New Jersey § 2c:5-1

§ 2c:5-1.

a. Definition of attempt. A person is guilty of an attempt to commit a crime if, acting with the kind of culpability

otherwise required for commission of the crime, he: (1) Purposely engages in conduct which would constitute the crime if the attendant

circumstances were as a reasonable person would believe them to be; (2) When causing a particular result is an element of the crime, does or omits to

do anything with the purpose of causing such result without further conduct on his

part; or (3) Purposely does or omits to do anything which, under the circumstances as a reasonable

person would believe them to be, is an act or omission constituting a substantial

step in a course of conduct planned to culminate in his commission of the crime. b. Conduct which may be held substantial step under subsection a. (3). Conduct shall not be held to constitute a substantial step under subsection a. (3)

of this section unless it is strongly corroborative of the actor's criminal purpose. c. Conduct designed to aid another in commission of a crime. A person who engages in conduct designed to aid another to commit a crime which

would establish his complicity under section 2C:2-6 if the crime were committed by such other person, is guilty of an attempt to commit

the crime, although the crime is not committed or attempted by such other person. d. Renunciation of criminal purpose. When the actor's conduct would otherwise constitute an attempt under subsection

a. (2) or (3) of this section, it is an affirmative defense which he must prove by

a preponderance of the evidence that he abandoned his effort to commit the crime or

otherwise prevented its commission, under circumstances manifesting a complete and

voluntary renunciation of his criminal purpose. The establishment of such defense does not, however, affect the liability of an

accomplice who did not join in such abandonment or prevention. Within the meaning of this chapter, renunciation of criminal purpose is not voluntary

if it is motivated, in whole or in part, by circumstances, not present or apparent

at the inception of the actor's course of conduct, which increase the probability

of detection or apprehension or which make more difficult the accomplishment of the

criminal purpose. Renunciation is not complete if it is motivated by a decision to postpone the criminal

conduct until a more advantageous time or to transfer the criminal effort to another

but similar objective or victim. Renunciation is also not complete if mere abandonment is insufficient to accomplish

avoidance of the offense in which case the defendant must have taken further and affirmative

steps that prevented the commission thereof.