New Jersey A 1381: "Private Vehicle Rental Modernization Act."

Bill Text

A1381 

ASSEMBLY, No. 1381 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ELLEN J. PARK

District 37 (Bergen)

Assemblyman STERLEY S. STANLEY

District 18 (Middlesex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Flynn, Assemblyman Auth, Assemblywomen 
Murphy, Dunn and Assemblyman Scharfenberger

SYNOPSIS

���� Broadens statute that criminalizes cyber-harassment 
of minor.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

��

An Act concerning cyber-harassment and amending P.L.2013, 
c.272.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 1 of P.L.2013, 
c.272 (C.2C:33-4.1) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.� a.� A person commits the 
crime of cyber-harassment if, while making one or more communications in an 
online capacity via any electronic device or through a social networking site 
and with the purpose to harass another, the person:

���� (1) threatens to inflict 
injury or physical harm to any person or the property of any person;

���� (2) knowingly sends, posts, 
comments, requests, suggests, or proposes any lewd, indecent, or obscene 
material to or about a person with the intent to emotionally harm a reasonable 
person or place a reasonable person in fear of physical or emotional harm to 
his person; or

���� (3) threatens to commit any 
crime against the person or the person's property.

���� b.��� Cyber-harassment is a 
crime of the fourth degree, unless the person is [21] 18 years of age or older 
at the time of the offense and [impersonates 
a minor for the purpose of] 
engages in cyber-harassing a minor, in which case it is a crime of the 
third degree.

���� c.���� If a minor under the 
age of 16 is adjudicated delinquent for cyber-harassment, the court may order 
as a condition of the sentence that the minor, accompanied by a parent or 
guardian, complete, in a satisfactory manner, one or both of the following:

���� (1) a class or training 
program intended to reduce the tendency toward cyber-harassment behavior; or

���� (2) a class or training 
program intended to bring awareness to the dangers associated with 
cyber-harassment.

���� d.��� A parent or guardian who 
fails to comply with a condition imposed by the court pursuant to subsection c. 
of this section is a disorderly person and shall be fined not more than $100 
for a first offense and not more than $500 for each subsequent offense.

���� e.���� The trier of fact may 
infer that a person acted with a purpose to harass another if the person knows 
or should have known that any of the person's actions constituting an offense 
under this section are knowingly directed to or are about a judicial officer, 
and there is a nexus between the offense and relates to the performance of the 
judge's public duties.� For the purposes of this subsection, "judicial 
officer" has the same meaning as defined in section 1 of P.L.1995, c.23 
(C.47:1A-1.1).

���� f.���� In addition to any 
other disposition or condition imposed pursuant to this section, a parent or 
guardian having legal custody of a minor who demonstrates willful or wanton 
disregard in the exercise of the supervision and control of the conduct of a 
minor adjudicated delinquent of cyber-harassment pursuant to this section may 
be liable in a civil action pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2021, c.338 
(C.2A:53A-17.1).

(cf: P.L.2021, c.338, s.1)

���� 2.��� This act shall take 
effect immediately. 

STATEMENT

���� Under current law, 
cyber-harassment is a crime of the third degree if the offender is 21 or older 
at the time of the offense and impersonates a minor for the purpose of 
cyber-harassing a minor. This bill broadens the statute to provide that a 
person is guilty of this offense if the person is 18 or older and engages in 
cyber-harassing a minor. This bill eliminates the provision that a person must 
impersonate a minor in order to be guilty of the offense. A crime of the third 
degree is punishable by three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to 
$15,000, or both.