November 29, 2023
NEW YORK— The unified command composed of the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Monmouth County, New Jersey, continued their response, Wednesday, to reports of tar balls on the beach from Sea Bright, New Jersey, south to Asbury Park, New Jersey.
The Coast Guard has opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and contracted Ken’s Marine, an oil spill removal organization, to conduct shoreline assessments and cleanup operations. Clean-up operations today were focused on the Long Branch and Monmouth Beach areas, where the heaviest concentration of tar balls has been observed. Operations are scheduled to continue through the day tomorrow in the other impacted areas.
Response crews from the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Monmouth County, and the National Park Service completed shoreline assessments. Shoreline assessments were conducted from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to Asbury Park, New Jersey, to locate and document the extent of tar balls present. Focus areas included Gateway National Park at Sandy Hook and the communities of Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Deal, Allenhurst, and Asbury Park, New Jersey.
There are no reports of broader impact to the environment of wildlife at this time. Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City conducted an overflight of the area Tuesday to identify any oil pollution in the water. No oil was observed in the water during the flight.
The source of the tar balls is under investigation.
Assisting agencies include:
– U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York
– U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay
– NOAA
– U.S. National Park Service
– U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
– New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
– Monmouth County Sheriffs Office of Emergency Management
– Monmouth County Health/HAZMAT Department
– Long Branch Office of Emergency Management
Coast Guard Sector New York received initial reports of tar balls ranging in size from approximately 1-2 inches and smaller near Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park on Tuesday and dispatched pollution response personnel to investigate.
Beach goers and mariners are advised to avoid contact with the tar balls. Anyone who notices any tar balls or oil sheen in the area should contact the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
U.S. Coast Guard Photos
November 29, 2023
PRINCETON, NJ (MERCER)—Princeton Police Department reported that on November 29, 2023, at 9:56 a.m., police responded to a motor vehicle crash on Red Hill Road where a vehicle struck and fatally injured pedestrian Meliton Hernandez-Morales, a 61-year-old male from West New York, NJ.
The preliminary investigation indicates that Huimei Qiu, a 53-year-old female driver from Princeton, NJ, reversed a 2011 Lexus GX in a residential driveway. Hernandez-Morales was in the driveway and was struck by the vehicle, pinning him between the vehicle and a detached garage. Hernandez-Morales succumbed to his injuries, while Qiu remained uninjured.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Serious Collision Response Team responded to the scene to assist with the ongoing investigation. Anyone with pertinent information directly related to this collision is asked to contact Ptl. Jonathan Myzie at (609) 921-2100 ext. 1875. The crash’s cause is still under investigation and police say updates will be provided with an additional update.
June 29, 2023
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER) – A Ewing Township man was found guilty by a Mercer County jury for the 2020 death of his girlfriend, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced today.
Aaron Adams, 41, was found guilty of murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
The conviction was the result of an investigation led by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Ewing Police Department. At approximately 6:30 p.m. on June 1, 2020, Ewing police were alerted to a deceased female in a home on Glen Stewart Drive. Upon arrival, they located the victim, identified as Ashley Davis, 32, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, in the basement. There were visible wounds to Ms. Davis’ body and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the execution of a search warrant at the home, two air rifles and a handheld BB gun were located in the same room as the victim’s body. Numerous used bags of suspected heroin with various stamps were also discovered during the search. The victim’s boyfriend, Aaron Adams, resided at the Glen Stewart home, and was charged with a weapons offense.
Following an autopsy, Ms. Davis’ death was ruled a homicide. Investigation revealed she suffered a gunshot wound by a metal air gun pellet that struck internal organs and caused massive internal bleeding.
Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor John P. Boyle Jr. represented the state during the three-week trial before Mercer County Superior Court Peter E. Warshaw. The defendant was represented by Assistant Public Defender Jessica Lyons and Assistant Deputy Public Defender Deirdre Smith.
Adams faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced on February 1, 2024.
Update: Victim Died Of Gunshot Wound From Air Pellet Gun, Ruled A Homicide
Death in Ewing Township Under Investigation
Aaron Adams, 41, was found guilty of murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Adams faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced on February 1, 2024.