EAST BRUNSWICK • JAMESBURG • MILLTOWN • MONROE • SOUTH RIVER • SPOTSWOOD
WEDNESDAY, JUNe 2, 2021
ebsentinel.com
East Brunswick parents highlight struggles with adult day care programs remaining closed By VASHTI HARRIS Staff Writer
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or numerous parents who have children who have reached adulthood with developmental and/or physical disabilities, adult daycare programs are an essential part of their daily lives. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, all adult day care programs were ordered by the state to close until further notice. Department of Human Services Communications Director Tom Hester said a day habilitation program is typically a facility-based program that provides participants with the education and training to acquire the skills and experience needed to participate in the community. Services are provided during daytime hours and are tailored to meet the individual needs of the participant. Hester said the health and safety
of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is paramount, and all decisions regarding closure and reopening of congregate day programs are guided by data and improvements in public health. Resident Thomas Cregge said his son has autism, severe cerebral palsy, reflux disorder, and can see but is classified as legally blind. In June 2020, Cregge said his son officially graduated from the Children’s Center of Monmouth County, but like most students never had a graduation ceremony. Cregge said his son was enrolled in an adult day care program in Piscataway as of February 2020; however, he still has not returned back since the start of the pandemic. “We never had a chance to see him in the program because it closed in March 2020 shortly after being (Continued on page 10)
Area police officers nominated for special Valor Awards
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MONROE TOWNSHIP
Monroe Township Mayor Stephen Dalina threw out the ceremonial first pitch as baseball and softball season goes into full swing in Monroe.
olice officers from East Brunswick and Monroe are being lauded for their efforts to save
lives. East Brunswick Police Chief Frank LoSacco nominated two police officers for the N.J. State Association of Chiefs of Police’s prestigious Valor Award for preventing a distraught man from attempting suicide. LoSacco credited Officers Robert Thuring and Ryan Hensperger with stopping a 28-year-old man from jumping off a Route 18 overpass onto the busy New Jersey Turnpike on June 21, 2020. Thuring and Hensperger are among 33 nominees from nine police departments in line for this
year’s Valor Award to be presented at the 109th NJSACOP’s Annual Conference & Police Security Expo Aug. 23–26 in Atlantic City, according to information provided by Jaffe Communications. LoSacco said the two officers grabbed and struggled with the agitated man, noting “they could have easily been pulled over the overpass railing and also fallen 50 feet onto Turnpike traffic below,” according to the statement. He described their actions as “quick, decisive” and “clearly reflective of their dedication to duty,” according to the statement. Thuring is an eight-year veteran of the department who began his law (Continued on page 16)