Author: ECCYC

Group photo, 1898, at entrance to the present day Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage, Saranac Lake. At far left is Andrew and Mary Baker, gun within reach. At far right is twin daughters Blanche and Bertha. (Photo provided)

“Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Baker had five children, of whom only two are now living, Blanche and Bertha, comely young ladies of nineteen, who strikingly resemble each other and are pupils in the Plattsburgh Normal School” (now SUNY Plattsburgh).

— Biographical Review, Essex and Clinton counties, 1896

Blanche and Bertha Baker were 10 years of age when they played with their two cats in front of Robert Louis Stevenson, the verse maker behind “A Child’s Garden of Verses” and creator of Long John Silver, the ambiguous villain of “Treasure Island.” According to an essay Bertha wrote while she was a Normal School student, “Stevenson would sit hour after hour, watching the four together. He made the girls many presents …” It’s probably safe to assume that these events were played out in the author’s rented living room space with fireplace in use, the same room in which Sam McClure and RLS were up until 2 a.m. planning the great Pacific cruise to be.

One gets the impression that Blanche and Bertha were happy twins who did things together but only Bertha makes herself known to us through her college essay, “Robert Louis Stevenson,” and her six letters to a fellow named Mr. Duncan, answering questions he had about the famous author using their house for the winter of 1887-88. Questions like, how did the unusual living arrangements between the Bakers and their unusual tenants happen to come about? Was there a pre-arrangement? All of Bertha’s letters to Duncan are from 1899. On May 18, she recalled how her father made contact with the scouting party from the Stevenson expedition, on their way to Saranac Lake on short notice. It was Sept. 27, 1887:

“No, the meeting with Mrs. Stevenson was not pre-arranged. It was an accidental meeting. Papa was on his way to town and on reaching the village, he saw one of his neighbors standing in the street talking with Mrs. S. It seems this gentleman had just given directions to Mrs. S. as to finding our house. He then said that she could speak to papa since he was coming. She did so and arrangements were made for rental of the house. There was no communication whatever between the S.s and papa.”

Bertha’s memory didn’t always fit with the facts as we have them. The fact is, Stevenson was with his mother and their Swiss servant when they drove into town on Oct. 3, not Sept. 28, the date she gave Duncan; also, they arrived in the evening, during a rainstorm when “Mrs. S.” was preparing dinner, contradictory Bertha, who said they showed up “in the morning, about eleven o’clock.” Bertha went on to assert that “the Chateauguay rail-road was built only to Loon Lake and the author came into town from Loon Lake by stage.” Wrong! According to Mrs. Margaret Isabelle Balfour Stevenson, the mother of Louis, “At Loon Lake we found a nice buggy waiting for us; it had two horses and had been specially made for invalids, with good springs which we fully appreciated while driving twenty-five miles over very bad roads.”

Bertha’s answers to some of Duncan’s questions give away their aim, e.g. “Stevenson quite often remarked about the mountains, Marcy, etc. Don’t remember that he ever said anything about his trip from New York … Occasionally he played the flute; but more oftener Osbourne did … Papa does not remember of ever hearing him say anything about his work. We often heard he and Osbourne discussing characters (“The Wrong Box,” the first of three novels the duo co-authored); but he was a man who seldom spoke of his work or characters, to any outside of his family.

“… I remember the article of which you speak, in regard to Stevenson’s visit to the ‘Mountains.’ Dr. Trudeau did not learn of Stevenson’s being at Saranac until days after the author arrived. As to his staying at the doctor’s house this, of course, was an erroneous statement …

“In regard to the Christmas dinner. Very little preparation was made, for the author’s wife was away at the time. His mother was with him and from what we remember there were no special preparations more than for every day meals. The day was very cold and stormy and some of the family went out for church. We had a very windy winter and on this account Stevenson went out little, and them alone.

“Yes, Stevenson rec’d visitors on Saturdays. He saw his friends at his own convenience. Never allowed them to come if either he or the callers had colds, for he considered these catching. Owing to the fact that he could not endure the winds, he had the front door fastened and enclosed in an extra casing. On Saturdays, Valentine, their servant, scrubbed the Kitchen for this was their front entrance for visitors. He however rec’d few callers at any time.

“As to these young men, mama says that she remembers having heard Mrs. Stevenson speak of two young men callers who had tramped a long way to see the author. These fellows, however, were turned away without any interview with Stevenson (It was not a Saturday). He seems to feel that every one was curious and was very much afraid of reporters. I know nothing of these fellows and do not know for a fact that those were the ones.”

Another account of these strangers says that they had walked the whole distance from Elizabethtown to see Stevenson and were unaware of the Saturday rule. They had been turned away until someone mentioned the 35 miles between the “Hunter’s Home” and Elizabethtown, which made for a quick turnaround and long sit-down for the young literary pilgrims with the author of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

“Have nothing to say in regard to the Stevenson letters (recently published letters of RLS edited by Sidney Colvin). We think that the peculiarities of the man are well portrayed, however. Were quite amused at the way he spoke of his wife being discontented everywhere, for we realized this fact also. She claimed that she had heart trouble and the air in the Adk’s. did not agree with her. Anyway she was away most of the time. Stevenson does not speak of her health calling her away, but that she was not contented anywhere.

“The trip to the Pacific Coast was never spoken of. They did not then intend going farther than Manasquan. They intended on having to return to Floodwood Pond in the Spring. Papa has a letter from Mrs. S. (Margaret, Stevenson’s mother) written while she was at Manasquan (N.J.), and making arrangements for their baggage which was left in Saranac, owing to the fact that they were expected to return. Papa had gotten guides for them and in the next letter the author had decided to get to San Francisco …”

The above-mentioned letter to the Bakers from Stevenson’s mother in New Jersey is currently an artifact in the Saranac Lake collection. It is brief and to the point:

“Union House, Manasquan, May 23

“Dear Mr. Baker–I enclose cheque for $7. with many thanks for attending to our wishes about the baggage. We all unite in kind wishes to hearty goodbyes to you all. I am yours very truly–M.I. Stevenson.”

Andrew and Mary Baker may have even believed that this communication finished business with the name of Robert Louis Stevenson.

A Lakewood man who was operating a drug facility out of his home in the township and dealing drugs on the streets is facing a long list of charges following his arrest and trip to the Ocean County Jail.

The apprehension and charges against 32-year-old Shamar Kerr were announced on Wednesday byOcean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer which comes after an investigation by OCPO Narcotics Strike Force Detectives, Detectives with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration – High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas-Monmouth/Ocean Post of Duty (HIDTA/MOPOD) Group 5, Lakewood Police Department Street Crimes Unit, Lakewood Police Department Patrol Division, Lakewood Police Department Special Response Unit, and Lakewood Police Department K-9 Unit.

The team of Detectives traced the source of particular drug activity in Ocean County to the northern part of the county and to a home in Lakewood which Kerr was using to store and deal heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.

After they gathered evidence and information on the drug activity at this Lakewood residence, detectives from the collective agencies surveilled the residence and where Kerr worked, which was where he was caught allegedly dealing drugs to 36-year-old Anthony Connors of South Toms River, and then walked away.

When he saw Lakewood Police Officers nearby, Kerr booked it on foot but ended up being placed in handcuffs a short time later.

Following his arrest at the scene last week, Lakewood Police said that they found Kerr in possession of 900 wax folds of heroin/fentanyl.

Connors, meanwhile, was detained and then arrested for his reception of the drugs.

For his role, Connors was charged with Possession of Heroin and Wandering in a Public Place to Obtain or Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances and was served with the charges via summons pending an upcoming first appearance in Ocean County Superior Court.

The team of Ocean County investigators then went to Kerr’s residence after getting a court authorized search warrant and at the scene, Detectives seized approximately 40 grams of crack cocaine, a loaded 40 caliber handgun, and approximately $44,300.00 in United States currency.

After seizing a massive amount of drugs and catching him in the act, Kerr was brought to the Ocean County Jail and now faces a lengthy list of charges as he awaits a detention hearing.

Kerr is charged with Distribution of less than One-Half Ounce of Heroin, Possession of more than One-Half Ounce but less than Five Ounces of Heroin with Intent to Distribute, Possession of more than One-Half Ounce but less than Five Ounces of Crack Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Heroin, Possession of Crack Cocaine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, specifically a handgun, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, specifically a knife, Possession of a Weapon During a Controlled Dangerous Substance Offense, Certain Person Not to Possess a Firearm, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Arrest, and Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity.

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MOUNT HOLLY —  A 66-year-old man has been sentenced to over two decades in prison for sexually assaulting a juvenile girl and sexual contact with two other minors, Burlington County Acting Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw announced.

Bradshaw said that the abuse took place over a two-year period ending with George Young’s arrest last September.

Investigators began looking into Young after an acquaintance of one victim became aware of the abuse and told an adult. The adult then alerted law enforcement.

Bradshaw said authorities were releasing limited details to protect the identities of the victims.

Young, of Mount Holly, pleaded guilty earlier this year to aggravated sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal sexual contact.

He was sentenced on June 3 to 21 years in state prison. He will also be added to the state’s sex offender registry under Megan’s Law and placed under parole supervision for life upon release.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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A New Jersey bakery’s pride event featuring drag queens was recently highlighted by a popular anti-LGBTQ social media account.

The account “Libs of TikTok” has ballooned to fame by sharing content — frequently involving drag queens — that it claims shows harm to children.

On Tuesday morning, it shared a video clip from a recent Doughnuts and Drag Queens event in Montclair.

The account captioned it” “A bakery in NJ hosted a “family-friendly” drag show for all ages. Children hand money to the drag queen who also gets cash stuffed into his bra including from someone who appears to be a minor.”

Rabble Rise, formerly Montclair Bread Co., and the LGBTQ nonprofit Out Montclair presented the sold-out event — which bakery owner, Rachel Wyman, said was a big hit in spite of any “haters.”

“Wow! How did I make it 10 years in the bakery business without hosting a drag show??? Our SOLD OUT Doughnuts & Drag Queens event was a huge success- complete with all the haters coming out of the woodwork telling me they’re never supporting my business again because I’m corrupting children,” Wyman said on Instagram.

“Well – my child said it was the best night of her life and the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

Drag queens are performers, most often men, who usually portray outlandish or exaggerated female characters. A staple of gay bars, drag queens have in recent years enjoyed mainstream recognition with shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on VH1.

The “Libs of TikTok” Twitter account posts its location as “the depths of hell” and has shared drag queen events from around the country, vilifying them as inappropriate for families.

After one such post about a story hour at a California public library, a group associated with the neo-fascist Proud Boys disrupted the event, shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs, police said.

“The men were described as extremely aggressive with a threatening violent demeanor causing people to fear for their safety,” according to the Facebook page of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Some LGBTQ advocates have said the “Libs of TikTok” accounts, recently confirmed as created by Chaya Raichik, may ultimately incite deadly violence with such inflammatory posts.

Raichik, still largely anonymous online, said she in turn has received multiple death threats.

By Tuesday afternoon, accounts that sent the alleged threats were suspended.​

The Libs of TikTok account expanded on its stance against drag queens with a lengthy blog post on June 9, in which it said such events were “grooming,” “targeting children” and “sick.”

Drag queen story hours have already been embraced by fans and derided by critics for the past several years in New Jersey — including events at libraries in Bloomfield, Newark, Jersey City, Maplewood, Princeton and Fanwood.

Other such story hours have been scheduled, but then canceled amid public backlash, even before the rise of “Libs of TikTok” as an extreme conservative influencer, with more than a million followers on Twitter, alone.

According to the Drag Queen Story Hour website, the concept began as drag queens reading to children in libraries in San Francisco.

The organization’s mission is to capture “the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models.”

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

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Unbelievably Expensive Divorces

The National Association for Olmsted Parks is putting the word out that it is celebrating the 200th birthday of its namesake, preeminent American landscape designer, Frederick Law Olmsted.

Known widely for his role in co-designing New York City’s Central Park, Olmsted is also recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and established the world’s first full-scale professional landscape design company.

And while his parks are found across the nation and into Canada, New Jersey has its share of Olmsted parks and designs, including several key works in the region.

But let’s first meet the man. Olmsted was born in Hartford in 1822 to a dry-goods merchant father and a mother who died when her son was 3. When his father remarried, he was sent away to school and became a moody child who found solace in walks in nature.

As an adult, Olmsted first tried his hand unsuccessfully at farming and being a sea merchant before finding some limited success with reporting on slavery and publishing. After experiencing trouble finding a wife, he married his brother’s widow and raised a family that included the children she had with Olmsted’s brother and their own. The sons would eventually join their father in maintaining the Olmsted Company.

As contemporary nonfiction writer and essayist Suzanna Lessard wrote for the New York Times, “In 1857, Olmsted managed to wangle a job as superintendent of the Central Park, as it was then called, in New York, a project that was just getting under way. A publishing venture had failed, and he was personally in debt. When the architect Calvert Vaux suggested that they enter the competition for the job of actually designing the park, he agreed: it is typical of Olmsted that he fell by happenstance into the work at which he became a genius. The jury was divided between Democrats, who, paradoxically, were attracted to formal European designs, and Republicans, who liked the English picturesque style that Olmsted had studied intensively in travels abroad. The Republicans were in the majority, and they all picked the submission by Olmsted and Vaux….This was Olmsted’s first attempt at landscape architecture, and the result was the treasure New Yorkers could not live without.”

Park commissions across the nation followed, including one for the Lawrenceville School.

The landscape architect was hired in 1883 by the trustees of the John Cleve Green Foundation to plan the expanding campus of an all-boys boarding school fashioned after the great English institutions.

According to Lawrenceville School information, Olmsted’s park-inspired design included the planting of 371 trees, several of which survive today.

An excerpt from an 1886 Olmsted letter regarding the Lawrenceville plan provides a peek into the designer’s approach:

“We are now so far advanced with the study that I can say that it appears possible to have upon the property a complete collection of all species of trees that it is known can be successfully cultivated in Central New Jersey. The idea we have is that aside from any value such a collection would have with reference to direct scholastic instruction, as to which it would serve as a combined library and Museum of Botany and Dendrology if each tree should be conspicuously labeled with common and scientific names, native ancestry, etc., boys would gradually, during their stay with you, absorb, as from object lessons, a good deal of information of a kind that is soon to be in a growing demand.

To work out the project to its last details, find the trees and have them properly planted, cataloged, labeled, etc., will be a good deal of trouble, and it will probably cost a little more than to plant the ground simply with reference to scenery. I should like to know how the idea strikes you, to know if you would think it likely to be acceptable to the trustees and, in short, worth the trouble.”

The next regional project was the design for Cadwalader Park in Trenton. It happened in 1890 through the initiative of Edmund C. Hill, a Trenton baker turned civic booster and city council member.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation co-director John Watson recently wrote an article where he referred to the Trenton park as Olmsted’s “most notable New Jersey Project.”

The reason, notes Watson, is that the nearly 110-acre park was the only New Jersey park personally designed by Olmsted, rather than by his company. He also considers it “Olmsted’s last great park, designed in 1891 toward the end of his career.”

Citing Randy Baum, a member of the Cadwalader Park Alliance, Watson writes that “Cadwalader Park was built mostly true to Olmsted’s original design, with rolling landscapes, open lawns and a high point with a sweeping view. While many Olmsted parks have been significantly changed over the years, Baum said Cadwalader has retained its historical design – largely due to inaction and lack of funding for landscape-altering capital projects.”

Highland Park author Jeanne Kolva elaborates more on Olmsted’s design approach in her 2011 book “Olmsted in New Jersey” (Schiffer Publishing) and shares some of the following characteristics of an Olmsted Park: They are works of art, have roots in the English romantic style of landscape design, provide a strong contrast to an urban environment, are characterized by the use of bold forms, contain artistically composed plantings, uses vistas as aesthetic organizing elements, integrate architecture into the landscape, and were built for recreation.

Kolva also mentions that Olmsted’s Trenton work at Cadwalader Park was expanded to the region and the creation of Cadwalader Heights, a Trenton neighborhood of 74 homes, personally designed by Olmsted, just east of Cadwalader Park. It was also instigated by Hill.

Around the same time that Olmsted was working in Trenton, he was also working in Princeton.

According to “Tracing Princeton’s Master Plans from the Campus to Tomorrow’s Campus,” in 1893, Princeton University, still using the College of New Jersey name, “hired the prominent architect Frederick Law Olmsted to build a model of the present campus in order to display the growing ‘Princeton College’ at the Columbian World’s Exposition in Chicago.

“The results of 20 years of a ‘go-as-you-please’ style of building is evidenced by the traipsing pattern of buildings across the vast amounts of land. Mr. Olmsted went beyond cataloging the present campus in the architectural model. He also gave form to buildings that had only just been proposed or considered. A careful look at the Olmsted model reveals the faint outlines of new dorms planned west and south of Whig and Clio as well as more dorms between Clio and Witherspoon and the anticipated wing additions to the art museum. Here was the embodiment of the first Trustee-sanctioned plan for the future of the College of New Jersey ready for display in Chicago under the name ‘Princeton College.’”

The only other trace of Olmsted work in the Trenton area comes from my experience working on the New Jersey State Council on the Arts led Urban Parks Design Competition.

During research we had access to materials from both the Olmsted National Historic Site in Boston and the Library of Congress in Washington that showed the Olmsted Company worked on two projects. The company designed seawalls on the Delaware River behind the Capitol Complex. There was also an unaccepted proposed design for a Greenway that extended from the Trenton train station to the river.

As noted, New Jersey also is home to several other Olmsted Parks.

That includes Branch Brook Park, Newark. As Watson describes, “Built between 1898 and 1911, 360-acre Branch Brook is the oldest of Essex County’s parks. The original design included a reservoir, lake, and formal gardens in the south end, ball fields and recreation spaces in the middle section, and gardens and smaller bodies of water in the north. One thing that can’t be credited to the Olmsted firm is the park’s famed cherry trees, whose pink froth of blossoms draw thousands of visitors each spring. They were a gift from several wealthy families in 1927 and are now an iconic feature of the park.”

Also in Newark is Weequahic Park, a 311-acre tract with a lake and recreational spaces and the state’s first public golf course.

With more than two dozen more New Jersey Olmsted small parks listed by Kolva and major examples around the nation, including Central Park, it is easy to connect to the designer during the Olmsted 200 celebratation.

Yet one can commemorate the designs by simply looking at landscape designs through a filter that one Olmsted scholar calls “The Seven S’s of Olmsted Design”: Scenery, Sustainability, Style, Subordination (aka to be natural), Separation (of areas of different designs), Sanitation, and Service (to the community).

A Manchester man who dealt a lethal concoction of heroin and fentanyl to another township resident who later overdosed and died has now plead guilty to Manslaughter.

In addition to Manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that 33-year-old Dandre Tubbs also pled guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl for causing the death of a 35 year-old man in Manchester.

He also plead guilty to an unrelated charge of Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute which he’s looking at four-years in prison for that plea.

Prosecutor Billhimer said that the state will be looking to sentence Tubbs to seven-years in prison for Manslaughter and seven-years for Distribution of Fentanyl, but all three sentences would be served at the same time.

Manchester Police found a man unresponsive on August 16, 2021, and learned that he was DOA from an apparent drug overdose.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Manchester Police Detective’s investigated the death and learned that Tubbs supplied fentanyl to the victim the day before he died and an ensuing toxicology report confirmed the presence of fentanyl in the man’s system which led the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office to rule that as the cause of his death.

Tubbs was arrested Manchester Police a day later during a motor vehicle stop and later charged.

He has been in the Ocean County Jail ever since later being indicted by a Grand Jury in October of 2021.

Tubbs has a criminal history rooted in the drug business.

In 2017, he was found with a Forked River woman with 46-bags of Heroin, two-grams of Crack, and a baseball bat in a vehicle near Crestwood Village in Manchester.

Prosecutor Billhimer also announced that Ocean County Senior Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman and Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni are handling the case on behalf of the State.

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A Manchester man who dealt a lethal concoction of heroin and fentanyl to another township resident who later overdosed and died has now plead guilty to Manslaughter.

In addition to Manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that 33-year-old Dandre Tubbs also pled guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl for causing the death of a 35 year-old man in Manchester.

He also plead guilty to an unrelated charge of Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute which he’s looking at four-years in prison for that plea.

Prosecutor Billhimer said that the state will be looking to sentence Tubbs to seven-years in prison for Manslaughter and seven-years for Distribution of Fentanyl, but all three sentences would be served at the same time.

Manchester Police found a man unresponsive on August 16, 2021, and learned that he was DOA from an apparent drug overdose.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Manchester Police Detective’s investigated the death and learned that Tubbs supplied fentanyl to the victim the day before he died and an ensuing toxicology report confirmed the presence of fentanyl in the man’s system which led the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office to rule that as the cause of his death.

Tubbs was arrested Manchester Police a day later during a motor vehicle stop and later charged.

He has been in the Ocean County Jail ever since later being indicted by a Grand Jury in October of 2021.

Tubbs has a criminal history rooted in the drug business.

In 2017, he was found with a Forked River woman with 46-bags of Heroin, two-grams of Crack, and a baseball bat in a vehicle near Crestwood Village in Manchester.

Prosecutor Billhimer also announced that Ocean County Senior Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman and Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni are handling the case on behalf of the State.

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The Tuckerton man involved in a Love Triangle who shot another man in the midsection because he thought that man was sleeping with his estranged wife, has now pleaded guilty to Aggravated Assault.

In addition, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer also announced that Donald Rutter, 53, of Tuckerton, pled guilty to Stalking and at the time of his sentencing on July 25, 2022, the State will be seeking a term of seven years in New Jersey State Prison on the Aggravated Assault charge and 18-months for the Stalking charge with both being served concurrently.

Prosecutor Billhimer said that the State will also be seeking a Stalking Restraining Order at the time of sentencing.

The incident itself took place on the evening of January 5, 2021, and Little Egg Harbor Police were called to Jarvis Marine on Radio Road around 7:30 pm on a report that a man had been shot.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers found 55-year-old Thomas Jarvis of Little Egg Harbor suffering from a gunshot wound to the midsection, and he was quickly brought to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries and later released from care.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit learned that Rutter was the man who shot Jarvis, but he was on the run, and the search was on.

The OCPO-MCU along with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Little Egg Harbor Police, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Regional SWAT Team, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey State Park Police, United States Marshals Service, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, and Tuckerton Police all teamed up looking for Rutter right after the shooting but couldn’t find him, so a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Then a couple of weeks later, on January 28, Rutter was found sleeping under a boardwalk near Tennessee Avenue in Atlantic City and was arrested without incident by the United States Marshals Service and has been in the Ocean County Jail ever since.

Rutter was indicted in August of 2021 where he was charged with Attempted Murder.

He had blamed Jarvis for breaking up his 18-year marriage to his wife while his wife said that they were seperated because of Rutter’s drinking habits, according to an affidavit filed in Ocean County Superior Court in 2021 by investigators.

Prosecutor Billhimer also announced that Ocean County Senior Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill and Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Kaitlyn Burke are handling the case on behalf of the State.

Previous reporting by Dan Alexander was used in this news article.

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The crime spree trend of car thefts and vehicle burglaries across the Jersey Shore and the Garden State as a whole continued over this past week.

Jackson Police said that they arrested three residents from Newark — with a four one on the run — following vehicle burglaries that occurred last week in the middle of the night on Round Hill Road.

The homeowner was awoken to the noise of his Ring security camera going off and that’s when he spotted someone outside near his vehicles, which he told police were locked at all times.

He looked around the area but couldn’t find the man.

Police responded around 3:28 am to the call and then by 4:30 am, backup was called in and officers looked through the area checking along Overlook Drive and then, suddenly, a suspect was spotted on foot heading into the woods while leaving a door open in a Ford Explorer.

There was also a 2005 Buick with two people inside of it heading through the area which ended up being pulled over by police, but as the vehicle stopped, the men got out and it was with the assistance of an Ocean County Sheriff’s Office K-9 requested by Jackson Police that helped find the suspect.

Three men involved in the vehicle burglary were arrested.

Kahlif Sandifer, 21, of Newark, was processed and charged with burglary, criminal trespassing and eluding while Tyrone Jones, 20 of Newark, was processed and charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, and Kyel Watson, 21 of Newark, was processed and charged with conspiracy to commit burglary.

Sandifer, Jones, and Watson were then turned over to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and brought to the Ocean County Jail while the Buick was seized by police, pending further investigation.

Jackson Police said there was a fourth man involved in the vehicle burglaries who has not yet been found.

If you have any information that can help in the investigation, you’re asked to contact Jackson Township Police Detective Robert Reiff at 732-928-1111.

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