DeCroce, 75, the leader of the Republican minority in the Legislature's lower house, reportedly collapsed in a hallway between the Assembly chamber and his caucus's offices at nearly 11:30 p.m. Efforts to revive him by first responders, assisted by Assemblyman Herb Conaway, a doctor, were unsuccessful.  Stunned lawmakers and staffers stood mostly silent and milled around the vestibule and stairs by the Democratic and Republican caucuses' offices absorbing the news. A short time after midnight, Gov. Chris Christie arrived, hugged Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, and the group walked into the Senate Democrats' office. About a half-hour later, Christie headed to his office.  "Tonight I lost a dear friend, colleague and mentor — Assembly Republican Leader Alex De Croce," Christie said in a prepared statement released at 1:30 a.m.  "I have known Alex for nearly 20 years," the governor said. "He helped to give me my start in elective politics in Morris County in 1993. 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.  "Mary Pat and I offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Department of Community Affairs Deputy Commissioner Betty Lou De Croce, and to Alex's entire family," Christie said. "This is an enormous loss for our state and for me personally."  Oliver and incoming Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald, D-Camden, later issued a joint statement on DeCroce's passing.  "The Assembly and the state of New Jersey has been struck by a terrible and shocking loss. Alex DeCroce was a friend, colleague and leader. He was a dedicated public servant. He was a true New Jerseyan," the statement read. "He was always someone ready with a handshake and a laugh, no matter the circumstance, and his devotion to the people of New Jersey was unwavering. The Assembly has lost one of its great institutions. His absence will never be filled. We are saddened beyond words. We grieve his loss and know that the prayers and condolences of the entire New Jersey General Assembly are with his friends and family."  Lawmakers will take the oath of office to begin the new term today at noon, which is required by the New Jersey Constitution, but there will not be a formal ceremony.  The Assembly had expected thousands of guests at its ceremony at the Trenton War Memorial, and the Senate was planning to move its ceremony to the larger Assembly chamber. Instead each house will hold a small, informal swearing-in in their regular chambers.  "No speeches, no pomp and circumstance, beyond maybe bagpipes and some prayers," said Tom Hester Jr., the Assembly Democrats' spokesman. "… Nothing at the War Memorial. People who were invited to the War Memorial should not go there tomorrow."  Christie is expected to make brief remarks to the Legislature in the Assembly chamber at 1 p.m. but not deliver the scheduled State of the State address.  The New Jersey Constitution requires the governor to "communicate to the Legislature, by message at the opening of each regular session … the condition of the State." Conceivably, Christie could deliver a message on paper to meet the requirement.  DeCroce, of Parsippany-Troy Hills, was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Assembly in January 1989, then won election to the seat 11 times. He has been minority leader since 2003 and was scheduled to be sworn in for another term in that position at reorganization ceremonies today.  Before becoming the Republicans' leader in the Assembly, DeCroce has made his mark on the transportation committee as its chairman when the GOP controlled the Legislature in the 1990s. He sponsored laws that renewed the state's Transportation Trust Fund and dedicated gasoline taxes for construction projects.  DeCroce was a Morris County freeholder from 1984 to 1989. He is president of Gallo-DeCroce Inc., a Parsippany real estate firm he founded with Dean Gallo, a former congressman who had also served as the state Assembly's minority leader. He is a graduate of Boonton High School and attended Seton Hall University.  The assemblyman's wife, Betty Lou, has been employed by Christie's administration since 2010 as deputy commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs. She is a former municipal clerk in Roxbury Township.
The New Jersey Assembly's top Republican leader has died at the Statehouse on the final day of the legislative session.