Driver Strikes Historic Barnegat House, 2 Vehicles, Sign: Police

BARNEGAT, NJ — A driver struck the front porch of Barnegat's Historic Cox House on Saturday morning, police said. Chun Chen also hit two vehicles and a street sign before fleeing the scene at about 10:31 a.m., according to Lieutenant Jeffrey Ryan.

Chen caused minimal damage to the Cox House's porch and stairs, police said. No injuries were reported.

The back right tire on Chen's Toyota Camry blew out. That took his car off the roadway, where he struck a curb, fence and bush, Ryan said. Chen, 37, of Barnegat, backed up and proceeded onto Route 9 South. He then struck a 2018 black Porsche Macan driven by a 68-year-old Barnegat man.

Chen proceeded to back into the front yard of the Historic Cox House (353 N. Main Street) and hit the front porch, police said. He pulled forward into the road and hit another vehicle: a Ford F-150 driven by a 26-year-old South Amboy man, according to Ryan.

He backed up his vehicle again and hit a street sign before leaving the scene, Ryan said. His car stopped at 335 S. Main St. because of a mechanical failure, according to authorities.

Chen received summonses for leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving and careless driving, police said.

The Cox House was built around 1825 by Capt. Billy and Marietta Cox. It was the first house in Barnegat to have electricity and running water, according to barnegat.net.

Barnegat officials passed an ordinance in 2017 conveying ownership of the house to Ocean County. The property was deeded to Barnegat back in 1985 by Mary Ann Cox so it could be used for historical and recreational purposes, according to the ordinance.

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