Man Frees Girl, Then Gives Up
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torm causes area flooding, power failures A aeries of Intense thunder norms pined over cen- Police say that a fire hydrant and utility pole were Ave. and Cherry Tree Farm Rd. in Middletown between 4 torms Monday, a Public Service Electric * Gas Co. tnl Monmouth County lite yesterday causing minor among the victims of the washout, which put an eight and 7 p.m., and the traffic light at Route 18 and Seagate spokesman said. Small sections of Camden County re- flooding, power failures, and lower humidity. foot by seven foot section of road under five feet of wa- Avenue in Union Beach was out of commission between mained without power early today, but the spokesman Skies blackened over Hiddletown apd Red Bank ter. 4:12 p.m. and 5:44 p.m. said electricity would be restored to all areas by dawn. shortly after 1 p.m. yeaterdajr and the first of several There were no parked cars damaged by the flood wa- There were iniermitlen power failures In Highlands. "It's all shower-related outages, lightning striking pow- 1 storms delivered high winds, heavy rains, and lightening ters, police say. Hazlet. Union Beach, and Hblmdel, but most of them last er lines and transformers It was not a power failure. he to the area A police spokesman said that It Is believed the fire only a few minutes. There was flooding of some roads in said. RMfc, pnae u riMdiag. quickly became ImpssiaMt hydrant sprung a leak, contributing to the situation. Keansburg and Union Beach, but all roads were passable, The outages varied from a few minutes in Central mi IsjkU well MI II a miker of (•mmnillles far •• to The section of roadway affected crosses Waycake police said. New Jersey counties to several hours in Camden. where Maw. Drive, said police. Tie lander storms, liwever, broaghl ai fnd to the about 10,000 homes were darkened, the spokesman said. In Red Bank the power was ofl for S3'minutes, and Maay MwmMla Beach resldeitt were wllhMt ptwer tare* days «4 timid wealker wkteh has made irarly ev- Scattered outages were reported in Northern New Jer- Monmouth Beach was without electricity for 58 minutes. far SI mlaates after llghtealig slapped • utility pale la eryeae uncomfortable. sey. Ocean Avenue In Monmouth Beach was closed to traf- kali H Pattei Ave. The weatherman predicts that today and tomorrow Lightning struck several homes in northern Ocean fic for several hours thanks to the heavy rains which con- The pole fell to the ground, pulling loose the wires will be hot, with highs in the 80's. but with much less County, Wall Township and Freehold, but police said tinued until nearly midnight. which provide power to most of the borough, police said. humidity. There will be a chance of showers on Thursday damage was light. One fire was reported in Wall Town- Ocean Township police reported a "total washout" of The storm' knocked out traffic lights in Middletown with Increasing humidity. ship, however, police said. a section of Cold Indian Springs Road in the Wayside sec- and Union Beach during the late afternoon. Police di- Electric power was restored today to all but a few of In Jackson Tcwnshlp, Marie Davis. 44. aid a 14-year- rected traffic at the intersection of Route IS and Palmer tion of the township. the 90,000 New Jersey homes blackened during thunders- See Storm causes, page 2 The Daily VOL. 100 NO. 31 SHREWSBURY, N. J. TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1977 15 CENTS Held her hostage Man frees girl, Dtrothy Ciamka then gives up r m ... a very cool girl By BOB COHN Chomko indicated he thought Berne was only interested in having someone to talk to. He said his daughter at first ENGLISHTOWN — A man distraught over mounting busi- thought it was a Joke. "When I walked outside he had his arm ness and personal problems held a 17-year-old girl at around her neck and a knife at her side. He made me slay put knifepoint yesterday for more than an hour before surrender- and kept us there for three-quarters of an hour," he added. ing to state police. And the father had nothing but praise for his daughter's - Eric Beme, 34, of 20 Water St. was arrested and taken to coolness. "I don't know how she did it, but she remained calm Monmouth County Jail, but was later transferred to the Marl- and tried to talk her way out of It. She only broke down boro Psychiatric Hospital where he remains under observa- once," he said and "I broke down before she did." tion. Chomko, a former mayor, said he had never seen anyone » ! Mr. Beme had gone to the home of Dorothy Chomko, 17, of distraught as Beme during his years in public life. And he 31 Water St. at about I a.m. yesterday, and after walking with continued in praise of his daughter. "Even after he released her into the backyard, grabbed the girl around the throat and her, she stayed in front of him and tried to talk to him. Her held an eight-inch kitchen knife to her side. new car came today and I'm glad, it will help take her mind Harry Chomko, the girl's father, who was home at the time, off It all." DOUSING IT DOWN — Firemen pour water and asphalt factory [In AAatawan Township, said that after about 15 or 20 minutes, Mr. Berne requested onto heated drums as others plod through wa- Despite the rainstorm, firemen had to return that Englishtown Patrolman Richard Reeves be present, clad Chomko said Dorothy had just completed her required ter and mud during all-day fire yesterday at tar later In the day to douse the rekindled flames. only in a bathing suit. courses at beautician's school after having graduated in June from Manalapan High School. According to Mr. Chomko, Ptl. Reeves was on duty else- where, but police Capt. Gerald Moresca was summoned in- She works part-time at a local beauty parlor and trims stead. He showed up alone, and after some conversation with hair in the neighborhood for experience. That's why she agreed to do Berne's hair, he said. Manager badly burned Mr. Beme, Capt. Moresca was allowed to call for additional police. Chomko's wife Bertha didn't know what was happening and was chased back into the house by her husband. "My son Police from Englishtown and neighboring communities Robert, 21, was also very calm and helped work with the po- rushed to the scene, and were subsequently joined by state lice- police. in asphalt plant blaze According to Mr. Berne's brother. Geoff, the episode was State Police Det. William Logan arrested Mr. Berne when the result of Eric's despondency over the financial situation of he voluntarily released Miss Chomko. the Englishtown Music Hall, which the brothers manage along By DAVID ASTOR dustries. said he was outside cutting weeds around 1:50 Chomko said lie had known Berne since Berne and his with their mother. and DAVID GRAULIf H p.m. "I heard a rumble, just like thunder, and that was brother moved across the street three years ago when they MATAWAN TOWNSHIP — A plant manager was crit- it Flames were all the way the hell up in the air: bright opened the music hall. Geoff Berne said Eric never intended to harm Miss Ically burned when a fire ripped through Chris Indistrics orange flames shot through the roof and out the sides" ol Chomko, a beautician who often cut Eric's hair, but that he Inc. on Lloyd Road yesterday afternoon the Chris building he said was the victim of mounting problems. Charles Metzger. a Keyport resident who worked at Mr Strongoli ran into the Pride-Made factory and The Music Hall, which highlighted bluegrass and country the tar and asphalt factory, was rushed to the intensive yelled at workers lo get out of the building, since winds music, was struck by a fire last June 14, and since then, Geoff care ward of Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel, were blowing the flames in PrideMade's direction "I Beme said, the brothers haven't been able to reach a settle- #lth burns suffered after the fire broke out know Frank well enough to know he wasn't joking ment with the insurance company. Because of this, he said, iround 1:50 p.m. Mr. Metzger was listed in critical Hindi- around." said Doreen Ryan, a machine operator at Pride- the Hall will not reopen "for the foreseeable future." Ion last night. Made "I ran out the back of the building, then ran "There was some indication in Eric's mind that the Hall Dozens of fire units, first aid squads, and police from around front and just kept running." The (ire didn't would never reopen," his brother said. "It looks like the work Bayshore area towns converged on the tire, which gave reach the Pride-Made building of the last three years by three people is being lost " off billowing clouds of smoke visible from Ihe Garden There were believed to be seven workers in the Chris Geoff Beme also said that at the time of the fire, their State Parkway. Firemen battled high winds and drench plant when the fire started, and several employees were mother, Roselle, had Just returned from the hospital where ing thundershowers which turned the fire scene into a treated on the scene for minor injuries A knot of Chris she had been confined with a serious illness.