New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas and her family were attacked Sunday evening, leading to her son’s death and her husband in critical condition. The high-profile case judge was unharmed in the process but now many are sending their thoughts and prayers their way following the horrific incident. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice reacted to the news regarding Esther, as she served as the judge on Giudice’s case.
“Teresa was very shaken by the news and was very emotional when she heard about it,” Teresa’s attorney James Leonard Jr. said in a statement with PEOPLE, adding that the reality star is “praying very heavily” for Salas and her family. “She called me this morning at 6:30 a.m. and asked if there was any update and I told her I had read online that the son had passed away,” the attorney continued. “She was very emotional when she heard that. She told me that she would be praying very heavily for Judge Salas and her family. This is absolutely devastating.”
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Salas sentenced both Giudice and ex-husband Joe Giudice to prison for their crimes including tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud in late 2014. The former couple were able to serve separate sentences since they share daughters, Gia, 19; Gabriella, 16; Millania, 14 and Audriana, 10. Giudice first served 11 months and was released in December 2015, then Joe served 41 months, reporting in March 2016 and released in March 2019. He was then held in immigration detention center but chose to move back to Italy continuing his appeal as a free man there.
Sunday night, a gunman opened fire on Salas’ New Brunswick home killing her 20-year-old son Daniel Anderl and injuring her husband Mark Anderl. Mark is currently in stable condition and being treated at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick. Anderl was a junior at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.
The shooter suspected of the attack has died of what is believed to be a self inflicted gunshot wound according to CNN. At the time of the shooting, the gunman was dressed in a Federal Express uniform, although it’s unclear at this time whether they were an employee or someone posing as a worker. “We are aware of the media reports and are fully cooperating with investigating authorities,” Jonathan Lyons, a spokesperson for FedEx said in an email statement. Something else that’s unclear at this time is who the target was, although it’s reported that the 51-year-old federal judge has received death threats recently.
