Gunman dressed as FedEx driver kills son, wounds husband of N.J. federal judge

Crime scene tape surrounds the home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas

Crime scene tape surrounds the home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, Monday, in North Brunswick, N.J. A gunman posing as a delivery person shot and killed Salas' 20-year-old son and wounded her husband Sunday evening at their New Jersey home before fleeing, according to judiciary officials. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

The son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas was fatally shot and her husband critically wounded when a gunman dressed as a FedEx driver entered her home near North Brunswick, N.J., Sunday afternoon, according to local media.

Salas was reportedly unharmed in the attack, the New Jersey Globe reports. Daniel Anderl, Salas’ 20-year-old son, was killed. Her husband, Mark Anderl, a criminal defense attorney and former assistant Essex County prosecutor, reportedly underwent surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick and was listed in critical but stable condition.

The FBI in Newark tweeted that it was “investigating a shooting that occurred at the home” of Salas and that the bureau was “looking for one suspect.”

A New Brunswick Police dispatcher told NPR that he could not confirm any details but could confirm an ongoing investigation.

Salas, the first Latina to serve as a federal district judge in New Jersey, was nominated to her current position in 2010 by President Barack Obama.

The Globe said it was not immediately clear whether Salas, who it said had received threats in the past, was the target of the shooting. Her highest-profile case in recent years was the financial fraud case involving husband-and-wife “Real Housewives of New Jersey” reality TV stars Teresa and Joe Giudice, whom Salas sentenced to prison for crimes including bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion. Salas staggered their sentences so that one of them could be available to take care of their four children.

In 2017, she barred federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against an alleged gang leader charged in several Newark slayings, ruling the man’s intellectual disability made him ineligible for capital punishment. Salas later sentenced the man to 45 years in prison.

More recently, Salas has presided over an ongoing lawsuit brought by Deutsche Bank investors who claim the company made false and misleading statements about its anti-money laundering policies and failed to monitor “high-risk” customers including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted late Sunday: “Judge Salas and her family are in our thoughts at this time as they cope with this senseless act.”


Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said: “I know Judge Salas and her husband well, and was proud to recommend her to President Obama for nomination to NJ’s federal bench.”

“My prayers are with Judge Salas and her family, and that those responsible for this horrendous act are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice,” Menendez was quoted by the Globe as saying.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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