Red Bank Police are investigating four suspected shootings over little more than three weeks that were not previously disclosed to the public, Capt. Steven McCarthy confirmed to redbankgreen this afternoon.
No one was injured in any of the four incidents between July 31 and August 22, and slight property damage resulted in two of the cases. All the shootings occurred on the West Side, and no arrests have been made.
Bullets were recovered in two incidents, and shell casings in the other two. That physical evidence has been sent to he State Police for analysis, and borough investigators are awaiting the results.
McCarthy declined comment when asked why the shootings had not previously been reported to local media. The department periodically issues press releases in connection with noteworthy matters, and fields phone calls on a nearly daily basis from reporters making routine blotter checks.
Late this afternoon, Mayor Pasquale Menna said he, too, had not been told about the shootings by either Police Chief Mark Fitzgerald or Councilman Art Murphy, the governing body’s liaison to the police department. But he vowed to fix that right away.
“If someone doesn’t think it’s important to report a low-impact shooting, that’s got to change, and it will change immediately,” Menna said.
While there may be a rationale for not disclosing matters under investigation to the media, Menna said, not telling him “is unaceptable, and it will stop.”
McCarthy recounted the four incidents as follows:
• On July 31, police received a report of gunshots on Drs. Parker Boulevard in the vicinity of South Pearl Street. Police found passersby who said they thought they’d heard firecrackers, but no witnesses reported gunshots and no evidence of gunfire was found.
Eight hours later, however, a homeowner in that area reported the discovery of a bullet lodged in a bathroom wall or other surface; it had entered through a window. Police recovered the bullet.
• That same day, police answered a call about the discovery of a possible bullet hole in the siding of a house on Clinton Place. In fact, it turned out to be a bullet hole, and the bullet was recovered.
Further investigation turned up reports from nearby residents that they thought they might have heard a single gunshot the night before, but no one reported the noise to the police at the time.
• At 11:37p on August 14, on Montgomery Terrace off Tilton Avenue, police responded to a report of shots fired. Patrol units found residents milling about, and several told police they’d heard the shots, but hadn’t seen any shooters.
Police recovered shell casings nearby. No property damage was seen.
• At 10:59p on August 22, police responded to reports of shots fired in the vicinity of Tilton Avenue and Catherine Street. No property damage or witnesses were found, but police recovered shell casings about a block away.
McCarthy said investigators believe two of the incidents “may be related,” but declined to say which ones or why.
redbankgreen asked him how unusual it is to have four such incidents in so short a span in Red Bank.
“Extremely rare,” McCarthy said. “In over 21 years [in the department], I can’t remember anything like this before.”
Chief Fitzgerald did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.
for what its worth there mayor Menna, i alerted you to one of them at the last council meeting, maybe you and Art were not paying attention to me because of my health care issues with the borough. Non the less, if you think that what happened in Newark could not happen in Red Bank, think again, its only a gun shot away. This is a new era for Red Bank, there are gangs here and to deny that is ridiculous. Its time that ICE was a permanent fixture here and we follow other towns and start reporting all arrests of illegal for serious crimes to ICE and INS. AND no (for all you outraged liberals), I do not believe that it is just an illegal issue, just another bump in the road to Red Bank becoming a greater metropolis.
WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is some serious stuff. Something like this should not be swept under the carpet.
Before we jump to conclusions and clutter this forum with speculation. Please support our local law enforcement in doing their job. My instincts tell me that they are on top of this one.
As for Mayor Menna's concern about notification, I'm sure that will be worked out amicably.
i do not think that anyone is doubting that they are't on top of this. i do strongly feel that this was swept under the carpet. we are all entitled to our own opinions, isn't that why we are participants on this site? were you afraid to publicize this so that red bank would be marred with gun shot stories? at least give the residents of the west side an explanation as to what has happened. i do understand the side of law enforcement wherein you cannot give out all details, but you do us an explanation of such.
first and foremost, the police department that we have is doing an excellent job, and are indeed all well trained. What they lack is more man power. I know that I have been beating this drum for a while now, but if the Police Commissioner Art Murphy and the rest of his democratic council members had given up their health care benefits we could afford another cop or two. OVER THE LAST TWELVE YEARS IT AMOUNTS UP TO OVER $700,000, not 6 to 8 cents a day. As for explanations, I am waiting and would hope that the police commissioner would inform us as to what is going on here. This site is open, and other politicians have posted thoughts on taxes and on the best liquors situation so I welcome his response. Perhaps if not here, perhaps at the community meeting for the west side? let us know what happened, why, if possible and have the perps been brought to justice, we all have children here and God forbid that one of them is harmed or even killed by gun shots. An explanation would not go over that well then.
There are some of you on this site who's children come over to my house and to my neighbors to play, and I urge you not to give up on this, and when vote time comes around, remember where the possible new police officers pay has gone…..To local politicians health care.
Many thanks to RBG for reporting this. I was startled by the sound of the shots on Aug. 22, and know neighbors called police. I was surprised in the following days not to read anything about it in the local papers.
Gunshots in Red Bank? Now I feel right at home.
All crimes that occure in Red Bank are not reported. Aff the facts are not relayed to the public. The guilty know what really happened and the truth will come out.
Chief Fitzgerald and the police department are on top of this. LET HIM DO HIS JOB
"Chief Fitzgerald did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment." (Quoting the article above)
Phone message? Silly reporter. You should have gone to the Broadway Diner if you wanted to speak with the Chief.