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Police & Fire
Toms River Crash Shuts Down Route 9 In Both Directions Toms River Crash Shuts Down Route 9 In Both Directions
Toms River Crash Shuts Down Route 9 In Both Directions A vehicle crash shut down both directions of Route 9 in Toms River for at least an hour, officials said. Route 9 closed at around 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23, according to the state Department of Transportation (NJDOT). Traffic was blocked between Church and Cox Cro roads as first responders and investigators stayed at the crash scene. There was no word of how many vehicles were involved and if there were any injuries. The NJDOT said the crash caused about a 15-minute delay for drivers.

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Suspected Toms River Hookah Lounge Killer Will Stay In Jail For Trial: Prosecutors Suspected Toms River Hookah Lounge Killer Will Stay In Jail For Trial: Prosecutors
Suspected Toms River Hookah Lounge Killer Will Stay In Jail For Trial: Prosecutors The man accused of murder in a triple shooting at a Toms River hookah lounge will have to stay in jail through his trial. A judge ordered on Thursday, Feb. 22 that Eric Manzanares, 24, of Asbury Park, will remain detained in the Ocean County Jail pending his trial, county prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Manzanares has been held in the county jail since Wednesday, Jan. 24, when he was extradited to New Jersey from Virginia. H…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Jacket With Name, Phone Number Led Feds Right To Capitol Rioter From New Jersey: DOJ Jacket With Name, Phone Number Led Feds Right To Capitol Rioter From New Jersey: DOJ
Jacket With Name, Phone Number Led Feds Right To Capitol Rioter From New Jersey: DOJ A Toms River man wearing a jacket with his business's name and phone number on the front of it to the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection has been arrested more than three years later. Robert Coppotelli was charged with four misdemeanor counts of illegally entering the Capitol and disrupting the joint session of Congress to count the electoral college votes in the 2020 Presidential election. The accusations against Coppotelli were outlined in a court document filed on Friday, Feb. 16. Prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice said an anonymous tip in July 2021 identified …

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by Chris Spiker
Weather
Four Inches Of Snow Forecasted Along Jersey Shore Overnight Four Inches Of Snow Forecasted Along Jersey Shore Overnight
Four Inches Of Snow Forecasted Along Jersey Shore Overnight Many parts of the Jersey Shore avoided the snow during a pre-Valentine's Day winter storm, but the coast doesn't appear to be dodging it this time. The National Weather Service said the Jersey Shore could see two to four inches of snow overnight and in the morning on Saturday, Feb. 17. All counties in South Jersey are under a winter weather advisory for the duration of the storm, with some winter storm warnings expected. The snow is expected to begin across South Jersey at around 1 a.m., according to the NWS. Places along the Pennsylvania border could see the snow start falling a little ear…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Car Sought In Toms River Home Burglary Car Sought In Toms River Home Burglary
Car Sought In Toms River Home Burglary Police in Toms River are looking for whoever stole from a home late at night, authorities said. Toms River police received a report of a home burglary at around 10:26 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, the department said. It happened near Fischer and Cattus Island boulevards. The Toms River Police Department also released a photo on Wednesday, Feb. 14 of a car suspected of being used in the burglary. In the picture, the car appears to be a white sedan. Anyone with information about the burglary or the suspected car should call Toms River police at 732-349-0150, ext. 1292.

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by Chris Spiker
Weather
Winter Storm Knocks Power To Thousands Of Jersey Shore Residents Winter Storm Knocks Power To Thousands Of Jersey Shore Residents
Winter Storm Knocks Power To Thousands Of Jersey Shore Residents A pre-Valentine's Day winter storm knocked out power for thousands of Jersey Shore customers. According to the outage map for Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), 4,019 customers in Monmouth County lost electricity as of 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The vast majority of those were in Ocean Township with 3,371 customers without power, which is nearly 25 percent of the township. At least 100 customers were without service in Middletown, Tinton Falls, Colts Neck, and Manalapan. JCP&L also said 24 customers lost power in Ocean County. Sixteen of those were in Toms River. …

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
South Jersey Schools Closed, Delayed Due To Major Winter Storm South Jersey Schools Closed, Delayed Due To Major Winter Storm
South Jersey Schools Closed, Delayed Due To Major Winter Storm Some South Jersey school districts are canceling classes or delaying the start of school before a winter storm that's expected on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Mercer, Middlesex, and Monmouth Counties. There is also a coastal flood warning in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. The NWS predicts four to six inches of snow in Trenton, three to four inches in Long Branch, and one to two inches in Toms River. Southern Jersey Shore places like Atlantic City, Cape May County, Long Beach, Ocean City, and Vinela…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Toms River Heroin Dealer Pleads Guilty Toms River Heroin Dealer Pleads Guilty
Toms River Heroin Dealer Pleads Guilty A Toms River man admitted to selling heroin throughout Ocean County, authorities said. Zachary Lockwood, 25, pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 12, to possession of one-half ounce or more of heroin with intent to distribute, being a certain person not to possess a weapon, and resisting arrest, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated eluding charge from a second incident. Toms River police started investigating Lockwood in July 2023 as someone distributing heroin in Ocean County. Police were granted search warrants for his home a…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Burn Victim Airlifted, Two Others Injured In Ocean County House Fire Burn Victim Airlifted, Two Others Injured In Ocean County House Fire
Burn Victim Airlifted, Two Others Injured In Ocean County House Fire Three people were injured, including a man who suffered very serious burns, when a house caught fire in Ocean County, authorities said. Berkeley Township firefighters and police officers responded to a house fire on Berkeley Avenue at around 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. When first responders arrived, they found heavy flames at the front of the home and all three people outside. One man was airlifted to Jefferson Health Burn Center in Philadelphia. He was listed in critical but stable condition. The other two people were brought t…

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by Chris Spiker
Obituaries
Former Toms River Track Star Diego Rodriguez Garibaldi Dies Following Crash, 19 Former Toms River Track Star Diego Rodriguez Garibaldi Dies Following Crash, 19
Former Toms River Track Star Diego Rodriguez Garibaldi Dies Following Crash, 19 Family and loved ones are mourning the death of a teen from Toms River. A GoFundMe page was created in the memory of Diego Rodriguez Garibaldi, who died on Friday, Jan. 26 at 19 years old, according to his obituary.  The memorial fundraiser was created after a car crash sent Rodriguez Garibaldi to the hospital. Details in the crash were not immediately available. The GoFundMe page raised more than $28,500 from at least 500 donations as of Thursday, Feb. 8. "Your overwhelming support has meant the world to his family during this challenging time," the fundraiser page said. "We are gra…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing An Ocean County ex-convict and parolee once featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" admitted to his role in the stabbing death of a Seaside Heights man, authorities said. Angelo Grenci, 47, of Berkeley Township, pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to aggravated manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Grenci was charged in the killing of 50-year-old Carlton Williams. Prosecutors will pursue a prison sentence of 25 years for Grenci. He'd have to serve 85 percent of his term before being eligible for parole under the state's No Early Release…

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by Chris Spiker
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