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Berkeley Township, NJ

Police & Fire
Man Who Strangled Wife, Dumped Body On Side Of Ocean Township Road Sentenced: Prosecutors Man Who Strangled Wife, Dumped Body On Side Of Ocean Township Road Sentenced: Prosecutors
Man Who Strangled Wife, Dumped Body On Side Of Ocean Township Road Sentenced: Prosecutors A Forked River man will spend more than four decades in prison after he was convicted of strangling his wife to death and leaving her body on the side of a Monmouth County road, authorities said. Jeremy Cruz, 53, was sentenced to 50 years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Friday, Sept. 13. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday, Apr. 24. Investigators said a driver saw 51-year-old Dawn Cruz with severe injuries on Colonial Avenue near the intersection with Asbury Avenue in Ocean Township …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Campfire Accidentally Sparked Huge Wildfire Near Jersey Shore Neighborhood: Investigators Campfire Accidentally Sparked Huge Wildfire Near Jersey Shore Neighborhood: Investigators
Campfire Accidentally Sparked Huge Wildfire Near Jersey Shore Neighborhood: Investigators An illegal and abandoned campfire started a massive wildfire that burned for three days in Ocean County, authorities said. Investigators determined the wildfire was accidentally started by "an unknown person(s) improperly extinguishing a campfire," Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The roughly 189-acre wildfire burned near Fishers Pit, a sand and gravel pit in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township. In its final update, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the wildfire was 100 percent contained a…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Smoke Diminshes As Crews Begin Containing Wildfire Near Jersey Shore Neighborhood (UPDATE) Smoke Diminshes As Crews Begin Containing Wildfire Near Jersey Shore Neighborhood (UPDATE)
Smoke Diminshes As Crews Begin Containing Wildfire Near Jersey Shore Neighborhood (Update) Smoke has diminished as a massive wildfire burned for a second day in Ocean County, officials said. The fire was first spotted at the Cedar Bridge fire tower at 4:44 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said in an update. The roughly 189-acre wildfire was burning near Fishers Pit, a sand and gravel pit in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township. Conditions have improved after "erratic fire behavior" caused problems for the first firefighters at the scene. "Fire crews continue to secure and reinforce containment lines by mopping up hot …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Crews Battle 150-Acre Wildfire Across Ocean County (DEVELOPING) Crews Battle 150-Acre Wildfire Across Ocean County (DEVELOPING)
Crews Battle 150-Acre Wildfire Across Ocean County (Developing) Firefighters were battling a massive wildfire in Ocean County that broke out late Monday, Sept. 9, officials said. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the fire was burning near Fishers Pit, a sand and gravel pit in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township. The NJFFS first posted on Twitter about the wildfire at 7:30 p.m. Monday. As of Tuesday morning, the fire had been 20 percent contained to 150 acres, after spreading near Northern Boulevard in the Barnegat Pines neighborhood of Berkeley. "When firefighters arrived on scene initial attack efforts were unsuccessful due to erratic…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Sidewalk Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Man With History Of Careless Driving In NJ Sidewalk Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Man With History Of Careless Driving In NJ
Sidewalk Pedestrian Airlifted After Being Struck By Man With History Of Careless Driving In NJ A woman was flown to the hospital after a careless driver drove onto the sidewalk and struck her while she was walking her dog in an Ocean County town on Friday, Sept. 6, police said. Eugenio Carta of Berkeley Township was operating a 1999 Buick Sedan when he drove off the roadway, struck the victim walking her dog on the sidewalk, then came to rest after hitting a tree around 3 p.m. at the intersection on Doral Drive at Cohansey Drive, local police said. The woman suffered a head injury from the crash and was airlifted to Jersey Shore Medical Center where she was in critical but stable con…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
South Toms River Man Led Chase As Officers Investigated Kidnapping Report, Police Say South Toms River Man Led Chase As Officers Investigated Kidnapping Report, Police Say
South Toms River Man Led Chase As Officers Investigated Kidnapping Report, Police Say A South Toms River man was accused of leading police on a chase as they investigated a possible kidnapping in Whiting, authorities said. Thomas Stevens, 67, was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the Manchester Township Police Department said in a news release. His arrest came after officers responded to a report of a woman "being forced into a vehicle against her will" at the Wawa convenience store on Route 70 at around 3 p.m. An officer found Stevens driving a black 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe and stopped him on County Route 530. Stevens didn't give an explanation or show his identification and drove…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Four-Year-Old Pulled From Jersey Shore Pool Dies On Labor Day, Investigators Say Four-Year-Old Pulled From Jersey Shore Pool Dies On Labor Day, Investigators Say
Four-Year-Old Pulled From Jersey Shore Pool Dies On Labor Day, Investigators Say A young boy died on Labor Day after he was pulled from an Ocean County swimming pool a few days earlier, authorities said. The four-year-old was pronounced dead at Jersey Shore University Medical Center on Monday, Sept. 2, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. Berkeley Township police responded to "an accidental submersion" at a home in South Seaside Park at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30. Paramedics performed CPR on the boy before he was rushed to the Neptune hospital.  The boy was originally listed in critical but stable…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Two Women Hospitalized After Car Runs Stop Sign, Crashes In South Jersey: Police Two Women Hospitalized After Car Runs Stop Sign, Crashes In South Jersey: Police
Two Women Hospitalized After Car Runs Stop Sign, Crashes In South Jersey: Police Two women were hospitalized, including one who was airlifted, after their cars crashed in Ocean County, authorities said. Berkeley Township police responded to the crash at the intersection of Jamaica Boulevard and Bimini Drive at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, July 3, the department said in a news release. Officers found a tan Toyota Camry and a white Honda Civic with heavy damage. Investigators said the Toyota was heading west on Jamaica and failed to stop at a stop sign. The Toyota entered the intersection and was hit in the driver's door by the Honda, which was traveling north on Bimini. …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Lightning Strike Confirmed Cause Of Death For 59-Year-Old 'Cowboy Hero' On NJ Beach Lightning Strike Confirmed Cause Of Death For 59-Year-Old 'Cowboy Hero' On NJ Beach
Lightning Strike Confirmed Cause Of Death For 59-Year-Old 'Cowboy Hero' On NJ Beach A Toms River man died from a lightning strike on an Ocean County beach, authorities said. A Seaside Park Police Department spokesperson confirmed to Daily Voice that 59-year-old Patrick Dispoto's cause of death was accidental and caused by a lightning strike. He was found unconscious on the beach near J Street at around 7:38 p.m. on Sunday, June 23. Police said Dispoto had no visible signs of injuries. He was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Dispoto's girlfriend Ruth said he tried to warn a group of children on the beach about the thunderstorm aft…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
'Cowboy Hero' Dies After Lightning Strike While Warning Kids On NJ Beach About Storm: Reports 'Cowboy Hero' Dies After Lightning Strike While Warning Kids On NJ Beach About Storm: Reports
'Cowboy Hero' Dies After Lightning Strike While Warning Kids On NJ Beach About Storm: Reports A Toms River man died after a reported lightning strike on an Ocean County beach, authorities said. Patrick Dispoto, 59, was found unconscious on the beach near J Street at around 7:38 p.m. on Sunday, June 23, a Seaside Park Police Department spokesperson told Daily Voice. He was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said Dispoto had no visible signs of injuries. There were also no witnesses so investigators haven't confirmed if his death was caused by lightning or "another medical issue." Dispoto's girlfriend Ruth said he tried to warn a group of children on the b…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Man Who Robbed Pharmacy With Knife Sentenced: Prosecutors Jersey Shore Man Who Robbed Pharmacy With Knife Sentenced: Prosecutors
Jersey Shore Man Who Robbed Pharmacy With Knife Sentenced: Prosecutors An Ocean County man will spend more than a decade in prison after admitting to pulling a knife on a pharmacy employee in a robbery, authorities said. Christopher Hurley, 27, of Little Egg Harbor, was sentenced on Friday, June 7 to 12 years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He pleaded guilty to robbery on Monday, Mar. 18.  Berkeley Township police responded to an armed robbery report at the Rite Aid on Route 9 on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. Officers said a man entered the pharmacy, pointed a knife at a cashier, and demanded mon…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Wild Street Brawl Sends Jersey Shore Repeat Offender, Officers To Hospital Wild Street Brawl Sends Jersey Shore Repeat Offender, Officers To Hospital
Wild Street Brawl Sends Jersey Shore Repeat Offender, Officers To Hospital A repeat offender from Toms River who was high on PCP fought violently with police who kept him from running into traffic outside a 7-Eleven in North Jersey, authorities said. The incident was another in a recent series of episodes involving Albert P. Fischetta III, 40, whose violent reaction sent two officers – and himself – to the hospital, they said. Fischetta had been freed after police in Berkeley Township said he attacked an elderly man while not wearing any clothes last fall, records show. This time, his girlfriend told police in Hasbrouck Heights (Bergen County) that Fischetta sudd…

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by Jerry DeMarco