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Police & Fire
Man Admits To Stealing $100K+ As Treasurer Of Jersey Shore Fire Department: Prosecutors Man Admits To Stealing $100K+ As Treasurer Of Jersey Shore Fire Department: Prosecutors
Man Admits To Stealing $100K+ As Treasurer Of Jersey Shore Fire Department: Prosecutors A former official at an Ocean County volunteer fire department admitted to stealing more than $100,000, authorities said. Salvatore Umek, 46, of Point Pleasant Beach, pleaded guilty on Monday, June 10 to theft, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He was the treasurer for Point Pleasant Beach Fire Company No. 2. Investigators said Umek stole about $100,000 from the fire company's bank account to pay off personal credit card debt between February 2019 and November 2021. He also put money directly into his personal bank account for his own bene…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Police Searching For Assault Suspect In South Jersey Police Searching For Assault Suspect In South Jersey
Police Searching For Assault Suspect In South Jersey Police in Ocean County were looking for a man wanted in an assault, authorities said. Manchester Township police released a composite sketch and description of the suspect in a Facebook post on Tuesday, June 11. The man was accused in an "isolated incident" in the Pine Lake Park section of the township on Friday, May 31. The suspect was described as about 5-foot-4, 145 pounds, and between 41 and 50 years old. "In the interest of thoroughness and accuracy, law enforcement officials conducted numerous investigative steps before releasing a composite sketch of the suspect," the poli…

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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
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
Toms River Woman Used Cellphone, Boy Wasn't In Car Seat In Crash That Killed 2: Prosecutor Toms River Woman Used Cellphone, Boy Wasn't In Car Seat In Crash That Killed 2: Prosecutor
Toms River Woman Used Cellphone, Boy Wasn't In Car Seat In Crash That Killed 2: Prosecutor A Toms River woman was accused of using her cellphone while driving in a crash that killed a boy in her minivan and a Jackson Township woman, authorities said. Sorah Tyner, 37, was charged on Wednesday, June 5 with two counts of vehicular homicide, manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, assault by auto, hindering, and obstruction. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced her charges in a news release on Friday, June 7. Jackson Township police responded to the crash near the intersection of Cleveland Court and East Veterans Highway at around 5 p.m. o…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Good Samaritan's Vehicle Stolen From I-195 Crash Scene In South Jersey, State Police Say Good Samaritan's Vehicle Stolen From I-195 Crash Scene In South Jersey, State Police Say
Good Samaritan's Vehicle Stolen From I-195 Crash Scene In South Jersey, State Police Say A good Samaritan's vehicle was stolen after a driver stopped to help at a crash scene on Interstate 195 in Ocean County, authorities said. A state police spokesperson said the driver saw a silver Volkswagen overturned on the side of I-195 East at around 3:47 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5. The crash happened near milepost 21 in Jackson Township. The good Samaritan got out of his vehicle to help the people in the Volkswagen. Two people then got in his vehicle and drove away from the scene. Troopers said the Volkswagen had been stolen from Freehold. The good Samaritan's v…

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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
Person Hospitalized After Shed Catches Fire In South Jersey: Police Person Hospitalized After Shed Catches Fire In South Jersey: Police
Person Hospitalized After Shed Catches Fire In South Jersey: Police A person was hospitalized after a shed caught fire in Ocean County, authorities said. Manchester Township police responded to a structure fire on Riverside Drive at around 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, the department said in a news release. Officers found a shed in the side yard of a home fully on fire. Officers evacuated everyone from the house and paramedics took one person to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. The house suffered some fire damage to its exterior but the damage wasn't extensive. Volunteer firefighters from Manchester, Ridgeway, and Whiting were called to the s…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Luxury Car Driver Hospitalized After Crashing Into Dump Truck In Central Jersey: Police Luxury Car Driver Hospitalized After Crashing Into Dump Truck In Central Jersey: Police
Luxury Car Driver Hospitalized After Crashing Into Dump Truck In Central Jersey: Police A driver from Ocean County was hospitalized after crashing a luxury car into a dump truck, authorities said. Howell Township police responded to the crash on Squankum Road on Wednesday, June 5, the department said in a news release. It happened near the intersection with Herbertsville Road at around 8:01 a.m. Investigators said a 58-year-old from Brick Township merged onto the northbound side of Squankum Road from Herbertsville Road. The Audi crossed the center line and crashed into a 2024 Kenworth dump truck "in an offset head-on manner." The Audi driver was injured an…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Apartment Maintenance Worker Who Stole $4,500, Smartwatch In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutor Apartment Maintenance Worker Who Stole $4,500, Smartwatch In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutor
Apartment Maintenance Worker Who Stole $4,500, Smartwatch In South Jersey Sentenced: Prosecutor A maintenance worker will spend nearly a year in jail after he was convicted of stealing $4,500 and a smartwatch at an Ocean County apartment complex, authorities said. Troy Jones, 58, of Jackson Township, was sentenced on Friday, May 31 to 364 days in the Ocean County Jail as a condition of a three-year probation term, county prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Tuesday, June 4. A jury found him guilty on Wednesday, Mar. 20 after a nearly two-week trial. Jackson Township police responded to a reported theft at an apartment in The Ga…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Tractor-Trailer Smashes Into Several Vehicles Parked Outside Jersey Shore Supermarket Tractor-Trailer Smashes Into Several Vehicles Parked Outside Jersey Shore Supermarket
Tractor-Trailer Smashes Into Several Vehicles Parked Outside Jersey Shore Supermarket A tractor-trailer crashed into several vehicles parked in front of an Ocean County supermarket, officials said. The crash happened on Route 35 South near the intersection of Laurel Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach on Monday, June 3, the Ocean Fire Company said in a Facebook post. Firefighters found the tractor-trailer hit several parked vehicles in front of Stop & Shop. One vehicle overturned and landed on the truck's trailer, firefighters said. Pictures from the scene appeared to show a Jeep Wrangler's roof leaning on the tractor-trailer's flatbed. Facebook - Ocean Fire Comp…

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by Chris Spiker