By William E. Reynolds
Atlantic County Prosecutor
On June 6, 2022, I took an oath as Atlantic County prosecutor to uphold the law and protect our citizens without fear or favor. That promise has shaped every decision I have made.
Today, though, I write not only as a prosecutor. I write as a father, a neighbor and a fellow citizen deeply disturbed by the violence and hostility directed at our public institutions and those who serve within them.
These threats are not abstract. They are real, deliberate and increasingly violent.
Judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers — the very people who safeguard our democracy — have been targeted simply for doing their jobs.
We all remember the heartbreaking case of Federal District Judge Esther Salas. In 2020, a man appeared at her home. Her son Daniel, just 20 years old, was shot and killed at their front door.
Closer to home, Atlantic County has seen its share of threats. Our office secured a conviction against a man who made repeated death threats against a municipal court judge.
On Aug. 28, 2025, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office obtained a guilty verdict here in Atlantic County in a murder-for-hire plot targeting two sitting Superior Court judges, the Cumberland County Prosecutor, her First Assistant, and another chief prosecutor.
On Sept. 26, 2025, here in Atlantic County that same defendant was sentenced to 95 years in New Jersey state prison following a jury verdict of being found guilty of a murder for hire plot of 5 public servants.
These cases make something clear: such threats and attacks are not just crimes against individuals, they are assaults on the foundation of our democracy. A justice system that cannot protect its guardians will not stand.
Public service requires courage and sacrifice, but it is also a profound honor. For me, it is the greatest privilege of my life to serve the community where I was born, raised and am raising my children.
We must ensure the next generation of competent, skilled and honorable candidates is willing to step forward. If intimidation and violence silence them, our system collapses.
As prosecutors, we are bound by the oath to enforce the law as written. We cannot accept a future where violence against judges and prosecutors becomes routine. When one public servant is attacked for doing their duty, it is not only their life at risk — it is the rule of law itself.
Our response must be rooted in truth, unity, love and courage. Those who commit these acts hope to divide us. They want us to lose trust in one another, to doubt our institutions, and to abandon faith in a just society. If we allow that, anarchy will be inevitable.
For those who serve, the risk is a daily reality. For the public, it may be little more than a 30-second online news story or social media post.
But when defendants — or those conspiring with them — attempt to “take out” a judge or prosecutor, they are striking at the very structure of a just society.
We must stand together and declare, with one voice: violence against our institutions will not be tolerated. Our democracy depends on it.
But words alone are not enough. We must act. That means strengthening protections for those who serve, and ensuring swift justice and certain punishment for anyone who threatens or attacks public officials.
This challenge is bigger than one county or one prosecutor’s office. It is a call to every New Jerseyan — and every American — to remember who we are and what we stand for. Our democracy survives only if we are willing to defend it, together.
The threats against our institutions will not vanish overnight. But neither will our resilience. The men and women of the justice system will continue to serve with honor and protect the public, no matter the risks. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to support and stand with them.
Now is the time to come together in unity. There is no better time than the present, for tomorrow is uncertain.
