Arrest- On Thursday, February 6, 2020, at 8:56 a.m., Officers Dan Ricciardella and Michael Verwey arrested John Panagakos, 37, at his Forked River home. Panagakos was wanted in connection with an outstanding Lacey Municipal Court warrant. He was lodged in the Ocean County Correctional Facility in accordance with bail reform.
Fraud- On Thursday, February 6, 2020, at 5:07 p.m., Officer Anthony Sarno met with a Forked River resident reporting fraud. The resident reported that he was contacted by McAfee Virus Software and allowed the representative access to his computer. During the access, the suspect, who was not an employee of McAfee, was able to transfer funds from the victim’s bank account.
Arrest- On Friday, February 7, 2020, at 2:39 p.m., Officer Jason Lee conducted a motor vehicle stop on Sunrise Boulevard. During the stop, the driver, Zakiya Thomas, 25, was placed under arrest for an outstanding warrant. Thomas was transferred to the Ocean County Correctional Facility for the Lacey Township Municipal Court warrant.
Burglary- On Friday, February 7, 2020, at 6:12 p.m., Officer Elton Copes responded to a Route 9 commercial business in reference to a break-in. The owner reported that on an unknown date, someone broke the window of his storage garage and stole landscaping tools from within. The theft is valued at $1,800.
DWI- On Friday, February 7, 2020, at 7:35 p.m., Officer Scott Keefe made a motor vehicle stop at the intersection of Route 9 and Sunrise Boulevard. During the stop, the driver was taken into custody after Officer Keefe determined that he was under the influence. Jon Zseleczky, 45, was charged with DWI and Reckless Driving.
Arrest- On Saturday, February 8, 2020, at 3:41 p.m., Officer John Simonson took custody of Christopher Britton, 41, from Neptune Township Police. Britton was arrested in Neptune in connection with an outstanding Lacey Township Municipal Court warrant. He was transferred to the Ocean County Correctional Facility.
Fraud- On Monday, February 10, 2020, at 12:50 p.m., Officer Michael Baldasari met with a Forked River resident who reported fraudulent activity. The victim stated that she was contacted by Discover Card in reference to her account. Not having a Discover Card, the victim realized that an unknown actor utilized her name and a former cell phone number to open an account.
Arrest- On Monday, February 3, 2020, a van was stolen from the rear of Medicine to Go, 524 Lacey Road. Since the theft, detectives recovered surveillance video from several locations obtaining an accurate description of the suspect and a direction of travel. On Thursday, February 6, 2020, Stafford Police located the van, undamaged, in a commercial lot on Route 72. All of the belongings of the van’s owner were inside. On Wednesday, February 12, 2020, Lacey Detectives identified the actor as Brian Kelly, 41, of Forked River. Kelly was arrested at his home and charged with Theft of a Motor Vehicle and Theft of Prescription Medication. He was lodged in the Ocean County Correctional Facility in accordance with bail reform.
DWI- On Thursday, February 13, 2020, at 12:36 a.m., Officer Scott Keefe conducted a motor vehicle stop at the intersection of Route 9 and Nautilus Boulevard for speeding. During the stop, the driver, John Vonsteenburg, 45, was deemed under the influence and arrested. During the arrest, Officer Keefe discovered an amount of marijuana inside the vehicle. Vonsteenburg was charged with DWI, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was released on his own recognizance.