Top New Jersey Republican Lawmaker Dies The top Republican in the New Jersey Assembly collapsed and died on Monday night at the end of an extended legislative session, prompting Gov. Chris Christie, a close friend, to postpone his State of the State address, which he had been scheduled to deliver Tuesday afternoon. Assemblyman Alex DeCroce, 75, was pronounced dead inside a men's room at the Statehouse in Trenton at about 11 p.m., after completing a long day of meetings and votes. Mr. DeCroce had represented parts of Morris County for 23 years. Mr. Christie, who appeared visibly shaken, went to the Statehouse at around midnight and hugged distraught lawmakers. "I have known Alex for nearly twenty years," Mr. Christie said in a statement. He was one of the most kind, considerate, and trustworthy people I have ever had the pleasure to know. He was an enormously accomplished legislator and a tremendous servant to the people of New Jersey. The Associated Press contributed reporting.