Sharks, Swimming Bears and Wild Weather: Summer 2015 In New Jersey

By Kara Seymour

Here’s a look back on the top stories that made headlines this summer in New Jersey:

1. ‘Tornado’ Rips Through South Jersey: Eyewitnesses: There was destruction throughout South Jersey in June due to strong storms that were identified by the National Weather Service as a “downburst.”

2. Video Captured Of Watersprout On Long Beach Island: This amazing video, posted to Facebook by Jack Bushko, shows a watersprout running across the waters of Long Beach Island.

3. WATCH: Cop Smashes Window To Save Toddler From Hot Car: The incident unfolded at Costco in Hackensack, when a store employee told police there was a child in a hot car.

4. Lifetime Walmart Banishment For North Jersey Woman Who Shoplifted: A Hopatcong woman’s shoplifting admission from a Morris County Walmart store came with more than a few fines and some community service.

5. WATCH: Mama Bear And Cubs Go Swimming In Backyard Pool: Five cubs, one mom made themselves at home in a Rockaway Township above ground pool in August.

6. New Jersey: The Most Hated State In America, New Poll Says: A survey by YouGov ranked New Jersey as the least liked state in the nation.

7. HGTV’s ‘The Cousins’ File For Bankruptcy Over Bergen Renovation: A judge ruled against ‘The Cousins’ in a case claiming they did shoddy work on a renovation project in Tenafly.

8. WATCH: Swarm Of Sharks Appearing At Jersey Shore: Sharks appeared at the Jersey Shore this summer.

9. No One Could Save Briana. Not From Heroin. A New Jersey mother described the troubles with her daughter’s heroin addiction, and how a system failed her. Briana Hoppel died last year.

10. E.Coli Concerns Prompt Statewide Bottled Water Recall: The company that supplies Wegmans, ShopRite, 7-Eleven, Acme and others with bottled water issued a widespread recall because of E.coli.

11. 20 Charged in ‘Sexting’ Scandal in Two New Jersey Schools: An unnamed adult and 19 juveniles allegedly exchanged nude and partially nude photos of female students in South Jersey.

12. Map Shows Top 100 New Jersey Communities for Ashley Madison Affairs: Personal data from a hack of the Ashley Madison hookup website that promotes “discreet” dating encounters continues to leak.