A Few Clouds 62°
Tag:

Ocean County Sheriff’s Office

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…

SHARE

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 …

SHARE

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…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
News
Divers Pull Drowning Swimmer From Privately-Owned NJ Lake Divers Pull Drowning Swimmer From Privately-Owned NJ Lake
Divers Pull Drowning Swimmer From Privately-Owned NJ Lake Dive teams pulled a drowning swimmer from a privately-owned New Jersey lake Monday evening, July 29. According to Whiting Fire Company Station 33, multiple rescue agencies were called to Heritage Mineral's Crystal Lake in Manchester around 6:55 p.m. for a submerged individual. UPDATE: Police ID Crystal Lake Drowning Victim As 18-Year-Old Trespasser Whiting Fire divers and surface swimmers went into the water and, after a brief search, found the swimmer. The swimmer was turned over to EMS and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office took control of the scene. The victim's condition…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Man Admits Anti-Semitic Rampage: Running Down Victims, Stabbing, Carjacking Jersey Shore Man Admits Anti-Semitic Rampage: Running Down Victims, Stabbing, Carjacking
Jersey Shore Man Admits Anti-Semitic Rampage: Running Down Victims, Stabbing, Carjacking A Jersey Shore man admitted in federal court on Thursday that he committed a series of violent assaults on members of the Jewish Orthodox community in and around Lakewood. What became a rampage over roughly seven hours began when Dion Marsh, 29, of Manchester, dragged a "visibly identifiable" Orthodox Jew out of his car, beat him and sped off in the victim's vehicle on April 8, 2022, authorities said. Marsh was driving a different car in the heavily Orthodox community hours later when he ran down victims in three separate incidents, attempting to kill each of them, U.S. Attorney for New Jer…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions
Former Jersey Shore Mayor Sentenced For Taking Money From Parking Meters, Government Auctions A former mayor of Ocean Gate will spend time in state prison for pocketing money from government auctions, parking meter funds, and scrap metal sales, authorities said. Paul Kennedy, 68, of Ocean Gate, was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 26 to three years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced. Kennedy pleaded guilty on Friday, Sept. 22 to pattern of official misconduct. As part of his plea deal, Kennedy is banned from holding public office or employment. Investigators said that while he was mayor, Kennedy took money from borough assets sold on the government auc…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Driver Bailed In Crash That Left Passenger Dead: Prosecutor NJ Driver Bailed In Crash That Left Passenger Dead: Prosecutor
NJ Driver Bailed In Crash That Left Passenger Dead: Prosecutor A 26-year-old man has been arrested for leaving the scene of a crash that left his passenger dead in Ocean County, authorities said. Angel Garcia-Rodriguez, 26, of Lakewood, was behind the wheel of a 2007 Honda Civic when he lost control and struck a utility pole on James Street around 2:25 a.m. Saturday, July 22, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Officers found a critically injured male in the passenger seat of the vehicle. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he died, Billhimer said. Garcia-Rodriguez fled the scene before police a…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Twister Bursts Massive Sports Dome In Ocean County, 2nd Tornado Confirmed In Burlington County Twister Bursts Massive Sports Dome In Ocean County, 2nd Tornado Confirmed In Burlington County
Twister Bursts Massive Sports Dome In Ocean County, 2nd Tornado Confirmed In Burlington County One of two tornados confirmed in New Jersey ruptured one of the nation's largest sports bubbles. The 10,000-square-foot inflatable dome at Adventure Sports & Entertainment, near Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, ruptured in the midst of the twister on Saturday night, April 1, according to the Ocean County Sheriff's Office and National Weather Service. Thankfully no injuries to recreational bubble located near Six Flags Great Adventure. Posted by Ocean County Sheriff 911 on Sunday, April 2, 2023 The theme park was expected to be closed until Wednesday, April 5. A secon…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Detective Required To Sell Handguns Later Reported One As Stolen: Prosecutor NJ Detective Required To Sell Handguns Later Reported One As Stolen: Prosecutor
NJ Detective Required To Sell Handguns Later Reported One As Stolen: Prosecutor A 47-year-old police detective from the Jersey Shore was required to sell handguns due to a restraining order, authorities said. And in 2022, Matthew Curtis signed paperwork saying he did, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. But months later, when some of his guns were stolen out of his car in Little Egg Harbor, the Island Heights detective filed a police report saying that one of the firearms he had claimed he sold was among the items stolen, Billhimer said. Curtis — who once helped deliver a baby — was subsequently charged on Monday, Feb. 13 with with…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
'Crazy Rescue Ladies': 180 Animals Saved From Deplorable Conditions Of Jersey Shore Home 'Crazy Rescue Ladies': 180 Animals Saved From Deplorable Conditions Of Jersey Shore Home
'Crazy Rescue Ladies': 180 Animals Saved From Deplorable Conditions Of Jersey Shore Home Two women who call themselves "Crazy Rescue Ladies" on social media have been charged after authorities found nearly 180 dogs and cats living in unsanitary conditions in their Jersey Shore puppy mill last week police said. Aimee Lonczak, 49, and Michele Nycz, 58 — who call themselves the "Crazy Rescue Ladies" — were speaking to officers in the driveway of an Arrowhead Park Drive home in Brick Township, after law enforcement had been called to the scene on a complaint of a puppy mill around 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, township police said. Current DOGS IN IMMEDIATE NEED OF ADOPTION OR RES…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Man Indicted In Road Rage Death: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Man Indicted In Road Rage Death: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Man Indicted In Road Rage Death: Prosecutor A 20-year-old man from Lakewood has been indicted in connection with a fatal crash during a road rage incident, authorities said. Avrohom Pam was charged with death by auto and assault by auto, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer  The crash resulted in the death of Sean Avon, 26, of Brick Township, he said. On June 11, 2021, at approximately 5:15 p.m., Lakewood Township Police were called to Lanes Mills Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle crash. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood To…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Ocean County College Jumper Airlifted: Police Ocean County College Jumper Airlifted: Police
Ocean County College Jumper Airlifted: Police A female was airlifted to the hospital after leaping from a building on the Ocean County College campus Wednesday, Sept. 14, authorities said. Police responding to the five-story Kean Gateway Building campus found the victim, who had jumped from the roof around 12:25 p.m., Toms River police said. The female was alert and conscious and was flown to Jersey Shore Medical University for treatment of her injuries. Ocean County Sheriff’s officers and Silverton First Aid Squad also assisted at the scene. The incident remains under investigation.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Man, 36, Charged With Killing His Dad: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Man, 36, Charged With Killing His Dad: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Man, 36, Charged With Killing His Dad: Prosecutor A 36-year-old man from Ocean County has been charged with killing his father, authorities said. Justin Donaldson, of Lacey Township, was charged with murder on Wednesday, Sept. 7, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lacey Township Police Chief Michael C. DiBella. The arrest was made in connection with the death of David Donaldson, 67, also of Lacey Township. On Sept. 7, at approximately 4:35 p.m., Officers from the Lacey Township Police Department were called to a residence on Weehawken Avenue by a concerned family member who was attempting to …

SHARE

by Jon Craig
News
GUILTY: Jurors Convict Jersey Shore Porn Collector Who Threw Devices Into Creek To Avoid FBI GUILTY: Jurors Convict Jersey Shore Porn Collector Who Threw Devices Into Creek To Avoid FBI
Guilty: Jurors Convict Jersey Shore Porn Collector Who Threw Devices Into Creek To Avoid FBI A man who threw an iPad and iPhone containing child pornography into a Jersey Shore creek – only to have a drone help the FBI find them -- was convicted by federal jurors of several related charges. Charles F. Browne, 52, of South River, became a target of investigators after officials at Dropbox Inc. tipped them off, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. The FBI obtained the uploaded files, which included Browne’s resume along with images of prepubescent children being sexually abused, the U.S. attorney said. Investigators approached Browne in April 2019 as he left his then-home in…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Homeowner Stabbed Dead By Verizon Door-To-Door Solicitor: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Homeowner Stabbed Dead By Verizon Door-To-Door Solicitor: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Homeowner Stabbed Dead By Verizon Door-To-Door Solicitor: Prosecutor A 32-year-old man from Middlesex County has been charged in the fatal stabbing of a Jersey Shore man after a door-to-door solicitation, authorities said. On Thursday, May 26, Michael Tsamas, of Laurence Harbor, was charged with murder in connection with the death of Joseph Delgardio in Jackson Township earlier that evening, they said. Tsamas also was charged with weapons offenses, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Jackson Township Police Chief Matthew Kunz At approximately 6:15 p.m., Jackson police responded to West Veterans Highway and …

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
1 Killed, Multiple Injuries Reported In Four-Vehicle Ocean County Crash 1 Killed, Multiple Injuries Reported In Four-Vehicle Ocean County Crash
1 Killed, Multiple Injuries Reported In Four-Vehicle Ocean County Crash A car veered out of its lane in Ocean County, resulting in a four-vehicle crash that killed one person and injured four others on Tuesday, March 29, authorities said. Manchester Township police were called to the crash on Route 571 and Whitesville Road around 7:15 a.m., Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Danielle Bowker, 30, of Toms River, was driving westbound on Route 571 in a 2018 Honda Civic when she failed to maintain her lane of travel while negotiating a right-hand curve, the prosecutor said. The sedan then struck an eastbound New Jersey Department of Trans…

SHARE

by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Mayor Of Jersey Shore Town Pocketed Parking Meter Money, Sold Borough Furniture: Prosecutor Mayor Of Jersey Shore Town Pocketed Parking Meter Money, Sold Borough Furniture: Prosecutor
Mayor Of Jersey Shore Town Pocketed Parking Meter Money, Sold Borough Furniture: Prosecutor A mayor from a Jersey Shore town has been charged with official misconduct and theft for pocketing parking meter money and selling borough furniture, authorities said. Authorities did not detail the value of the cash and other proceeds allegedly stolen by Paul Kennedy, 66, who serves as the mayor of Ocean Gate. These charges are the result of an extensive investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards/Corruption Unit and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad, according to Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. The investigati…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Man, 36, Killed By Multiple Gunshots: Prosecutor Jersey Shore Man, 36, Killed By Multiple Gunshots: Prosecutor
Jersey Shore Man, 36, Killed By Multiple Gunshots: Prosecutor A 36-year-old man from Ocean County was killed by multiple gunshots, authorities said. Jimmy Mosley of South Toms River had been dropped off at an area shortly after the shooting, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Toms River Township Police Chief Mitchell A. Little. On Wednesday, March 9, at approximately 10:15 p.m., Toms River police responded to Community Medical Center for a report of an unresponsive male victim with multiple gunshot wounds.  Mosely succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the hospital, they said in a press…

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Obituaries
Sheriff's Officer Who Founded Mounted Unit Killed In Lakewood Crash Sheriff's Officer Who Founded Mounted Unit Killed In Lakewood Crash
Sheriff's Officer Who Founded Mounted Unit Killed In Lakewood Crash An off-duty Ocean County Sheriff's officer who started his agency's mounted unit was killed in a pre-dawn Valentine's Day crash, authorities said. Brian Stockhoff, 41, was heading south on Shorrock Street when his 2005 Toyota Sienna struck a brick wall outside of the Leisure Village East community at the border of Lakewood and Brick Township around 3:45 a.m., Lakewood Police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said. Stockhoff's vehicle came to a stop near Dumbarton Drive in 2014. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene a short time later. Stockhoff founded the sheriff's Mounted Unit in 2014 wi…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Disgruntled Ex-Employee Sets Fire To Former Central Jersey Workplace: Prosecutor Disgruntled Ex-Employee Sets Fire To Former Central Jersey Workplace: Prosecutor
Disgruntled Ex-Employee Sets Fire To Former Central Jersey Workplace: Prosecutor A 25-year-old Toms River man who'd recently been fired from his job set his former workplace on fire early Wednesday morning, authorities said. Jorge Euxaque-Ballesteros has been charged with aggravated arson and burglary following the fire on Cross Street in Lakewood around 2 a.m., Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Lakewood police officers and firefighters responded to the building for a sprinkler system alarm, where they found the fire in the basement of the business. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. Euxaque-Ballesteros had used an open flam…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Manchester Fire Was 'Intentionally Set': Prosecutor Manchester Fire Was 'Intentionally Set': Prosecutor
Manchester Fire Was 'Intentionally Set': Prosecutor A fire in a vacant structure earlier this week was intentionally set, authorities said. On Tuesday, Manchester police and Manchester Fire Department were dispatched on a report of a fire at a vacant structure on Ridgeway Road. Once the fire was extinguished, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Manchester Township Detective Bureau, were requested to respond to the scene and conduct an examination into the origin and cause of the fire.  The result of the…

SHARE

by Jon Craig