NJ Legislature approves right-to-die act: This week in Central Jersey history, March 25-31

After a vote on Monday, March 25, 2019, that for years had eluded supporters of the so-called right-to-die movement, New Jersey was poised to become the eighth state to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.

The Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act was narrowly approved by the Legislature. The bill would go to Gov. Phil Murphy, who pledged his support.

Here's a look at events that happened in Central Jersey from five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years ago this week.

Five years ago

March 26, 2019: It was reported police had issued more than 400 traffic tickets since a commercial truck ban on River Road in Piscataway took effect earlier that month.

March 26: New Jersey produced four individual collegiate national champions ― Mekhi Lewis, Anthony Cassar, Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano ― at PPG Arena in Pittsburgh, on Saturday, March 23, 2019, it was reported.

March 27: It was reported authorities were searching for three men in the fatal shooting of Nahshon Brown, 31, of Newark, which took place on Saturday, March 23, 2019, outside the Akbar Restaurant in Edison, where a Reggae event was being held.

March 29: Four women from Monroe Township, ages 76 to 80, had to be rescued after the 2018 BMW they were riding in landed in a pond while they were trying to park in a handicap space.

March 29-31: The 45th Annual Fest for Beatles Fans was held at Hyatt Regency in Jersey City.

March 30: New York Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur spoke to a wall-to-wall crowd of congregants at St. James Church in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards, at the Men's Lenten Afternoon of Prayer in the Year of Spiritual Awakening.

10 years ago

March 26, 2014: The FBI's Newark Division was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a man who robbed seven Central Jersey banks, the latest being the Rahway Savings Institute in the Colonia section of Woodbridge on Saturday, March 22, 2014, it was reported.

March 26: In boys lacrosse, Ridge High School defeated North Hunterdon, 9-5, with five goals and an assist from All-American J.T. Palladino and a lock-down effort by its defensive unit.

March 27: The fire at The James Monroe Elementary School in Edison touched more than area residents, as shown by donations from people and schools from across the country.

March 27: It was reported the long-planned merger of the Bridgewater and Somerville municipal courts would happen on Tuesday, April 1, 2014.

March 27: Harold Clevett, 68, of Middlesex Borough, one of the operators of Clevett-Worldwide Mailers LLC, a Succasunna, bulk mailing house, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding clients of more than $1 million through a bulk-mailing scheme.

March 28-29: Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour was held at Sun National Bank Center in Trenton.

1999

March 26, 1999: A state judge ruled Stephanie Diana, of North Plainfield, could not have joint legal custody of two children she raised with her former lesbian lover, but was entitled to significant visitation rights.

March 26: It was reported Superior Court Judge Howard B. Wells III in Burlington County ruled kindhearted drivers who wave other vehicles into traffic could be held liable if the act resulted in an accident.

March 26-27: Comedian Louie Anderson performed at Trump Marina in Atlantic City.

March 29: Thousands of computer users in Central Jersey and around the nation ran into the so-called "Melissa virus" in their email.

March 31: In Middlesex, hundreds of area residents were asked to leave their homes after a fire started by a Conrail freight train engulfed the borough in a halo of thick, grey smoke.

March 31: The New Jersey Devils beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 7-1.

1974

March 25, 1974: Robert D. Petrarca was convicted of murdering Renee Cali and her pregnant daughter, Leslie Grant, in their Montclair home on Monday, May 14, 1973.

March 26: Anti-noise regulations were adopted by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, intending to make the 131-mile toll road "the quietest superhighway on the East Coast."

March 26: In college baseball, Rutgers University beat Dartmouth College, 10-4.

March 28: Rutgers University in New Brunswick would be cracking down on those who caused civil disruptions at the university, it was reported. Any participants in such disruptions would be handed over to civil authorities for prosecution.

March 28: New Jersey Secretary of State J. Edward Crabiel denied he invoked the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination during an appearance before a state grand jury.

March 29: A state Civil Rights Division ruling that girls must be allowed to play Little League baseball was upheld by Superior Court Appellate Division.

March 31: The Ballet Company of the New Jersey Dance Theatre Guild performed "The Subject is Dance" at J.F. Kennedy High School in Edison, to help raise funds for the construction of the Community Garden for the Blind, Edison.

1924

March 25, 1924: J.J. Davis, chauffeur for the Barrett Oil Company, of Newark, while driving a five-ton oil truck on Stelton Road in New Market to New Brunswick, narrowly escaped serious injury when his truck took a drop of nearly six feet into a ditch to avoid a collision with a team of horses drawing a load of hay.

March 26: It was reported hold-up activities in New Brunswick had broken out with renewed energy, with crimes against two merchants having taken place since the previous evening.

March 26-27: "Big Brother," a Rex Beach story and a Paramount picture, featuring Tom Moore, Raymond Hatton and Edith Roberts, was shown at Reade's Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

March 29: The Plainfield Y.W.C.A. basketball sextette ended its season on the Plainfield High School court, defeating the Jersey City Y.W.C.A. team, 35-8.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ history for March 25-31