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Birthday party go-kart crash kills North Jersey man, 60

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Police were called to a home on Grandview Drive for a report of a go-kart accident, and found the man, later identified Boris Serebrenik, 60, of Edgewater, not breathing on the front lawn.

A man died Sunday night after crashing a go-kart into a tree at a birthday party in Holmdel, police said.

Police were called to a home on Grandview Drive for a report of a go-kart accident, and found the man, later identified Boris Serebrenik, 60, of Edgewater, not breathing on the front lawn, according to a release from the Holmdel Police.

Serebrenik suffered a severe head injury. 

Police said two nurses were on the lawn performing CPR on Serebrenik when they arrived and that Monoc Paramedics and Holmdel First Aid Squad also attempted to revive him. Serebrenik was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said guests were taking turns driving the go-kart on the property and Serebrenik lost control when he drove it in the driveway and crashed into a tree.

The go-kart was small and gas powered and did not have a restraint system and Serebrenik was not wearing a helmet when he crashed, the release states.

Serebrenik worked for the MTA in New York, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Body pulled from Asbury Park townhouse after fire

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The body of a man was pulled from a three-story townhouse in Asbury Park after a fire broke out in the building, authorities said.

UPDATE: The body of the man pulled from the fire has been identified as a former Asbury Park city official.

The body of a man was pulled from a three-story townhouse in Asbury Park after a fire broke out in the building, authorities said.

Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Chris Swendeman said the man was identified as James Famularo, of Asbury Park, but did not say how the man died.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Swendeman said.

The fire was reported around 3 p.m. on Park Avenue, and according to video and photos from the scene, smoke was billowing out from a third story window while flames shot from the roof.

The fire appeared to have spread to neighboring units and charred the front of the building. One other person was treated for a minor injury.

The blaze is under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Body of former Asbury Park city official pulled from townhouse fire

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The body of a former assistant city manager in Asbury Park was pulled from a townhouse fire in the city Monday.

The body of a former assistant city manager in Asbury Park was pulled from a townhouse fire in the city Monday.

Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Chris Swendeman said the man was identified as James Famularo, of Asbury Park, but did not say how he died.

Swendeman said Famularo lived in one of the damaged units and that he was a former assistant city manager in Asbury Park.

His wife, Shonna Famularo, was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Swendeman said.

Famularo was a former member of the Asbury Park Board of Education and a former assistant executive director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority, according to the Asbury Park Sun.

The fire was reported around 3 p.m. on Park Avenue, and according to video and photos from the scene, smoke was billowing out from a third story window while flames shot from the roof.

The fire appeared to have spread to neighboring units and charred the front of the building.

The blaze is under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

N.J. braces for dangerous rip currents as Tropical Storm Chris is set to strengthen into a hurricane

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Latest update on Tropical Storm Chris' location, forecast track and impact on New Jersey and other Mid-Atlantic states

Pittsburgh man drowns in ocean off Jersey Shore

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The 42-year-old began struggling in the water off Ocean Grove around 9:40 p.m. Monday

A 42-year-old Pennsylvania man died after being pulled from the water off Ocean Grove on Monday night, the latest in a series of drownings in New Jersey this month.

Gabriel D'Abruzzo, of Pittsburgh, began struggling after entering the ocean around 9:40 p.m. off McClintock Street, Neptune Township police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Bystanders had already removed D'Abruzzo from the water and were giving him CPR when police and other emergency responders arrived. 

D'Abruzzo was brought to Jersey Shore Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. 

Deadly start to July as at least 5 drown in one week

Officials were first told there was a second swimmer still in the water and searched until 10:22 p.m. when they learned that D'Abruzzo was the lone victim.

The Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders (ANSWER) Team, the U.S. Coast Guard, the State Police's Marine Bureau, and the Neptune Township emergency medical services and office of emergency management assisted in the search and resuscitation efforts.

At least five people drowned in New Jersey last week. On Sunday, a 58-year-old man died while swimming with friends in a lake in Cape May County. 

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Man indicted in brutal, possibly racially-motivated attack on a stranger

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The Sayreville man was charged with attempted murder after he was accused of beating a freelance photographer and running him over with a car earlier this year

A Monmouth County grand jury handed down a six-count indictment against a Sayreville man who was charged earlier this year with beating a man within an inch of his life, the county's prosecutor's office said Tuesday. 

Jamil S. Hubbard, 25, was accused in May of sneaking up behind Jerry Wolkowitz, 55, in the parking lot of his Freehold Township apartment complex and punching him in the head and face.

Hubbard also reportedly dragged Wolkowitz into the lot and ran him over with his car, police said. 

Authorities said Hubbard then stole Wolkowitz's car, which was found abandoned later that day in Sayreville. He was arrested at his home by Sayreville police, authorities said.

The charges against Hubbard are first-degree attempted murder, bias intimidation, armed robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, theft and eluding police. 

Police say Wolkowitz, who's been a freelance photographer for the Asbury Park Press for more than 30 years, has never met Hubbard before the incident. 

Authorities told APP.com just after the arrest they believe Hubbard, who is black, targeted Wolkowitz because he's white.

According to an early July post on a Facebook page set up to organize help for Wolkowitz, he remains in a coma following the attack. A GoFundMe page was set up by Wolkowitz' twin sister to aid his medical costs. 

Hubbard will make a court appearance Thursday. 

 

Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.comFollow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. 

 

Tiny jellyfish with sting of 'a thousand ice picks' found by the dozen in N.J. bay

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Beware of clinging jellyfish, experts warn, after two people visiting Barnegat Bay were likely stung this month. Watch video

Beware of clinging jellyfish, experts warn, after two people visiting Barnegat Bay were likely stung this month.

The individuals who were stung went to the hospital and were on "serious" medicine, including morphine, for their injuries, according to Montclair State University jellyfish researcher Paul Bologna.

The non-native species of jellyfish with a painful sting moved into the Barnegat Bay area last week, triggering advisories and warnings from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

"Clinging jellyfish is very small, about the size of a dime, and it can sting at all stages of its life cycle," said Larry Hajna of the DEP. "In some situations, it can cause hospitalization."

About 40 clinging jellyfish were confirmed in north-central Barnegat Bay on Monday at Jonny Allens Cove on the bay side of Island Beach State Park and on the north side of Tices Shoal.

According to the DEP, clinging jellyfish were first reported in New Jersey waters in 2016, suggesting that their presence may be a recent introduction, or they may have previously gone undocumented.

The clinging jellyfish aren't the only dangerous animals washing ashore on N.J. beaches. Last week, an intact Portuguese man-of-war with the ability to kill a person was spotted up on the shore of a Cape May County beach.

Stinging incidents are sporadic in general, and everyday beachgoers and swimmers shouldn't worry too much about getting stung. The species is usually not found in high-traffic areas like shores with strong ocean waves nearby, but they instead prefer to be in calm, back-bay-like areas where there is a lot of vegetation, according to a DEP press release.

The largely transparent jellyfish, native to the Pacific Ocean, likely moved into the Metedeconk River in Ocean County and the Shrewsbury and Manasquan rivers in Monmouth and on to the bay. The DEP confirmed they were in F Cove and Wardells Neck, both in Brick, around July 4.

The population spreads as clinging jellyfish polyps, or groupings of cells that grow into adult jellyfish, get attached to boats and catch a ride to a new destination, Joesph J. Bilinski told NJ Advance Media.

The DEP updates a map  with current information about clinging jellyfish sightings, and Hajna said the Shrewsbury River area currently seems to have the largest population.

Steve Ahrens was standing in three feet of water in Tices Shoal on Island Beach State Park earlier this month when he suddenly felt like he "was being stabbed with a thousand ice picks at once," he told NJ Advance Media. He went to Community Medical Center to get help for the "unbearable" pain and his own doctor later prescribed steroids and naproxin, he said.

Ahren thinks a clinging jellyfish was the culprit, but at the time, experts had not confirmed the species to be in that area.

Jellyfish bite Steve Ahrens SA.jpgSteve Ahrens of Lacey Township said he believes this sting he got Sunday at Island Beach State Park was from a clinging jellyfish. Provided. 

For protection, people wading into shallow bays and estuarine waters and people gathering shellfish near eelgrass beds should wear waders or boots.

If stung by a clinging jellyfish, which can be recognized by an orange-brown cross on its body, put white vinegar to the affected area to immobilize any remaining stinging cells, rinse the area with salt water, remove remaining tentacle materials, and apply a cold pack to alleviate pain, the DEP recommends.

Cassidy Grom may be reached at cgrom@njadvancemedia.com Follow her at @cassidygrom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Fire that killed former Asbury Park official ruled accidental

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The fire that claimed the life of a former Asbury Park assistant city manager was ruled accidental Tuesday.

The fire that claimed the life of a former Asbury Park assistant city manager was ruled accidental Tuesday.

James Famularo, 52, of Asbury Park, was found dead in the upstairs bedroom of his three-story townhouse at 1509 Park Ave. in the city, according to a release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Famularo's cause of death was not released by authorities Tuesday.

Famularo's wife, Shonna Famularo, escaped the blaze and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for non-life threatening injuries, the release states.

Famularo was a former member of the Asbury Park Board of Education and a former assistant executive director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority, according to the Asbury Park Sun.

The Asbury Park Police and Fire Department were called to the fire at 3:08 p.m. and were able to bring it under control shortly after 4 p.m., authorities said.

An investigation determined that the fire started in the first floor den of the townhouse, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said in the release.

The fire is being investigated by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Monmouth County Fire Marshal's Office and Asbury Park Police Department.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.


The 35 best boardwalk foods at the Jersey Shore, ranked

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Boardwalk food is generally overpriced and underwhelming. Our food guy ate nearly 150 items on six boardwalks; here are the best.

Mt. Rushmore: Winners are in for St. John Vianney's 4 best athletes/coaches of all-time

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Vote to pick the four-best athletes in the history of St. John Vianney.

See plans for the Jersey Shore's new, super-fancy apartment complex (PHOTOS)

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One-bedroom units start at around $900,000.

N.J. lifeguards on high alert as Hurricane Chris churns up the Atlantic

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2017 was New Jersey's deadliest year on record for rip currents. Now, lifeguards fear the effects of a hurricane off the Jersey coast.

At first glance, it looked like an ideal beach day along the Jersey Shore on Wednesday, with the sky painted a pale blue, air temperatures in the 80s and a slight ocean breeze keeping the July beach-goers comfortable.

There was, however, a dangerous threat lurking leagues away, deep into the Atlantic Ocean: Hurricane Chris.

Even though Chris, a Category 1 hurricane with top winds of 90 mph, is swirling several hundred miles away from the New Jersey coast, that's close enough to generate big ocean swells and rip currents that lifeguards and weather forecasters say could pack enough punch to kill a swimmer.

That's why yellow caution flags were flying in Asbury Park, Sea Girt and other beach towns along the Jersey Shore on Wednesday. A few red warning flags were posted near jetties in Asbury Park, but that's standard procedure, even when big storms aren't brewing in the Atlantic, according to Joe Bongiovanni, the beach safety director in Asbury Park.

Rip currents are more likely to form near jetties, docks and other structures, Bongiovanni noted Wednesday morning as the waves in Asbury Park became taller and some rip currents were spotted in the ocean. 

Lifeguards in this booming seaside town were being extra cautious Wednesday because of the elevated risk of dangerous rip currents. The scene was similar down in Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island, where lifeguards posted no red warning flags but had a higher sense of urgency because of the hurricane's impact on rough seas, said Randy Townsend, chief of the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol. 

In some beach towns on Wednesday, including Manasquan in southern Monmouth County, the ocean was surprisingly calm and green flags were flying, at least in the early afternoon. 

Deadliest year on record

Lifeguards up and down the Shore are well aware of the threat. After all, 2017 was New Jersey's deadliest year on record for rip currents, thanks to an unrelenting series of tropical storm systems that battered the Atlantic Ocean. 

While there are many ways rip currents form, breaking waves are a key ingredient to producing these powerful, narrow currents that swiftly rush away from the shore line, carrying anything in their path out to deeper waters.

Swimmers caught in rip currents often struggle so much to get out into calmer waters that they run out of energy and sometimes drown.  

Similar to Hurricane Chris, last year's tropical storm systems stayed far off shore, but still generated long-period swells -- powerful waves that hit the shore with a tremendous amount of energy, contributing to rip currents.

No time to panic

Bongiovanni said one of the top safety tips he offers to swimmers who find themselves caught in a rip current is this: "Don't panic."

Swimmers should try to remain as calm as possible and keep in mind they can stay afloat in salty sea water if they don't panic. Even though rip currents will push swimmers far away from the shoreline, once they get into calmer currents, the swimmers should try to swim parallel to the shoreline to get away from the rip currents, Bongiovanni said.

Another tip he stresses: Don't swim in the ocean when lifeguards are off-duty. 

"Always swim in guarded areas," he said. "Always swim on a guarded beach."

If you follow that advice and happen to get trapped in a rip current, your chances of survival are much better than if you are all alone. 

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Vintage photos of baseball in N.J.

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Baseball, softball, professional, amateur - the roots are strong in New Jersey.

With Major League Baseball's All-Star Game approaching, here's a look at hitting the ball and touching 'em all in New Jersey.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

And here are some other vintage photo galleries you might like:

Vintage photos of summer eats and treats in N.J.

Vintage photos of amusement parks, circuses, fairs and rides in N.J.

Vintage photos of famous folks spotted in N.J.

Greg Hatala may be reached at greghatalagalleries@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Man in his 20s struck and killed by car on Route 9

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He was hit Wednesday night in Marlboro near the Manalapan border

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Wednesday night along Route 9 in Marlboro, authorities said. 

The man was in the right lane when he was hit by a southbound car driven by a 56-year-old woman at about 10:15 p.m., Marlboro police and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday. He was struck near a traffic light north of Covered Bridge Boulevard.

The man, thought to be in his late 20s, was pronounced dead at 10:44 p.m. Authorities have not been able to identify him yet.

Pedestrian struck, killed by car in Trenton

Route 9 was closed between Gordons Corner Road and Route 520 until 2 a.m. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Cpl. David Ruditsky at 732-536-0100 ext. 1090 or email him. Tips can also be called into Det. Kristian DeVito of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office at 1-800-533-7443

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

 

Haskell Invitational 2018: Why Triple Crown winner Justify won't run at Monmouth Park

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The 2018 Haskell Invitational is Sunday, July 29, 2018 (7/29/18) at Monmouth Park. Trainer Bob Baffert says Triple Crown winner Justify will not run in the race. Watch video

In what can only be described as a significant blow to Monmouth Park, Triple Crown winner Justify will not run in the Haskell Invitational on on July 29th.

According to trainer Bob Baffert, Justify has swelling in an ankle, per the Associated Press:

Triple Crown winner Justify has been taken out of training while waiting to see if swelling in his left front ankle subsides.

Trainer Bob Baffert says Justify will be re-evaluated in two weeks. He says the swelling developed recently and it comes and goes.

Baffert told the Daily Racing Form on Wednesday that Justify will ship to Del Mar and be part of his stable based at the track for the summer meet that begins July 18.

Baffert says Justify has been walking daily at Santa Anita and will continue to do so until being re-evaluated.

WinStar Farm, which co-owns Justify, won't decide any future plans for the colt until after he is checked out.

Justify has won all six starts in his brief career that began this year. He has won four straight Grade 1 races, including a sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont to become horse racing's 13th Triple Crown champion.

The colt hasn't had a workout since the Belmont Stakes on June 9.

Baffert says the initial plan following the Belmont was to race Justify in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at New Jersey's Monmouth Park on July 29, but that won't happen now.

Inside sports betting at Monmouth Park

With a purse of $1 million, the Haskell is the richest invitational event contested in North America, according to event organizers.

For the past five decades, this major race for 3-year-olds -- between the U.S. Triple Crown series and the Breeders' Cup -- has grown in importance and interest and become the single biggest day of racing at the Jersey Shore.

Despite the absence of Justify, Haskell organizers will hope for a good turnout at Monmouth Park, with this year's race being the first since sports betting was legalized.

(NJ Advance Media's Keith Sargeant and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Vet says troopers asked to take his guns without a warrant. He said 'no'

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Did the police have a right to be at the U.S. Army veteran's home?

Leonard Cottrell Jr. fought on the front lines in the Iraq War. Now, he feels he's fighting the frontlines at home in New Jersey for the right to bear arms.

Cottrell, 40, said he was working at Wawa on June 14 when he got a call from his wife around 9:30 p.m. that two police officers from the New Jersey State Police's Hamilton station were at the doorstep of his Millstone home.

The troopers, who patrol this sprawling Monmouth County township, were there, he said, because his 13-year-old son had made a comment at school about the Millstone Middle School's security, and the officers wanted to confiscate Cottrell's firearms as part of an investigation.

Cottrell, a disabled U.S. Army veteran who served three tours during "Operation Iraqi Freedom," owns a shotgun and a pistol. He has all the correct permits to own the firearms, he said, and predominately uses the shotgun to hunt.

He said his wife allowed the officers to enter the home, and with her permission, they searched his son's room -- but they did not find any weapons, he said. The officers, he said, didn't have a warrant but still wanted to take his guns. Cottrell wouldn't let them.  

"No one from the state was going to take my firearms without due process," he said Thursday.

He said the attempted seizure resulted because of a new law Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law that makes it easier for police to confiscate guns when someone in the state poses a threat to themselves or others. The law is part of a broader statewide effort to make New Jersey's gun laws even tougher amid the national outcry for more gun control in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

The U.S. Secret Service said Thursday that schools around the country should establish teams to evaluate potential threats and encourage students to report troubling behavior.

"Snitching is informing on someone for personal gain," the Secret Service said. But students should come forward "when they are worried about a friend who is struggling or when they are trying to keep someone from getting hurt."

Cottrell said the officers "danced around the issue" when he confronted them about the new law. 

A New Jersey State Police spokesman declined to answer questions about whether this incident had anything to do with the new gun laws.

In an email, Sgt. First Class Jeff Flynn said, "Troopers responded to Mr. Cottrell's residence in reference to the report of a possible school threat. Based on their investigation, it was determined that Mr. Cottrell's weapons did not need to be seized."

Cottrell said he was able to work out a deal with the officers that he would remove the guns from his house and keep them outside until the investigation concluded.

His son was not allowed to return to school and was barred from attending graduation, he said.

Millstone school officials did not return a request for comment.

"He's upset," Cottrell said of his son. "He didn't do anything wrong, and he doesn't understand why it happened - he was just having a conversation with nothing as far as threats. It shouldn't have blown up the way it did. But he understands it happened, there are consequences and there's fallout from his actions."

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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NYC fire official facing DWI was 'swerving all over' after leaving bar, cops say

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Deputy Chief Ian Swords, 40, had a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit, blowing a .22 at the Hazlet Police Department, his arrest report says

IanSwords.pngDeputy Chief Ian Swords  

A high-ranking official in New York's fire department was busted on a drunken driving charge last weekend after "swerving all over the road" on his way home from a bar at the Jersey Shore, according to a police report.

Deputy Chief Ian Swords, 40, had a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit, blowing a .22 at the Hazlet Police Department, according to an arrest report, obtained through a public record request. 

Swords -- current chief of EMS communications and former head of the FDNY's counterterrorism division -- has since been suspended without pay for 30 days, the fire departments press office confirmed Thursday. The incident was first reported by New York Daily News.

Police say Swords nearly caused multiple accidents while driving west on Route 36 in Hazlet on Saturday just before 4 p.m., spurring numerous 911 calls to authorities about his erratic driving.

When he was stopped in his Chevy Tahoe just before 4 p.m., Swords flashed his FDNY employee badge and "looked confused" when the officer told him the reason for the stop, the arrest report says.

The fire official, who was slurring his speech and staggered when asked to get out of the car, told police he'd only had two drinks at Donavan's Reef earlier, according to the report. 

Swords, who lives in Middlesex County, could not be reached for comment. He faces charges of DWI, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane. 

"Ian intends to plead not guilty and we believe that when all the facts are made public that he will be vindicated," his attorney, Mitchell Ansell, told NJ Advance Media. 

The deputy chief is listed as making $95,186 a year, and a total $114,233 last year, according to New York's payroll records. 

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Whale's jaw had been entangled for months. Now the humpback is finally free.

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The humpback whale had been entangled in line for several months. NOAA said the animal's jaw, eye and blowhole were caught in the line

The first reports of a humpback whale entangled in some type of line off Sandy Hook were made as early as last October.

Responders with the Center for Coastal Studies found the animal in the water back then, and delicately cut the line.

But the success was partial -- the line remained around the whale's upper jaw and tightened as the whale grew.

To make things worse, the entangled line was wrapped around sensitive locations, including the eye and blowhole, said David Morin, NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Coordinator.

"If left alone, the animal had no chance," Morin said. "The whale would have died a slow and painful death. Even in response, the tight wrap left such a small area --about a foot or two wide -- that we could cut."

The whale turned up in Sandy Hook again on the Fourth of July, but heavy boat traffic blocked efforts to respond, according to NOAA Fisheries.

On Wednesday, NOAA called for help.

The Center for Coastal Studies, the U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Conservation Police, Monmouth County, Middletown and other local officials were among those who heeded the call.

whale3.jpgNOAA and officials with state and local jurisdictions gather Wednesday to plan a course of action for finding and disentangling the whale. (Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries Public Affairs) 

Around noon Wednesday, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted the whale and alerted a crew in an inflatable boat provided by the state's fish and wildlife conservation police.

The crew found the whale resting in the middle of the shipping lanes at the entrance to New York Harbor, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Using a hook-shaped knife at the end of a 30-foot pole, crew members were able to cut the line. They spent the next hour checking the whale.

They found that there was still some line in the whale's mouth but it was impossible for the crew to remove it without injuring the whale.

"Some of the rope is still caught in the whale's mouth, but removing that would be too dangerous for the whale," said Scott Landry of the Center for Coastal Services. "Given time, the whale should be able to shed that bit of rope."

NOAA said whale watchers in the area will help monitor the animal's progress.

Morin said disentangling whales is dangerous for the animal and for the responders. Efforts to disentangle the animals are only made if the entanglement is life-threatening.

"Stories like this are becoming more and more possible because the public is learning how to report entanglements," Morin said.

whale2.jpgThe crew in the waters off Sandy Hook work to disentangle the whale. (Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries Public Affairs) 

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A day at the Jersey Shore: Fun on the beach in Long Branch (PHOTOS)

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How N.J. spends the summer. Watch video

School is officially out and every good New Jerseyan knows it's time to head down the Shore.

Everyone has a favorite spot, and we are checking out one New Jersey beach every week, taking a ton of photos, and posting them through the end of summer.

This week we visited Long Branch on a great day, with temperatures in the 90s and not a cloud in the sky.

Ed Murray may be reached at emurray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Ed on Twitter at @EdMurrayphoto. Find NJ.COM on Facebook.

Booze will keep flowing at popular Shore bar -- but with some new rules

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The restaurant, which has been in business since 1878, draws in a large crowd at night.

On a Saturday night in the summer, the line into the Parker House will wind down the street.

But that line  could have come to an abrupt end this year, when the council weighed a decision on whether to renew the bustling bar's liquor license. It did -- but with conditions.

The summer-season only restaurant and bar has a maximum capacity of 1,264 and is located in a residential area of the borough, according to chief of police Kevin Davenport.

The restaurant, which has been in business since 1878, draws in a large crowd at night, especially during the weekends when the restaurant has live music.

Davenport says he and the rest of the police force have to find the balance between maintaining the quality of life for residents who live near Parker House and maintaining the safety of everyone who visits the restaurant and bar.

 

The license renewal hinges upon the restaurant complying with 13 conditions, the most important two includes having closed-circuit TV cameras in and around the building and requiring that a security person be placed outside to check IDs.

Davenport said that because Parker House is located in a different area from the majority of the borough's restaurants he and the rest of the Sea Girt police department have to walk a fine line in allowing people to have their fun at night and keeping the neighborhood orderly for people who live there.

"Unfortunately some people don't want to follow the rules," Davenport said.

Sea Girt has a zero-tolerance policy for cars stopping in the street and blocking traffic, public urination and consuming alcohol in public in the areas around Parker House, according to Davenport.

"Maintaining safety is our number-one concern," Davenport said.

He commended the Parker House for proactively asking their patrons to respect the neighborhood with social media posts that include #alwaysdrinkresponsibly, #safeseagrit and #respectourtown 

Requests for comment from the Parker House were not returned.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook

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