One dead, one critical in Asbury Park shooting

Jamal Small

Jamar Small, 24, was gunned down and killed on the 1000 block of Summerfield Avenue in Asbury Park on Sunday, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. Another male shooting victim whose name was not released by Gramiccioni remains in critical condition at an undisclosed local hospital.

Small was a recent graduate of Texas Southern University and the quarterback of the school’s football team.

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Long Branch Parolee Arrested in 2006 Asbury Park Murder

Joey Johnson AKA Davell Reevey

Joey Jomaine Johnson, AKA Davell Reevey, 35, of Long Branch was arrested yesterday by investigators of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Asbury Park Police Department with the assistance of the New Jersey Parole Board for the March 26, 2006 murder of 21-year-old Jakeema Kelly of Asbury Park, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Johnson had been on parole since his October 22, 2015 release from state prison.  He served eight years for his 2007 convictions on drug dealing charges.  He now faces a minimum of 30 years to a maximum of life imprisonment, if convicted in the first degree murder of Kelly.

He is being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, on $1.2 million cash only bail, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen.  In addition to first degree murder, Johnson is charged with second degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and second degree Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons.

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Woman critical after being shot during large fight at party, authorities say

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP — A Neptune Township woman was shot during a large fight that broke out at a party in town Friday night, authorities said. The woman, who was not identified, was in critical condition after being rushed to the hospital following the fight at the party at the VFW hall on Route 33, said Charlie… Read the rest of this entry »

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Asbury Park restaurant serves 1,500 free meals on Thanksgiving

ASBURY PARK — The boardwalk’s Third Avenue pavilion was bustling Thursday morning, as people packed inside Langosta Lounge for a free Turkey Day meal. Despite it being a holiday and the offseason, the restaurant had the feel of a mid-summer Saturday night, with people eating at tables on the boardwalk and a line to get in… Read the rest of this entry »

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New shore hotel to feature beer garden, ‘drive-in’ movies, rock-n-roll

ASBURY PARK – When the city’s first new hotel in more than a half century opens in 2016, it could set a new standard for beach hotels on the Jersey Shore. Work is steadily progressing to turn the derelict seven-story brick former Salvation Army building on Fifth Avenue into The Asbury Hotel, a 110-room boutique hotel… Read the rest of this entry »

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2 charged in teacher’s mistaken-identity killing plead not guilty

FREEHOLD — Two of the three men accused of beating a beloved Red Bank schoolteacher to death in a case of mistaken identity appeared Thursday in court where they proclaimed their innocence. One of the suspects, James Fair, 27, boldly declared himself not guilty of the seven charges lodged against him on Wednesday when he and… Read the rest of this entry »

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Three Asbury Park Men Charged in Red Bank Teacher’s Murder

Freehold,NJ- Three Asbury Park men, all currently incarcerated on unrelated crimes, have been charged in the 2009 murder of Jonelle Melton, a 33 year old Red Bank Middle School teacher who resided in Brighton Arms apartment complex in Neptune City.

James Fair, 27, Ebenezer Byrd, 35 and Gregory Jean-Baptiste, 26, were each charged with first degree Felony Murder, first degree Robbery, and other second degree charges.   Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced the charges during a press conference at Freehold office this morning.  Melton’s husband, mother and other family members and friends were present for the announcement.

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Recounts scheduled for in Asbury Park, Neptune City and Spring Lake Hts elections

The results of the November 3, 2015 Board of Education election in Asbury Park, and the municipal races in Neptune City and Spring Lake Heights will be rechecked and recounted on Tuesday, November 24 at 10 am, at the Board of Elections Office in Freehold, pursuant to Judge Katie A. Gummer’s Orders.

The rechecks and recounts were requested via Petitions filed by Allan C. Roth, a Springfield, NJ attorney, on behalf of Asbury Park Board of Education candidate Barbara Lesiniski, Spring Lake Heights Council candidate Nathaniel Novak and Michael Skudera, a candidate for Council in Neptune City.

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Seidle Indicted, Faces Life In Prison

Philip Seidle

The Neptune Township police officer who shot and killed his wife in Asbury Park last June was indicted by a Monmouth County Grand Jury this morning, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Philip Seidle, 51, a 22 year veteran of the Neptune Police Department, was charged with one count of First Degree Murder, one count of Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purposes and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Asbury Park police responded to a report of an unrelated motor vehicle accident near the intersection of Ridge and Sewall Avenues in the city at approximately 11:26 a.m. on June 16, 2015. During that service call, the black 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by Tamara Seidle, turned the corner onto Sewall Avenue before crashing into a parked 2002 Ford Focus. The Jetta was being followed closely by the 2005 Honda Pilot driven by Philip Seidle, who exited the vehicle, pulled out a handgun and approached the driver’s side of the Jetta. Philip Seidle fired multiple shots into the vehicle, striking Tamara Seidle.  Philip Seidle then turned the weapon on himself, pointing the weapon at his head, before moving to the front of the Jetta and firing several more shots into the windshield of the vehicle.

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Plunge season kicks off with Thanks4Giving Plunge in Asbury Park

ASBURY PARK – The weather was not as cold as it is during the height of polar bear plunge season, but the cold wind that blew off the Atlantic Ocean near Convention Hall on Saturday afternoon was far from inviting. Yet, more than 150 swimmers darted into the chilly water and splashed around, albeit briefly, before… Read the rest of this entry »

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