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What does an Amber alert mean? Here’s why N.J. phones buzzed on Sunday afternoon


Your phone starts buzzing and tells you that an Amber alert has been issued. Or you see signs on the highway that bring one to your attention. In New Jersey, one went out on Sunday afternoon for brothers Jamarcus Russell, 11 and Jaquan Russell, 8, and their sister, Jasmine Russell, 9.

They are believed to have been abducted by their father, Travis E. Russell, 36, who made threats against their welfare after he assaulted their mother and her new boyfriend, according to the alert.

It is the first time the Amber alert system has been deployed in New Jersey since last September, when Dulce Maria Alavez, a 5-year-old girl, went missing from a playground in Bridgeton.

What are Amber alerts?

Amber alerts, also known as child abduction emergency alerts, are messages distributed by a child abduction alert system to ask the public to help find abducted children.

How did they come into effect?

Officially, AMBER is an acronym for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response,” but it was originally named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old from Texas who was murdered after being abducted in 1996.

How do Amber alerts work

Amber alerts are distributed by commercial and public radio stations, internet radio, satellite radio, TV stations, text messages and cable TV by the Emergency Alert System and NOAA Weather Radio. Emails, electric traffic signs, commercial billboards and SMS text message alerts are used as well.

Police organizations that investigate child abductions decide if an Amber alert will be declared. The alert typically features the name and description of the abductee, a description of the suspected abductor and a description and license plate number for the abductor’s vehicle if available.

The latest New Jersey Amber alert came on the afternoon of Sunday, March 15, starting around 4:15 p.m. The alert said that Travis Russell was seen driving a silver 2017 Nissan Altima, with New Jersey plate H53MCS, on I-295 South in Delaware around 3:15 p.m.

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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