ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Neighbors: N.J. home swept away by storm was nuisance

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP, N.J.

A Jersey shore home that washed into the bay during a recent storm was a structurally unsound nuisance and was bound to fall into the water, neighbors said.

The Grassy Sound home started falling apart long before it was swept off its pilings Oct. 3, and officials ignored repeated complaints about it, neighbor Jim Mooers said.

“All of this could have been prevented if somebody had taken the right action when all of these issues were pointed out, but nothing was done,” Mooers told NJ.com. “Yes, they might be cleaning up the stuff, but me and all of my neighbors will be cleaning up the rest over the years.”

The home’s owner, Stuart Tait, could not be reached to comment last week.

Next-door neighbor Haldy Gifford said he spent time recently using a pole to push Tait’s floating piles so they wouldn’t smash into his home’s supports.

“I fended off his refrigerator for three hours,” Gifford told The Press of Atlantic City.

Joe Clifford told The Associated Press the house broke loose and went by his home, hit a few decks and struck his 18-foot boat – which capsized – before it went out to the bay.

Tait told Middle Township officials that he had secured permission from the Army Corps of Engineers to use a barge crane to remove what’s left of the house from the marsh, Business Administrator Connie Mahon said. He said the cleanup would take about a week, she said.

A GoFundMe.com page has been started to help Tait pay for the removal of debris.

The U.S. Coast Guard has warned boaters about possible underwater obstructions in the Grassy Sound from the house.

Prosecutors: Man posed as agent to get VIP Comic Con passes

SALT LAKE CITY

Prosecutors say a Utah man posed as a federal agent in an attempt to get VIP tickets to a Comic Con event in Salt Lake City.

Jonathon M. Wall was indicted Wednesday on federal charges after the 29-year-old Layton man purportedly claimed he needed passes to catch a fugitive at the event where many attendees wear elaborate costumes.

Authorities say a security official got suspicious of Wall, who was posing as a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The official contacted the Air Force, whose agents confirmed Wall didn’t work for them.

Wall faces charges of impersonating a federal officer and making a false statement.

The September comic book convention attracted about 120,000 people and featured “Captain America” actor Chris Evans.

Associated Press