EGG HARBOR CITY, NJ—The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, along with New Jersey State Police and Egg Harbor City PD, hosted a community outreach event recently, aimed at assisting vulnerable community members. The event featured hot meals prepared and served by NJSP troopers and volunteers from Pic a Lilli Inn, located on Route 206 in Shamong.
These efforts bring together our community and law enforcement to help those who need the help the most. Hot meals were prepared and distributed by the NJSP troopers and the great volunteers at the Pic a Lilli inn on 206 in Shamong Clothes hung on hangers placed on racks were distributed. Shoes, blankets and toiletries were given away as well. New Jersey Courts were on hand for immediate expungements and information on how to get records expunged distributed.
During the event, attendees received not only food but also clothing on hangers, shoes, blankets, and toiletries.
Additionally, representatives from the New Jersey Courts were available to provide information on record expungement, with immediate expungements being processed onsite. The State of New Jersey Office of the Attorney General’s initiatives, Operation Rise and Operation Helping Hands, were also present, distributing doses of Naloxone to combat heroin and fentanyl overdoses.
- New Jersey Wants Elderly Woman to Pay EZ Pass Fine in Car She Doesn’t Own, State She Never Visited
Egg Harbor Township, NJ – An investigation by NBC10 has spotlighted another case of an automated toll enforcement error after a western New York woman repeatedly received collection notices for a vehicle she says she has never owned or driven, Egg Harbor Township.
This report was published by NBC 10 in Rochester and has gone largely unnoticed here in New Jersey.
According to NBC10 Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Breen, Celia Johnson of Chili, New York, has been receiving toll violations from New Jersey despite the fact that the vehicle pictured in the violation notices is a dark-colored SUV, while Johnson owns a different vehicle altogether.
She says she has never been to New Jersey, let alone Egg Harbor Township.
“So this is the bill you got from New Jersey?” Breen asked during the report.
“Yes,” Johnson replied.
“And that is obviously not your car?”
“No.”
Toll violation grew from less than $5 to more than $54
According to the report, the original toll amounted to just $4.85, but additional administrative fees increased the balance to more than $54.
The citation alleged the toll violation occurred near the Jersey Shore last October, a location Johnson told NBC10 she has never visited.
“Has anyone from New Jersey called you to say, ‘Hey, look, we got the wrong car. Don’t worry about it?'” Breen asked.
“No, not at all,” Johnson responded. “They still think this is you.”
Johnson also showed the station more than a dozen collection warning text messages she received, including one sent in late May, demanding payment for the toll violation.
Investigation points to recurring camera mistakes
Breen said Johnson’s case is far from unique.
To illustrate the broader issue, the report cited a study commissioned by the State of Washington that found automated traffic enforcement cameras are approximately 95 percent accurate.
While that may sound highly reliable, the report noted it also means the systems can be wrong up to five percent of the time.
Standing alongside Interstate 490 in Rochester, Breen explained that with approximately 99,000 vehicles traveling that section of highway daily, even a small error rate could potentially affect thousands of motorists if applied across a similar volume of traffic.
Johnson told NBC10 the repeated notices have become overwhelming.
“I’ve never been in New Jersey and it’s not my car and I don’t know who did it and why or anything. It’s just overwhelming for me,” she said.
Following its investigation, NBC10 contacted the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and asked officials to compare Johnson’s vehicle with the SUV photographed in the toll violation.
“I asked them, please take a look at Celia’s car and then please take a look at the SUV that is in the ticket and do the right thing and fix this problem for Celia,” Breen said.
The station concluded by saying it would report back whether the authority corrects the error. NBC10 also said it requested information from the authority regarding the accuracy rate of its toll camera system. The report did not include a response from the agency.
The case illustrates how automated toll enforcement systems, while designed to improve efficiency, can still produce costly errors that leave motorists navigating collection notices and disputes over violations involving vehicles they say they have never driven.
Shore News Network also contacted the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, but emails were not answered.
- High Rip Current Risk Issued for Jersey Shore Beaches Including Seaside Heights
Seaside Heights, NJ – The National Weather Service has issued a High Rip Current Risk for much of the Jersey Shore, including Seaside Heights, warning that dangerous ocean conditions are expected throughout Monday.
The advisory remains in effect from 8 a.m. through Monday evening for the beaches of Eastern Monmouth County, Coastal Ocean County, Coastal Atlantic County and Atlantic Coastal Cape May County. Officials warn that powerful rip currents can quickly pull swimmers away from shore, even in otherwise calm-looking surf.
According to the National Weather Service, “Dangerous rip currents expected.”
Swimmers urged to use extreme caution
Rip currents are narrow, fast-moving channels of water that flow away from the shoreline and can quickly carry swimmers into deeper water.
The Weather Service warned, “Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.”
Beachgoers are encouraged to swim only at guarded beaches and pay close attention to posted warning flags throughout the day. Ocean conditions can change rapidly as tides, winds and wave action fluctuate.
Safety advice for anyone entering the surf
The National Weather Service advises anyone entering the ocean to always have a flotation device and remain near a lifeguard whenever possible.
Officials also reminded swimmers to follow posted beach flags and safety instructions. If caught in a rip current, the agency advises people to remain calm, float instead of fighting the current and swim parallel to the shoreline if able.
“If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help,” the advisory states.
High risk covers popular Jersey Shore destinations
The advisory includes some of New Jersey’s busiest summer beaches, including communities throughout Coastal Ocean County such as Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, Ortley Beach, Lavallette, Point Pleasant Beach and Long Beach Island.
The warning also extends south through Atlantic County beach communities, including Atlantic City and Brigantine, and into Cape May County, while also covering ocean beaches in eastern Monmouth County.
The High Rip Current Risk remains in effect through Monday evening. The National Weather Service will continue monitoring ocean conditions and could issue additional statements if hazardous surf conditions persist.
Anyone planning to visit the beach should check the latest forecast before entering the water and follow directions from lifeguards and local beach patrols.
This report is based on the Coastal Hazard Message issued Monday morning by the National Weather Service in Mount Holly for coastal New Jersey.
Rip currents are among the leading causes of weather-related fatalities at ocean beaches each year. Public safety officials urge swimmers to respect beach warning flags, swim only where lifeguards are present and stay out of the water if conditions become hazardous.
- Many in NJ “Shocked” with Higher Bills After Learning Mikie Sherrill Did Not Freeze Their Electric Rates
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jefferson Van Drew is calling on Atlantic City Electric to explain why customers are receiving notices of higher electric bills after Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a State of Emergency on utility costs and directed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to freeze rate increases.
In a letter dated Friday to Pepco Holdings President and CEO J. Tyler Anthony, Van Drew said constituents were notified that their average monthly electric bill is expected to increase from approximately $158 to $184. According to the notice cited in the letter, the increase includes a $23 electric supply charge and a $5 increase in delivery costs.
Van Drew questions compliance with state’s emergency order
Van Drew said the timing of the increase raises questions because New Jersey has already declared a State of Emergency on utility costs.
“Families across South Jersey are already paying some of the highest electric rates in the country,” Van Drew said in a statement. “Many are trying to figure out how to keep their homes cool this summer while still paying for other basic expenses.”
He added, “Atlantic City Electric cannot keep simply passing along increases to the ratepayer, especially when the state has declared a State of Emergency on Utility Costs and directed the Board of Public Utilities to freeze rate increases.”
In his letter, Van Drew requested “a detailed, specific explanation” of how the utility’s rate notice complies with the state’s executive order and what steps the company is taking to shield vulnerable and fixed-income customers from higher costs.
Photo: hot meals and support offered to south jersey residents in need Utility costs remain a political flashpoint
Van Drew said public confidence has been damaged by years of rising electric bills.
“The trust between ACE and the people it serves has been completely eroded,” he said. “The company has a chance here to begin rebuilding that trust, but only if it responds with real answers and real relief. And by that, I mean actually bringing people’s bills down instead of finding new ways to increase them every few months.”
The governor’s office has previously said the emergency declaration and actions by the Board of Public Utilities are intended to provide relief from rising electricity costs.
ACE customers are seeing the exact opposite.
