BEACHWOOD, NJ – A self-styled emergency news blogger is facing criminal charges after a heated confrontation with one of his online critics turned physical outside a Beachwood home Saturday afternoon.
According to police and eyewitness accounts, Chris Lyle, operator of the online scanner page “Jersey Coast Emergency News,” admitted tht he drove roughly 45 minutes to the home of a man who had been openly critical of his work on social media. Security footage released by the victim shows Lyle approaching the door, shouting obscenities, and issuing threats before refusing to leave when told to do so.
Moments later, the altercation escalated into a scuffle in the snow, ending with Lyle pinned to the ground by the homeowner, a retired U.S. Army combat veteran, until police arrived. A responding Beachwood police officer intervened, breaking up the fight and issuing Lyle a citation for criminal trespass, but no assault charges were filed at the scene.
The victim told investigators that Lyle had made repeated threats against him over his posts on a local watchdog page called “Garden State Confidential.” The man described the incident as the latest in a pattern of harassment that had intensified over recent months.
A pattern of threats and legal troubles
Video posted online by Garden State Confidential shows the full altercation as it unfolded, capturing both the verbal confrontation and the ensuing fight. The footage quickly spread across local community pages, prompting renewed scrutiny of Lyle’s ongoing legal issues.
Records show that Lyle was arrested last year in Manchester, where he was charged with harassment after allegedly making violent threats and being confronted by police at a Wawa on Route 37. Court documents indicate he was charged under statute 2C:33-4(A) for “communication in a manner to cause alarm.” His firearms were seized by authorities as a precaution, and he remains under court supervision pending that case.
- Lyle cited for criminal trespass after a fight in Beachwood
- Prior harassment charges pending in Manchester Municipal Court
- Civil suit filed in Toms River over alleged threats and online slander
In a separate case, Toms River resident Paul C. Williams filed a civil lawsuit accusing Lyle of defamation, harassment, and online intimidation. That matter remains pending in Ocean County Superior Court.