Middletown Man in RB Three-Car Crash

No one was injured in a three-car crash that resulted in a sport utility vehicle flipping over in Red Bank Friday night.

A Middletown man was one of the drivers in a three-vehicle crash being investigated by Red Bank police that temporarily closed the area of West Front Street and Bridge Avenue just before 7 p.m. Friday night. No one was injured in the accident, Capt. Darren McConnell said, though one of the vehicles involved, a sports utility vehicle, did overturn. Passengers were able to extricate themselves before help arrived. The incident occurred when a vehicle being driven by Robert Siemer, of the Belford section of Middletown, and a vehicle driven by Theresa Hartigan, of Forked River, collided. Hartigan’s vehicle overturned and contacted a third vehicle being driven by Tailu Hassan, of South Amboy. No charges have been filed at this time and the …

• Photos (1)

House Hunt

The Luck of the St. Pat’s House Hunt

There will be savin’ o' the green with these price-reduced listings in this week’s gallery

St. Patrick’s weekend concludes with dozens of open houses here in Middletown, as the open house schedule starts filling up. House Hunt tips its flat cap to the Irish holiday by choosing listings that offer buyers a reduced price, allowing them to keep more green in their pocket. Each featured home, taken from Realtor.com, will be hosting an open house event this Sunday, March 18. To find the times and other details, click a picture above and check the caption below.. You can also see each address on the map to the right of this article. And it’s luck we’ll be wishing you, on your search for the pot at the end of the real estate rainbow.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (6)

Alleged Burglar, Jewelry Thief Arrested

Thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was allegedly stolen from a Belford home.

A Keansburg man is facing charges that allege he burglarized a Belford home and stole $2,500 worth of jewelry. Micheal S. Ruzzano, 31, of 122 Beacon Boulevard, Keansburg, was arrested on March 13, by Middletown Police Detective Adam Finck, and charged with the burglary and theft by unlawful taking, a complaint warrant signed by Middletown Detective Lt. Steve Dollinger said. According to the complaint warrant, Ruzzano entered an Oakes Avenue home in Belford “with an intent to commit an offense therein” — the jewelry theft. Both the theft and burglary charges are third degree crimes. Ruzzano was held on $10,000 bail, with no 10 percent option, set by Judge Richard Thompson. He is scheduled for an initial appearance in court on March 26 at 9 …

• Photos (1)

House Hunt

Hunt for Swimming Pools, Movie Stars

Live like a Beverly Hillbilly on Oscar® Sunday by finding a home with its own cement pond

With all the controversy over the closing of the Middletown Swim and Tennis Club this week, coupled with the fact that it is Oscar® Sunday, Middletown Patch’s House Hunt is focused on getting you a home with its own swimming pool. Not only are they a staple of the Hollywood set, but you’ll have a place to cool off this summer, right in your own backyard. Just like the theme to The Beverly Hillbillies, when we think of the glitz and glamor of “Californee”, we think of Beverly ... Hills, that is, with its “swimming pools (and) movie stars.” We can’t imagine an Academy Award® winner’s home without a swimming pool. None of our House Hunt listings are on the left coast, of course, but are right here in Middletown. Each home was nominated from …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (6)

House Hunt

Middletown's White House Tour

House Hunt celebrates President’s Day weekend with some open houses with (mostly) white exteriors

You’ll feel positively presidential with the featured homes in this weekend’s House Hunt: Every open house is inside a white house. No, not THE White House. Rather, a look into some of Middletown’s many listings that feature a home exterior that’s actually white ... or off-white ... or maybe a little almond. You’ll have to go and see for yourself, because, frankly, some are just “white-ish.” Sure, it’s a quirky little gimmick to get you to eyeball the column. But you won’t regret perusing these properties that we obtained from Realtor.com, all with open house events this Sunday, Feb. 19. You can see the exact times and details about each listing by clicking the gallery photo and reading the caption. Oh, and that map to the right with the …

• Photos (6)

Fishing for a Red Herring? Not in Jersey

Lack of a management plan caused fishing to be prohibited

New Jersey anglers are now barred from keeping river herring, a species popular statewide. The ban on fishing, which went into effect Feb. 1, comes after nearly three years of management wrangling. In May 2009, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved a measure that required each state within its jurisdiction, including New Jersey, to develop a sustainable management plan for herring. The board’s action was taken in response to widespread concern of declining herring stocks. Between 1985 and 2007, commercial landings of river herring decreased by 97 percent from 13.6 million pounds to 317,000 pounds. Herring spend their adult life at sea and return to local estuaries and inland rivers to spawn when they are mature at about …

• Photos (1)

Rudy's Driving Spirit Lives On at Sissy's

Sissy's staff still misses Rudy, the bicycle-riding regular who loved doo-wop, classic cars, parades and pitching in.

It's been more than six months since Rudy last walked through the front door of Sissy's Place. Sometimes, the employees of the storefront coffee shop in Middletown's Belford section still expect to see their beloved regular customer sit down to order lunch as he did every day for 13 years. But then reality sets in, and they remember that Rudy, the Belford icon, passed away after losing his battle with cancer in June at age 54. Yet, his strident, loving spirit still lingers, bringing smiles and warm thoughts to those who remember him. And everyone remembers Rudy. Rudy, known only by his first name, lives on in the memories of Sissy's employees and even some of the regular customers he socialized with at the classic 868 Main Street hang-out …

• Photos (1)

Coffee's On: Sissy's, Belford's Niche

Small, storefront coffee shop in Campbell's Junction serves breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner to locals and visitors.

A snowy day won't prevent Dave Hegeman from going for coffee at Sissy's Place. And he's not alone. To hear the native of Middletown's Belford section tell it, most of the locals that frequent the eclectic little storefront coffee shop at 868 Main Street would never let a snowstorm keep them from missing a day's worth of activity there, either. Sipping a cuppa Joe and sporting a New York Giants cap while glancing at the sports pages of a local newspaper, Hegeman listed his reasons for coming to Sissy's on a recent weekend morning, even on as the mercury hovered around 21 degrees Fahrenheit. "It's a very, very local feeling here," Hegeman said. "It's the type of place where you want to come because everyone you know is in here. Even a snowy …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (12)

House Hunt

Dreamin' a Little Dream Hunt for Homes

You can fulfill your vision of owning a home with this week’s House Hunt bargains

There’s a diversity of neighborhoods in Middletown, from the Bayshore to the Navesink River area, down to Lincroft and over to Fairview. And if your American dream is to own a home in the township, you'll find some reasonable prices on Middletown real estate this winter. Realtor.com has plenty of open houses scheduled for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend; and, since we’re all off on Monday (right?), hitting a couple of them on Sunday could be considered a day trip. House Hunt captured a wide array of listings this week, and the details for the Jan. 15 open houses can be found in the captions of the photos above. You’ll also see the prices, which range from $249,900 to $419,000. You will also see what you’ll get for the money. …

• Photos (7)

House Hunt

Holiday House Hunt: Unwrap A Bargain

Forget those old Black Friday and Cyber-Week sales: these Middletown houses start at just $69,000!

Black Friday is a distant memory, and “cyber-week” specials are auld lang syne. But that doesn’t really apply to Middletown’s real estate market: there are dozens of bargains still available for the discerning shopper, with major discounts and motivated sellers to make your season bright. House Hunt has selected a few of these listings for the price-conscious consumer, and it won’t cost you a sleighful of cash to move into a new abode for the new year. And the range of prices for these single family detached homes is gracefully amazing, from $69,000 to $249,900. That’s not a misprint: some fixer-uppers are going for under $100k. That’s the gift of the American Dream all wrapped up in an economical bow. Find the details about these homes …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (7)