Stream these bite-sized original North Jersey documentaries for free on demand
You've come to know NorthJersey.com for breaking news, high school sports, coverage of the food and dining scene, and lots more. But NorthJersey.com and its sister sites in the Northeast region of the USA TODAY Network also produce documentaries that range from a few minutes to more than 30 minutes long.
If you've got time to kick back, or are looking for something interesting to watch during travel time, we've got you covered with these compelling documentaries.
Viewer note: If you're watching from home, we recommend casting these videos to your TV. Most smart TVs will allow you to do this through a Chromecast or screen mirroring function on your mobile device.
How an Exxon executive from NJ was kidnapped in his driveway 30 years ago
On the morning of April 29, 1992, Sidney Reso went outside to pick up the newspaper at the end of his Morris Township home's long driveway. He never returned.
Waiting for him where the driveway met the road were a white van and two armed kidnappers, who abducted Reso in plain sight.
Reso was a husband and father of five. He had a career as an executive at Exxon in Florham Park, where his fortunes had seemed to be on the rise. Visual Journalist Chris Pedota of The Record and NorthJersey.com brings you the extraordinary story of Sidney Reso's kidnapping.
Targeting Retaliation: Stopping the chain reaction of gun violence in Paterson
Paterson Healing Collective is a violence interruption group based out of St. Joseph University Medical Center. When someone is shot, they go to the hospital, and try to help the victim with whatever they need, but also try to convince them not to retaliate for being shot. They do great work. Michael Karas, a visual journalist at NorthJersey.com and The Record, spent months embedded with the PHC to tell this amazing story.
Why do people make roadside memorials? Exploring the phenomenon in NJ
Driving around New Jersey, the sight of a roadside memorial is never far from view. New Jersey's roadside memorials often are solemn reminders of lives cut short and tragedies still being coped with by survivors. But who are the survivors behind some of these memorials, and what are the stories of the lost loved ones they honor? Documentary filmmaker Brian Johnston of the Asbury Park Press tells this story with an unexpected personal perspective.
No One Walks Alone: Clinic escorts shield patients from taunts of anti-abortion protesters
Every weekend, volunteer escorts some New Jersey reproductive clinics help patients navigate their way into the clinic past confrontational protesters who wave signs and shout. In a new documentary, "No One Walks Alone," NorthJersey.com and The Record visual journalist Anne-Marie Caruso explores who these escorts are and why they do this work.
Life in NJ after incarceration
NJ spends as much as $12 million a year on reentry programs for inmates transitioning to life outside of prison. But not all get the help they need.
A river of contradictions: The Passaic can be both life-giver and destroyer
As the Passaic River flows, so do its contradictions. It starts as the lifeblood of a wildlife refuge. But by Newark, it’s alarmingly polluted. Visual journalist and ceritifed drone operator Tariq Zehawi teams up with veteran environment reporter Scott Fallon to bring you on a journey from the mighty Passaic's headwaters in Morris County all the way to Newark Bay.
Miss New Jersey USA Celinda Ortega finishes a year with the crown
As a teenager growing up in Fair Lawn, Celinda Ortega competed in pageants for scholarship money, racking up titles like National All American Miss and Miss Bergen County. But in 2018, she started feeling debilitating chest pain. She quit the pageant circle and found a diagnosis: lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and crippling pain. Award-winning visual journalist Mitsu Yasukawa spent 3 months with Ortega, documenting the final three months of her reign as Miss New Jersey USA, before handing off her crown.
The moves look improvised. But NYC's underground dance culture follows the rules
When Jaeran Mauricio dances, there is nothing slurry about it. His dance is angular. Propulsive. His flowy walk erupts in an akimbo boxing match of elbows and ankles. Every move explodes from his sternum at a 45-degree angle. Mauricio is a rising talent in Litefeet, a hip-hop subgenre born in Harlem and the Bronx that values cockeyed dance moves performed with great precision and speed. Photo/video journalist Anne-Marie Caruso brings you to the cutting edge of underground dance in New York City in this short piece.
The Rockettes wanted a kickline that looks more like America. Could they do it?
The iconic kickline rose to fame with an all-white lineup. As they near their 100th birthday in 2025, the Rockettes are doubling down on diversity. Visual journalist Tania Savayan of lohud.com tells the story of two Rockettes hopefulls immersed in the tryouts that can bring them their first big break.
A river on the rebound: Why the Hackensack is both broken and a beauty
Despite decades of pollution, the lower Hackensack River is a vibrant, recovering waterway flowing 23 miles from the Oradell Dam to Newark Bay. Take a virtual trip down the legendary Hackensack River with drone photographer and photojournalist Tariq Zehawi and North Jersey environment reporter Scott Fallon, taking in the contrasting vistas and picking up historical insights along the way.
Watch this Pinelands musician perform 'Pine Barren Blues'
Paul Evans Pedersen plays a song inside his workshop in Malaga, New Jersey. Produced by visual journalist Joseph Lamberti.
Released from prison, but nowhere to go
After release from prison with nowhere to go, James Magilton stays at a hotel in Ewing paid for by a reentry group, but he’s not sure for how long. An intimate, sobering look at post-prison life brought to you by visual journalist Michael Karas of NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Healing the Harm in Buffalo: How 2 men are changing youths' lives through mentorship
After the Tops Friendly Market massacre, economic and racial disparities became more apparent. But the resilience shown within the community became part of the solution. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Tina MacIntyre-Yee brings us the story of a community emerging from tragedy with hope.
'Playing for a Way Out:' The real challenges of high school football players
'Playing for a Way Out' captures the struggles and joys of players on the Clifton and Paterson Eastside high school football programs. The three-part series focuses on a true-to-life storyline – kids from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds seeing the sport of football as a pathway to a better life. But in 2020, it’s not even that simple, as COVID threatens to take it all away. This riveting three-part docuseries was produced by visual journalists Danielle Parhizkaran and Michael Karas of NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Get to know Eastside football's Elijah Carroll, and his journey to a college scholarship
Eastside senior Elijah “Speedy” Carroll is moving on to East Stroudsburg to continue his education and football career. Carroll was the subject of a NorthJersey.com video project detailing his career and college decision. Carroll talks about the lessons he learned during his high school days and his advice for the next generation of athletes. Danielle Parhizkaran and Michael Karas of NorthJersey.com and The Record produced this bonus episode in the spirit of the 'Playing for a Way Out' series.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ documentaries to stream for free from NorthJersey.com
