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Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors A Plumsted Township man was accused of intentionally starting two fires in Ocean County, authorities said. Edward Petroni, 41, was charged on Monday, Mar. 4 with two counts of aggravated arson, burglary, and two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. The charges come from two fires in Plumsted and Jackson townships on Friday, Mar. 1. First responders were called to what was described as a "shed fire" near Maple Avenue and Brown Road in Plumsted at around 1:20 p.m. The structure was actually a bus stop …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Fentanyl, Heroin, Ecstasy Seized In South Jersey Drug Bust, Four Arrested Fentanyl, Heroin, Ecstasy Seized In South Jersey Drug Bust, Four Arrested
Fentanyl, Heroin, Ecstasy Seized In South Jersey Drug Bust, Four Arrested Four people were accused of selling several drugs throughout Ocean County, including heroin and fentanyl, authorities said. The people arrested were 33-year-old Orthis Allen of Bayville, 33-year-old Ashley Banks of Brick, and two 23-year-olds from Toms River, Lauren Torres and Anthony Martinez. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the four arrests in a news release on Tuesday, Mar. 5. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents helped Ocean County investigators and local police in a two-month-long investigation into illegal drugs sold throughout Ocean County. The investi…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Body Found In Trunk ID'd As Missing NJ Man Body Found In Trunk ID'd As Missing NJ Man
Body Found In Trunk ID'd As Missing NJ Man A missing Ocean County man was identified as the man whose body was found in a vehicle's trunk in Lakewood, authorities said. David Koscuik, 57, of Lakewood, was identified by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer in a news release on Friday, Mar. 1.  Lakewood police found Koscuik's body in the trunk of a vehicle near Fairway Court at around 12:13 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The National Center For Missing and Endangered listed Koscuik as missing in a Facebook post on Friday, Feb. 16. He was last seen in Brooklyn, NY, on Thursday, Feb. 8. Manchester Township police said Kosc…

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by Chris Spiker
Obituaries
Jersey Shore Man, 31, Dies Snowmobiling In Vermont Jersey Shore Man, 31, Dies Snowmobiling In Vermont
Jersey Shore Man, 31, Dies Snowmobiling In Vermont An Ocean County man was killed in a snowmobiling accident near a popular Vermont ski area, according to his obituary. Matthew Morris of Point Pleasant Beach died from his injuries on Tuesday, Feb. 20 while snowmobiling near Stratton Mountain Resort, his obituary said. He was 31 years old. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Matt (@captmateo) Winhall's police chief said Morris's snowmobile crashed into trees and rocks, as reported by NJ Advance Media. Daily Voice has reached out to the Vermont town's police department for confirmation…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Uploaded Child Pornography To Internet: Prosecutors South Jersey Man Uploaded Child Pornography To Internet: Prosecutors
South Jersey Man Uploaded Child Pornography To Internet: Prosecutors An Ocean County man was accused of uploading child pornography online, authorities said. Ricardo Espinoza Gonzalez, 23, of Jackson Township, was charged with possession of child pornography, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release on Thursday, Feb. 29. The investigation began after a tip from the state police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told the ICAC task force about someone uploading child pornography to the internet. Investigators with the county prosecutor's of…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Children Ambushed Gym Class With Toy Guns In Toms River, Hitting 26 Students: Police Children Ambushed Gym Class With Toy Guns In Toms River, Hitting 26 Students: Police
Children Ambushed Gym Class With Toy Guns In Toms River, Hitting 26 Students: Police Four children were charged after more than two dozen students at an Ocean County school were hit by beads fired from high-powered toy guns, authorities said. Officers received a report of 26 students at Toms River Intermediate School South who were shot by Orbeez guns at around 2:40 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26, the Beachwood Police Department said in a news release. It happened while the students were walking around an outdoor track during gym class. Orbeez guns or blasters are powerful water guns that shoot out small, colorful beads instead of water. Police nationwide have warned parents …

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by Chris Spiker
News
Thinking Summer: See How Much Beach Fees Will Be Along Jersey Shore In 2024 Thinking Summer: See How Much Beach Fees Will Be Along Jersey Shore In 2024
Thinking Summer: See How Much Beach Fees Will Be Along Jersey Shore In 2024 As February ends and the weather gets warmer, many communities along the Jersey Shore are already preparing to soak up the sun at the beach. Many beaches along the Garden State's coast require badges or tags. They help pay the costs of maintaining beaches, hiring lifeguards, and keeping facilities in great shape for summer tourists. Many locations offer free beach access for young children, veterans, and active military members. Some also offer special preseason rates before the busiest part of the summer. Here is a running list of the beach badge requirements along the Jersey Shore as of …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Dealer Used Apartment Complex To Sell Drugs: Prosecutors South Jersey Dealer Used Apartment Complex To Sell Drugs: Prosecutors
South Jersey Dealer Used Apartment Complex To Sell Drugs: Prosecutors A Lakewood man was accused of selling several illegal drugs from an Ocean County apartment complex, authorities said. Jamar Montgomery, 30, was given more than a dozen charges, including several drug-related offenses, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Thursday, Feb. 22. He was arrested in a two-week-long investigation at Freedom Village off Massachusetts Avenue in Toms River. Investigators said Montgomery used a home on Dream Court to store and sell narcotics. The county prosecutor's office and Toms River police began surveillance on the home on Thursday, Feb. 8. …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Drug Dealer Admits To Selling Cocaine In Union, Ocean Counties: Prosecutors Drug Dealer Admits To Selling Cocaine In Union, Ocean Counties: Prosecutors
Drug Dealer Admits To Selling Cocaine In Union, Ocean Counties: Prosecutors A Kenilworth man admitted to selling cocaine throughout Ocean and Union counties, authorities said. Pedro Reyes-Sevilla, 32, pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 16 to possession of five ounces or more of cocaine with intent to distribute. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the guilty plea in a news release on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Lakewood police officers, and investigators from Union and Ocean counties conducted a two-week-long investigation in January 2021. Investigators said Reyes-Sevilla was distributing cocaine throughout Ocean Co…

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by Chris Spiker
Weather
New Forecast Map: 4 Inches Of Snow Now Projected For Parts Of NJ, PA New Forecast Map: 4 Inches Of Snow Now Projected For Parts Of NJ, PA
New Forecast Map: 4 Inches Of Snow Now Projected For Parts Of NJ, PA In a newly-released forecast map, parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania are expected to get up to four inches of snow in this second winter storm of the week. The new map shows between 3 and 4 inches could fall along the Jersey Shore, in South Jersey, and in the Reading/Greater Philadelphia areas in the storm expected to begin late Friday, Feb. 16. UPDATE: 13 Inches Of Snow Fell In These NJ, PA Towns — See Who Got The Most Snow Central Jersey could see up to 3 inches while North Jersey and the Poconos will likely only see 1 or 2 inches, the NWS says. Snow will continue through Saturday, Fe…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Suspected Toms River Hookah Lounge Killer Extradited Months After Virginia Capture Suspected Toms River Hookah Lounge Killer Extradited Months After Virginia Capture
Suspected Toms River Hookah Lounge Killer Extradited Months After Virginia Capture Nearly nine months after his Virginia capture, a Monmouth County man will face charges in New Jersey, authorities announced. Asbury Park's Eric Manzanares, 24 — the accused gunman in a triple shooting that left one man dead and two others injured at a Toms River hookah lounge in 2022 — has been extradited from Prince William County, VA, to Ocean County, NJ, Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Thursday, Jan. 25.  Toms River police responded to a shooting at Top Tier Hookah Lounge on Hooper Avenue at around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Officers found three victim…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Antisemitic Carjacker Pleads Guilty To 2022 Jersey Shore Rampage: Prosecutors Antisemitic Carjacker Pleads Guilty To 2022 Jersey Shore Rampage: Prosecutors
Antisemitic Carjacker Pleads Guilty To 2022 Jersey Shore Rampage: Prosecutors A Manchester Township man admitted to a series of antisemitic attacks in Ocean County that hospitalized three people, including an Orthodox Jewish man who was stabbed, authorities said. Dion Marsh, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism on Wednesday, Jan. 24, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billheimer announced. Prosecutors will seek a 30-year state prison sentence without parole for Marsh. Billhimer praised police for potentially saving lives and reiterated that hate does not belong in Ocean County. "The evidence marshaled through the course of this investigation led us to the unmis…

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by Chris Spiker