1,000 Bags of Heroin Seized, Newark Man Arrested

Motor vehicle stop in Seaside Park leads to drug-related charges for Ibnballha Pitman, 34, of Newark

A Newark man was arrested and charged after police seized 1,000 bags of heroin in an investigation into drug activity in the Ocean County area, according to a news release from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. Ibnballha Pitman, 34, of Newark was arrested on April 15 after a cooperative investigation into his alleged drug distribution activities. Detectives conducted a motor vehicle stop on April 15 in which Pitman was the occupant of a 2001 White Honda Accord. The stop took place in the area of O Street and Central Avenue in Seaside Park. The officers obtained and executed a search warrant for the car, ultimately seizing approximately 1,000 bags of heroin with the approximate street value of $5,000, the news release said. Pitman was …

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Deadline Set for Dune Easements to be Signed

Officials hoping project will begin this summer from Manasquan to Barnegat inlets

Oceanfront homeowners between Manasquan and Barnegat inlets are being urged to sign easements necessary for a beach renourishment project to get off the ground by May 1, officials said Thursday. U.S. Rep Jon Runyan (R-3) wrote to the mayors of a number of northern Ocean County municipalities this week urging them to secure all necessary easements for the massive dune and beach project by May 1, the date the Army Corps of Engineers must submit a work plan to Congress. The project's design – which would include the construction of approximately 25-foot high dunes, 75 foot wide berms and 175 acres of dune grass in the project area – was completed in 2007, but has languished after some oceanfront homeowners refused to sign easements that would…

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Seaside Park Settles Suit With Former Bar Owner for $2.5M

Racially-charged lawsuit named more than 50 borough employees

Seaside Park has settled a lawsuit brought against the borough by the former owner of a boardwalk bar. The $2.5 million settlement marks an end to the racially-charged claim against the borough, which named as defendants more than 50 borough employees and former employees, including a number of police officers and elected officials. Stephen D’Onofrio, the former owner of the Sawmill Cafe - located on the boardwalk near the borough's border with Seaside Heights - charged in a 160 page court filing that borough officials and police conspired to run him out of town after his establishment hosted a 2004 concert by rapper Method Man. The lawsuit claimed the plan to drive the bar away even had a name: "The Program." "The Program was a living …

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Hurricane Sandy

Seaside Park Checkpoints Discontinued

Residents only mandate lifted as of Thursday

Checkpoints in Seaside Park have now ended. The borough announced on its website that as of Thursday, checkpoints and roadblocks would no longer be in place. The borough repopulated in December, but since then only residents with credentials were allowed access to local streets as well as Route 35. "All traffic devices located on the roadway along Porter Avenue with the purpose of detouring traffic will be removed," the announcement said, and the re-entry passes are no longer required. Some restrictions do remain in place, however. A pedestrian curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. remains in place, and the beaches, boardwalk, marina and bay areas are still off-limits to the public. Police are also urging people to report any suspicious activity to…

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Hurricane Sandy

NJNG Pressurizing Seaside Park And South Seaside Park Today, No Access Today

Work on gas lines will hopefully be completed today, mayor says

Seaside Park and South Seaside Park residents will have to wait a little bit longer to get into their homes. New Jersey Natural Gas workers have finished pressurizing gas lines in Seaside Heights and Pelican Island and have moved onto to Seaside Park and South Seaside Park today, Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. "The bridge is open and Pelican Island and Seaside Heights are open," Amato said. "The gas company is in Seaside Park and South Seaside Park repressurizing the gas lines. For safety precautions, both areas are closed today. We are hopeful they have 18 crews in the area and barring any unforeseen anomalies, they should finish today." Once the lines are pressurized, NJNG employees will do meter rebuilds. When the …

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Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: Seaside, Lavallette, Ortley Residents Will Soon Re-enter In "Phases"

State officials approve re-entry plan that could allow Lavallette residents back this week; other barrier island residents may have to wait

The state has approved a plan to allow residents access to barrier island communities - including Seaside Heights, Lavallette and Ortley Beach - in phases, officials said Tuesday. The State Police has approved a plan that would allow residents phased-in access to Lavallette beginning this week, officials said during Tuesday's Toms River Council meeting. Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy suggested that the township will get people to see their properties as soon as possible and mentioned a five-to-six day timeframe. Some Ortley Beach residents who attended the meeting were upset that Lavallette residents could have easier access to their homes than they will. "There are still areas of Ortley Beach that are unstable," Mastronardy …

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Hurricane Sandy

PHOTOS: Seaside Oceanfront After Hurricane, Nor'Easter

Amusements, dunes, boardwalk sustain damage

More than a week after Hurricane Sandy and days after a Nor'easter, media toured the Seaside Heights and Seaside Park boardwalk as Gov. Chris Christie surveyed the damage. Piles of debris pushed from construction equipment sat in the Seaside Park beachfront parking lot. Dunes had vanished near the lifeguard house. Amusement piers had partially crumbled into the ocean. Elsewhere delicate signs remained apparently unscathed by the high winds and waves that had pelted elsewhere. Here are pictures from Friday Nov. 9 of the oceanfront area.

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Summer Safety: What To Do In A Rip Current

Tips from Jersey Shore lifeguards on how to get out of a rip current safely.

Water temperatures are warmer this month than they have been in the past three Junes. For Senior Lifeguard Daniel Desantos, this means that him and all other lifeguards need to aware of more people visiting the shore and getting into the water. “I’ve worked as a lifeguard at Seaside for seven years. I’ve learned that we always have to be alert, whether the water is calm like today or if it is hurricane like,” Desantos said. After the loss of life at Seaside Park and Asbury Park last week, lifeguards have been on high alert watching out for rip currents and swimmers who may be trapped in them. One of the biggest tips that every lifeguard spoke of was the same: Only go swimming when lifeguards are on duty. However, at 6 p.m. lifeguards at …

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Body Recovered Off Seaside Park Beach Identified As Bayonne Man

Death ruled as accidental drowning, Ocean County Prosecutor says

An autopsy has determined that the body recovered 150 yards off the O Street beach in Seaside Park Thursday is a Bayonne man who disappeared in the surf after being hit by a wave. Forensic pathologist Dr. Hydow Park ruled that Bestavros Faris, 18, died of accidental drowning, Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said today. "At this time I would like to extend condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Faris," Ford said. Faris and three other friends weren't on the beach Wednesday afternoon more than five minutes before three of the men ventured into the water, a witness told police. "He watched them on the beach for a short time," Seaside Park Patrolman Steven Shadiack said."One stayed ankle-deep. The others went from ankle-deep …

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