Toms River Shuts Down Former Americana Motel On Route 166

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Another motel that has been a thorn in Toms River's side for years has been shut down following a raid by the township's Quality of Life Task Force.

Toms River spokeswoman Stacy Proebstle on Friday evening said the task force shut down the Parkway Motel at 925 Route 166 on Friday due to multiple fire and building code violations.

"The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention and Township Code Enforcement and Building Department officials deemed the building uninhabitable," Proebstle said. Toms River police also were on the scene providing support as part of the task force, Jillian Messina of the police department confirmed.

The motel remains closed indefinitely until repairs are complete, she said.

The motel previously was named the Americana Motel but underwent a name change in 2018 when its sign was replaced during the state Department of Transportation's work on Route 166 between Route 37 and Old Freehold Road.

The motel has been the site of a some high-profile issues in recent years, including the arrest of its owner on charges of defrauding FEMA for nearly $82,000 by claiming he sheltered Superstorm Sandy storm vctims. Sandipkumar Patel was sentenced to three years in prison for the fraud.

And 10 people were arrested at the motel in November 2017 following a narcotics investigation.

Toms River instituted the quality-of-life task force in 2017 to crack down on repeated issues with some of the motels in town. It also tightened the rules for the motels, requiring identification and motel stays of at least one day.

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