Obey Traffic Laws Near Schools Or Get Ticketed, Brick Police Warn

BRICK, NJ — As students across Brick Township return to school on Thursday, Brick Township police are urging everyone to slow down and pay attention.

They are also warning drivers that they will be issuing tickets to people who violate traffic laws in and around school zones.

"Over the coming days and weeks, the Brick Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff's Office will be actively saturating school zones throughout the township," the police department said in a post on its Facebook page. "Increased enforcement will include strict attention to speed violations, distracted driving, and any behavior that puts pedestrians at risk. Tickets will be issued to drivers who fail to obey posted school zone regulations."

"This is not just about enforcement—it is about prevention," the post said. "Every driver has a responsibility to help ensure that students get to and from school safely."

The reminder comes as residents continue to press for safety improvements along Lanes Mill Road, where 15-year-old Jackson Mueller was killed on May 19 as he rode his bicycle to school at Brick Memorial High School.

Jackson was in a crosswalk at Rhode Island Avenue when he was hit about 6:50 a.m. on May 19. The driver, who has not been identified by authorities because he was 17 at the time of the crash, was traveling at high speed and left the scene after hitting Jackson, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

The Brick Township Council introduced an ordinance in August to reduce the speed limit along Lanes Mill Road to 35 mph, a change town officials said was agreed to by Ocean County officials. The county owns Lanes Mill Road. It is scheduled for a final vote on Sept. 8.

But residents have said the speed limit is only part of the issue, and have pressed for the replacement of light-up school zone speed limit signs — the speed limit is 25 mph in a school zone when it is active — along with urging the addition of sidewalks.

They also urged more enforcement the entire length of Lanes Mill Road, noting that speeding is especially prevalent along the portion past Herbertsville School as people try to reach Herbertsville Road while the signal is still green. Right turns are not permitted onto Herbertsville Road when the signal for Lanes Mill is red.

There were multiple instances of drivers speeding and at least two instances of people ignoring the sign that bars right turns on red at that intersection during a two-plus-hour in-person observation by Patch on June 10.

Read more: Dangers Persist On Road Where Brick Teen Was Hit, Killed, Residents Say

Jackson's family is continuing to push for change as well, with a bill that would set a mandatory minimum 5-year prison sentence for anyone who knowingly leaves the scene of motor vehicle accident that results in the death of another person. The bill also would make 17-year-olds charged in such cases eligible to be waived to adult court instead of the case being handled in the juvenile justice system.

The bill is anticipated to be introduced in the New Jersey legislature this fall, according to the administrators of the Facebook group Justice for Jackson Mueller, who have been rallying community support around the family.

"School zones are high-risk areas where children, parents, and crossing guards are present—often during busy morning arrival and afternoon dismissal times," Brick police said.

"One careless decision behind the wheel can change a life forever," they said. "Please drive like our children's lives depend on it—because they do."

Brick police issued these specific reminders along with sharing a poster of school bus safety reminders:

• Eliminate distractions while driving.
• Slow down and obey posted school zone speed limits.
• Be prepared to stop for crossing guards and pedestrians.
• Never pass a school bus with flashing red lights and an extended stop arm.
• Allow extra travel time during school arrival and dismissal.