Blue State Governor Takes Heat After Alleged Illegal Fleeing ICE Crashes Into Mayor’s Wife

By Mark Tanos

New Jersey’s Democratic governor is under Republican fire after an illegal immigrant running from federal agents struck a mayor’s wife on a busy highway.

GOP lawmakers are pinning blame on Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s sanctuary rules following a Sept. 2 wreck that hospitalized the spouse of a local Democratic official, according to the New York Post.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ran a targeted stop on an Acura along Route 130 in North Brunswick around 7:30 a.m., township officials told NJ Patch. The driver halted at first, then sped away, blew through a red light and rear-ended a Tesla, News 12 New Jersey reported. (RELATED: Illegal Immigrant On Run Crashes Into Mayor’s Wife, Sends Her To Hospital)

Behind that wheel was Dr. Penelope Cohen, wife of East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen. She landed in the hospital with a leg injury that officials described as not life-threatening. The fleeing man bolted on foot before agents caught him, and he now sits in custody awaiting removal, ICE said. Authorities have not released his name.

Dem. NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill blasted for ‘sanctuary’ policies after illegal immigrant fleeing ICE crashes into mayor’s wife https://t.co/lzo49moXYP pic.twitter.com/xyct3BXO2H

— New York Post (@nypost) September 12, 2026

“ICE law enforcement officers conducted a vehicle stop Sept. 2, during a targeted ICE enforcement operation in North Brunswick, New Jersey,”the agency said in a statement. “The illegal alien refused to exit the vehicle or comply with lawful commands from ICE officers. After repeated verbal warnings and due to officer safety concerns, ICE officers relied on their training and attempted to safely remove the illegal alien.”

Republican Assemblyman Paul Kanitra tied the crash to state policy in remarks to Fox News Digital. “This is just the latest in a long line of traffic incidents and vehicular incidents that wouldn’t occur if New Jersey didn’t have our sanctuary status,” he said. “You kind of reap what you sow.”

Counties wanting to join ICE’s 287(g) cooperation program had been shut out, Republican state Sen. Mike Testa told Fox. “I think it has only emboldened illegal aliens to engage in illegal behavior,” he said.

Sherrill signed the Immigrant Trust Directive into law March 25, limiting how far local police can assist federal civil immigration work, the Post reported. The measure still permits officers to enforce criminal statutes and honor judicial warrants.

Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman flipped the blame onto federal agents, writing on X that “ICE’s lawlessness is putting innocent people in harms way. #AbolishICE,” according to NJ Patch.