Toms River, NJ – After serving customers at the Jersey Shore for nearly a century, Hecht Trailers is closing its doors, ending a business that has operated from its Route 9 location in Toms River since 1928.
Update: A 2020 ordinance signed into law by former Mayor Maurice Hill will allow the site to be transformed into high density housing units.
The dealership announced that its entire inventory and operating assets will be sold through a timed online liquidation auction conducted by A.J. Willner Auctions. Bidding is already underway, with the auction scheduled to conclude at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 15.
Nearly a century of business comes to an end
Founded in 1928, Hecht Trailers grew into one of New Jersey’s largest trailer dealerships, serving contractors, landscapers, boaters, municipalities, and businesses throughout Ocean County and the surrounding region.
The company said it maintained New Jersey’s largest indoor trailer showroom and stocked hundreds of trailers from major manufacturers.
The auction marks the end of a business that operated through the Great Depression, World War II, decades of growth along the Jersey Shore, and multiple generations of family ownership.
Hundreds of trailers and business assets available
The liquidation includes hundreds of late-model trailers from manufacturers including Big Tex, Pace, Haulmark, H&H, Bravo, Belmont, Load Rite, Wells Cargo, and Air-Tow.
According to the auction listing, buyers will have the opportunity to bid on enclosed cargo trailers, utility trailers, equipment trailers, tilt-deck trailers, gooseneck trailers, drop-deck trailers, aluminum trailers, and watercraft trailers.
In addition to trailers, the auction will include forklifts, pickup trucks, utility vehicles, material handling equipment, shop equipment, dealership parts inventory, and other business assets.
“Sales like this one don’t come along often,” said Harry Byrnes, principal at A.J. Willner Auctions. “This is nearly a hundred years of a working dealership, late-model inventory, not leftovers, going to the highest bidder. Whether you’re a contractor who needs one equipment trailer or a dealer looking at inventory in bulk, everything is on the block.”
Public preview scheduled before auction
The public will have an opportunity to inspect the inventory during a preview scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, at the dealership’s location at 2075 Route 9 in Toms River.
The online auction closes at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 15. A 15% buyer’s premium will apply to online purchases.
Founded in 1926, A.J. Willner Auctions describes itself as the oldest and largest commercial auction company in the Northeast, specializing in business liquidations, commercial asset sales, and court-appointed auctions.
2020 lawsuit paved way for high density homes at this site
The following was published by Shore News Network in 2020, when now mayor Dan Rodrick was the lone dissenter to an ordinance that paved the way for new condos, or townhomes on the existing Hecht trailer site. That lawsuit increased the amount of housing units from 26 to 50.
TOMS RIVER, NJ – A zoning change approved by the township council last night will double the number of homes that can be built on a 50-acre tract of land near the Lakewood border between Cox Cro and Whitesville roads. The new ordinance will also allow for the construction of two “meeting rooms” on open space for public gatherings.
Councilman Daniel T. Rodrick was the only member of the Governing body to vote against the zoning change, which is part of a settlement agreement between Mayor Hill’s administration and property owners Jennette Lipschitz & Hecht Trailers LLC.
Lakewood Investments LLC had a contract to purchase the Hecht portion of the property for $5 million and a $5 million dollar offer in on the Lipschitz portion when in 2017 the council approved a zoning change that reduced the number of units that could be built on the property.
The Lipschitz/Hecht lawsuit alleged that the change devalued their property and that it was inconsistent with the township’s master plan, but the township’s certified planner Dave Roberts disagreed stating, “the zoning was consistent with the master plan.
Rodrick said he believes that Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill should have fought the lawsuit in court because the settlement allows for the construction of too many units.
“If Mayor Hill and this council cared about overdevelopment, they would have litigated this case. Instead, they’re giving away the farm.” Rodrick said.
Rodrick also chastised Democrats Laurie Huryk and Terrance Turnbach over their approval of the plan.
“Your entire campaign was about fighting overdevelopment, yet you continue to cast votes in favor of more development. You’ve lied to the residents of this great town and you’ve lied to all those who supported your campaigns. Shame on you both,” Rodrick added.
Turnbach replied, “For Councilman Rodrick to say shame on me upsets me to my core.”
Turnbach who has long advocated for a permanent homeless shelter in Toms River then highlighted his work feeding the needy, and his homeless initiatives stating, “Those people may not vote for me, but I don’t do it for the votes. I do it because I care.”
Councilman Rodrick said, “There is no question that Councilman Turnbach works very hard for the homeless, but that doesn’t change the fact that Mr. Turnbach and Ms. Huryk lied to residents when they campaigned against overdevelopment & increasing taxes, and they continue to break their promises to those who did vote for them.”
Democrats Huryk and Turnbach have been voting in lockstep with the Hill administration, approving a 7% tax increase with $11 Million in new spending, and they also support a plan to reduce the acreage requirement for houses of worship with $11 million in new spending, and they also support a plan to reduce the acreage requirement for houses of worship from 10 acres to 2 acres in North Dover and from 10 acres to 7 acres throughout the rest of the township.
