Toms River Man Stole Paint For Blue Line On Hooper Ave.: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man accused of painting a pro-law enforcement blue line down Hooper Avenue is facing additional charges, after police say he shoplifted the paint he used for the blue line.

David Giordano, 36, has been charged with shoplifting; he is accused of taking 11 gallon cans of paint for a paint sprayer from Home Depot, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist with the Toms River Police Department.

Giordano was arrested March 30 in connection with the theft of his bucket truck from the impound lot at Freedom Towing & Recovery on Route 9, Messina said. It had been in the lot for 313 days due to unpaid invoices owed for the impound and storage of the vehicle. Surveillance video showed him getting into the truck and driving it through the property's locked gate on March 29, Messina said.

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

Giordano was charged with theft of movable property, theft of services, burglary, and criminal mischief in connection with the theft of the bucket truck, she said.

Detectives reviewing video of a man in a truck painting a blue line between the yellow lines on Hooper Avenue in the area of the Ocean County Justice Complex connected the truck in the video to Giordano's bucket truck, and charged him with criminal mischief in painting the line.

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 violates the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways.

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 shoplifting charge, filed April 2, and charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and drug paraphernalia, resulted from continuing investigation in the case.

Messina said Giordano, who was still being held at the Ocean County Jail as of Monday, was taken to the county jail in part because of a lengthy history with the Toms River Police Department. Records released by the police department showed nearly 200 interactions by police with Giordano, including at least 20 arrests, dating back to 2008.

"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."

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