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'A Significant Milestone': State-Of-The-Art Veterans Medical Clinic Opening In Toms River 'A Significant Milestone': State-Of-The-Art Veterans Medical Clinic Opening In Toms River
'A Significant Milestone': State-Of-The-Art Veterans Medical Clinic Opening In Toms River A new medical clinic is about to open for Ocean County veterans, officials said. The new Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Toms River will open on Tuesday, Oct. 22, the VA said in a news release on Thursday, Oct. 9. The center is located at 1051 Hooper Avenue. The state-of-the-art facility will replace the James J. Howard Veterans' Outpatient Clinic in Brick Township, which will close on Monday, Oct. 21. All appointments after that day will be transferred to the Toms River clinic and vets will get new appointment cards with updated information. Ocean …

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by Chris Spiker
Obituaries
College Track Star, Special Toms River Police Officer Dies After Tonsil Surgery College Track Star, Special Toms River Police Officer Dies After Tonsil Surgery
College Track Star, Special Toms River Police Officer Dies After Tonsil Surgery A Toms River police officer who was part of the department since she was a girl died after tonsil surgery, according to a fundraising campaign. Ingrid Rivera-Zuniga, 21, died on Saturday, Oct. 5, her obituary from Horizon Funeral and Cremation Services said. She was a Class I special law enforcement officer with the Toms River Police Department. According to a GoFundMe page, Rivera-Zuniga had a difficult recovery from tonsil surgery. She was hospitalized with meningitis and suffered two strokes. The GoFundMe had raised more than $29,700 from at least 453 donations as of Wednesday, Oct. 9. …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Toms River Arsonist Started Brick Twp. Blaze That Injured Three Firefighters, Prosecutors Say Toms River Arsonist Started Brick Twp. Blaze That Injured Three Firefighters, Prosecutors Say
Toms River Arsonist Started Brick Twp. Blaze That Injured Three Firefighters, Prosecutors Say A Toms River man was accused of intentionally starting a fire in Brick Township, injuring three firefighters, authorities said. Charles Maulbeck, 51, was charged with aggravated arson, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Brick Township police saw smoke and heavy fire at a home on Falkenberg Road on Friday, Sept. 13. Two firefighters were treated and released from a nearby hospital, while a third declined medical attention. Investigators said the fire started in the north side of the home's split basement by someone who used "a…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Toms River Sex Offender Who Assaulted Lost Girl In His SUV To Stay In Jail: Prosecutors Toms River Sex Offender Who Assaulted Lost Girl In His SUV To Stay In Jail: Prosecutors
Toms River Sex Offender Who Assaulted Lost Girl In His SUV To Stay In Jail: Prosecutors A Toms River man accused of sexually assaulting a lost teen will remain in jail, authorities said. A judge ordered 46-year-old Keith Hahn to stay in Ocean County Jail through his trial, county prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, Oct. 8. He was arrested in the case on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Investigators said the 14-year-old girl got lost while she walked along Route 70 in Manchester Township on Sunday, Sept. 29. A man driving a white Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped and talked to her. The girl asked the man to drive her to the animal shelter i…

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by Chris Spiker
News
'Worst Pain Known To Humanity' Once Plaguing Ocean County Woman Now Controlled With Cellphone 'Worst Pain Known To Humanity' Once Plaguing Ocean County Woman Now Controlled With Cellphone
'Worst Pain Known To Humanity' Once Plaguing Ocean County Woman Now Controlled With Cellphone A New Jersey resident who one day woke up and began experiencing the most excruciating pain of her life is now able to manage it through a cell phone, thanks to physicians at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Mary Rice, 42, of Toms River, began experiencing the extreme facial pain one day in January 2018. She described it as electric shocks over her left eye, and almost anything set it off. "Healthcare professionals talk about a 10-point scale of pain with their patients," she said. "My pain was mostly a 10+, off the scale, leaving me unable to do the most simple of tasks and prevent…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Toms River Sex Offender Assaulted Girl Who Needed Ride To Animal Shelter, Prosecutors Say Toms River Sex Offender Assaulted Girl Who Needed Ride To Animal Shelter, Prosecutors Say
Toms River Sex Offender Assaulted Girl Who Needed Ride To Animal Shelter, Prosecutors Say A Toms River man was accused of sexually assaulting a teen who asked him for a ride, authorities said. Keith Hahn, 46, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 1, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, kidnapping, luring, and endangering the welfare of a child. Investigators said the 14-year-old girl got lost while she walked along Route 70 in Manchester Township on Sunday, Sept. 29. A man driving a white Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped and talked to her. The girl a…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Arrest Made In Hit-Run Crash That Left Pedestrian, 25, Critical In Toms River: Police Arrest Made In Hit-Run Crash That Left Pedestrian, 25, Critical In Toms River: Police
Arrest Made In Hit-Run Crash That Left Pedestrian, 25, Critical In Toms River: Police A 60-year-old Toms River man has been charged in connection with a crash that left a 25-year-old man critical earlier this week. Stacy Jordan was heading north on Massachusetts Avenue when it struck the Toms River pedestrian around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, and fled the scene, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Toms River Township Police Department Officer in Charge Peter Sundack said. The pedestrian was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was listed in critical condition. Jordan was identified as a suspect and taken into custody on Friday, S…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Driver Wanted, Pedestrian Critically Injured In Toms River Hit-And-Run: Prosecutors Driver Wanted, Pedestrian Critically Injured In Toms River Hit-And-Run: Prosecutors
Driver Wanted, Pedestrian Critically Injured In Toms River Hit-And-Run: Prosecutors Police were searching for whoever critically injured a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash in Toms River, authorities said. The crash happened near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Mobile Lane at around 9:38 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Investigators said a car was heading north on Massachusetts when it struck a man and left the scene. The pedestrian was rushed to Community Medical Center and was listed in critical but stable condition. The car involved in the hit-and-run is belie…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Louisiana Man Who Traveled To NJ To Sexually Assault Toms River Teen Sentenced: Prosecutors Louisiana Man Who Traveled To NJ To Sexually Assault Toms River Teen Sentenced: Prosecutors
Louisiana Man Who Traveled To NJ To Sexually Assault Toms River Teen Sentenced: Prosecutors A Louisiana man will spend several years in prison after admitting to sexually assaulting a Toms River teen girl, authorities said. Spencer Caudle of Prairieville, LA, was sentenced on Friday, Sept. 20 to seven years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Monday, Sept. 23. The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to a sexual assault charge on Tuesday, Apr. 2. Investigators said Caudle drove about 2,700 miles roundtrip from Louisiana to the Toms River area to have "sexual contact" with the 14-year-old girl on Saturday, May 27, 2023…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Grease Fire On Unattended Stove Displaces 12 From Toms River Apartment: Firefighters Grease Fire On Unattended Stove Displaces 12 From Toms River Apartment: Firefighters
Grease Fire On Unattended Stove Displaces 12 From Toms River Apartment: Firefighters A dozen people were without homes after an apartment caught fire in Toms River, officials said. The fire was in a building at The Willows at Toms River apartment complex on Wednesday, Sept. 18, the township's fire prevention bureau said in a news release. Firefighters responded to 1000 Axl Drive at around 2:23 p.m. The first crews found a small grease fire started on a stove in one unit. The flames spread to the microwave, causing the sprinklers to activate and extinguish most of the fire. The water damage from the sprinklers spread into two other units. The Toms River Building Depart…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say A Jersey Shore bank will pay more than $15 million in a settlement for racially discriminatory lending practices known as redlining, authorities said. OceanFirst Bank agreed to the settlement to resolve the accusations that date back to 2018, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. The Toms River-based bank was accused of redlining in predominantly non-white neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. The $15 million settlement came after the Department of Justice launched its Combating Redlining Initiative in October 2021, aiming to s…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Toms River Woman Sentenced In Roommate's Shower Rod, Tape Dispenser Killing: Prosecutors Toms River Woman Sentenced In Roommate's Shower Rod, Tape Dispenser Killing: Prosecutors
Toms River Woman Sentenced In Roommate's Shower Rod, Tape Dispenser Killing: Prosecutors A Toms River woman will spend at least eight years in prison after admitting to her role in the death of her roommate, a former Manchester High School janitor, authorities said. Mary Carbone, 60, was sentenced on Friday, Sept. 13 to ten years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. She must serve eight-and-a-half years before she's eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act. Carbone pleaded guilty on Monday, July 8 to aggravated manslaughter. She had been indicted for murder in the death of 55-year-old Frank St…

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by Chris Spiker