New Jersey

Are police not allowed to search a car just because they smell pot? No, that's missing important context: As of November 2021, an Illinois judge ruled the smell of marijuana does not give probable cause for officers to search a car. However, marijuana is still illegal in the majority of states, and police can still search cars in these states…

Did Bergen County, New Jersey, report that 100% of its votes were counted in the state's 2021 general election, yet add unexplained votes afterward? No, that's not true: although news websites such as The New York Times reported that 100% of results were in, that figure did not take into account every vote cast, such as mail-in and provisional votes,…

Does a video posted to Facebook show a rigged digital voting machine used in Middletown Township, New Jersey, during the state's general election in 2021? There is no evidence to suggest that it does: While there were reports of touch screens occasionally locking up on digital voting equipment in New Jersey during the election, those machines are set up to…

Do several videos posted online show legitimate unmarked and shredded ballots discarded at the Gloucester County Office of Elections in New Jersey? No, that's not true: According to the Gloucester County Clerk's Office, those materials had "no viable election use." The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on November 3, 2021. The post featured several videos and…

Is an image depicting an anti-Joe Biden band formation in a football stadium real? No, that's not true: This image has been digitally altered. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on October 16, 2021. The post, captioned, "Relentless lol," features an image of a packed football stadium of people wearing what appears to be red and white,…

Is it illegal to scream an expletive about U.S. President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: According to First Amendment law experts, such an action would most likely not result in legal consequences and Supreme Court precedent protects most such expressions. The claim originally appeared in an Instagram post (archived here), and published on September 14, 2021. The meme appeared…

Did animals kept at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey escape during the state's experience with the remnants of Hurricane Ida? No, that's not true: The animals did not flee the zoo during the storm. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on September 2, 2021. It included a screenshot of a tweet attributed to…

Does this meme accurately represent the relationships of several CEOs to the products of their respective companies? This tweet from 2019 contains a mixture of true, false, unverified and misleading statements. This screenshot meme originated with a tweet posted on November 22, 2019. It resurfaced in a post on Facebook on June 27, 2021, captioned only, "Question everything." The text…

Does a draft research paper refute the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, and does it prove the anti-malarial is a life-saving drug for COVID-19 patients? No, that's not yet true: The website where the "preprint" paper was released cautions that this early in the process, research reports may still contain errors and put…

Did Joe Biden and Kamala Harris make zero mention of the military who lost their lives and of their family members over the Memorial Day holiday weekend? No, that's not true: The president and vice president both attended a wreath laying service at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day where he spoke about the sacrifices made by military members and…