A reader informs us of a rash of car vandalism in Ocean Grove.
Apparently, some cars on Clark Avenue and on Main Avenue have had rocks thrown through their windows. “We were woken up last night by the police who were patrolling OG following a rash of incidents of someone throwing rocks at [cars] on Clark,” this reader writes. She continues: “Apparently these same culprits had thrown a rock through the rear window of our car on the 2nd beach block of Main Avenue. While disappointed that we were the victims of a random, thoughtless crime, we are thankful that the Neptune police are on top of the situation and proactive.”
The writer says there was another such case on the first beach block of Main. In addition, the police informed her that similar incidents occurred in town a couple of weeks ago.
If anyone else out there knows of a similar incident please write us a comment about it. — CL
NOTE: For updated news on this story, scroll down.
I agree 100% with North-ender.
People that live in other parts of Neptune come to Ocean Grove for the beach, concerts, craft shows, flea markets, Sunday Services, High School Graduation and Fireworks. So they would benefit from having cameras and a parking lot.
Somehow the Township can find money to buy the Dairy Farm. They have spent millions of dollars to buy the Marina, repair the Marina, buy surrounding land near the Marina, dredge it and file a lawsuit for dredging it.
I have never used the Marina or the Dairy Farm park. I would like to see some of the $11,300 I pay in property taxes to be used for Ocean Grove needs.
Right there with ANON — the only way CMA will get involved is if THEIR buildings are being targeted.
I echo Nancys sentiments about checking the Blogfinger first thing for the latest OG news. And kudos to the Blogfinger team for keeping us so well informed.
It’s sad that I feel a need to check this post first to see if there was any activity overnight. And it makes me angry. I am hopeful that no news is good news.
Mary Beth…..I am sure you are right that other parts of town such as Shark River Hills, Neptune mid-town, etc. should not pay for services that they are not using.
I know Ocean Grove has a minimun amount of children, say less then 50 going to the public schools,so why should Ocean Grovers be responsible for paying all these school taxes that are a burden to us home owners if we are not utilizing these schools.
Second of all, why can’t Neptune Twp. supply a small amount of cameras to start with; there are always funds available for emergency situations. Doesn’t the township allow X amount of dollars for storm and snow removal that we haven’t utilized this year?
This is a prime example why Grovers need people in office that work FOR the town.
@Weekender – “Can the CMA spearhead this?”
good luck
I’m a weekender who came down today to check on the place and found a rock thrown through one of my windows. I live on Mt. Tabor. Thankfully it was a small window. Based on my conversation with the police officer, I think they will catch who is doing this.
Cameras sound good to me. It’s a lot less expensive than having to take time out to drive down again this weekend and fix the window.
The presence of cameras would likely be a deterrent. I understand the Township’s financial constraints, but let’s tell it like it is. We contribute so much in taxes and get so little in return. If the town can’t provide security that is consistent with the current circumstances, then what can they do?
It would be a shame if we had to hire a private security service to drive around here and report suspicious activity to the police.
I just received a photo in the mail of my car, as it somehow missed paying the toll on the GSP. The plate was photographed clear as a bell, at night.
I’m in also for $75.00
$75 …me too.
I’m in for $75.
I will also contribute to a fund for cameras. We need the an appropriate organization to sponsor this fund. Is anyone from OGHOA on this blog? Seems like they would be the natural sponsor. As was noted above, if each homeowner gave just $75, we would have enough money to install cameras at all entrances. Please — no comments about how homeowners can’t possibly spare $75 in these tough times……
Joe:
I recently had a digital camera system installed at my house in the Grove. I used the company that Jack Green uses for security systems (Advanced Alarm Systems). The cameras require 12V power, but broadcast wirelessly to the DVR. From any computer, to include my iPad and iPhone, I can look at the cameras live or review anything recorded in the past 4 months. The cameras work 24/7 day or night. Excellent resolution. This system was $1,970 installed.
Mary Beth Jahn and Randy Bishop,
Who do I contact to get the lamp post replaced at the east end of Broadway (end of grassy strip down center of broadway). It was knocked down a few years ago in the middle of the night and it was never replaced. If a victorian looking concrete bunker needs to be installed at the base to keep vehicles from knocking down the lamp post (similar to the one at the west end of broadway just before war memorial) then let me know who I need to contact. Is it the responsibility of Neptune Township, CMA, or JCP&L. Let me know, as I want to spearhead the project to get the needed lighting back. Additionally, who do I contact for boardwalk light outages and flickering post lamps, and the missing pole from the dune in front of my building at 28 Ocean (also knocked out a few years ago by a beachgoer) I want to spearhead that project as well. I want to get the needed lighting back. Loitering is a problem.
Thank you,
Joe Abbruzzese
I’m still actively looking for a sophisticated digital/dvr camera system for our building and our parking area (mine and my neighbors). I’ve already had one company here to look at the building and area and what it will involve to cover the entire area, including where all the cars are parked (without bankrupting me). I face the evenings & weekends with dread now and I’m constantly hiding my vehicles on a less visible street. In future, if I have even one incident of a minor hit and run by a ‘beachgoer’, and get any resistance with my digital picture evidence, I will get an attorney involved to go after anyone…even if it is costs more than the damage in question. With the incidents that have transpired in the last 11 years that I’ve lived here (bumper scrapes to burglary) I’ve had it. I’ve had it with the naysayers about camera systems. Digital picture evidence helped catch a criminal in Asbury Park for a robbery at one of our buildings last year…the cop recognized the culprit the second he saw the running video. Residents of OG, if we want a camera system for the 8+ entrances to OG, let’s raise the money ourselves and be done with it.
I find the police presence in Ocean Grove very strong. I’m impressed by how often I see patrol cars on the streets, even before the “crime wave.” I don’t know what the answer is, but we can all help out by (broken record … ) “If-You See-Something- Say-Something.”
Looks like rock and roll is here to stay.
Thank you Mary Beth for being straight and honest.
Her message: you get what you get and you don’t get upset. If you want anything more, you’re on your own.
Let’s face it, Neptune Twp./Ocean Grove are unwilling to provide the level of security that folks in most towns expect and receive. Apparently a majority of folks who live here do not think the police should have enough resources to adequately do their jobs. While it strikes me as odd that the people who live here do not value a safe environment, that’s the reality. Those few who are disatisfied with the status quo need to just deal.
Folks, if you want to purchase cameras for your homes that also are able to surveil you car(s) if parked in front of your house, you are more than welcome to do so. Police presence has been stepped up greatly in the Grove (not always in marked cars). There are no plans to install cameras.
A levy? You have got to be kidding. Jco & Fat Al hit the nail of the head. Send the resources to where the crime is. Getting the bad guys will benefit everyone.
Just to throw another idea out there, perhaps some homeowners could install a camera on their property that watches the sidewalk/road. Especially if you live at an access point to town. And perhaps homeowners could receive an incentive such as a tax credit for providing such a service to the town. As citizens we should be as proactive as possible. We can’t sit back and wait for the government to meet our every need, we need to grab the bull by the horns. The government needs to be more responsive and supportive of the proactive citizens and be more cooperative and open. How about a government by, of and for the people.
Neptune Twp. or the CMA or whoever should do an RFP and find out what the camera services companiies would recommend and what it will cost. If this is a $100K per year expense, that seems very reasonable. I think criminals would be discouraged and even if they’re not, the police would have something fairly powerful as an investigative tool.
I hope that it will not take a tragedy (e.g., a hit and run or drive by shooting) before those whose responsibility it is to protect us actually act to beef up security. Wouldn’t it have been great if the police could have logged into the DVR and reviewed camera footage, gotten the license plate numer, and made an arrest of the stone throwers? This is not science fiction — we can make it an easy reality.
Creating a special security assessment of like $100 per home seems like a great idea. This is done all the time in city neighborhoods. Yes we pay a lot of taxes already, but can you put a price on the safety of your property and family?
“While Ocean Grove may indeed pay the second-highest taxes in the Township (which is what happens when you live near the beach), you can’t expect Shark River Hills, West Neptune, the Gables, Bradley Park and Midtown to pay for services they don’t receive.”
Really? Since when? That’s what being part of a community is about. We all pay for many services we don’t receive because we aren’t the ones who need them (for example, what portion of property taxes are paid by those without kids in the public schools?).
Resources — correctly — are targeted where they are needed. This is obviously becoming a need, and it is not an answer to say that it’s OG’s problem, not the Township’s. OG’s problems are the Township’s, and vice versa.
1,870 homes X $75 per home = $140,250.00 (more than enough)
Seems like a bargain. I’m in.
How do we do a special levy. Can the CMA spearhead this?
I would think that the whole Township benefits when criminals are arrested, regardless of where they are arrested. It makes the whole town safer. Someone breaking windows in OG can just as easily break them in Shark River Hills and elsewhere. Plus, I would think that putting resources into trying to catch criminals where the crimes are being committed is just smart policing. I have not priced this stuff out, as weekender seems to have, but at the very least the resource time to review images is standard police work, made necessary only when there is a crime and therefore a need to review the images. There is no reason to think that a person would have to be paid to sit there and stare at every recorded minute if there’s no investigative reason to do so, is what I’d think. I’m not asking for extra police work because I pay extra taxes, I’m asking for it because I’m (newly and very obviously) in a high crime area.
Weekender, that info about a company paying for the cameras may hold true for red-light cameras, but not for security cameras. If we were going to do something like that in the Grove, there would have to be some kind of fund-raising effort or levy on OG homes and businesses, because it’s not just the cost of the cameras: it’s the broadband connection, the specialized server, and the resource time to review the digital images. While Ocean Grove may indeed pay the second-highest taxes in the Township (which is what happens when you live near the beach), you can’t expect Shark River Hills, West Neptune, the Gables, Bradley Park and Midtown to pay for services they don’t receive.
I saw a car on Penna@B’way with shattered rear window on Sunday and another today on Broadway @ New Jersey.,,a real shame!
A point that got left out of my post above is that towns do not buy cameras. They instead use a company that provides the cameras, connectivity, installation and any desired back end processing in a lease arrangement for a fixed fee per camera per year. A sophisticated traffic cam set up, with strobes, fancy detector system, and back-end processesing to issue tickets is in the $14K to $16K range per camera per year. A more simple set-up with a 24/7 camera, motion detector, that passively records to a DVR would be around $10K per camera per year. A 2-3 year contract is common practice. The Police could review the DVR recordings when necessary via an internet connection whenever they have a need. If this syetem was in place, we would know who threw the rocks, and we’d know who was stealing the bikes (and everything else). I think this would be the single best thing we could do to help our town fight crime. I agree with above comments that we should be able to find this money somewhere in the $ millions of taxes that OG pays.
If Weekender is correct about the price of cameras that would be effective, it is the equivalent of the taxes on maybe 7 houses, maybe 10 houses, well under 5 percent of the over 2000 houses in OG. Perhaps the Township could consider using that small percentage of the astoundingly high taxes that it charges Ocean Grove homeowners to install an effective security system to protect those homeowners, who give so very much to Neptune.
Cameras … Realistically, two would cover the major exit roads, Main and B’way. Perhaps a 3rd to cover Lake Terr. No one is driving out of town on the footbridges and they are locked overnight anyway. That leaves precious few other ways to leave the Grove by vehicle. I would think the fact that cameras have been installed would give ‘evil doers’ second thoughts, knowing they might pe photographed. Plus, we are only really talking about covering the 12 to 6 AM time period. It’s not like Ocean Grove is a 24 hour a day ‘happening place’. I don’t think there is major traffic flow overnight with constantly cruising vehicles.
Neptune does not have huge resources to throw at something like this, we are still probably the lowest crime area of the township, so maybe we have to raise the $$ for cameras ourselves? Via Citizens Patrol, Home Owners, Camp Meeting, Chamber of Commerce… There are a bunch or organizations that could champion this. I for one would be open to a donation!
Given that Ocean Grove is an island of relative affluence land-locked within towns with very significant social and economic challenges, it is only natural that it will be a mecca for criminals and vandals. As a result, we must invest to protect ourselves. What the Police and town are now doing — which is a lot — is still clearly not sufficient to protect us. Ditto for the Citizen’s Patrol. We must adopt a more aggressive stance to deter and solve crime. Cameras at all road and foot entrances seem seem like a step in the right direction. That something like 10 cameras.
Mary Beth:
A high speed camera will not blur even if it is moving due to wind. They capture crisp license plate photos even when the car is moving at high speeds.
I would suggest you start small and get 5-6 cameras as an experiment and place them at the most important entrances. I know this will cost some money, but I doubt it will cost more than the total of the damages done in the above mentioned one evening of mayhem. We have talked about cameras here for many months yet we still have done nothing and the damages and crimes keep piling up — many of which would have been solved or deterred if cameras were installed. These cameras would have more than paid for themselves if they had been installed this past July. They will more than pay for themselves in the next 9 months if we put them in now.
Folks, with the winter winds in the Grove, it’s difficult to keep the cameras steady enough to get a clear picture. I’ll talk to the Chief about it, but given the size of the area for which the camera need to cover, we’re talking about a large amount of money, which is not in our our budget and are not revenue-neutral, like the proposed red-light cameras. Like I said, I’ll talk to the Chief and see what options are available.
We have spoken to the homeowner on Ocean Avenue who says that a police officer informed him that the vandals had damaged 30-40 vehicles that night (early Sunday morning.) The press release from NTPD did not mention a number.
That homeowner whose car is shown above had asked for emails of other victims because he wants to organize a group to lobby for more effective protection against such crimes.
It should be noted that other recent OG crimes we have reported on were done for material gain, but this rampage was evidently done for other reasons. Maybe it was for thrills or rage. Any psychologists out there want to speculate?
Robert I want to communicate with other people who were vandalized. DIGITAL CAMERAS ARE THE ANSWER. I manage condominium properties and digital cameras recording on a digital dvr with just enough lighting at the entrance gates will pick up quite a bit…we can start small and work our way up.
The police will be more effective running digital video after a crime has been committed. I know we’re getting cameras for this premium vantage point on the corner of Ocean and Broadway. I want to be able to put people in jail for committing a crime. I want to be able to have a hit and run driver ticketed, hauled into court, and forced to have their car insurance pay for damages to vehicles on my corner. Its my peace of mind. If I had the cameras, then maybe the burglar that broke in next door may be in jail by now. I feel violated, it’s not the first time, and I want it to stop.
I live on Mt. Tabor and instead of a car, they got my front door. It ripped open my screen and luckily bounced off the wood frame, just missing the glass. It broke a piece off the frame and left a huge hole in my screen, but at least it didn’t break the glass, since I was out of town for the weekend. I got home Monday and called the cops, and they were here within five minutes to take pictures and file the report. I was so relieved when I went on here to find the number for the police and saw about the rash of car windows being broken, as it made me feel better that it was not a personal attack or someone trying to break into my house.
There are more then 2 or 3 ways to drive out of town. On South side there are 3 (Pennsylvania, Delaware, Lawrence) and on West side there are 3 (Main Ave., Broadway, Stockton). Altogether 6. In addition to the aforementioned 6 points, cameras would also have to be set up at various on foot entry/exit points. Which would bring total to about 12 places. While I do support this security camera idea nonetheless I do not think it would be a total 100% solution. Some of the recent crimes were committed from within by OG persons.
You have to have good cameras– even though its on videotape, most of them don’t show cars/faces clear enough at all.
Hopefully the rock in the SUV is being dusted for finger prints.
OK folks, here are the facts on cameras (raised above by Anonymous and Abbott as a solution). I have participated in discussions on traffic cameras in my town where I live most of the year (OG is my weekend/summer place) and offer you the following information.
In the case of OG, we would not need a super-sophisticated traffic camera system, as we just want high resolution photographs of cars/people that enter or exit. A high resolution camera that shoots at 2 fps when activated by motion is all that would be required. No back-end processing would be necessary – images would be stored on a standard 10 terabyte DVR system. This application is closer to a common security camera set-up (e.g., what a factory would use to monitor its facility) and, as a result, it would be significantly cheaper than a traditional traffic camera set up (probably closer to $10,000 per camera per year).
So, for example, if OG got seven cameras it would cost $70,000. Since this would solve crimes and, more importantly, deter crimes, it seems like a bargain to me. All it would take is a phone call to a camera service company and the will to spend $70,000. To me the cost/benefit makes doing this a no-brainer (I wonder what the cumulative economic damage is from this single rock throwing incident?).
I would hope someone will have the OGCMA or Neptune Township really look into this. The reality is that our little town is very small and relatively isolated –thus making tight security very feasible. Cameras would be a HUGE step in the right direction.
A question. This vandalism appears to have happened at 3 – 4 in the morning. It seems that we have a car with rock throwing vandals on a crime spree for what appears to be quite a while; many cars were damaged, going un-noticed! My question is, just how many rock tossing vehicles are cruising around the Grove at that hour? I would think that any car driving around at that hour would raise suspicion by the police patrols. My goodness, there are only 2 or three ways to drive out of town!
If we had cameras at the access points into Ocean Grove — and we’d only need 8, I think — we would have an ID on the car that did this. We’d also see who was riding stolen bikes out of town and who is walking away with chair cushions, etc….. If we had installed these cameras this past summer, as was frequently suggested, we would not be here now contemplating our navels.
How much crime do we need to suffer before our leaders and the police adopt this very simple, but powerful tool? Maybe the CMA needs to step up here and show some leadership. A security consultant friend of mine says that such a system (8 cameras at entry points) could be installed in OG for only $22K. We would not need real time monitoring. This is not rocket science. I’m sure just the cost of crime in the past month exceeds $22K!
Joe: You should tell everyone why you want their email addresses. Also, please verify where you got the number 30-40 vehicles vandalized.
note: We contacted the police yesterday (Sunday) requesting more information, including whether the assertion of 30-40 is accurate. Their usual routine is to send a press release, but so far we have not received one.
We’re at 28 Ocean Avenue. Our doorbell was rung at 4:30am Sunday morning by police. When I figured I wasn’t dreaming and heard the second round of dinging, I knew it was the police and it had to be a problem with the car. I looked out the window to see two police cruisers sitting out front next to our car. Two rocks were thrown from a moving vehicle with such force at our new SUV, that one rock blew out the entire back window sending glass throughout, while the rock came to rest on front passenger side floor. A second rock the size of a grape fruit was thrown at the left front fender causing significant damage to that. I am so angry that crime has escalated to this level and that a vehicle or vehicles with obviously more than one person in it is driven throughout town at that hour of the night vandalizing 30-40 vehicles, as I was told!!! There are only two entrances to Ocean Grove!!! Can we get less sitting cruisers ticketing on 71 and 33 and more cruisers driving through OG? We’re looking into a digital camera system and increased lighting for the property.
If your car was vandalized Sunday morning please email me at shorehowz@msn.com. Thank you Blogfinger for this venue.
There was a rock thrown thru a window on Heck Avenue
What a shame! I would be furious if a found a rock through my car window or it it was done to any of my neighbors. I just don’t understand random crimes like this and why they do it.
In response to your request for comments– we DID notice last night
that the police were patroling Main Avenue about 4:00 am. They were checking each car with a spotlight. The SUV that had its window smashed was parked on the corner of Main & Beach. These unfortunate incidents are disheartening.
cameras…..
I am on Franklin Ave. between NY Ave. and Pilgrim Pathway. This morning I did find a pretty big rock in middle of street. About 6″ in diameter. A part of it was broken off. This is a clean street/neighborhood. I never ever find any garbage/debris in street let alone a rock. Thinking nothing of it I tossed it in my front yard. Then I came in and read your article. Went back out and checked all cars on block. All were ok with no broken windshields. Not sure if this helps at all but figured I’d mention it..