Young Sleuths Train To Solve Murders At CSI Camp School Wants Town To Buy Land

By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER - Superintendent Michael

Citta asked the Township Council to buy land owned by the district next to Silver Bay Elementary School for open space.

Officials said during a Township Council meeting there could be 49 homes built on that property if it went to a public sale.

Selling it to the town would be a way to bridge a gaping hole the district’s budget brought on by the state’s new funding formula.

reinstate 66% of this, which would be about $9.5 million. The district has to apply for this Supplemental Stabilization Aid. It’s a one-time award.

Selling the land is also a one-time award but that is what a lot of districts are looking to do. Even with getting 66% back, the district is still looking at a cut of $5 million.

“Before we have to liquidate our assets through public sale,” he came to the township to sell the land, Citta said.

By Stephanie Faughnan

recently found themselves in the midst of a mysterious crime scene at Cattus Island County Park.

As they stumbled upon two lifeless “bodies.”

The budding sleuths, ranging from grades 6 to 12, put their detec- tive skills to the test. Notably, the corpses were actually dummies, set up as part of a (CSI - See Page 4)

SHORE SPORTS NOTEBOOK: TRE Little League, Hawk Basketball Grads Draw Crowds

By Chris Christopher

OCEAN COUNTY -

Their names will never be forgotten.

Todd Frazier. Scott

Fisher. Chris Crawford.

Brad Frank. Casey

Gaynor. Eric Campesi.

Gabe Gardner. Tom

Gannon. R.J. Johansen.

Joe Franceschini. Mike

Belostock. Chris Cardone. Manager Mike

Gaynor. Coach Joe Franceschini. Coach Ken Kondek. And why not? All the aforementioned did as members of the Toms River East American Little League team, an all-star club, was captivate our nation, winning the 1998 Little League World Series at the Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Wil- liamsport, Pa.

Fittingly, the team will be honored 25 years after its run Saturday, April 22. A parade will step off at 9 a.m. What promises to be an event as colorful as East’s pulsating march to the championship will conclude at the field on Windsor Avenue, the site of a 10 a.m. ceremony.

“It will be a huge parade,” said Tommy Noone, president of the Toms River East Little League. “We will march from the Toms River First Aid Squad building to the field.”

Teams from the Far East, specifically Japan and Taiwan, often dominated the LLWS. East put an end to that, downing Kashima,

Zbaraki, Japan, in the World Championship Game, setting off a decibel-shattering roar among its fans in front of an ABC national television audience and becoming the first American team to capture the crown since 1993.

“I always told folks, ‘Enjoy yourselves. It’s

(Sports - See Page 6)

The S-2 funding formula came into effect in 2018 and every year has cut more and more money. For the 20232024 school year, they had been anticipating a loss of aid in the amount of $2,688,937. Instead, they received a surprise cut of $14,421,851.

A bill signed recently by the governor would

“There have been 304 cuts to staff,” Citta explained. There’s little left to cut.

The generation coming up is supposed to have more opportunities than the last, he said. “When we start cutting opportunities, we can’t any longer provide a thorough and efficient education.”

“It’s not to say that (School - See Page 14) mock crime scene staged at the culmination of a five-day training program.

The National CSI Camp’s course held during spring break allowed students to immerse themselves in the world of crime-solving techniques. Leading the program was Sean Clancy, a retired Captain of Detectives from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s office, who is also the mastermind behind this innovative training.

In the days before their arrival on the mock crime scene, students were engaged in various exercises that covered lifting fingerprints, handwriting analysis, testing unknown powders, and DNA extractions. They also delved into the intricacies of footprint casting, identifying bullet shell casings, detecting counterfeit bills, and other forensic analysis. “As part of the course, I introduced a couple of drills to teach about logic,” shared Clancy. “I used the name Avon Barksdale, who was from the television show, ‘The Wire.’”

According to Clancy, who said he did drug investigations for many years, he found he could relate to the characters on the show because they were realistically depicted. Information about Barksdale would prove critical in evaluating the mock crime scene.

Jeremy Hartman, who retired from the Hamilton Police Department in Atlantic County, worked with Clancy to guide the students through the various hands-on experiences. The program emphasized developing critical thinking skills, particularly in analyzing clues, gathering evidence, and making observations to effectively piece together a criminal investigation.

Students learned about the importance of maintaining the crime scene’s integrity, preserving evidence, and thoroughly documenting all relevant information for subsequent analysis. In addition, the significance of teamwork quickly became apparent as the instructors divided the group into two sections and appointed leaders to evaluate the staged discovery of two lifeless dummies. Each team was provided with various tools, including evidence bags, a metal detector, a camera, and clipboards, to aid their investigation.

“Photographers are going to take the first four pictures,” Clancy shouted. “The first four pictures of the crime scene are an overall picture of the crime scene as though it’s in a box. After that, you will take it in from different angles.”

The team of detectives moved on to identifying evidence that would be numbered and bagged. Crime scene tape initially put up would be extended as the investigation continued. Finally, a series of measurements became part of the items documented by the appointed scribes.

When one of the teams noticed something bulging from the pocket of one of the victims, they asked if they could remove it.

“I wouldn’t touch anything yet, because you still need to photograph everything,” reminded Hartman.

The team leader summoned his group’s photographer to take pictures before removing the victim’s wallet. Once it was marked for evidence, the group decided it might be a clue

(CSI - See Page 5)

CSI:

Continued From Page 4 to the deceased’s identity.

Although the driver’s license revealed the victim’s name was none other than Avon Barksdale, the picture on the license didn’t match. Instead, it seemed to depict the body discovered by the opposing team.

Hartman chuckled for a moment as he realized he’d inadvertently interchanged identifications. However, the junior sleuths continued evaluating the crime scene and came to some conclusions related to their discovery.

“He’s a member of the Marriott Envoy,” said the team leader. “He could be a person of high elite status, and this could be a possible hit job.”

Remarkably, both teams came across all of the hidden evidence and began coming up with some theories about the crime scene. The group was then called inside to debrief and discuss their findings.

“What does finding the shell casings tell you,” asked Clancy. “Did anyone look at the caliber of the two found?”

Students were quick to share their impressions, correctly identifying that the casings found at the crime scene indicated shots had been fired. With keen observation skills, they determined that the casings came from both a 9 mm and a 45 caliber firearm.

Other evidence included hotel keys, discarded drinks, and text messages. Clancy reminded the class that everything would require a complete analysis as part of the investigation. the best time ever,’ “ said manager Gaynor, whose team was 5-0 in the 52nd LLWS. “I don’t know why we were so successful. We were always the smallest and youngest team. We were not imposing by any stretch. On defense, we were strong and Fisher was a beast on the mound. We didn’t run that much. Campesi was quick. Fisher ran like the wind. Casey and Brad were kind of plodders. We had pretty headsy kids.

After six local students from Little Egg Harbor signed up for the CSI camp, Little Egg Police Sgt. Sean Crotty said the Cavalry Baptist Church agreed to loan their van to transport the students. Crotty and two other Little Egg Police officers took turns lending their assistance throughout the program. Kyle Kleinow serves as a student resource officer for the Pinelands School District; Vincent Grosso was just sworn into the Little Egg Police Department.

Brick, Jackson and Toms River students also enjoyed the week of hands-on activities that challenged them to apply what they learned to a real-life scenario.

“They were all good students in school. They picked up on certain plays quickly. Our kids made the right decisions,” he said.

To hear manager Gaynor tell it, the coaching staff did not pressure its players to win.

“It was always about having a good time,” he said. “I told the boys, ‘You don’t go through life making excuses.’ I was the bad cop. Joe and Ken were the funny guys, the good guys. If the boys were upset, they ran to my coaches. Practices were a lot of fun. Kids received hot dogs and soda at our practices.”

Manager Gaynor said the team gave itself no chance of putting Toms River on the map.

“We had no hopes of winning anything entering the tournament (which began with District 18 play),” he said. “I had never met these kids before. I managed the Red Sox during the regular season. When I got these kids - other than when we played them - I did not know their personalities or tendencies. We were just happy to get out of the Districts. It was an interesting set of events that turned out well.”

Frazier was the main reason events turned out a whole lot better than well.

In a 12-9 victory in the World Championship Game, he stroked four hits in four at-bats and set the tone, leading off the contest with a home run. And he was the winning pitcher. Frazier, who would achieve stardom at Toms River High School South under legendary coach Ken Frank, Rutgers University, the major leagues and was a silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, homered in all but one of the club’s five games. He stroked nine hits, including one grand slam, and four homers. Small wonder he was inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence in 2022 as part of the 75th anniversary celebration of the LLWS.

It figures to be quite the day.

Sports: Continued From Page 1 (Sports - See Page 10)

“Frazier and a couple of team members are scheduled to attend,” Noone said. “Our 13-and-under Eastern Regional, 12-under state champions and 12-under Majors Mason Invitational Tournament winners will also be honored.”

Manchester Hawks Soar In College

It was a successful season for ex-Manchester players Dakota Adams and Destiny Adams.

Dakota Adams, a 5-foot-9 senior guard-forward, paced Rowan University in rebounding, averaging 7.4 boards per