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FR EE

July 31 - August 6, 2021

Referendum for LRHSD Now Projected to Result in No Tax Increase After $67M Project Qualifies for Larger Amount of Aid

‘HEROIC EFFORTS’

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

Photo By David Hernandez

Pictured from left to right are Lt. Robert Dovi (Medford Fire and EMS), Deputy Chief Robert Watson III (Medford Fire and EMS), Deputy Chief Adam Ruder (Medford Lakes Fire), and Captain Julian Vallery (Medford Lakes Fire).

Firefighters Honored for Staying the Course, Despite ‘Great Personal Risk,’ and Rescuing Trapped, Disabled Woman from Group Home Conflagration, with Chief Declaring Victim ‘Would Have Perished’ If Not for Their Actions

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Two firefighters from the Medford Township Department of Fire and EMS have been bestowed the “Medal of Valor” for their “bravery” and heroic actions when they entered a group home back in May “under extreme fire conditions,” and rather than retreating upon receiving an order to evacuate due to a partial collapse, instead, “under great

personal risk,” made a successful “lastditch” attempt at rescuing a trapped, wheelchair-bound woman, unable to exit on her own accord, and who fell unconscious from the conflagration.

Two other fi refig hters, from the Medford Lakes Fire Department, who played a pivotal role in supporting the rescue operation and helping to transport the victim to safety, were awarded the “Lifesaving Award” for their heroism as well.

All four firefighters, honored by Medford Township Council earlier this month for their efforts, also happen to be commanding officers for their respective agencies.

Group home staff, and local police officers, according to Medford Township Fire Chief Thomas Thorn, were able to rescue three of the dwelling’s four residents at around 2:30 a.m. on May 24, despite See FIREFIGHTERS/ Page 6

SHAMONG—The Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) received “really, really good news” from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) last week, according to Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm, that the state will cover one-third of the total cost of projects that comprise an upcoming bond referendum that voters in the district’s eight sending towns will be asked to decide in November.

The projects qualifying “for more state aid than originally projected,” the superintendent said, has now resulted in “projections of zero tax impact for all of our LRHSD communities.”

“Make sure you all spread the word,” said Barry J. Fitzgerald, president of the LRHSD Board of Education, during the public body’s July 21 meeting, in response to the announcement made by the superintendent.

“Get it out there and get it out there loud!”

Up until the NJDOE’s review and certification of the LRHSD’s bond proposal, Birnbohm said, the district had been anticipating a tax impact between $7 and $13 a year, per household.

“We were using the phrase ‘near-zero tax impact,’” she said of how the upcoming referendum was initially being promoted to the public. “We were being conservative in our approach because we were estimating that the state would cover (only) about 25 percent of the total project. Well, the state Department of Education completed its review and verified that our projects qualify for more state aid than originally projected.

In fact, the state will now cover one-third of the entire cost of our entire project in the See REFERENDUM/ Page 9

INDEX Business Directory... 10

Marketplace................... 9

Local News................. 2

Worship Guide............ 4

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Saturday, July 31, 2021

Pemberton to Bypass Civil Service List on Occasion in Hiring New Police Officers to Increase Diversity Local Officials Contend Use of New, Alternate Process Will Allow Town to Directly Hire Already Trained Cops Versus Having to Always Send Recruits to the Academy

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON —T h e Tow n sh ip of Pemberton, a civil service jurisdiction, according to Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel, will no longer hire police officers just through a civil service list, but will now also take advantage of a new exemption provided by the state Legislature enabling the municipality to hire cops who have simply completed a state-approved training course in law enforcement.

Essentially, this means the township has the option hire police officers directly from the academy, or another law enforcement agency.

Sparking concern, however, amongst some residents is that any direct-hire officer will not be subjected to taking a civil service test, as Hornickel pointed out during recent Pemberton Township Council deliberations on an ordinance allowing the municipality to partake in the “alternate process.”

Despite the concerns, the ordinance passed 3- 0, w ith Cou nci l man Jason Allen abstaining due to his employment with the state Attorney General’s Office, representing a possible conflict of interest, and Councilman Donovan Gardner absent during its second reading and public hearing.

Council President Gaye Burton noted that the alternate process would be utilized on a “case-by-case basis.”

Hornickel explained that the state’s Civil Service Commission currently only offers the civil service test for police officers every two years, and that a “ton of people” just leave the area by the time they complete the examination.

“We never can get to them because of timing of test,” the business administrator contended.

He said it was earlier this year when the state Legislature passed a law to “modify the hiring process for police officers in a civil service jurisdiction” after hearing from such municipalities about “the problems with diversifying their police forces with women and minorities because of the civil service examinations,” or “where you get what you get.”

In further expanding on that latter remark, Mayor David Patriarca, a former township police officer, noted that when hiring police officers off a civil service list, “you have to hire somebody within three eligible people on the list,” with Hornickel adding that a disabled veteran “has automatic hiring preference” over a non-veteran.

“Sometimes we have gone through the list and may be forced to hire somebody who we don’t feel is the best fit,” Patriarca said.

“But somebody else who is trained may be a better fit.”

Hornickel added that the township has sometimes been unable to reach people who can “improve the diversity of the force” because of how they rank on the civil service list due to not being “good test takers.”

“If we find a candidate who has gone through the police training academy, and has a certification as a police officer, we can hire them directly,” said Hornickel of the alternate process, noting that the municipality is still obliged to give preference to hiring qualified residents as cops through a local ordinance. “… This will enable us to expand diversity of our workforce by being able to directly hire police officers.”

Re s i d e nt S a n d r a A r m s t r o n g , i n response, asked, “Why are we lessening the requirements?”, while resident James Boland declared that he has “gotten the impression if someone doesn’t really like taking written tests, but maybe they are good at other things, this ordinance suits

them best.”

“It makes me think of the stereotypical officer who does not like paperwork but likes action,” Boland added. “I think an officer should be able to do paperwork, read and write, and be comfortable with taking a written test, rather than bypassing the civil service test.”

Hornickel, in disputing the need to be reliant on the civil service process, pointed out that currently a disabled or non-disabled veteran could score a 75 or 80 on the civil service test, while a non-veteran could score a 99, but the former individuals would have to be hired before the high scorer due to the veteran preference requirement.

“We can’t reach people who we know would be good police officers because of the line ahead of them,” he said.

Patriarca pointed out that the alternate process will potentially result in a cost savings to the municipality as the township “can now hire individuals who just went through the course” (either on their own accord or who were sponsored by another department) rather than having to “send someone to a certified training facility” after completing the civil service process.

“Somebody who is (already) trained may be a better fit,” the mayor maintained.

“This gives the department more options, quicker options. Sometimes we are waiting for longtime to get the civil service list to hire off of, and this (alternate process) allows the department to have more flexibility.”

Boland, however, countered that the “officers who are here now were able to pass it (the civil service test),” asking, “Why can’t officers coming in from behind them pass it?” He contended that the “best” officers are those who pass the course and test, adding “everyone should have a chance” and “may the best candidate win.”

“Imagine the relaxing of rules for getting a driver’s license,” said Boland of a scenario in which the written driving test in addition to the physical driving test would no longer required. “Let’s just hand them a license, instead, but I don’t think that we want that.”

Boland offered another hypothetical comparison, asking, “What if we loosen the restrictions for a surgeon?” and “Would we want somebody operating who did not go through the same things that others before them did?”

Michelle Forman, another resident, in agreeing with Boland that an officer should have to pass the civil service test, pointed out that you still “have to pass the bar exam to become a lawyer.” She added that she felt it was being insinuated that “minorities can’t pass the civil service test,” and that her five children, including four who are biracial, are “all incredibly smart.”

Patriarca countered that the police officers who are hired outside of the civil service process are sent through the “same certified police training commission, police academy” and that “it is nothing less.”

“It is just a different process in getting there,” the mayor maintained. “We would (otherwise) have to go through a list and send someone to the academy. In this case, we can hire somebody who has already been through the academy.”

Hornickel asserted the civil service list could have “all men on it,” who score A grades, but meanwhile, there could be a woman candidate out there “who already has a certification” and “can be patrolling our neighborhoods” after some on-the-job See DIVERSITY/ Page 11

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Saturday, July 31, 2021

Mayor Breaks Council Tie Vote, Resulting in Prohibition for All Classes of Cannabis Entities in Pemboro, For Now Some Council Members Continue to Express Interest in Revisiting Matter ‘As Soon as Possible’ for Revenue

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

P E M B E RT O N B O RO U G H — A n ordinance prohibiting the operation of any class of cannabis businesses within the Borough of Pemberton (except for delivery, which a municipality cannot outlaw), was narrowly passed during a July 19 meeting of Pemberton Borough Council.

Passage of the prohibition occurred after Mayor Harold Griffin broke a tie, 3-3 council vote, with him declaring that he would vote “yes” for the ban “every time” he has an opportunity to do so.

“As some of you know, I was a high school guidance counselor for 25 years, and I guess I have a bad taste in my mouth, and in my heart as well, for any use of what I have always considered a drug,” said Griffin in explaining his vote. “I saw what it (marijuana) did to the young people I counseled in high school.”

The mayor added that a “certain amount of folks” would come to him with “this problem,” and that “in my opinion – and this my opinion only – I think marijuana is a gateway to other drugs, heroin especially.”

Voting in favor of the prohibition was Councilmen Robert Brock, Terry Jerome and Robert “Bob” Briggs.

Council President Bonnie Haines, along with Councilmen Steve Fenster and George Ward, opposed the prohibition.

“My concern is if we vote this down, and let’s say somebody buys a building just outside town, and opens marijuana dispensary right there, we are going to lose out on the revenue,”

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Fenster said. “We will get zero revenue.”

The council for Pemberton Township, which surrounds the borough on all sides, just narrowly voted down last month, 3-2, a proposed ordinance that would have prohibited all classes of cannabis businesses.

The township council is now scrambling to pass a zoning law setting standards for such operations in at least certain areas of the municipality prior to an Aug. 21 deadline.

“Somebody can buy marijuana 100 feet outside town, then walk through town smoking a joint, and we will get zero revenue,” Fenster maintained. “Whereas, if we do not pass this ordinance, we can potentially have someone open a business in town, put a tax on it and it is two percent.”

Municipalities can enact by ordinance a local cannabis tax that cannot exceed 2 percent for cannabis cultivator, manufacturer, and/or retailer businesses; and 1 percent for cannabis wholesalers, according to the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

“The tax percentage is based on the receipts for each sale and is paid directly to the municipality in the manner prescribed by the municipality,” the league states in a handout pertaining to the state cannabis legislation, signed into law in February by Governor Phil Murphy.

Haines, prior to the borough vote, along with Fenster and resident Diane Fanucci, asked several questions of Borough Solicitor David Serlin about whether the municipality would be locked into a decision by passing the ordinance on July 19.

See VOTE/ Page 11

♦ Page 3

Farm Stands in Medford May Soon Be Permitted to Sell Produce That’s from Beyond Their Location Council Also Acts to Ease Off-Street Parking Constraints on Businesses in Downtown District of Medford Village

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—After legalizing farm stands last year in Medford Township (although they had been seemingly tolerated by officials in town for decades), but requiring that “100 percent of all goods sold at a farm stand” must come from the farm management unit, or from the parcel they sit on, Medford Township Council, according to Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson, has come to the realization that “even most farms don’t sell 100 percent of what they grow on their property.”

Therefore, he said, council intends to amend the farm stand ordinance it passed in October of last year to “expand” what can be sold at one to “products from New Jersey and any surrounding state,” though Township Solicitor Timothy Prime noted that “the ordinance is for fruits, vegetables and produce only.”

Prime contended that the current provision that only allows “farm stands to sell produce, vegetables, or any item grown on the property” of one has “become burdensome to some of the farm stands in town.”

“Somebody might not grow blueberries on their farm, but certainly blueberries are a South Jersey product and may be sold at a farm stand here,” he said of the reason for the change. “… The idea is to relax the requirement a little to allow these.”

A draft ordinance amending the farm stand ordinance to relax the requirement was introduced on July 20, with a second reading and public hearing scheduled for Aug. 3.

Ahead of the second reading, Watson visited Brianna’s Farm Stand, on County

Route 541, part of the Carns Family Farm.

“He is the first mayor, in the 80 years since we’ve been here, to ever stop by the farm,” contended Brian Carns in a Facebook posting announcing the mayor’s visit. “We had such a genuine and down-to-earth conversation.

Thanks Chuck, this means the world to us.

Long live the Carns Family Farm.”

The farm stand measure comes on the heels of council relaxing firewood/wood stand requirements. The Carns, last year, had clashed with the mayor over the original requirements.

Originally, like farm stands, firewood stands too had been banned in town (though there were also some tolerated by officials for decades). But last October, under a newly passed tree ordinance, farm stands were legalized on farms of 5-acres or more and farmland assessed, but it was tied to another provision in the law that “any tree may be removed as part of the operation of an agricultural or horticultural use on (a) property,” or, in other words, any firewood for sale had to be harvested on the property where a wood stand was established.

Last month, however, the tree ordinance was amended by council to state that wood stands can now “sell wood either harvested from property in Medford Township or har vested from any property in a municipality that abuts Medford Township, provided that no wood shall be sold that is harvested from any area or location that is prohibited by any emergency or permanent regulation of any state or federal agency having jurisdiction.” The amended tree ordinance also See FARM/ Page 8

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Saturday, July 31, 2021

Two With Plans to Open Cannabis Distribution Company in Southampton Urge Committee to Allow Their Business Governing Body, at Least for Now, Votes 4-1 to Prohibit All Cannabis Businesses, Citing Need to See Regulations

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—Two men in the process of trying to apply for a cannabis license from the State of New Jersey to start a cannabis distribution business in Southampton Township (the actual legal business entity has already been formed), one whom already has a produce logistics and transport business in the municipality and indicated that it would augment that, asked the Southampton Township Committee on July 20 to carve out an exception to a prohibition on all cannabis businesses it was deciding that evening, so that cannabis distribution firms could operate in town.

The two men also asked for a letter of support from the governing body as they make application to the state, contending it would “help their chances tremendously” with obtaining a license.

But the Southampton committee, in a 4-1 vote, ultimately decided, for now, to prohibit all forms of cannabis businesses in Southampton, with Mayor Michael Mikulski contending it is awaiting regulations from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission.

The governing body was also non-committal on whether it would provide such a letter.

Municipalities, under state legislation signed into law in February by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, have until Aug. 21 to prohibit all or some of six classes of licensed cannabis businesses in their respective town.

After that date passes, a municipality, under the legislation, can’t prohibit cannabis businesses for a period of five years (though they can allow them during the waiting period), and those businesses established during the waiting period are grandfathered from future local provisions.

If a municipality does not take any action

by Aug. 21, due to a sunset provision in the cannabis legislation, all classes of cannabis businesses are then allowed in that respective town, subject to only state restrictions.

However, the state regulations are also due for release on Aug. 21.

The competing deadlines have put mun icipal ities statew ide i n a rather difficult predicament. That is because the commission regulations would serve as a basis for any local provisions, and municipal ordinances cannot just be passed the next day, but rather have to be approved over a several week period, allowing for both a first and second reading and appropriate advertising. And, depending on municipal structure, such laws also must be OK’d by the local planning and/or zoning board.

“One of the reasons I am saying ‘no’ (to

cannabis businesses) is, in part, not all of the regulations have come out, and therefore, it is a little hard to know what we might allow before we know what restriction can or can’t be put on it,” declared Mikulski during the We are back to July 20 township committee meeting.

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Du r i ng a pre c e d i ng Southa mpton Sundays at committee meeting, in June, the mayor said 9:30 am in the that if “somebody comes (to the township) Family Life Center with a plan or proposed plan, the township 18 Mill St. committee can then make a determination” Visit Vincentown, NJ 08088 whether to allow the cannabis business, medfordumc.org for follow us on and if it does, identify “where” it could Worship: Sundays 10 a.m. more details. facebook.com/MedfordUMC be established or “how” it can operate, 609-859-2299 including the permissible proximity to township schools “and any of those things.”

“By acting now, we reserve the right to change our mind at any time,” noted 2 Hartford Road | Medford NJ 08055 medfordumc.org | 609/654-8111 Mikulski in June. “If we don’t act (by Aug. info@medfordumc.org 21), we can’t change our mind for five years.

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• Class 1 Cannabis Grower License: Sunday Worship Se ervice for facilities involved in growing and at 11:30 a.m. cultivating cannabis; Pastors Florence and Russell Webberr • Class 2 Cannabis Processor License: for 50 Burrs Mill Roadd, facilities involved in the manufacturing, Southampton, NJ 08088 preparation, and packaging of cannabis 609 - 847- 4848 items; www.iamthatiamministriesinnc.com • Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler License: for facilities involved in obtaining and Bible Sttudy selling cannabis items for later resale m.

7 p.m by other licensees; Wednessday • Class 4 Cannabis Distributor License: for businesses involved in transporting cannabis items in bulk intrastate, from one licensed cannabis establishment to another; • Class 5 Cannabis Retailer License: for locations at which cannabis items and paraphernalia are sold to consumers; PEMBERTON—Two men have been An investigation revealed that the officer and indicted for shooting at a Pemberton was parked along Lemmon Avenue on Sept.

• Class 6 Cannabis Delivery License: for Township police officer’s patrol car seven 24, 2014, when a bullet fired in his direction businesses providing courier services years ago in the Sunbury Village section struck the roof of the marked patrol vehicle, for a licensed cannabis retailer. of Pemberton Township, according to approximately 6 inches above the officer’s head.

Brandon Robinson told the Southampton Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.

At the time of their indictment on July 16, committee during its July 20 meeting that Tayron Brown, 24, of Trenton, was he intends to start a “Class 4 distribution both defendants were already incarcerated for indicted on charges of first-degree attempted company for cannabis” (identified on a unrelated offenses, Brown in state prison, and murder and conspiracy to commit murder, meeting agenda as Greenworld Transport, Carter in Burlington County Jail, and were second-degree unlawful possession of a LLC) and “my company is a little different scheduled to be arraigned in the near future. weapon and possession of a weapon for than a typical cannabis company.”

Brown and Carter were initially charged an unlawful purpose and third-degree “My experience with cannabis is that most in September 2019, but their indictment was aggravated assault. townships are against the retail operations, delayed because grand juries could not be Brown’s co-defendant, Kavon Carter, 23, and the cultivation operations, because of convened during the Coronavirus pandemic. of Pemberton Township, was indicted on the things going on with them,” he said.

The investigation was conducted by the charges of seconddegree possession of a “In our case, we are a Class 4 distribution Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and weapon for an unlawful purpose and thirdSee CANNABIS/ Page 8 degree aggravated assault. the Pemberton Township Police Department.

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Two Indicted for Firing Shot at Patrol Car That Just Missed Pemberton Twp. Officer

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Washington Body Supports ‘Second Amendment Rights’; Bans Cannabis Businesses and Discusses Gypsy Moths

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WASHINGTON—The governing body of Washington Township has formally declared its support “of our Second Amendment rights.”

The declaration, in the form of a resolution, passed 3-0 during the Washington Township Committee’s July 6 meeting.

“We had some residents approach me about Second Amendment rights,” explained Mayor Daniel James of the reason such a resolution appeared on the township committee’s agenda and was acted upon. “It is a constitutional right. We don’t pick and choose our constitutional rights. We support all our constitutional rights.”

James added that “some politicians,” however, “don’t” support all constitutional rights and that was the other impetus for the resolution.

While James left it at that in his public remarks, the resolution maintains that “certain legislation” has been introduced by the state Legislature which “could have the effect of infringing on law abiding citizens’ rights to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”

The Fourteenth Amendment, it adds, states “‘no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the U.S.; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protections of the law.’”

It is also pointed out in the resolution that the Constitution is the “supreme law of the land.”

“We are supporting the Second Amendment rights of citizens of Washington,” James contended.

The governing body, during the same meeting, voted 3-0 to disallow all classes of cannabis businesses in Washington.

Municipalities have until Aug. 21 to opt-in or out of a state cannabis business licensing program established through legislation signed into law in February by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy (the legislation also legalized recreational marijuana for those 21 years of age or older). Towns can opt-in at any time, but cannot opt-out for a period of five years.

Towns that do not act by that date are automatically opted-in to the licensing program, and any cannabis businesses that open in them would be subject to only state restrictions.

Ja me s h a d prev iou sly a n nou nc e d the results of a survey that Washington conducted, asking residents by mail if they were for or against allowing cannabis

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businesses to operate in the municipality.

“15 people said ‘yes,’ 41 or 42 said ‘no,’ and either 3 or 4 filled out, ‘They don’t care,’” said James during a May 4 Washington committee meeting. “So, by what the survey says, the township doesn’t want licenses issued for various items for marijuana.

Therefore, we had Mr. (Solicitor Tom) Coleman create an ordinance letting the governor know that we don’t want those businesses authorized in our township.”

The mayor noted at the time that the “ordinance is good for five years,” and that if “something should change,” the Washington committee “can change it at that time.”

Resident Ron Hill, attending the July 6 meeting, “commended” the governing body for outlawing all classes of cannabis businesses.

“Anyone who thinks 12-year-olds or 16-year-olds are not going to get their hands on it is living in another world,” Hill declared.

Washington, like neighboring Woodland Township, was hit very hard by an outbreak of gypsy moths during May and June. This newspaper observed miles worth of trees along both County Routes 563 and 542, in Washington, practically leafless at the start of July (though some regeneration has since begun to occur).

Hill, who lives on Bulltown Road, described to the governing body that the gypsy moths had “decimated” a “very historic white oak tree” on that road that “goes back to when there was the historic manor,” though he was somewhat optimistic it would survive after observing some regeneration prior to the July township committee meeting.

The resident told the committee that it “needs to spray” next year as “there are just too many,” contending he observed “many millions of eggs on Bulltown Road.”

Ja me s mai nt ai ne d that he was i n contact with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, who has since confirmed, “we got beat up pretty good.” He said Washington is “number two on the list” for further action from the state and “we are doing what we can.”

James added that the individual he was in communication with had been working with the department’s gypsy moth program for 20 years and said it is “too late to do anything now,” but that come spring of next year, there are things that can be done.

“We will get them as soon as it is spring (next year),” James vowed.

The mayor noted that it seems as though Washington “gets hit in cycles” by gypsy moths, recalling outbreaks in 2008 and 2014.

Hill recalled an outbreak around 1980, but noted that this year was the first time the historic oak tree “got wiped out.”

♦ Page 5

Small Bridge That Connects Southampton to Pemberton Closed Due to Damage, Deterioration; Will Be Replaced

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A damaged railing for a small bridge on the border of Southampton and Pemberton townships.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—A small bridge on Burrs Mill Road that connects Southampton Township to Pemberton Township, over Jade Run, has been closed until it can be replaced due to damage and deterioration, according to Burlington County Spokesman David Levinsky.

The Burlington County Engineer’s Office received a notification on June 14, he said, that the bridge’s railing had “sustained damage due to vehicle impact on the west side of the bridge.”

“Staff inspected the bridge (on June 14) and found the bridge railing damaged, but also found deterioration to the timber piles and substructure,” Levinsky told this newspaper on July 27. “The bridge was closed that day to all vehicular traffic.”

This newspaper observed that the bridge

was still heavily barricaded and closed on July 28, and that repair work had not yet begun.

“The county intends to construct a new bridge, but we need to obtain additional right-of-way at the project site, coordinate for the temporary relocation of aerial utilities, including electric, purchase materials, obtain necessary environmental approval and have a new timber bridge deck and railing system fabricated,” Levinsky said. “We do not have an anticipated date to start work at the site but hope to begin later this year.”

Levinsky added that it is anticipated construction will cost approximately $1 million.

The current bridge, he noted, was built in 1932 and is a “single span timber stringer bridge” with timber deck planks and is supported on timber piles.

Member Drive Scheduled for Woodland Fire and EMS, But Officials Mum on Actual Status of Volunteer Entity

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WOODLAND—The Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS Company is scheduled to hold a member drive on July 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a posting on the Woodland Township municipal website, and an announcement from Deputy Mayor Mark Herndon during the Woodland Township Committee’s regular July 28 meeting.

The current operating status of the Woodland company, however, could not be immediately ascertained by this newspaper.

After residents were sent an emergency notification on July 5 that “Tabernacle Fire & EMS will be covering Woodland Township temporarily,” and it was told to this newspaper by local officials that “all”

or a “majority or all” of the members of the Woodland company resigned sometime during the Fourth of July weekend, including Chief Shawn Viscardi, a special meeting of the Woodland committee was called to order on July 9 to discuss Station 291 (the call numbers for the Woodland company).

Both Viscardi and the governing body then emerged from that special meeting with Township Solicitor William Burns remarking to the public that “the committee and the Woodland Township Volunteer Fire and First Aid Squad are in discussions to provide the very best of emergency services to the town, and those discussions about how that service will be provided will continue; and about how that service will be improved See DRIVE/ Page 7

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Photo By David Hernandez

Medford Township Fire Chief Thomas Thorn reveals a photograph taken from the scene by David Hernandez of the moment the victim was carried out from the burning home through an exterior window.

FIREFIGHTERS (Continued from Page 1)

“heavy fire conditions visible from the rear of the dwelling and across the roofline of the structure,” located in the 100 block of Hickory Lane in Medford.

But as they attempted to search “several times” for the fourth victim, Thorn said, the “heavy smoke and heat conditions within the dwelling” forced them to retreat each time.

That’s when Deputy Ch ief Rober t Watson III, who commands the township department’s Station 251, “donned his PPE” and entered the home in an attempt to locate the trapped victim, Thorn said, “alone,” and “without the protection of a hose line.”

“Deputy Chief Watson entered the dwelling and made several attempts to locate the occupant, however, he was unable to do so under extreme fire conditions within the dwelling,” Thorn said. “At the time, the fastmoving fire had begun to consume the rear of that structure and also the entire attic of the dwelling.”

As the flames grew more intense and Watson’s search grew more desperate, Lt. Robert Dovi, part of the township department administration, and also the emergency management coordinator for Medford Township, entered the dwelling to assist Watson.

“Together they made several more attempts to locate the victim,” Thorn said.

“Due to the heavy fire conditions, and partial collapse of the roof area, however, crews were ordered out of the building by command.”

The inferno had also “already collapsed

the rear of the dwelling” by that point in time, according to a press release issued by the township about the “heroic efforts” of the firefighters.

“In a last-ditch effort, Lt. Dovi removed a window on the side of the structure, in the only remaining tenable space in the dwelling, at which time the victim was located inside the room,” said Thorn during the awards presentation.

Dovi, “despite heavy fire conditions above, with the assistance of Watson, then “entered the room through the window and located the victim,” according to the township fire chief.

“The v icti m was unconscious and unresponsive,” Thorn said. “Lt. Dovi moved the victim to the window where he was assisted by Deputy Chief Watson, Deputy Chief Adam Ruder (of the Medford Lakes Fire Department), and Captain Julian Vallery (also of the Medford Lakes Fire Department). They removed the victim to the window to the outside (of the home).

The victim was then carried to the front of the residence where she was turned over to emergency medical services.”

It was noted that Dovi, “needing to act quickly” to rescue the victim, “used the bedsheet that the victim was already on as a tool.”

“Due to her disability, she was unable to evacuate the residence on her own and surely would have perished if not for the actions of these members,” Thorn maintained. “These members are credited with saving the life of the victim.”

He commended both Dovi and Watson for their “bravery and valor” in awarding them the Medal of Valor for entering the structure “under extreme conditions and

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great personal risk.”

“Your heroic actions saved the life of an individual unable to self-extricate,” emphasized Thorn in awarding them with the medal.

Ruder and Vallery, Thorn added, in giving them the “Lifesaving Award,” demonstrated their “service to community” and “exemplified commitment, honor and duty.”

The trapped resident, according to the press release, was rescued from the home by the firefighters utilizing a tactic known as, “Vent- Enter-Search.”

Dovi later explained to this newspaper that the technique is one where firefighters either create openings or break windows to “gain access from an exterior position to carry out a primary search in a high-risk area of the structure without the protection of a hose line and typically away from the initial area of fire attack.”

“This technique is used by firefighters to rapidly locate and remove victims,” he added. “We vent a door or window by removing all the glass and the frame. We then enter the space, and search the room, and if we locate an open door, we will close it to ensure that the space remains isolated from heat and smoke. If we locate a victim, we will then remove the victim to the window or door. We then will pass the victim out to other firefighters, and we will exit the space.

“In this case, as soon as we entered the window, we tried to get to the bedroom door

to close it and the ceiling in the hallway collapsed. We also had fire entering the space from the attic. An immediate decision was made to remove the victim out of the window on the bed sheet.”

When asked by this newspaper what gave him the motivation to give it one last try to attempt to locate and rescue the victim, Dovi replied that, “when Deputy Chief Watson and I vented the window, we made the determination that there was a possibility that someone could be located in the room” and “then observed the victim on the bed, and entered the room via the window.”

And in response to being asked if he had even given it a second thought to go in that room, Dovi contended, “No this is what we all train to do.”

“Any other Medford or Medford Lakes firefighter would have effected the rescue if they were in the same position to do so,” Dovi maintained.

Thorn, during the presentation, noted the woman was transferred to Jefferson Burn Center (part of Jefferson University Hospital), in Philadelphia, “where she is recovering.”

“The victim is expected to recover, and all involved are to be credited and honored for their selflessness, perseverance, and dedication to duty for refusing to give up in order to save her life, along with the group home staff and other residents,” the press release concluded.

Photo By David Hernandez

Another view of the conflagration at a group home in Medford on May 24.

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DRIVE

(Continued from Page 5) will continue.”

The deputy mayor, at the time, noted plans were in the works to hold a member drive, while Viscardi made remarks indicating that mutual aid would continue. Viscardi also identified himself as “Woodland Fire” upon announcing his return to the public session that day, as if indicating he was still an active member of the Woodland company.

Viscardi stated in October 2019 that “five to six actual members are left of local volunteers.” This newspaper learned on July 13 through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request that three members in total, including Viscardi, had submitted written resignations to the township on July 4.

The announcement this week with the date of the member drive was the first update connected to the matter since the July 9 special meeting.

The Woodland committee, according to a 6 p.m. July 28 workshop meeting agenda that had been posted on the township website on July 27, was scheduled to enter into an executive session during the workshop to discuss Station 291.

But just hours before that planned closed session, this newspaper was sent a special meeting notice. It stated that Station 291 was to be discussed during a special Woodland committee meeting scheduled for Aug. 4 at 10 a.m.

The status of the Woodland company did not come up during the Woodland committee’s July 28 workshop meeting, nor did the governing body enter closed session.

During the governing body’s regular meeting on July 28, in addition to the member drive announcement, Mayor William “Billy” DeGroff announced that he and Brown were planning to meet with Democratic

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-3) and would be asking for his help in securing federal aid to the fire company since it did not get a grant to cover the cost of a new tanker truck, despite several tries. But the regular meeting discussion of the fire company was limited to that.

Also, during the committee’s regular July 28 meeting, Brown included Viscardi, as “fire chief,” in a roll call of officials, but he was absent. DeGroff, during the reports portion of the meeting, asked Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown if Viscardi had submitted a report, to which she replied that he did not. It was also noted on the committee’s regular meeting agenda that the “chief” did not submit a report.

Viscardi’s numerous committee meeting absences this year have, in part, fueled the controversy surrounding the fire company.

Nancy Valentino, an attorney for the fire company/Viscardi, pointed out in a recent interview with this newspaper that the chief is a volunteer, not a paid employee. Among the reasons cited by Burns for the Woodland committee needing to enter closed session on July 9 was to “discuss matters involving the purchase, lease or acquisition of real property with public funds, or an investment of public funds.”

Du r i ng a Southampton Tow nsh ip Committee meeting on July 20, a representative of Hampton Lakes Emergency Squad (a Southampton-based EMS provider that neighbors the Woodland company’s service area), in giving a monthly report to that governing body, noted that mutual aid calls it was responding to this summer “continued to remain pretty high,” but had “shifted over to Woodland” because of some “turmoil that has hit over there.”

The member drive will be held at the Woodland company’s Chatsworth firehouse, and it is advertised that free hot dogs, hamburgers and waters will be offered to those interested in signing up and “helping the town.”

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Suspect in Robbery of Medford Citizens Bank Branch Is Spotted and Arrested by Evesham Township Police MEDFORD—A well-coordinated effort between area police departments resulted in the quick apprehension of a suspect in the robbery of a branch of Citizens Bank in the Acme Market on Route 70 in Medford Township on the afternoon of July 22.

Christian LeBlanc, 47, whose last known address was Norristown, Pennsylvania, but is “currently homeless,” was charged with robbery, terroristic threats, and theft in Medford Township after he and his vehicle were recognized in neighboring Evesham Township, according to Lt. Robert Zane, Criminal Investigations Bureau commander of the Medford Township Police Department.

The lieutenant noted that Evesham Township police officers arrested him on Plymouth Drive there following “a brief encounter.”

When Medford Township detectives interviewed LeBlanc, he admitted to other bank robberies in Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties, Zane said.

The suspect, who was also wanted by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office for robbery, as well as being the subject of federal warrants for escape and parole violations, was then committed to Burlington County Jail pending a court appearance.

All proceeds from the bank robbery were immediately recovered, Zane said.

An employee of the Citizens Bank branch

told the Pine Barrens Tribune that no bank patrons were in the branch at the time the robbery occurred, although customers were shopping nearby in the Acme. The employee said the robber had shown the teller a note demanding cash and implying he had a weapon, then left after the teller complied.

Zane corroborated that account, adding that the robber never actually brandished a weapon, and that the suspect didn’t have one when arrested.

“We responded, secured the scene, and from information we had received several days prior from robberies that had occurred in Atlantic and Camden counties, we were able to show the bank employees photos of the suspect,” whom they identified, Zane said, noting that LeBlanc had just been released from federal prison for previous bank robberies in Pennsylvania.

That information, he said, was then put out to neighboring jurisdictions, resulting in LeBlanc’s being observed and apprehended in Evesham.

“The Medford Township Police would like to thank the Evesham Township Police Department, Camden County Prosecutors Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Newark Field Office for their assistance with this investigation,” Zane added.

Photo Provided

Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson (center) visits Brianna’s Farm Stand, on County Route 541, part of the Carns Family Farm.

FARM

(Continued from Page 3) now allows wood stands at retail commercial establishments or garden centers.

Council, after discussing extensively over the past couple of months its intention to also relax a land development ordinance that had required off-street parking for every new use in the Village of Medford (with the number of required spaces dependent on the use’s industry), acted during its July 6 meeting to now only require that any

restaurant, brewery, or retail shop “meet 50 percent of the requirements.”

“The site parking requirements became onerous for certain uses, especially those that (have patrons) who do not park all day,” Prime said. “Restaurants, breweries, and retail shops have turnover where on-site parking doesn’t seem to be needed as much as for other uses.”

As previously reported by this newspaper, council was taking this action in hopes that in doing so it will both attract new businesses and “bring in new uses” to the township’s downtown district.

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CANNABIS (Continued from Page 4)

company and there will never be cannabis in Southampton. We will have empty trucks at our location, which we already have a logistics firm that has been in place for over 10 years.”

The existing firm is Hoffman Logistics, based in the Red Lion Road Industrial Complex for the past six years, according to its president, Chris Bartleson, who also attended the governing body meeting, explaining it was primarily a transport refr igeration company r ight now for produce. Robinson, it was explained, would be combining his cannabis knowledge with that of Bartleson’s in the logistics and transport industry to establish the cannabis distribution firm.

Robinson contended of the cannabis operation he is planning that “empty trucks” would travel to “an outside location,” such as Newark or Atlantic City, “pick up” cannabis and “deliver it to Point B.” “Then we would br ing those same empty trucks back to Southampton,” he maintained. “There would be no physical cannabis in Southampton Township, although we would be classified as a cannabis company. … There would be no physical cannabis in the vehicles during their time in Southampton.”

Mikulski asked Robinson if he was aware of any regulations that might be placed by the state on cannabis distribution firms, to which the proprietor replied, “as far as I know, so far” the “microbusiness” can’t have more than 10 employees, and he expects to have four trucks operating “in totality.”

“We have to install a rack in our trucks, video surveillance, and have a tracking system to know where the cannabis is at all times,” Robinson said.

Resident Evelyn “Evie” Doherty, in response to hearing the proposal, said she has “concerns” and asked township officials, “How are you going to inspect the trucks to make sure there is no way that anything can come out them, or fall on the roadway?”

She contended that she has already witnessed a number of incidents in town where items have fallen out of trucks.

Another concern, she said, is that the state “always changes the law,” and if it does so after Southampton would adopt any regulations allowing cannabis operations, “How would that impact any ordinance you make?”

“If the law changes, who has precedent?”

Doherty asked. “My concern is all of a sudden they can be in here.”

Mikulski replied that “if the township committee recommends changes in the future” to allow cannabis businesses,

residents can be assured it would come “with explicit limitations” that it would be based on the current regulations “to the extent we can do that.”

“That is also the reason why we didn’t want to pass anything (allowing cannabis businesses) until we know what the regulations are because haven’t seen them,” he said.

The mayor also took the opportunity at that moment to clarify recent public remarks he made about Doherty, contending that it is because of the “good questions” that she asks of the committee as to why he compared her last month to the late White House Correspondent Helen Thomas. He added that he wanted the public to know that he was not “making fun” of the resident in any way.

R e s i d e n t P a t To p h a m t o l d t h e Southampton committee she agreed with Doherty regarding the proposed cannabis trucking company.

“I just th i n k there is not enoug h information out there for us to do it,” she said. “I don’t like it. I am totally against it.”

Although Committeewoman Elizabeth Ros s el l vot e d agai nst the c an nabis prohibition, contending that “she needs more information,” she told Robinson that her concern is that “if we open the gates with you, more and more companies will come into Southampton with that express purpose.”

“What you do for one, you have to do for more,” added Committeeman James F. Young Sr. But Mikulski retorted the “chances of their being more than one in town is probably very low,” with Township Solicitor George Morris agreeing that it would be “pretty unrealistic.”

The mayor, prior to the committee vote, maintained that whether the ordinance “passed or not,” township officials “would be in communication” with Robinson and that “whether it passes or does not pass doesn’t mean it is open or closed (issue).”

“I urge you to look at the financial awards it is going to bring to the state,” said Robinson right before the governing body voted to prohibit all classes of cannabis businesses in Southampton, at least for now.

“I have been in it (the industry) with different folks, in different states. The monetary piece of it is huge. Municipalities can put a two percent tax on cannabis. You are talking about a $13 billion industry. It could be a ton of revenue for the town.”

Mikulski noted that he had questions for Morris before deciding on any letter of support, and that the governing body’s next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 17, in response to Robinson claiming that the state will begin accepting applications for cannabis business licenses on Aug. 21, though the latter acknowledged that he could seek a “conditional permit” contingent on receiving the letter on a later date.

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referendum. That’s huge!”

Birnbohm noted that the actual aid figures were then given to the district’s financial advisors and bond counsel.

“They reviewed the state certification very closely this week and they told us the new tax levy impact that we are able to estimate now is zero,” said the superintendent to applause, with several individuals in the room remarking aloud, “Fantastic!”

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Motorcyclist Killed in Tabernacle Accident TA B E R N AC L E — A 3 0 - y e a r- o l d motorcyclist was fatally injured on July 24 when his Harley Davidson motorcycle failed to negotiate a curve on Powell Place Road, near the intersection with Oak Lane, in Tabernacle Township and struck a metal cable, causing him to be ejected.

The v icti m, Ch r istopher Grant, a Tabernacle resident, was transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden

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where he was subsequently pronounced dead, according to Sgt. Philip Curry, a New Jersey State Police public information officer.

The road was closed for four hours following the accident, he noted, which occurred shortly before 11:30 p.m., with minimal traffic congestion.

Curry added that the crash remains under investigation.

state certification and aid outcome to “our entire team,” including Tony Voiro, director of building and grounds for the LRHSD, and Connie Stewart, district business administrator.

“They have done a tremendous job just really making sure that our projects are in line with what the state considers are good projects,” Birnbohm said. “We now have projections of a zero-tax impact for all of our LRHSD communities. That is really good news to be able to start saying that.”

According to a special webpage the district has established for providing the public with information on the upcoming referendum, “in-depth exploration of our strategic

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planning Community Engagement Sessions provided (for) four areas of improvement.”

They include that “general renovations are needed to improve building exteriors and instructional spaces” and “air conditioning and other HVAC, electrical, and plumbing upgrades would be completed.”

Also included is that “some vocational programs could expand from introductory levels to more robust, job-ready skills attainment” and that the “district’s much-used athletics facilities would benefit from modern LED lighting (a longterm cost saver), as well as additional turf fields and press box creation and/or renovation.”

A bond referendum, the district notes on the special webpage, is a “vote to consider permission to borrow through the sale of bonds.”

“Public school districts can sell bonds to generate funding,” the website adds.

“In that way, bond borrowing is similar to the mortgage a person might use to buy a home and pay back the debt over time with interest. A portion of property taxes for public schools make payments on those bonds, so voter permission is necessary to sell them. In New Jersey, specific state aid is available only to public school districts where voters have approved a referendum.”

Essentially, the district maintains on the special webpage, “a voter-approved bond referendum opens the door to additional

state aid” and “without a voter-approved referendum, this specific kind of state aid would be unavailable, and the district’s budget would have to absorb 100 percent of the costs of renovations and construction.”

“New state aid is especially important for a district like the LRHSD, which has had drastic cuts to its annual state aid through the S-2 funding formula,” the district added.

As for the finite details of the planned upgrades and improvements, it is noted on the special webpage that “the Board of Education is narrowing down the list of needs to stay within its goal of a zero-tax change.”

District Spokesperson Allyson Roberts told this newspaper that the district will post more detailed information, including “extensive FAQs,” on the special webpage next week, and encouraged Tribune readers to visit it.

“We will dial up the volume as we get towards November,” declared Birnbohm during the July 21 board meeting. “Because it is about educating, making sure the public is informed about what are these projects, why these projects are needed, why these projects were developed and decided, and, of course, what every person in the community wants to know, bottom-line, how is it going to impact taxes. It is going to be zero – a $67 million project at no increase to the public.

That is good stuff.”

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(Continued from Page 3) Serlin noted that the borough could opt-in to the cannabis licensing program at any time, and “revisit it,” but can’t opt-out for a period of five years, and that the municipality would have no control over cannabis businesses if it did not act by the Aug. 21 deadline.

“It would probably make sense to work on something then,” said Serlin in response to Fenster airing his concerns about outlawing cannabis businesses, to which Haines responded, “I agree.”

During a prior borough council meeting, Serlin said it was the “consensus of council to investigate marijuana, but the amount of time we have to do it is really insufficient.”

The newly created state Cannabis Regulatory Commission has until Aug. 21 to issue regulations concerning cannabis businesses.

The competing deadlines, however, have put municipalities statewide in a rather

DIVERSITY (Continued from Page 2)

training. He emphasized that when hiring from the civil service list, the individuals “are not ready to go,” requiring 23 weeks of academy training, at a cost of approximately $30,000 per person in “salary and benefits.”

“Your view is to not hire a qualified, trained female officer because she has not passed the civil service test, but passed the training that the police academy requires?”

Hornickel asked Boland.

Patriarca contended “we don’t hire civil service test takers because we want to,” but rather, “we hire them because we have to” and that the civil service process “just hampers the hiring process.”

“It (the civil service process) is actually not good for hiring law enforcement,” the mayor maintained. “The civil service test does not make an officer. … It is the police academy that makes an officer. Questions on the civil service test determine the ranking of that individual from number one on the list to 15,000, depending how many take the test.”

He added that sometimes the township

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difficult predicament. That is because the commission regulations would serve as a basis for any local provisions, and municipal ordinances cannot just be passed the next day, but rather have to be approved over a several week period, allowing for both a first and second reading and appropriate advertising. And, depending on municipal structure, such laws also must be OK’d by the local planning and/or zoning board.

Haines, at the prior council meeting, said that she would support the prohibition “as long as we can revisit it within months after we do this.”

“I am just not in a position to say a blanket ‘no’ if we have an opportunity to generate revenue,” she declared at the time. “… I would like to start an investigation and discussion, however, as to where we can put it, how we have to regulate it and what type of revenue we can generate from it.”

Ward, also at the previous council meeting, expressed similar viewpoints to that of Fenster, contending that “we ought to look into it,” because “they (the residents) will walk through town, go out there, and we’ll lose all the money.” has had to hire candidates ranked “down into the thousands” because those who are higher ranked often take jobs with other police departments, or “get washed out on background investigations.”

“We would rather have number one than a good test taker,” Patriarca maintained. “I have seen good test takers turn out not to be good officers. The test is not the determining factor of what is going to make a good officer. It is their training, experience and the individuals themselves.”

Township Solicitor Andrew “Andy” Bayer added in response to the concerns that “we are talking about hiring candidates (through the alternate process) who have gotten through the academy and fulfilled basic courses for being officers,” and thus, they are “fully-qualified officers,” and “if you think we are not getting qualified candidates, complain to the legislators about it!”

“They (the Legislature) gave us the option, given what has gone on in communities in New Jersey, and across the U.S., with the concept of bringing diversity to the ranks,” Bayer said. “Anything that helps us get more candidates, helps us increase our diversity, and is helping policing and our community.”

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Woman with LEHT Address Faces Multiples Charges, Including DUI, for Killing Firefighter, Injuring Others and State Trooper on Side of Pennsylvania Interstate LITTLE EGG HARBOR—A woman whose address was listed as Little Egg Harbor Township (although unconfirmed reports also have her residing in Pemberton Township) has been charged by Montgomery County, Pennsylvania authorities with multiple criminal offenses, including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, and three counts of aggravated assault with death and injuries sustained by first responders whom her SUV plowed into early in the morning of July 24, killing a Lower Merion Township fireman.

The defendant, identified as Jaquelyn Walker, 63, was held on $500,000 cash bail following the 3 a.m. crash, which occurred on the right shoulder of I-76, where a Pennsylvania State Trooper and three firefighters, including the one who died, Tom Royds, were standing after having responded to a previous collision between two cars.

In describing the nature of the offense, the criminal complaint alleges that the defendant

drove a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee “after imbibing a sufficient amount of alcohol such that rendered her incapable of safely driving, operating or being in actual physical control of the movement of the vehicle,” as well as having “caused the death of another person as a result of a violation of Section 3802 (relating to driving under influence of alcohol or controlled substance)” and possessing an “open alcoholic beverage or consumed controlled substance on a highway.”

It further charges that “the defendant did recklessly or with gross negligence cause the death of another person while engaged in the violation of any law of the Commonwealth or municipal ordinance,” and “operated a vehicle in willful and wanton disregard for safety of persons or property.”

An Associated Press account of the accident said both drivers involved in the earlier crash, which brought out the first responders, had also been charged with driving under the influence.

Tabernacle School Board President Injured in Crash; State Police K-9 Unit Arrests Driver Who Fled on Foot

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—A three-vehicle crash on the afternoon of July 19 that injured Tabernacle Township School Board President Megan Chamberlain resulted in the apprehension of one of the drivers involved after he fled the scene on foot into an adjacent wooded area, according to a New Jersey State Police spokesman.

Chamberlain, 49, who was airlifted to Cooper Medical Center in Camden, was recovering at home, according to fellow school board member Gail Corey, who, when contacted by the Pine Barrens Tribune, said that she and Chamberlain had communicated by text message on July 26 after the latter had missed a meeting.

Chamberlain, Corey said, then revealed she had been in a car accident, and when Corey offered prayers for her quick recovery, replied, “I’ll be on my feet in a few days.”

Corey added that she didn’t know the nature of Chamberlain’s injuries, and this newspaper was unable to query the school board president directly as of press time.

The accident, to which troopers responded shortly before 5 p.m. on July 19, occurred on Route 206, in the area of milepost 17 in Southampton Township, just north of the Tabernacle line, Sgt. Philip Curry, a spokesman for the state police, reported.

The motorist who took flight, Julio Baltazar, 23, of Hammonton, was located with the help of a State Police K-9 Unit and arrested without incident, Curry said. He was subsequently charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that involved serious bodily injury.

According to a resident who lives nearby, in addition to the presence of heavily armed officers and one dog that he observed, there were at least 10 state police cars parked in the vicinity of his home in the aftermath of the accident – so many that upon arriving home from a shopping trip, “it was hard to maneuver,” he said.

While the officers never asked residents to remain indoors and assured them there was nothing to worry about, “we would have liked to have known what was happening,” he added.

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