Jersey Shore Headlines

Police searching for answers in the murders of a Long Branch woman and her foster daughter. That story and more in today's Monmouth and Ocean County news from Townsquare Media.

Monmouth County authorities continue searching for answers in the murders of a Long Branch woman and her foster daughter inside their Lippincott Avenue apartment Friday. Anyone with information about the deaths of 62-year old Joan Colbert and 10-year old Veronica Roach is urged to contact the Prosecutor's Office.

Still no arrests in the murder of a Howell man who authorities say was shot to death early Saturday while driving on East County Line Road in Lakewood. Police say William Erazo Osorio crashed his mini van into a tree shortly after midnight.

A Lakewood man is dead after he was hit by two cars in Toms River Saturday night. Police say the 30-year old was crossing Rt. 70 near Whitesville Road when he was first hit by the vehicle driven by a 67-year old man from Manchester, then by a light colored SUV. The second driver fled the scene and is still being sought.

A Brick Township woman is dead after her house caught fire early Saturday morning. Firefighters found 66-year old Grace Merkel inside her Dock Road home after they extinguished the flames just after 3:30 am. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Four gunmen from out of state have been captured in Lakewood after allegedly breaking into a township home early Saturday and kidnapping three residents. The victims, two men and a woman, were located tied up and unharmed inside a vehicle that the suspects crashed and then fled from while being chased by police.

Toms River police are seeking a hit and run driver for allegedly striking a man walking on Rt. 37 and Hawser Avenue early Saturday. The brown, older model pick-up has a roll bar with off-road lights, and may have had Vermont license plates.

Two people were injured after Brick Township police say the motorcycle they were riding on ran a red light at the intersection of Herbertsville Road and Rt. 70 last night, hitting a vehicle turning left. Brick residents William Antal and Tammy McVicker also struck a traffic signal control box and were thrown from the Harley. A section of Rt. 70 was shut down for about two hours.

When a Toms River mom got home this weekend, she found her son crying, and the babysitter passed out drunk on the floor. She had hired 50-year old Susan Gibson off of a popular child care website. The sitter is now facing multiple charges after police say she fled the home and then crashed her car into a fire hydrant. She was arrested for DWI and child endangerment, among other charges.

Police say two people were hospitalized and 15 were treated for high level intoxication after officers responded to a report of a fight on a NJ Transit train. The Long Branch-bound train stopped at the Aberdeen-Matawan station last night where police dispersed two large groups of juveniles and arrested a man for disorderly conduct.Officials say a highly intoxicated 18-year old female and a man who was injured during the fight were taken to a hospital. The train resumed its trip after the groups left.

The Jersey Shore is getting another clean bill of health. Two years after Sandy, there is virtually no floating debris off the coast. State environmental spotters fly a few times a week the length of our coast, and report the water is pristine.

Roller coaster riders got a little more excitement than they bargained for Friday afternoon when the Nitro ride at Six Flags Great Adventure lost power partway up its 233-foot peak. Riders were able to walk down the tracks to safety and no one was hurt. The ride reopened less than an hour later.

Most people think you have to wait at least 24 hours before filing a missing persons report, but NJ authorities want you to know that's a myth. The State Police Missing Persons Unit says there is no waiting period to file a missing persons report if a loved one or friend drops out of sight. About 13,000 people are reported missing every year in our state. The state police say between abductions, runaways, murders, dementia and suicide, if someone you know goes missing, reporting it to local police immediately gives them more of a chance to find that person.

Swimming pool owners are urged to use more caution when using chemicals to treat the water. Each year, thousands are injured by the chemicals designed to keep pools safe. Last year, nearly 5,000 were treated in emergency rooms after having been injured while treating the pool. While nearly half of these preventable chemical injuries were children, the other half were adults which is why it's important to read and follow the directions on the product labels, keep chemicals out of the reach of children, and use protective gear when handling them.