Macau to Shanghai to Newark, NJ USA

Your itinerary is definitely and undeniably eligible for 144 hour visa free transit in wider Shanghai area. Macau is considered as eligible territory for this purpose in the same way as are sovereign countries. I am just a bit worried because there is no any single direct flight between Shanghai and Newark (EWR) airport, so you should be very careful that your flight Shanghai to Newark does not have a return flight back to Macau or similar.

Also, you should be aware that your flight from Macau to Shanghai has to be a nonstop one. In other words, you are not allowed to have any additional landing within mainland China of any kind beside Shanghai. Have a nice journey.

Thank you! Our plan is a direct flight from Macau to Shanghai and flight home to EWR with a connecting flight in San Francisco

Perfect. You can proceed with your plans because it is definitely eligible for 144 hour visa free transit in wider Shanghai area. Have a nice journey.