Politics & Government

Point Boro River Road Residents Report Numerous Car Crashes

Residents ask Borough Council for ways to help prevent more accidents on the Ocean County road

A few residents on River Road are asking the Point Boro Council for help in stemming the stream of car crashes on the narrow, winding portion of the Ocean County road.

John M. and Maryann E. Tym, 2628 River Rd., only wish the car crashes just outside their River Road home were between a rock and a hard place. Instead, many have crashed straight into their brick wall, including a drunken driver who recently crashed into it and was arrested by police, they said.

And why is the wall there?

"We installed the wall because historically there have been so many accidents and nothing has been done," said Maryann Tym, standing at the microphone with her husband, John M. Tym. "The wall stops them. At least they don't come into our house or further onto our property or onto our next door neighbor's property."

Since installing the wall in 2009, complete with reflectors, four cars have crashed into it.

"Before that, the number of accidents on the road were too numerous to count," said John M. Tym, after the meeting, adding he and his wife have spent about $30,000 on building and repeatedly rebuilding the wall.

Eric Johnson, 2624 River Rd., reported to council that a car, heading away from Route 70, recently sideswiped his car at about midnight and fled the scene, not to be found (yet) by police.

"We have three bars nearby, it was probably a drunk driver who hit my car," Johnson said. "Someone will be seriously hurt there. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. I think the town needs to give this some attention."

After the meeting, when asked how much it cost to repair the damage to his car, Johnson said it was just over $4,000. "Thankfully, I had insurance that helped pay for it," he said.

Council President Bob Sabosik, who was running the meeting in the absence of Mayor William Schroeder, told the residents that the police and Municipal Business Administrator Dave Maffei would discuss the problem.

Maffei said the officials and council would have to bring recommendations to Ocean County officials since it is a county road.

Police Chief Larry Williams said, from his seat in the audience, that Lt. Robert Lokerson has already contacted the county about the River Road issues and has also spoken to at least a couple of the residents there.

Council members and Maffei agreed they would talk to the police chief, Lokerson, the municipal engineering firm, and then to county officials, about how the county can design better signage and other improvements to help prevent more accidents on the road.

In other business, the council agreed to schedule its organization meeting for noon on Jan. 5.

Have you ever been in or witnessed an accident on this section of River Road? Do you have any suggestions on how improvements can be made to help prevent more incidents? Please let us know in the Comments section. Thank you.


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