Sen. Vin Gopal's Tinton Falls Headquarters Damaged By Fire Sunday

TINTON FALLS, NJ ? The legislative office of three Democratic lawmakers who represent southern Monmouth County was badly damaged by a fire late Saturday night.

This is the office of state Sen. Vin Gopal, and Assemblywman Margie Donlin and Luanne Peterpaul, all Democrats; their office headquarters is located at 766 Shrewsbury Avenue in Tinton Falls.

Gopal said the fire is not being investigated as suspicious, but as of Monday morning officials still do not know what caused it.

The fire started between 2 and 3 a.m. Sunday, said Gopal. He said the fire did the most damage to the second floor of the building, and his offices are on the first floor. The building's second floor was totally destroyed, and the ceiling collapsed and water came through to the first floor, Gopal told Patch.

The office will be temporarily closed, but Gopal said he plans to reopen in that same location. The building was not completely destroyed.

"In the early hours of Sunday, December 29, 2024, a fire broke out at 766 Shrewsbury Avenue, where our office is located," said the Democratic lawmakers in an email to constituents. "While the building is being assessed for safety, our staff will be working remotely, and the office is closed for in-person appointments and meetings until further notice. We?re still here to assist you. Please don?t hesitate to reach out via email or phone: SenGopal@njleg.org AswDonlon@njleg.org AswPeterpaul@njleg.org, or (732) 704-3808 ... We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Tinton Falls Fire Company No. 1 for leading the response to the fire and coordinating efforts to contain it. We also thank the incredible firefighters and departments from Asbury Park, Shrewsbury, Little Silver, South Wall, Glendola (Wall Township), Sea Bright, Rumson, Wanamassa (Ocean Township), Shark River Hills (Neptune Township), Unexcelled (Neptune Township), and Neptune City for their bravery and swift action."

Gopal, Donlon and Peterpaul represent New Jersey's Legislative District 11, which is made up of the towns of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Fair Haven, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune, Neptune Township, Ocean Township (Monmouth), Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township and Tinton Falls.