Remembering Daniel Anderl

Too much bloodshed has been spilled and Americans senselessly taken arising from workplace violence, including truly innocent lives.

20-year-old Daniel Anderl was at home with his parents in North Brunswich, New Jersey. The doorbell rang one quiet Sunday evening last summer. Daniel went to answer it.

As he did, Daniel could have never known that a disgruntled attorney upset with his mother, United States District Court Judge Esther Salas, was standing on the other side posing as a delivery person with a gun in his hand.

Shots rang out. Daniel and his father, attorney Mark Anderl fell to the ground, wounded.

Fortunately, Mark survived. Daniel, tragically, did not.

Following a manhunt, the shooter was found dead in his car hours later in nearby New York state, with information suggesting he had also targeted New York state Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.

"Daniel's Law" signed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in November 2020, makes it a crime to publish the personal information of New Jersey judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers. The statute is named after Daniel to honor his memory.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that at least 2,000,000 Americans are the victims of workplace violence each year, with many cases going unreported.

For information on workplace violence mitigation, please contact the WVPI at info@workplaceviolencepreventioninstitute.org.