This Week In News Around Monmouth and Ocean Counties

Man Pleads Not Guilty in NYPD Cop Shooting

Manalapan- Robert Dunbar, 35, of Manalapan, entered a not guilty plea in Monmouth County Court on Monday. Dunbar allegedly shot an off-duty New York police officer in his Manalapan home on Friday, Aug. 10. After evading police, Dunbar turned himself in on Saturday. He is currently remanded in Monmouth County Correctional Institute.

Read more on Manalapan Patch.

Good Samaritan Assists Police in Catching Alleged Purse Snatcher

Lacy- A Jackson man was arrested after he allegedly stole a woman’s purse in the Lacey ShopRite parking lot, police said.

Police arrested Adam Tanner, 28, after the department received a 911 call on Saturday, Aug. 11, reporting that a male had stolen a 68-year-old Lacey woman’s purse.

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'Snooki' Production Addressed by Township Officials

Manchester- MTV stars Snooki and JWoww are filming in a Manchester home, township Business Administrator Elena Zsoldos said Monday at the council's regular meeting.

"The fact is that they are here. They're renting a home here in Manchester," Zsoldos said.

On Friday,  from the owner of the filming site, a large, modern two-story home on Johnson Avenue near the POW-MIA Park, that the two "Jersey Shore" cast members were moving in to film their "Snooki & JWoww" spinoff. 

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Ocean Bacteria Levels Low This Week

Manasquan- As summer draws to a close, beachgoers have just a few more weeks to enjoy the ocean -- and, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, there's no better time than now. 

Bacteria levels in the waters off Manasquan and Belmar this week registered at the lowest levels possible, according to the DEP. 

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Toms River Resident Confronts Burglar, Strikes Suspect with 2x3

Toms River- Toms River police received a call about a burglary in progress at 1 p.m. at Old Freehold Road near Silverton Road. Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said the resident, a 49 year-old man, was at home when he heard a noise toward the back of the home.

Mastronardy said the homeowner saw a man trying to break in, and confronted the suspect.

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International Fugitive Caught In Wall Traffic Stop

Wall- A 29-year-old Asbury Park man, wanted on drug trafficking charges out of Honduras, was arrested following a traffic stop on Route 138 last Monday, police said.

Hugo Hernan Erazo Argueta was a passenger in a car stopped by Patrolman Eric Jennings on the state highway near New Bedford Road around 8:17 p.m., Sgt. Ken Brown said.

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Holy Cow. Holmdel Bovines Spotted Off Parkway

Holmdel - Three Holmdel cows from the W.H. Potter Farm got past a broken fence on Thursday, and wandered a bit too close to the Garden State Parkway. 

NJ State Police rang up the Holmdel PD to report cows on the loose. Together, with workers from the farm, Holmdel Police tracked down a black, white, and spotted cow near Twin Brooks Court, off Galloping Hill Circle, where apparently the grass was greener. They were herded back home and into their red trailer. 

"It was just some dopey cows that decided to go out for a walk," said Bill Von Pier, a repair shop worker who helped rassle the rascal cows. "They never got onto the Parkway."

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The Islamic Society of Monmouth County received approval from the Middletown Planning Board Wednesday to expand their parking lot and community center on its Red Hill Road property in Middletown, contingent on some site improvements.

The center is located on Red Hill Road, on the Middletown-Holmdel border, near GSP Parkway Exit 114. Mohammed Mosaad of Holmdel, the vice president of the Society, explained that although the usual attendance is around 200-250 people, as many as 300 people may come for prayer services at the mosque on the busiest days and the during Ramadan and more parking spaces were needed. The congregation of the Islamic Society of Monmouth County is mostly Egyptian born, and adherents to the Sunni branch of Islam. The imam is Sheikh Reda Assayyid Shata.

Read more on Middletown Patch