Dangler calls for
measures including
police substation
BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer
In the aftermath of a shooting in Long Branch that left one man dead and another critically injured, the head of the city’s NAACP chapter is again calling on officials to address violence in the city.
“My concern is with the redevelopment taking place in town,” said Bill Dangler, executive director of the Greater Long Branch NAACP Monday. “Or maybe the lack of redevelopment in this part of town.”
“You don’t see this in other areas of town, such as in Elberon,” he said. “But there is a problem in the median- to low-income areas of the city.”
According to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, just before midnight on Nov. 21, two Long Branch men were shot at the intersection of Johns Street and Hendrickson Avenue.
The victims were identified as Michael Montgomery, 27, and Keith Logan, 26.
Both men were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where Montgomery underwent emergency surgery, but was pronounced dead a short time later, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Logan was last reported to be in critical but stable condition, according to the press release.
Montgomery was the second man to be murdered in Long Branch this year, Long Branch Director of Public Safety Bill Richards said Monday.
The other murder occurred in August, when a Neptune man was shot and killed outside Murphy’s bar on Division Street.
According to N.J. State Police crime statistics, there was one murder reported in the city in 2004 and no murders in 2005.
Dangler, along with several other community leaders, met with Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin, Richards and other city officials in September to discuss what efforts were being taken by the county and the city to curtail violence in Long Branch.
Dangler said he plans to keep the lines of communication open and hopes to have additional meetings in the future, ensuring the safety of residents in he city.
The neighborhood in which the shootings took place last week had been identified by residents as a “problem area” in the city.
“It hasn’t always been a problem area,” Dangler said.
“It was about a year ago when I went to a public council meeting and announced my concern,” Dangle continued. “I had been noticing what appeared to be a lot more activity in that area.
“I said [at the council meeting] that I noticed more young adults were gathering in that part of town.
“There was drug dealing going on and it is an area in-between two drug-free school zones,” he said.
Richards said the police have responded to concerns about that area.
“We have been proactive,” Richards said. “We increased police presence and task force efforts.”
Dangler said he has noticed an increase in police presence in areas of the city where there is a concentration of the poor but said he wants more.
“How about a [police] substation in that area,” Dangler asked.
“I just wish it would get better.”
A joint investigation into the shootings is being conducted by the Long Branch Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office.
Richards said at this time the police have leads about who was involved in the crime, but no arrests have been made.
“There are a significant number of talented and dedicated persons working on this investigation,” Richards said.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Long Branch Detective Michael Verdadiero at (732) 222-8017 or Detective Daniel Baldwin at the Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443.

