Ducey Bids

Farewell, Resigns As Brick Mayor

By Alyssa Riccardi

BRICK – John Du - cey spent his last day leading the township on February 27.

The possibility of his departure was first publicized after Ducey confirmed his nomination by Governor Phil Murphy to serve as a Superior Court judge. On February 16, Ducey received an endorsement from the state

Senate Judiciary Committee, kickstarting the process to his approved judgeship. Ducey will be seated in Toms River, replacing Judge Michael T. Collins.

“I am humbled and honored to be considered for such an important position,” Ducey said.

Ducey was joined by family, friends,

(Mayor - See Page 5)

New Police Chief Sets Goals

By Judy Smestad-Nunn

By Chris Lundy

OCEAN COUNTY

– “Save the Whales” has been a slogan since at least the 1970s, and now in 2023 it’s still being used by people concerned that offshore wind projects are leading to the deaths of these animals.

There have been several dead whales that have washed up on the shore in recent weeks, which makes animal lovers wonder if the number of whale deaths is actually higher. Could there be other dead whales that didn’t wash up? They also have been asking, if something is killing these large, strong animals, what is happening to the rest of the (Whale - See Page 8)

“Personal Dogs” Motion Left Undecided In Animal Hoarding Case

By Alyssa Riccardi

BRICK – Four dogs will remain in the shelter as a decision has not been made whether the two women charged in an animal hoarding case can legally have their “personal dogs” back.

Aimee J. Lonczak, 49, and Michele Nycz, 58, were charged with animal cruelty and child endangerment in December after authorities discovered nearly 180 animals in cages in a home and vehicle on Arrowhead Park Drive in Brick Township. Cats and dogs were found in cages, standing in their own feces (Dogs - See Page 5)

BRICK - Meet the township’s new Police Chief, David Forrester, who is a 27-year veteran of the police department here.

Chief Forrester, 50, succeeds Chief James Riccio, who retired on January 31 after serving as head of the department for seven years.

Born in Elizabeth to the son of an Elizabeth police officer - who eventually became one of the first five police officers in Brick in 1972 - Chief Forrester was mostly raised here.

Law enforcement runs in the family with his older brother, a 30-year veteran of the State Police, now a captain, and a younger brother who serves as captain in the Brick Police Department.

The married father of three said being named chief “is very exciting for me, my family and my co-workers,” from his new office recently.

Asked if he’d always wanted to be the police chief, he said yes, but he never wanted to skip over any of the steps involved and wanted to achieve proficiency first as a police officer, detective, sergeant and captain.

Chief Forrester served the last few years as captain in the detective bureau under the Investigations and Street Crimes unit, and said he knew that leading (Police - See Page 4)

Police:

Continued From Page 1 the department was within reach. He said he wants to continue with the former chief’s priorities of working with the community.

“I do believe in the importance of community and getting their help and assistance in solving crimes…they’re out there, they’re the ones seeing it, they need to report it, and working together, we need trust,” he said. “We need to build the trust between the Police Department and the community, and Chief Riccio definitely did a great job in starting those initiatives.”

Chief Forrester said he is going to con - tinue with the department’s three-pronged approach for dealing with drug abusers (education, prevention and enforcement) and wants to look into some new diversionary programs - hopefully by the end of the year.

“That’s where we get low-level offenders - possibly people that have addiction, or have mental or behavioral problems or issues - help, instead of waiting for something to happen,” he said. “Maybe they don’t need to be in the criminal justice system. They need help and resources elsewhere.”

The department is working with Stafford Township Police Department/Ocean Mental Health Services On P.O.I.N.T. (Proactive Outreach In Needs and Treatment) program that provides on-site social workers to aid police officers when they’re dealing with someone who has mental or behavioral health issues.

“We do have that resource now, and we’re looking to go even further and make that program bigger,” he said.

Asked what his goals are as the new police chief, Forrester said it is always to protect life and the community and to keep the community and to make the community feel safe.

“I want the community to know that we are here to help them; we want to continue to educate them and help us with crime prevention and to help themselves from being a victim, especially with a lot of the fraud that we have going on with the elderly people,” he said.

Another of his goals is to keep the 141 police officers and all the department’s employees healthy.

“If we don’t have a happy and healthy workforce, it’s tough for them to go out and help others if they need help themselves,” the chief said.

As chief, he said he wants to continue to guide the department down the same path as Chief Riccio, stay on top of crime trends and make sure the officers are getting the resources and tools they need.

“It’s a very challenging and rewarding position, and I love it,” he said.

Dogs:

Continued From Page 1 and urine. Officials deemed these living conditions uninhabitable and the home was condemned by Brick Township code enforcement.

In addition, Lonczak’s 16-year-old daughter was living in the home with the 180 animals.

On December 8, the two women were released following a detention hearing. The judge subsequently set several rules prior to their release, which includes mandatory check-ins

Mayor:

Continued From Page 1 and township employees on February 27 outside of town hall to give a tearyeyed speech on his final day in office.

Ducey thanked the staff at town hall for supporting the town and being there for residents no matter what their need was.

“If you want something done, you come here to town hall to get it done. Doesn’t matter what department, you get treated with respect and perfect customer service,” Ducey said. “It just means so much that you were there, and you’ll still be there in the future, but it makes my life so much easier with the court as well as no contact with Lonczak’s daughter and no contact with the animals. At the time, they were also not permitted to return to their home.

Previously, the women filed motions to have their personal dogs returned to them. They claimed that when the animals were seized by authorities, seven of the dogs personally belonged to them and wanted them released back into their care.

At that time, state representative Assistant Prosecutor Alexander Becker said that all the dogs were already surrendered. Dogs and cats that were as mayor when you have such great employees.”

Ducey choked up while crediting Township Administrator Joanne Bergin for her service throughout the years.

“Without you, I definitely wouldn’t have any success let alone getting as much done as we did over our nine years together. Thank you so much… you’ll always be a close friend, more than just a coworker,” Ducey said.

“Hopefully my love for Brick Township has shown through for the past 12 years. I loved every minute of being able to serve you as mayor of the greatest town in New Jersey. Thank you to the voters for giving me the opportunity to be the mayor of this found in the home are currently being set up for adoption or measures are being taken to find their original owners.

At their most recent appearance, the two women returned to court for a ruling on their personal dogs. Lonczak claimed five dogs while Nycz calimed two as personal pets.

It was agreed that Nycz’s two dogs are officially surrendered to the state and will be put up for adoption. As for Lonczak, four of the dogs will remain in the shelter with the decision pending until the March 14 court hearing Becker confirmed that one of the dogs was never under custody of the great town and to try to get things done, and always do it every single day, in the right way. All the residents of Brick, whether you’re a voter or not, we always did what we thought was right,” Ducey said.

“It’s about thinking about families, thinking about people and thinking about how you can help people that’s what I always wanted to do, and hopefully that came through…Brick Township will be in fine shape from here. I’m going to miss it, I’m going to miss everything about it,” Ducey added.

At the end of his speech, Ducey was presented with the key to the city by Councilwoman Lisa Crate.

Bergin will serve as acting mayor for one day while the governing body state, so this decision involves the remaining four dogs.

After the hearing several members of the community, who came out to advocate for the fate of these dogs, did not enjoy the outcome. Many were hurt that a final ruling was not made, and felt that the defendants to not deserve any more time on the decision

“Why should these poor dogs remain in the shelter? They need to be adopted. The right decision needs to be made,” one resident said.

Another said, “I guess two free dogs is better than nothing. But we’re stilling fighting for the rest.” chooses a candidate to fill the mayor’s position during Tuesday’s municipal meeting. The role will be filled through 2023 and a special election will be held in November so voters can appoint a candidate to fill the remainder of the term, ending in 2025.

Dear Pharmacist

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