Community News

Man who went missing 1 week ago needs immediate medical help

Police in Toms River are asking for the public’s help as they look for 54-year-old man who has been missing for a week and needs immediate medical attention. Luiz Perez left his home in the North Dover section of town on April 3 without identification, a phone or medicine and has had no contact with family…

Chiropractor who hid $182K in wall admits to money laundering, fraud

An Ocean County chiropractor faces up to 15 years in prison after admitting he over-billed insurance companies, laundered the cash and later collected disability while still working, authorities said. Carlo Amato, the former owner of Chiropractic Care Consultants and Accident Recovery Physical Therapy in Lakewood, pleaded guilty to money laundering and theft by deception, the Ocean…

Jersey Shore contractor accused of taking $250K from 12 homeowners arrested

A Jersey Shore contractor accused of taking nearly a quarter-million dollars from 12 clients to perform work he never even started was arrested last week after more than a week on the run, authorities said. Peter Rinaldi, 56, of Little Egg Harbor, was taken into custody Friday near the Baymont Inn on East White Horse Pike…

Only in Jersey: family accidentally sent kid to wrong school, now they owe over $10K

Confusion over their address is costing a New Jersey family over $10,000. A woman who lives in Brick, but has a Howell mailing address, has to pay the Howell Board of Education after she mistakenly enrolled her child in the neighboring district. In New Jersey, mailing addresses often do not follow municipal boundaries. The student actually…

Beloved dog dies during PetSmart grooming and grief-stricken owner wants answers

The call was cold, abrupt and confusing. A PetSmart employee told Chuck Crawford his beloved dog Abby was dead and gave him info on where to pick up the carcass. “It was a 20-second phone call. It was so crude and beyond comprehension,” Crawford said. “To take your pet for a grooming, and then have them…

Murder charge dismissed in drunken motel pool drowning

A judge has dismissed a murder indictment against a woman accused of purposely pushing a friend into the deep end of a motel swimming pool during a night of drinking at a Point Pleasant Beach motel. But Jelani Webster will remain jailed without bail for now. State Superior Court Judge James Blaney gave Ocean County prosecutors…

The state is giving away thousands of trees. Here’s how to get yours.

Get your green thumbs ready: Spring is here and New Jersey is giving 90,000 young trees away for free. The state forest service’s New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign is handing out seedlings in communities around the state as part of a continuing effort to replace trees that were lost in Superstorm Sandy. “Trees provide habitat for…

Easter Bunny taken to hospital after falling ill at mall

A woman working as the Easter Bunny became ill while working at Ocean County Mall, and was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to officials. Toms River police responded to the mall around 11 a.m. Monday after receiving a report of a woman in distress. There, they found the 35-year-old Bayville woman, clad in the…

Lakewood fraud amnesty offer gets 159 takers who will repay $2.2M

The Medicaid fraud amnesty program offered to Ocean County residents after 26 people were arrested last summer in a massive sweep has resulted in consent agreements with 159 residents who will repay $2.2 million, state officials announced Tuesday. The announcement comes more than three months after the Dec. 12 deadline to enter the Ocean County Recipient…