JERSEY CITY, NJ — A spokesman for Jersey City Councilman Jake Ephros said this week that the councilman will stand behind a controversial aide who supports an accused killer.
Last week, news broke in the New York Post that Abril Rios, a social media influencer and part-time aide to Ephros, has been a vocal supporter of accused killer Luigi Mangione.
Mangione pleaded guilty in August to interstate stalking resulting in death, in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024.
Words written on the bullets used in the killing suggested the shooting was linked to the company's health coverage denials.
In a Substack essay posted on Aug. 20, Rios wrote that news accounts painting Mangione as emotional in court were false.
"He has proven to be very capable, and does not at all seem like the sort of man to do something he does not believe in, even if it is suggested to him by a team of lawyers," Rios wrote.
"To me, Luigi looked as he always does: self assured, unperturbed, confident, unwavering. Despite his soft words, he never stuttered, his voice did not shake, and I did not find him to look timid. Many of his statements were laced with cheeky digs at the health insurance industry.
"I found myself nodding and smiling to myself as he was reading. It was, once again, astounding to see how courageous he was, knowing America was watching. And it was vindicating to hear him embrace what I knew to be the truth from day one. The truth as to why so many of us support him."
A man who says he's a lifelong Jersey City resident has started a petition asking for Rios' resignation.
"It's appalling that Abril Rios has continued to voice support for Luigi Mangione, who has been convicted of targeted violence," wrote Ari Eliopoulos, who is running as an independent for Congress. "Even more concerning is the silence of Councilman Jake Ephros."
The petition had garnered fewer than 100 signatures by Friday.
Ephros, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, was elected councilman for the Jersey City Heights neighborhood — west of Hoboken — last November.
His chief of staff, Bingjiefu He, told Patch, "Abril is still working for our office as our communications aide, and we do not intend to remove her from the position."
She earns $25,000 per year in the role.
"Our office stands against political violence, and we would like to point out that real political violence is taking place in Jersey City every day," said He, "with our residents being denied medical care, getting hit with astronomical medical bills, with ICE brutality on our streets, with tenants dealing with absentee and malicious slumlords, and folks not able to afford shelter and food under our current predatory capitalist economic system."
He added, "We are focusing on addressing the very real political violence in our city, and Abril is an important team member in our effort to better our city and our ward."
Rios declined to comment, saying she wanted to focus on her constituency rather than her personal actions.
Rios has 157,000 followers on her main Instagram account, and is also affiliated with the accounts TheMangionistas, Abrilsfilm, and HotGirls4NJ.
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