5th Lakewood Wedding Halted, Broke Coronavirus Gathering Ban: PD

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A fourth Lakewood man has received a summons after Lakewood police broke up another wedding that was being held in the township in violation of Gov. Phil Murphy's ban on gatherings during the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

William Katzenstein, 39, was issued a summons and will face a future court date, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Friday.

It is the fourth wedding and fifth gathering that has resulted in summonses in Lakewood since Murphy banned gatherings of 50 or more on March 16, and the third since he issued his stay-at-home directive on March 21. Read more: 2 More Lakewood Gatherings Broken Up Amid Coronavirus Shutdown

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Lakewood Police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said the wedding on Wayne Street was discovered when patrol officers were responding to a motor vehicle crash and saw two vans pull up with would-be wedding guests.

The officers then noticed a party tent set up in a nearby backyard, Staffordsmith said. The event was dispersed.

The incidents have become a thorn in the side of local officials.

Lakewood Mayor Raymond Coles told News 12 New Jersey he wanted the tents and chairs seized from the Wayne Street home after Thursday's incident.

Billhimer addressed the issue as well, saying, "We understand that everyone’s daily routine has been affected by the coronavirus and our state’s effort to isolate and contain the spread of this outbreak."

"It’s not easy. We understand how difficult it is change your way of living. We are all adapting as best we can," he said. "We all need to recognize the vital role we all have in flattening the curve of this outbreak." Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Each one sparks additional anger in the surrounding community. Some of that anger is spilling over to anti-Semitic remarks, prompting comments from Murphy on Thursday calling out the comments.

"I take great offense when a small group of people take to social media to scapegoat others who worship differently, or look different, from them for what we’re experiencing now," Murphy said. "That’s not only wrong in a moral and ethical sense, it’s just simply wrong on any factual basis."

"The overwhelming percentage of people are doing the right thing," he said.

But Murphy has admonished people across the state who have been gathering to stop. Playgrounds have been closed, beaches and boardwalks shut down and basketball and tennis courts and golf courses are off-limits now. On Friday, Ocean County officials closed Mantoloking Bridge Park because of crowds, and officials in Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and Lavallette all closed their boardwalks.

"Our social distancing directives are not polite suggestions," Murphy said Wednesday. "They are there for a reason: to flatten the curve, to cut off the surge" of cases that lead to hospitalization and stress on the state's health care system.

The cases have been rising. As of Thursday afternoon, there were 6,876 positive tests for COVID-19 in New Jersey, and 81 people have died from it, according to the state health department.

Thursday's counts for Ocean County were 468 positive tests in the county, according to the Ocean County Health Department. That included 198 in Lakewood, 60 in Toms River, 52 in Jackson, 33 in Brick, 28 in Berkeley, 20 in Manchester, 18 in Point Pleasant, 12 in Barnegat, 12 in Lacey, seven in Stafford, four in Little Egg Harbor, three in Beachwood, three in Plumsted, three in South Toms River, two in Long Beach Township, two in Waretown, two in Point Pleasant Beach, two in Ship Bottom, and one each in Barnegat Light, Bay Head, Island Heights, Lavallette, Ocean Gate, Seaside Park, and Surf City.

"Stay home, practice social distancing and please be considerate of the risks our men and women in law enforcement are facing every day," Billhimer said.

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