Judge whose son was killed in ambush at their home describes how 'monster' tracked her down

After fatal shooting of Daniel Anderl while protecting his father, Judge Esther Salas demands stronger privacy protections for federal judges

A federal judge whose son was killed and whose husband was injured after an "anti-feminist" lawyer opened fire inside their New Jersey home is calling for stronger privacy protections to "make it hard for those who target us to track us down".

The video statement from US District Judge Esther Salas arrived two weeks after a man wearing a FedEx uniform killed her 20-year-old son Daniel Anderl and critically injured her husband Mark Anderl at their home.

"In my case, the monster knew where I lived and what church we attended and had a complete dossier on me and my family," she said. "At the moment there is nothing we can do to stop it, and that is unacceptable. My son's death cannot be in vain, which is why I am begging those in power to do something to help my brothers and sisters on the bench."

The suspect, Roy Den Hollander, was a self-described "men's rights" supporter who had unsuccessfully challenged the Violence Against Women Act and published dozens of pages of sexist writings on his website.

He also was connected to the killing of another men's rights activist in California.

Federal law enforcement said he is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following the shooting in North Brunswick on 19 July.

The family was cleaning their home after Judge Salas' son had recently celebrated his 20th birthday when the doorbell rang.

"Before I could say a word, he sprinted upstairs," she said in an emotional nine-minute video. "Within seconds, I heard the sound of bullets and someone screaming, 'No!'"

Mark Anderl was shot three times – once in the chest, once in the abdomen and once in the arm.

"Daniel, being Daniel, protected his father, and he took the shooter's first bullet directly to the chest," she said. "The monster then turned his attention to my husband and began to shoot at my husband, one shot after another."

Mark Anderl remains hospitalised. Law enforcement believes the judge – who was in the basement at the time – was the intended target in the attack.

"We are living every parent's worst nightmare – making preparations to bury our only child," Judge Salas said. "My family has experienced a pain that no one should ever have to endure. And I am here asking everyone to help me ensure that no one ever has to experience this kind of pain. We may not be able to stop something like this from happening again, but we can make it hard for those who target us to track us down."

She said that while her job involves "making tough calls" that are likely to upset people, judges should not have to "live in fear" knowing their personal information, including home addresses, is publicly available.