Oceanport Police Play Legos at Wolf Hill

This just in: , both on and off duty, were found playing with Legos Wednesday at . Children, also at the scene, were found laughing, cooperating and even sharing their Lego pieces. Patch witnessed the event and has launched an investigation.

Here's what we know so far:

The Wolf Hill Lego Club kicked off its first meeting of the year this week with a gift of more than 2,000 Lego pieces donated by the Oceanport Policeman's Benevolent Association.

According to sources, Wolf Hill Principal Melanie Lipinski and Cpt. Daniel Barcus got to talking about how the police might help out the school during a recent morning drop off. Once Barcus heard that the Lego club was hurtin' for pieces, he made some calls to Det. Michael Fagliarone, the department's PBA delegate and it's president, Ptlm. Mickey Perrulli.

The officers made a quick decision to drop $270 of PBA money on two Ultimate Building Sets and two Lego City Police Stations. An official presentation of the items was scrapped when the screaming Lego fans bum rushed the group and ran off with the loot.

How did the group feel about their new bricks? "Awesome!," a group of boys responded in concert. AJ McGowan, Blake Jaranko, Bruno Nattardi and Nicolas Poulos wasted no time and immediately set out to make a neighborhood, a hotel (with coffee maker) and a car.

"It was very generous," Poulos remarked as he worked on a house with the help of some instructions included in the package. "Plus it gives our parents time to catch up on work."

Josie Howard, one of only two girls who attended the event, said she only wished the club started meeting earlier in the year. "Because Legos are really, really fun," she said. "It's a great way for people to become friends and work together because you can't do every Lego alone."

While some like Poulos used the instructions to make replicas of Lego creations, Zach Sussman worked out his own design for an airplane with Josie.

"I like freestyling," he said, as he looked into how to add a sattelite to his craft.

The kids seem to relish the time with police officers, some in uniform, and others in street clothes, and the officers appeared to enjoy the chance to play Legos too. Scattered around the gym, small groups of kids and cops worked intently for an hour, building houses, cars, planes and even a couple of police stations. 

Sgt. Steven Tagerty sat criss cross applesauce with Anna Gallagher and Aaron Sigmond-Warner as they worked on a house and cars. Was he a Lego fan? "I was a child of the 60s," he said. "It was this and Lincoln Logs."

Police officers aside, another celebrity made an appearance -  Jack Donahoe, a fifth grader at and founding father of the Lego club.

It was he and Principal Lipinski who founded the program when Donahoe was a wee third grader, because as he said, "Everybody loves Legos." Donahoe made an appearance at the event to share in the fun of the new Lego sets, for sure, but also to reflect on how the group had grown from just a few kids and a few Lego bins.

Lego Club now boasts 75 members, at least 40 of whom were on hand to receive the gifted Legos.

Surveying the scene, this reporter noted that the little club Donahoe started has brought a lot of joy to a whole lot of kids.

"I hope so," he said with a sweet smile of quiet pride, "I hope so."

The officers who came out to play were: Ptl. Jake Pascucci, Sgt. Raymond Ciani, Ptl. Daniel Petrucelli, Capt. Daniel Barcus, Det. Michael Fagliarone, Ptl. Mickey Perrulli.