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News, Rumson Police and Fire Files

Sea Bright: Cat Gains One of Nine Lives After Fire Rescue

Sea Bright firefighters, joined by their brothers from the greater Rumson-Fair Haven area extinguished a fire in the borough this morning and gave a pet owner some good news with the rescue and resuscitation of Felix the cat.

Yes, Felix the cat, like the iconic cartoon. After Sea Bright stations 43 and 44 responded to a structure fire at a town house in Sea Bright Village early this morning, a Rumson firefighter found Felix “unresponsive in the third floor bedroom,” a Facebook post by Sea Bright Fire Rescue said.

“Felix the cat was removed from the house and turned over to Firefighter Joe Eskridge and FF/EMT Dan Drogin who, utilizing the new pet O2 masks that were recently donated, performed numerous rounds of pet CPR which resulted in a successful resuscitation.”

Sea Bright firefighters thanked the responding companies for their assistance with the the morning blaze: Rumson and Fair Haven fire departments, Monmouth Beach Fire Company, Little Silver Fire Department and Community Fire Company.

The fire is currently under investigation by the Sea Bright Fire Marshal’s Office, the post said.

Fair Haven Police and Fire Files, News

Young Fair Haven Firefighter Faces Aggravated Arson Charge

A young Fair Haven volunteer firefighter was arrested on Saturday and could face up to 10 years in prison on a charge in connection with a Friday arson in the borough in which he serves after also responding as a firefighter to extinguish the blaze, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced in a released statement.

Nicholas Joyce, 19, of Fair Haven, also a former boy scout in the borough, was arrested on one count of second-degree aggravated arson after he allegedly set fire to a storage shed on Friday afternoon on the property of the United Methodist Church at 300 Ridge Road, the release said.

The Fair Haven Fire Department, Joyce included, responded on Friday, April 1, at 4:28 p.m., to a report of a fire in the back of the church property at a storage shed belonging to a local scout troop, the release added. Responding firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, which was contained to the exterior of the shed.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Fair Haven Police Department resulted in Joyce’s arrest the next day, Saturday. The investigation revealed that Joyce had allegedly set fire to the shed, returned to the fire house and then responded to the scene with other firefighters when the fire was reported, according to the Prosecutor.

Joyce was released from custody after posting $5,000 bail with a 10 percent option, set by Municipal Court Judge James Berube.
If convicted of Aggravated Arson, Joyce faces up to ten years in a New Jersey state prison, subject to the No Early Release Act (N.E.R.A.), requiring that he serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

The case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Decker.

 

Schools Scene

RFH Students Serve Up Some Food for the Soul

Members of the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Cooking Club volunteered at the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation’s Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant in Red Bank recently.

Working with Soul Kitchen’s Front-of-House Manager Dolly Bonilla, the RFH students on April 16 cleaned off and set tables as well as organized menus for that evening’s crowd.

They were also given a tour of the facility’s garden, which provides fresh organic ingredients for meals, by gardener Robin Grossman. The students learned more about what the Soul Kitchen means to the local community.

“Hope is Delicious” is the motto of the Soul Kitchen, which provides healthy, organic, and locally grown food in a restaurant setting. For paying customers, there are no prices on the menu. Instead, they are invited to “pay it forward.”

A donation of $10 covers the cost of one meal, and anything extra helps defray the cost of someone else’s meal. Nonpaying patrons of the Soul Kitchen can perform volunteer work in exchange for family meals. Those who volunteer in exchange for meals are guided through their tasks by Soul Kitchen staff members, giving them a step up in qualifying for jobs in the restaurant industry.

The Soul Kitchen treats all customers with dignity and respect, while uniting communities and forming healthy and lasting relationships through food.

Volunteerism is very important to the success of Soul Kitchen, and there are opportunities available for those who would like to help out by busing tables, cleaning, stocking items, or serving. More information can be found at jbjsoulkitchen.org.

RFH students who volunteered their time were: Tori Hyduke, Christy Jadevaia, Katie Kane, Michaela Lake, Julia Marascio, Jenna Sandoli, and Becky Unsinn. They were accompanied by RFH Library media specialist Linda Wien Murray and English teachers Cassie Fallon and Lauren Grumbach, who are the club’s co-advisors.

— Edited press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH)

Local Life

Focus: Rumson Egg Hunt Eggcellence

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The weather held out for the 37th Annual Rumson Egg Hunt on Saturday and every bunny was out for the prizes and the day at Victory Park.

Sponsored by the all-volunteer Rumson Fire Department, kids in three age divisions combed the park for chocolate eggs and other prizes.

It was an eggcellent day, according to officials.

Take a look at the photos below, courtesy of the borough’s Sarah Orsay, for a glimpse into the  day  …

Local Life

Mangia! Spaghetti Dinner 2016

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For the love of … spaghetti and meatballs, the annual Fair Haven Fire Department’s Spaghetti Dinner proved a tasty good time for all.

Saturday’s event fed a continuous full house of friends, family and fellow fire and first aid folks. Call it a night of community amore.

Take a look at the above slideshow for a glimpse into the evening. 

 

Local Life

Saturday is Fair Haven Fire Company Spaghetti Day

Angelo DePonti has been cooking up some fun and famous meatballs in the Fair Haven Firehouse kitchen — Angelo and his gaggle of fire company guys, that is.

The 86-year-old 25-year social member of the fire company is an icon because of his meatball recipe. The meatballs, spaghetti and sauce feed hundreds annually at the fire company’s spaghetti dinner fundraiser.

“I was born to cook and I love sharing my recipe and food with so many,” DePonti said.

This year, the dinner is being held on Saturday, March 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. at, of course, the fire house on River Road.

The dinner is $10 for adults and $5 for for children. For the price, you get spaghetti and meatballs, salad, Italian bread and homemade dessert served by auxiliary, fire cadets and other members. It’s BYOB and take-out is available.

 

Local Life

Retro Rumson Barn Theatre’s ‘Cinderella: A Flash Fantasy’

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With the recent revisiting of Chef Rossi to her RFH and Barn Theatre roots, images of a show she worked on were once again conjured up.

It was a David Bowie/punk rock-inspired children’s theatre show done at The Barn in 1979 (or was it ’80?) that offered a colorful twist on the Cinderella story — Cinderella: A Flash Fantasy.

Set to Bowie, B52s, Blondie and a little Rocky Horror Picture Show music, memories of the show came spewing forward last week as most of the cast reunited at Rossi’s book signing.

It offered a special memory for Rossi, who was quickly adopted by this theatre tribe when she didn’t quite fit in with the status quo at RFH. Her bud Jeni Weber Zeller brought her to The Barn and she never left.

She worked tech crew on the show and made lifetime friends. A lot of people did, including this editor. In fact, Rossi’s book signing/reunion ended much like a typical cast party at Barnacle Bill’s decades later.

So, the Retro Pic(s) of the Day offers a glimpse back to that time at The Barn and that show.

Guess who? Yes, it’s me as the Tina Turner evil step sister trying to cram that glass slipper on. Oh, and that’s Anne Toronto McNamara offering some help.

“We were children doing children’s theater,” said the show’s Cinderella, Andrea Puscell last week. Somehow I don’t think this show would fly as children’s theater in today’s climate. Ironic.

The show also featured many RFHers. Check out the program. Do you know what Bowie song was played for the curtain call?

Schools Scene

Forrestdale Students Revisit Jersey Icons

Kaila Scarpa, a Forrestdale School sixth grader, uses an interactive learning device at the New Jersey Hall of Fame Mobile Museum. Photo/Rumson School District
Kaila Scarpa, a Forrestdale School sixth grader, uses an interactive learning device at the New Jersey Hall of Fame Mobile Museum.
Photo/Rumson School District

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi’s jacket. A Les Paul guitar. A Green Bay Packers helmet representing longtime Coach Vince Lombari. These were just a few of the items viewed by sixth graders at Forrestdale School in Rumson when they visited the New Jersey Hall of Fame Mobile Museum.

Continue reading Forrestdale Students Revisit Jersey Icons →