Fisherman Trespasses On Land Near Oyster Creek Plant, Police Say

A man illegally entered private property near the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station on Saturday, passing a posted "No Trespassing" sign, police said.

Oyster Creek's security detail and Lacey Township Police responded to the incident, which the plant said posed no threat to the plant.

The incident happened during an anti-nuclear-power peace walk outside the plant on Saturday. About 25 people participated in the demonstration.

Plant spokeswoman Suzanne D'Ambrosio said the fisherman was on private property, not the plant's protected area. Anything protected around the plant is completely secure, and is monitored constantly, she said.

"There is no way to enter the protected area of the plant by land, water or air." D'Ambrosio said.

Information regarding the man, and whether he faces trespassing charges, was unavailable at press time. Security guards confronted the man and directed him to leave.

Local fisherman David Morra said people often sneak into the area to go fishing.

"All you have to do is go under the bridge and walk through with waders," Morra said.

Janet Tauro from the New Jersey Environmental Federation and Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety, said the incident shows how the plant needs to do more to protect itself.

"What if he was a terrorist with a rocket launcher instead of someone with a fishing pole?" Tauro said.

The plant does not condone anyone sneaking onto private property near the plant, but does believe that fishing and other uses of the waterway can be conducted in a constructive manner.

"We encourage our fisherman to use our waterways, where it is public property," D'Ambrosio said.