For the next stop in out State Series™, we’re headed just across the Hudson River to New Jersey. Let’s be real– there are many influential skaters from the Garden State we could have pursued for this installment. After much deliberation, we chose to go with German Nieves. He’s the founder of Paterson, one of our favorite skate brands at the moment, and definitely the only one named after a city in Jersey. That alone tipped the scales. Also, anyone who can do half Cab nosegrinds the hardest way deserves attention on this blog. Here’s German’s list of his top five skaters from his home state of New Jersey.

Fred Gall

I got my first skate magazine in 6th grade because I made some attitude improvements around that time.

She (my mom) knew I liked skateboarding, and Fred Gall was in that mag. He had a sequence on a quarterpipe and it said ‘New Jersey’ in the caption I was like ‘Wow!’ and from then on he was my dude. That was when I first started, I’ve skated my whole life and this guy has a major player in the game since that time. He’s like Ric Flair without the diamonds. I got to know him later in life and took a few trips with him. Fred is one of skateboarding’s icons.

Bobby Puleo

Me and this dude didn't get along when we met. He would come around Andy Bautista's house and I just thought he was a dick. We smoked weed, skated parking garages, and he was the dude I went to the (Brooklyn) Banks with for the first time. Bob brought us around all the good skating and all the cool shit going on in the scene at that time. Nobody can make a 50-50 on a ledge look that good. He also skates the smallest spots and has had some legendary video parts and magazine covers.

Bob definitely influenced my skating without a doubt.

Andy FS flips the hard way, but makes it look easy

Andy Bautista

This guy could skate anything and he could do every trick. I met him at Weasel Brook Park in Clifton, New Jersey when we were 11 years old, where there was a steep pyramid with a slide in the middle – nobody could skate this spot like him. Andy would crush any skatepark or miniramp, just everything. He could do anything anywhere. Bro had a 411 opener – to me thats legendary shit.

I spent a lot of my skate life with Andy. He's definitely one of my favorite people. My dude is hands down top 5 in my book one of the best skaters out of New Jersey.

Brian at Seaport is as classic as it gets

Brian Wenning

I saw this dude nollie crooking every time at the Hoboken ledges, he never missed and he was riding the shittiest board. He made skateboarding look good, it was all there. He was the perfect person for the DC Lynx –Brian Wenning is a New Jersey Legend. Crazy good style and trick selection, and he switch tre’d the stairs at the Banks.

Ishod Wair

I always thought he was a Philly dude, but then I found out – he’s from Jersey! I saw him skate once and I’ve never seen anything like it. Homeboy can skate it all, and there is no question he’s one of the best in the game right now. When I think about the future of skateboarding and who's running shit, Ishod is right there. My favorite footage of him is actually that Instagram clip talking shit about Wade Desarmo, with all the flatground tricks at the SF Island spot. Incredible.

Much respect Ishod! keep going.

STATE SERIES #2: GERMAN NIEVES | NEW JERSEY