SENATE, No. 4332
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED MAY 12, 2025
Sponsored by:
Senator KRISTIN M. CORRADO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes penalties for harassment and assault of athletes under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning penalties for harassment and assault of athletes, amending N.J.S.2C:33-4, and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. N.J.S.2C:33-4 is amended to read as follows:
2C:33-4. Harassment.
Except as provided in subsection e. or f., a person commits a petty disorderly persons offense if, with purpose to harass another, he:
a. Makes, or causes to be made, one or more communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm;
b. Subjects another to striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so; or
c. Engages in any other course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with purpose to alarm or seriously annoy such other person.
A communication under subsection a. may be deemed to have been made either at the place where it originated or at the place where it was received.
d. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2001, c.443).
e. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if, in committing an offense under this section, he was serving a term of imprisonment or was on parole or probation as the result of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of this State, any other state or the United States or he knowingly directs such action to a current or former judge that relates to the performance of the judge's public duties.
f. (1) A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if the person commits an offense under this section against an athlete who is engaged in, or in the immediate vicinity of, a sanctioned interscholastic, recreational, private, collegiate, or professional sports event and the offense occurs under the following circumstances:
(a) the harassment arises out of the athlete's performance in the sports event; and
(b) the harassment relates to the person's loss or adverse outcome from unlawful gambling under P.L.1978, c.95 (N.J.S.2C:37-1 et seq.) or lawful gambling activities under the "Casino Control Act," section 116 of P.L.1977, c.110 (C.5:12-1 et seq.), including but not limited to Internet gambling and sports wagering activities under P.L.2018, c.33 (C.5:12A-10 et seq.).
(cf: P.L.2021, c.327, s.1)
2. (New section) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law and in addition to any other disposition ordered by the court, upon a second or subsequent conviction for a violation of subsection f. of N.J.S.2C:33-4, a person shall be subject to a lifetime ban from all online and in-person sports betting or wagering under P.L.2018, c.33 (C.5:12A-10 et seq.).
3. (New section) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law and in addition to any other disposition ordered by the court, upon a conviction for any assault in violation of N.J.S.2C:12-1 which arose out of conduct that also resulted in conviction for a violation of subsection f. of N.J.S.2C:33-4, a person shall be subject to a lifetime ban from all online and in-person sports betting or wagering under P.L.2018, c.33 (C.5:12A-10 et seq.).
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes penalties for harassment of athletes under certain circumstances.
Under current law, a person commits a petty disorderly persons offense if, with purpose to harass another, the person: makes, or causes to be made, one or more communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm; subjects another to striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so; or engages in any other course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with purpose to alarm or seriously annoy such other person.
This bill amends the harassment statute to establish that a person commits a crime of the fourth degree if the person commits harassment against an athlete, who is engaged in, or in the vicinity of, a sanctioned interscholastic, recreational, private, or collegiate sports event, and the harassment arises out of the athlete's performance in the sports event and relates to the person's loss or adverse outcome from unlawful or lawful gambling, including but not limited to Internet gambling and sports wagering. The bill upgrades the offense to a crime of the third degree if a person harasses a student athlete.
Pursuant to this bill, upon the conviction of a second offense, the person would be subject to a lifetime ban from all online and in-person sports betting. The bill also provides that any person convicted of assault stemming from conduct that resulted in a conviction of the harassment offense set forth in the bill would also be subject to a lifetime ban from all online and in-person sports betting.