Pictures of a dead Ocean County woman surfaced on Facebook before her family was notified that she'd been killed in a car wreck.

Three years later, a new law redefining the rights of first responders prevents those closest to emergencies from sharing pictures of victims.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie earlier this month signed into law legislation that prohibits first responders from snapping and sharing victims' pictures without explicit permission. The bill was inspired by pictures taken by emergency personnel that responded to Cathy Bates, who died in a car wreck in Barnegat Township in 2009.

The law criminalizes, in certain situations, an impulse felt by many: to share everything, instantly. Those who violate the law face a disorderly person's offense, which could mean up to six months in prison.

Some local first responders think the law makes an important distinction. Chad Newsome, public information officer for the Clinton Township First Aid and Rescue Squad, said that a first responder's primary concern should be the emergency at hand, not staging ego-boosting Facebook photos.

"It's counterintuitive and stupid," Newsome said. "The first responder's duty is to safety and preservation of life. You can't just sit there and take pictures."

Newsome doesn't anticipate the law affecting his squad, with the exception of a "gray area" regarding pictures of wrecks once a victim is removed. He said the squad is consulting an attorney to make sure pictures taken for educational purposes and posted on the squad's website are compliant with the law.

Senator: training photos OK

Many fire, rescue and first aid squads throughout the state, including Warren and Hunterdon counties, post pictures on Facebook and their websites, often depicting squads in action.

One of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman, R-Hunterdon, said the law allows first responders to take pictures for training or in the course of investigations.

First responders are only barred from taking pictures of the victim, he said. In these cases, victims or their families must give consent for the pictures to be distributed.

He said it's surprising that legislation was needed to make it clear that sharing pictures of a victim was in poor taste.

"It's common sense," Bateman said. "You would think that individuals would know not to do that."

The law doesn't address members of the public taking pictures of victims. Bateman said it'd be impossible to control how everyone uses available technology. The law is about degrees of access, and first responders are the first to see a victim and therefore privy to information unavailable to most, he said.

Hackettstown police Detective Darren Tynan said he hasn't personally encountered first responders taking victim pictures for anything other than use in a criminal investigation, though he said he is aware that it is a problem elsewhere. He said that burgeoning share-technology has led to another issue: passersby-turned-photographers.

He said the pictures that sprout up on the Internet can interfere with criminal investigations.

"I'm surprised that (the law) didn't encompass bystanders," he said. "With everybody having cell phones, it'll end up on Facebook."

'If it's your own family'

The media might consider the law a slippery slope, but New Jersey Press Association Executive Director George White said the NJPA didn't oppose the law because it specifically pertained to first responders.

The law defines first responders as "a law enforcement officer, paid or volunteer firefighter, or other paid or volunteer person" certified to provide medical assistance.

"As written, the bill seemed reasonable to the NJPA," he said.

Newsome said that his Clinton squad's policies have evolved with privacy regulations imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPAA.

Newsome said he remembers a time when the squad's log contained information about the victim and was easily accessible. The squad now doesn't release victim names or specifics about the situation and waits to take pictures until after assistance has been administered.

He encouraged a conscience litmus test when deciding whether or not to post a picture.

"If it's your own family, would you want this online?" Newsome said. "And the resounding answer is, 'No.'"