Broadens riot; enhances penalties for certain crimes committed during riot; creates new crimes of mob intimidation and cyber-intimidation by publication; establishes duty in municipality to permit law enforcement to respond appropriately.

This New Jersey bill (S 1319) expands the definition of "riot" to include groups of three or more people acting together with violent conduct, rather than the previous four-person threshold. It creates two new offenses: "mob intimidation" (threatening others to join violent groups) and "cyber-intimidation by publication" (online threats during riots), while increasing penalties for severe riot-related crimes like property damage over $5,000 or causing serious injury. The bill also adds protections for law enforcement, firefighters, and school staff by elevating assaults against them to higher offense levels. These changes apply to individuals committing or inciting riots, with the goal of strengthening responses to violent public disturbances while explicitly preserving constitutional protections for peaceful protests.