Thursday, December 13, 2012
Residents of all ages awaited Santa on the fire truck with excitement and anticipation
December crept up on me with no warning this year. I took it upon myself to decorate the family Christmas tree, but even with the white lights, red ribbon and crystal angels, it just still didn’t feel like Christmas. A ride with Santa Claus on the Forked River fire truck Wednesday evening snapped me out of the doldrums. With Santa and his sleigh set on the roof, lights of all colors lit up the truck. Christmas music blared as we turned down Forked River streets, most of which were also lit up with lights and decorations, and I operated the siren to alert residents of Santa’s presence. Residents of all ages — and their dogs — showed a childlike spirit that night. The smiles, excitement and pride showed on faces of the young and elderly. …
Monday, December 10, 2012
Santa will be riding on his fire truck through Dec. 15
Santa will be riding on a fire truck throughout Lacey over the next few weeks. See the schedule below to see when he’ll be coming to your neighborhood. The schedules are weather permitting and also depend on how long it takes Santa and his truck to get through each area of town. The schedule is subject to change without notice. Friday, Dec. 7 East Lacey Road, Jones Road Saturday, Dec. 8 Route 9 to Deerhead Lake Drive (north side of lake) Sunrise Beach – Route 9 to the end of Sunrise Boulevard (if possible) Sunday, Dec. 9 Deerhead Lake Drive to the Garden State Parkway (north side of lake) Parkers Point Boulevard area & Hollywood Boulevard Finish Sunrise Beach (if needed) Beginning of Forked River Beach Monday, Dec. 10 Route 9 to Joffre …
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Extrication required in two-car accident on Lacey Road
Two Forked River women and one Smithville resident were airlifted to a hospital after a head-on motor vehicle collision on Lacey Road Tuesday afternoon. At approximately 4:51 p.m. police responded to a two-car accident on Lacey Road, west of Dover Road near the Bamber Lake Fire Department. A Honda Accord and Chevrolet Cavalier were found in the westbound lane of Lacey Road and sustained significant front-end damage. The Accord was facing east in the westbound lane and had struck the Cavalier, which was traveling in the westbound lane, head-on. Extrication was required, Capt. David Paprota said. The female driver of the Accord, 69, of Smithville, the female driver of the Cavalier, 24, and a female passenger of the Cavalier, 56, both of …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The extent of damage and source of the fire is currently unknown, according to the homeowner
Karen Vincentini was making dinner when she received a frantic phone call stating that her second home in Lacey was up in flames. Leaving the door to her primary residence open and the meal cooking, she immediately made her way to the Capstan Drive home, unable to reach it as the Lanoka Harbor and Forked River Fire Departments blocked the road, she said. According to police communications, a call came in for a “fire through the roof,” at approximately 4:47 p.m. "No flames were showing but smoke was pouring out the vents," said Jack Amrozewicz, Chief of the Lanoka Harbor Fire Department. The fire departments went through the front and back doors with a line, he said. The blaze was located by the Forked River Fire Department in a rear …
Friday, November 16, 2012
EMS, firefighters, police worked tirelessly during Hurricane Sandy to keep township safe
When township officials and emergency services met to prepare for Hurricane Sandy, they developed a plan to limit risk to first responders by halting rescues in floodwaters for those who ignored mandatory evacuation orders. But when those floodwaters became a harsh reality, everyone from public works and recreation employees to police, fire and EMS staff, disregarded that directive. “It was on the fly. There was a need so we decided to give it a try,” said John Hode, president of Lacey EMS. Front-end Loaders ‘Not Really Meant For Rescuing People’ They coordinated rescues from a triage on Sunset Drive and another at the Lacey Elk’s Lodge on Beach Boulevard where they utilized an ex-military truck and township front-end loaders to go through…
Friday, September 28, 2012
19th Annual Apple Festival Features Apples, Games, Entertainment
Local apples, as well as pies and crisps made from those apples will be on sale 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday during the 19th Annual Lacey Historical Society Apple Festival at the Schoolhouse Museum on Route 9. A group of Historical Society volunteers traveled to Strawberry Hill Fruit Farm in Chesterfield on Monday and picked more than 60 pounds of apples in several varieties that will be sold individually and as pies, made by adults and students at Lacey Township High School, and crisps made by students and adults at the Waretown Center of Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools. Festival organizer Ellie Greco said even though they make about 85 pies and 100 crisps, it is best to get there early to purchase them. "Very often, by 10ish …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The fire that left the Forked River home uninhabitable originated on the porch, officials say
The fire that destroyed a Penguin Court home early Monday morning was deemed accidental, Ocean County Fire Marshal Robert Cook said. Fire departments responded to the scene at 12:55 a.m. It took approximately two hours and 30 firefighters to control the blaze. No injuries were reported. “The front of the house was totally up to the roof with flames,” Forked River Fire Department Chief Ray Brandmahl said of the department’s arrival on Monday. “You could see the glow from a block away before we got there.” “It was very hot,” Brandmahl previously said. “Electrical wires were popping and insulation was burning out in the street.” The fire was accidental in nature and originated on the porch, Cook said. Cook is not releasing the cause of the …
Monday, August 20, 2012
There were no injuries in the early morning Penguin Court fire
A Penguin Court home is uninhabitable after a blaze engulfed the structure early Monday morning, Forked River Fire Department Chief Ray Brandmahl said. “The front of the house was totally up to the roof with flames,” Brandmahl said of the department’s arrival. “You could see the glow from a block away before we got there.” The fire department arrived at 12:55 a.m. and it took approximately two hours to control the flames, he said. Approximately 30 firefighters from Forked River, the Lanoka Harbor Fire Company and the Bayville FAST Team fought the blaze. Four were living in the home at the time and were able to exit without injuries, Brandmahl said. Once the blaze was under control, the firefighters had to go into the house and put the fire…
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Jack Flynn, 68, was a Lacey police officer and 36-year member of the fire department
Jack Flynn was the kind of guy who gave to the community unceasingly of his time. When he wasn't patrolling Lacey's streets as a police officer, he was helping to fight fires as a member of the Forked River Fire Department. He served in the New Jersey National Guard. And he even found time to coach soccer, according to his son, Kevin. "He coached the whole time I was playing, at least 10 years," Kevin Flynn said. But Jack Flynn didn't do it for accollades; he did it because that's what he did. "I just think my dad wanted to give back to the community," Kevin Flynn said. John W. "Jack" Flynn, who died on July 2, was laid to rest last Friday after a funeral Mass at St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Forked River. His funeral was attended by…
Thursday, April 5, 2012
No injuries or property damage reported in blaze
A brush fire consumed 6-acres of Lakeside Drive East this afternoon, said Kevin Flynn of the Forked River Fire Department. What was originally thought to be a boat fire was a large brush fire, Flynn said. Although in a residential area, there were no injuries or property damage. "It endangerd a couple homes," Flynn said. "That was the first thing we did when we got there, to protect the houses." The fire was heading towards homes on Riverview Road when the Forked River Fire Department responded between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m., Flynn said. The blaze was contained by 4:15 p.m. Jim McGeoch, owner of Townsends Marina, said the fire was seen from his marina at about 3 p.m. Larry Wheeler, a fire inspector who was working on his boat at the marina on …
Christine
6:34 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
We heard Santa's truck two days in a row...disappointing we never got to see him come down our street. more ›