A verbal altercation between two patrons resulted in a stabbing.  The suspect then fled the scene and police were still searching for the person as of noon, Sunday.

The victim suffered a stab wound to the abdomen and was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Seaside Heights Police Department at 732-793-1800.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS –The borough of Seaside Heights presented Prince Harry and Governor Chris Christie each with a set of pens made from wood from the destroyed boardwalk on Tuesday.   In this photos, Special Events Coordinator Michael Graichen shows  the pens to the Ocean Signal before presenting them to Prince Harry moments later.

FREEHOLD–A Manchester Township man is charged with the Robbery and Felony Murder of a Point Pleasant man found in the backyard of a Long Branch home, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Alan Bienkowski, 54, of Pinecrest Manor, Manchester Township, is charged with first degree Felony Murder, first degree Robbery, second degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and second degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in connection with the April 10, 2013 death of Michael Wells, 56, of Point Pleasant.

Mr. Wells, an employee of Dutch Prime Foods on West Avenue in Long Branch, was the focus of a missing person investigation that same day. At approximately 5 a.m. a co-worker reported him missing when some of his personal effects were found at the work location but Mr. Wells was not there. Wells was later found dead from a gunshot wound after Long Branch police responded to an 8 a.m. call reporting a man lying on the ground in the backyard of a nearby Cleveland Avenue home.

An investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes and Forensic and Technical Services Bureaus and the Long Branch Police Department revealed Mr. Wells arrived at Dutch Prime Foods for work around 4:30 a.m. on April 10, where he was confronted and robbed at gun-point by Bienkowski. During the course of the robbery Bienkowski shot and killed Mr. Wells.

If convicted of Murder, Bienkowski faces a sentence ranging from the minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years in state prison with a 30 year period of parole ineligibility to a potential maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. If convicted of Robbery, Bienkowski faces 10 to 20 years in state prison, subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA) which requires him to serve 85 percent of any sentence imposed for the commission of that crime.

If convicted of the weapons offenses, Bienkowski faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three to five years in prison, pursuant to the Graves Act, with a maximum sentence of ten years on each charge.

Bienkowski is currently being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, on $1,450,000 bail, cash only with no ten percent cash option, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen, J.S.C.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the whereabouts of Bienkowski around the date and time of the murder to contact the two lead detectives on the case, Det. Kevin Condon of the Prosecutor’s Office and Det. Brendan Cahill of the Long Branch Police Department. Det. Condon can be reached at 1-800-533-7443. Det. Cahill can be reached at 732-222-1000.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, the Manchester Police Department and the Jackson Township Police Department, all contributed to the investigation culminating in the arrest of Bienkowski.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

This case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Huth, director of the Major Crimes Bureau, and Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner of the Major Crimes Bureau. No attorney has yet entered an appearance on behalf of Bienkowski

It is alleged that Teron Savoy was the leader of a network distributing drugs in Ocean and Monmouth Counties.  Investigators intercepted phone communications between Savoy and his wife, Yolanda Terry, in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes.  The defendant’s attorneys attempted to exclude these communications from their trial claiming that they fell within New Jersey’s marital communication privilege which generally excludes from court communications made between spouses. The trial judge ruled the evidence admissible, however, stating that since the communications were made in furtherance of crimes, they were “not worthy of protection.”

But the trial judge’s decision was reversed on appeal. The Appellate Division ruled that the conversations were prohibited from use at trial by the marital communications privilege, and that there is no exception to that privilege in New Jersey even where the communications are in aid of a crime.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato said, “I have directed the prosecuting attorneys’ of my office to petition the State Supreme Court to review the case.  The marital communications privilege suppresses relevant evidence so as to protect the tranquility of a marriage, but where evidence of crimes is withheld from a jury, there is an obvious detriment to the public. The Supreme Court should decide whether the privilege applied in this case, and if so, whether a crime or fraud exception to the privilege would better serve the public’s welfare.”

Assisting at the scene were, Whiting Vol. Fire Dept, Quality Medical transport, Whiting First Aid, MONOC Paramedics, CIU, NJ State Police, NJ DOT and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.  The crash is under investigation by Ptl. Douglas Higgins, and Ptl Thomas O’Hare of the Manchester Traffic Safety Section.

Anyone with information about the crash, please contact Manchester Twp Police, Traffic Safety Section, at 732-657-2009, X4401.

Earlier today, the Union County Homicide Task Force and the Clark Police Department  issued an arrest warrant in the homicide of Joseph Galfy, Jr., which occurred in Clark, N.J. on May 12, 2013.

The  main suspect in the case was Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, a homeless man who was made famous on the internet as the “Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker”.

McGillvary is also known as Kai Lawrence, Caleb Kai Lawrence and Kai Nicodemus.

Galfy was found inside his home on Starlite Drive on May 13, 2013 after

officers were called to the residence for a welfare check. An autopsy performed the following day determined that Galfy died as a result of blunt force trauma, said Romankow.

Around 6:30 pm tonight, Lawrence was arrested at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Philadelphia, by members of the Philadelphia Police Department.

McGillvary has been charged with the homicide of Joseph Galfy, Jr.   He will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days. His bail was previously set at $3 million and he will be lodged in the Union County Jail in Elizabeth.

“I am grateful for the overwhelming response and dedicated effort by the public and law enforcement that led to this arrest,” said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow. “I believe that everyone is a little safer with this person off the streets.”

Investigators learned earlier in the day, McGillvary had cut his hair in an attempt to alter his appearance, and was  seen at a light rail station in Haddonfield.

The Union County Homicide Task Force worked with local, state, and Federal officials to locate McGillvary.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS–Just in time for Memorial Day, the borough council has approved the hiring of five new full-time police officers.   The five men had all served previously as special police officers to the borough during the summer season and were also employed during the borough’s recovery after Hurricane Sandy.

Lawrence Mayberry, Michael McCurdy, Christopher Linnell, Erik Hershey and Justin Heffernan were all sworn in by borough attorney, Jean Cipriani.

“We got five really good cops, I’m very proud of them.” said Police Chief Thomas Boyd. “These are the types of guys who go out and help people.  They’re the types of guys who go up in the tree and get the cat, not the guys that shoot the cat out of the tree.”

Boyd said each of the officers have proven themselves worthy of becoming full-time police officers through their actions since Hurricane Sandy.  “We’ve been through a lot, we’ve been beaten up, so this is finally some good news,” Boyd said.

Chief Boyd thanked Mayor William Akers and the borough council for allowing him to hire the new officers and for the community support for that decision, “With they allowed me to do, to hire these five good kids, you have no idea what it means to me…and to see the community come together again, it’s great, these men deserve this, they’ve worked for it.” the chief added.   Akers said that since Hurricane Sandy, the five had

Former Seaside Heights Mayor P. Kenneth Hershey, held the bible during the swearing in of his son, Erik.

“I’m so glad to be here tonight,” Mayor Hershey said afterwards as he broke down in tears of joy.   “I’m so happy for my son tonight.”

“I just to thank the mayor and council for giving me this opportunity,” said Officer McCurdy.

Councilman Richard Thompkins said the five new officers had performed well as special officers for the borough.  “They held themselves in such high regards, we never looked at them as class II officers, we always felt as if they were full-time officers,” Mr. Thompkins said.

“I’m so happy we’ve finally been able to appoint these men,” said Councilwoman Agnes Polhemus, “It’s been a long time coming, but they were certainly worth the wait.”

The Medical Examiner’s autopsy, conducted Wednesday (May 15), found the victim’s cause of death to be from multiple blunt force traumas to the head and face.  The manner of death is ruled a Homicide.

Investigators from the Manchester Township Police, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department continue their call for anyone with information to contact the Manchester Township Police at 732-657-6111, the confidential tip line at www.manchesterpolicenj.com or the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027.

On Tuesday, the Jet Star Roller Coaster, the iconic image of Hurricane Sandy in Ocean County, was removed from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.   The entire process took nearly 24 hours, but you can now watch it in just over one minute.

See more pictures from the demolition and Prince Harry’s visit from Ocean County’s ONLY Authentically Local news source, The Ocean Signal & Ocean County Police Blotter:  https://www.facebook.com/OCPoliceBlotter?fref=ts

On May 15, 2013, the Brick Township Police Department released a sketch of a subject who was wanted for questioning in connection to an Armed Robbery and Stabbing which occurred on May 13, 2013 at approximately 10 pm.  The incident took place at 150 Brick Boulevard, Brick, NJ. The subject should be considered armed and dangerous.  Please do not approach.  If you see the subject please contact the Brick Township Police at (732) 262-1100, or your local Police Department.

Anyone with information regarding the armed robbery is asked to contact Det. Robert Shepherd at (732) 262-1112 or Det. Thomas Cooney at (732) 262-4708.