Verona, Cedar Grove Excluded From NJ 'Safest Communities' List

Verona and Cedar Grove were excluded from a study released this week ranking the top 50 safest communities in New Jersey because their populations did not meet the mandatory threshold.

In the study published Monday, Safewise.com analyzed data from the FBI's 2011 "Crime in the U.S. Report" and ranked what it considered the top 50 safest towns with 15,000 residents or more.

According to U.S. Census data, Verona has population of approximately 13,000; and Cedar Grove has about 12,000 residents.

The safest big town in the Garden State, according to the study, is Bergen County's Mahwah Township. Rounding out the list at No. 50 is Hazlet Township in Monmouth County.

The only Essex County municipality to be included in the list was Nutley Township, which came in at No. 40.