Boro wants more cops at apartment complex Mayor, council say Winding Woods needs added security BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer Sayreville officials are asking the owner of the Winding Woods apartment community to hire off-duty police officers for security in light of ongoing reports of crime. Borough Business Administrator Jeffry Bertrand said he sent a letter Friday to the owner of the development, accompanied by a list of violations brought to borough officials' attention. He said the code enforcement issues include car parts found in the wooded areas and the presence of approximately 30 unregistered vehicles in the Winding Woods complex. Reached yesterday, an employee of Hillside Estates, Mountainside, which owns the complex, said the company has been in touch with the borough's code enforcement office on the matter, but then hung up the phone. Further attempts to speak with management at Winding Woods for this story were unsuccessful. In light of criminal reports over the last year, Bertrand said borough police have maintained increased patrols in the area of Winding Woods for the past two or three months. Police found six shell casings in the parking lot of buildings 24 and 25 Dec. 3 after residents reported hearing gunfire at 9:26 p.m. There were no reports, however, of any shots fired at a person, according to police. Elsewhere in the apartment community, on Woods Way, police reported that three motor vehicles were vandalized near building 61 sometime between 9:30 p.m. Dec. 2 and 7:30 a.m. Dec. 3. The frontside windows of all three cars were smashed. The same week, residents of the community voiced concerns to Sayreville officials about security. Jacqueline Butler, a resident of Winding Woods who has publicly raised concerns about quality of life in the community over the past year, addressed the Borough Council at two recent meetings. She expressed frustration with Hillside Estates on Nov. 19, saying she disagrees with the owner's decision against funding additional security in the complex. Butler raised specific concerns about the alleged presence of youth in the area, claiming they have been known to carry weapons, slash tires and destroy property. She said the police have been helpful by responding to every call from residents, but that it is not enough. "Somebody is going to be killed," Butler added. "We need more protection." Councilman Dennis Grobelny, who heads the council's Public Safety Committee, said that Sayreville Police Chief Edward Szkodny has arranged for unscheduled patrols in the area. But Grobelny also wants the owner of the property to increase security in light of the frequent police reports there. "You're correct," Grobelny told Butler. "They do need security." Councilman Stanley Drwal expressed frustration with Hillside Estates representative Nathan Reich and the lack of arrangements for additional security in the community, which was the site of a fatal shooting on June 28. In that incident, Marquis Maing, 20, of Old Bridge, was shot to death while seated in a parked car. Police later charged Telik K. Pittman, 24, of East Brunswick, with the murder. Manny Gomes, said he has lived in Winding Woods for two years and is concerned about groups of between 12 and 20 young people loitering in the area of his building. "I see a lot of what is going on," Gomes told the council. "I pray to God you guys will all help us, because if you don't, you're doing a disservice to us and to Sayreville." Mayor Kennedy O'Brien reminded residents that all incidents they witness should be promptly reported to the police. "Anything you have should be reported to the police, because that is the only way we will know about it," O'Brien said. Borough Attorney Brian Hak said that since the community is privately owned, it is difficult for the borough to do much more than write a letter voicing concerns and making recommendations to the owner. "It's impossible to get him to do something that he doesn't want to do," Hak said. "… At the end of the day, if he doesn't want to do it, we don't have a legal recourse." Butler also spoke to the council Dec. 3, raising concerns about speeding at the complex. She recommended the borough set up a police substation there. Bertrand responded that the police department does not have enough manpower to have a substation in the complex. He added that Reich has provided apartments to authorities for surveillance purposes on a nonroutine basis. "In that regard, he has been extremely cooperative with us," Bertrand said. Stephen Peterson, a resident of Winding Woods, told the mayor and council that he is concerned for the safety of his family. He said he has seen reckless driving there on several occasions, and skid marks can be seen on the asphalt in the area of his building. "I just moved into this place," Peterson said. "I'm concerned about my family." Council President Thomas Pollando said the increased cost of hiring additional police is worthwhile for the well-being of residents in the community. "Tell the chief that we want extra patrols out there, and if there's a cost, that's what we need to do," Pollando said. "I don't think we can just keep on listening week after week without doing something about it." Councilman Daniel Buchanan said that in his visits to the community, residents have commonly told him they are afraid to report incidents for fear of repercussions. "We do need to do something before it gets any more out of control," Buchanan said. O'Brien said he supports the town's request for the property owner to hire two offduty police officers. He said that, with the complex's large population of approximately 8,000 people, security guards with the power to make arrests would be ideal. "It's a big complex, and I think it is a very reasonable request from the borough to the owners of Winding Woods for the general safety of the residents," O'Brien said. The mayor said most complaints in the community are confined to littering, noise and other less serious issues. Not enough residents have come forward to raise concerns about the safety of the complex, O'Brien said, for him to think that the situation there is worse than elsewhere in the borough. "All the reports that I've gone over with the chief of police show that the incidents at Winding Woods are the same as any other neighborhood in town," O'Brien said. O'Brien did not agree with Pollando's call for additional patrols funded by the municipality. "I don't agree that the rest of the people of Sayreville should have to subsidize police patrols, which, No. 1, should be the landlord's responsibility, and, No. 2, the police reports don't indicate a need for it," O'Brien said. Pollando disagreed, saying reports involving gunfire and vandalism are serious. "Obviously, the residents are still saying there is gunfire, vandalism and drug dealing still going on," Pollando said. "We can't have a deaf ear to this." Pollando said that if the borough does not address the problems at Winding Woods, the issues could spread to other parts of Sayreville. "The residents there are afraid to come out," he said. "They're afraid to speak." A resident who spoke anonymously said his car was among those vandalized recently, and that it cost $420 to fix the damage. He agreed with Pollando that renters in the complex fear retribution if they complain about crime.