Sayreville pursues law on security personnel
Police investigate latest report of gunfire at Winding Wood
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer
Sayreville officials are looking to require the owners of large properties to hire security personnel to protect their tenants.

The Borough Council discussed the proposed ordinance Saturday, about one week after the latest incident involving gunfire at Winding Wood Apartments, the borough's largest apartment community. Police were dispatched to the complex on a report of gunshots fired at 10:15 p.m. June 6. No injuries or property damage were reported in the incident.

Several suspects were reportedly standing at the corner of the complex's most easterly entrance, in the area of Bordentown Avenue and Building 43. One of the men was allegedly pointing a gun in the air and firing it in random directions. Police recovered six 9- millimeter casings at the scene.

Numerous patrol units responded to the scene after police were informed of a suspect who allegedly ran around the side ofBuilding 43 and into the sprawling apartment community, according to police. Officers were given a description of the shooter, a black man wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a white baseball cap. Another male suspect was described to police as being a white or Hispanic man.

Police found one individualmatching the witnesses' description, and questioned the man after patting him down in a weapons check.No weapons were found in his possession, but the Winding Wood resident was charged on an outstanding warrant for $800 out of New Brunswick.

Police searched the area for other suspects, but none were found. Authorities reported that the casings found at the scene could have been froman automatic blank firing pistol.

Security at the complex has been a frequent topic of discussion at Borough Council meetings since last year's shooting death of Marquis Maing, a 20-year-old Old Bridge man. Police have since arrested and charged two men, one of whom was a juvenile at the time of the murder.

Maing's girlfriend, Tina Castaldo, also of Old Bridge, survived the incident with multiple gunshot wounds.

Since then, lawenforcement officers have been dispatched to the location for several incidents of theft, as well as alleged gunfire. However, only one of the incidents involving gunfire resulted in property damage, and no injuries were reported.

Borough Business Administrator Jeffry Bertrand said at a councilmeeting Saturday that an ordinance is being drafted to address issues of security at borough housing complexes. It is expected to be ready for first reading by the council July 7.

BoroughAttorney BrianHak toldGreater MediaNewspapers that he used an ordinance fromNewark,which has been upheld in court, as a model for Sayreville's version.While the borough's ordinance would be similar to Newark's, it will not be identical, he said.

Bertrand said the ordinance would require owners of property that exceeds a certain number of housing units to provide a yet-undetermined number of unarmed security employees for its tenants. Officials want to ensure that the ordinance is fair and does not single out any particular property owner, he added.

"We want to do an ordinance that makes sense," Bertrand said. "We are trying to set a number [of housing units] without targeting specific property owners."

The June 6 gunfire report at Winding WoodApartments is still under investigation.