Outgoing NJ Gov. Phil Murphy was not in New Jersey when a state of emergency was declared Saturday night, leaving Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way — now serving as acting governor — to make the declaration in his stead.
“In preparation for this storm, I am issuing a State of Emergency for all 21 counties out of an abundance of caution, authorizing our state’s emergency services personnel to activate as necessary,” Acting Governor Way announced in a statement Saturday.
The term-limited Democrat, who is known for taking frequent vacations, often to his luxe Italian villa, made no public announcement he would be out of the state as the powerful nor’easter is expected to barrel through, with the potential to cause significant storm damage.
Way serves as NJ’s secretary of state and was sworn in as Lt. Gov. in Sept. 2023 after the death of her predecessor, Sheila Oliver.
Her social media post announcing the state of emergency declaration were met by puzzled responses, with some wondering where Murphy was.
“Where is the governor?” one commenter inquired.
“Who are you?” asked another.
A rep for Murphy’s office did not immediately respond to a message by The Post seeking clarification on his whereabouts.
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