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Ocean County Trio Shot Into Toms River Residence: Prosecutor
Three Ocean County residents were indicted by a grand jury for attempted murder on Thursday, May 8, after they shot into a residence in Toms River in January, authorities said.
On Monday, Jan. 13, at 1:55 a.m., Toms River police responded to Justice Court after three men shot into a residence occupied by an adult and two children, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
The three men were later identified as Lyjhahn Cromartie, a 19-year-old Lakehurst resident, Shazir Vallade, a 20-year-old Lakewood resident and Javir Askew-Mayweather, a 21-year-old Manchester resident, Billhimer sai…
90 Burglaries, 230 Charges: Serial NJ Burglar Busted, Brick Police Say
A Berkeley Township man has been arrested and hit with more than 200 charges after committing more than 90 burglaries in Monmouth and Ocean counties, authorities said.
Between December 2024 and January 2025, officers investigated 40 burglaries committed at the CubeSmart storage facility off Route 70, Brick Township police said. The suspect, later identified as Craig Orler, cut through a fence and used bolt cutters to access the storage unit, police said.
Items stolen included an ATV, a motorcycle, car parts, a car engine and various personal items, police said.
Orler was selling the items …
Isolated Tornado Possible, Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued For 14 NJ Counties
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for 14 counties in New Jersey, with storms expected to bring wind gusts up to 60 MPH, the National Weather Service said on Saturday, May 3.
The watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. for Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Salem, Somerset, and Warren counties, according to the NWS Storm Prediction Center.
Forecasters say the main threat is damaging winds, especially in areas north and west of the I-95 corridor. Showers and isolated thunderstorms will move in later today and co…
17-Year-Old Helped Set Pallets Ablaze Sparking Jones Road Wildfire: Prosecutor
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the massive wildfire that burned through Ocean County last week, authorities announced.
The teen, whose name was not released because of his age, was taken into custody on Wednesday, May 1, and charged with aggravated arson, arson, and hindering apprehension, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said on Friday, May 2.
Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, was previously arrested and charged with aggravated arson and arson for setting wooden pallets on fire and leaving before it was out, Billhimer said.
Kling was taken into custod…
Unlicensed Berkeley Twp Dad, Son Charged In Hit-Run That Seriously Injured Teen: Prosecutor
A 22-year-old man tried to cover for his father after police say the dad, who was unlicensed, hit a 17-year-old boy riding an e-bike and fled the scene this week in Ocean County.
The crash happened on Wednesday, April 30, around Mizzen Avenue and Locker Street in Beachwood, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
A 17-year-old boy was riding an electric bicycle north on Locker Street when he was struck by Michael P. Gable, 56, of Berkeley Township, heading east on Mizzen Avenue, the prosecutor said. Gable did not stop.
The teen was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Me…
68 Cats Euthanized, Brick Man Learns Fate For Animal Cruelty: Prosecutor
A Brick man who kept more than 150 cats in his residence was sentenced to 180 days in jail on Friday, April 25, after previously pleading guilty to animal cruelty, authorities said.
On Thursday, May 4, 2023, Jeffrey Finlay called police to his home on Mantoloking Road, asking them to help remove an excessive number of animals from his residence, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. Officers discovered approximately 157 cats and 3 dogs living at the residence, Billhimer said.
Over a day, the animals were removed from the residence and transferred for treatment and evaluation, Bil…
Waretown Man, 19, Charged In Jones Road Wildfire Over Improper Bonfire: Prosecutor
A 19-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with setting the massive wildfire that scorched 15,000 acres and destroyed a commercial building this week, officials announced.
Joseph Kling, of Ocean Township (Waretown), was charged with Aggravated Arson and Arson in connection with the Tuesday, April 22 blaze, according to a joint statement from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, NJ DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, and Ocean Township Police Chief Michal Rogalski.
The fire was first spotted at 9:45 a.m. by the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower, which reported seeing smoke near Jones Roa…
Two South River Men Sold Fentanyl That Killed Barnegat Woman: Prosecutor
Two South River men were arrested and charged on Tuesday, April 22, after authorities say they sold fentanyl that killed a 34-year-old woman two months ago.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Barnegat Township Police responded to a residence and found a woman, who was not identified, dead from a drug overdose, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
An investigation determined Jeffrey Zachary, 56, and Ronald Zackery, 59, supplied the woman with heroin and fentanyl, Billhimer said.
The next day, detectives began surveilling Zachary, pulling him over in Barnegat, Billhimer said A search warrant …
Millions In CT Breathing Unhealthy Air, New Study Warns: Here's Why
Nearly half of all people in the United States, including millions across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to a new study.
The American Lung Association released its 2025 edition of the "State of the Air" report on Wednesday, April 23. The study, now in its 26th year, highlights troubling air quality trends in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
The report found that 156 million people – about 46% of the U.S. population – are living in counties that earned failing grades f…
Air Quality Alert Issued For South Jersey After Wildfires
The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert on Wednesday, April 23, for parts of Southern New Jersey following the devastating wildfires in eastern Ocean County.
The air quality alert was issued for Ocean-Atlantic-Cape May-Atlantic Coastal Cape May-Coastal Atlantic-Coastal Ocean-Southeastern Burlington and includes the cities of Jackson, Hammonton, Cape May Court House, Ocean City, Atlantic City, Long Beach Island and Wharton State Forest.
The massive wildfire has burned through 11,500 acres — threatening homes, destroying property, and leaving thousands without power as o…
NJ Wildfire Explodes To 12,500 Acres: Latest From Forest Fire Service
An otherwise idyllic spring day along the New Jersey coast was darkened by thick plumes of smoke as a massive wildfire scorched through 12,500 acres — threatening homes, destroying property, and leaving thousands without power Wednesday, April 23.
🚨 A massive wildfire, dubbed the Jones Road Wildfire, is tearing through 1,200 acres in Barnegat Township’s Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area, Ocean County, NJ, as of April 22, 2025, with 0% containment. Mandatory evacuations are underway for Wells Mills Road from Bryant… pic.twitter.com/61nPv8YRcH — Laszlo Varga (@LaszloRealtor) April 2…
Toms River Man, 28, Killed In ATV Crash At Clayton Pits: Police
A 28-year-old Toms River man died in a serious ATV crash Saturday, April 19, while riding through a wooded trail behind a golf course in Ocean County, authorities said.
Brandon Orozco-Avila was riding alone at approximately 6:18 p.m. in a rural trail area known as the Clayton Pits, located behind the Pine Barrens Golf Course off South Hope Chapel Road, when he lost control of his ATV and crashed, Jackson Township Police said in a release.
The ATV veered off the trail and slammed into several trees in a heavily wooded area, police said. Orozco-Avila was pronounced dead at the scene, the…
NY Man Crashes Van, Tries Carjacking, Hops In Police Cruiser During Ocean County Crime Spree
A New York man living in Atlantic City turned a Jersey Shore crime spree into chaos—smashing into an Audi, trying to yank a woman from her car, and climbing into a patrol cruiser before being dragged out by officers, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Wednesday, April 16.
Andrew Williams, 45, pleaded guilty to eluding, burglary, and fraudulent use of a credit card after his wild day in Brick and Stafford townships on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.
Stolen Wallets, Crashed Van, Attempted Carjacking
It all started when an off-duty Brick Township officer saw two men near a blaring…
Cocaine, Meth, Marijuana: Toms River Man Arrested Twice, Prosecutor Says
A 39-year-old Toms River man was recently arrested twice and charged with storing and distributing cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, authorities said.
On Thursday, March 20, detectives began surveilling Jonathan Acosta’s residence, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
After he was taken into custody following a traffic stop, a search warrant was executed on his residence, which saw the seizure of 21 grams of meth, approximately one-half pound of marijuana, a quantity of cocaine, and materials indicative of narcotics distribution, Billhimer said.
Acosta was hit with numerou…
South Amboy Man Admits to Fatally Striking Mother Of Four, Leaving Scene: Prosecutor
A 21-year-old South Amboy resident pleaded guilty on Thursday, April 3, to fatally striking a pedestrian and leaving the scene in a crash last year, authorities said.
As part of a plea agreement, Mark Carey is expected to be sentenced to six years in prison in June, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
On Saturday, Jan. 13, at 9:15 p.m., Brick Township police responded to Route 35 South and Bay Avenue after a pedestrian, Julia Sutton, a 56-year-old Weehawken resident, who was out jogging, was struck by a 1999 Ford Explorer that fled the scene, Billhimer said.
Sutton was taken t…
Two Lakewood Men Face Murder Charges For 2010 Shooting: Prosecutor
Two Lakewood men were indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday, April 2, charged with murdering a man in Toms River in 2010, authorities said.
Maurice Cole, 36, and Jerron Evans, 41, fatally shot 22-year-old Rondell Proctor, an Arkansas resident, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
Oh Thursday, May 27, at 12:40 a.m., Toms River police responded to the Winteringham Village Apartments at Route 166 and found Proctor with several gunshot wounds to the torso and a gunshot wound to the face, Billhimer said. Proctor was transported to Community Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead…
Verizon Salesman, Old Bridge Resident Guilty Of Stabbing Man In Neck: Prosecutor
A 35-year-old Verizon door-to-door salesman was convicted on Wednesday, March 26, of stabbing a man in the neck in 2022 in Ocean County, authorities said.
Michael Tsamas, a Laurence Harbor resident, was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter in the death of Joseph Delgardio, a Jackson Township resident, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. Tsamas was also convicted of multiple weapons charges, Billhimer said.
On Thursday May 26, 2022 at 6:15 p.m., Jackson Township police responded to West Veterans Highway and Conor Road and found Delgardio lying in a pool of blood in the roadway…
