “the gun violence crisis” doesn’t seem quite right.

  23. Gee, the first thing that popped into my head was “Vince Foster “…. anyone else hearing voices?

  24. Perhaps judges will think twice before releasing criminals on the streets to prey on citizens, naw that makes too much sense.

  25. is anyone shocked after finding put she just got an epstein related case? This guy is like plutonium, killing everyone that touches it.

    If epsten/clinton deaths surpass the communist chinese virus deaths can we quit talking about this bullshit plandemic? Likely not as it is cover for action.

  26. “In an emailed statement, Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called the shooting ‘a senseless act’ and said ‘this tragedy is our latest reminder that gun violence remains a crisis in our country and that our work to make every community safer isn’t done.'”

    Dear Governor Political Points,
    At no time in that reporting did the article state that a GUN dressed up as a FedEx driver and killed that young man and wounded his father. It was a human that did it. It’s human violence. The gun was just a tool. By making that statement of yours you have offered the often-repeated empty assessment that all anti-gun liberals make that it is never the individual’s decision making skills that are at fault, but the actions of an inanimate object that somehow influenced this person to perform a heinous act. Never place the blame on the individual. Right? Don’t deny it: it’s what you just said. Got ant more hot air to effuse? I’m sure your media minions are waiting patiently for more utterances of nothingness.

    • Notice how they (the leftists) NEVER mention the current law or future law that would have prevented this, because there is no law that can. But there is one solution that would greatly help and that is to execute ALL perpetrators of violent crimes, within 6 months of their conviction!

  28. It’s too bad that some people cannot make a simple comment about something as tragic as a young man being needlessly and senselessly murdered by some piece of shit scumbag without throwing the obligatory progressive cheap shots at Trump.. Trump did not kill the young man, nothing that Trump has done in the past 42 months caused the young man to be killed, Trump was not even IN N.J. on Sunday and I’m pretty sure Trump didn’t hire some clown to kill the Judge OR whomever the target was, so all the superfluous bull shit about Trump and his finances or his relationship with some financial institution has not one damn thing to do with the murder of a college kid in N.J… Some of you could probably make a living just charging Trump rent because he obviously lives inside your head.. Besides that the ongoing lawsuit brought by Deutsche Bank investors was/is primarily about the banks procedures, Epstein was just one peripheral example of the banks failing processes, it was/is NOT about Epstein or any of his cohorts …
    That being said, I can’t understand a Federal Judge not having some kind of video surveillance on the front door, no Wi-Fi in N.J.? I don’t have ANY known enemies (living) and I have cameras around my house outside and three inside that are all accessible from the cell phone, watch the place when I’m out of town, investigate noises from wherever I am in the house without exposing myself unprepared… I don’t open my door to Fed-Ex, UPS, USPS, Amazon or any one else without prior notification.. I get shipping notice from ALL of those services prior to delivery…

    • Yup… 1

      Cameras are cheap and reliable.

      Situational awareness does not automagically go into hiatus when you are putzing around in your own home.

    • Good for you! Maybe everybody doesn’t have the assets to afford those luxuries. As for me, I have a very well trained dog on my small farm and I have a backhoe. My dog stays in a concealed location and gives several warnings, if the “idiot” continues to advance onto my property that dog evades to a better vantage point where it can subdue and possible dismember the intruder — whatever the outcome, my backhoe comes into play to establish another compost.

      • I’ve got $250 in my “luxury” surveillance system.. Had a 230 pound male English Mastiff, invested about $12,000 in him including cancer treatments.. He died 10 days before his 10th birthday.. Cameras are cheaper, don’t need food and live longer with NO emotional attachment, I loved that dog.

    • I wonder if the gunman has three “suicide” gonshot holes in the BACK of his head ,like the aforementioned Mr. Foster… I’ll go all in on “Suspicious Coincidences” for the Double Jeopardy round, Alex.

    • https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/dead-man-in-ny-may-be-tied-to-killing-of-nj-federal-judges-son-shooting-of-her-husband-sources/2521563/

      Says the body was found next to a packet of research on Salas. Also says Hollander may be responsible for the death of an attorney in CA too. Anyway, they are saying Hollander is “anti-feminist.” Since this is corporate media, that could mean anything or nothing. He apparently was a member of some men’s rights organization, and a book he wrote contained “hate speech” against Salas. Again, that was ABC, so “hate speech” could simply mean that he said something critical of Salas, or openly disagreed with some particular aspect of current leftist dogma. Or he may be what they are painting him as. As usual, need at least a few days to sort the good info from the garbage.

      • Google his name. He was an outspoken misogynist who had filed numerous unsuccessful suits against various entities for discriminatory conduct towards men. He had a case pending before Salas contending that the Selective Service’s program of registering only men for the draft is discriminatory against …someone.

  30. Skimming through these comments makes me think those red flag laws might not be such a bad idea, after all.

  31. The judge is kind of hot for her age.
    It will be interesting to see what the alleged motive of the deceased attorney who has been identified as a suspect is. Romantic triangle?

  35. Turns out dude was just a nutcase filing lawsuits over ladies night in clubs and the male only draft… Hated women because he married a Russian chick years ago and she burned his dumb ass, apparently he had a case before this judge that got tossed… Good enough reason for murder in New Jersey? Fuck him he’s dead, saved taxpayers a shit load on food, lodging and legal representation.. Besides every one knows it’s Trumps fault because Trump….

    • TBF tho, it’s a jersey judge… just sayin. Wanna bet that self inflicted gun shot wound was similar to Epstein’s? Somethings fuckey here.

  36. What kind of tard goes through all that shit and doesn’t even find his target before they scurry off and commit self die? Fucking idiot.

  37. It’s pathetic how many people see this and think it’s “the libs.”

    Turn off whatever partisan news you’re watching and see the bigger picture. It’s not democrats. It’s not republicans. It’s the rich and powerful. But they LOVE when they can rile you up to forget that because you’re playing for a ‘team’ that doesn’t care about you.

    Just remember: The FBI, department of federal corrections, marshals, and every other federal agency either investigating or having custody of suspects reports to the Trump administration. Stop blaming Obama. Stop blaming Hillary Clinton. Demand answers from the people in office right now.

    • I dunno, man, I see Seattle and Portland and the first thing I think of is not the Administration, I think of the communists trying to take down America, and all their fellow travelers who are excusing their violence and outright hatred of all things American.

    • So you haven’t noticed that a good chunk of the executive branch have been actively working against Trump since day one? And those same people are Obama and Clinton allies. Funny how you missed that.

      • Oh yeah? Ya think so? Did you see today’s Trump press conference? Did you hear the part where he said of Ghislaine Maxwell “I just wish her well. I’ve met her numerous times over the years, I just wish her well”

        Or did some conspiracy of libs somehow pipe that into his speech? No, I’m sure you’ll find some other excuse.

  39. My theory that this shooting was motivated by a romantic triangle has been validated!

    Sounds more like an obsession than a triangle, I saw no indication that there was any contact between them outside the courtroom….

Comments are closed.