N.J. Towns Most Burdened By Cases Of Rape: FBI

The FBI recently released statistics showing that 229 New Jersey towns had to deal with rape cases during the most recent year available, 2015.

While the number shows a possible decline from the previous year, the FBI, in a news release, identified how rape has become a growing problem nationwide, and law enforcement is making an effort to better understand when and how a rape occurs.

Rape increased nationwide by 6.3 percent, according to the FBI. The increase comes after the agency revised its definition of rape in 2013 to include male victims and various forms of sexual penetration that are understood to be rape.

After that change was made, the number in New Jersey increased by 7.1 percent from 2013 to 2014.

The concern has spread to college campuses, too. Rutgers University had the eighth highest number of rape reports among U.S. colleges, according to recently released data from the U.S. Department of Education, while several other schools in the state are within the top 25 percent.

While the state's overall 2015 number was lower than 2014's total, when 1,274 rapes were reported in New Jersey, the FBI's statistics inexplicably omit Newark from the list, reporting 1,086 total. The FBI did not return a request from Patch seeking clarification on the omission.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported that Newark had 87 rapes in 2015, nearly doubling the city's 2014 total.

Below is a list of each town that reported rape cases in the FBI Uniform Crime report, from highest number to the lowest:

• Jersey City 97
• Trenton 48
• Elizabeth 44
• Paterson 40
• Vineland 32
• New Brunswick 26
• East Orange 25
• Irvington 24
• Atlantic City 17
• Bayonne 17
• Hackensack 17
• Millville 17
• North Bergen 17
• Plainfield 15
• Lindenwold 14
• Garfield 13
• Lakewood 13
• Pemberton 13
• Willingboro 13
• Brick Township 12
• Hamilton Township, Mercer County 12
• Linden 11
• Union Township 10
• Voorhees 10
• Asbury Park 9
• Hoboken 9
• Long Branch 9
• Pleasantville 9
• West Orange 9
• Clifton 8
• North Brunswick 8
• Orange 8
• Berkeley Township 7
• Bridgeton 7
• Cliffside Park 7
• East Brunswick Township 7
• Egg Harbor Township 7
• Ewing Township 7
• Galloway Township 7
• Maple Shade 7 Middle Township 7
• Robbinsville 7
• West New York 7
• Burlington Township 6
• Hillsborough 6
• Middletown 6
• Perth Amboy 6
• Salem 6
• South River 6
• Deptford Township 5
• Fair Lawn 5
• Franklin Township, Somerset County 5
• Phillipsburg 5
• Toms River 5
• Westampton Township 5
• West Windsor 5
• Belmar 4
• Englewood 4
• Glen Ridge 4
• Little Egg Harbor Township 4
• Lower Alloways Creek 4
• Medford 4
• Mount Laurel 4
• Neptune Township 4
• Newton 4
• North Plainfield 4
• Rahway 4
• Red Bank 4
• Teaneck 4
• West Milford 4
• Winslow Township 4
• Belleville 3
• Boonton 3
• Bound Brook 3
• Carney's Point 3
• Eatontown 3
• Fort Lee 3
• Freehold Township 3
• Gloucester Township 3
• Greenwich Township, Gloucester County 3
• Harrison 3
• Jackson Township 3
• Lawrence Township, Mercer County 3
• Lower Township 3
• Lumberton 3
• Mansfield Township, Burlington County 3
• Manville 3
• Margate 3
• Middlesex 3
• Montville 3
• Moorestown 3
• Netcong 3
• North Hanover 3
• Parsippany-Troy Hills 3
• Passaic 3
• Pennsauken 3
• Roselle Park 3
• Ventnor 3
• Aberdeen 2
• Bloomfield 2
• Bloomingdale 2
• Boonton 2
• Bridgewater 2
• Buena 2
• Carteret 2
• Cinnaminson 2
• Collingswood 2
• Eastampton 2
• East Hanover 2
• Edgewater 2
• Far Hills 2
• Flemington 2
• Guttenberg 2
• Hackettstown 2
• Haddonfield 2
• Hamilton Township, Atlantic County 2
• Hammonton 2
• Hightstown 2
• Hillside Township 2
• Howell Township 2
• Jefferson Township 2
• Kenilworth 2
• Keyport 2
• Little Ferry 2
• Manalapan Township 2
• Manasquan 2
• Midland Park 2
• Monroe Township 2
• Montclair 2
• Mount Holly 2
• Ocean City 2
• Paramus 2
• Pine Hill 2
• Plumsted Township 2
• Point Pleasant Boro 2
• Sayreville 2
• Springfield 2
• Wildwood 2
• Avalon 1
• Barnegat Light 1
• Barnegat 1
• Barrington 1
• Bergenfield 1
• Bernards Township 1
• Beverly 1
• Bordentown 1
• Brielle 1
• Butler 1
• Chatham 1
• Cherry Hill 1
• Closter 1
• Delran 1
• East Windsor 1
• Edgewater Park 1
• Edison 1
• Elk Township 1
• Englishtown 1
• Evesham Township 1
• Fairfield Township, Essex County 1
• Franklin Township, Gloucester County 1
• Freehold 1
• Glassboro 1
• Gloucester City 1
• Haddon Township 1
• Hawthorne 1
• Hi-Nella 1
• Holmdel 1
• Keansburg 1
• Lacey 1
• Lake Como 1
• Lambertville 1
• Lincoln Park 1
• Livingston 1
• Lodi 1
• Lyndhurst 1
• Mahwah Township 1
• Manchester 1
• Mansfield Township, Warren County 1
• Maplewood 1
• Marlboro 1
• Matawan 1
• Maywood 1
• Medford Lakes 1
• Mendham 1
• Millburn 1
• Moonachie 1
• Morristown 1
• Neptune City 1
• North Arlington 1
• North Wildwood 1
• Nutley 1
• Oceanport 1
• Old Tappan 1
• Oradell 1
• Palisades Park 1
• Peapack and Gladstone 1
• Pemberton 1
• Pennington 1
• Piscataway 1
• Point Pleasant Beach 1
• Pompton Lakes 1
• Princeton 1
• Ramsey 1
• Ridgewood 1
• Rockaway 1
• Roseland 1
• Rutherford 1
• Saddle River 1
• Seaside Heights 1
• Somerville 1
• South Amboy 1
• South Brunswick 1
• South Hackensack 1
• South Orange 1
• Stone Harbor 1
• Swedesboro 1
• Vernon Township 1
• Wallington 1
• Wall Township 1
• Wanaque 1
• Washington 1
• Washington Township, Morris County 1
• Watchung 1
• Wayne 1
• West Caldwell 1
• Westfield 1
• Woodland Park 1
• Woodstown 1
• Wyckoff Township 1

Patch file photo