Councilman gets his Grinch back after lengthy search

By sandi carpello
Staff Writer

Councilman gets his Grinch
back after lengthy search
By sandi carpello
Staff Writer


JERRY WOLKOWITZ  Nicholas (left) and Edward Romano stand with their Grinch after it was stolen from their Helmetta home and later recovered.JERRY WOLKOWITZ Nicholas (left) and Edward Romano stand with their Grinch after it was stolen from their Helmetta home and later recovered.

HELMETTA — In the world of Dr. Seuss, it was the Grinch who stole Christmas. In the one-square-mile town of Helmetta, somebody stole the Grinch.

When Borough Councilman Edward Romano and his two sons, Edward Jr., 8, and Nicholas, 6, returned from Englishtown Auction Sales one recent Saturday morning, they were surprised to see that their 8-foot-tall, illuminated Grinch was missing from their Main Street front yard.

"I thought it was some kind of political joke. I thought someone put it on the front of (Mayor) Frank Hague’s yard," Romano said of the Grinch’s Dec. 14 disappearance.

The inflatable Grinch, which had been purchased just two weeks prior from Helmetta Lawn and Garden, Main Street, has stood proudly in front of Romano’s yard along with an 8-foot-tall Frosty the Snowman, and a giant Santa with his sleigh.

Due to its large stature, Romano was astonished that someone had taken it.

"The thief was so brazen," Romano said. "He had to unplug the Grinch, deflate it, unscrew the bolt … It took a long time. The guy didn’t care."

Several hours later, after realizing that the missing Grinch was not the act of a prankster, Romano contacted the police, who looked for the Grinch on lawns around the borough but were unable to find a clue, according to Helmetta Police Chief Cully Lewis.

"My son [Edward Jr.] was really upset," Romano said. "He couldn’t understand how someone could do that."

At his son’s request, Romano and his children spent Saturday evening combing the streets of Helmetta, Spotswood and areas in East Brunswick, Romano said.

"The whole time we were looking we didn’t see any other Grinches," he said.

It was not until 6 p.m. Sunday that Edward Jr. spotted the Grinch in front of a Jamesburg residence.

Police were dispatched to the residence where, according to Jamesburg Chief of Police Dave Lester, the residents said they had received the Grinch from another individual.

Though police have a suspect in the theft, they had not made an arrest.

The resident promptly returned the Grinch to Romano, who said he is not pressing charges against the Jamesburg resident.

Gerald Everest, owner of Helmetta Lawn and Garden, said the oversized Grinch is in high demand.

"I ordered a lot of them [from a California vendor] because I knew it was going to be a hot item this year," he said.

Due to the dock workers’ strike in California, Everest said he only received half his order. The Grinch he sold to Romano cost $69.95.