The Warrington Hotel fire site in Ocean Grove, NJ. March 4, 2017; one day after the fire. The pink buildidng is the La Pierre Condominiums. The burned out foundation skeleton is the remains of the Warrington. Internet photoBy Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
You may recall that the derelict Warrington Hotel, along Lake Avenue, burned to the ground on March 3, 2017. We wrote over 30 articles about the property, land use issues, and then circumstances surrounding the fire. Our reporting is more comprehensive than any other media outlet on this topic.
The owner of the Warrington had gotten permission to turn the property into a boutique hotel just days before the fire.
There was suspicion of arson, and a federal agency (ATF) was called in to assist the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in the investigation. In 2018 the investigation was inappropriately terminated, but subsequently it was resumed.
It turns out that although arson was strongly suspected, the case was closed, supposedly without any conclusion. This result comes as a surprise to concerned parties, including Blogfinger. We haven’t heard from any of the victims or neighbors lately. And we have heard from nobody at the Neptuner Phony Baloney Mothership.
So why would anyone want to torch the Warrington? Maybe the place was worth more destroyed than left standing.
Now that the criminal investigation is over, civil law suits can proceed. Individuals are making claims as are insurance companies against the owner, Jack Ancona, and Sawbucks Contracting. This process could go on for a long time.
The damage to the nearby La Pierre Condominiums was extensive, and a number of cottages were destroyed on Seaview Avenue. Some neighbors became homeless.
Meanwhile, the Warrington site remains just a burned out foundation. Previous permits for the owner to build his boutique hotel were nullified after the conflagration.
If you read our articles about the Warrington you will find all sorts of concerns about the fire, fire safety at the site, and about land use issues including the use of Lake Avenue as well as parking concerns, zoning, and access to Seaview Avenue for various purposes.
We hope to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to see the entire investigation report.
Here is an interesting article from 2018 on Blogfinger regarding the investigation:
If any of you are planning to do some research on this subject, just use our search box at the top right of our home page.