Fair 71°
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
News
Mom Stabs Baby, Toddler Dead In Lakewood: Prosecutor Mom Stabs Baby, Toddler Dead In Lakewood: Prosecutor
Mom Stabs Baby, Toddler Dead In Lakewood: Prosecutor A woman in Lakewood has been charged with two counts or murder and weapons offenses in the deaths of her two children, authorities announced. Naomi Elkins, 27, is believed to have stabbed a 1- and 3-year-old child, who were found in cardiac arrest by responders at a home on Shenandoah Drive around 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Paramedics from Hatzolah Medical Services were performing lifesaving efforts when police arrived and the children were pronounced dead at the scene. Elkins was arrested at the scene and lodged in the county jail p…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Arsonist Admits To Antisemitic Rampage In South Jersey Neighborhood, Prosecutors Say Arsonist Admits To Antisemitic Rampage In South Jersey Neighborhood, Prosecutors Say
Arsonist Admits To Antisemitic Rampage In South Jersey Neighborhood, Prosecutors Say A Manchester Township man admitted to an antisemitic crime spree, including arson and spray painting Nazi symbols on homes, authorities said. Ron Carr, 35, pleaded guilty on Thursday, June 20 to arson, bias intimidation, and two counts of criminal mischief. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the plea deal in a news release on Friday, June 21. Manchester police responded to vandalism reports at homes in Pine Lake Park at around 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Officers found 14 homes vandalized with spray paint, including some defaced with Nazi symbols. About …

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by Chris Spiker
News
Robber Pleads Guilty In Incident That Left Victim With 4 Gunshot Wounds In Ocean County Robber Pleads Guilty In Incident That Left Victim With 4 Gunshot Wounds In Ocean County
Robber Pleads Guilty In Incident That Left Victim With 4 Gunshot Wounds In Ocean County A 33-year-old man pleaded guilty to robbery after he and another man shot the victim four times upon denying them even more money in Ocean County last fall, authorities announced. The victim stopped by a home on East Hudson Drive in Little Egg Harbor to visit Marc Manfredonia, of Little Egg Harbor, and Christopher Miller, 36, of Paterson, around 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, 2023, when Manfredonia and Miller forced the man out of the home and demanded money from him, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Miller pulled out a handgun and told the victim that he would shoot him if he did …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Toms River Man Accused Of Shooting Another Man In Leg, Prosecutors Say Toms River Man Accused Of Shooting Another Man In Leg, Prosecutors Say
Toms River Man Accused Of Shooting Another Man In Leg, Prosecutors Say A Toms River man was accused of shooting another man in the leg, authorities said. Anthony Brown, 20, was arrested on Thursday, June 13, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He was facing charges in a late-night shooting on Wednesday, June 12. Toms River police responded to a report of a gunshot victim at a home on Adams Avenue at around 11:30 p.m. They found a 24-year-old man with a wound on his leg. The victim was brought to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. He was treated and released from the Neptune hospital.  Investiga…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Toms River Man Shot Driver Outside Home Near Shopping Plaza: Prosecutors Toms River Man Shot Driver Outside Home Near Shopping Plaza: Prosecutors
Toms River Man Shot Driver Outside Home Near Shopping Plaza: Prosecutors A Toms River man was accused of shooting another man outside a home near a Lakewood shopping center, authorities said. A grand jury indicted 47-year-old Million Brown-Bey on Wednesday, June 12 for attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and being a certain person not to possess a firearm. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the indictment in a news release on Thursday, June 13. Lakewood police responded to a 911 call about gunshots near the West Gate Plaza on Sunday, Jan. 7. Shortly after the…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
SUV Driver Wanted After Bicyclist Killed In South Jersey Hit-And-Run Crash: Prosecutors SUV Driver Wanted After Bicyclist Killed In South Jersey Hit-And-Run Crash: Prosecutors
SUV Driver Wanted After Bicyclist Killed In South Jersey Hit-And-Run Crash: Prosecutors A bicycle rider was killed in a suspected hit-and-run crash in Ocean County, authorities said. Jackson Township police responded to the crash on Farmingdale Road at around noon on Sunday, June 9, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. Investigators said a 2017 Audi A4 swerved left to avoid crashing head-on into a red SUV. The Audi struck a bicyclist in the left lane before hitting a tree on the side of the road. The bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene and the Audi driver was brought to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold with minor injuries. The SU…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Admits To Racist Amazon Driver Threats, Illegally Growing Weed: Prosecutor South Jersey Man Admits To Racist Amazon Driver Threats, Illegally Growing Weed: Prosecutor
South Jersey Man Admits To Racist Amazon Driver Threats, Illegally Growing Weed: Prosecutor A Lacey Township man admitted to racist threats against an Amazon driver and illegally selling large amounts of marijuana, authorities said. John Vincentini, 64, pleaded guilty in two separate cases on Friday, June 7, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He and his wife, 64-year-old Karen Vincentini, have been held in the Ocean County Jail since March. John Vincentini pleaded guilty to bias intimidation after he was indicted back in June 2023. He was accused of threatening an Amazon delivery driver on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Investi…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Woman Used Child To Sell Psychedelic Mushrooms, Prosecutors Say South Jersey Woman Used Child To Sell Psychedelic Mushrooms, Prosecutors Say
South Jersey Woman Used Child To Sell Psychedelic Mushrooms, Prosecutors Say An Ocean County woman was accused of using a child living in her home to sell psychedelic mushrooms, authorities said. Margaret Whalen, 60, of Lacey Township, was arrested on Wednesday, June 5. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced her charges in a news release. Lacey police were told by the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency in March that Whalen was using her Elwood Street home to make and sell psilocybin mushrooms. Officers executed a search warrant on the home on Wednesday, Mar. 13. Detectives seized several jars with suspected psychedelic mushrooms and…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Teen Drove Drunk, High On Marijuana In South Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger: Prosecutors Teen Drove Drunk, High On Marijuana In South Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger: Prosecutors
Teen Drove Drunk, High On Marijuana In South Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger: Prosecutors A Toms River teen was accused of driving while drunk and high on marijuana in a crash that killed one of her passengers, authorities said. Kailyn Gorga, 18, was charged on Friday, May 31 with vehicular homicide and assault by auto, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, June 4. Her charges were from an early morning crash in Manchester Township on Sunday, Apr. 14 that killed 18-year-old Catalina Reinoso of Brick Township. Manchester police responded to the one-car crash on Lacey Road in the Whiting section of the township at around 2:50 a.m. G…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Treadmill Abuse Dad Not Guilty Of Murder, Convicted Of Agg Assault In Son's Death (VIDEO) NJ Treadmill Abuse Dad Not Guilty Of Murder, Convicted Of Agg Assault In Son's Death (VIDEO)
NJ Treadmill Abuse Dad Not Guilty Of Murder, Convicted Of Agg Assault In Son's Death (Video) A Monroe Township man was convicted of abusing his six-year-old son during a treadmill workout that ultimately led to the boy's death, authorities said. After a six-week trial, a jury unanimously found 32-year-old Christopher Gregor guilty on Friday, May 31 of aggravated manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. The jury found Gregor not guilty of murder. A nearly video shared by Law & Crime shows the judge delivering the verdict. Gregor had been indicted on a murder charge in the death of his s…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Two People Killed In South Jersey Crash, State Police Say Two People Killed In South Jersey Crash, State Police Say
Two People Killed In South Jersey Crash, State Police Say Police were investigating after two people died in a crash in Ocean County, authorities said. The "crash with fatalities" happened in Jackson Township at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. The wreck was near the intersection of Cleveland Court and East Veterans Highway. The state police fatal crash database said a driver and a passenger were killed. Billhimer didn't release details about how many vehicles were involved or what led up to the crash. The county sheriff's and prosecutor's offices were helping the …

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by Chris Spiker