21-year-old motorcyclist dies in accident in Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ – A tragic motorcycle accident occurred last Thursday evening in Toms River, NJ. According to Toms River Police, a 21-year-old man died after being thrown from his motorcycle.

The accident occurred around 8:45 p.m. on Old Freehold Road when another vehicle traveling south attempted to turn left onto Walnut Street and drove directly into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.

According to police, the impact was so violent that the motorcyclist was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered life-threatening injuries. Although he was flown to a hospital by helicopter, the young man did not survive.

The driver of the other vehicle, who suffered minor injuries, was also taken to the hospital. Authorities are likely continuing to investigate the incident to piece together the exact circumstances of the accident.

The official identity of the motorcyclist is still pending.

TOMS RIVER, NJ — According to Toms River Police, two people suffered minor injuries in an accident at the intersection of Church Road and North Bay Avenue Monday morning when traffic lights were not working due to a power outage.

Thousands of homes were left without power during the outage, the latest in a long line of outages that have hit the city in recent months, prompting local officials to urge First Energy Corp. to improve its service in recent months.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m. when a vehicle traveling south on North Bay Avenue collided with a vehicle traveling east on Church Road, Lt. Scott Moeller said.

The impact caused the large truck to overturn on Church Road.

Both drivers suffered minor injuries and one was taken to hospital for further treatment, Moeller said.

The traffic light at the intersection was out of order at the time of the accident due to a power outage in the area. Jersey Central Power & Light spokesman Christopher Hoenig said the power outage was caused by a faulty circuit breaker.

Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife, La'Quetta Small, were indicted Tuesday for allegedly physically and emotionally abusing their teenage daughter. The couple faces second-degree child endangerment charges, authorities said.

Marty Small, Sr., 50, was additionally charged with third-degree terroristic threatening and aggravated assault. The charges stem from incidents that occurred between December 2023 and January 2024, in which both defendants are accused of repeatedly assaulting their 15- and 16-year-old daughters.

In an alleged incident on January 13, 2024, Marty Small Sr. reportedly hit his daughter in the head multiple times with a broom, causing her to lose consciousness. In another incident on January 3, 2024, Small allegedly threatened to throw his daughter down the stairs during an argument. He is also accused of grabbing her by the head and throwing her to the ground.

La'Quetta Small, 47, is alleged to have been involved in several incidents of abuse, including one incident in which she punched her daughter in the chest, leaving visible bruising. In another incident, La'Quetta is alleged to have dragged her daughter behind her by her hair and then beat her with a belt.

Both defendants are awaiting trial on the charges.