Crime & Safety

Ex-Point Beach Special Police Officer Dies in Monday Morning Car Accident

Tina Rambo, who was working as an Ocean County detective, dies in head-on collision on Route 70

Tina Rambo, a detective with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and former Point Beach special police officer, died today in a head-on collision on Southampton's portion of Route 70.

The Burlington County head-on collision was confirmed by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, who said Rambo was a valued member of the county detective force and the mother of two small children.

State police said on Monday afternoon that Rambo was driving her assigned, county, 2000 blue Ford Crown Victoria alone on Route 70 when her car collided with another car at milemarker 21 at 8 a.m.

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Rambo was driving eastbound and Rachel Portnoy, 24, of Marlton, was, originally, driving westbound in a 2004 silver Saturn Ion. However, Portnoy's car then moved, head-on into Rambo's car, into the eastbound lane and the two cars crashed, said state police in a prepared statement released on Monday afternoon.

"The preliminary accident investigation by State Police indicates that the Ion was in the oncoming eastbound lane at the time of the crash," says the statement.   

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Portnoy was transported by a Medevac helicopter to Cooper University Medical Center with serious leg injuries, the statement says.

"Rambo was declared deceased at the accident scene," according to the statement.

"No charges or tickets have been issued at this time. The accident investigation is being headed by Troop C detectives, aided by State Police Crime Scene detectives and Fatal Accident Unit detectives."

Rambo was a 2000 graduate from the Ocean County Police Academy and also previously served as a part-time special police officer in Point Pleasant Beach during the summers of 1999 and 2000 when she used "Liston," her maiden name.

Point Beach Detective Clint Daniel said, "She was a fantastic person. She was well-liked by the other officers when she was here and then when she was a detective with the county. It's a tragic loss."

Rambo, 35, died just 10 years after being sworn in as a law enforcement officer for the county, said Marlene Lynch Ford, the Ocean County prosecutor, in a released statement.

She had been with the "county prosecutor’s office since 2000, first as a Prosecutor’s Agent and then as a sworn law enforcement officer, to whom the oath of office was administered almost exactly ten years ago on July 30, 2001."

Ford, in Berkeley earlier today for the swearing in of the township's police chief, shared condolences for a member of the team who worked in multiple units throughout the years: Narcotics Strike Force; Special Victims Unit; Megan’s Law Unit; and the Family Protection Unit (Domestic Violence). Rambo recently had been assigned to the Grand Jury and Trial Unit.

"I, along with all members of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, extend our deep condolences to the family of Tina Rambo, and mourn the loss of our co-worker, colleague and friend," Ford said.

She had also served previously as a substitute teacher for the Toms River Regional School district. 

Rambo, a Marlton resident, was a former Toms River resident and 1994 graduate of Toms River North High School; a 1996 graduate of Ocean County College and was awarded her bachelor’s degree from Rowan University in 1997. She earned a Master in Arts degree from Seton Hall University in Human Resources Training and Development in 2004. 

Rambo was married to Roy Rambo, Jr. and she is survived by her 3- and 6-year-old children, her mother and father, and one brother and two sisters.  

Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said he remembers Rambo from her student teaching days, but also during an internship she served with the Toms River police while in college.

"I remember her as a young kid, she was a vibrant person," he said. "It's a real shame, this is real sad."

This story will be updated as details become available.


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