Red Carpet Inn Closure Brings Drop In Downtown Toms River Crimes

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two months after Toms River completed its purchase of the Red Carpet Inn downtown, the police department says the impact has been dramatic, with crime reports drpping as much as 55 percent in the downtown area.

The motel shut down when the township closed on the purchase Oct. 30, ending years of problems at the site on the corner of Water Street and Route 166. The problems peaked in 2017 and resulted in the township and police department filing a nuisance complaint after police logged 750 calls to the motel from 2015 to November 2017.

Police Chief Mitch Little said that from Oct. 30 to Dec. 30, 2018, assaults, burglaries and narcotics incidents all decreased. Disorderly persons calls were reduced to a single report, from 13 in 2017.

"This reveals a clear correlation between increased crime and safety concerns driven by the motel’s operation," Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher, a former county prosecutor, said. "Since the closure of the Red Carpet Inn, statistics show that crime in the entire neighborhood came down."

Specifically, assault reports were down by 40 percent, burglaries were reduced by 50 percent, and narcotics incidents dropped 55 percent. Theft reports fell 12.5 percent and arrests dropped 16.6 percent, police said.

"The police department worked closely with township officials and the recently created Quality of Life Task Force to identify and address pressing issues facing our community," Little said. "The Red Carpet initiative is a result of great teamwork and cooperation by all involved."

"In order for our downtown businesses to grow and prosper, the public must feel safe to come down and enjoy all that our downtown has to offer," Councilman Terrance Turnbach said. Turnbach represents Ward 4, which includes the downtown area. "(The) significant decline in criminal activity demonstrates the township's commitment to the revitalization of our downtown."

In addition to the quality of life task force, the township also passed an ordinance requiring anyone wanting to rent a motel room in the township to be at least 18, and requiring ID for all adult guests in the room, as well as banning hourly room rentals.

The township's long-range plan is to attract developers and businesses to the downtown area, with a goal of turning it into an area that caters to pedestrian traffic and becomes a hub for the community. To that end, the Red Carpet Inn is set to be demolished, potentially in the mid- to late spring to make way for drainage improvements in an area that has flooded repeatedly in recent years. The U.S. Post Office also is looking to move from its West Water Street location, Toms River Council Vice President Maurice Hill said during the council reorganization meeting on Jan. 3.

The Downtown Toms River Business Improvement District advocated for the town's purchase of the property, and Alizar Zorojew, the BID's executive director, saying the crime issues were a deterrent to people coming to the downtown.

"We're seeing a lot of interest in the downtown," Council President George Wittman said.

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Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff