Stolen mermaid. Photo by Joy Norton
By Charles Layton
Sometime in the early hours of Friday morning, this cast iron statue of a mermaid disappeared from in front of Joy Norton’s home on Stockton Avenue.
It was among the latest in a wave of statuary and lawn decoration thefts in Ocean Grove.
Norton said she reported the theft to a Neptune Township officer on Friday morning, and “he said mine was about their third report this morning.” She said the officer speculated that the statue might have been stolen for its metal content, to be melted down.
Two weeks ago we reported on the theft of a stone statue of the Virgin Mary from the front garden of Mary’s Place by the Sea on Broadway. (Read that story here.) Since then, our readers have posted comments about other recent thefts of lawn decorations around town. Those have included thefts of a statue, a water fountain, a decorative planter, a lantern, a wind chime, a metal “gazing ball” and a decorative brass fish. Norton said she had been reading about those thefts on Blogfinger, but she had assumed her own statue “was too heavy for anyone to carry off.” She said it was about two feet tall and weighed about 50 pounds.
She said the statue was still there beside her steps as of 12:30 the previous night, but was gone as of 7:30 Friday morning.
Norton figures the statue was worth about $200. She is offering a reward for its return, with “no questions asked.”
Perhaps the largest piece of statuary to be stolen recently was a stone angel, approximately 5½ feet high, taken from the porch of George and Angela Germann’s home on Clark Avenue about three weeks ago. “They came right up on the porch, and it had to be two people because she [the angel] was very heavy, about 60 pounds,” Angela Germann said. The Germanns believe the thieves must have been using a vehicle to get away with something that large.
People in that same neighborhood also tell of the theft, in recent weeks, of a Japanese maple tree from a yard on Cookman Avenue. It was taken right out of the ground.
But the most bizarre of all the recent thefts was that of a sign stolen from a house on Pitman Avenue. The sign read: “Random Acts of Kindness.”
Postscript: Asked for comment, the Neptune Police Department issued a press release on Friday acknowledging a rise in theft of statues and other outdoor ornaments in Ocean Grove “over the past few weeks.” The department asked that people “use caution in placing expensive items or items of sentimental value” in places where they could be stolen. It also encouraged people to report suspicious activity by calling 9-1-1.
Statue stolen from Clark Avenue. Photo courtesy of Angela Germann
It’s simple. Just put a bright porch light on, and maybe one in the back.
Our lights come on at dusk, and a motion detector makes them brighter (Very Bright!) if someone comes close. These are simple add-ons that my husband picked up at Home Depot.
Not many! I’m on Citizen’s Patrol and you’d be surprised how many totally dark streets we patrol. Its such an easy thing to do! Put it on a timer if you are only here in the summer and please lock your doors!! This is not your Grandma’s Ocean Grove!
How many concerned people leave their porch lights on as requested by Citizens Patrol?
Not for anything, but I observed an NTPD officer in the Grove Sunday night. True, he was in the Grove. But each time he passed, he was looking down and texting on his phone!
Charles, @Sept. 21 – Kudos to you!
Gosh, @Sept. 21 – Correct
OGCP always needs new members. It’s not clear why 2 hours a month is too much to ask….
Early this morning I discovered an 18 inch tall angel lawn ornament sitting on the first step of my porch. She has two small chalices for water or seeds resting where her hands would be. I called the police and they retrieved her. She is sadly cracked all over, so the thief might have been less than enchanted with their newly aquired stolen property.
If anyone knows the owner of this angel, please let them know they should contact the police.
Perhaps all of our stolen things will be returned to us in this manner- meanwhile, everyone keep your eyes open for suspicious activity….
There are always two patrol officers assigned to Ocean Grove 24/7, when every other part of town has one. Sometimes the whole area west of Route 18 is covered by one officer. Add in the specials who patrol the tents, boardwalk, enforce parking regulations and work at the big events, and there can be one to two more officers in OG at any given time. The CMA paid for a special to work nights this year and patrol the tent area and the boardwalk. They also had a special who worked on the boards to help the step guard with bikes and dogs. Considering the size, that’s a lot of police presence. Add in the OGCP and the firemen who are always at Fire HQ; there are lots of eyes out there.
Asbury Park had two shootings last week within a few days of each other. We should count ourselves lucky that petty theft is all we have to deal with.
Also, I see a lot of complaints regarding the punishments criminals receive and blame being placed on the PD. The police do not determine what a criminal’s punishment for a crime is. That is the job of the prosecuting attorney and the judge. The Police are responsible for investigating crimes. They then turn that information over to the prosecutor for trial. The prosecutor may make a recommendation on punishment or work out a plea; however, ultimately the judge determines the punishment at a sentencing hearing following a trial or a plea arrangement. In the case of the rock throwers, that wasn’t even handled by the town, that whole case was prosecuted by the county court in Freehold. Neptune just provided them with the information and evidence they gathered.
I have to agree with Happy. In spite of these occasional flurries of thefts, our crime problem is minor compared with that in many other places. I’ve lived here since 1998 and never been a crime victim. And our incidents of truly scary crimes in Ocean Grove — shootings, serious assaults — are rare indeed.
Worry not, No Time: The Grove is a very safe place. Yes, we do have occassional out-breaks of petty crime, and about once a year we have a break-and-enter theft — but all things considered, it’s still very safe. One must keep in mind that we have a lot of visitors due to the beach, and 1/3 of the houses are empty in the off season — both lead to opportunistic crime. We have been here over 3 years and have never had a problem. If you call the police, they will always be at your house in less that 2 minutes (no exaggeration).
We need answers!
The elected Neptune Township Committee member liaison to public safety is Kevin McMillan who can be reached at:
kmcmillan@neptunetownship.org
or
732-988-5200 Extension 291.
I would love to be more involved with the community and attend meetings, but it’s hard when I work in Manhattan and travel 2 hours each way to and from work. I have no time to go to these meetings (am not home in time) or to volunteer my time to the OGCP. I have however donated to this organization. I am a little surprised about all of these incidents, as I thought I was moving to a safe community. We have to find a way to show more police presence to scare these people away.
I am one of the recent victims in the recent crime wave. I applaud the OGCP. I donate every year. However their patrols are only til 1 a.m. and obviously a lot of this theft is happening after their shift ends. That, of course, is not their fault.
Fed Up:
Whoa! Didn’t see that one coming! Of course, all are allowed to speak.
And I was speaking to suggest actions that can be taken (and I am taking).
And echoing Charles’s comments above.
Nancy: Are you suggesting that only those who give money or actually join these groups should be allowed to speak? Not every criticism or suggestion constitutes a “complaint.” Although you seem to be an advocate of the “actions speak louder than words” theory of free speech, some people believe that the “word is more powerful than the sword.”
You know, dialogue,as occurs here, might result in more donations or more suggestions or more volunteers. My suggestion is that you yourself focus on making changes and not waste our time nit picking about who is more qualified to speak.
Actually Jason, I didn’t. Its the first offense I listed, disorderly persons.
Just wondering: how many people complaining here about Neighborhood Watch and Ocean Grove Citizen’s Patrol are actually members and/or have sent donations to OGCP to support their work?
Rather than saying what others should do, we should be about making change ourselves.
New York had a rash of what they called “quality of life” crimes. Not big crimes, but crimes that brought menace, generally. They found that what criminals see in neighborhoods is important, and it is called “broken window” syndrome. Ocean Grove and Neptune could:
Make people clear brush and overgrown trees on their property, like the nightmare along Lake Avenue near the footbridge into Asbury. This creates clean and clear lines of site for people and people watching;
Encourage bright lighting by homeowners and motion sensor lights;
Put cops on bikes to ride around at night to increase visibility;
I have never seen a cop stationed at the entrance to Ocean Grove from the front, or the footbridges into Asbury. The cops are invisible, really.
In short, Ocean Grove has created a dark, overgrown, safe-feeling environment for criminals. Make the residents clean up and brighten the town at night.
Bullets: You forgot to list the penalty for smashing dozens of car windows and house windows with rocks where there is >$80K of damages: zero, except you have to pay for the actual damages. My point is that these penalties you mention are really illusory since the courts do not actually penalize criminals for property crimes or thefts — and, as a result, the police deprioritize enforcement.
This current ‘crime wave’ is eerily reminiscent of last year’s systematic de-biking of Ocean Grove. It’s not some individual carrying a 100-lb sculpture over the footbridges (which are locked, by the way) in the middle of the night. Just as what happened last year, several objects a night are disappearing. This is an organized effort including scouting and planning along with some sort of transport.
Ocean Grove basically rolls up the sidewalks by 10 or 11 at night. There are no after-hours clubs or hangouts in town. Just how many vans or other vehicles are cruising the streets between midnight and 6 a.m. loading up statues? Sorry, but ANY car leaving town at those hours should raise suspicion. Its one thing for the random opportunist thief to be checking doors and windows on vacant homes, as that can happen in any town anywhere. It is quite another scenario to have several large decorative objects taken from front yards in a systematic fashion. This smacks of some sort of organized group, whether for profit or just thrills like the rock throwers. Once again, many may think it is just petty crime, but eventually it will build into many thousands of dollars in lost property.
The penalty schedule isn’t determined by the police. The state courts determine what penalty comes with each offense and what defines each offense.
In most cases like these its a disorderly person’s offense. If the property value is less than $200 you can be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to up to 6 months of imprisonment.
4th degree offense. If the property value is between $200 and $500 you can be fined up to $10,000 and be sentenced for up to 18 months of imprisonment.
3rd degree offense. If the property value is over $500 but less than $75,000 you can be fined up to $15,000 and sentenced for 3-5 years of imprisonment.
2nd degree offense. If the property value is $75,000 or more, you can be fined up to $150,000 and sentenced to 5-10 years of imprisonment.
But that’s set by the state, not the township or the police department.
I also think the concept of two cops sitting low in an unmarked car watching a lawn ball is hilarious. It’s not like these are high probability crimes that can be located to a specific location like people trying to sell stolen stuff at scrap yards.
I really love the police statement. Rather than say “Neptune police are stepping up patrols, initiating stings, and having detectives investigate all possible places where statues and other lawn ornaments might be sold/fenced,” they blame us for leaving “valuables” outside. Police: please stop blaming Ocean Grovers — we should be able to leave lawn ornaments outside without massive amounts of theft. The real problem is lack of police presence and enforcement activity.
But I’m sure that even if they caught someone in the act, there would be no jail time or punitive fines as theft and vandalism have been decriminalized in Ocean Grove. Its pathetic, really.
Thanks to Blogfinger……
After reading this I decided to “eyeball” my 2.5-foot patron saint / garden angel stone statue that sits in my front garden. Been there for at least 10 years.
She’s gone.
I just reported it to the Neptune Police.
Thanks for keeping us updated on this stuff, Paul!
Well we do have the OGCP that patrols from 9:00 p.m. until 1 a.m. The hours have shortened due to lack of volunteers; maybe if more people joined it would help. I have been a member for years and have caught kids stealing bikes, breaking benches on the boardwalk, damaging the pavilion and so forth.
We have helped with traffic during events and we have helped capture homeless that have had outstanding warrants. So I think the OGCP has helped to deter crime in town. It’s a shame so few show interest; there are many women that give their time, this is not a men’s organization only. Everyone can help, so if going on patrol is not your bag, there are also what we call base stations that keep in communication with the drivers during the night.
I hope some consider this as an opportunity to help cut crime; it’s a plus for the Grove.
Neighborhood Watch does not patrol. All it does is inform people on its contact lists of recent crimes in OG, based on a weekly report the coordinators receive from the NTPD. Blogfinger publishes summaries of those weekly reports also. So NW’s only function is to raise awareness of criminal activity in town. We should probably discuss whether there might be more that NW could do, if it were beefed up.
But, re prospects for beefing up: It’s unfortunate that so many of the homes here are second homes, uninhabited most of the time. Those owners are in no position to volunteer time to local anti-crime organizations. And then there are the very elderly, likewise unable to contribute much. When you boil it all down, we have a pretty small base from which to draw civic volunteers.
To those who advocate for Neighborhood Watch, is it your sense that it is working?? I have been the victim of 2 crimes in the past month. One was quite serious damage to my property. Is it possible that it is time to consider a new approach?
No disrespect intended towards the fine people who volunteer for Neighborhood Watch, but it seems to me that there is an awful lot of crime taking place despite Neighborhood Watch. At what point do we reconsider the approach? At what point do we acknowledge that maybe NW is not enough?
I have been the victim of two crimes in the past month. A lawn ornament was stolen, and my car was keyed either in front of my house, or my friend’s house. The estimate to get this fixed is 1500 dollars.
As far as flyers, I would never leave them out like a restaurant flyer. I am talking about a mailing. I am talking about a safety brochure that could be given to those who stay in OG so they have a safe visit without having their bag stolen off the beach, or their bike snagged because they did not have a NYC-worthy Kryptonite lock (I sure didn’t come to OG with such).
Clearly this is an organized operation. It is probably the same people over and over, just like the rock throwers. They walk around and canvas by day, so they know exactly what they are coming back for at night. I would guess these crimes are happening in the wee hours, when most of us are fast asleep. Does Neighborhood Watch patrol all through the night? I need to believe that there is a solution to our problem….
This is not the season for the public to be purchasing lawn ornaments. So most dealers would not be buying them for resale.
Unfortunately, missing metal objects make there way to the scrapper off Rt 33 in Neptune.
Some of our out-of-town “tourists” do enjoy a piece of the Grove and feel no regret about about helping themselves to lovely objects. But at this time of year it would only occur on a weekend.
Now a Frat House might find some of the larger objects interesting house decorations……
I’ve often wondered about some of the sellers at the Collingswood flea market. Would be interesting to see if someone is “specializing” in yard ornaments.
RCB, We are organized; the Neighborhood Watch. Also, I wouldn’t be a fan of flyers; they are a red flag that a home is vacant. I hate the restaurant ones that I have to clean up off my lawn and porch.
Fed Up, I’m not sure what side of town you are on, but I see the police patrolling a lot, all over town. And the two or three times I’ve had to call, they arrived quickly and were very professional and responsive.
The Neighborhood Watch program can only be as strong as its participants and supporters. Consider getting involved.
FourthGeneration, Sage advice, every point. Our porch light has a motion detector; it’s always on, but gets *very* bright if someone approaches the porch.
Know your neighbors. Call the police when you see something or someone unusual. I did several times this summer and found them very responsive. Leave your porch light on all night, every night, if you are home or not. I think we would be surprised if everyone took this approach instead of failing to take personal action
I’m curious about how the thieves are fencing these items. Someone must be buying them. How many local stores buy and sell yard ornaments? What about the local scrap metal dealers? If thieves are driving around town in a van at night, then it’s an organized operation, not just opportunistic passersby.
Maybe someone (or NTPD) should hide one of those GPS tracking devices inside an especially appealling ornament and see where it leads them.
I’ll believe Ocean Grovers are serious about preventing crime when I see more people volunteering for Citizens Patrol. And more people donating to it. And more people getting involved in Neighborhood Watch. And more people attending the Township Committee meetings during times when there’s not a flood. And more people joining and volunteering their time to the Home Owners Association. Until those things happen, it’s all just bluster.
The Neptune police are part of the problem. They are poorly communicative and they have done nothing innovative to prevent these crimes. Citizens have been begging for cameras, but their pleas are ignored. The police blame the citizens by saying that we are careless, we need to lock everything and we are not watching. That may be true, but what do they have to say about their own performance?
We rarely see police cars in our part of town, and what happened to the undercover patrols? If they exist, they are ineffective. These crimes probably mostly happen by night, so what is being done during the night to catch these criminals?
The Neighborhood Watch here is a joke compared to how the NW functions in other communities. We don’t even have NW signs.
This is a serious quality of life issue which goes unsolved. The politicians need to find out why the NTPD has failed to do their job.
It’s also time for the 700 (?) member HOA to flex its muscle and make some noise. Maybe we need to picket the police station or expand the Citizen Patrol with some money and a quest for more volunteers.
Maybe we should erect a billboard in the Grove (like Atlanta once did) that says “Visitors beware. There are vandals running wild in Ocean Grove.”
I would really like to know what we as a community are going to do about this. This has become ridiculous. We are being robbed every day. It is infuriating. We look like a bunch of idiots to these thieves. They are taking advantage of us because they know they can. We need to organize and make a plan.
Sadly, I think that we as a town need to decide that we are not going to put out any ornaments or things that can be stolen. We all need to make a concerted effort to stop making ourselves such easy targets. What about a campaign to educate all those who come to OG to lock up their bikes. How about a flyer to all residents, including summer renters, and something that can be given out to visitors in hotels and B+B’s that educates about proper bike locks and the need to always lock bikes in OG.
We need to get smart, people. Thieves return where there are easy pickins, and OG seems to be easy pickins. What scares me is the awareness that thieves are lurking outside my home most nights when I am asleep, looking to exploit any vulnerability. It makes me angry to know that they are so brazen as to go directly onto someone’s porch, or to dig up a tree right out of a yard. I think we need to organize.
Ideas?? I for one am willing to participate in any group or meeting that wants to discuss crime in OG and how to stop it already.
I have a few ornaments outside my house. But if they take a walk, I won’t really miss them. Wait, I’ll be right back. Wait here. Watch my computer for me……………………….OK, I’m back. My little bird bath is inside now.