Toms River Man Charged In Painting Pro-Police Blue Line On Road

TOMS RIVER, NJ —A Toms River man has been charged with theft and criminal mischief after he stole his impounded truck and painted a pro-police blue line down Hooper Avenue in Toms River, police said Wednesday.

David Giordano, 36, was arrested Tuesday, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist with the Toms River Police Department.

Surveillance video at Freedom Towing & Recovery on Route 9 shows Giordano getting into a bucket truck and driving it through the property's locked gate on Monday, Messina said. The truck had been impounded and was in the lot for 313 days due to unpaid invoices owed for the impound and storage of the vehicle, she said.

The truck was found parked illegally at Toms River Town Hall in the mayor’s parking space later that morning, Messina said, with the boom of the truck extended, blocking trucks from passing by.

Giordano was arrested Tuesday and charged with theft of movable property, theft of services, burglary, and criminal mischief, Messina said.

In the meantime, authorities noticed a blue line had been painted down Hooper Avenue, between the double yellow lines, she said.

The blue line is meant as a show of support for law enforcement. On March 24, Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy asked the county's Board of Commissioners to paint one down Hooper, which runs between the county's Justice Complex and administration building, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Federal authorities have said a blue line is a violation of traffic safety controls, in response to a move in 2016 by several New Jersey towns to paint blue down the middle of roads in symbolic support of their police.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration in 2017 said the practice is in violation of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways.

"We appreciate the impact of expressing support for law enforcement officers and value their contributions to society," federal officials said. "There are many appropriate and fitting ways to recognize service to the public that do not involve the modification of a traffic control device, which can put the road user at risk due to misinterpretation of its meaning. It is therefore critical that the uniformity of pavement markings be maintained so as to present a consistent message that accommodates the expectancy of road users."

The only acceptable use of blue paint on a road is for disabled parking spaces, federal officials said.

Ocean County commissioners supported the idea of the line, the Press reported, but are seeking another way to support law enforcement, because of the traffic controls issue, the Press reported.

Messina said the investigation revealed Giordano had painted the 4-inch-wide blue line down Hooper Avenue. He was issued a summons for criminal mischief in that incident, she said.

"While we appreciate the overwhelming support for law enforcement, we cannot condone the defacing of any property," Messina said. "Due to Mr. Giordano’s extensive history with the Toms River Police Department and justice system, it was necessary to take this course of action."

Ocean County workers painted over the blue line on Wednesday, the Press reported.

Giordano was being held in the Ocean County Jail as of Wednesday night.

This article has been updated with additional information from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.

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