New Jersey names March 9 Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day to honor retired FBI agent
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s governor on Tuesday signed a resolution designating March 9 as Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day in the state, honoring retired FBI special agent Robert A. Levinson and drawing attention to Americans held abroad against their will.
“Along with Sarah Moriarty, Robert’s daughter and a constituent in my district, I’m pleased to see New Jersey leading the way in bringing attention to those Americans held abroad against their will, and their families here at home,” Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-Morris, Sussex, Warren) said. “Sarah has been a tireless advocate for families of American hostages and those who have been wrongfully detained overseas, so it’s wonderful to know her work has paid off in honor of her father and all those wrongfully detained or held hostage.”
The federal government has maintained that Iran sanctioned Levinson’s abduction from Kish Island, Iran, on March 9, 2007, according to the statement. Levinson was on what the statement described as an unofficial CIA intelligence-gathering mission focused on Iran’s nuclear program. Levinson, who would be 77 this year, is considered the longest-held hostage in U.S. history.
As of October 2025, the federal government believed nearly 50 Americans were being held hostage or wrongfully detained in at least 13 countries, though exact numbers can be difficult to confirm, the statement said.
The measure follows a federal proclamation championed by Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) in 2023 and highlighted by President Donald Trump in March, according to the statement. It said New Jersey is the first state to recognize the day and fly its flag. Sen. Parker Space sponsored the Senate version of the resolution.
The statement also noted that the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Flag — designed by families of hostages and wrongful detainees — is flown above the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the State Department each year on March 9, Flag Day, Independence Day, and whenever an American hostage returns home.
