Fuel For Thought: Simple Helping Gesture Garners Praise For Howell Police

Steve Brigham knows a thing or two about helping people.

The Ocean County resident, better known to many as Minister Steve, has spent many years helping the homeless in Ocean and Monmouth counties, bringing them food and supplies in the wooded areas where they’ve tried to find shelter, and advocating for them in multiple political arenas.

His efforts -- which include Destiny House, a newly IRS-approved foundation that aims to help the homeless out of homelessness with job training and other rehabilitative efforts -- haven’t always been met with a positive response. There have been highly publicized efforts to close down the camps where homeless people have lived, and Brigham himself has been criticized.

But it hasn’t stopped the Lakewood man from making his rounds.

However, even helpers need a helping hand sometimes -- and that is exactly what Brigham, who recently got last week.

On Sunday, he took to Facebook, sharing the experience and praising those who helped him: the Howell Township Police Department.

Brigham said he was at the Bush Gardens camp, checking on people there, when his car ran out of gas. It was late, he said, so after considering the options, Brigham decided to sleep in his car that night. He shared his shelter with one of the camp’s residents, who had taken down his tent to move it to another spot and was trying to stay out of the rain, Brigham said.

“About 2:30 in the morning I was awakened by a bright flashlight in my eyes and a deep authoritative voice,” Brigham wrote. It was Howell police officers, he said, asking why he was sleeping in a car in the woods. Brigham said he explained why he was there, and after some verification, “they acknowledged that they had heard about my mission from tent city days, they said ’have a good night,’ and ‘keep up the good work.’ ”

In the morning when he awoke, Brigham said, he found a full can of gasoline sitting on the hood of the car.

“Wow, for sure this town has got to be one of the most compassionate towns in NJ,” Brigham said. “Not only do they run a tight ship with their law enforcement, but they know how to be courteous and compassionate towards the poor of the community. Every time I have had the pleasure of dealing with them they have shown the up most respect, to myself, and the homeless.”

“In my well versed opinion on police departments, and police officers, (and I’ve seen all sides of law enforcement, believe you me), this police department needs to be a role model for police departments around the nation,” Brigham said. “It just goes to show that you can do a tough job, and still do it with respect to your fellow man, no matter at what social / economic level your fellow man may be at!”

Howell Township Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said the officer who assisted Brigham was Cpl. John Weg.

“Cpl. Weg has been a police officer for 30 years, 28 as a Howell officer,” Kudrick wrote on Facebook, adding that Weg was his training officer when Kudrick joined the Howell force. “Thank you sir for taking the time to write about probably one of the best officer/citizen contacts I’ve seen in a very long time.

“Although occurrences like this happen every day in every jurisdiction they are rarely reported. I’m very proud as all of you should be,” Kudrick said.

(Steve Brigham, first photo, says he woke to find a full can of gasoline on his car. The gasoline was delivered by Howell Cpl. John Weg. Photos courtesy Steve Brigham, Howell Township Police)