Mass Stanley Holmes ouster planned, and 14 more South Jersey stories you may have missed

ATLANTIC CITY — Atlantic City Housing Authority Executive Director Tom Sahlin testified last month in Superior Court that the authority was moving to install a new heating system in Stanley Holmes Village by Oct. 1, as repeatedly ordered by the court over the past year.

But documents sent to the attorney for about 130 residents of Stanley Holmes suing over unsafe and unhealthy conditions there show the authority has done no such thing.

In fact, it plans to forcibly move 126 households out of their apartments — mostly in Village 3 — and into other authority properties or into the Section 8 voucher program by Oct. 1.

The moves would be made on an emergency basis, whether families want to move or not.

The existing problematic heating system will be tweaked but not replaced.

All Stanley residents will be moved out by Oct. 1, 2025, according to the plans, and the authority to date has no redevelopment plan, according to a resolution passed by the board Thursday without discussion, and without providing any details about it to the public.

That will leave the city with 420 fewer affordable housing apartments than it now has, with no plans to replace them anytime soon.

“ACHA is yet again failing the residents. Sixteen months after the initiation of this litigation that exposed the heating emergency at SHV, ACHA is repeating its conduct of the last two years,” attorney Olga Pomar of South Jersey Legal Services wrote in a letter to Superior Court Judge John C. Porto.

Fourteen of the 31 buildings making up the 420-unit complex will be emptied this fall, according to the plan, and the remaining 17 buildings will be emptied by Oct. 1, 2025.

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The authority also plans to rely on the existing problematic heating system for another year for the remaining families, making only some repairs to it.

“Mr. Sahlin testified at the plenary hearing on June 5, 2024 that ACHA has now finally retained an engineering firm and is moving forward with installing a new heating system by October 1, 2024 in compliance with these orders,” Pomar wrote in a Monday filing to the court.

“The proposal that ACHA’s team put forth, however, defies the order and instead of presenting a plan for a new replacement heating system, recommends displacing some of the residents, vacating certain buildings, installing sensors, and repairing “main pipes” of the existing heating system ― the same heating system that ACHA has acknowledged on numerous occasions is incapable of providing reliable and adequate heat,” Pomar wrote.

Pomar asked Porto to reject the authority’s latest proposal and require the Housing Authority to install a decentralized heating system in all the buildings expected to be occupied Oct. 1.

Most of the authority’s other properties to which families would move also have problems with inconsistent heat and hot water, water intrusion, mold, pest infestations and more.

Sahlin has not responded to several questions texted to him Monday and Tuesday, including how the authority will move families out of Stanley Holmes by Oct. 1, when the authority is under a court order not to forcibly move anyone.

Pomar said the authority’s attorney, Rick DeLucry, told her he would ask the judge to allow forcible moves, but has not yet filed paperwork in court to do so.

The documents provided to Pomar say the plans were made by a “a ‘team” of engineers, construction managers, purchasing agents, public housing experts and redevelopment consultants” assembled by Sahlin. They do not provide the report from the architectural and engineering firm hired by the authority, Thriven Design.

Atlantic City Housing Authority director testifies on why deadlines were missed

The Atlantic City Housing Authority has not complied with court orders dating to December 2022 because it had no architectural and engineering firm to prepare plans and bids for replacing the old heating system and gas lines, Executive Director Tom Sahlin testified Wednesday.

On Thursday, the authority’s Board of Commissioners passed a resolution without any discussion adopting a Stanley Holmes resident transfer plan. Sahlin did not provide details about what was in the plan when asked at the meeting.

After the meeting, Sahlin said the resolution would be posted to the authority website, but it has not been posted.

“The transfer plan proposes initially downsizing SHV by relocating 126 households out of 14 buildings (not identified by address) by October 1, 2024 and the remaining 182 households by the end of 2025,” Pomar wrote to the judge.

“The ACHA has not determined a redevelopment plan, if any, for the Stanley site,” the document states. “The process to obtain HUD approval, site plan approval, environmental approval, as well as securing financing will take several years for a first phase of a (new) construction redevelopment project.”

Pomar has filed motions for months trying to get Porto to enforce his orders and has asked him to impose financial sanctions on the authority for missing many deadlines to provide information, repairs and more.

Porto has ordered the authority three times to replace the heating system. On Aug. 18, 2023, he required the authority to submit a detailed plan for replacement of the system, which it never submitted.

On Nov. 2, 2023, Porto ordered the authority to immediately start the process needed to replace the system, and a Feb. 9 order set an Oct. 1 deadline for replacement of the heating system.

DeLucry agreed to each order, never moving to ask for changes.

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP — Police have located a a 51-year-old Mays Landing man who had missing since last week.

Eugene “Gene” Gras is white, approximately 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds. Police do not have a description of possible clothing. He was last seen June 26.

Anyone with information can call police at 609-625-2700, ext 1.

OCEAN CITY — Filming for the Shirley MacLaine movie “People Not Places” recently took place at a local assisted living community.

The 90-year-old MacLaine, Stephen Dorff, and other cast and crew members filmed at The Shores, a United Methodist Community over four nights in June.

Jim Zauner, executive director of The Shores, appeared as an extra in the June 20 overnight filming. Zauner, who played a man flipping through a magazine in a waiting room, said he was amazed by MacLaine’s energy filming so late at night.

“Shirley MacLaine has the stamina of a marathon runner,” Zauner said in a statement provided by The Shores. “She was just absolutely incredible. Her energy level (and) her professionalism of hitting every line at every time, whether it was at 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning, was spot on.”

Zauner said The Shores was deemed a good spot to film by location scouts and managers sent out by the filmmakers. The scouts and managers visited the location a half-dozen times before deciding to pursue filming. Director Brad Furman, producers and the camera crew attended some of the visits prior to filming scenes.

Filming took place in about 10 locations across the building, Zauner said.

Last month, filming of “People Not Places” closed inside dining at Dino’s Subs and Pizza in Margate for one day. Additional scenes were filmed in Atlantic City.

“People Not Places” is about a woman, played by MacLaine, who lives in Atlantic City in her twilight years. She forms an unlikely friendship with a homeless man, played by Dorff, who spends his nights sleeping in cars, while also trying to fix her relationship with her son. Their similar feeling of loneliness brings them together as the two try to fix his past and her short future.

Furman said he has been collaborating with MacLaine and Dorff for years in preparation for the film, calling it “the opportunity of a lifetime” to work with the two.

The film was written by Ellen Brown Furman, Brad’s mother.

Airbnb says it is blocking one- and two-night reservations for the upcoming holiday weekend as part of a crackdown on disruptive and unauthorized parties in New Jersey.

About 1,800 people were blocked from booking entire home listings over the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends last year due to the crackdown, according to Airbnb.

Additionally, Airbnb said it plans to work with communities, law enforcement and neighbors to promote responsible stays, by creating a dedicated channel for law enforcement requests and assistance from the company’s specialized response team.

“As part of this effort, ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, we have reached out to certain law enforcement in a number of cities across the U.S., including in New Jersey, to share more on the support we have in place in the rare event of an issue that potentially involves an Airbnb listing or stay,” according to a statement from the company.

Several Jersey Shore towns have taken steps to mitigate problems stemming from short-term rental properties.

Ventnor set minimum stays depending on the number of bedrooms a property has. Neighboring Margate has an ordinance requiring a seven-day minimum stay.

Brigantine has a minimum two-night stay this year due to resident complaints about trash, noise, parking, rowdy behavior and other issues.

A 68-year-old Vineland man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault in connection with several incidents that happened over a 10-year period, the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday.

Under the sentencing handed down by Judge Niki Arbittier on June 28, Jesus Figueroa must serve a minimum of 85% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Upon release, Figueroa will be required to register as a sex offender in accordance with Megan’s Law and be subject to parole supervision for life, the Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.

Figueroa was accused of sexually assaulting five girls over about a decade, all of whom were under 13 when the abuse began, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault Feb. 21.

WILDWOOD CREST — A man was found dead on the Myrtle Road beach Tuesday morning, police said.

Police were called to the beach at 6:20 a.m. and found a 911 caller performing CPR on the unconscious man, police said, adding the man was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation, police said. There is no indication of foul play and no threat to public safety.

The cause of death has not been determined and is pending an autopsy.

The Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office also responded.

ATLANTIC CITY — New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav were spotted in Gardner's Basin over the past few days.

Brunson was seen Monday at Back Bay Ale House, according to the establishment.

"One of my favorite basketball players came into BBAH tonight!!! Many thanks Jalen Brunson of the Champion Villanova and NY Knicks teams!!!" the bar said on its Facebook page.

Brunson led the Villanova Wildcats to an NCAA title in 2018 and was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks shortly after. He signed a four-year, $104 million contract to play for the New York Knicks in 2022.

Brunson was born in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, and has a summer home in Margate.

Flavor Flav also was seen in Gardner's Basin for the National R&B Music Society's free summer concert series Saturday.

His cousin, Kim Pinder-Garner, performed at the event.

Flav also was at the Showboat Resort Atlantic City for a FanDuel event at Island Waterpark on Saturday.

ATLANTIC CITY — A former school board president and political foe of Mayor Marty Small Sr. sued the Board of Education on Monday, alleging retaliation for calling for an independent board investigation of the Kayan Frazier child sexual abuse case.

John Devlin also sued Small; La’Quetta Small, Small’s wife who is superintendent of city schools; Board of Education President Shay Steele and others.

The school board voted in May 2023 to remove Devlin, who had served for almost two decades, saying he had missed three consecutive meetings without excuse. Devlin denies that allegation.

The complaint, filed by attorney David Castellani, also alleges racial discrimination, saying the mayor has called him a “white drunk school board member,” and that the board has not removed non-Caucasian members for missing meetings.

Small did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the complaint, Devlin advocated for the board to conduct an investigation of the district’s handling of the Frazier case.

Frazier is a cousin of La’Quetta Small who was hired as a substitute teacher at the Pennsylvania Avenue School when La’Quetta Small was principal there.

Frazier is serving 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in February 2021 to one count of child exploitation involving sexual abuse and child pornography, concerning a child he met through Atlantic City schools. He was sentenced in July 2021.

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La’Quetta Small eventually fired Frazier for violating school rules by spending time with students outside school, and Devlin alleges in his lawsuit that she “intentionally delayed the reporting of the inappropriate contact and behavior ... in violation of State of New Jersey child abuse reporting laws.”

Frazier was then hired by the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency as a caseworker, and was in that job when he was arrested.

La’Quetta and Marty Small opposed a board investigation of the Frazier case, Devlin’s complaint alleges, and retaliated against him for pushing for it.

“Defendants’ actions ... violated Plaintiff’s New Jersey Constitutional rights, depriving him of the same and deterring him from exercising (them) and deterring him from running for future school board positions and other positions of public office,” the complaint states.

It also alleges the defendants used threats, intimidation and coercion in violation of state law.

“These defendants also ... conspired with each other to retaliate against the Plaintiff for Plaintiff’s exercise of his New Jersey Constitutional rights to freedom of speech, the right to petition the Government, and the right to political speech and association,” the suit states.

Devlin alleges Small and others “orchestrated the filing of ... ethics charges against the plaintiff, and without notice and/or opportunity to be heard on, then voted to remove Plaintiff from his Atlantic City Board of Education ... position because of allegedly missing three consecutive school board meetings without excuse, which allegations were false ... and a pretext for retaliation and discrimination based on Plaintiff’s race and for Plaintiff exercising his constitutional rights.”

In 2023, at the time of his removal, Devlin said he had called the board officials to alert them to his absences in advance of the meetings as well as causes for his absence, which were all related to family and work obligations and illness.

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He also said then that the board’s decision to include committee meetings and action sessions, held on the same day before a regular meeting, was made in bad faith to exaggerate the number of meetings he was alleged to have missed.

Earlier this year, Mayor Small, 50, was charged with making terroristic threats, aggravated assault and disorderly persons simple assault, and La’Quetta Small, 47, was charged with three counts of disorderly persons simple assault for allegedly abusing their teenage daughter.

Castellani also represents a high school student who was dating the Smalls’ daughter and is suing the Smalls. The student alleges the mayor and school officials forced him to attend an alternative school and pressured him to turn over his computer because it contained proof of the Smalls’ abuse.

The student also alleges the mayor filed a false police report against him in an attempt to harm him.

In 2022, City Council voted Devlin out of his position as chairman of the Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority board. The suit alleges that removal was also “by and through Defendant Mayor Marty Small in conspiracy with others.”

In 2022, Devlin filed a lawsuit against Small and the ACMUA over that removal.

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — A 57-year-old township woman was arrested on 43 counts of animal neglect after police found two dead adult dogs, a dead adult cat and four dead kittens at her home Monday. 

Police humane law enforcement officers searched Nancy Santos' home in the 300 block of Cresson Avenue after officers had received reports of numerous animals living in inhumane conditions, the department said in a news release.

Officers rescued seven dogs and 29 cats. The dead cat and dogs were found inside a freezer at the home, police said.

The Galloway Police Department recently trained two additional officers to serve in the Humane Law Enforcement unit, Chief Richard D. Barber said.

Santos was sent to the Atlantic County jail.

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — Work continues on a new Asian restaurant that is opening at the site of the former W.L. Goodfellows & Co. restaurant, according to a post on Facebook.

Jasmine Desi Asian Grill is located at 310 E. White Horse Pike. 

Goodfellows closed in 2019 after being open for about 35 years.

The new restaurant will serve Indian, Thai, Malaysian and Chinese cuisine.

No opening date has been announced.

CAPE MAY — A necropsy done on Ice, the horse that died Thursday while pulling a carriage, found the animal likely suffered from either a blood clot or an irregular heartbeat, said carriage operators.

The necropsy was performed by the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center of Ringoes, Hunterdon County.

"As we expected, the cause of death of our horse Ice was an acute medical event that could not have been foreseen," Cape May Carriage said on Facebook. "We are still trying to wrap our heads and hearts around this tragic loss of our boy. Please keep us in your prayers as we are still being attacked by radical fringe individuals and groups."

Although the necropsy of the horse found him to be in "good body condition," "well muscled" and "otherwise very healthy," the carriage company has been receiving backlash online for Ice's death.

There were "no signs of abuse or neglect," the necropsy report states.

This was the first time in the carriage company's 40-plus years in business that an incident like this had happened, the company previously said.

Cape May Carriage horse dies on the job

A necropsy will be performed on Ice, a horse with Cape May Carriage LLC, after it died suddenly Thursday, said the company.

BRIDGETON — The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office main building at 115 Vine St. was closed Tuesday due to an issue that caused the water in the building to be turned off for several hours, according to a post on the office's Facebook page.

Court appearances are carrying on as scheduled, according to the post. 

Employees are working remotely.