Colonia Then & Now – December 2019
By Daniel D’Arcy
December 2019
Not again.
Of course, most of us are quite aware of the tragic accident that occurred on Berkley Ave. that resulted in a twin-engine Cessna aircraft crashing into a home and igniting a fire that destroyed or damaged three homes. Colonia was headline news across the country. Taking the life of the pilot who was flying from Virginia with a destination of Linden airport, this horrible event reminds us about the fragility of life and that it can happen anywhere and here. If not for circumstances that we are not aware of, this tragedy could have been worse. I heard many people project that if the plane flew a little further or a little to the left or right… Only about 1000 yards in the general direction of the airport…the Claremont School. We praise our first responders especially the Colonia Fire Department who were on the scene in minutes.
On September 3, 1935 the Colonia Fire Dept No.1 District 10 was organized. Years ago, a Mrs. White of 1 Rutgers Ave, (within sight of the recent air accident) gave me a book that her husband was in possession of. It was the handwritten logbook of the Colonia Fire Co. from 1935 thru 1937. Robert White of Hopelawn was the brother in law of Doris White who is the daughter of Charles Ayers, the first Fire Chief of the Fire Company. Also included was a typed letter that was the reproduction from what I believe to be a article from the Woodbridge Independent Leader January 3, 1936. It read; District No. 10 has been a part of the Woodbridge fire system for generations. Yet until September 1935 it never had an organized duly elected company of volunteers. But there are plenty of volunteers and with a hand drawn reel cart of 500 feet of 2 ½ inch hose that was kept in the garage of E.K. Cone. When ever one of Colonia’s infrequent fires developed the volunteers with Charles Ayers as “Chief” mobilized and fought the fires. The first fire truck was a Chevy truck converted into a fire truck and housed in Ed Cone’s garage.
After Ed Cones death in 1935 the truck was turned over to the Company. Its location and eventual disposition have never been discovered. Although the rumor that when the VFW took possession of their building on Inman Ave, there was a deteriorated firetruck inside may be accurate. The log lists the names of all the volunteers of which many were residents of local notoriety including Oscar Wilkerson (who lived on the corner of Woods Lane and New Dover Rd. that was just sold and renovated.) and A. Christopherson (whose home was demolished to build two new homes om Montrose Ave.).
The following is the report of October 18, 1937.
Alarm, 1:45pm…returned to fire house 3:30pm. Address. Archangela Ave. Colonia, 1 story brick….1 airplane. Owner of house James Cherego. Loss. Airplane total lost. House partially damaged on roof to cornice and flooring in the bathroom. Insurance …yes. Fire contained to roof to cornice flooring in the bathroom. Killed on plane 2 persons. Cause. Airplane crashed tearing down electric wires, this probably caused house fire. Airplane total loss and killed both occupants. Edwin Larth 23 yrs, 57 Evergreen Place. East Orange, NJ and Robert Roerecht 21 yrs. 278 N. 4th St. Newark NJ.
Seven volunteers responded. Yes, the crash and fire on Berkley Ave was not the first time a plane has crashed and taken lives in Colonia. Since the Westfield airport on Lake Ave was very close to the crash site, it can be assumed that the plane was going to or coming from the local field.
Unbelievable but true.
Did you know.
In 1934 the Launhardt family who owned a farm on the corner of Georges Ave. and Chain O Hills Rd. traveled to Lakehurst Air Station to see the German airship Graf Zeppelin. They were lucky enough to get in line to peer inside the dirigible. On May 6th 1937, Hindenburg was spotted over head on the family farm, the very day of it’s demise. Hearing the news on the radio the family again drove to Lakehurst to see nothing but the charred hulk. Another road trip in 1934 brought them to the Jersey shore, Asbury Park, to take a look at the Morro Castle. The burned-out ship took the lives of 124 people.
Enjoy the Holidays
Thanks for reading,
Daniel D’Arcy 908-599-3958
dandrc@aol.com
PLANE CRASH IN COLONIA
By Robert Hubner, Director Woodbridge Police Department
On October 29, 2019 at 10:58 AM, the Woodbridge Police Department’s Communication Center began receiving multiple reports of a plane crashing into homes on Berkley Ave. in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township. Immediately upon receiving the reports, which now included several homes engulfed in flames, the Woodbridge Police Department’s dispatchers began deciphering the information and relaying accurate information to the police officer assigned to dispatch officers to the scene.
As the dispatch center began to become overwhelmed with calls, the dispatchers and the officers in the Communications Center began contacting fire, first-aid, Hazmat, utility companies, and a host of other agencies that needed to be notified. Once officers were on scene, in addition to making sure everyone was being evacuated from surrounding homes and attempting to determine whether anyone was home in any of the three homes engulfed in flames, they set up a perimeter and began preserving the scene of the crash for investigators.
Colonia Fire Department was on scene quickly and began putting water on the fire. Mutual Aid was called, which included every fire department in Woodbridge Township along with Fire Departments from Carteret, Rahway, Sayreville, Metuchen, South Amboy, and Piscataway, the Woodbridge Township Office of Emergency Management, Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management, and the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management. Woodbridge and Avenel/Colonia First Aid and Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Paramedics also responded.
I along with other command staff personnel arrived on the scene within a short period of time to find what initially appeared to be a chaotic scene, only to find that the multitude of emergency personnel on scene were functioning in an extremely organized and efficient manner. As we approached the Command Center, which was set up in the area of the fire, we were introduced by Deputy Police Director Joseph Nisky, who works closely with our first-aid squads and is the WPD liaison to the Township fire districts to the Colonia Fireman Michael Pirozzoli, the Incident Commander who had the responsibility of keeping track of who was on scene and assigning duties to manage the scene. We were impressed with how calm and organized he was as he was getting bombarded with information and questions. As I stood back with Chief Law Enforcement Officer Scott Kuzma and surveyed the scene, we were both taken aback on the efficiency in which the crash scene was being handled by all emergency personnel. Within a short period of time WPD Officers confirmed that all the homes were unoccupied and that there were no injuries on the ground. The plane, flight plan and pilot were identified and it was confirmed that the pilot was the only occupant of the aircraft. Investigators were in contact with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board who were responding to take over the investigation.
On November 5, we received a letter from the National Transportation Safety Board stating: “When we arrive at the scene of airplane accidents, they often can be chaotic and unorganized, but your team had already brought what was chaos to order, which allowed our investigation to hit the ground running.”
I would like to join the NTSB in commending all the emergency personnel from the dispatchers and officers in police headquarters, to all the first responders on scene and in the background who showed true professionalism and dedication on October 29 and whose actions prevented further tragedy and property loss.
The Magic of Christmas Comes to the Avenel Performing Art Center
The magic of Christmas will come alive at Santa’s Circus, an interactive family-friendly show with breathtaking stunts, illusion, comedy, and everything that you love about Christmas. Santa’s Circus tells the story of an orphaned girl who has stopped believing in Christmas. When she takes an extraordinary adventure to the North Pole she learns that the spirit of Christmas never disappears for those who believe. Celebrate the wonder and joy of a traditional Christmas with lasting memories of fun and laughter.
Show Times:
- December 18, 2019 7:00 pm
- December 19, 2019 4:00 pm
- December 19, 2019 8:00 pm
- December 20, 2019 4:00 pm
- December 20, 2019 8:00 pm
- December 21, 2019 12:00 pm
- December 21, 2019 4:00 pm
- December 21, 2019 8:00 pm
- December 22, 2019 12:00 pm
- December 22, 2019 4:00 pm
- December 22, 2019 8:00 pm
- December 23, 2019 11:00 am
- December 23, 2019 3:00 pm
- December 23, 2019 7:00 pm
Ticket Prices
Adults: $69.50
Children 12 & Under: $49.50
Use Code: TIMES for $ 10.00 off tickets
https://avenelarts.com/shows/santas-circus/
ONE LITTLE GIRLS MISSION TO HELP ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL
On October 29th, 2019 a horrible plane
...READ MOREThoughts From The Editor – December 2019
By Debbie Meehan, Editor
I love everything about the holidays because to me it’s when people seem to shine the brightest, even when the world can be a little dark. There’s something about the holiday season that brings out the best in us. Trust me, if you could take a look around my office through the holidays you would know just what I’m talking about by the amount of cans of food and unwrapped toys that have been donated to help people in our community. People are good, contrary to popular belief. They want to reach out and touch someone’s life, especially in these days when the world is so unsettled and it seems peace is so hard to come by. Yes, the world has changed, but it doesn’t mean we need to change our compassion and human kindness for each other. Someone once told me that “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” and at the holidays it’s easy to find joy and contentment in your heart when you’re helping someone in need, it truly does bring out the best in you.
The true meaning of the season is not about what we receive from others, it’s what we give to others. It’s not about what material gifts we have, after all, those are just possessions, things that easily get discarded through the years as we grow tired of them or they break. The true gifts are the friends we’ve made and the lives we’ve touched along the way through the simple acts of kindness we do.
Truth be told, if someone asked you what gifts you received last year would you really remember? I doubt it.
But if you ask the little boy who stood quietly at the community center until Santa took him on his lap and gave him a shiny fire truck or the little girls and boys whose eyes lit with excitement when Santa, Mrs. Claus and a group of blue elves (aka Woodbridge Police) showed up at Walmart to take them shopping for the holiday, what they received for Christmas that year, they will tell you every detail. Not only will they remember that gift but when they are old enough to understand they will remember the kindness of strangers that gave them a holiday they otherwise may not have had that year or possibly wouldn’t have enjoyed so much.
People fall down and go through difficult days for all kinds of reasons but there is no stronger hand then the hand that reaches out to pull them back up and shows them kindness. For in the end, it’s not the trinkets you’ve collected through the years, it’s the people you’ve collected, the lives you’ve touched and the friendships you’ve made, those will always be more valuable and personally, I’d trade every shiny trinket I was ever offered to keep those memories and the people I love instead.
So this holiday, take a breath and breathe in what the season is about. Give a toy to a child in need, give food to a family that is hungry and do so without judgement, do so simply with just your heart. Spend time with an elderly neighbor who is all alone and just wants someone to talk to, sit down for a while and listen to their stories, for as good as it will make them feel, it will make you feel even better.
Doing this as adults is also a great way to teach our children that caring about others and being kind is so important because it will help them grow into strong, compassionate and kind human beings and the world needs that more than anything else right now. Technology changes every day and the world becomes more advanced and that is a wonderful gift for our future generations, but human kindness, that should never change, generation after generation, compassion and love for our fellow man should always prevail for if it does, goodness and hope are sure to follow.
Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and a wonderful Holiday Season and may we all look into this New Year of 2020
and find peace, love and human kindness!
Woodbridge is Home for the Holidays!!!
‘Tis the season for holiday merriment,
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Woodbridge Police Bring Joy To Special Families This Holiday Season
On December 1, 2019, Woodbridge Police Officers
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