JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ – Residents of a once quiet Jackson Township neighborhood are upset over the decision by one of their neighbors to install a commercial traffic warning sign on their front lawn that blinks day and night with a message.
“Don’t be an A*hole,” the sign flashes at the corner of Short Hills Boulevard and Mill Pond Road, a community situated far off any main roads, asking people to slow down.
The home is owned by Joseph and Stephanie Rucci, owners of Party Zone Rentals, a business located on County Line Road that specializes in renting party equipment such as bounce houses, tables, chairs and inflatable entertainment for children’s parties.
Neighbors in the community aren’t exactly sure who the message is directed at, but Rucci’s family is heavily involved in Jackson politics aligned with embattled Jackson Township Councilman Marty Flemming.
“Our kids have to see this sign and walk by every day,” said one neighbor who did not want to be identified due to Rucci’s connections to town hall. “It’s obscene and I had to try to explain this to my six-year-old [on Friday].”
The sign runs day and night, blinking bright orange, lighting up the neighborhood each time.
“This is more of a job for the township and police department if he has a concern over traffic safety,” another neighbor said. “I think all this party and costume stuff has gone to his head, the thinks he’s Batman, a neighborhood vigilante. Let the police do their job.”
The township confirmed on Friday that the sign was not theirs.
“I wouldn’t mind the sign, the idea is in the right place, but there’s no need for the vulgarity and no need to run it all night long, flashing at our houses,” another said.
Many of Rucci’s members are Orthodox and some in the neighborhood feel the sign is directed at them.
Others argued that the sign is in violation of multiple township ordinances regarding commercial signage and right-of-way laws.