A municipal fire command vehicle was photographed roughly 80 miles from Clark with a jet ski trailer attached. The mayor says its use was authorized, but township records and vehicle policies are raising new questions.
CLARK, NJ — A controversy over the use of a taxpayer-funded fire department vehicle in Clark Township is continuing months after the SUV was photographed at the Jersey Shore with a jet ski trailer attached.
The vehicle was spotted over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in Ship Bottom, Ocean County, approximately 80 miles from Clark. Behind the wheel was Township Business Administrator James Ulrich.
Mayor Angel Albanese and other township officials have defended Ulrich’s use of the vehicle, saying it was authorized and consistent with municipal policy.
The incident sparked the creation of a parody video on Facebook by Stronger Clark.
But publicly available records and questions raised by residents have focused attention on something officials have not specifically explained: Why was a municipal fire department vehicle towing a jet ski trailer to the Jersey Shore this summer?
The controversy has prompted public records requests, scrutiny of the township’s vehicle policies and questions about whether authorization to use a government vehicle also extends to recreational towing.
Mayor says there was nothing improper
Albanese has maintained that Ulrich did nothing wrong by using the fire department SUV.
“There was nothing improper about it or out of policy,” the mayor said.
Ulrich has similarly defended the arrangement, saying he had “full approval of the mayor” and “full approval of using it for the purpose it was being used for at that time.”
Councilman Toal reportedly defended the vehicle’s use, saying, “He is entitled to it if he needs it.”
Councilman Hund also described the arrangement as “an authorized use of a vehicle.”
The township’s explanation has centered on Ulrich’s need for transportation while his regularly assigned municipal vehicle was undergoing repairs.
According to previous reporting by NJ.com, Ulrich said his usual vehicle was in the shop, prompting the temporary use of the fire command SUV.
The officials’ statements establish that they consider the vehicle assignment authorized. They do not independently establish whether towing the jet ski trailer complied with township rules.
Township vehicle policy raises questions
The township’s written employee vehicle policy distinguishes official government business from personal use.
One provision identifies municipal vehicles as being for “Official Use Only.”
Another states that “no supervisor may authorize” use of an employer vehicle for purposes other than employer business.
The policy also contains language allowing reasonable incidental personal use, a provision cited by township representatives defending the arrangement.
That creates a central question about how the policy applies to this particular incident.
A government employee using an assigned vehicle to commute or remain available for emergency duties is one matter. Using that same vehicle to tow recreational equipment could present a different question under the policy.
Officials have not publicly identified a municipal purpose for the jet ski trailer or explained whether the towing was specifically approved.
Repair records introduce another unanswered question
Records described by residents examining the incident indicate that the dealership repair order for Ulrich’s regularly assigned township vehicle included the notation “PROVIDE LOANER VEHICLE.”
The township reportedly stated that it had no record of a substitute vehicle being provided.
A separate Open Public Records Act request submitted July 6 sought information about municipal vehicle use and vehicle assignment logs.
In its July 9 response, the township provided its employee vehicle policy but stated that it did not maintain or possess a responsive vehicle-use log.
Records request finds no documented investigation
The controversy also reached a township council meeting on August 17.
Albanese acknowledged that the vehicle matter had been investigated, according to published accounts of the meeting.
The following day, resident John Greaves submitted an OPRA request seeking records documenting that investigation, including its dates, findings and the official responsible for conducting it.
The township reported that it had no responsive investigative records.
The absence of records does not establish that no review occurred. It does, however, leave the public without documentation showing what was examined or how the township reached its conclusion that the use was proper.
What about the jet skis?
The central issue remains unresolved despite repeated explanations about Ulrich’s authorization to drive the fire department vehicle.
Officials have said he was permitted to use the SUV while his assigned vehicle was being repaired.
They have not publicly explained whether that permission extended to towing the jet ski trailer visible in the photograph.
The distinction matters because the township’s policy restricts government vehicle use to authorized purposes and limits supervisors’ authority to approve nonmunicipal activities.
Until those questions are answered, the township’s general assurances that the vehicle was authorized do not fully address the circumstances captured in the holiday weekend photograph.