Asbury Park Press front page, Sunday, November 29, 2015

7/23/2019 Asbury Park Press front page, Sunday, November 29, 2015

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Manasquanboating accidentvictims identifiedPage 6A

SWALLOWEDBY THE TIDE

Residents resist tidal flooding, which has become

an increasing and costly threat to the Jersey Shore

They left before the flood. Worried they might not make it, Maryann O’Neill

and her husband hurried away from home by 5 a.m. for a 9 a.m. doctor’s ap-

pointment. The 74-year-olds had to leave before salt water blocked the road. ¶

They live on Mallard Island, where resilient residents often make plans by the

tide, not the time. The Stafford back bay neighborhood off Route 72 is plagued

by tidal flooding. ¶ Roads become impassable. Corrosive salt water douses

forsaken cars. Mud covers everything and kills lawns. Children walk through

the water to get to the bus stop.

ANDREW FORD/STAFF PHOTOS

Top: Stephen Roberts, 41, has lived on West Mallard Drive for 17 years. He tolerates the water in frontof his home for the water behind it. Above: Even on a sunny day, roads in the area flood.

ANDREW FORD @ANDREWFORDNEWS

SeeFLOODING, Page8A

ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION APP.COM $2.00

11.29.15

VOLUME136

NUMBER 285

SINCE 1879

@ISSUE 1AA

BUSINESS 6AA

CLASSIFIED 1D

LOCAL 3A

LOTTERIES 2A

OBITUARIES 16A

OPINION 4AA

SPORTS 1C

SUNDAY BEST 1E

WEATHER 12C

The reasons behind shootingspree at Planned Parent-hood clinic are sought. 1B

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TINTON FALLS - Two whistleblower lawsuits claimto have exposed what a panel of appellate judges say is a“blue wall of police silence” in the borough Police De-partment, including a private meeting at a garbagedump that the court said “smacks of an illegal police

cover up.”The judges recently reinstated one of the lawsuits

after a lower court dismissed it. The borough recentlysettled the other lawsuit for $527,500.

The borough agreed to pay retired police Lt. KevinPierson that amount to settle his whistleblower lawsuitthat claimed he was harassed and forced out of the de-partment after he told the Monmouth County Prosecu-tor’s Office about a colleague’s alleged wrongdoing, ac-cording to court papers. The borough and Police De-partment admitted no wrongdoing in settling the case.

In the other whistleblower case, a panel of appellatejudges reinstated a lawsuit brought by the depart-ment’s union delegate, who claims he was reassignedfrom the K-9 unit to a “punishment post” after he in-terceded with the Prosecutor’s Office on Pierson’s be-half.

The delegate, identified in the judges’ opinion onlyby initials, said he reported what he believed to be animproper internal affairs investigation by the Police

Department that focused on Pierson rather than on thealleged wrongdoing that Pierson sought to expose, ac-cording to the appellate judges’ decision.

Water theft allegation

The whole matter started in 2008 with an allegationthat a police sergeant may have been stealing waterfrom New Jersey American Water Co., according to pa-pers filed in both cases.

It ballooned into what the appellate judges said“smacks of perpetrating an illegal police cover up,”

Tinton Fallssuits expose

‘blue wallof silence’Borough agrees to pay retired off icer

$527G to settle whistleblower claim

KATHLEEN HOPKINS @KHOPKINSAPP

ANDREW FORD @ANDREWFORDNEWS

SeeCLAIM, Page11A

26DAYS AND

COUNTING

NO TAX ACTION

That’s the number ofdays the Legislaturehas ignored theproperty tax crisissince the Nov. 3election. Read moreabout our tax actionclock in @Issue

Christmasin New York,for all ages!

What to do and where to go in NYC

this holiday season. Sunday Best, 1E