Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Officer Rescuing Victim, Firefighter Hospitalized In Massive Lakewood Blaze: Prosecutor Officer Rescuing Victim, Firefighter Hospitalized In Massive Lakewood Blaze: Prosecutor
Officer Rescuing Victim, Firefighter Hospitalized In Massive Lakewood Blaze: Prosecutor A firefighter, a police officer, and a civilian were hospitalized in a fire in Lakewood caused by improperly discarded smoking material early Saturday, May 4, authorities said. Heavy flames were coming from the front and back of the house on Joe Parker Road when emergency personnel arrived around 1:20 a.m., Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Occupants of the home told responders one person was still inside. A Lakewood police officer successfully rescued him from the home. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of his injurie…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Machete-Wielding Man Chases Another Driver Through Toms River, Crashes In Brick Township: Cops Machete-Wielding Man Chases Another Driver Through Toms River, Crashes In Brick Township: Cops
Machete-Wielding Man Chases Another Driver Through Toms River, Crashes In Brick Township: Cops A 29-year-old Beachwood man has been arrested in a Toms River road rage incident, police announced. The victim was stopped at a red light on Water Street around 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 when a man later identified as Austin Martinez pulled up in a Blue Jeep Liberty, and tapped on the window with a machete, police said. The victim tried to flee from Martinez, but he followed the victim to the Ocean County Mall, chasing them through the parking lot, Toms River police said. The victim called 911 and drove to the Toms River Police Department. The Jeep Liberty continued north on Ho…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Lakewood, NJ
Obituaries
'Kind And Generous' NJ Teen Whose Organs Were Donated After Deadly Crash Remembered 'Kind And Generous' NJ Teen Whose Organs Were Donated After Deadly Crash Remembered
'Kind And Generous' NJ Teen Whose Organs Were Donated After Deadly Crash Remembered A Brick Township teen whose organs were donated after she died from car crash injuries is being remembered as a kind and generous young woman. Catalina Reinoso Arquero died on Friday, Apr. 19 at 18 years old, according to her obituary. She was a recent graduate of Brick Township High School and worked at the Marshall's department store in Brick. Reinoso's obituary said she was "always kind and generous with everyone." "She was liked by all who knew her," the obituary read. "She was a happy, friendly girl who loved music, pets, and being with her friends, her longtime boyfriend, Coty, …

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Middletown, NJ
Police & Fire
SUV Crash Knocks Out Power, Shuts Down Road In South Jersey: Police SUV Crash Knocks Out Power, Shuts Down Road In South Jersey: Police
SUV Crash Knocks Out Power, Shuts Down Road In South Jersey: Police An SUV crashed into a utility pole in Monmouth County, shutting down a road and knocking out power, authorities said. In a Facebook post, Wall Township police said a vehicle hit the pole along Hospital Road at around 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 25. No injuries were reported in the crash. A photo from Wall police showed an SUV lying on its left side in the middle of the road. Two utility poles were leaning and there was also damage to a nearby fence. Emergency crews and Jersey Central Power & Light responded to the crash scene. According to the JCP&L outage map, 134 customers …

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Toms River Woman Admits To Robbing Woman With Knife, Having Cocaine: Prosecutors Toms River Woman Admits To Robbing Woman With Knife, Having Cocaine: Prosecutors
Toms River Woman Admits To Robbing Woman With Knife, Having Cocaine: Prosecutors A Toms River woman admitted to robbing another woman with a knife, having cocaine, and spitting in the faces of officers, authorities said. Olivia Paige, 35, pleaded guilty on Monday, Apr. 22 to robbery, possession of cocaine, and aggravated assault. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the guilty pleas in a news release on Wednesday, Apr. 24. Brick Township police responded to a shoplifting report at a convenience store on Maple Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. Officers determined Paige took items from the store without paying for them. Police arrested Paige af…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lakewood, NJ
News
Organs Of NJ Crash Victim Will Help 9 Others Live: Family Organs Of NJ Crash Victim Will Help 9 Others Live: Family
Organs Of NJ Crash Victim Will Help 9 Others Live: Family An Ocean County woman died from her injuries in a crash and donated her organs to potentially save several people's lives, her family said. Catalina Reinoso was declared "brain dead" at around 2:19 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 19, according to an update to Catalina's GoFundMe page posted by Valentina Reinoso on Monday, Apr. 22. Catalina was airlifted to a trauma center hospital after the crash on Lacey Road in Manchester Township at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 14. The Brick Township woman's family made a heartbreaking decision to donate Catalina's organs. Valentina Reinoso wrote that Catalin…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Woman 'Deceased For 17 Minutes' Revived, In ICU After Ocean County Crash: Campaign Woman 'Deceased For 17 Minutes' Revived, In ICU After Ocean County Crash: Campaign
Woman 'Deceased For 17 Minutes' Revived, In ICU After Ocean County Crash: Campaign UPDATE (Tuesday, Apr. 22 at 9:40 a.m.): Catalina Reinoso's family has confirmed she has died and her organs were donated to potentially save nine people's lives. You can click here to read the updated story. --- A woman was revived after suffering brain trauma in an Ocean County crash and was fighting for her life in a hospital, according to a fundraising campaign. Catalina Reinoso was airlifted to a trauma center hospital after the crash on Lacey Road in Manchester Township at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 14, a GoFundMe page said. Reinoso's Facebook profile said she is from Brick T…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Alert Neighbor Called 911 After Seeing Fire In Unoccupied Jersey Shore Apartment: Firefighters Alert Neighbor Called 911 After Seeing Fire In Unoccupied Jersey Shore Apartment: Firefighters
Alert Neighbor Called 911 After Seeing Fire In Unoccupied Jersey Shore Apartment: Firefighters An unoccupied apartment unit caught fire in Ocean County and a neighbor was credited with helping report the flames before they spread, officials said. Brick Township firefighters responded to the fire in the Maple Leaf Park apartment complex at 1142 Sawmill Road at around 3:54 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 18, the fire department said in a news release. The fire was upgraded to a second alarm when Brick police said smoke was coming from the roof. Police evacuated the apartment building and the fire was under control in about 40 minutes. No one was in the apartment that caught fire and no injuries…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lakewood, NJ
Business
Suds In The 'Shark Tank:' NJ Soap Company Sees $100K Investment From Mark Cuban Suds In The 'Shark Tank:' NJ Soap Company Sees $100K Investment From Mark Cuban
Suds In The 'Shark Tank:' NJ Soap Company Sees $100K Investment From Mark Cuban An Ocean County company that makes a therapeutic type of muscle-massaging soap is now swimming with a Shark. The Brick Township-based company called Sorsoap was featured on an episode of ABC's 'Shark Tank' that premiered on Friday, Apr. 12. The company was founded by David Restiano and Dr. David Staats. Dr. Staats owns a physical therapy clinic on Brick Boulevard. Restiano was one of his patients before the two became business partners. The two men enjoy playing sports and were looking for a way to relieve muscle pain while cleaning off sweat and dirt. In their seven-minute sales pitch and…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Middletown, NJ
News
Where Is Central Jersey? Monmouth U. Poll Finds Answers To NJ's Tricky Regional Debate Where Is Central Jersey? Monmouth U. Poll Finds Answers To NJ's Tricky Regional Debate
Where Is Central Jersey? Monmouth U. Poll Finds Answers To NJ's Tricky Regional Debate Monmouth University pollsters have tried to answer a question that has been hard to solve for many in the Garden State: Where is Central Jersey exactly? The Monmouth University Polling Institute released a survey on Tuesday, Apr. 16 that asked New Jerseyans what region they live in and if they believe their region gets a fair share of state resources. The pollsters also asked people to pick their favorite convenience store. According to the poll, 41 percent of New Jerseyans said they live in North Jersey, 34 percent said they're in Central Jersey, and 23 percent said they're from South…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Takedown Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Crack, Ring Nets 6 Arrests, Guns In Ocean County: Cops Takedown Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Crack, Ring Nets 6 Arrests, Guns In Ocean County: Cops
Takedown Of Heroin, Fentanyl, Crack, Ring Nets 6 Arrests, Guns In Ocean County: Cops Six people from Ocean County were accused of taking part in a ring of selling drugs and guns, authorities said. Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives helped several law enforcement agencies throughout Ocean County in the four-month investigation. County prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the arrests made in the case in a news release on Monday, Apr. 15. Investigators said 28-year-old Kyree Kennedy of Lakewood was using several locations throughout the township to store and sell guns, heroin mixed with fentan…

SHARE

by Chris Spiker
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Gay Jersey Shore Wrestling Champ Who Exchanged Naked Selfies With Kids Gets 7+ Years Gay Jersey Shore Wrestling Champ Who Exchanged Naked Selfies With Kids Gets 7+ Years
Gay Jersey Shore Wrestling Champ Who Exchanged Naked Selfies With Kids Gets 7+ Years UPDATE: A former New Jersey state wrestling champion who made national headlines when he came out was sentenced to a plea-bargained seven years and three months in federal prison for trafficking child pornography. Alec Donovan, a 26-year-old youth wrestling coach and referee from Brick Township, was also sentenced to a whopping 30 years of federal supervision after he's released. Donovan had befriended youngsters online, then sent the victims images and videos of child sexual abuse, some of it involving pre-pubescent children, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. He also …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco