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Police say the incident started when the woman started talking to a mail carrier about late-arriving mail, and she started shouting racial slurs when approached by a neighbor.

A new "Karen" in NJ, who went on a disgustingly racist tirade, is the last straw for an elected official who says it's time to stop excusing this behavior ... and she's calling for an investigation.

Tameka Bordeaux posted this video of her encounter with an elderly woman in Bayonne, NJ -- the woman hurled n-word after n-word as she followed Tameka down a street. Tameka captioned the video with, "The racism I had to endure walking to the store. 2021 started with a bang. Thank god for my neighbors."

At one point, a man stepped in to berate the older woman, saying ... "Why do you keep following her?" and points the opposite way while saying, "Go that way."

The video caught the attention of NJ Assemblywoman Angela McKnight who is calling for an investigation into the incident. McKnight said, "This behavior is becoming so common now that we simply refer to these racist people as 'Karen' and let it go. I can’t just do that."

She added, "This matter needs to be investigated for sure but regardless of the outcome of the investigation, one thing for certain is that Tameka was incredibly wronged today."

McKnight was also alarmed at the number of people defending the behavior. As she put it, "To read the comments of some white people now making an excuse or defense for this behavior is alarming and gets us to the real problem of this systemic situation."

The white police officer who shot Jacob Blake -- an unarmed Black man -- at point-blank range seven times won't be criminally charged ... and neither will any of the other cops involved.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael D. Graveley announced his decision Tuesday, saying Kenosha PD officer Rusten Sheskey would NOT be charged for shooting Blake in August during an attempted arrest.

Graveley explained his decision, saying that after careful review and investigation ... officials simply couldn't find a law he'd broken under the circumstances. D.A. Graveley basically chalked his decision up to self-defense, and it was necessary for Officer Sheskey to use lethal force to stop Jacob from potentially harming him (Sheskey) or others.

According to Wisconsin law, that decision is based on a reasonable belief that Jacob might've done any of that if Sheskey hadn't acted ... and Graveley explains that in their state, that belief falls under the discretion of said officer, who has to make a snap decision.

Graveley goes on to explain that if prosecutors were to go after Sheskey, the burden would be on them in court to disprove a need for self-defense ... which he suggests would've been a losing battle in this case.

He also mentioned this ... Jacob Blake won't face any new criminal charges stemming from this incident either.

Remember, Sheskey, a 7-year vet, chased Blake down as he walked away from him and refused to obey orders to halt. The officer pursued around the other side of his SUV, and when Blake tried opening the door ... Sheskey opened fire into his back from around two feet away. He unloaded seven shots, and somehow Blake survived.

He wasn't unscathed though ... Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down, and spent a good amount of time recovering in the hospital. He's now undergoing spinal cord rehab and has since gained some upper body strength as he navigates his painful new life situation.

Blake's shooting sparked renewed racial justice protests across the country, and it seems like authorities are ramping up for the second wave of unrest. Just this week, Wisconsin's governor, Tony Evers, mobilized 500 National Guard troops to help local law enforcement.

Kenosha's Common Council passed a resolution to enforce a pre-emptive curfew for up to 8 days after Graveley's announcement. There are other measures going into effect too ... reduced bus service, road closures, designated spaces for demonstrations, concrete barricades and fences going up to protect certain buildings ... and, of course, businesses are boarding up.

A renowned Harvard physicist has a bold theory -- a celestial object that hurled through our solar system in 2017 was actually not of our galaxy ... but from another, perhaps light-years away.

Avi Loeb -- whose new book, "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth," delves more into his hypothesis -- came on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to explain why a massive, sleek unidentified piece of debris that crossed our path in 2017 might've been other-worldly.

Check it out ... Avi says when it was studied by physicists and other scientists at the time, it had none of the makings of a typical asteroid or meteor that we would see from a distant star in the Milky Way. On the contrary, he explains that it was actually propelled by an unknown source, and appears (to him, anyway) to have pierced through from a faraway place.

The Chairman of the Harvard Astronomy Dept. goes on to break down how he and his contemporaries think the object was catching flight ... it's a technology that's beyond our grasp at this point, but one that could describe how the 100-yard entity moved how it did. Think 'Star Wars' hyperspace ... and now, add light to the mix. That's pretty much what Avi believes happened here.

As for what exactly it could be ... Avi's said it might be nothing more than space junk. But, whose space junk is the key question. In his eyes, it ain't ours ... which is extraordinary.

Ever seen a dunk so vicious it broke the backboard AND earned love from the game's ref?!?

Now you have ... 'cause Texas high school basketball star Tyler Stone did just that mid-game Saturday -- and the video is INSANE!!!

The scene all played out in Joshua H.S.'s game against Ennis H.S. in the Dallas-Fort Worth area ... when 6'3" Stone got the ball on a breakaway.

You can see in the clip, the senior guard rose up quickly to try to score before the two defenders chasing him could get to the hoop ... and what happened next was wild!

Stone slammed the ball through the rim so hard, it shattered the glass backboard -- raining shards all over the floor!!!

The crowd in the gym went from elated, to stunned, to downright raucous ... and the play was so cool, even the ref slapped hands with Stone afterward!!!

Don't worry ... nobody was hurt by the raining glass -- and seems officials were able to replace the hoop no problem, 'cause the game went on without a hitch.

A veteran who was haunted by a mischievous deed of his youth finally did the right thing almost half a century later, returning a sword to its rightful owner ... which happens to be a statue.

The guy's identity is being shielded by Cindy Gaylord -- the head of Westfield, MA's historical commission ... who granted him anonymity and allowed him to return it to her under what seems to be a free pass, seeing how sorry he apparently was for taking it 40 years ago.

You heard that right ... a whole 40 YEARS. Apparently, this fella told Gaylord he took the bronze sword in 1980, back in his college days after a night of drinking. He and his buddies went out to the park where a statue of Revolutionary War hero Gen. William Shepard stood ... and this vet proceeded to pry the weapon out of Billy's sculpted hands with brute force.

The next morning, he told her they realized what they'd done ... and ended up keeping the damn thing to avoid punishment. The sword was replaced by a local craftsman and funded by a private donor. Now, it looks like Gen. Shepard has two swords at his disposal.

Not really, though ... the original is said to be headed to a museum somewhere, where it'll be preserved and probably put on display. As for the vet who did this ... Gaylord says he felt a great deal of shame and remorse and says he felt bad taking another soldier's weaponry.

Miya Ponsetto, the SoHo Karen who falsely accused a black teen of stealing her iPhone and then attacked him, went wild on cops when she was arrested last year for DUI.

As we reported, Mia and her mom, Nicole, were charged with another crime last year which involved being drunk in public -- more on that in a minute. But, THE DAY AFTER Miya was charged, cops spotted her in Malibu driving erratically and pulled her over.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Miya copped to being in an altered state, saying she had taken a Xanax and had some wine. Cops asked her to step out of her Range Rover, and that's when the craziness began.

We're told when she got out, cops said they wanted to perform a field sobriety test, which she flat out refused and cops say she was downright belligerent. Our sources say cops tried slapping handcuffs on her, but she resisted and they then took her to the ground.

At that point, cops say Miya threw a tantrum, kicking the ground, thrashing her body and even knocking her head on the pavement.

As we reported, she was taken to jail and booked for DUI. She pled no contest and received 3 years probation, 30 hours of community service and she's required to take a 9-month alcohol/drug counseling program.

As you know, Miya was at a fancy NYC hotel last month when she realized she didn't have her iPhone and immediately zeroed in on the 14-year-old son of Grammy-winning musician, Keyon Harold, who was holding an iPhone, accusing the child of stealing her phone. She attacked Keyon Jr. and New York cops now want to talk to her.

Turns out she seems to have issues with hotels, because early last year she and her mom were at the Peninsula hotel in Bev Hills where employees asked them in vain to leave after they appeared inebriated. The cops came, Miya's mom, Nicole, allegedly pushed and kicked an officer. The mom was arrested for battery on an officer and being drunk in public. Miya was arrested for being drunk in public as well. They pled not guilty and have a hearing next month.

Miya Ponsetto is doing a really bad job at laying low in her hometown, because she's been out and about ... and not without controversy.

The 22-year-old -- who falsely accused Keyon Harrold's teenage son of stealing her phone -- has surfaced in her SoCal neighborhood, where on Sunday ... her mother called the cops on a few paps who were looking to snap some shots and get interviews with the latest 'Karen.'

Check out these photos ... it's Nicole Ponsetto pulling over on the side of the road and speaking with officers, whom we're told then came over and talked to the paps to figure out what was going on. The cops apparently determined things were on the up and up, so they left.

That's where things get interesting ... one of the paps who spoke to cops said an officer told him Nicole had said they were wasting their time because Miya had left town. Nicole drove off ... alone. Thing is ... around a half-hour later, Miya and her mom pulled up into their driveway. You can see Nicole facing off with paps, who filmed from a distance.

As we reported, the NYPD and the paparazzi, are looking to talk to Miya about her SoHo altercation.

Since leaving NYC, Miya's been spotted in and around Ventura County ... she even had a quick walk-and-a-talk with a photographer a couple days ago on her way outta Mickey D's.

The cameraman asks her point-blank ... does she regret what she did to 14-year-old Keyon Jr. -- namely alleging he'd stolen her phone only to have returned to her from someone else later. Watch ... her answer (or non-answer) is telling -- doesn't sound like she's remorseful.

In fact, Miya even goes so far as to say that she doesn't "know what the problem is here" and adds that she's 22 herself, almost as if that justifies anything. She also points out that she's of Puerto Rican descent without being asked ... again, almost like a cop-out.

She finally ends the interview and slams her car door -- the photog asked all the right questions (including whether she's aware that the NYPD would like a word) but Miya doesn't offer much on that front. She drives off in the same Range Rover as the one Sunday.

In any case ... Miya and her mom are far from out of the woods when it comes to legal woes. As we told you, she and her mother were arrested last year for an incident at the Peninsula in Bev Hills ... one in which her mom allegedly attacked a cop. Both were charged for being drunk in public, while Miya's mother was also charged with battery on an officer.

The Black teenager who was falsely accused of stealing a woman's phone is now in need of therapy because the incident has seriously scarred him ... this according to his parents.

Keyon Harrold tells TMZ ... he and his ex-wife, Kat, are currently vetting therapists and looking to get their son -- 14-year-old Keyon Jr. -- into trauma therapy soon. Keyon (the dad) tells us his son is seriously traumatized ... and a lot has to do with Miya Ponsetto immediately zeroing in on him.

Keyon Jr. asked his dad a simple question that unearths lots of serious issues, including self-doubt ... "Why Me?"

Keyon says he's raised his son to become a proud, Black man, saying, "I have tried to instill dignity in my son. I'm trying to build his ego, because for so long egos of Black men have been shattered."

Keyon feels without professional help, his mission may be torpedoed by Ponsetto's vicious attack on his son. His dad tells us, "He wonders if he's good enough to own an iPhone, or whether he's out of place at a nice hotel." That, Keyon says, must immediately be nipped in the bud.

There's also a practical problem. Both parents are musicians and travel a lot, which means they stay at hotels quite a bit. Keyon says his son is now showing fear about going to hotels. Keyon Jr. has told his dad he's afraid someone will come from behind and tackle him. He's also afraid of being accused of a crime. In fact, he told his dad the day of the incident he felt like a criminal.

Keyon's handling it with broad strokes ... "You definitely belong, everywhere you go."

By the way ... long before the incident, Keyon and his son have talked about social justice issues, and the tragedies of Emmett Till, Michael Brown, George Floyd, and on and on.

As if Nashville hasn't had enough chaos descend upon it lately, here's two doofuses causing even more of a panic by jumping off a hotel rooftop bar to ring in the new year.

This wild incident went down Friday at the Grand Hyatt in downtown -- not too far from where Anthony Warner blew himself to smithereens just a few days prior. Two men were spotted standing on a ledge with parachute backpacks on ... then, took a leap of faith.

Check out the video ... you can see worried guests tell them they're not allowed to do that, but these clowns continue on anyway. When it becomes clear they're jumping -- and then actually do it -- people freak out and start screaming, including the camerawoman.

Miraculously, their chutes open ... and the two BASE jumpers glide down above the Nashville streets. They eventually landed safely in a nearby parking lot, where they got into a waiting car and drove off without a trace. Cops are looking to talk to them now.

Now, as for who they might be, it's still a mystery. The hotel has come out and said they were, in fact, guests staying there ... and they've now been banned. Apparently, there's surveillance footage the hotel has turned over to MNPD.

The Nashville bomber, Anthony Warner, was just as out there as people might've suspected -- because authorities now say he sent letters full of kooky ideas days before detonating.

Warner sent a number of letters and videos to friends and acquaintances all over the country on Dec. 23 -- two days before his RV exploded in downtown -- with bizarre writings about everything from aliens to lizard people, 9/11 and the moon landing and everything in between ... this according to CBS News, citing law enforcement officials.

Apparently, Warner sent several packages without return addresses -- which contained upwards of nine pages of typed-out text, plus a couple of thumb drives with videos.

One such letter begins, "Hey Dude, You will never believe what I found in the park." Warner continues, "The knowledge I have gained is immeasurable. I now understand everything, and I mean everything from who/what we really are, to what the known universe really is."

He goes on to say there are too many anomalies to count as it relates to 9/11 and the moon landing, adding a theory about the Earth being under active attack by aliens since at least 2011 ... something he claims the government is covering up.

And, then ... there's the lizard people, whom Warner supposedly thinks walk among us -- and control things. He reportedly writes, "They put a switch into the human brain so they could walk among us and appear human." Warner also signed some of these letters as "Julio."

Friends of his have said that's a name he'd gone by, but neighbors also pointed out that his dog was named Julio. His dog may have died in the explosion, because animal remains were also recovered at the bomb site ... in addition to tissues connected to Warner.

Donald Trump has no shame when it comes to grousing that he's not getting the credit and praise others are getting in the COVID fight, and it seems the person who pisses him off most is one Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Trump unloaded Sunday on Twitter, saying ... "Something how Dr. Fauci is revered by the LameStream Media as such a great professional, having done, they say, such an incredible job, yet he works for me and the Trump Administration, and I am in no way given any credit for my work. Gee, could this just be more Fake News?"

Ok ... a few points to consider

1.  Tony Fauci is a DOCTOR who has been the leader in infectious diseases for decades.  Trump never spent a day diagnosing anything, because he has no medical training.

2.  Dr. Fauci has been a leader in urging mask-wearing and social distancing. Trump has undermined the effort, inspired millions of others to flaunt precautionary measures and is responsible for an untold number of COVID infections as a result.

3.  Fauci has walked the walk, celebrating holidays and other occasions at home without much of his family. Trump has held super-spreader events for friends, family and strangers.

4.  Fauci has carefully advised the nation about therapies and vaccines. Trump has mused about drinking bleach to combat the virus.

5.  Fauci's actions have made him COVID-free. Trump got the virus, along with his wife, child and God knows how many other White House staffers.

In short ... that's why Trump hasn't gotten the credit Fauci has.

Fauci has been the leading voice on infectious viruses for decades, far beyond Trump's presidency.

He's been beloved for sharing the cold-hard facts in an easy to understand manner.

The woman who attacked a black teen after falsely accusing him of stealing her iPhone seems to have a penchant for creating disturbances in hotels, because she was arrested for one back in February.

Miya Ponsetto is now in the crosshairs of authorities for her antics in an NYC hotel, and TMZ has learned she also caused quite a fuss -- allegedly -- at the Peninsula hotel in Bev Hills back in February.

Miya and her mom, Nicole apparently wore out their welcome when Peninsula staff ordered them to leave, but they refused. Law enforcement sources tell us, someone from the hotel called police, told them the women looked drunk and refused to leave ... so Beverly Hills cops showed up to handle the situation.

Our law enforcement sources say when they arrived and tried to get Miya and Nicole to leave, Nicole allegedly pushed and kicked a cop. Both women were arrested ... Nicole for battery on a police officer and being drunk in public. While Miya was arrested for being drunk in public. They have a court hearing later this month.

Now get this ... the L.A. County District Attorney charged both women on May 27, 2020.  The very next day, Miya was arrested again, this time for drunk driving. She pled no contest and was sentenced to 3 years probation, 30 hours of community service and she must take a 9-month alcohol/drug counseling program.

As for the phone incident -- in case you don't know turns out she left her phone in an Uber -- seems Miya has a thing for phones -- her Etsy page is littered with custom phone cases she favors. Even if she's obsessed with phones, it's no reason to flip out on 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr., New York authorities are considering serious charges against her.

Just a day after Minneapolis cops shot and killed Dolal Idd, his family's home was raided ... and there's new body cam video showing the tense scene inside the home.

Idd was shot and killed during a traffic stop last Wednesday, after he shot at officers. He was a suspect in a felony.

Hours later, just after 2 AM the next day, cops served a search warrant on the family home. You see in the video, cops zip tied family members as they searched the home.

BTW ... it's significant this was a "knock and announce" warrant ... which became the central issue in the Breonna Taylor case. The police clearly ID'd themselves in the Idd case, screaming "Police search warrant! Let me see your hands" just before entering the house.

A woman inside the house pleads, "I have small children." She mentions one of the kids is a special needs child. At one point you see one of the cops carry a small child who appeared to have been hiding in the stairwell.

One of the deputies orders a colleague, "Make sure the 18-year-old male is cuffed behind his back."

It got extremely tense as time went on, with one of the occupants calling the cops "racist bitches."

It's unclear what, if anything, was seized from the home.

As for Dolal Idd's death, body cam video was released which, when slowed down, appears to show Idd fired a shot from inside his car, shattering the window before cops opened fire.

Zelene Blancas, the teacher who touched the hearts of millions after posting a video of her students hugging each other, has died of COVID.

Zelene taught Spanish at the Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary School in El Paso and was on a path to becoming a bilingual special ed teacher.

She gained national -- even worldwide -- attention back in 2018, after posting a video of students leaving for a weekend break. As they left, they hugged one and another in a showing of caring and love that produced 23 million views.

Zelene tested positive for coronavirus in late October and ended up in the hospital shortly after her diagnosis. She spent nearly 2 months in ICU and when things became financially desperate last month, her brother set up a GoFundMe account on her behalf.

She died Monday from COVID complications.

Her death affected much of El Paso. In addition to teaching, Zelene taught evening literacy classes to parents. During the pandemic, she delivered food and other items to the homes of some of her students.

Zelene was 35.

Andre Hill, the black man who was shot and killed by a Columbus, Ohio cop, lay dying for a full 10 minutes before he received ANY first aid from officers ... this based on newly-released body cam video.

In an horrific scene .... you see 47-year-old Hill laying partly inside an open garage as cops hover around him. They don't give him first aid, but they do walk over and handcuff him and then wait a full 10 minutes before doing chest compressions.

Hill was unarmed, and you hear a woman inside the house who comes out and says, "He was bringing me Christmas money. He didn't do anything." One of the cops orders her back inside the house.

As for why Officer Adam Coy, a 19-year veteran of the force, shot and killed Hill ... Coy saw Hill enter an open garage. Coy asked Hill to come out of the garage, but according to another cop who was on scene did not command him to come out with hands up. The observing officer says she saw Hill raise one hand with a cellphone in it. Coy screamed, "There's a gun in his other hand, there's a gun in his other hand" and then Coy shot Hill.

There was no gun in Hill's other hand or anywhere else. He was unarmed.

Coy and the other officer did not turn on their body cams before the shooting, which is a violation of department policy. But, the body cams have a feature that captures the minute before they're turned on, and that's why the shooting was captured on video, although muted.

As for the new body cam video, it's all post-shooting. We have not put the full video in this post, but there's a full 10 minutes when cops do nothing to help the dying man.

Coy has been fired for violating department policy by failing to turn on his body cam and also failing to render first aid.

Gotta hand it to Florida in 2021 ... it never disappoints.

Just one hour into the New Year, a massive fight erupts in downtown Sarasota, and it doesn't seem coincidental it's right next to a brewery. The video begins with a skinny guy in a fake Versace shirt taking a fighting stance. The skinny dude tries looking tough ... dancing around as if he's ready to trade blows.

Well, he gets more than he bargains for, because another guy punches him, knocking him back against a car. Then, another guy from the group lends a hand and sucker punches him.

And then ... a guy hovers over the dude and literally uses his face as a punching bag, striking him more than a dozen times.

Another fight then breaks out nearby, and eventually cops come to break it all up.

The Sarasota Police Watch Commander tells TMZ, cops responded to 2 separate fights. In each fight, one person went to the hospital, although no one was seriously injured.