Toms River Tightens Motel Rules To Fight Quality-Of-Life Issues

TOMS RIVER, NJ — If you're looking to stay in a motel in Toms River, be ready to present identification and stay for a day. The days of the "no-tell motel" are over.

As part of a campaign to address quality-of-life issues and crack down on trouble spots in town, the Toms River Township Council on Tuesday gave final approval to an ordinance that places new requirements and restrictions on motels and hotels within the township.

The effort is a response to incessant issues and complaints from residents about problems at motels in the township. The ramped-up attention led to a nuisance complaint being filed in October against the Red Carpet Inn following more than 750 police calls over a two-year span, township officials have said.

Under the new ordinance, every motel and hotel in Toms River now must require government-issued photo identification from anyone renting a room, and they must photocopy that ID and keep it on file with the room registration record. There is an option for at least two other "valid forms of identification" but the ordinance does not specify what will be considered valid.

The person must give "their true name, home address and telephone number" when renting a room, and must sign the register.

Those renting a room must be at least 18 years old; teenagers under 18 cannot rent a room without a parent's consent that includes a copy of their parent's photo ID, according to the ordinance.

The ordinance also sets limits on the length of a motel stay. Rooms cannot be rented for fewer than 12 hours, and someone renting a room cannot stay for more than 90 days, under the ordinance.

The new ordinance is part of the effort by township officials to deal with complaints about quality-of-life issues in the township, including complaints about drug dealing, fights and prostitution.

Township officials announced the creation of a Quality of Life task force in October following the arrest of 15 people during a raid by the task force at the Red Carpet Inn on Water Street.

On Thursday morning, police announced a second quality-of-life raid, this one at the Americana Motel on Route 166, which resulted in 10 arrests.

The task force includes members of the police department's investigative bureau and SET team, the township's fire prevention bureau and its code enforcement and zoning departments, officials have said.

Township officials filed a nuisance complaint in late October against the Red Carpet Inn and its managing partner, Kartik Patel, citing more than 750 incidents at the motel since 2015 that required a police response.

The charge was filed under a criminal statute "that prohibits maintaining a nuisance, either by knowingly conducting or maintaining any premises where unlawful activity takes place, or by creating a condition which endangers the public health or safety," Toms River officials said in a news release.

Among other penalties, the criminal statute permits the court to close the establishment for a period of up to one year until there is reason to believe the illegal activity won't continue, authorities said.

"Improving the quality of life for our residents by combating nuisance properties and their owners is a priority in our town," Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher said at the time the nuisance complaint was filed. "We will continue to hold negligent property owners responsible for contributing to crime and illegal activity by not maintaining safe and acceptable environments."

>> READ MORE: 750 Calls Prompt Nuisance Complaint On Toms River Motel: Police

The Red Carpet Inn (formerly the TR Hotel) in downtown Toms River has been the source of numerous citizen complaints. Image via Google Maps