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New Jersey governor cursed at, heckled at outdoor restaurant, video shows

Posted at 7:11 PM, Nov 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-24 08:07:34-05

Gov. Phil Murphy got an earful from two women over the weekend while he ate dinner with his family at a New Jersey restaurant, video of the encounter shows.

The brief video shows the women happen upon the governor as he is eating at a table outside of a restaurant in Red Bank on Saturday night.

The women launch into expletive-filled rants and, at one point, argue with Murphy’s son before the video ends.

Warning: The video below contains language that some may find offensive

The governor addressed the video, which was posted on Twitter Sunday night, during a coronavirus briefing Monday afternoon.

Murphy said nothing happened before the women approached the table and a third friend who was with them pulled the pair away after the video ended.

“I have literally no idea who they were,” the governor added.

Murphy said he and his wife have thick skin and he’s a "big boy” who can handle criticism, but added that his children should be left out of it.

When asked what may have motivated the women to heckle him, Murphy connected the incident to the stress people are feeling because of the pandemic.

“I started out with stress at the front-end of my remarks. There’s more stress in our state and our country than I think any of us have ever seen,” he said. “The stress levels are overwhelming, and they’re not unfounded. There’s too many people out of work … too much economic hardship.”

Murphy also said no one was wearing masks at the table because everyone was actively eating when the women approached.

This article was written by Lauren Cook for WPIX.