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We are continuing our simultaneous countdowns of the Top-10 Most Read Jersey Shore News Stories and Most Watched Jersey Shore News Stories of 2020.

Here is the 2nd most read article followed by the 2nd most watched video on our social media platforms of Facebook and YouTube across 92.7 WOBM, 94.3ThePoint, 105.7TheHawk, the new Beach 104.1 FM and the Shore Sports Network.

2nd Most Read Article....Marlboro Police Officers Save Teen Girl From Burning Vehicle. (42,248 page views), Story Date: June 16, 2020.

Two Marlboro Police Officers are being hailed as heroes today after saving the life of a teenage girl stuck inside of a burning vehicle on June 16.

Police received a 911 call regarding a car collision between Conover Road near Route 520 and Pleasant Valley Road.

A black Cadillac Escalade had collided with a red GMC Envoy which caught fire and was stuck between the vehicle and the trees leading into the woods.

As a result, a young woman was partially stuck in the back seat of the Envoy while also being partially out of the vehicle.

Police Officers, as seen in the video, made a quick effort to try and push the Escalade away from the Envoy but couldn't get much success.

Ofc. Donna Gonzalez and Ptlm. Robert Kelly then tried using a patrol vehicle to push the Escalade away from the Envoy.

Ptlm. Kelly put the Escalade in reverse while Ofc. Gonzalez got into her marked patrol car and pushed the Escalade off of the Envoy which freed the teenager.

Officers were able to move her to safety and began treatment.

She was treated by members of the Morganville First Aid Squad and paramedics from Hackensack Meridian Health then flown by medevac helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with serious internal injuries and was listed in critical but stable condition.

“If not for the officers’ decisive action, the young lady pinned between the two vehicles would have undoubtedly perished. Officer Gonzalez and Officer Kelly acted with swift certainty and relied on sound judgment. I am extremely proud of both officers and I commend them for their actions," Marlboro Police Chief Peter Pezzullo said.

New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney was the guest speaker at the Ocean County Mayor's Association meeting in January discussing a variety of topics including the School Funding Formula and Immunization Bill while being greeted by protestors outside the meeting in Toms River.

They were at that time two of the most debated issue in the state of New Jersey right now, the S2 legislation/school funding formula and a bill that seeks to remove religious exemptions from vaccination requirements.

When word broke to the public that the special guest speaker of the Ocean County Mayor's Association's monthly meeting in January was going to be Senate President Steve Sweeney, who is and has pushed for both pieces of legislation, was going to be in Toms River groups of parents and children were outside the Grove Restaurant on Hooper Avenue to greet him.

Sweeney came in through the back door of the restaurant for security reasons.

The two issues affecting Ocean County towns the most at that time are the two aforementioned bills among other items Sweeney addressed inside the restaurant with mayors and administrators.

Sweeney explained to us prior to the meeting inside his reasoning for backing the two bills but outside we heard the opposition.

To date Sweeney said the school funding formula has worked out exactly how he thought it would.

He said school districts like Toms River, who are set to lose millions, is apart of it because they don't have the students to warrant additional funding like they had been able to in the past.

"Toms River has 1,600 less kids then when we started the school funding formula so how do you justify keeping that money if the kids aren't there," Sweeney said. "If they had the 1,600 kids, by all means, but their school buildings are underutilized. They're at like 82-percent capacity where they were at 95-percent capacity in 2009. Why should school districts that don't have the children keep the funding for the children they don't have."

Toms River Schools are potentially in trouble with state aid cuts because Sweeney says they have a surplus of funds and they've had nine-years of overfunding.

Sweeney said the school funding formula is based on weighted social and economic issues.

In Brick, Herbertsville Elementary School is getting ready to close its doors due to a lack of funding in the township district.

"We're early into the year with budget cuts and they're already closing schools. It's not a Herbertsville problem, it's a district problem. They're closing Herbertsville to help with this budget cut but Brick is losing $22-million dollars, it only costs $1.8-million to run Herbertsville, that's a spit in the ocean," Melissa Munnings, a Brick mom and member of the Herbertsville Stars, said. "We're hoping to get attention for people to stand up. Your job as a parent is to stand up for your kids."

Meanwhile, a bill that would toughen exemptions for immunization requirements including religious exemptions may soon be posted for a vote.

The bill itself is causing concern among parents and communities but Senate President Sweeney says this bill is the right thing to do.

"Why is it that every single medical group in this state and this nation support vaccinations? The argument against it is not based on science. I believe in vaccinations. 95-percent of kids get vaccinated but we're under that level now and we have to worry about public health," Sweeney said. "I have a right to do what's responsible to make sure this state stays healthy."

Kevin Barry, the president of the civil group First Freedom, says parents know their children better than anyone and they should make the decision on whether to vaccinate their kids or not.

"It's literally a fascist policy to have the state decided how to treat someone rather than the invidious," Barry said.

You can watch what happened in the video above or below and in the article here.

Check back here on our website and app for #1 in our countdown of the Top-10 Most Read Jersey Shore News Articles and Most Watched Jersey Shore News Videos of 2020.

Top-10 Recap:

6th Most Watched Video...Light Up The Night For Stephanie Parze.

4th Most Read Article...Ocean County Towns begin opening beaches for the summer. (34,059 page views), Story Date: May 7, 2020.

4th Most Watched Video...Ask The Chief with Barnegat Police Chief Keith Germain. (6,724 Video Views), Show Date: January 24, 2020.

3rd Most Watched Video...The Eric Czaplinski Story.

Vin
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You can follow Vin Ebenau on Twitter and Instagram and email news tips to vin.ebenau@townsquaremedia.com.

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