I INDEPENDENT h Gasoline leak m ay have caused explosion . Y outh rescues fo u r fro m b o at fire By Regina Frejer Mark Semus, 26, of Bloomfield; and Dave fishing trip at 9 a.m. from Highland Park, been much worse. Someone could have been KEYPORT Delizio, 19, Nutley. Semus said. They stopped at the borough’s killed.” An 18-year-old boy rescued four crew Young Thompson was treated for minor marina, he said, to fuel up and then started She said M cGuire did not want to accept members of a fishing boat which caught fire head injuries by the First Aid Squad. He had for Sandy Hook. the reward, but “ I told him $50 was not a lot after its engine exploded Monday in Raritan been struck by debris from the engine box, “We didn’t smell any gas,” Semus said. of money for saving their lives.” ■ Bay. Lum said. Although his son was reported to “ All of a sudden, the motor exploded. The No one was seriously injured in the acci­ be in good condition, Thompson was advised fire then began spreading to the sides of the dent. to keep a close check on him for double vis­ boat. We tried to put it out with a fire ex­ An employee of Bennett’s Boat Rentals, ion and drowsiness. tinguisher, but it ran out.” Michael McGuire, Ramsey Avenue, Keans­ The police dispatcher received four con­ Pettyjohn saw the fire as he was driving burg, witnessed the incident and rushed to secutive calls at 9:24 a.m. about the fire. down to his boat rental. rescue the four crew m em bers of the 24-ft. The Fire Dept, arrived at the scene at 9:40 “ I w as pulling in to check up on Mike, to 1969 Sea Ray as they were jumping in the a.m. By that time the boat had drifted 400 see how he was doing because it was my day water to escape the flames. yards toward Broad Street. off,” he said. “ I was going to jump in the The boat was about 200 yards from the Gary and Wade Peterson of Hans Peter­ boat when I saw the fire, but then I saw Mike bulkhead on American Legion Drive when son’s & Sons, W. Front Street, arrived at the already coming in with them. the explosion occurred at 9:24 a.m. scene with an anchor line to tow the “Mia” Lum said there may have been more ser­ McGuire told Ptl. Fred Lum that he to shallow water, said Marcus- Pettyjohn, ious injuries if McGuire had not reacted as “ heard an explosion, saw the engine box co-owner of the boat rental. quickly as he did. blow off, and heard a boy scream.” . Pettyjohn, who is a Matawan firefighter, This was his first week on the job, Mc­ The 34-year old owner of the “Mia,” said he and other volunteers helped pull in Guire said. Ronald Thompson, New Brunswick, sus­ the boat, which was headed toward an­ Thomson’s wife, Pat, gave McGuire a $50 pected that the explosion was caused by a chored sailboats in the bay. reward yesterday for his “ courageous” act leak in the gas tank. Lum also said that was Firemen then were able to reach the boat Monday. probably the cause. with the hose. The fire was extinguished at Other members aboard the “Mia” were 10:05 a.m. “ I’m very proud of him,” Mrs. Thompson Thompson’s nine-year-old son, Alexander; The party of four had started on their said yesterday. “The accident could have MICHAEL McGUIRE Hazlet, Keyport officials object to G annett's m ethods USA Today vending machines may be moved KEYPORT tached to public stanchions or in residential Lowney said that Gannett agreed to re­ residents who found them in their develop­ The Gannett Co. has agreed to remove zones,” Litwin said. move the chains from the poles. ments and in front of their homes,” says the USA Today vending machines from areas in The machines were also attached to util­ “We should have been consulted before letter. the borough which the police consider a traf­ ity poles owned by Jersey Central Power they (Gannett) installed them,” Bergen “You may have a legal right to establish fic hazard, according to Borough Adminis­ and Light Co., Bergen said. said. “We want them to remove the honor boxes along the public right-of-ways trator John J. Kennedy. JCP&L warned USA Today’s attorney machines until they come before the coun­ and upon public property,” the letter con­ Gannett said that the machines would be ' about attaching the vending machines to the cil.” tinues, “ but we certainly do not believe that moved to other areas in the borough. poles, according to James Lowney, JCP&L Hazlet Mayor Paul A. Stallone has also the method by which it was done is accepta­ The Borough Council last week had manager of public information. asked Gannett to remove the 25 to 30 ble.” authorized Borough Attorney Gordon N. Lit­ “ They were in violation of the same state machines placed in the township. Stallone also says the machines were win to ask Gannett to remove the machines. statute which forbids political campaigners The locations at which they have been placed in the township without prior notice Gannett publishes USA Today, a daily to put posters on utility poles,” Lowney said. placed have “incensed -the ire of our or permission. newspaper. According to Mayor Richard Bergen, ap­ proximately 15 machines were placed throughout the borough recently without the H elicopters m ay land in H azlet council’s permission. “ The machines are placed in areas which HAZLET As a safety precaution, the committee hold to use the county helicopter. make them potential hazards,” Bergen The Township Committee last night agreed that a police car would have to at the The commission uses the aircraft for an said. unanimously agreed to apply for state and site during all landings. Youths may be us­ eight-week period for gypsy moth control, Council members said the machines ob­ Federal Aviation Administration licenses to ing the athletic fields when a helicopter he said. During off-season the aircraft must struct crosswalks and are located in front of allow helicopters to land at Leocadia Court. lands, the committee said. be operated once a week for maintenance. businesses which sell newspapers. David Shaw, superintendent of the County With its own helistop, the township would But they are available to the local govern­ According to Litwin, the courts allow the Shade Tree Commission, explained the pro­ not have to go to Monmouth Airport or F ree ­ ments daily. machines as an expression of free press and cedure which a municipality must follow to the right to circulate. obtain a “helistop,” a helicopter, landing “ This should be handled by a comprehen­ area. sive news machine ordinance,” Litwin said. The only cost to the township, Shaw said, He is preparing an ordinance, to- be sub­ would be a $15 license fee. The county would Union Beach moves forward mitted at the council’s August workshop install signs designating the helicopter land­ meeting, which will regulate the placing of ing area. The pilot, David Herbert, would be the machines. in charge of both measuring the landing site with plans to protect shore Litwin agrees that Gannett has the right and doing the necessary paperwork. to install the machines. Shaw explained that the county’s two UNION BEACH could have more time to consider both Bro­ “This is not to say that they can be at- helicopters are available to municipalities The Borough Council Monday introduced berg’s plan and an alternative proposed by H earing slated for surveying property, locating toxic waste an ordinance authorizing a $95,000 bond Coun.cilman John Keating. sites, searching for missing persons, and issue as the first payment on a $2.8 million Keating’s proposal called for a sea wall emergencies. shore protection plan developed by the bor­ 400 feet off shore. Broberg, the Army Corps on Aberdeen suit The helistop is similar to one recently ough engineer. and the DEP officials agreed Keating’s pro­ ABERDEEN established in Howell. At two previous meetings, the three Dem­ posal would provide better shore protection. A Superior Court judge will decide Tues­ “ It’s a multi-use area, just like the one in ocrats on the council had opposed Borough But they said that the cost—estimated to be day if a‘ restraining order preventing im­ Howell,” he said, referring to the athletic Engineer Edward Broberg’s plan to build a four times that of Broberg’s plan—would be plementation of a controversial Marlboro fields at Leocadia Court. The municipal l.^-mile seawall along,the beach. prohibitive. zoning ordinance should be made perman­ garages and First Aid building are also . This time, however, Councilman Frank Bernard J. Moore, chief of the DEP Bur­ ent. -• ' located at Leocadia Court. DiCicca changed his vote. eau of Coastal Engineering, had told the The township applied for the restraining The township would determine who could At a Ju ly 11 meeting with officials from council that the borough would remain on a order after councilmen read newspaper re­ land at its helistop, Shaw said. Even the the Army Corps and Dept, of Envri’onmental list of municipalities seeking funds from the ports about the new ordinance, according to county, he said, would need the township’s Protection, DiCicca and Councilman Lee state’s $50 million shore protection bond Mayor Burton Morachnick.