The mom of a murdered New Jersey police officer has broken her silence, alleging her son claimed he ‘wasn’t in any danger’ during his five years as an officer.

Cops were reportedly investigating possible illegal firearms at around 6.30pm local time in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday (March 7), when gunshots were exchanged between officers and a group of people, reports ABC.

26-year-old detective Joseph Azcona was a casualty of the attack after being shot during the incident, police said.

He was later pronounced dead after being transported to a medical institution.

Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens confirmed in a press conference on Saturday (March 8) that a 14-year-old has since been arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of illegal weapons.

He also confirmed that as well as Azcona, who served as an officer with the Newark Police Department for five years and as a detective with an intelligence unit for two, a second officer and a suspect were both shot.

Stephens reported that both the second officer and the suspect sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Describing Azcona’s death as an ‘egregious act’, Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones said: “Law enforcement officers leave their loved ones everyday and put their lives on the line for the safety and wellbeing of our communities.

“The egregious acts that took place last night have left a family, a community and the brotherhood and sisterhood of law enforcement devastated and with a void that can never be filled.”

He added: “The thing to remember primarily is that the officers involved are heroes, everyday heroes that work the streets.”

Amid the devastating incident, 56-year-old Martha Vargas, Azcona’s mom, told the New York Post that her son was her ‘baby’, remarking how he wanted to be an enforcement officer since he was ‘little’.

“When he grew up he took the test,” she recalled, adding that Aconza was always reiterating he ‘wasn’t in danger’ while on duty.

Recalling how she discovered her son was on his deathbed, Vargas explained she’d received a call from her nephew and believed her child was in University Hospital in Newark for ‘something simple’.

“When I went to the hospital, he was like that. They shot him in the head,” she tearfully explained.

ABC 7 New York reports that Vargas was joined by Azcona’s five brothers at the hospital when he was pronounced dead.

Speaking about the 14-year-old accused assailant, the grieving mom said: “It’s crazy. It’s crazy. A young kid,” she said, shaking her head.

“Sometimes you can blame the parents but sometimes you can’t. You don’t know what they’re doing. You cannot blame them. I don’t blame the parents, believe me.

“You know how kids are when they get with other kids.”

Following the arrest of the teenager, who has not been named by authorities, five people are currently in custody being questioned in relation to the incident, writes NJ.com.

It is not yet clear if anyone from the group will face charges but officials claim ‘everybody was captured’ that was involved in the incident.

Donald Trump has provided a bizarre response to the impact his newly-imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico will have on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

President Trump’s presidency so far has been dominated by executive orders, with the 47th POTUS signing off countless tariffs since returning to the White House.

The tariffs have been introduced to tackle what the White House has described as an ‘extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl’.

Countries such as Canada and Mexico have felt the brunt of Trump’s tariffs, creating somewhat of a trade war between the nations.

Meanwhile, Canada is imposing 25 percent tariffs on CA $155 billion of US goods, while Mexico is planning to take similar steps.

Amid the tensions between leaders, the US, Canada, and Mexico are planning to jointly host the 2026 World Cup.

And Trump announced on Friday (March 7) that he is creating a task force to prepare for the summer soccer tournament.

The task force has been set up to oversee logistics and security for the massive sporting event next year, with Trump heading up and vice president JD Vance assisting.

“This order underscores President Trump’s commitment to showcasing national pride, hospitality, and economic opportunity through sports tourism,” the White House said in a press release.

Trump was asked by reporters about hosting the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico with whom they are locked in a trade war, and the president’s response was certainly an interesting one.

“I think it’s going to make it more exciting,” he said. “Tension’s a good thing.”

Eleven cities in the US will host games for the tournament. They are: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Also on Friday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Canada has been ‘ripping us off for years’ and is now considering hitting back with a tariff 10 times harsher than the 25 percent already placed on Canadian products.

It came just a day after offering a one-month reprieve on the initial tax of imported goods.

Speaking of the changes that have been made to the markets after signing off the orders, Trump said: “I’m not even looking at the market.

“A lot of them are globalist … companies that won’t be doing as well because we’re taking back things that have been taken from us years ago. We’ve been treated very unfairly.”

Donald Trump’s penchant for golf is racking up a pricey bill for taxpayers, according to reports – and it turns out there’s an explanation behind the eye-watering sum.

President Trump has been in office for nearly 50 days, and to say it’s been eventful is an understatement.

The Republican president accused President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy of ‘gambling with World War 3’ in an explosive meeting, while his tenure has been dominated by executive order after executive order.

Away from the pressures of the job, the 47th POTUS is known for having a round or two of golf.

Trump is believed to have played golf on 13 of the 48 days his been back in the Oval Office.

And according to an Independent report, this pastime is costing taxpayers an eye-watering sum of money.

According to HuffPost, the US leader has played ten rounds at the private Trump International West Palm Beach and three times at Trump Doral since returning to Washington DC.

Trump Doral is an 800-acre resort east of Miami International Airport, and as for Trump International West Palm Beach, that features a 27-hole golf course just five minutes from the Atlantic Ocean.

The president is a golf lover, there’s no doubt about that – but that is coming at a cost to the taxpayer.

The Washington Post reported in 2019 that his travel to the Sunshine State to play the sport would cost taxpayers $64 million.

Come October 2020, Robert Reich, author and former Labor secretary, calculated that Trump had actually cost taxpayers an eye-watering $141 million.

HuffPost has looked at figures from a Government Accountability Office report published in 2019 to allege the president’s golf trips have probably cost American taxpayers more than $18 million this year.

The reason why Trump’s rounds of golf cost the taxpayer so much is because he is understood to fly to the golf courses in Florida using Air Force One.

And on top of that, you’ve got additional costs incurred by patrolling law enforcement and explosive-sniffing dogs.

Before Trump took office for the first time in January 2017, he pointed out how often Barack Obama would take to the golf course during the Democrat’s time as president.

“We pay for Obama’s travel so he can fundraise millions so Democrats can run on lies. Then we pay for his golf,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump, who has previously described golf as a ‘passion’ rather than a game, owns 12 Trump Golf properties in the United States, two in Scotland, and one in Ireland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A family got one hell of a shock after taking a photograph on the beach only to realize there was an alarming sight in the background sparking an appeal for information.

If there’s one thing you don’t ever want to see while on the beach – or even more so, in the sea – well, there’s a few things I can think of.

However, one family’s photograph from their day out on a beach between Bonbeach and Chelsea in Melbourne, Australia, reveals one of the number one sights which would likely send you running for your towel, fleeing and never visiting the beach again.

SES Chelsea Unit took to Facebook to share the images last year. The images show one photograph, with the second more zoomed in, revealing what appears to be a dad and child playing on the beach, another parent and their child behind, alongside a dog and two men standing further into the water.

Oh and if you hadn’t already spotted, it’s made sure to circle what appears to be a fin lying not far from all the people pictured too.

The caption to the images reads: “As many of you would be aware, yesterday, we posted about a shark sighting, just off the beach, between Bonbeach and Chelsea.

“Well later, we received a message from a family, who follow our page, who were at Carrum Beach, earlier in the morning. It was their little ones first visit to the beach, and the gentleman’s partner grabbed a couple of snaps to record the day.

“Later, when they got home, and looked at the pictures, they noticed something in the shallow water, just behind them, was this our shark?”

SES Chelsea Unit explains that when they saw the pictures, they weren’t ‘sure’ what the sighting was so contacted several places for their opinions.

“They all agree that although they can’t confirm it’s a shark, they can’t say that it’s not,” the post continues. “So, what do you think. The family are very genuine, and in fairness, they’re the first to admit that they’re not sure what they snapped, but they certainly would like to know. So if anyone has any genuine ideas of what it might be, please let us know.”

And it didn’t take long for people to weigh in with suggestions.

One Facebook user said: “Possibly the banjo shark around Stefan’s ankles that same day?”

“Let’s say it’s a 20cm dorsal fin, for size percent based on bronze whaler that’s only a 1.5 – 1.8m shark. If it’s a 30cm dorsal that’s a 2.3 – 2.6m shark which on one that big would be a belly to bottom of dorsal height of about 45cm swimming in 60cm of water. So a 1.8m shark of that species with a fairly slender belly could easily go unnoticed and would have been far too small to take a German Shepard let alone a person,” another added.

However, a third commented: “A dog… it’s a dog.. Ps banjo sharks are not actual sharks, they are a Ray.”

A fourth said: “I mean this is not a small shark, but a baby whale. Shark is not that dark. Something is.”

“It’s the back of someone’s head who is laying down in the shallows,” a fifth theorized.

And a final simply resolved: “Better to be safe than sorry.”