Establishes penalties for harassment and assault of athletes under certain circumstances.

S3375

SENATE, No. 3375

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 5, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes penalties for harassment and assault of
athletes under certain circumstances.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning penalties for harassment and assault of
athletes, amending N.J.S.2C:33-4, and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey
Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1. N.J.S.2C:33-4 is amended to
read as follows:

���� 2C:33-4.� Harassment.

���� Except as provided in
subsection e.
or f.
, a person commits a petty disorderly persons offense
if, with purpose to harass another, he:

���� a.���� Makes, or causes to be
made, one or more communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient
hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any other manner likely to cause
annoyance or alarm;

���� b.��� Subjects another to
striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so;
or

���� c.���� Engages in any other
course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with purpose to
alarm or seriously annoy such other person.

���� A communication under
subsection a. may be deemed to have been made either at the place where it
originated or at the place where it was received.

���� d.��� (Deleted by amendment,
P.L.2001, c.443).

���� e.���� A person commits a
crime of the fourth degree if, in committing an offense under this section, he
was serving a term of imprisonment or was on parole or probation as the result
of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of this State, any other
state or the United States or he knowingly directs such action to a current or
former judge that relates to the performance of the judge's public duties.

����
f. (1) A person commits a crime
of the fourth degree �if the person commits an offense under this section
against an athlete who is engaged in, or in the immediate vicinity of, a
sanctioned interscholastic, recreational, private, collegiate, or professional sports
event and the offense occurs under the following circumstances:

����
(a) the harassment arises
out of the athlete�s performance in the sports event; and

����
(b) the harassment relates
to the person�s loss or adverse outcome from unlawful gambling under P.L.1978,
c.95 (N.J.S.2C:37-1 et seq.) or lawful gambling activities under the �Casino
Control Act,� section 116 of P.L.1977, c.110 (C.5:12-1 et seq.), including but
not limited to Internet gambling and sports wagering activities under P.L.2018,
c.33 (C.5:12A-10 et seq.).

����
(2)
A person commits a crime of the third degree if the person commits an offense
under paragraph (1) of this subsection against an athlete who is a student of a
public school or private school, as defined in N.J.S.18A:1-1, or of a public or
private institution of higher education.

(cf: P.L.2021, c.327, s.1)

���� 2. (New section)
Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law and in addition to any other
disposition ordered by the court, upon a second or subsequent conviction for a violation
of subsection f. of N.J.S.2C:33-4, a person shall be subject to a lifetime ban
from all online and in-person sports betting or wagering under P.L.2018, c.33
(C.5:12A-10 et seq.).

���� 3. (New section)
Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law and in addition to any other
disposition ordered by the court, upon a conviction for any assault in
violation of N.J.S.2C:12-1 which arose out of conduct that also resulted in
conviction for a violation of subsection f.� of N.J.S.2C:33-4, a person shall be
subject to a lifetime ban from all online and in-person sports betting or
wagering under P.L.2018, c.33 (C.5:12A-10 et seq.).

���� 4. This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes
penalties for harassment of athletes under certain circumstances.

���� Under current law, a person
commits a petty disorderly persons offense if, with purpose to harass another,
the person: makes, or causes to be made, one or more communications anonymously
or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any
other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm; subjects another to striking,
kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so; or
engages in any other course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts
with purpose to alarm or seriously annoy such other person.

���� This bill amends the
harassment statute to establish that a person commits a crime of the fourth
degree if the person commits harassment against an athlete, who is engaged in,
or in the vicinity of, a sanctioned interscholastic, recreational, private, or
collegiate sports event, and the harassment arises out of the athlete�s
performance in the sports event and relates to the person�s loss or adverse
outcome from unlawful or lawful gambling, including but not limited to Internet
gambling and sports wagering.� The bill upgrades the offense to a crime of the
third degree if a person harasses a student athlete.�

���� Pursuant to this bill, upon
the conviction of a second offense, the person would be subject to a lifetime
ban from all online and in-person sports betting.� The bill also provides that
any person convicted of assault stemming from conduct that resulted in a
conviction of the harassment offense set forth in the bill would also be
subject to a lifetime ban from all online and in-person sports betting.