Michael Sol Warren | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

By Michael Sol Warren | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A legendary radio hoax, the attacks that inspired "Jaws" and a kidnapping that gripped the world: These are just a few of the most infamous moments in New Jersey's history.

Nor is infamy exclusive to one corner of the state — each of New Jersey's 21 counties has had its share of ignominious moments. Here are our picks for the most infamous event to take place in each of those counties, along with a list of runners-up for each.

Of course, everyone's definition of infamy is a little different, but we mostly focused on those situations that involved illegality, bad judgment, and sheer tastelessness. A few legendary Jersey stories made the list, but you won't find any disasters — natural or man-made — here. (We're saving those for another post.)

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Spencer Kent | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Atlantic County - The most corrupt Mayor ever?

Whereas Nucky Johnson was a king, Michael Matthews was a pawn. The Philadelphia mob ran Atlantic City in the 1970s, as boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo funneled money to Matthews in exchange for city contracts and approvals from the city's planning and zoning boards.

Matthews was elected as mayor in 1982. He was caught after taking a $10,000 bribe from a federal agent who was undercover as a developer with ties to Scarfo. Matthews was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his acts; he served five before being paroled. Matthews died in 2014 at the age of 79.

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Photo from the Alfred M. Heston Collection of the Atlantic City Free Public Library

Atlantic County runners-up

The Boardwalk Empire: Before there was Michael Matthews, there was Nucky Johnson. Though Johnson (pictured above) never served as mayor, he was the boss of a political machine that ran Atlantic City from the 1910s until his conviction in 1941. His rule over the city inspired the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire."

Corzine's crash: In 2007, Governor Jon Corzine was rushing from a conference in Atlantic City to Princeton, for a meeting at the governor's mansion between the Rutgers women's basketball team and Don Imus, when his state-trooper SUV hit a guardrail on the Garden State Parkway at 91 mph. Corzine wasn't wearing a seat-belt; he had to be helicoptered to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he spent 18 days in treatment.

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Bergen County - Bridgegate

In 2013, members of Governor Chris Christie's administration decided it was "time for some traffic problems."

Surprise lane closings on the George Washington Bridge for a local street entrance in Fort Lee caused havoc on the town's traffic. The gridlock was so bad that a threat to public safety was declared in the town before the lanes were reopened.

The reason for the closures? Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich refused to endorse Christie during his re-election campaign.

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Robert Eberle | The Star-Ledger

Bergen County runners-up

North Jersey ninja killer: In 1991, Joseph Harris (pictured above) killed his former supervisor in Wayne with a samurai sword before driving to the Ridgewood to shoot up the post office he used to work at. It was the second time he'd killed.

Baylor massacre: On September 28, 1778, 15 American patriots were killed and 33 more were taken prisoner when they were attacked in their sleep by British troops in River Vale. The Americans had been betrayed by a British loyalist who was hosting them that night.

DiGilio found in a bag: In 1988, John DiGilio was a leader of the Genovese crime family (he was also a middleweight boxer). He had just been acquitted in a racketeering trial when his wife reported him missing. His body was found in a mortician's bag in the Hackensack River in Carlstadt; there were two bullet holes in his head.

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Trenton Times

Burlington County - Seeing the devil

A string of reported Jersey Devil sightings in early 1909 caused widespread panic throughout South Jersey and the Delaware Valley. The first sighting of that year was in January by a Trenton Councilman, but we're giving the Jersey Devil to Burlington County for this one because pickings are otherwise slim.

Above is a clip from an article in the Trenton Times on January 20, 1909 about the flurry of sightings. The question of whether the Jersey Devil is real or fantasy exists to this day.

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Burlington County runner-up

N.J.'s Robin Hood: Joe Mulliner was a British loyalist who went on a crime spree in 1779. Known as "The Robin Hood Of The Pine Barrens," Mulliner terrorized the wealthy of South Jersey but tended to leave poor people alone. Mulliner and his gang were thought to hide out in a cedar swamp near Batsto.

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File photo

Camden County - The walk of death

On September 6, 1949, World War II veteran Howard Unruh put on his suit, grabbed his gun and walked out to his street in Camden. Then he started shooting.

In what would come to be known as the "Walk of Death," Unruh gunned down 13 people in just 12 minutes. He had made a list of targets before the shooting, comprised of people he thought were laughing at him behind his back. When he was arrested, Unruh told police "I'd have killed a thousand if I'd had bullets enough." Unruh died in 2009 at the age of 88.

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Camden County runners-up

The Camden 28: As the Vietnam War raged in 1971, a group of 28 anti-war activists raided a draft office in Camden and destroyed draft files and other government documents. Despite admitting to the break-in and being caught by 80 FBI agents, 17 of the activists were found not guilty.

Unemployed rage: On June 22, 1972, Edwin James Grace shot 12 people in a Cherry Hill office building, killing six of them. He was upset with an employment agency that hadn't been able to find him a job.

ABSCAM: The federal corruption investigation that inspired "American Hustle" led to the conviction of a number of N.J. politicians, including former Camden Mayor Angelo Errichetti. In the movie, Errichetti's name is changed to Carmine Polito.

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Cape May County - The McGreevey's Affair

Governor Jim McGreevey's affair with advisor Golan Cipel was the source of constant speculation in New Jersey political circles for years before the McGreevey resigned. That speculation peaked in 2002, when McGreevey broke his leg in Cape May. The official story is that he was with his then-wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, but rumors swirled that he'd really been vacationing with Cipel.

In the video above, McGreevey gives his "I am a gay American" speech and announces his resignation as governor. The Star-Ledger won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the affair, the resignation and the aftermath.

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Cape May County runner-up

Negersmith investigation botched: Susan Negersmith went to Wildwood to party during Memorial Day weekend in 1990. It was the last weekend of her life. Her body was found behind a restaurant, but it wasn't until 1995 that police determined Negersmith had been murdered. The case has since gone cold.

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Courtesy of the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society

Cumberland County - Vineland founder snaps

Charles Landis is the reason Vineland, Cumberland County's largest community, exists. He's also one of the darkest memories.

Incensed by coverage in the Vineland Independent, Landis took matters into his own hands. He showed up at the newspaper offices, chased down editor Uri Carruth and shot the man in the back of the head. Landis was eventually acquitted due to insanity and was released. Landis died in 1900 at the age of 67.

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Saed Hindash | The Star-Ledger

Cumberland County runner-up

Greenwich Tea Burning: On December 22, 1774, New Jersey patriots had their own version of the Boston Tea Party in Greenwich. As tensions between the colonies and the crown heated up, 40 Cumberland County patriots raided the cellar of loyalist Daniel Bowen, where they stole and destroyed tea to protest the Sugar Act, Stamp Act and Tea Act.

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Essex County - Feeling the burn of "Tan Mom"

Patricia Krentcil was arrested for child endangerment in Nutley in 2012 after she let her 5-year-old daughter tan with her. She denied any wrong doing, and a jury declined to indict her on the charges. This July brought an ironic twist, when Krentcil told the New York Post that she was building a potential neglect case against her daughter's school district for letting the girl get sunburnt.

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Andrew Miller

Essex County runners-up

Newark schoolyard killings: On August 4, 2007, six young men shot and slashed four victims, killing three, at Mount Vernon School in Newark. All six of the attackers had ties to MS-13. The victims had no gang ties, and were all preparing to return to Delaware State University at the end of the summer. A memorial to the three deceased victims is pictured above.

Short Hills mall carjacking: Dustin Friedland and his wife Jamie were getting ready to leave The Mall at Short Hills in Millburn on the night of December 15, 2013 when Dustin was approached by two men. He was shot and killed before Jamie was out of the car she'd been waiting in. The two men sped off, leaving Jamie with her dead husband. Two of the five assailants have been sentenced to 20 and 30 years in prison respectively. The remaining three are scheduled to be sentenced in January.

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Gloucester County - The Houseknecht stabbing

Kenneth Houseknecht was 14 years old on April 19, 1988 when he broke into a Deptford home looking to steal $50 so he could buy porn magazines. There was just one problem: 12-year-old Kim Anderson was home.

Houseknecht stabbed Anderson 96 times.

Houseknecht was convicted in 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. He is eligible for parole in 2018.

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Photo courtesy of the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and Patricia Martinelli

Gloucester County runners-up

Rain of bullets: On November 17, 1950, Ernest Ingenito went to Franklin Township to request a visit with his two sons from his in-laws and his estranged wife. When he was denied visitation, he opened fire. Ingenito (pictured above) shot and killed his estranged wife and his in-laws. He also shot an killed her grandparents and her aunt and uncle in Minatola, where they all lived. Ingenito spared his children.

Autumn Pasquale murder: 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale went missing in Clayton in 2012 for two days; her body was found in a recycling container. Justin Robinson, then 15 years old, had lured her into his house and then strangled her. Robinson and his brother Dante Robinson, then 17 years old, were charged in Pasquale's death; Justin was charged with aggravated manslaughter and is serving a 17-year sentence while Dante was charged with obstruction and was released in September 2013.

Woolwich service station shooting: In 1985, David Russo walked into Petteti's Auto Shop in Woolwich with robbery on his mind. He shot three people, killing one of them, during the heist. Russo was sentenced to life plus 20 years.

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Hudson County - A legendary duel

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr paddled across the Hudson River to Weehawken on July 11, 1804, for an honor duel that has now gone down in Broadway fame. The two stalwarts of early American politics had a long running feud, and Burr had finally had enough when he challenged Hamilton.

When the smoke clear, Burr had won the duel. Despite the victory, however, Burr had effectively ended his own political career. Technically Hamilton did not die in Weehawken; he was only wounded. He died the next day in Manhattan.

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The Jersey Journal file photo

Hudson County runners-up

Hague's machine: Frank Hague, (pictured above) perhaps the most infamous political boss in American history, served as the mayor of Jersey City for 30 years from 1917 to 1947. His reign was steeped in corruption; Hague was estimated to be worth $10 million at his death despite his mayoral salary never being more than $8,500 annually.

Friendly killers: In 1978, childhood friend Stephen Azzollini and Dennis Raso hatched a plan to murder Raso's wife. Azzollini did the killing (in exchange for a partnership in Raso's florist business in Hoboken), but when he returned home his own wife questioned him about his bloody clothes and threatened to go to the police. To try and cover their tracks, the two hatched another plan: Raso would murder Azzollini's wife. Both of the friends were convicted for the two murders.

Musto re-election: William Musto was on his way to federal prison in 1982, after being found guilty of directing public school money to mobsters while serving as mayor of Union City. None of that mattered on Election Day, though; the immensely popular mayor was re-elected.

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Photo courtesy of the N.J. State Police

Hunterdon County - The Lindbergh kidnapping

By 1932, Charles Lindbergh had it all. He had a wife, a newborn son and endless fame after becoming the first man to fly across the Atlantic. Then he lost the son.

Charles Lindbergh, Jr., went missing from his crib in the family's home near Hopewell on March 1, 1932. The subsequent search for child and kidnapper quickly became one of the largest media frenzies in history. On May 12, 1932, the child's body was found near the family home. The hunt for a the kidnapper would continue for years.

In 1935, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was convicted and sentenced to death in the kidnapping. He was electrocuted in 1936.

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Hunterdon County runner-up

Christmas decapitation: On December 22, 1978, Jean Zelinsky strangled her mother in their Ringoes home. She then decapitated the body, put the head in a plastic bag and drove to the Statehouse in Trenton. There, she shouted "merry Christmas" to a state trooper before flinging the bag with the head at him. Zelinsky died at a psychiatric facility in 2011 at the age of 80.

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Mercer County - "The War of the Worlds"

On October 30, 1938, the Martians invasion of Earth started in West Windsor. Or so people believed.

The invasion was, of course, a legendary hoax perpetrated by famed actor and director Orson Welles. His hour-long radio program was so well produced that thousands of people across New Jersey panicked, convinced that extraterrestrials were waiting to kill them just around outside their homes.

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Tony Kurdzuk | The Star-Ledger

Mercer County runners-up

Megan's law murder: Jesse Timmendequas (pictured above) was a twice-convicted sex offender in 1994 when he raped and killed 7-year-old Megan Kanka in Hamilton. The horrifying crime led to the passage of Megan's Law by the N.J. legislature, creating the nation's first sex offender registry.

Gov. Parker vs. Lincoln: In 1864, Governor Joel Parker worked with the state legislature to prevent New Jersey troops in the Union army from voting in the presidential election. Parker was opposed to Abraham Lincoln's re-election, and he worried that the troops would vote for their Commander-in-Chief. New Jersey is the only state that voted against Lincoln twice.

Death on death row: Ambrose Harris kidnapped, raped and killed a mural artist in 1992. Robert "Mudman" Simon shot and killed a cop in 1995. Both were on death row for their crimes in 1999, when Harris stomped Simon to death.

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Middlesex County - Gun fight on the Turnpike

Joanne Chesimard (now Assata Shakur,) James Coston and Clark Edward Squire (now Sundiata Acoli) were driving on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973 when they were pulled over by a state trooper for a broken taillight in East Brunswick.

Chesimard, Coston and Squire, all members of the radical Black Liberation Army, were armed, and they opened fire. When it was all said and done, Coston and State Trooper Werner Foerster were dead while Chesimard, Squire and two state troopers were wounded.

Chesimard resurfaced in Cuba in 1984 after she escaped from a N.J. prison in 1979. Above, Senator Bob Menendez speaks against the normalization of relations with Cuba without having Shakur returned to the U.S. to face justice.

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Middlesex County runners-up

Timothy Wiltsey disappears: Wiltsey disappeared in May 1991. Almost a year later, his remains were found in an Edison creek but the case soon went cold. The Middlesex County Prosecutor reopened the case in 2014, that August saw Wiltsey's mother, Michelle Lodzinski, was charged in the boys murder. Lodzinski was found guilty in 2016. In January of this year, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Imus vs. Rutgers women: In April 2007, shock-jock radio host Don Imus called the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos," and set off a brief national controversy.

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Monmouth County - Summer of sharks

The summer of 1916 brought a string of shark attacks to the Jersey shore. The most gruesome, however, were in Monmouth County. On July 12, a shark attacked and killed 11-year-old Lester Stillwell, who had been swimming in Matawan Creek. It then attacked 24-year-old Stanley Fisher, who had jumped in to help the boy. Fisher would die that day from his injuries. Later that day, 14-year-old Joseph Dunn was attacked less than a mile downstream; Dunn lived, the day's only survivor.

It is believed that the attacks inspired "Jaws."

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Monmouth County runners-up

Pump and dump: Robert Brennan has many fraud cases to his name, but the most infamous was the scheme he ran with First Jersey Securities, Inc. Brennan used the now defunct brokerage firm, which had an office in Red Bank, to scam thousands of small investors. Fate is funny, though: Brennan's offshore trust ended up in the hands of a Caribbean investor convicted in a massive Ponzi scheme.

Thrill Killer: Richard Biegenwald killed five people in Monmouth County October 31, 1981 and November 20, 1982. He had also killed a man as part of a robbery in 1958, when he was just 18. Biegenwald died on March 10, 2008.

Zarinsky rapes and murders: Serial killer Robert Zarinsky was first arrested in 1975 for the murder of an Atlantic Highlands teenager. Before he died in 2016, Zarinsky was convicted in a total of two murders, though he was still suspected in more. In 2008, The Star-Ledger published the "Deadly Secrets" series, which went in depth on Zarinsky.

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Pam Van Hemmen | The Star-Ledger

Morris County - Death with dignity

On April 14, 1975, Karen Ann Quinlan slipped into a coma after mixing tranquilizers and alcohol. That September, her parents asked that she be taken off the respirator and allowed to die. But the doctors refused.

The ensuing court showdown ended with a unanimous 7-0 decision by the New Jersey Supreme County in favor of the family. The case has become a landmark case for the right to die, and is cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In this photo, Quinlan's parents, Joe and Julie Quinlan, sit with a photo of Karen Ann in their home in 1985 for the 10-year anniversary of their daughter's court case.

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The Star-Ledger file photo

Morris County runner-up

The Wallet Man: Antoine LeBlanc was a French immigrant who had only been in the United States a few weeks on May 11, 1833 when he decided he was sick of working for the Morristown family he'd been living with. He killed the couple and their servant. After being found guilty of the murders, he was hung on the Morristown Green. After the hanging, a Princeton scientist electrocuted LeBlanc's body before eventually dissecting it. LeBlanc's skin was turned into wallets (a wallet allegedly made of his skin is pictured above) and book covers.

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Ocean County - Who gets Baby M?

After struggle to get pregnant, William Stern and his wife Elizabeth turned to surrogacy. Mary Beth Whitehead, a Brick Township woman, was paid $10,000 by the couple to be artificially inseminated, and in 1986 she gave birth to Baby M. Whitehead initially gave up the child, in accordance with the agreement, but a few days later had a change of heart and demanded the child be returned to her. The dispute went to court, and in 1987 the New Jersey Supreme Court awarded Whitehead parental rights, though the Sterns retained primary custody.

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Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media

Ocean County runners-up

Blind faith: In 1984, Robert O. Marshall hired two hitmen for a plot to kill his wife in a Garden State Parkway rest area. The motive? He wanted to collect on the life insurance policy. Marshall was convicted in 1986.

Jersey Shore: The first season of the show that ruined New Jersey's national reputation for a whole new generation was shot at a house in Seaside Heights.

Beachgate: Governor Christie (pictured above) became the face of political hypocrisy in July, thanks to his fateful decision to vacation at Island Beach State Park while the park was closed to the public because of the government shutdown.

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Passaic County - A streak of corruption

Passaic is not the only community in the county with a history of corrupt mayors (looking at you, Paterson,) but it is coming off of a particularly nasty streak. From 1983 to 2016, four people served as mayor of Passaic; three of them landed in federal prison for corruption.

Joseph Lipari took office in 1983. He was convicted on multiple charges of extortion and tax evasion in 1992; the extortion charges stemmed from $100,000 in payments that Lipari demanded from a local service station in exchange for an exclusive city contract to tow cars. In 1993, Lipari was sentenced to 42 months in prison.

Sammy Rivera, who was elected mayor in 2001, was caught accepting a $5,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent and was arrested in 2007. Rivera was sentenced to 21 months in prison for accepting bribes in 2008; He was released in 2010.

Alex Blanco took over as Passaic's mayor in 2008. On November 17, 2016, Blanco pled guilty to a federal bribery charge. He had received $110,000 in payments from developers in exchange for directing federal housing funds their way. In April of this year, Blanco was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

In the video above, Hector Lora gives a speech after being sworn in as interim mayor in on November 17, 2016 to replace Blanco. Lora was officially elected as the city's mayor on May 9 of this year.

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Mark Abraham | The Star-Ledger

Passaic County runner-up

Hurricane wrongly convicted: On June 17, 1966, four people were shot at a Paterson restaurant; three of them died. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, (pictured above) a champion boxer from Newark, found himself convicted in the murder. He was sentenced to multiple life sentences, but he maintained his innocence. In 1976, Carter had his conviction overturned only to be re-convicted after a retrial. The appeals continued, and in 1985 a federal judge overturned the conviction and set Carter free. Carter's story inspired Bob Dylan to write the song "Hurricane," and Denzel Washington starred in a biographical movie about the boxer called "The Hurricane." Carter died in 2014 at the age of 76.

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H/O/AFP/Getty Images

Salem County - Cunanan's spree comes to Jersey

Spree killer Andrew Cunanan burned his name into the public consciousness when he murdered renowned fashion designed Gianni Versace in Florida. But Cunanan's trail of death stretched across the country, including a stop in New Jersey.

On May 9, 1997, Cunanan murdered cemetery caretaker William Reese at Finn's Point National Cemetery in Pennsville. He then stole Reese's red truck and drove to Miami, where he killed Versace and committed suicide.

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File photo

Salem County runner-up

Hancock House Massacre: On March 21, 1778, 10 American militiamen were killed and five more were wounded by British troops at the Hancock House in Lower Alloways Creek Township. The Americans had been bushed: Judge William Hancock, a loyalist, had allowed the troops into his home and then alerted the British. Hancock was thought by the British to be away on the night of the attack. He was home, and he was bayoneted alongside the troops he had betrayed.

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Somerset County - Angel of Death

Charles Cullen may be the most prolific serial killer in American history. Cullen, Cullen was a nurse who used drugs to kill patients at numerous hospitals and is now serving 11 life sentences, told investigators he might have killed 40 patients. Some investigators estimate the actual number could be near 400.

Cullen worked in hospitals across the New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but he was arrested in 2003 for murdering patients at Somerset Medical Center. Cullen's time at the Somerset County hospital was the last stop in his 16-year career.

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Photo courtesy of Rutgers Special Collections

Somerset County runners-up

Hall-Mills murders: On September 16, 1922, Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall was found shot dead in a field next to Eleanor Mills, whose throat had been cut (the crime scene is pictured above.) Then ensuing trial of Frances Stevens Hall, the reverend's wife, created a media frenzy that wouldn't be matched until the Lindbergh kidnapping. Frances Hall was eventually acquitted, and no one else was ever arrested for the murder.

Heikkila kills parents: Matthew Heikkila, then 22-years-old, murdered his parents on the night of January 29, 1991, at their home in Bernards Township. Police found two shotgun shells on the scene; one had "Mom" written on it and the other had "Mom and Dad."

Locane's DWI: Actress Amy Locane, most famous for her role in "Melrose Place," was driving drunk in Montgomery Township on June 27, 2010 when she crashed into another car and killed the driver. Locane served two and a half years in prison, a controversially light sentence.

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Robert Eberle | The Star-Ledger

Sussex County - Killing for the thrill

On April 19, 1997, Thomas Koskovich, then 18 years old, and Jayson Vreeland, then 17 years old, were looking for a thrill, and they decided murder was the way to go. The two ambushed two pizza deliverymen, Giorgio Gallara and Jeremy Giordano, after having a pizza delivered to an abandoned house in Franklin Borough. Koskovich and Vreeland were convicted of the killings in April 1999. The two are now serving life sentences.

In this photo, Koskovich has his handcuffs removed just before sentencing in a Newton courtroom on May 26, 1999.

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Robert Sciarrino | The Star-Ledger

Sussex County runners-up

Tedesco murder: Giuseppe "Joseph" Tedesco (pictured above) shot Alyssa Ruggieri multiple times in her Hopatcong the night of March 27, 2010 after she refused to go to a party in Hoboken. As the judge read the guilty verdict on January 2013, Tedesco threatened to Ruggieri's brother.

McBride cold case: Lisa McBride had been missing for four months when a hunter found her body in Sandyston on October 20, 1990. The FBI interviewed more than 400 people and followed more than 850 leads in the investigation's first year, but it didn't help. The case remains unsolved and has gone cold.

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Star-Ledger file photo

Union County - List kills family

John List thought he was saving his family from Hell when he killed his mother, his wife and his three kids in their Westfield home on November 9, 1971. The ordeal was methodically planned. After shooting the victims, List placed their bodies on sleeping bags in the home's ballroom (except his mother - apparently she was "too heavy to move.") List then called the kid's schools, told them the children would be absent for a few days, left the lights on in the home and left.

Neighbors didn't think anything was out of the ordinary until the lights burned out one-by-one. The bodies were discovered on December 7, 1971, but List had long fled by then. He was finally caught in 1989, after the story of the killings was aired on "America's Most Wanted" with a rendering of what he may look like with aging.

This Star-Ledger file photo shows the List home in Westfield. List died in 2008 at the age of 82.

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Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Union County runners-up

Chelsea bomber shootout: Ahmad Khan Rahimi (pictured above) set off a series of bombs in New Jersey and Manhattan on September 17, 2016. The ensuing manhunt culminated on the morning of September 19, when Rahimi was arrested after a shootout in Linden.

MS-13 killings: In 2013, 14 members of MS-13's Plainfield clique were indicted on charges related to four murders in Union County. One suspected remains at large --- Walter Yovany Gomez was placed on the FBI Top 10 Most Wanted List in April of this year. Gomez has since been caught; his next court appearance is scheduled for December 13.

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The graves of the four murder victims. Posted by "Grave Matters" on Sunday, February 10, 2013

Warren County - Changewater murders

John Castner's body was found in a sinkhole in Changewater (now Washington Township) on May 2, 1843. The bodies of his wife, Maria, his daughter, Maria Matilda, and his brother-in-law, John Parke were found just to the north, in the home that they all shared.

The family had been robbed; John Parke was known to have been wealthy. Peter Parke, the nephew of John Parke, and co-defendent Joseph Carter were eventually convicted in the murders after a lengthy trial. The two were hung in front of the Belvidere Courthouse on August 22, 1845.

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Warren County runners-up

Princess Doe: The body of an unidentified, severely beat girl was discovered in Blairstown's Cedar Ridge Cemetery on July 15, 1982. To this day, she is only known as "Princess Doe."

Holy poisoner: Love can make a monster out of anyone --- reverends included. On March 9, 1859, Reverend Jacob Harden poisoned his wife, Hannah Louisa Harden, in Andersontown (now Mansfield.) The couple had been married less than a year, but rumor was that Harden had fallen in love with another woman. Once Harden became the main suspect in the murder, Governor Newell issued a $500 reward for his capture. In 1860, Harden was found guilty of the murder and hung.

JASON: You didn't think we'd have a list of infamous New Jersey things and not include the "Friday the 13th" movies, did you? The film franchise that made made hockey masks a favorite Halloween costume was filmed at the Boy Scout's Camp No-Be-Bos-Co.

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What did we miss?

Do you think this list is missing something or disagree with our picks? Let us know in the comments.

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Looking for more about New Jersey's dark side?

Shameful natives: The most infamous person from each of N.J.'s 21 counties

Self-serving politics: N.J.'s most infamous political scandals

Cold-blooded killings: The 21 most notorious murders in New Jersey history

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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