$ 1 / E SSE X C OUN TY EDITION T H U R S D AY, O C TO B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 4 You asked for it. You got it. Tune in to the TV grid. A F F I L I AT E D W I T H PAGE 38 N.J. NURSES ON TREATING EBOLA PATIENTS IN TODAY To be, or not to be, dressed for Halloween Want to celebrate Halloween as a Bard character? The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is staging its annual costume, prop and scenery sale on Sunday and will be selling off an assortment of costumes and accessories. Admission is free and proceeds from the sale benefit the nonprofit group’s programs. / Page 34 IN NEW JERSEY Official: 911 fire-call noise not escape try During the fatal Sept. 28 fire at the home of John Sheridan Jr., a well-known political figure and hospital executive, a neighbor reported that he heard someone banging on a door, trying to get out, according to a 911 call. But authorities now believe that the noises were caused by the blaze itself as the house was burning, said a spokesman for the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. / Page 12 “ Put them in an ambulance and ship them where they need to go.” Richard Ridge, New Jersey State Nurses Association NOT HERE. Ebola patients should be taken to out-of-state biocontainment units, the head of New Jersey’s nursing organization said. The group is fielding calls from nurses asking if they can refuse to treat victims, he reported. By Kathleen O’Brien NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger A lthough New Jersey’s 72 critical care hospitals are staging drills for Ebola, the head of the state’s professional nursing organization said Wednesday that his group did not think patients should be treated in the state. Instead, they should be transferred to one of the four bio-containment units around the country that were designed to handle such cases, said Richard Ridge, chief executive of the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the professional group for the state’s 118,000 registered nurses. “Put them in an ambulance and ship them where they need to go,” Ridge said. The unit closest to New Jersey is at Fort Detrick, Md. “That’s not a long helicopter ride,” he said. The group has already received worried calls from nurses who want to know if they can refuse to treat an Ebola victim, he said. Any nurse is always free to seek employment elsewhere or request a reassignment, Ridge said, but someone working in a critical care unit treating other infectious diseases can’t ethically walk off the job in mid-shift if a suspected Ebola case arrives. “We have an obligation to care for patients,” he said. “If you’re in a critical care unit, that’s not the time for you to pick and choose.” The concerns are likely to increase in the wake of the announcement on Wednesday that a second health care worker in Dallas who cared for the nation’s first Ebola victim has contracted the virus. Inside Obama response: The president cancels N.J. trip to hold strategy session. / Page 8 Second case: Another Texas nurse who treated man who died tests positive. / Page 7 Giants alarmed: The team expresses concern about its upcoming Dallas game. / In Sports SEE EBOLA, PAGE 8 SAYREVILLE HAZING SCANDAL IN SPORTS Revis, Jets get ready for Foxboro face-off Darrelle Revis will be in a New England uniform and his former Jets teammates may never fully get over it as they take on Bill Belichick and the Patriots Thursday night. The moment wasn’t lost on Rex Ryan. “A little sick to my stomach. ... I don’t know how I will react when I see him over there. That one felt kind of funny, but we will see,” said Ryan. / Page 49 Today’s Weather ‘I don’t trust you guys anymore,’ coach told team By Matthew Stanmyre Inside NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger Dealing with fallout: School district hires high-powered crisis management firm. / Page 3 Mark Di Ionno: Sayreville a good town reeling from bad news. / Page 3 Index Advice / 35 Business / 20 Classified / 58 Comics / 39 Drink / 36 Editorial / 26 Health / 41 Lottery / 2 New Jersey / 25 Obituaries / 29 Puzzles / 35 Sports / 49 uncertain status after seven players were charged last week with crimes ranging from sexual assault to criminal restraint in connection with four alleged locker room incidents last month. The new information — which NJ Advance Media confirmed with the parent of another player — provides fresh details about the reaction at Sayreville after district Superintendent Richard Labbe learned for the Today / 40 TV Grid / 38 Weekend / 34 SEE SAYREVILLE, PAGE 6 =e+2+4+1+e N ot Bo nu s on ey R C EA A L SH M Showers, mainly before 5 p.m., then mostly cloudy with scattered showers. High: 73° Low: 54° / Forecast, Page 2 The day before the school district abruptly canceled Sayreville War Memorial High School’s varsity football game against South Brunswick on Oct. 2, coach George Najjar met with players and told them, “I don’t trust you guys anymore” and that he would need to supervise the locker room after practices, two varsity players told NJ Advance Media. “From now on he was going to be with us, but the next day the game got canceled because a parent called the police station,” one player said. “(Najjar) said, ‘I had full trust in you and I shouldn’t be in there with you. But now if you guys are in there screwing around, I have to be in there with you.’” In providing details, the players spoke on the condition they not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the situation and Najjar’s Up to $100 Real Cash Back* Enter Promo Code: STAR Must be 21 years or over & located in NJ to play. New patrons only. Registration required. $10 min deposit & a wager required to participate. Cash back is withdrawable as cash (subject to min $10 withdrawal). Rules and dates apply (see www.virgincasino.com). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.