Weekly Police Blotter

• Traffic Accident (injury) – On Thursday, August 8, 2019, at 6:12 a.m., Officer Darrell Nick responded to Route 539 for a two-car motor vehicle accident vehicle accident with an injury. The driver of the first vehicle was travelling South on Route 539 when it left the roadway and slid sideways into vehicle number two which was travelling North on Route 539.  The driver of vehicle number one a, 23-year-old, male caught the front bumper of vehicle number two, and flipped over off of the roadway coming to rest into a tree.  The driver of vehicle number two a 40-year-old male, came to rest on the shoulder of the roadway.  The 23-year-old male sustained injuries to his chest and face.  He was transported by ambulance to Jersey Shore Regional Medical Center due to his injuries.  The 40-year-old driver of vehicle number two did not sustain any injuries from the collision.  Both subjects were operating Chevrolet pickup trucks.
• Criminal Mischief (graffiti) – On Thursday, August 8, 2019, at 3:08 a.m., Officer Brian Holt responded to the Kohl’s, 304 Route 9 North, for a report of criminal mischief on the outside of the building. The damage to the building was approximately $500.
• Fraud – On Wednesday, August 7, 2019, at 2:10 p.m., Officer Alan Abrecht responded to the area of Surrey Court, Forked River, for a report of fraud. The victim advised Officer Abrecht that her social security number was used to rent a car in Texas.  She was advised to ensure the incident was reported to social security along with all credit reporting agencies.
• Harassment Arrest – On Tuesday, August 6, 2019, at 9:26 a.m., Officer Michael Verwey responded to the Walmart, 580 Route 9 North, for a male patron that harassed a female employee in the store. Investigation at the scene led to the arrest of 51-year-old Alan C. Quackenbush of 208 Davis Avenue, Forked River, NJ for harassment.  He was processed and released on a criminal summons for harassment.
• Shoplifting Arrest – On Monday, August 5, 2019, at 1:15 p.m., Officer Michael Verwey responded to Walmart, 580 Route 9 North, for a shoplifter in custody. Officer Verwey arrested 34-year-old Michael W. Braitsch of 55 Barnegat Boulevard South, Barnegat, NJ, for shoplifting $79.78 worth of merchandise. Michael Braitsch was also found to be in possession of heroin.  He was processed and released on a criminal summonses for shoplifting and possession of heroin.
• DWI/CDS Arrest (MV Accident) – On Sunday, August 4, 2019, at 8:05 p.m., Officer Jessie Dalziel was dispatched to the area of Manchester Avenue near Adams Street for a single car motor vehicle accident. The driver of the vehicle, 40-year-old Shaun A. Ackerman of 900 Gary Smith Way, Forked River, NJ, was found to be under the influence of alcohol and in possession of marijuana. He was arrested for DUI and released on traffic summonses for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, leaving the scene of accident, failure to report accident and possession of CDS in a motor vehicle. He was also charged on a criminal summons for possession of marijuana under 50 grams.
• Warrant Arrest – On Sunday, August 4, 2019, at 5:50 p.m., Officer Alan Abrecht arrested 41-year-old Brian W. Kelly of 535 Vaughn Avenue on an outstanding Lacey Township Municipal Court (traffic) warrant in the amount of $750. He was transported to Ocean County Correctional facility in lieu of bail.
• DWI Arrest (MV Accident) – On Saturday, August 3, 2019, at 9:26 p.m., Officer Julie Barcalow was stopped in traffic near Lacey Road and Trenton Avenue when a vehicle struck her in the rear. The driver of the vehicle, 44-year-old Patel A. Prashant of 6 Carriage Way, Barnegat, NJ was found to be under the influence of alcohol.  He was arrested for DUI and released on summonses for driving while intoxicated along with reckless and careless driving.
• Harassment/Threats – On Saturday August 3, 2019, at 8:21 a.m., Officer Randolph Plis responded to police headquarters to speak with a complainant in reference to threats. The 59-year-old male complainant advised Officer Plis that he had a mechanic do some work on his car approximately three months ago and he did not fix it so he did not pay him for the work. He further advised that the mechanic was threatening to take the car from him if he did not pay.  He felt he was being harassed and threatened by the mechanic. The complainant was advised of the complaint procedure with the courts.
• Fraud – On Friday, August 2, 2019, at 2:22 p.m., Officer Darrell Nick responded to TD bank for a report of fraud. The complainant advised Officer Nick that an unknown black female wearing a blonde wig and teal scrubs attempted to cash a fraudulent check #536789 in the amount of $6,881.42 out of Texas Settlement Services Group.  The female left the bank driving a dark grey or black 4 door infinity with New York tags.  This incident remains under investigation.
• Illegal Dumping – On Friday, August 2, 2019, at 12:52 p.m., Officer Daniel Ricciardella responded to the area of Bobwhite Court for illegal dumping. The caller reported that unknown person(s) dumped fencing material on her property.  The property owner was unsure when the fencing was dumped on the property.

Drug Arrest- At 3:50 p.m., Friday, July 26, 2019, Lacey detectives along with patrol officers executed a search warrant at a Station Drive, Forked River residence.  During a search of the property, eight marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia were located.  Tristin Scheiner, 22, was placed under arrest and charged with Possession of over 50 Grams of Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Obstructing the Administration of Law, and a Title 9 offense for child abuse.  Scheiner was released from custody in accordance with bail reform.  Detectives were assisted by members of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.    

Fire- At 7:20 p.m., Saturday, July 27, 2019, Officer Jason Lee was dispatched to East Lacey Road, Forked River for an in-water boat fire.  The fire was extinguished prior to officer arrival and caused minimal damage to the boat.  Further investigation was conducted by the New Jersey State Police.

Theft– At 1:00 a.m., Monday, July 29, 2019, an Ocean Gate resident reported to Officer Martin Julian that while his vehicle was parked in front of 426 Devon Street, Forked River items were stolen from it. The victim reported that a Cummings engine lift, a cast iron stove, and six steel tow chains were stolen out of the bed. The items, valued at $1,500, were removed from the truck between July 20^th and the time of the report.

Arrest– At 3:45 a.m., Monday July 29, 2019, Berkeley Township Police arrested a 26 year-old female, Ruthanne Gilchrist, on an outstanding Lacey Township warrant.  Officer Martin Julian took custody of Gilchrist and transported her to the Ocean County Correctional Facility in default of $1,000 bail.

MV Accident– At 7:00 p.m., Monday, July 29, 2019, Officer Elton Copes responded to a two-car accident on Beach Boulevard, Forked River.  It appeared that a vehicle driven by a Toms River resident failed to stop at the intersection of Chesapeake Drive and collided with another vehicle driven by a Pennsylvania resident.  Three occupants of the vehicles were transported to the hospital for minor injuries.

Criminal Mischief– At 7:42 a.m., Tuesday, July 30, 2019, Officer Alan Abrecht responded to a Center Street, Forked River residence in reference to criminal mischief.  The resident reported that unknown actors smashed the window of his vehicle during the overnight hours.  The damage was valued at $500.

Shoplifting– At 9:45 a.m., Tuesday, July 30, 2019, Officer Chris Meyler responded to Walmart for a reported shoplifting.  During the investigation, Officer Meyler placed Dillon Dittonhofer under arrest for concealing merchandise valued at $132.  Dittonhofer was charged with shoplifting and released pending a Court appearance.

Assist Other Agency– At 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 31, 2019, Officer Michael Baldasari responded to the Lacey Elks for a  submerged boat. Hazmat and the fire department were also contacted due to gas leaking from the boat. NJSP arrived and resumed the investigation. 

Fire- At 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 31, 2019, Officer Julie Barcalow responded to a Fairview Lane, Forked River residence after the report of a lightning strike and the smell of smoke. The fire department arrived and located the fire below the gas fireplace on the first floor. It was determined that lightning struck the second floor fireplace and traveled down the gas pipe causing the wood below the 1^st floor fireplace to catch fire. The Ocean County Fire Marshal responded to the scene ruing the fire accidental.

• Warrant Arrest – On Thursday, July 18, 2019, at 6:00 p.m., Officer Anthony Sarno was patrolling the area of Arient Road in reference to a suspicious person.  The subject identified as 39-year-old, Jason M. Close of Jay Street, Forked River was found to have an outstanding Lacey Township Municipal warrant in the amount of $600.  He was arrested and transported to the police station for processing where he was released on his own recognizance.
• Fraud – On Thursday, July 18, 2019, at 2:04 p.m., Officer Darrell Nick responded to the 1700 block of Anchorage Way in Forked River for a victim complaint of attempted fraud. The victim advised Officer Nick that he received a phone call from from the U.S. Marshall’s Service (Glan Smith) advising him that his social security number was compromised.  He requested that the victim respond to a local store and use one of his credit cards to buy gift cards in order to track his social security number.  The complainant felt that this subject did not appear to be legitimate and notified the police of the incident.
• Fraud/Identity Theft – On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at 5:23 p.m., Officer John McKee responded to police headquarters for a victim complaint of identity theft. The victim advised Officer McKee that unknown person(s) used his social security number to open up a TJ MAXX account along with a Best Buy account.  The suspect was able to charge a $1,300 Apple computer on the Best Buy account.  The suspect also attempted to purchase a $15,000 jet ski from a Pennsylvania dealership.  The victim was alerted by a fraud detection specialist and the transaction did not go through.
• Warrant Arrest – On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at 4:01 p.m., Officer Jeffrey Slota responded to police headquarters for a subject being turned over by the NJSP with multiple outstanding warrants. The subject, 65-year-old, Albert Rentas of Ridgemont Drive in Lanoka Harbor was processed on four outstanding traffic warrants out of Carteret, Toms River, Berkeley Township and Middletown Township totaling $4,250.  He was also processed on an outstanding Lacey Township no bail warrant for fraud and taken to Ocean County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail.
• Theft – On Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 5:28 p.m., Officer Daniel Ricciardella responded to the 2000 block of Brookdale Park Drive in Forked River for a report of a Theft. The caller reported that blank checks previously stolen had recently been cashed.  This incident remains under investigation.
• Theft – On Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 5:24 p.m., Officer Michael Hein responded to the 1300 block of Leguene Avenue in Forked River for a report of a theft. The caller reported that their front license plate was removed from their vehicle along with an EZ pass tag that was attached to the plate.
• Illegal Dumping – On Monday, July 15, 2019, at 7:21 a.m., Officer Darrell Nick responded to the area of Lacey Road near Carriage Road for a report of Illegal Dumping. The caller reported that an unknown vehicle dumped large amounts of construction debris near Double Trouble Road.  A work order was sent to DPW to pick up the debris.
• Burglary – On Sunday, July 14, 2019, at 9:48 a.m., Officer Jeffrey Slota responded to the Signature Barber Shop (336 lacey Road) in reference to a burglary.  The rear door of the building had been forced open sometime overnight and unknown person(s) entered the building.  Two locked register drawers were opened and $4,200 in cash was stolen.  This incident remains under investigation.
• Warrant Arrest – On Saturday, July 13, 2019, at 12:57 a.m., Officer Jesse Dalziel conducted a motor vehicle stop near Route 9 and Sunrise Boulevard for maintenance of lamps. The driver, 29-year-old Victor S. Ponaski of 1807 Iger Way, Bayville, was found to be driving while suspended and also had an outstanding Ocean County Sheriff’s Department warrant in the amount of $1,630.  Further investigation led to the arrest of the passenger, 32-year-old Adam Ponaski of 1807 Iger Way, Bayville for two outstanding warrants out of Toms River ($500) and Upper Township ($500).  Adam Ponaski was also found to be in possession of a hypodermic needle used to inject CDS.  Both suspects were arrested, processed and transported to Ocean County Correctional Facility in accordance with bail reform.
• Fraud – On Saturday, July 13, 2019, at 9:01 a.m., Officer Alan Abrecht responded to the police department to meet with a victim of a fraud. The victim provided a credit card (Bank of America) statement with $672.77 in fraudulent charges. The victim advised Officer Abrecht that he observed the improper charges on his credit card and cancelled the account.  The transactions occurred out of Fort Myers, Florida.
• Fire (House) – On Friday, July 12, 2019, at 11:43 p.m., Officer Brian Holt and Sergeant George Resetar responded to the 1900 block of Glen Oak Drive in reference to a house fire. The fire caused minimal damage and appeared to have started in an outdoor light fixture.
• Theft – On Friday, July 12, 2019, at 7:21 p.m., Officer Michael Verwey responded the 1200 block of Taylor Lane for a theft report. The victim advised Officer Verwey that she was missing checks and a gold necklace from her residence.  The items stolen were valued at approximately $82.00.  The victim believes that the items were stolen by someone known to her.
• Illegal Dumping – On Friday, July 12, 2019, at 12:25 p.m., Officer Michael Verwey responded to 820 Municipal Lane in Forked River for a report of Illegal Dumping.  The caller reported that a vehicle dumped rotten food in cans in the recycling center.  The items were removed by the subject.