Jersey Shore Headlines

A Spring Lake man is hit by a train, A 35-year old woman dies in a South Toms River fire, and more in today's Monmouth and Ocean County news.

A Spring Lake man is in critical condition after being struck by a North Jersey Coast Line train in Spring Lake Monday night. Police have not released the man's identity. He was in the Warren Avenue crossing. He's at Jersey Shore University Medical Center with injuries to his head and right arm.

The person killed in Monday night's house fire in South Toms River is identified as 35-year old Dianna Norwood. Ocean County officials say she lived in the basement of the ranch and died of smoke inhalation. One of six firefighters treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns remains hospitalized in stable condition. Meanwhile investigators have determined the fire started in the basement and was electrical in nature.

There's no word yet on what caused a fire that leveled a home to its foundation in Morganville. The fire broke out early this morning on Marseille Terrace in a wooded area.The couple who owned the home were alerted by smoke detectors and escaped unharmed. Firefighters had to stretch hoses nearly a mile to the nearest fire hydrant and used tanker trucks to supply water to fight the fire.

A  vacant tent went up in flames around 5 pm last evening in Tent City in Lakewood and set some nearby trees on fire. The Lakewood Fire Department called in a brush truck and was able to get the fire under control in about 15 minutes. No injuries were reported.

Call the fire department quietly in Spring Lake! Ospreys have built a next in the siren and, by law, can't be disturbed. The signal's been turned off while firefighters and first-aiders use pagers and cell phones.

A Lakewood rabbi admits kidnappping and torturing an Orthodox Jewish man in 2010 until he agreed to give his wife a religious divorce. David Wax could face a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced in August. Charges against his wife Judy Wax are pending.

Tasers will now be on the hip of Sherriff's Officers in Monmouth County. It's the first department in Monmouth County to get the weapons. Eight officers have been trained and equipped with the combination taser stun guns. Sheriff Shaun Golden says working in courtrooms, drug raids, and fugitive hunts, there are situations where you need non-lethal force. Whenever the tasers are used, they'll automatically be recording as a safety measure.

Bar A in Lake Como is taking over Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino's Beach Bar beginning May 16th. It will be called The Bar A Beach Bar, and will include the famous Shot Wheel attraction.

Seaside Heights is rebranding itself as a more family friendly destination. They're doing that by having more police and tourism ambassadors throughout the town, working with bar owners to close an hour earlier, and really focusing on events that attract everyone. The mayor says there can still be a thriving nightlife. People just have to know they can't do anything stupid. And as for those t-shirt shops and novelty stands -- many with not-so-family-friendly slogans and pictures all over them, the mayor hopes they'll see there's more money in carrying a tamer product.

Did you know that Kindergarten is not mandatory in the Garden State? As it turns out, a lot of legislators didn't know that, but a group of them is trying to make sure that every kid in New Jersey has to go to Kindergarten. Right now in our state, a child doesn't have to start going to school until he or she is 6-years old. The legislation would also require every public school district in our state to offer Kindergarten. Fourteen other states already statutorily mandate Kindergarten.