In 1988, Jensen's on-air demeanor was brought into question over an incident involving fellow WCBS anchor Bree Walker. After Walker wrapped a report on early detection of birth defects in children, Jensen began asking Walker personal, probing questions about her own deformities, broaching the possibility that Walker's parents might have aborted her had they known about her condition in advance. Shortly after the incident, Jensen, who had a drug habit for many years, sought rehab for depression, alcohol, cocaine, and valium addiction. His depression was related to the loss of his son Randall, a Williams College and Fordham Law graduate, who died in a glider accident in Ellenville, New York, in 1979. He was back at WCBS within a short time and traveled to Israel to cover the Persian Gulf War in 1991.