News & Press Releases

The city had 441 simple assaults, the lowest in a decade, down from 535 in 2006 and 466 in 2005.

Simple assaults must be included in figures provided for the separate New Jersey crime reports. Thus, the total crime offenses for the state unified crime reports is 1,513, down 335, or 18.1 percent, from last year. In 2005, the number was 1,782, and in 2004, it was 2,019.

“We’re not here to mislead anyone or make people believe we live in a perfect world,” Kinmon said in an interview Tuesday. “What’s important for people to know is we’re not going to tolerate what’s occurred here in the past. . . .

“The decrease in crime in 2007 just shows us that we’re heading in the right direction and tells you a little about the effect members of the police department are making,” he said.

“We’re going to continue to improve,” the chief added. “It’s easy to say crime is down in 2007, but that’s not going to help us if next year we’re back up. We’re not going to let up.”

Kinmon said the City Council approved funding last year to add eight full-time officers to the force, for a total of 90. Kinmon was able to increase the street-crimes unit to 10 officers, from four. The unit made 899 arrests in 2007, up 321.

Kinmon said police were able to improve their analysis of crime patterns through the use of data-crime mapping in its technical services unit, which show locations, time of day and developing trends. That allowed police to address troubled areas quickly, either with foot patrols or plain clothes officers, an approach similar to police COMSTAT programs used in a number of cities.

Murders decreased by two, to six. Kinmon said the figure does not include the death of a 30-year-old-man who was punched in the head last May, despite the Monmouth County Medical Examiner’s Office classifying the death as a homicide.

Thefts totalled 410, down 129, the lowest in a decade. Burglaries decreased by 49, to 235. Ten years ago there were 696 thefts and 337 burglaries.

Aggravated assaults totalled 150, down 28, though those involving guns increased by 14, to 40. Also, although robberies went down from 193 to 184, those involving a gun increased by 13, to 54.

However, authorities recovered 61 guns and arrested 46 people connected to those weapons, Kinmon said, about 15 more guns confiscated than the previous year.

Reported stolen cars were 72, down 21, and the number of arsons decreased from 11 to four.

Aggravated sexual assaults increased by four, to 11. Kinmon attributed the increase in part to spousal assaults.

Drug activity calls to police have dropped dramatically, from 1,115 in 2005 to 1,038 in 2006 to 515 in 2007, which Kinmon said indicates that drug corners are being cleared.

Drug-sale arrests totaled 80, up 49, while drug possession arrests decreased by 64, to 860. Total drug arrests were 940, compared to 955 in 2006 and 987 in 2005.

Kinmon, 40, officially took over as chief March 9, 2007. He had been acting chief under City Manager Terence Reidy since November 2005.

“I would say the improvements that have been made in public safety in the city are no accident,” Reidy said Wednesday. “There has been absolutely full court press on every single aspect under Mark’s leadership, from the Police Athletic League and gang resistance education in the schools to increases in the street-crime unit.”

Starting late in 2005 and extending into 2007, the city experienced a number of incidents in which young black people killed each other, often related to gang activity.

“The city was hit hard, as across the nation, with the violent crime increase in gang activity where there was easy access for people to get handguns and a willingness of young people to use weapons without fear or consequence,” Kinmon said.

During 2007, however, the intelligence and information the city gained on gang activity “came a long way,” Kinmon said. He said he’s grateful to Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin for his commitment of resources and long-term investigations in the city.

Lakiesha Johnson, a mother who lives on Springwood Avenue in the heart of some of the shootings in the past few years, said she does not go outside much lately because of a new baby, but said, “It is getting a little better — so far.”

Johnson cautioned that it is too soon to know whether good conditions will prevail.

Summonses issued for parking and moving violations were 10,116, up 522. Kinmon said police are addressing a lot of complaints on Main Street. He said drivers come into town with an attitude of “anything goes on Main Street” here but act differently in another town.

“That’s not acceptable to us,” he said. “We don’t want that reputation.”

After the council meeting Wednesday night, Councilman John Loffredo said: “We’re very happy with the direction the police are going in.

“We know there’s much more that needs to be done, but the statistics show that crime is down in the city of Asbury Park.”

“The boardwalk is the heart and soul of Asbury Park,” said Gary Mottola, president of Madison Marquette Investments. “We have plans to completely revitalize the boardwalk by summer.” The David Rockwell Group will be architects for construction projects, he said.

At a news conference in the Paramount Theatre Monday afternoon, Mottola surrounded himself on stage with many of the players he said will transform beachfront properties.

They included Hugh Lamle, president of M.D. Sass Investors Services, which is the lead partner of Asbury Partners and Madison Marquette’s partner in the boardwalk joint retail venture; Debbie DeLisa, whose Wonder Bar on Ocean Avenue will soon reopen; Takahiro Hirai, the popular downtown chef who plans to open an “all American” diner on the boardwalk; and Joseph Cetrulo, managing partner of the Sirena restaurant in Long Branch, who with his brother, Michael, will open a restaurant in the First Avenue Pavilion.

Mottola said his company’s joint venture with Asbury Partners also plans to complete most of the renovations of Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre this year; give police the money they need for surveillance cameras at different points in the city; form an alliance with downtown merchants; and be a source of financial and other support for Asbury Park High School Principal Tyler Blackmore as he creates new learning academies at the high school in the fall.

Mottola also said Asbury Partners has agreed to accelerate such off-boardwalk improvements as paving roads near the waterfront instead of waiting until a condominium project was ready to have residents move in. Asbury Partners also will fix the bulkhead along Wesley Lake and create 500 surface parking spaces near the beach until a parking garage is built.

“Asbury Park is a very important project for our company,” Mottola said. “Even though we have many projects across the country, this is a huge priority.”

Mottola said today’s market requires a large-scale financial commitment, not lesser individual efforts. It is that impact he’s looking for if the pavilions with the lineup of tenants are to be ready by summer.

Eatery and supper club

McLoone will open his fourth restaurant in the Shore area, taking over the Salt Water Beach Cafe in the former Howard Johnson portion of the Fifth Avenue Pavilion and creating a supper club on the second floor. He said the downstairs restaurant will open in a couple of months. The upstairs will take a little longer because an elevator has to be installed.

Mottola also announced that Marilyn Schlossbach, the popular downtown Market In The Middle restaurateur, plans to open a Mexican restaurant and surf shop on the boardwalk. Russell Lewis, an owner with Paul Connolly of Baker Boys Bakery in Ocean Grove, will open a new Baker Boys on the boardwalk as well as a new nightclub there. Both Brielle Cyclery and Kathy Mongiello’s boardwalk panini shop will expand, Mottola said.

“I think everything Madison Marquette has done to date is nothing but a class act,” said Robert Ranuro, who with his brother, Steven, is a major downtown developer. “We look forward to working with Madison Marquette on the downtown, bringing the downtown and beachfront together.”

The news conference came a few weeks after Madison Marquette bought out the interests of Kushner Cos.’ stalled Wesley Lake project that included 91 condominium units, of which 22 have been sold. Madison Marquette also bought two additional city blocks Kushner owned awaiting development on lower Cookman Avenue.

Neither the mayor, City Council members nor City Manager Terence Reidy participated in Mottola’s conference. They declined to say why, except to release a statement emphasizing that Kushner had to fulfill its contractual obligations with, and promises made to, Asbury Park’s citizens.

Mottola needs the council’s approval on most of the boardwalk plans as well as the Kushner buyout.

Mottola said after the news conference that he hoped to give the city this week all of his company’s qualifications to be a subsequent redeveloper on the Kushner site. He also said his joint venture with Asbury Partners needs to negotiate a subsequent redeveloper agreement with the city for the boardwalk plans, and that Madison Marquette has to negotiate an agreement on the Kushner properties.

Mottola said Madison Marquette’s move to acquire Kushner’s land was in part a way to make the Asbury Park project work financially because it involved tremendous expense fixing up Convention Hall and the Casino.

Additionally, he said, Madison Marquette “didn’t want to be in a position of just doing the boardwalk and having no control over the rest of it,” meaning the still-undeveloped portion of Cookman Avenue near the beachfront.

“I wanted to get control of enough of the residential to have an impact,” he said.

Mottola has said in the past his company is bringing $150 million to $200 million to the city.

He said at the press conference that the accelerated effort to do all this by summer will put a strain on both developers and city officials whose approvals will be needed.

“We’re going from one speed to a much, much faster speed,” he said.

Accelerated pace

How Madison Marquette can pull all this off by summer remains to be seen. Dan DiBenedetto, chairman of the city’s Planning Board, sat on the Paramount stage and said afterward he plans to hold as many meetings as possible to have Mottola present the plans for approval.

With 18 participants on the stage, Mottola was asked why there were no African-American businesses or residents participating in a city whose population is predominantly black.

Mottola said his company wants the entire community to thrive as a result of redevelopment.

Jeffrey Fernbach, president of Paramount Homes, which is building the North Beach condominiums just north of the Berkeley Hotel, said 47 closings have taken place and an additional 60 units are under contract.

A third beachfront developer, Metro Homes, closed down its Esperanza condominium building site last month, citing the troubled mortgage industry. Reidy, the city manager, said he met last week with Metro Homes President Dean Geibel, who told the city he’s still trying to find a way to get the building financed, very probably by downsizing what was to be an expensive building.

Lamle, of Asbury Partners, said his company was “very interested in helping him (Geibel) restart the building — he got caught in this national financing debacle.”

“In the real world, a businessman says, “Things happen; it’s unfortunate; now what’s the best way to go forward?’ ” Lamle said.

With its apparent deep pockets and willingness to spend money, national retail developer Madison Marquette became the city’s waterfront hero last year for the company’s improvements to Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall, the boardwalk pavilions and the Ocean Avenue landscape.

Now, Gary Mottola, Madison Marquette’s president of investments, says his company reached a deal Dec. 31 to buy out Kushner Cos.’ unsold Wesley Grove condominium units and two other Kushner beachfront blocks awaiting development.

The acquisition, which must be approved by the city, had been expected in recent weeks. Mottola said that finalizing the agreement with Kushner New Year’s Eve was, “to some extent, tax driven” for Kushner.

Kushner’s Westminster Communities halted work on its Wesley Lake project last year after the parent company decided to pull out of several projects in New Jersey.

“We think we can accelerate the whole process there,” Mottola said. “Since Kushner Cos. did a business strategy of exiting New Jersey, they didn’t have the same level of excitement about Asbury Park as we have and which we can bring to this project.”

“We’re going to completely finish all the units, improve the overall look,” Mottola said. “The whole area will be cleaned up and beautified.”

Madison Marquette will take over the block of 91 units, of which 22 have been sold, Mottola said. The company plans to complete and sell out the remaining units and then develop residences and retail on an adjacent lakeside block and the triangle block across the street at Cookman and Asbury avenues.

The city was informed of the end-of-the year negotiations between Madison Marquette and Kushner but has not yet given the approval required whenever a new developer comes in or takes over an existing development site.

The city lost significant promised tax revenues when Westminster Communities halted work on the project last year. Mottola said his company’s concern is not to make up that loss in the deal with Kushner but to push forward to finish the units to move forward on the waterfront.

Sam Gershwin, president of Westminster Communities, could not be reached Friday.

News of the Kushner deal came a few weeks after Hoboken developer Metro Homes shut down its oceanfront Esperanza condominium site, citing a “national mortgage crisis” that had caused a setback for the company.

Mottola said Friday that his company is not looking at the Metro Homes site at this point, and that he believed Metro Homes is working to find a solution. Mottola said he plans to hold a press conference within 10 days to discuss his company’s overall plans.

Madison Marquette is in a joint venture with the city’s master developer, Asbury Partners, to develop all of the retail and entertainment space along Ocean Avenue.

Madison Marquette is on its own buying out Kushner. In the past, Mottola has said the company planned to spend $150 million to $200 million in the city. On Friday, he said the money for the Asbury Park project comes from a $500 million private equity fund and the company’s internal equity funds.