NJ Wildfire Explodes To 12,500 Acres: Latest From Forest Fire Service
An otherwise idyllic spring day along the New Jersey coast was darkened by thick plumes of smoke as a massive wildfire scorched through 12,500 acres — threatening homes, destroying property, and leaving thousands without power Wednesday, April 23.
🚨 A massive wildfire, dubbed the Jones Road Wildfire, is tearing through 1,200 acres in Barnegat Township’s Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area, Ocean County, NJ, as of April 22, 2025, with 0% containment. Mandatory evacuations are underway for Wells Mills Road from Bryant… pic.twitter.com/61nPv8YRcH — Laszlo Varga (@LaszloRealtor) April 2…
Toms River Man, 28, Killed In ATV Crash At Clayton Pits: Police
A 28-year-old Toms River man died in a serious ATV crash Saturday, April 19, while riding through a wooded trail behind a golf course in Ocean County, authorities said.
Brandon Orozco-Avila was riding alone at approximately 6:18 p.m. in a rural trail area known as the Clayton Pits, located behind the Pine Barrens Golf Course off South Hope Chapel Road, when he lost control of his ATV and crashed, Jackson Township Police said in a release.
The ATV veered off the trail and slammed into several trees in a heavily wooded area, police said. Orozco-Avila was pronounced dead at the scene, the…
Toms River Man Went To Norway For Sex With Minor, Then Bragged About It: Feds Say
A 28-year-old Toms River man was recently arrested and charged with traveling to Norway to have sex with a minor, authorities said.
From Dec. 1, 2023 through Dec. 10, 2023, Jacob Bauer traveled from the United States to Norway and had sex with a 14-year-old girl, US Attorney Alina Habba said.
After returning to the United States, Bauer communicated over social media platforms with the girl and others about his sexual activities with the 14-year-old, Habba said.
During those conversations, Bauer acknowledged the victim’s age and status as a minor, Habba said.
After members of an online com…
Cocaine, Meth, Marijuana: Toms River Man Arrested Twice, Prosecutor Says
A 39-year-old Toms River man was recently arrested twice and charged with storing and distributing cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, authorities said.
On Thursday, March 20, detectives began surveilling Jonathan Acosta’s residence, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
After he was taken into custody following a traffic stop, a search warrant was executed on his residence, which saw the seizure of 21 grams of meth, approximately one-half pound of marijuana, a quantity of cocaine, and materials indicative of narcotics distribution, Billhimer said.
Acosta was hit with numerou…
Husband, Wife Killed In Fatal Jackson Crash: Police
A 67-year-old man and his 61-year-old wife, both Toms River residents, were killed in a fatal car crash in Jackson Thursday, April 10, authorities said.
At 1:57 p.m., officers responded to 1192 Toms River Rd. for a two-car crash, Jackson Township police said. A Ford driven by a 24-year-old woman with a 4-year-old girl in the car drifted into the opposite lane, crashing into a Chevrolet, police said.
The 67-year-old man, who was in the Chevrolet, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His wife was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, police said.
The driver of the Ford and the chil…
Two Lakewood Men Face Murder Charges For 2010 Shooting: Prosecutor
Two Lakewood men were indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday, April 2, charged with murdering a man in Toms River in 2010, authorities said.
Maurice Cole, 36, and Jerron Evans, 41, fatally shot 22-year-old Rondell Proctor, an Arkansas resident, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
Oh Thursday, May 27, at 12:40 a.m., Toms River police responded to the Winteringham Village Apartments at Route 166 and found Proctor with several gunshot wounds to the torso and a gunshot wound to the face, Billhimer said. Proctor was transported to Community Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead…
Loaded Gun, Cocaine: Toms River Man Gets Lengthy Sentence, Feds Say
A 38-year-old Toms River man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on Wednesday, March 26, after pleading guilty to illegally possessing cocaine and a firearm, authorities said.
In 2020, Masta Redding was found to be in possession of cocaine on his person and in his residence, which he intended to distribute, U.S. Attorney John Giordano said. Redding, who had prior felony convictions, also possessed a Jiminez Arms pistol with six rounds of ammunition, Giordano said.
Redding admitted that sometime after he was arrested he paid another individual for, and then provided to t…
