Prosecutor: Former Area Repair Shop Manager Indicted for $90K Theft from Business

 A former Hazlet auto repair shop manager has been indicted on charges that he stole roughly $90,000 from his employer over the course of 15 months, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Monday.

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Focus: Rumson Light in Hazy Winter Darkness

Press “Play.” Sometimes light peering through stark, hazy darkness is a beacon to play time that’s drawing near. It can transport a daydreamer to past play, too. Warmth. Vision. Clarity. Contentment.

The pin spotlights scream silence — peace. They remind: There is a light to follow forward and back. Each spot shines a light on one memory at a time, bringing focus to the haze, bringing back the warmth. Each spot draws us to a brighter tomorrow, too. Each reminds: There’s a way out of the dark haze, forward or rewind. Either takes us back to the same place. Home.

When two iconic playtime scenes — an otherwise bustling iconic Victory Park or Barnacle Bill’s gathering haven — are somber and still, it’s then that one can see the power of place clearly. Feel it deeply. The more stark, the more profound. The more simple, the more black and white, the love of home.

Get lost in the light to find your own way home.

— Photos/Elaine Van Develde for R-FH Retro only (CLICK on one to enlarge and scroll. Enjoy!)

And lighter days are coming to the area. Here’s the week’s weather forecast, courtesy of the National Weather Service, for the Rumson-Fair Haven area …

In Memoriam: Longtime Former Fair Havenite, U.S. Navy WW II Vet, Arthur J. Flanagan Sr., 95

Former longtime Fair Havenite, Arthur J. Flanagan, Sr., also of Middletown and Kearny, passed away peacefully on Feb. 26. He was 95.

Born on June 26,1926 in Lyndhurst and raised in Kearny, Arthur was a resident of Fair Haven for more than 50 years.

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Scene Around: Rumson Police Chief Reigns as Top Plunge Donor

Rumson Police Chief Scott Paterson at Polar Bear Plunge at Seaside 2022
Photo/Rumson PD

Hail to the chief! He’s taken the plunge and triumphed again.

Rumson Police Chief Scott Paterson dove into the icy ocean waters of Seaside on Saturday and emerged the plunge’s top donor once again to benefit his cause — Special Olympics New Jersey.

“Chief Paterson would like to thank all of the generous donors, along with friends and supporters, who reached out to wish (him) Scott well with yesterday’s Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge,” a Sunday post on the Rumson Police Department Facebook page said. “It was down to the wire, but we’re happy to report that Scott was able to regain his #1 spot as highest individual fundraiser for another year. He could not have done it without the support of all you!”

The chief solely ended up with a total of $41,337 raised for his cause. He plunged with the Little Silver Crocs team once again. The largest of the final hour donations was from Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade at $1,005. So, in the end, Paterson ended up top donor for what may have been his final plunge.

As a whole, the 2022 Plunge at Seaside garnered $1,935,180, surpassing its goal. The goal was $1.8 million.

Congrats, Chief!

Rumson Police Chief Scott Paterson at a previous Polar Bear Plunge at Seaside
Photo/Rumson PD

Prosecutor: Area Office Worker Charged with Stealing $67K from Employer

The area woman who was charged last month with swindling a former employer out of more than $2.2 million over the course of seven years has been charged again — this time with stealing more than $67,000 from another employer, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Friday.

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Prosecutor: Long Branch Man Found Guilty of 2017 Murder of Four Family Members

The Long Branch teen who fatally shot and killed four members of his family with a high-powered rifle on New Year’s Eve in 2017 has been found guilty of first-degree murder, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Thursday.   

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Staying Home with My ‘Fair’ Lady on Her Birthday

Our now annual reprise honoring the inspiration for R-FH Retro — my mom, Sally Van Develde — on what would have been her 99th birthday. A birthday wish … Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. You remain in the hearts of so many … Besides, I won’t let them forget.

“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?” ~ Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

For the love of home and a Fair Haven mom … that’s right.

Sometimes a birthday without her is about lighting the candles, making the wish, sustaining the simple legacy of going home, staying home with my mom, Sally Van Develde.

Today would have been her 99th birthday. If she had lived to blow out all those candles on her cake, I wondered what she would have done. What her wish would have been.

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Scene Around: Last Call to Support Rumson Police Chief in Plunge for Special Olympics

Rumson Police Chief Scott Paterson shows his winning certificate at the Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge 2020
Photo/Rumson PD

Rumson Police Chief Scott Paterson is set to take the plunge again — the plunge into the icy winter ocean water at Seaside Heights to benefit the Special Olympics New Jersey.

Continue reading Scene Around: Last Call to Support Rumson Police Chief in Plunge for Special Olympics

Prosecutor: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Posing as Modeling Agent to Solicit Child Porn

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to charges related to his false portrayal of himself as a modeling agent in order to manipulate a minor into sending him sexually explicit images and videos of herself, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Wednesday.

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Prosecutor: Man Charged with Attempted Murder in Pedestrian Hit-and-Run of Cop

A Middlesex County man has been arrested and charged in connection with a Monday hit-and-run incident that left an off-duty Aberdeen police officer hospitalized earlier this week, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Wednesday.    

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Retro RFH Class President’s Staged Moment

RFH Freshmen Follies of 1975 honors Class Prez Ward Tietz
Photo/George Day

Yes, yesterday was Presidents’ Day. The day designated to honor presidents was first observed in 1971, borne out of the birthday of the first U.S. president, George Washington.

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