Ex-Belmar Fire Official Pleads Guilty to Taking $34,000 through False Timesheets

by William Skaggs, USDA-NJ BELMAR-A former Borough of Belmar fire marshal and senior lead fire protection inspector with the Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department today pleaded guilty to fraudulently reporting his hours on time cards to the Borough of Belmar, causing it losses of approximately $34,141, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. John Rizzitello, 45, of Nashville,… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Family of missing teen organizing search of Jersey Shore towns Saturday

BELMAR — Family members of the missing 19-year-old Neptune City woman missing nearly a week since her car was found unoccupied on a Belmar bridge are organizing a search party for Saturday in coastal towns in Monmouth County. Sarah Stern’s car was discovered unoccupied on Saturday on the Route 35 bridge not far from her home.… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Search for Sarah Stern Continues

Monmouth County and New Jersey authorities are continuing their massive search for Sarah Stern, the 19 year old Neptune City resident whose  her abandoned vehicle was discovered in the shoulder of the southbound lanes of the Route 35 Bridge in Belmar, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

“We are asking everyone to keep an eye out for this young woman, and report any possible sightings as soon as possible,” Gramiccioni said.

Stern, 19, was last seen at her Neptune City residence on the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2016, and a few hours later her 1994 silver four-door Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight was found abandoned on the crest of the bridge by a passerby who reported the car to a Neptune Township police officer. The abandoned car was operational and the keys were found in the vehicle. There were no persons in the area and the vehicle was subsequently towed from the road by the Neptune Township Police Department.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Crime Stoppers Offers $5K Reward In Sarah Stern Disappearance

Click for larger view

Monmouth County Crime Stoppers is offering a $5 thousand reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of any suspect(s) involved in the disappearance of Sarah Stern, 19, of Neptune City.

Stern left her home on Friday evening December 1.  Hours later her unoccupied vehicle was found on the Route 35 bridge in Belmar.  Her whereabouts is unknown.

“The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is working collaboratively with the Belmar Police Department, and New Jersey State Police Missing Person Unit to investigate this case. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also providing advise and assistance.  All information is being investigated and we appreciate the efforts of Monmouth County Crime Stoppers to help resolve this case,” Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Neptune City 19-year-old missing after her car was found unoccupied on Belmar bridge

BELMAR — A 19-year-old Neptune City woman remains missing Monday, nearly three days after her car was found unoccupied on the Route 35 bridge in Belmar, and her family is appealing for any information to help locate her. Sarah Stern left her family’s home at 11:45 p.m. Friday driving her grandmother’s 1994 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royal, said… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Doherty Sued For Fraud

The Emperor and Empress of Belmar.  photo via facebook

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty has been accused of fraud, tortious interference, breach of contract and breach of covenant in suit filed against Doherty personally and the Borough of Belmar by the landlord of Salt, the Harmon Brothers’ establishment whose liquor license transfer was denied by the Borough last Spring.

The suit filed by William Wolf of Bathgate, Wegener and Wolf on behalf a Loko Co, LLC, a development company owned by Gregory Kapalko, alleges that Doherty urged Kapalko to suspend the permitting applications with the NJ DEP for the construction of the waterfront property that Loko has an agreement with the Borough to redevelop and instead enter into a Joint Venture with Ollie Klein, the owner of Klein’s Fish Market, and Stephen and Mark Coleman, Florida based real estate investors. Doherty promised that the Borough would extend the schedule of the Redevelopment Agreement  if Klein and the Colemans were involved in the project, according to the suit.  Loko complied with Doherty’s suggestion and he reneged on the deal to extend the Redevelopment Agreement.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

“Matt’s Law” Cost Belmar Taxpayers over $200K in legal fees

Dem Freeholder Candidate Sticks Belmar Taxpayers With The Legal Fees To Fund His Ambition

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, left, and Governor Chris Christie, on the Belmar boardwalk.

Like his friend Governor Chris Christie, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty stuck taxpayers with the legal bills to fund his political ambition.

Doherty’s unlawful conduct in attempting to hide the identities of donors to his campaign for Monmouth County freeholder has cost the taxpayers of Belmar $122,910 for the legal fees of the citizens who successfully challenged Belmar’s violations of the Faulkner Act and the New Jersey Civil Rights Act in Court. When the borough’s legal fees to defend “Matt Law” are added, Doherty’s folly has cost Belmar taxpayers over $200,000.

Ken Pringle, Belmar’s former mayor and the attorney who represented the citizens who objected to “Matt’s Law” told MMM that Judge Katie Gummer awarded the legal fees to the plaintiffs on Thursday.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Monmouth Dems Solomeno and Doherty confess their lawlessness at Manalapan debate

Monmouth Dems Solomeno and Doherty flaunt their lawlessness

Even if he did have sexual relations with that woman, Cindy, the Swedish whore (he says he didn’t and the facebook post was a joke among friends who had lost their phones) Vincent Solomeno did not break any laws that day in Amsterdam where prostitution is legal.

But in an amazing admission at the candidates debate in Manalapan last week, Solomeno admitted he would break the law with impunity should he be elected Monmouth County Surrogate.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Doherty’s long term support for the gas tax increase, toll hikes and other profitable ventures

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, a candidate for Monmouth County Freeholder, is a long term supporter of the gas tax increase that is up for a vote in the State Legislature on Friday.

In 2014, Doherty wrote a letter endorsing the work of Foward New Jersey, a coalition of unions and other special interest groups who will collect the $2 million per mile construction costs that the $.23 per gallon gas tax  will fund. Forward New Jersey has been lobbying for the gas tax increase for almost two years and is waging a social media campaign to counter the grass-roots opposition to the tax increase as you are reading this article.  Doherty’s letter can be found here.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Doherty thumbs his nose at the Court, lies to the press

Pringle: “What is Doherty hiding?”

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty told The Asbury Park Press that he would disclose all donations to his campaign for Monmouth County Freeholder under the amount of $300, but only those donations received after July 13.  July 13 was the date that the Doherty administration filed the 12 year old pay to play ethics ordinance with the state.

“I’m going to follow the ordinance and the state statutes to the letter.” Doherty told app.  It’s disappointing that the reporter let him get away with that Clinton speak.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet