Weekly Police Blotter

Criminal Mischief – On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, at 12:42 p.m., Officer Biel responded to the intersection of Laurel Boulevard and Wickford Lane for a report of criminal mischief.  Upon his arrival, Officer Biel observed graffiti on the stop sign at the aforementioned intersection.  Officer Biel checked the surrounding area and found additional graffiti on the stop sign located at the intersection of Warwick Lane and Exeter Place.  The damage was estimated at $100.00.

Fraud – On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at 10:21 a.m., Officer Lee responded to police headquarters to take a report of fraud.  Officer Lee met with the victim, who advised that he had recently learned that his personal information had been used to open two federal student loans which had a combined value in excess of $6,000.00.  The loan servicing company was notified of the suspected fraud and were working with the victim to close the accounts.

Criminal Mischief – On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at 6:36 p.m., Officer Walsh responded to the 400 block of Stony Point Drive for a report of criminal mischief to a motor vehicle.  Upon arrival, Officer Walsh met with the victim who reported that sometime between 11:00 am and 5:25 p.m., someone shattered one of her vehicle’s windows.  There are no suspects at this time.  The damage was estimated at $325.00.

Warrant Arrest – On Monday, August 15, 2022, at 7:00 p.m., while investigating a separate incident at the Laurel Harbor Marina, Officers Hyle and Plis made contact with Shawn Schierloh, 51, of Forked River.  Shawn was found to have an outstanding warrant originating out of the Berkeley Township Police Department.  Shawn was arrested and transported to the Berkeley Township Police Department without further incident.

Criminal Mischief – On Monday, August 15, 2022, at 11:10 p.m., Officer Hyle discovered graffiti in one of the Gille Park bathrooms.  The damage was estimated at $100.00.

Fraud- On Friday, August 5, 2022, at 9:30 a.m., Officer Schaffer was dispatched to headquarters for a fraud report.  Officer Schaffer met with the victim who reported unknown actor(s) opened several credit cards in their name.  The victim reported they also received notice that an attempt to open another credit card was made but was never authorized.  The victim reported prior to the cards being canceled, the balance on the fraudulent cards totaled $1005.00.

DWI- On Friday, August 5, 2022, at 11:17 p.m., Officer Holt responded to Wawa, 444 South Main Street, for a report of a male subject who was slumped over the wheel of a vehicle.  Upon arrival, officers met with the driver, Christopher Foster, 40, of Clairmore Avenue, Lanoka Harbor. Investigation at the scene revealed that Christopher was driving while intoxicated. Officer Holt placed Christopher under arrest and transported him to headquarters where he was processed.  Christopher was charged with DWI and Reckless Driving and later released pursuant to John’s Law.

Shoplifting- On Monday, August 8, 2022, at 1:52 p.m., Officer Biel responded to Walmart for a report of a female shoplifter who had fled the store when she was confronted by Loss Prevention. Investigation at the scene identified the suspect as Erin Royer, 39, of Lavallette, NJ.  A short time later, Erin responded to headquarters where she was placed under arrest.  Erin was charged with shoplifting then transported to Ocean County Correctional Facility.  Total value of the stolen items was $98.00.

Criminal Mischief- On Monday, August 8, 2022, at 10:31 p.m., Officer Keefe conducted a park check of Gille Park and discovered that a picnic table near the tennis courts was damaged. Upon closer inspection, the damage to the picnic table appeared to have been done intentionally, and not a result of normal wear and tear. The damage was estimated at approximately $1,000.00.

Fraud- On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at 10:21 a.m., Officer Lee responded to headquarters for a fraud report.  The victim report someone used their identity to secure two federal student loans. The victim reported the loan amount was for $2119.00 and the second loan amount was $3500.00. The loans were in the process of being canceled at the time of the report.

Suspicious Incident/Fraud – On Friday, July 29, 2022, Officer Slota responded to police headquarters for a fraud report.  The victim reported they received a phone call from an individual who identified himself as their grandson.  The victim stated even though they did not have a grandson, they played along for some time before ending the call.  Since ending the call, the suspect has threatened the victim and called back multiple times.  The victim was advised to contact the telephone service provider and have them block the number from any future calls.

Burglary from a Motor Vehicle/Theft- On Friday, July 29, 2022, at 11:55 a.m., Officer Walsh responded to the 500 block Laurel Boulevard, for a report of a theft from a motor vehicle.  The complainant reported at 12:07 a.m., an unknown actor(s) entered their unsecured vehicle, which was parked in the driveway at the time.  The victim reported their surveillance camera captured the theft.  The value of stolen property was estimated at $50.00.

Fraud- On Friday, July 29, 2022, at 12:15 p.m., Officer Slota responded to TD Bank for a report of a fraud. Upon arrival Officer Slota spoke with the manager, who stated a male pulled into the drive through bank lane and attempted to deposit two checks. The manager reported because the male was attempting to conceal his identity with a face covering and the checks appeared to be fraudulent, they contacted Lacey Police Department.  The manager stated a short time after making the call, the male left the area in an unknown direction.

Warrant Arrest- On Sunday, July 31, 2022, at 4:58 p.m., Officer Biel responded to Aldi for a report of an unruly customer.  Upon arrival, Officer Biel met with the assistant manager who advised a customer, Daniel DConti, 44, of Jackson Township, had a history of being aggressive with customer service after they refused to allow him to return items to the store.  The assistant manager requested Officer Biel to make formal notification to Daniel that he is no longer welcome at the store.  It was later learned that Daniel had an active Failure to Appear warrant for $550 out of Manchester Township.  Daniel was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters for processing.  Daniel was later released on his own recognizance.

Vehicle Fire/Vehicle Burglary- On Monday, August 1, 2022, at 10:35 p.m., Officers Copes responded to Hollywood Drive North for a report of a car fire. Upon arrival, officers observed an SUV with flames coming from it.  Forked River Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire.  While on scene, several victims reported their vehicles had been unlawfully entered.  It was later determined the vehicle that was on fire, had also been entered.  This investigation is ongoing.

Theft- On Friday, July 22, 2022, at 8:20 p.m., Officer Ravallo responded to the parking lot of a local business on Route 9 South for a theft report.  Upon arrival Officer Ravallo met with the victim who reported someone stole a set of golf clubs from the bed of their pickup truck (unsecured).  The value of the theft was estimated at $1000.00.

DWI- On Saturday, July 23, 2022, at 9:09 p.m., Officer Plis, responded to the intersection of Lake Barnegat Drive North and Cranberry Court for a report of a motor vehicle crash involving a parked vehicle.  During the investigation the driver of the vehicle, Mateo Wolf, 20, of Lanoka Harbor, displayed signs of intoxication.  At the conclusion of the on scene investigation, Mateo was determined to be under the influence.  Mateo was arrested then transported to police headquarters for processing.  Mateo was later charged with several motor vehicle summonses including Cell Phone Use, Underage DWI, Refusal to submit to Breath Tests, DWI, Reckless Driving, and Failure to Maintain Lane.  Mateo was then released in accordance with John’s Law.

DWI- On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, at 6:39 a.m., Officer Hutman responded to Wawa, 444 South Main Street, for a report of a female slumped over the wheel of a vehicle. Officers made contact with the driver, Jennifer Melchione, 50, of Clark, NJ, who appeared to be under the influence of CDS.  At the conclusion of the on scene investigation, Jennifer was arrested for DWI.  Jennifer was then transported to police headquarters for processing.  Jennifer was issued motor vehicle summonses for DWI and Possession of CDS in a Motor Vehicle.  Jennifer was also charged on a criminal complaint summons for Possession of CDS and Use/Being Under the Influence of CDS. Jennifer was served her copies of the complaints and later released in accordance with John’s Law.

Fraud- On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 11:20 a.m., Officer Abrecht responded to police headquarters for a report of a fraud.  Officer Abrecht met with the victim who stated they discovered someone attempted to open a student loan in the victim’s name.  The victim stated they were alerted of the loan application by a credit monitoring service.  The victim was unaware of any suspects.

Theft- On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 2:31 p.m., Officer Carver responded to police headquarters for a theft report.  The victim reported while they were at Shoprite, someone had stolen their wallet from an unattended shopping cart.  Several bank cards and cash were stolen totaling $150.00.  The victim also reported one of the cards was later used at several local businesses shortly after the theft.  An investigation is ongoing.

Aggressive Driver/Endangering Another Person- On Thursday, July 14, 2022, at 9:55 p.m., Officer Hyle responded to the 700 block of Cambridge Road, for an aggressive driver complaint. Upon arrival, officers met with the complainant who reported while they were traveling in the area of Route 9 and Lacey Road, a vehicle driven by Gerard O’Connor, 19, of Toms River, cut her off. The victim also reported that Gerard had thrown a plastic water bottle through their vehicle’s window, which struck the driver in the chest. At the conclusion of the investigation, Gerard was charged with Endangering Another Person on a special form of complaint summons and released at the scene.

Fraud- On Friday, July 15, 2022, at 11:17 a.m., Officer Biel responded to police headquarters for a fraud report.  Upon arrival the victim reported they have been receiving letters from credit and debit card companies for multiple accounts that have been unknowingly opened in his name.  The banks had been notified of the fraudulent activity and the accounts were closed.

Shoplifting- On Friday, July 15, 2022, at 6:17 p.m. Officer Biel responded to Walmart for a report of a shoplifter in custody. Upon arrival the loss prevention associate reported Lynn Ackerson, 52, of Bayville, was observed intermittingly scanning the items she brought to the self-checkout counter. The total value of the theft was $131.46.  Lynn was later transported back to police headquarters for processing.  Lynn was charged with Shoplifting on a complaint summons and released.

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia- On Sunday, July 17, 2022, at 2:25 p.m., Officer Calhoun responded to Wawa, 444 Route 9 South, for a report of an unconscious male in a vehicle. Upon arrival officers located the reported vehicle and found the driver, Thomas Doherty, 43, of Clubhouse Drive, Forked River, conscious and alert. Thomas later exited his vehicle and after doing so, drug paraphernalia fell off of his lap and onto the ground.  Additional drug paraphernalia was also located inside the vehicle.  Thomas was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters for processing.  Thomas was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia on a complaint summons and released.