MANTOLOKING–On May 2nd, to much media fan fare, the iconic home in the Barnegat Bay was removed.  Last week, Crowder Gulf removed the last home from the northern portion of the Barnegat Bay, which sat adjacent to the Mantoloking Bridge, with very little media fan fare.   The Ocean Signal was on scene for the removal.

Photos by Phil Stilton / Ocean Signal.

Over 100 homes to be razed through Toms River’s PPDR program

TOMS RIVER – Mayor Tom Kelaher is pleased to announce that the Township’s demolition program will begin this Saturday. “Our residents are eager to start the rebuilding process,” Kelaher said. Hurricane Sandy damaged over 6,500 homes on the barrier island and almost 4,000 homes on the mainland. “Most of the homes had some form of flooding, but a lot of the dwellings will need to be knocked down because of structural problems,” Kelaher stated.
Toms River residents with structurally damaged homes were mailed a packet of information encouraging them to enroll in the Township’s Private Property Debris Removal Program, or PPDR. Assistant Township Planner Erika Stahl has been assisting homeowners in registering for the PPDR program, which is free to residents who have homes that have been structurally damaged. Stahl says, “Enrollment in the program must be approved by FEMA, which can take a while because there are many steps involved.”
According to Public Works Director Lou Amoruso, “We are starting our demolition program on Saturday May 17th. We will begin by taking down a structure on Seagull Lane and then move onto Beier and Nichols Avenue in Ortley Beach.”
After the first round of Ortley Beach homes are demolished, the contractor will move onto the North Beach area and also homes on the mainland.
The Township’s Demolition program will cover the cost of demolition and removal of homes, if approved beforehand. The PPDR program will also cover the removal of debris such as sand, neighbor’s dwelling or buildings, and other debris that may have floated onto another property.

By Phil Stilton
Photo by Phil Stilton

TOMS RIVER—Shortly after announcing the creation of a municipal position to help Toms River Township residents navigate through the difficult networks of red tape involved with disaster recovery, Mayor Thomas Kelaher told the Ocean Signal today that the township has hired long time resident Trevor Newman for the job.

Mr. Newman will start his job as Disaster Recovery Ombudsman on Monday, May 20^th.  Initially, he will meet with township officials and department heads to work out a plan on how the township can begin to offer assistance to those negatively impacted by Sandy who are struggling to understand FEMA guidelines, insurance policies and to help them seek out available programs they may qualify for.

Shortly after the announcement of the position was made, Mr. Newman ironically tells us that he was sitting at the Band Wagon Diner on Route 37 and was thumbing through the inaugural issue of the Ocean Signal when he read the article about the Ombudsman position.

“I saw the article and read what the mayor was saying and thought, “That’s me”, so I sent him an email and my resume and some thoughts I had.  The rest, as they say, is history,” Mr. Newman said.

Newman, 67, who has lived in Toms River for 40 years, said he worked as a front line manager for Allstate insurance in property loss for 37 years.  He is a certified adjuster for the National Flood Insurance Program.

“When Katrina took place, most of the flood qualified people were sent to Louisiana,” he said.  “What they failed to recognize there were flood damages in other places and nobody was going to those places.”

Newman was tasked by his company to devise a plan to branch out beyond Louisiana and help those affected in other states by the hurricane, handling over 1,600 claims between the end of 2005 and 2006.

He also warned that there’s no quick solution to many of the problems residents in Toms River now face.  “We have a long way to go as a town and there are an awful lot of people who don’t understand the programs and that are where the problem lies, people need to know the programs available and how to wade through the mass of documentation to get back on their feet,” he said.   “Many people have expectations that their policies can’t meet and it’s because they didn’t understand the policies that they run into those problems, which isn’t unusual.”

Part of the problem, according to Newman is the complexity of the situation between insurance companies, FEMA and other programs designed to help people.

It’s a problem Mayor Kelaher and the township are fully aware of.  “We have a lot of residents who are overwhelmed with paperwork and the process involved in fixing up your home from Sandy,” Mr. Kelaher said.  “The purpose of the ombudsman is to help residents work through the steps, and assist with insurance problems, FEMA applications and grant programs.”

Newman concurs.

“It’s a complicated program on a good day, on a bad day it’s much worse,” he added.   “My hope is that I can clarify for people what they have and where they are going and help them make the necessary applications to get them on their feet.”

Newman said one of the ways he hopes to help people is by helping them properly fill out the right paperwork and in the right order to ease some of the pains sometimes associated with the recovery process.    He said during the process you have to be aware of everything, including municipal building codes, the permit process and the application processes for various assistance programs.

“You have to follow proper procedures to be successful,” he concluded.

Earlier today, the Union County Homicide Task Force and the Clark Police Department  issued an arrest warrant in the homicide of Joseph Galfy, Jr., which occurred in Clark, N.J. on May 12, 2013.

The  main suspect in the case was Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, a homeless man who was made famous on the internet as the “Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker”.

McGillvary is also known as Kai Lawrence, Caleb Kai Lawrence and Kai Nicodemus.

Galfy was found inside his home on Starlite Drive on May 13, 2013 after

officers were called to the residence for a welfare check. An autopsy performed the following day determined that Galfy died as a result of blunt force trauma, said Romankow.

Around 6:30 pm tonight, Lawrence was arrested at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Philadelphia, by members of the Philadelphia Police Department.

McGillvary has been charged with the homicide of Joseph Galfy, Jr.   He will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days. His bail was previously set at $3 million and he will be lodged in the Union County Jail in Elizabeth.

“I am grateful for the overwhelming response and dedicated effort by the public and law enforcement that led to this arrest,” said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow. “I believe that everyone is a little safer with this person off the streets.”

Investigators learned earlier in the day, McGillvary had cut his hair in an attempt to alter his appearance, and was  seen at a light rail station in Haddonfield.

The Union County Homicide Task Force worked with local, state, and Federal officials to locate McGillvary.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS–Just in time for Memorial Day, the borough council has approved the hiring of five new full-time police officers.   The five men had all served previously as special police officers to the borough during the summer season and were also employed during the borough’s recovery after Hurricane Sandy.

Lawrence Mayberry, Michael McCurdy, Christopher Linnell, Erik Hershey and Justin Heffernan were all sworn in by borough attorney, Jean Cipriani.

“We got five really good cops, I’m very proud of them.” said Police Chief Thomas Boyd. “These are the types of guys who go out and help people.  They’re the types of guys who go up in the tree and get the cat, not the guys that shoot the cat out of the tree.”

Boyd said each of the officers have proven themselves worthy of becoming full-time police officers through their actions since Hurricane Sandy.  “We’ve been through a lot, we’ve been beaten up, so this is finally some good news,” Boyd said.

Chief Boyd thanked Mayor William Akers and the borough council for allowing him to hire the new officers and for the community support for that decision, “With they allowed me to do, to hire these five good kids, you have no idea what it means to me…and to see the community come together again, it’s great, these men deserve this, they’ve worked for it.” the chief added.   Akers said that since Hurricane Sandy, the five had

Former Seaside Heights Mayor P. Kenneth Hershey, held the bible during the swearing in of his son, Erik.

“I’m so glad to be here tonight,” Mayor Hershey said afterwards as he broke down in tears of joy.   “I’m so happy for my son tonight.”

“I just to thank the mayor and council for giving me this opportunity,” said Officer McCurdy.

Councilman Richard Thompkins said the five new officers had performed well as special officers for the borough.  “They held themselves in such high regards, we never looked at them as class II officers, we always felt as if they were full-time officers,” Mr. Thompkins said.

“I’m so happy we’ve finally been able to appoint these men,” said Councilwoman Agnes Polhemus, “It’s been a long time coming, but they were certainly worth the wait.”

On Tuesday, the Jet Star Roller Coaster, the iconic image of Hurricane Sandy in Ocean County, was removed from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.   The entire process took nearly 24 hours, but you can now watch it in just over one minute.

See more pictures from the demolition and Prince Harry’s visit from Ocean County’s ONLY Authentically Local news source, The Ocean Signal & Ocean County Police Blotter:  https://www.facebook.com/OCPoliceBlotter?fref=ts

MANCHESTER – On Monday, May 13th at approximately 5:18 pm, the Manchester Township Police received a 911 call reporting a 76 year old male unconscious and not breathing. Upon arrival of Emergency Services personnel, it was determined that the manner in which the victim was found was suspicious in nature.

The victim, Anthony “Tony” Verdicchio, age 76, was found in his home, located in the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Park in Manchester Township. Based on the preliminary investigation, law enforcement authorities believe that Mr. Verdicchio suffered head trauma and succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, to determine the exact cause and manner of Mr. Verdicchio’s death.

The victim was last seen on Sunday, May 12th, 2013, at the 9:00 am mass, at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Cable Avenue in Beachwood NJ. Law Enforcement Authorities are interested in speaking with anyone who may have spoken to, or seen, Mr. Verdicchio between 10am Sunday morning and 5pm Monday evening. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Manchester Township Police at 732-657-6111, the confidential tip line at www.manchesterpolicenj.com or the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027.

This investigation is currently being conducted by the Manchester Township Police, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS – The first phase of debris removal from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean here was completed today with the demolition and extraction of the Jet Star rollercoaster, which became an iconic symbol the morning after Hurricane Sandy devastated the shore last October 29th.

Weeks Marine of Cranford, Union County completed its work at noon today, approximately 23 hours after it began removal efforts alongside the Casino Pier, where the coaster originally sat.

Toby Wolf, spokesperson for the pier amusement firm, stated the next step would be an oceanographic survey of what else remained of several other rides and attractions in the water, including the Stillwalk Manor, a well-known “dark ride” mock-haunted house which was completely topped from the end of the pier during the storm.

Photo by Pat Day, NYOnAir.Com.

TOMS RIVER–On Saturday, approximately 40 cadets from the U.S. Naval Academy were treated to dinner at the Toms River Country Club by retired Air Force Brigadier General Robert Paschon, of Toms River.   The cadets spent their week volunteering and helping the Bucket Brigade in Ortley Beach under the direction of Cassandra Vitale.

The cadets were thanked by Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher and Robert DiBiase, who coordinated the event for the township between the Naval Academy and the Bucket Brigade.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS–While the global media networks swarmed the oceanfront boardwalk in anticipation of the arrival of England’s Prince Harry and to give the world its first look at the removal of the Jet Star roller coaster from the Atlantic Ocean, just a few blocks away, progress of another kind was being made.

Crews from Albert Marine have been working hard to finish construction of Seaside Heights’ other boardwalk, the often forgotten bay side boardwalk, which is also an important part of the town’s summer tourism draw.

Mayor Bill Akers said “People don’t realize that the boardwalk on the bay side is also important, it’s our link to the Barnegat Bay.”

The boardwalk hosts a playground, fishing and crabbing pier, jetski and watercraft rentals, boat rentals and a launch point for private boats.

Work is expected to be fully complete by June 1st in time for the Jersey Gems RV Camping Rally starting June 4th.