NJ Gov. Phil Murphy cursed at over COVID-19 policies as he eats dinner with family

RED BANK - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's family had their meal interrupted Saturday night after a pair of women began cursing at the governor over his COVID-19 policies. 

A 36-second video clip of the incident spread over social media after it was posted on Facebook Sunday afternoon.

At least two women appear to be yelling at Murphy off camera, saying "Oh my God, Murphy. You are such a (expletive)." Seconds later, one of the women told Murphy's son Josh, "You can go (expletive) yourself" when he asked her to put on her mask.

"You know why I don't need to wear a mask. Because there ain't nothing (expletive) wrong with me," one woman said.

Murphy addressed the incident during the state's COVID-19 update Monday afternoon, calling it "an unfortunate dining experience." He said there was no interaction with the two women before what was captured on that video. He said a third friend with the women pushed them away from the governor's table.

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Murphy said he was not fazed by the curses, saying both he and his wife, Tammy, have thick skins, but that his children shouldn't have to be subjected to the anger people want to direct at him. He also said New Jerseyans need to have compassion toward each other as they grapple with the long-term losses — both of loved ones and economic livelihoods — caused by the pandemic.

"I don't condone out-of-bounds behavior, but I'm a big boy and I think I can speak for my wife, but let's leave my family out of this, number 1," he said. "Number 2, let's all keep each other in our prayers right now because this is an extraordinarily stressful period that we're in.

"This is exactly not the time to be going after each other," Murphy continued. "The stress levels are overwhelming, I get it … but let's not allow that to turn into dividing us even further. Let's try to find a common ground."

During the brief incident, Murphy did not respond to the women's curses and continued to eat his meal. 

But his son, Josh Murphy, defended his father. He pointed to the woman's cell phone case, saying, "I like your Trump phone case. Guess who Trump likes? He likes my dad." The woman responded with more cursing.

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The family did not have masks on while eating, which is permitted under Murphy's COVID-19 restrictions, however they began putting them on as the women walked away from the table. The family was eating outside.

Murphy said the interaction was limited to what was shown on video and that he didn't not know who the women were. He did not say what restaurant he was at, however several sources confirmed for the Asbury Park Press that he was eating at Char Steakhouse on Broad Street in Red Bank. Representatives for Char could not be reached for comment.

Murphy also did not answer questions about where his security detail was during the incident.

A Freehold woman who appears to be the first person to post the video online took the clip down from her Facebook page Monday morning. Other news websites credited her for sharing the video with them. She also did not respond to a message sent to her on the social media platform.

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Two of Monmouth County's state senators spoke out against the video. 

State Sen. Declan O'Scanlon, a Republican who is regularly critical of Murphy's policies, wrote on his Twitter account the incident was "totally out of line." He said the incident is not the same as having a heated political debate over policy differences.  

"But harassment of anyone while with family, on private time is not acceptable. We’re all sick and tired of this mess," he said.

State Sen. Vin Gopal, a Democrat, described the video as "ugly behavior."

"This lack of civility by this woman continues to be a stain on our society," he wrote. 

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Susanne Cervenka covers Monmouth County government and property tax issues, winning several state and regional awards for her work. She's covered local government for 15 years, with stops in Ohio and Florida before arriving in New Jersey in 2013. Contact her at @scervenka; 732-643-4229; scervenka@gannettnj.com.