UPDATE: The Camden Investigation

Explicit content warning

10/04/23 • 11 min

Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery

The new Attorney General for New Jersey opened an investigation into the Sheridan deaths, and another investigation into the real estate deals in Camden. While there's been no news on the murder investigation, the subpoenas are flying in Camden. State investigators appear to be looking into real estate deals on the waterfront, whether state tax breaks were given out fraudulently, and how land in Camden owned by public agencies was sold at a cut rate.

New voices in this episode:

Ron Chen, associate dean of Rutgers Law School and the co-chair of a task force that investigated the New Jersey tax break program.
Jim Walden, a private attorney in New York City and a former federal prosecutor who specializes in investigative law. He was the co-chair of the task force that investigated the New Jersey tax break program.

New voices in this episode:

Ron Chen, associate dean of Rutgers Law School and the co-chair of a task force that investigated the New Jersey tax break program.
Jim Walden, a private attorney in New York City and a former federal prosecutor who specializes in investigative law. He was the co-chair of the task force that investigated the New Jersey tax break program.

Previous Episode

EPISODE 8: Dead End

In February 2015, the Somerset prosecutor announced that John Sheridan had murdered his wife in cold blood and then killed himself. In 2017, the manner of death was updated to “undetermined.” From the local detectives to the state’s Attorney General’s office, a lot of people walked away from these murders. If a family as powerful and well-connected as the Sheridans gets such bad treatment, what does this say about the justice system in New Jersey?

New voices interviewed in episode:

• Ben Barlyn, lawyer who filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the Chris Christie administration.

• Peter Sheridan, younger brother of John, and a federal judge in New Jersey.

Next Episode

Nancy Solomon Introduces Imminent Danger: One Doctor and a Trail of Injured Women

Dead End host Nancy Solomon introduces us to a new, five-part investigation from the WNYC Newsroom called “Imminent Danger: One Doctor and a Trail of Injured Women.” The doctor in question — an OB/GYN named Thomas J. Byrne — was negligent and incompetent, according to officials in New York State. And yet, he is still practicing medicine today. This series explores why that is and what it says about the system for vetting doctors.

Listen to the whole series here:
Episode 1: Wrongful Death
Episode 2: License Revoked
Episode 3: The Gatekeepers
Episode 4: Loopholes
Episode 5: New York, Again

You can also read more about the series at Gothamist.

“Imminent Danger” originally ran on NYC NOW, a weekday podcast that delivers local news from WNYC and Gothamist every morning, midday and evening. Subscribe here.

The series was supported by the Pulitzer Center.