By Paul Goldfinger
Last Thursday to Friday, the crime stats on Mt. Hermon Way began to heat up. An elderly woman (A) who lives alone walked onto her porch at 10:30 p.m. There were no cars on the street (near New Jersey Avenue) but there was an unmarked white pick-up parked there, and a man was sitting in it. The woman did not recognize the truck.
She sat there on her porch and watched. He finally pulled out and drove away. She thought that he got nervous because she was watching. The next morning, when her painting contractor showed up, he noticed that her front flower garden ornament — a pig — was gone. That pig was important to her. She called the police. They came over and told her that a close neighbor (B) had called the police recently to report the theft of a heavy valuable garden globe. Another neighbor (C) knew who that victim was, so it wasn’t a secret.
Two weeks ago, another neighbor (D), one block away, was outside and noticed two kids on one bike. They were black. One kid had dreadlocks. They were driving down Mt. Hermon, looking from side to side as if they were checking all the houses. She decided to follow them in her car.
They went down by the ocean and then up Lake Avenue, crossing into Bradley Beach. She followed them into BB. They stopped and then one of them made a phone call. Then they rode off, and she gave up. She called 911. The phone rang at least 20 times. Imagine: 911 did not answer! That’s almost as bad as no answer at a suicide hot line. What if the caller had been watching someone approaching with a gun? Bradley Beach cops finally called her, but they didn’t even meet with her — the interview was over the phone. They did tell her that the 911 is understaffed due to budget cuts!
So, over a fairly short period of time, the neighbors in a small sub-section of Mt. Hermon Way were experiencing more trouble than they wanted. This is the north part of town, but it seems like the wild west.
But wait — this is only a small part of the current Grove crime story. Yesterday there was chaos on the Embury Avenue beach block. We heard about this from Gail Shaffer, who lives there. A car was stolen and others ransacked. Lawn ornaments were also stolen. She observed that their street is very dark lately — many homeowners are now gone. She said, “No wonder there’s crime. It’s pitch black here at night.”
And that’s not all. A couple of days ago, Sue Roach of Franklin Avenue heard a loud popping noise at 6 a.m. She looked outside and saw a tall thin black kid trying to break the windshield on her daughter’s car. She called the police. Meanwhile, the perp did about $400 in damage before he escaped without being caught. Sue, who has lived in the Grove for 12 years, was shaken. For the first time, she said, she is considering leaving the town.
These accounts fell into my lap randomly. You have to assume that there is much more than what I heard.
Only the police know how many crimes are actually occurring and they are not sharing. You also can appreciate that Grovers are watching and are calling the police. But this approach is a failure. The Neptune PD needs to come clean and tell us exactly what is going on and what they are going to do. People are verbalizing that they are frightened and they are considering moving out of town. This is not idle chatter.
For starters, we ask all Grovers to report TO BLOGFINGER (in addition to the police) every crime that occurs so that we can establish our own “blotter” on Blogfinger. There is no Neptune police blotter in the Coaster or the APP. The public needs this information. We will post each incident.
Winter is approaching, and there will be fewer eyes, ears and voices, so those of us who remain need to be extra vigilant. It is essential that every porch have a light. Please call your “second homer” neighbors and beg them to install lights on the porches and around the houses. This is huge! Please volunteer for the Citizens Patrol. I plan to do so myself.
As for the police, they need to reach out more to the citizens and make them feel that we are part of a real collaborative effort and that the NTPD is really committed to solving our crime problems. So far, they haven’t been very successful. Our politicians must communicate with us and tell us what they are going to do. The Home Owners Association must adopt this issue and do something. This is at least as important as the other concerns which they are highlighting. And how about those cameras and maybe a sting or two?
Below is a link to our July 2011 article about the true cost of small town crime in OG. Also here is a link to our March 2012 article about the Broken Window Theory of Crime Fighting in OG. And finally our article about neighborhood watch.
Blogfinger Neighborhood Watch article
Nancy: We agree; that is why we have established the Blogfinger Crime Blotter for OG. So don’t forget to remind everyone about that. The “official record” is not comprehensive, because some individuals won’t call the police. But perhaps they would be willing to tell us. We don’t ask your name, address, phone number and age.
If you suspect something, or have something stolen, report it to the police. That way it goes into the official record. Without that, there is no way for them to track trends or put pieces together with other communities.
An isolated report of a stolen lawn ornament doesn’t mean anything. But if it is put together with many reports, then a pattern can emerge to be addressed.
I was speaking to neighbor today and she related two recent incidents. First her shiny new grill went missing, then a ‘vagrant’ was just sitting on her porch and wouldn’t leave. She did call the police and he left, but said the tresspasser just didn’t seem to care. Brazen break-ins and entries, stolen property, car theft, numerous petty crimes and now some residents actually talking about getting guns. Just how long before something truly tragic happens?
I will definitely speak to the Chief about what’s going on. When my sister and I lived in the Grove, we had a bike (locked to the gutter, which was torn off the house) and numerous flowerpots stolen, and someone regularly helped themselves to my daily newspaper.
Bullets’ suggestion about lighting is a good one – to scare people off, you can put a motion sensor insert that goes between your outdoor light fixture and the bulb and will turn the light on when someone approaches.
I will find out what happened with the town Neighborhood Watch program and emails, too.
The Neptune Police did provide a police blotter to the Coaster briefly after I publically complained in a letter to the editor about a crime wave two years ago. It was pretty sanitized as well as short lived and the Neighborhood Watch email blasts seemed to have stopped coming as well. The current crimes may not be violent for the most part but it is very disconcerting that perps feel like they have license in this town to randomly walk up and down streets checking car doors or pulling up in vans to loot people’s yards or otherwise violating your space. I doubt there is anyone in town anymore who hasn’t either been the recent victim of a crime or has a friend or neighbor who has been. Sad situation. I hate feeling nervous and uncomfortable in my own town.
I think it’s at least partially explained by location. Kids cannot go into Deal, Loch Arbor, Wanamassa or Allenhurst and try to steal things without being noticed. The area between Asbury and around the middle of Bradley, not to mention the immediate area west of Avon, Bradley and Ocean Grove, is primarily lower to middle class households with a couple of hundred thousandaires and a sprinkling of millionaires thrown in. You have lower income people living right by people who make six figures. It’s also because the population that is having crimes committed against them have more time to notice things — they don’t work and are home to notice more. There isn’t a blog for Neptune City to report thefts and crimes to. It’s not like the same level of theft doesn’t occur there. Anyway, you can make it back over the bridge or cross 33 fairly quickly after you have stolen a lawn ornament or whatever they are stealing. I’m surprised things are being done via vehicle. The moped rider’s excuse seems legit. I doubt a guy would ride a moped while trying to steal something. They are extremely obvious and aren’t very common, so he’d have to not ride it for a while if he didn’t want to be found. I sold something on Craigslist once and it took the guy 20 minutes, while in Ocean Grove, to find my place.
JW: Lets also not forget that the Spring Lake Police Department patrols a much smaller area, with a lower density and a higher tax base than Neptune. While our population may be about 30k residents, you must also account for all the people in JSUMC and who utilize the associated health care facilities, major state highways and rehab residences that Spring Lake doesn’t have to deal with.
The quick answer is the police should stop responding to motor vehicle accidents if there are no injuries. With our roadways, the cops spend a significant portion of their time just responding to fender benders and taking reports which isn’t a need.
I’ve recently installed large, bright motion activated sodium gas lights. Much brighter than a regular halogen light, they turn night to day— sure to scare away any trespassers.
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And ultimately, the cops have no responsibility to respond to anything they don’t feel is important.
Gail. Thanks for the comment, and sorry to learn about your father. Best wishes. )
After the 2010 Christmas blizzard, I recall one of the entrepreneurial snow shovelers was on the New Jersey channel 12 TV station saying that he came to OG “where the rich people are.” A misperception in MHO, but to those who have less or a LOT LESS, this is probably their reality.
If what’s happening in OG were occurring in a town like Spring Lake, no doubt the SL police would be all over it. Let’s not forget it was the SL police who caught the rock throwers.
In response to the last couple of comments. First, it is simply absurd to make excuses for criminals. There are plenty of poor folks who are very honest. Criminals steal because they are lazy, have no morals and they have no respect for others. They are contemptible people and there are no excuses.
To the point that there is crime in any town you go to — I can say with certainty that there has been more crime in OG in the last month than there has been in the last 2 years in Upper Makefield, PA,. where I live when not in the Grove.
Whatever level of policing that is being done is clearly not adequate. The police and town need to step up their efforts and expend more resources to get the security situation under control. Providing a safe and secure environment is the number one job of elected officials and the police — and they are failing.
Don’t move- there is theft crime in any town you go to. Why not stay and be a proactive homeowner?
Get exterior lights on your porches and alleyways and yards — sensor lights in yards/alleys are effective. Lock your doors and windows and KNOW your neighbors. Look out for each other. The police DO patrol at night and so does OGCP, but they can’t be everywhere at once. If you can’t see on your street, take it up with the township to use higher wattage bulbs in the streetlights like other municipalities are doing, and talk to your neighbors about leaving their porch lights on.
We need to deal with the wider social issues that cause people to commit such crimes. Folks need jobs and we need to do our part to make sure jobs that pay a living wage exist and that people have the skills to fill them. All you retirees out there, how about volunteering for a youth program or similar organization?
Gosh! Thanks, I’ll give them a couple more days and if nothing happens, I’ll let you know!
The postcard you posted at the front of your blog is of my Dad back in the late 50’s, early 60’s.
I am sure this will not be an answer to any of you. Crime is very much on the rise, not just in Ocean Grove but across the country.
I have a hard time when I hear people complain about the PD, and yes I know you all have valid reasons. Do you know how many dregs and (pardon me) I-don’t-give-a-damn people are “out there”? I can only say please join the Citizens Patrol, watch your property and your neighbors’ property, and the block you live on, as much as you can. Keep lights on. If you have a dog and it’s barking, look outside. If there is anything out of the ordinary, dial the police.
To “Wisher,” not all police “drive around all day when its safe and go home to sleep when the rats come to scurry through town.” I don’t know how long you have been a Grover, but my family has for a long time. When O.G. had its own police force, and my Dad was Chief, he got one of those “rats,” and the $#@#@*$ beat him to death, and there on the beautiful streets of Ocean Grove a good cop died on a beautiful sunny day.
Please don’t try to tell us that police do nothing.
Hi DJ, good move, if they don’t get back to you let me know, I still ride alone on Sat. nights and could use a second person … if you want.
We have been here before, that people would rather leave town than help resolve the problems. If I remember that was 1988 and 1989, when this town had over 1300 deinstitutionalized in town. This was when the Home Owners formed and fought to change and enforce ordinances. There was also an issue with N.Y. dumping medical waste and washing along the Jersey shore.
I put an online application last week to the Citizen Patrol. Hopefully others will too. Have not heard back yet though.
Not so happy after all. Bought a house here last year. Considering leaving.
I get the sinking feeling that the Neptune patrol the streets during the day, but don’t have patrols from 12 to 6 when the crimes occur. The police drive around all day when the town is safe, and go home to sleep when the rats come to scurry through town. I see the police all day long. How many crimes do they foil during the day! It is just a waste of time and gas.
I get sick now when I see the police cars during the day.
Every year since I’ve lived in the Grove, ‘petty’ crime increases alarmingly after the summer season. It happens every year. You’d think that the police and town officials would have learned that by now and have some sort of plan to deal with it. Considering the amount of the population that is seasonal, I would think the actual as opposed to reported crime must be shocking. Even year-round residents don’t report every crime or theft.
Why doesn’t Neptune publish a police blotter? As popular and visited as Blogfinger is, I don’t think it should be the only source for crime stats.
The Citizens Patrol is great, but what is happening after they stop their patrols after 1 a.m.? Do you really think the thieves don’t know the patrol schedule?
It’s pretty clear that the police have no appetite to invest resources in preventing/solving non-violent crime. We know that and the criminals know that. I believe that Mary Beth, the CMA, and the OGHOA need to relentlessly and loudly raise this issue with the Mayor and the police chief. The squeaky wheel needs to sqeak. The question that needs to be asked is how bad do things need to get before the police do their jobs?
Blogfinger is listed as a regular attendee as a reporter at the Township Committee meetings. He is therefore recognized by the governing body. Why then if the town does that do the “elected” officials not respond to anything on this site (except MBJ). Ocean Grove has a crime problem. What is the town doing? What are the elected officials doing? I believe McMillan is the Police Commissioner, has anyone heard him address the problems? What about Chief Adams & his mega salary, what has he had to say? I know the actions have to be somewhat covert by the Police Dept., but in case you guys are listening, whatever you are doing, it ain’t working! Maybe less time at all the functions & gatherings the town has & spend more time coming up with different approaches to the issues in town, Mr Mayor. Just my humble opinion. Let the critics be heard!
I called the police on Thursday night. There was a man on a moped driving around with a very large flashlight. He was looking at people’s lawns and their porches. My dog walker noticed him at the top of my porch stairs. Her father happened to be sitting on his porch next door and made his presence known, and the man driving the moped got very nasty with him. He claimed he was looking for apartment. I ask you, who goes looking for an apartment at 8:30 at night? I don’t have any rental signs up. If you ask me, he was trying to get to something he saw with his flashlight on my porch. The police came and took information. They said they would be looking for him.
The lady who had her pig stolen that night lives right behind me and it’s not the first thing she has had stolen. She also had an angel stolen a couple of weeks ago.
I wonder just how hard it is to find someone riding a moped.