The Hunt Is On For Stolen Jersey Devil Statue

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By Stephanie Faughnan PINE BARRENS

– The recent theft of a prized Jersey Devil statue from an Ocean County restaurant has reignited a wave of interest in the history of the legendary creature.

Accounts of sightings of the “real” Jersey Devil have persisted for well over two centuries. The allure of capturing the elusive creature has even led to rewards being offered, and at one point, claims that it was caught and on public display. According to popular folklore regarding the Jersey Devil, the story begins with Mother Leeds, a woman who lived in a part of Galloway outside Smithville. She became quite upset after she learned she was pregnant for the thirteenth time. On a stormy night in 1735, Mother Leeds was surrounded by her concerned friends as she entered labor.

During a 2014 presentation given to the Colonel Rich-

“It then spends the next several centuries accosting anyone unfortunate enough to encounter it,” Regal continued.

A visit to Leeds Point confi rms that a Leeds family were prominent members of the local area. However, the road leading to their home is now private property. Others have reported that the Leeds house itself burned to the ground in 1952, and only its foundation still exists.

Kenneth Sooy, Sr., who has

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The

By Stephanie Faughnan

is that it’s nowhere to be found.

The iconic Jersey Devil statue was snatched from Lucille’s Luncheonette-Country Cooking on Route 539.

Karen Bates-Flynn, one of the popular dining spot’s owners, said cameras picked up someone removing the large wood-carved Jersey Devil on Friday, June 24, at 10:18 p.m.

“We noticed from the camera that he came from the south,” said Bates-Flynn. “He then drove north, turned around, and came back. He then backed up to it, hooked it with a tow strap, and pulled it down the road.”

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Officials Make Sure Boardwalk Games Are Fair

By Bob Vosseller SEASIDE HEIGHTS

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Making sure rubber frogs have all their limbs and arcade game claws are actually able to grab stuffed animals keeps games of chance fair and honest.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D.

Billhimer, Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd, Division of Consumer Affairs Acting Director Cari Fais and numerous members of her department came out to the borough boardwalk to promote a safe summer, honest shopping and a fair chance of winning a prize. Their visit at Blaine Av- vantage of players. Bruce Hurlbunt, an investigator for the Legalized Games of Chance Commission, was among those looking over the games that day and one of their fi rst stops was the flying rubber frog attraction. “We’re making sure they are all level.” He (Games - See Page 5) worked as Galloway’s Town Historian, said his wife is a Leeds, which further prompted his interest in the story of the Jersey Devil. He opined that a child born with deformities may have started the captivating legend.

“The child maybe occasionally got loose and ran through the yards,” said Sooy. “There was no television and no radio. People would just be sitting in the yard at dusk because it would be a hot night…Something goes scurrying through the brush; they might think it’s anything.”

Sooy said he believed the folk tale was actually attributed to Japhet and Deborah Leeds, but only because they had twelve children. However, the dates don’t work out according to Sooy. The couple were also highly regarded in the community, involved in the church, and not participating in witchcraft.

A Historical Perspective

Regal suggested that the legend of Mother Leeds giving birth to the Jersey Devil may have little to do with the Galloway area. His feelings are the story’s roots come from religious-political clashes in colonial Burlington County. These disputes involved early New Jersey politicians, including Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Leeds, a prominent figure of the time who was ostracized by the Quaker community for publishing almanacs containing astrological symbols and writings.

Regal pointed out the picture in the open- ing pages of his second phase almanac displayed a dragon-like figure that may have led to the beginning of the Jersey Devil’s legendary creation.

Not only did the Quakers order the removal of Leeds’ almanac, but they also demanded that copies of his subsequent work, “The Temple of Wisdom,” be destroyed. Only one copy of the book exists in the United States and is a part of the Pennsylvania Historical Society’s collection.

“Leeds is on the receiving end of the fi rst major political censorship campaign in America,” said Regal. “This just devastates him because he joined the Society of Friends because he felt these people loved him and embraced him and felt the same way he did.”

The disputes between Leeds and the Quaker community intensified. Leeds decided to write anti-Quaker pamphlets, leading to his dismissal and public condemnation by the local South Jersey Quaker community. In retaliation, a Quaker named Caleb Pusey published a book called “Satan’s Harbinger Encountered,” suggesting Leeds penned his works on behalf of the devil.

Leeds’ son Titan ultimately inherited the almanac business, and Ben Franklin went up against Titan when he published his own almanac, calling it Poor Richard’s.

According to Regal’s research, Franklin decided to fight his competition by saying Poor Richard had consulted the stars and predicted Titan’s death.

Titan Leeds allegedly became very insulted and accused Franklin of being a fool and a liar. Franklin’s response may have also contributed to the origin of the Leeds Devil and, subsequently that of the Jersey Devil. The two may have been related but not necessarily the same.

In reply to the accusations, Franklin called Titan his friend, and said that he would never say horrible things about him. Regal called the ruse essentially a “smear campaign.”

“This must be the ghost of Titan Leeds,” Franklin reportedly said. “If you see Titan Leeds, that must mean that the ghost of Titan Leeds has come back to life as a sorcerer.”

In the winter of around 1905, Regal said peculiar footprints appeared in the snow scattered across the Pine Barrens, with an intriguing connection made by the locals. These mysterious markings prompted memories of the notorious Leeds Devil and marked the inception of what would become the compelling tale of the Jersey Devil.

Regal explained that the proprietors of a Philadelphia “dime museum” recognized the public’s intrigue surrounding the elusive creature and sought to capitalize on it. Their ingenious plan involved painting a kangaroo green, affixing wings to it, and promoting it as a part of their freak show. In a bid to enhance the exhibit’s allure, they cleverly chose the name “Jersey Devil,” believing it would generate more interest than the moniker “Leeds Devil.”

Jersey Devil Sightings

Despite historical theories that challenge the existence of a supernatural being like the Jersey Devil, adamant believers persist in their claims of firsthand encounters. The legend of the Jersey Devil has become integral to New Jersey’s identity, with countless sightings and eerie encounters etching themselves into the fabric of local folklore. Many maintain that the elusive creature continues to wander through the vast expanse of the Pine Barrens.

Two years ago, Susan Wolf, a senior citizen from Whiting, fi rmly believed she came face-to-face with the Jersey Devil. The incident occurred as Wolf returned home after visiting her boyfriend at Deborah Hospital. “It was ten o’clock in the evening, and I was on Lakehurst Road,” Wolf said. “There was a lot of mist in the air as I neared Whiting’s bogs.”

According to Wolf, she was traveling in the righthand lane when the Jersey Devil came out from some trees on the left. He came within 20 feet of her windshield.

“He looked me in the eye like he knew what eye contact was,” shared Wolf. “He was about 4 or 5 feet tall and was flying with long bat wings that fluctuated very slowly. His nose looked like a moose nose.”

Wolf emphasized that she’s not the type of person to believe in conspiracy theories or anything outside the norm. Although the brief encounter frightened her, Wolf did not report anything to the authorities.

Over the years, others have claimed to have met up with the Jersey Devil and were startled by its piercing screams. Even before the appearance of unusual footprints in 1905, there were tales that Napolean Bonaparte’s brother came in contact with the Jersey

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Games:

Continued From Page 1 noted that the attraction which involves customers slamming a small hammer that causes the rubber frogs to fly on metal lilly pads needs to have a proper balance.

The group spent about an hour touring various spots on the boardwalk to run some tests, check retail prices, check the scales at a candy shop and to even throw a few basketballs. Even though no one was able to score, the game was deemed to be fair. Platkin was a bit luckier at Sonny and Ricky’s Arcade, checking out a game machine that netted him a T-shirt prize.

“It is a beautiful day here on the boardwalk. I want to thank everyone

Statue:

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Other neighbors were able to pinpoint where the thief pulled over and loaded the Jersey Devil onto a trailer. He then drove west on Route 72.

The stolen statue, measuring approximately six feet in height and crafted by Rocky Mountain Carvers, holds significant sentimental value to Lucille’s Luncheonette. It stood as a landmark in front of the restaurant for six years.

“My mom (Lucille) liked the idea of the Jersey Devil as our theme as she thought that are here with me. The boardwalk is iconic in New Jersey for everyone who lives here and comes here and the boardwalks throughout the state,” he said. “When you come to pay the games at the boardwalk, we want you to know that you have a fair shot. When you are buying stuff at the stores you know the prices are fair, you know what they are and if you need to return something, you know how to do it.”

“That is what this is about - making sure people know what their rights are and that we take it seriously,” Platkin said. He said the inspectors examine “basketballs to see if they are too inflated, frogs at the frogger game have limbs. If so we’ll make sure those things get fixed.”

“We want people to know that if you are good at those games, you are going to win,” he added.

It was noted that a Safe Summer Task Force was made up of investigators and community outreach members from the Division of Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection (OCP). They make periodic visits to the state’s shore boardwalks to conduct compliance inspections and also hold public education events.

The inspections and events are held in conjunction with inspections by the Division’s Legalized Games of Chance Commission (LGCCC) and with help from the county consumer affairs offices and other county and local enforcement agencies. The inspections are held all summer long.

According to a breakdown of boardwalk enforcement activity in 2022, the OCP inspected 42 stores during Safe Summer events in the borough, Atlantic City and Point Pleasant and $6,500 in penalties were assessed from 14 violations cited in 12 stores.

The infractions involved the pricing at 10 stores and pricing and refund policies at two stores. Last year 20 stores were inspected in Seaside Heights and only three were cited with violations for their pricing and refund policy.

Chief Boyd remarked, “We’re happy the Attorney General and the Prosecutor are here today making sure everything is safe and everything is legit. People come to Seaside to enjoy themselves and we also want them to win.” its folklore brought the community together,” Bates-Flynn. “My cousin drew a picture (of the Jersey Devil) for her, and we had t-shirts made of them.”

Efforts to replicate the stolen statue are already underway, as the original carver has expressed his willingness to recreate the cherished piece. Bates-Flynn has every reason to believe the original wood carving is damaged beyond repair.

The outpouring of support from the local community, including a GoFundMe campaign, underscored the deep sense of unity shared among residents. At the restaurant’s request, the Go-FundMe campaign has been withdrawn. Although Lucille’s appreciates donations offered by patrons, they do not want to accept them.

Instead, Lucille’s is banking on the party responsible for the theft to make restitution after they either enter a guilty plea or are found guilty.

“We don’t want our customers to pay for what someone else did,” Bates-Flynn said.

Although Stafford Police has released the suspect’s name, the public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Following an extensive investigation conducted by the Stafford Township Detective Bureau, an arrest warrant was issued for 52-year-old Thomas L. Bintz of Chandlersville, OH. Bintz faces charges of fourth-degree Criminal Mischief and third-degree theft.

Further details provided by Bates-Flynn indicate that the suspect has local relatives. He allegedly was in the area after buying a Jeep and was returning to Ohio.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Detective Conner at jconner@staffordpolice.org or dial 609-597-1000 ext. 8461.