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Kayaker Who Drowned In NJ Lake Wasn't Wearing Life Preserver, Investigators Say Kayaker Who Drowned In NJ Lake Wasn't Wearing Life Preserver, Investigators Say
Kayaker Who Drowned In NJ Lake Wasn't Wearing Life Preserver, Investigators Say Authorities have identified the Old Bridge man who drowned when his kayak capsized in Jackson Township. Search and rescue divers found the body of 29-year-old John Pereira in Prospertown Lake on Sunday, Aug. 4, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He was first reported missing at around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3. Witnesses told Jackson Township police that Pereira was not wearing a life preserver and they believed he drowned. The search was suspended in the evening due to severe weather and Pereira's body was recovered at around 3:55 p.…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Watch Treadmill Abuse Dad Christopher Gregor Learn His Fate For Causing 6-Year-Old Son's Death Watch Treadmill Abuse Dad Christopher Gregor Learn His Fate For Causing 6-Year-Old Son's Death
Watch Treadmill Abuse Dad Christopher Gregor Learn His Fate For Causing 6-Year-Old Son's Death Presiding Judge Guy P. Ryan did not mince his words in delivering Christopher Gregor's sentence Friday, Aug. 2. "What Corey received that day was abuse of the most egregious sort and doesn't square with the defendant's statements today," said Ryan from an Ocean County courtroom in footage shared by Court TV. What he was referring to was the series of videos, obtained by Court TV, that show 32-year-old Gregor forcing 6-year-old Corey Micciolo to sprint for extended periods of time even after falling, again and again. Corey died on April 2, 2021. A post-mortem exam showed he had suffered in…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Pumpkin-Snacking Snow Leopard Dies After Spending Senior Years At Jersey Shore Animal Refuge Pumpkin-Snacking Snow Leopard Dies After Spending Senior Years At Jersey Shore Animal Refuge
Pumpkin-Snacking Snow Leopard Dies After Spending Senior Years At Jersey Shore Animal Refuge An elderly snow leopard has died after spending about four years at an Ocean County animal sanctuary, officials said. A male snow leopard named Ty died from old age, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge said in a Facebook post on Thursday, Aug. 1. He was 14 years old when he arrived at the Lacey Township sanctuary in 2020. Popcorn Park said it was honored to care for Ty in his final years. "It is a privilege to provide refuge for animals in their golden years, those with medical needs, and any animal in need that comes through our doors," the park said. "Ty was a very special senior b…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Four Jersey Shore Men Charged After Selling Ghost Guns To FBI Informant: Feds Four Jersey Shore Men Charged After Selling Ghost Guns To FBI Informant: Feds
Four Jersey Shore Men Charged After Selling Ghost Guns To FBI Informant: Feds Four Ocean County men were accused of using a 3D printer to sell ghost guns to an FBI informant, authorities said. The men facing charges in the case are James Hyres, 38, of Toms River; Dennis McMickle, 35, of Brick Township; James Opalenik, 51, of Ocean Gate; and Edward Trost III, 36, of Toms River. New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced the charges in a news release on Monday, July 29. According to the criminal complaint, the four men were part of a gun-trafficking conspiracy throughout Ocean County in April and May 2024. Hyres created the ghost guns by using seve…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Popular Jersey Shore Bakery Closing One Location, Moving To Another Popular Jersey Shore Bakery Closing One Location, Moving To Another
Popular Jersey Shore Bakery Closing One Location, Moving To Another After 25 years, a popular Ocean County bakery is closing doors of one shop and moving to another. Colonial Bakery in Lavallette announced its Grand Central Avenue location will be closing as the landlord will not be renewing the lease after the summer, the bakery announced on social media. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Colonial Bakery (@colonialbakery) "Despite this setback, a new second location will be opening summer 2025!" the family-owned bakery said, located at the corner of Route 35 north and Joseph Street. Colonial…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Jersey Shore Man Admits Shooting Atlantic City Victim: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Man Admits Shooting Atlantic City Victim: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Man Admits Shooting Atlantic City Victim: Prosecutor A 27-year-old man from Ocean County has admitted to a shooting in Atlantic City, authorities said. Louis Stokes, of Barnegat, pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree hindering apprehension on Thursday, July 25, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Shortly before midnight on Oct. 14, 2022, the Atlantic City Police Department responded to Sewell Avenue in Atlantic City where they located a gunshot victim. The victim had been shot once in the leg and …

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by Jon Craig
News
Worker Fell 80 Feet Inside Jersey Shore Water Tower, Painting Contractor Fined $485K: OSHA Worker Fell 80 Feet Inside Jersey Shore Water Tower, Painting Contractor Fined $485K: OSHA
Worker Fell 80 Feet Inside Jersey Shore Water Tower, Painting Contractor Fined $485K: Osha A painting contractor was facing nearly $500,000 in fines after a worker fell 80 feet to the bottom of an Ocean County water tower without safety gear, officials said. The U.S. Department of Labor cited U.S. Tank Painting for three willful and 19 serious violations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a news release on Wednesday, July 24. The DOL proposed $485,580 in penalties for the Millstone Township company. OSHA said the contractor didn't install the required safety equipment to prevent an employee from falling inside the Bayville wat…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Sentenced For 'Hate-Filled' Rampage That Injured Five Orthodox Jews In South Jersey: Feds Man Sentenced For 'Hate-Filled' Rampage That Injured Five Orthodox Jews In South Jersey: Feds
Man Sentenced For 'Hate-Filled' Rampage That Injured Five Orthodox Jews In South Jersey: Feds A Manchester Township man will spend decades in prison after a series of antisemitic attacks in Ocean County that injured five Orthodox Jewish men, authorities said. Dion Marsh, 29, was sentenced on Tuesday, July 23 to 40 years in prison, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. He previously pleaded guilty to five counts of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of carjacking on Thursday, Feb. 1. Marsh admitted to injuring five victims because they're Jewish, attempting to kill four …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Scrap Metal Company VP, 24, Killed In Jersey Shore Weekend Crash Scrap Metal Company VP, 24, Killed In Jersey Shore Weekend Crash
Scrap Metal Company VP, 24, Killed In Jersey Shore Weekend Crash The vice president of a scrap metal company died in a crash in Ocean County, authorities said. Kevin Scoda, 24, of Edison, was killed in the crash on Route 72, the Stafford Township Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday, July 23. Officers responded to the scene near milepost 24.5 at around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. Investigators said Scoda's 2023 Chevrolet Corvette collided with a 2018 Subaru while traveling east on Route 72. Scoda's sports car went off the road, crashed into a utility pole, and caught fire. "Unidentified citizens" were able to get Scoda out o…

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by Chris Spiker
News
South Jersey Backyard Pond Builder Diagnosed With Cancer Days After Wedding: Fundraiser South Jersey Backyard Pond Builder Diagnosed With Cancer Days After Wedding: Fundraiser
South Jersey Backyard Pond Builder Diagnosed With Cancer Days After Wedding: Fundraiser A family was rallying to support an Ocean County man who learned he had cancer just days after getting married, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page said Gennaro Balletta was diagnosed with stage-four Hodgkin lymphoma in June. His diagnosis came about a week after he married his wife Ashley on Saturday, June 8. Balletta found out he had cancer after he and Ashley worked multiple jobs for two years to save money for "their perfect day." "This diagnosis has turned their entire world upside down and suddenly put their dreams and plans on hold," wrote Hailey…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Father Released From Jail After Two-Month-Old's Hot Car Death NJ Father Released From Jail After Two-Month-Old's Hot Car Death
NJ Father Released From Jail After Two-Month-Old's Hot Car Death A Jackson Township man was released from jail a day after his eight-week-old daughter died from being in a hot vehicle, authorities said. Avraham Chaitovsky, 28, was no longer held at the Ocean County Jail after a detention hearing on Tuesday, July 16. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the baby's death on Monday, July 15. Lakewood police responded to a report of a child in cardiac arrest on New Egypt Road at around 1:45 p.m. Hatzolah Medical Services paramedics tried to save the two-month-old but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Investi…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Man Admits To Stealing Gun, Having Cocaine And Heroin: Prosecutors Jersey Shore Man Admits To Stealing Gun, Having Cocaine And Heroin: Prosecutors
Jersey Shore Man Admits To Stealing Gun, Having Cocaine And Heroin: Prosecutors A Barnegat Township man admitted to having heroin, cocaine, and a stolen gun, authorities said. Quaison Ellis, 25, pleaded guilty on Monday, July 15 to several charges related to two incidents, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Investigators established surveillance outside a home on Hawthorne Lane in Barnegat on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Ellis was seen leaving the home and then entered a vehicle's front passenger seat. Detectives followed the vehicle to a home in Paterson and Ellis was seen meeting with a…

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by Chris Spiker