The Berkeley Times

12/02/2025

Ocean County has lost a true legend. 💔🇮🇹

Beloved restaurateur Luigi Bove—the heart behind Luigi’s Pizzeria in Lakehurst - has passed away at 69, leaving behind a legacy of family, community, and unforgettable hospitality.

From arriving in the U.S. with big dreams to building iconic gathering spots where generations celebrated life’s biggest moments, Luigi embodied the American dream. 🍕✨

He was also a longtime friend and neighbor to Micromedia Publications, hosting many of our holiday gatherings and sharing decades of memories with our team.

May his family, friends, and the entire community find comfort in the joy he brought to so many. ❤️

Read more about his remarkable life — link in the comments.

12/01/2025

🚧 Heads up, Jersey drivers! 🚧 NJDOT has scheduled shoulder closures on I-195 this week as crews kick off roadway work across Monmouth and Ocean counties.

JERSEY SHORE – The New Jersey Department of Transportation says shoulder closures are planned this week along several stretches of Interstate 195 as crews begin roadway work in Monmouth and Ocean counties. The project is scheduled to run from December 2 through December 5 and will affect multiple ...

12/01/2025

Ocean County is on a HOT streak! 🤑💰 Two local players just scored major New Jersey Lottery wins — including a $400,000 Scratch-Off prize and a $131,917 Fast Play jackpot share! 🎉 💰

TRENTON — Ocean County players claimed two major New Jersey Lottery prizes last week, including a $400,000 Scratch-Off win and a six-figure Fast Play jackpot share, officials said Monday. A Barnegat player won the $400,000 top prize in the Crossword Bonanza Scratch-Off after purchasing a $20 ticke...

12/01/2025

Nearly a week after a 19-year-old man reportedly jumped from the Route 72 Causeway Bridge, the search across Barnegat Bay is still underway — and authorities say they aren’t giving up. Stafford Police tell Jersey Shore Online that the New Jersey State Police continue to search along the water near the span and that the family has been notified. He's now being treated as a missing person. https://www.jerseyshoreonline.com/ocean-county/search-ongoing-for-man-who-jumped-from-route-72-causeway-bridge/

12/01/2025

🚨 A former Freehold Intermediate School teacher, from Jackson Township, accused of sexually assaulting her student has been told the clock has run out.

Judge Jill Grace O’Malley made it clear: next month, Allison Havemann-Niedrach must decide — accept a plea deal involving 12 years in prison under NERA, or face a February jury trial.

The defense’s long-delayed medical evaluation is now under tight court scrutiny, and the judge warned there will be no further delays.

The indictment includes seven serious charges and prosecutors say more than 25,000 text messages were recovered between the teacher and the 15-year-old student.

This case is heading toward a decisive moment — and the outcome could reshape everything.

👉 Full story in the comments below.

11/30/2025

🔥 Ocean County Man Charged in Late-Night Arson Spree 🔥

Officials say a Lakewood man is now behind bars after investigators concluded he intentionally set three separate fires — including one at a home and two along nearby railroad tracks.

11/30/2025

A two-day manhunt ended dramatically when Jaden Thompson — wanted for the brutal stabbing of a woman at the Paragon Apartments in Jackson — was arrested after crashing during a police pursuit in Edison, authorities said. 🚔 https://www.jerseyshoreonline.com/jackson/suspect-facing-attempted-murder-charges-in-thanksgiving-day-stabbing/

11/30/2025

Fire crews rushed to a commercial building on Route 539 after reports of smoke and possible entrapment — but everyone was safely accounted for and the fire was stopped before it could spread. 🚒 https://www.jerseyshoreonline.com/manchester/fire-contained-at-route-539-commercial-building/

11/29/2025

🚨Jackson Police say the suspect in the attempted murder has been captured!

11/29/2025

Jackson Township police are searching for Jaden Thompson, accused of stabbing a woman inside an apartment at the Paragon Apartments on Larsen Road late Thanksgiving night.
🔎

JACKSON — Authorities are searching for a man accused of stabbing a woman inside a township apartment late on Thanksgiving night. Police said officers were called to the Paragon Apartments on Larsen Road around 11:36 p.m. and found a woman on the floor with a serious abdominal wound. A family memb...

11/29/2025

🚨 MISSING PERSON – PLEASE SHARE
📍 Ocean County (Possibly Toms River)
🕒 Missing since 9:30 AM

Family is asking for the community’s help locating Rich, an 82-year-old man who left this morning to go to a LabCorp location. They are unsure which one he was heading to and he has not been heard from since.

Description:
• White male
• 82 years old
• Brown/grey hair
• Wearing glasses
• May be confused or disoriented

Vehicle:
• 2015 White Lexus RX350
• NJ Plate: N90FLU

If you see Rich or his vehicle, call 911 immediately so local police can respond.

🙏 Please share — his family is very worried.

11/28/2025

🚨 The search continues for 22-year-old Mortimer “Morty” Wortman, who vanished late Friday night near the Collier Mills trails in Jackson. Police say he is considered missing and endangered, and investigators have been combing the woods for days.

JACKSON — A 22-year-old township man remains missing after he was last seen in a wooded area almost a week ago. Mortimer “Morty” Wortman was reported missing on November 21 after he was last seen around 10:30 p.m. near the Collier Mills Wildlife Management Area, in the woods off High Bridge Ro...