The next, he was being hailed as an unsung hero for calling in a tip to law enforcement authorities that led them to foil an alleged plot to kill soldiers at Fort Dix.

Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate honored Morgenstern for his courage and sense of civic responsibility.

"He did the right thing," said Sen. John H. Adler (D., Cherry Hill), who sponsored the resolution. "He's not done doing the right thing."

Adler said Morgenstern would be testifying in the trial for the five remaining defendants in the Fort Dix Six. Jury selection for the trial is scheduled to start in September.

Now 24, Morgenstern said the turn of events that began in 2006 when he saw, and then reported to authorities, a videotape showing men firing machine guns and shouting in Arabic has had a dramatic impact on his life.

He still lives at home with his parents, Lynn and Irwin, in Camden County, and continues to work part time at Circuit City.

But in January, Morgenstern returned to school at Rutgers, where he is studying computer science and criminal justice. Lynn Morgenstern asked that the campus not be named, for her son's protection.

He hopes to pursue a career in law enforcement, computers or both, and is hoping for an internship in government.

"The events have opened my eyes," Morgenstern said, noting that before the Fort Dix episode, he didn't have a clear idea what direction his life should take. "This has helped me align my priorities."

Morgenstern's parents, who accompanied Morgenstern to the Senate yesterday along with his girlfriend, are proud of their son and happy he has returned to school.

"He stepped up and did the right thing," Lynn Morgenstern said.

Brian Morgenstern said people were very appreciative of what he had done, sending letters to him through Circuit City, for example.

But he still has a hard time seeing himself as a hero.

"I feel like I did what I needed to do, but I don't think it was particularly heroic," he said.