Photos by Mary Walton
The gazebo in Firemen’s Park was found toppled on its side and smashed early Sunday morning.
Sgt. Michael Emmons, the Neptune Police shift commander, said the vandalism was reported around 7 a.m. Sunday. By around 9:30 a.m. the Township’s Public Works Department was bulldozing the site and preparing to haul away the remains.
It was unclear what would become of those remains. One official who arrived early at the scene told us the gazebo could not be repaired and that the debris would be taken to the town dump. However, police said they understood that Public Works was going to try to reconstruct it.
The gazebo, near the corner of Main and New Jersey Avenues, was a popular feature in the park. Children often took shelter there in the mornings while waiting for the school bus.
— Charles Layton and Mary Walton
Because the debris was considered a hazard, Public Works officials were called in on overtime to remove it quickly.
If there is a fund to reconstruct/replace the Gazebo, please let us know how/where we can donate.
The grant Asbury Park received for cameras was to combat gun and gang violence on the west side. Thank God we don’t qualify for that grant in Ocean Grove.
Asbury was just awarded 250k for cameras in town based on a grant they submitted. Don’t know the specifics behind that but perhaps if there are grants that support such OG could apply.
Better the overtime than a person or pet injuring themselves on the debris. It wasn’t very much overtime, and we have a budget line for emergency off-hours services like this and things like dealing with falling trees, boarding up houses that have burned, etc.
Unfortunately, the police aren’t telepathic and aren’t able to read a criminal’s mind or, as I suspect, criminals’ minds to see before the fact that jerks like these are going to destroy property. The Ocean Grove sector of town has enhanced police coverage, more so than other neighborhoods, but they can’t be everywhere at once. Who would think that some bunch of embarrassments to the human race would target that gazebo? As for neighbors hearing or seeing anything, this was on Main Avenue, just west of the seam in the road at Main and Pennsylvania and across from the firehouse. Main Avenue is noisy traffic wise on its own from those cement slab roadways — badump, badump, badump; residents in this area are used to that, plus the noise from the firehouse and the road seam (which is like a speed bump). When you live on the main drag, so to speak, you learn to block that noise out. (I lived in front of the road seam at Penna Ave for 13 years; I can attest to that.) Add in the late night or early morning hour when this crime occurred, whether neighbors had AC units, fans, TVs or radios on, or some combination of those appliances, and how fast that gazebo was pushed over, and it’s easy to understand how there might not be witnesses. The gazebo had no glass to break, which would have been loud and might have alerted someone, and with the trees fully leaved and providing shade during the day, those same trees provided a camouflage for the destruction of the gazebo.
I remember when this gazebo just kind of appeared in Fireman’s Park, with no explanation, and all the fun we had speculating as to where it came from. Sadly, the real reason, as we found out when it was dedicated a short time later, was to memorialize a young man gone from this world too soon. This action wasn’t just an act of vandalism, in my opinion; it is like desecrating a headstone. The family and friends of the gentleman in whose memory this gazebo was erected must have had scabs ripped off the wounds of their loss.
Once again, the Township is ready and willing to work with the CMA and make recommendations regarding security concerns for Fireman’s Park and any other CMA properties. The police have already opened an investigation into this heinous act. Given that Bill Bailey from the CMA is the NTPD’s retired Deputy Chief, I have confidence that the appropriate resources to solve this crime have been assigned from both the CMA and the PD.
I’ll put myself forward as a volunteer to help put together a new gazebo to help keep this young man’s memory alive, should the friends and family choose to erect a replacement. (The Housing Authority has several of these, the newest at Lake Alberta Senior Homes; I’d like to find out how they keep their gazebos from being pushed over. I suspect concrete footings or a concrete foundation is involved.) Anyone want to join me?
This is just plain sad but vandalism like this has gone on forever. The comment on the photo about paying overtime for PW cleanup bothers me some. Couldn’t there have been some yellow police tape placed around the debris and the PW crew show up today during normal working hours? Sure, its only a couple hundred bucks extra but, by watching pennies your dollars grow.
We’re the people who live in the area questioned as to what they saw? Perhaps there wasn’t a witness. Cameras are not a practical answer? Would you install them everywhere? Maintenance? Recording backup? A little old fashioned footwork by the police and some door knocking might prove helpful.
Have the residents asked the CMA what they are doing about this? Ultimately installing cameras or other passive security measures would be their responsibility.
As stated above, this crime happened just a short distance from Main Ave, the main drag! It didn’t happen on a dark, quiet side street by one person, it took a group of criminals. Ocean Grovers have every right to ask where were the police and what is going to be done about the increase and severity of criminal activity in town. When is enough, enough?
I sure as heck don’t blame the police. Ocean Grove is probably better covered than most of neptune and srh. Plus, CP is pretty active, but, late at night, cops can’t be everywhere.
This is heartbreaking – that gazebo was a memorial to a young man who passed at an early age. Firemen’s Park is private property, not Township property, but having helped assemble one of these gazebos, they can be destroyed in about three minutes flat, as the picture shows. The Camp Meeting has the right to install security cameras on their property if they so choose, and I would be happy to help Police Commissioner McMillan and Chief Adams to facilitate that conversation with the CMA if Mr. DelCampo is interested.
JW: That’s where we’re heading if the Police don’t get it in gear.
Very good point, Old Timer. This wasn’t a snatch and run; this took time and had to have made a racket.
JW, that is chilling. Anyone see anything about it on-line?
As bad as this is, I heard a more chilling news report on the NJ channel news this morning. Perhaps others heard about it as well? It’s a report of an 85-year-old woman in Asbury Park who was tied up by a female intruder. The woman’s jewelry was later found at a pawn shop.
Just more proof how much we need cameras!
Seriously police — where are you? This obviously took several people to lift the structure and it had to make noise. I agree with the above — if you don’t stop the petty crime it only escalates. Whatever level of “enforcement” you are now providing is inadequate. Step it up. How about some foot patrols? How about some cameras?
Mary Beth HELLP!!! Mayor Bishop HELP!!! CMA and OGHOA HELP!!!!
I, too, have no words. But a lot of anger and disdain. Enough.
Petty crime such as snatching garden ornaments contntinues, unchecked. The vandalism in Firemen’s park is emblematic of what happens when petty crime is not reduced. What is the Neptune Police Department doing to reduce crime in Ocean Grove? Very Sad!
Totally shameless a total discrase. God watches over and what goes around comes around..Lets hope HD replaces it with a more beautiful one.
I am so sad to see this…………………..
Soo sad!!!
What is this world coming to???
Sick vandalism. Something is very, very wrong that even on the main thoroughfare in town this could happen. With all the petty theft, bicycle swiping, vandalism, break-ins, etc. some sort of new crime prevention policy must be formulated.
This makes me so sad….
Too bad this town is too cheap to put up some security cameras.
This is headed for a train wreck. The NPD are invisible; the township only cares to suck money out, and the citizens are fed up.
i have no words!!!!
SADNESS…..!!!