Jersey Shore News

Ortley Beach Lord House Station Rededicated

The Toms River Township council and mayor attended the Lord House re-dedication ceremony and plaque unveiling in Ortely Beach last Saturday.

“The Friends of Ortley Beach researched the history of the Ortley Inn and organized the event. Edie Segree and Barbara Biedenbach of the Lord family were in attendance,” the township said.

Originally established as the Ortley Inn in the late 1880’s, the Lord House was destroyed by fire in 1922. The Lord family purchased the rights to the business and built a single-family home. The Township acquired the land in the 1960’s and constructed a parking lot. The lifeguard station was added later.

Photo: Handout Photo/Toms River Township.

FEDS: Point Pleasant Man Plotted to Kill for ISIS with Pressure Cooker Bomb

A Point Pleasant, New Jersey, man will appear in federal court today to face allegations that he planned to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick and Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana Boente announced.
Gregory Lepsky, 20, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically ISIS. Lepsky is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court.

According to the complaint:

On Feb. 21, 2017, Lepsky was arrested by the Point Pleasant Police Department in connection with an incident that occurred that day in his family’s home. Following the arrest, law enforcement officers searched the residence and found a new pressure cooker stored behind a roll of bubble wrap in Lepsky’s bedroom closet.

During searches of computers and other digital evidence linked to Lepsky, law enforcement found evidence of Lepsky’s plan to build and detonate a bomb as part of his support for ISIS. During several social media communications, Lepsky told others that he intended to fight on behalf of ISIS, and that he would, if necessary, become a martyr by driving a “bunch of explosives” to where the “enemies” could be found and blowing himself up.

Law enforcement also located a series of instructions that had been published online by another terrorist group that gave specific, step-by-step instructions on how to build a pressure cooker bomb, which coincided with the delivery of the pressure cooker to Lepsky a short time before his arrest. In addition, law enforcement recovered a message forwarded by Lepsky from another ISIS supporter stating that if a westerner could not travel to Syria to fight for ISIS, he could conduct a terrorist attack in his home country using improvised explosive devices.

The material support charge carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; the N.J. State Attorney General’s Office under the direction of Attorney General Christopher Porrino; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Joseph Coronato; the Point Pleasant Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard P. Larsen; and the N.J. Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness under the direction of Director Chris Rodriguez, with the investigation leading to the charges. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Donnelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark and Justin Sher and B. Celeste Corlett, Trial Attorneys of the Department of Justice, National Security Division-Counterterrorism Section.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Photo: Pressure cooker bomb in 2016 NYC bombing, NYPD.

Whale Washes up on Toms River Beach

 

https://www.facebook.com/realbrigantine/photos/a.1482410902040292.1073741830.1472146666400049/1893442354270476/?type=3

A whale washed up on the Chadwick Beach section of Toms River.  The Marine Mammal Stranding Center is trying to determine the cause of death.

“A sad end for a beautiful animal,” MMSC said today.

HS Girls Lacrosse: Point Pleasant Boro Defeats Jackson Liberty 6-5

JACKSON-Goals were scarce as Jackson Liberty and Point Boro faced off against each other.  Keira McNamara scored 2 goals and had 2 assists for the Panthers.  Maeve Carney scored 2 goals and had an assist for the Lions.

Team 1 2 Final
Point Pleasant Boro
 2 4 6
Jackson Liberty
 3 2 5

Private Beach Debate Boils Over as Proposed Parking Fees Could Aide Off-Limits Beach Clean Up

DEAL-A plan by the borough council is under fire by the New Jersey Chapter of the Surfrider Organization.  The organization is claiming that beaches aren’t the only thing here that need cleaning, but so does a new ordinance that could allocate public funds to beaches that are off limits to the general public.

According to Andrew L. Chambarry, Esq., representing the public, “The Borough of Deal has proposed their most sinister parking plan to date. They want to charge the public for parking passes which would fund the purchase of a beach sweeping machine. The machine will be used to clean beaches that you can’t access.”

At a public meeting on April 5, 2017, the Borough of Deal introduced Ordinance #1143 which would require permit parking during the summer months on five streets (Monmouth Terrace, Monmouth Drive, Hathaway, Sydney and Neptune Ave) with two vital beach access points for a cost of $100 for the summer or $50 per month.

“Mayor Cohen also said, and this is a direct quote from the public hearing, that this ordinance is the lesser of two evils,” said Harry Chambarry.  “So he admits that the ordinance is evil.”

A release by the organization read:

At the meeting, Mayor Cohen said it best, “If you want easier public access, you’re going to have to pay!” The Borough wants the public to pay $100 for a parking permit that won’t guarantee a space. They won’t restrict beachfront residents from purchasing permits and parking on the street to keep you away. They won’t admit that restricting parking is restricting access. They have no plan for ADA access or handicapped parking. They have no plan for increased traffic west of Ocean Ave. They want to push Ordinance #1143 through.

Worst of all is the Borough’s reasoning behind the Ordinance. They plan to purchase a $100,000 “beach sweep” machine to clean the beaches. Sounds great right? Wrong. Deal has notoriously horrible public access. Many of the street ends lead to dead-ends where access points should be. These street ends were vacated by the Borough in the 1980’s and early 1990’s to benefit adjacent homeowners and create private beaches. In essence, the Borough wants to charge you for a permit to fund beach cleaning equipment for beaches that you can’t enjoy.

The borough tried to pass similar ordinances in October 2015 and June 2016 restricting access. Those ordinances were tabled after they were met with fierce opposition. Ordinance #1143 is another slap in the face to local taxpayers, given that Deal’s beaches were recently the benefactor of a $40 million taxpayer-funded beach restoration project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

It’s clear to everyone that the Borough intends to keep surfers, fisherman and the general public away from what they consider to be “their” private beaches. We have a right to access and enjoy the shoreline under New Jersey law. We can’t allow the Borough of Deal to restrict access to beaches that we all paid for.

 

LBI: Then And Now – Loveladies

This aerial photograph of the small community of Loveladies on Long Beach Island shows the development of Long Beach Island.  The original photo was taken in the early to mid 1950’s and the current view is the most recent Google Earth imagery available.

If you look closely, you can see that some of the original homes still exist with modifications and additions.  Loveladies is located in the northern section of Long Beach Township on Long Beach Island.

It was a location of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, established in 1871. The land adjacent to the station was owned by Thomas Lovelady and the section of the island was called “Lovelady’s” before eventually evolving into Loveladies.

 

Lbi: then and now - loveladies
1950’s photo on file at the oc heritage archive, photographer, origin unknown.
Lbi: then and now - loveladies
Google earth imagery, loveladies, lbi.

Contractor's scam grows, now affects 34 victims and $1.5M, authorities say

TOMS RIVER — A contractor charged with bilking homeowners after promising to repair their homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy is facing a new indictment after authorities found more victims in a scam that’s reached $1.5 million. Jamie Lynn Lawson, 42, was initially charged with theft and money laundering related to 14 people who were tricked out…

Shelter: Dog Rescued from Abandoned Home Ready for Forever Home

The Associated Humane Society rescue at Popcorn Park shared a story this week about a dog that was rescued from a horrible situation last fall.

Kronk is a big, beautiful Dogue De Bordeaux of about 6 years old that is hoping for a fabulous home to start over in. Kronk always looks as if he is smiling, doesn’t he? He has plenty to smile about these days, now that he is safe and taken care of. Sadly, that wasn’t always the case for Kronk. He was removed from a terrible situation along with another dog last fall. Kronk was living in an abandoned house in conditions that were too deplorable to imagine. He spent some time getting healthy and back on his feet, now he’s ready to move on with his life. Kronk was a little leery of new people when he arrived but we learned that with patience and time, Kronk learns to trust people and then just acts like a big, silly puppy. Once you’re his friend, he’ll love you forever. He is playful, active and strong, but he walks well on a leash and sits nicely when asked. He gets along with larger dogs, given the chance to get to know them, but will need a home with no children under 10. Kronk just melts when you give him a little love and attention, and that’s really all he’s asking for. He’ll love you so much in return if you give him a chance.

 

ADOPTION INFORMATION:
Associated Humane Societies/Popcorn Park Animal Shelter is located at 1 Humane Way, Forked River, NJ 08731. The hours for meeting adopting pets are Mon-Fri 12pm to 5:30, Sat & Sun 12pm to 4:30. We usually have between 50 to 70 dogs, and 100 to 150 cats available for adoption, as well as smaller animals such as rabbits. Most of our available dogs can be found by clicking on our “Photos” section of our page, and searching out our album, “Dogs Available for Adoption”. This album is updated almost daily but does not always include all of our available dogs. Some of our cats available can be found in our album, “Cats Available for Adoption”.

Damaged inlet wall at Shore to get repairs next week

TOMS RIVER — Emergency work to repair a gaping hole in the bulkhead of the Manasquan Inlet in Point Pleasant Beach is planned to start next week when crews can have better access to the damaged wall during prime hours. Mayor Stephen Reid said construction crews and divers plan to work on the bulkhead, damaged two…

Construction Begins on New Ferris Wheel in Seaside Heights

Casino Pier announced the start of construction on their new ferris wheel to be built on the new portion of the amusement pier this week.

A new 40 meter Ferris Wheel will stand 131 ft tall & bright on our newly expanded pier in 2017. Manufactured by Technical Park, 34 gondolas seating 6 passengers will offer breathtaking views of the Jersey Shore.  One gondola will offer wheelchair accessibility.

“Some shiny and new pieces arrived for the Ferris Wheel! The west support is being put into place,” the company said on Facebook.  Photo Casino Pier, FB.