BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — A Republican candidate running for a seat on the Township Committee has asked the town’s governing body to create so-called pedophile-free zones in Manalapan.
Miracle Torregrossa, who will seek a three-year term in November on a slate with Peter Hall, addressed the committee at its May 25 meeting. She asked officials to protect the children of Manalapan from those who would deliberately attempt to harm them.
“I was quite surprised to find in a recent news story that there are 10,169 registered sex offenders living in New Jersey,” Torregrossa said. “However, only 17 percent of them are actually listed on the state’s sex offender Internet registry. Does anyone in this room know how many level 1, level 2 or even more dangerous level 3 sex offenders live here in Manalapan or in surrounding communities? Does anyone here know who they are?”
Torregrossa asked officials to adopt an ordinance that would keep criminals away from children.
“My proposal is to mirror the recent law enacted in Hamilton Township (Mercer County) and adopt a pedophile-free zone right here in Manalapan,” Torregrossa said. “I propose that we prohibit anyone convicted of a sexual offense against a minor from living within 2,500 feet of any school, playground, park, recreation center, day camp or day care center.”
Torregrossa mentioned three south Florida communities where there have been recent abductions, assaults and murders of children.
“[Those towns are] now proposing ordinances,” she said. “Six Flags has a new rule that allows them to remove anyone at any of their 30 amusement parks, saying that it reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone convicted of a sex crime or required to register as a sex offender.”
Torregrossa said her proposed ordinance would go a step further.
“My proposal will [also] include day camps and convenience stores since we obviously have several within the confines of Manalapan,” Torregrossa said. “The safety of our children from those who would prey on their innocence must be made paramount.”
Republican committeemen Andrew Lucas and Joe Locricchio said later in a press release they would support such an ordinance if the committee decides to propose one.
Speaking with the News Transcript after the meeting, Democratic Mayor Bill Scherer said, “On a bipartisan level, all the members of the Township Committee are concerned with everything that affects the children of our town. We will gladly look into this issue and [examine] any ordinance that might be proposed.”
Subsequently, Anthony Gennaro and Michelle Roth, the Democratic candidates for Township Committee, said in a May 26 press release that they, too, would support an ordinance designed to better guarantee the safety of Manalapan’s children from incidents of rape, abduction and sexual assault.
“As a mother of three daughters and a resident of this town for nearly 20 years, I am deeply concerned about protecting our children,” Roth said. “An ordinance designed to safeguard our children by bringing together the township, the public, the police department and the latest technology is extremely worthwhile.”
“I am 100 percent behind this,” Gennaro agreed. “As Police Chief Stuart Brown pointed out at yesterday’s Township Committee meeting, thankfully these incidents are relatively rare in Manalapan. They are rare because of the excellent work the police department performs on a daily basis.”
Manalapan police Capt. Lou Moreto said there are three categories of pedophiles known to law enforcement authorities.
“In the most dangerous category, which requires the public to be notified, there are no registered pedophiles in Manalapan,” he said. “Tier 1 is low risk and Tier 2 is moderate risk. There are seven registered as residents and [there are] three who are registered who work in [not for] the township. None are in the level where community notification is necessary.”