Crime & Safety

Brick PD Arrest Man In Theft of Vintage Surfboard From Damaged Home

Cops: Suspected thief, who had been soliciting work as Sandy insurance adjuster, tried to sell the board on Craigslist

The theft of a vintage surfboard from a Normandy Drive home led to the arrest of a Lavallette man Friday, Brick police said.

The resident of the home, which had been "devastated" by Superstorm Sandy, reported a 1963 Gordie Noserider longboard stolen April 27, said Sgt. Henry Drew. The board is valued at about $600.

Drew said information was eventually received by members of the Brick Township Police Detective Bureau which revealed that the surfboard was currently listed for sale on Craigslist, an online classified ad site.

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Brick Police Detective Michael Feeney used an undercover alias and began talking with the seller through the site, Drew said.

"During these conversations, Detective Feeney was able to determine that the seller had contacted a local surf shop in an attempt to sell the surfboard," said Drew.

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Eventually, Feeney determined the identity of the surfboard's seller as Bryan C. Jerman, 49, of Lavallette. When the two spoke, Jerman told Feeney that the surfboard had been returned to the residence from which it had been removed, but denied being involved.

Officers on patrol went to the home and saw that the board had, indeed, been brought back.

On Friday, Jerman went to Brick police headquarters with an attorney where he was placed under arrest and charged with receiving stolen property, Drew said.

Municipal Court Judge Robert Lepore set bail at $25,000 cash. Jerman was transported to the Ocean County Jail in lieu of bail.

Feeney’s investigation, Drew said, revealed that Jerman had been soliciting work as an insurance adjuster and mold remediation specialist in the Shore area in the months after Superstorm Sandy struck.

Anyone with additional information is being asked to contact Feeney at the Brick Township Police Detective Bureau at 732-262-4611.


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