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THURSDAY 10.29.15

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Mets drop Game 2

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Christie calls
for reform of
entitlements

THEN AND NOW: THE YELLOW HOUSE

The waters of superstorm Sandy came ashore and split a home in half in Union Beach. Now an empty lot
remains at the spot, seen Tuesday. ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO (LEFT) AND THOMAS P. COSTELLO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SPECIAL REPORT
S A N DY 3 Y E A R S L AT E R

Republican presidential
hopefuls debate again
BOB JORDAN @BOBJORDANAPP

ALMOST
HOME

stay with relatives in Cranford before superstorm Sandy made landfall. h Seawa-

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at the Republican

presidential primary debate Wednesday night called
for raising the retirement age and cutting benefits for
high-income seniors to save Social Security but a rival argued that seniors shouldnt have to sacrifice benefits.
The GOP hopefuls including frontrunners Donald
Trump and Ben Carson took the stage in Boulder, Colorado, for a televised debate about the economy on
CNBC.
Christie said reforms to entitlement programs must
be pursued because the government cant pay these
benefits. Social Security is going to be insolvent in 7 to 8
years.
Otherwise, the debate featured sparks between former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Bush and Rubio have said theyre friends
but Bush hit Rubio for missing votes in the Senate.
Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a sixyear term and you should be showing up to work, Bush
said. What is this, like a French work week?
Just resign and let someone else take the job, Bush
said.
Christie has proposed phasing-in benefit cuts for
people who make over $80,000 and eliminating them entirely for seniors who are making over $200,000.

ter, mud and sand took their place, overwhelming the Highlands home where

See CHRISTIE, Page 11A

Boardwalks, harbors, highways rebuilt, but

what about houses claimed by superstorm?
RUSS ZIMMER @RUSSZIMMER
JEAN MIKLE @JEANMIKLE

Laura Murray was six months pregnant when she and her family packed up to

theyd raised their young son, Colin, and where they were hoping to make more
memories with his little sister. h The family got home quicker than most. Their
now-2-year-old daughter Grace never stayed in a hotel or apartment. Laura and

ANALYSIS: Like it or not, Carson steals spotlight. PAGE 1B

her husband Tom went straight from the hospital in early February 2013 back to
Barberie Avenue, where their home had been mostly rebuilt.
See SANDY, Page 14A

INSIDE

ONLINE

A snapshot of how towns are recovering, PAGE 3A

Sweeney: N.J. did piss-poor job with Sandy
recovery, PAGE 5A
Sandy anniversary lesson: Don't ignore
evacuation orders, PAGE 5A

Visit sandy.app.com for more information, photo

galleries, previous stories and more

Men charged in
dare to autistic
teen to stand trial
KATHLEEN HOPKINS @KHOPKINSAPP

THEN AND NOW: THE MANTOLOKING BRIDGE HOUSE

Devastated bayfront homes rest in the water near the Mantoloking Bridge after Sandy. Now new homes
are being built on the spot, seen Oct. 21. ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO (LEFT) AND THOMAS P. COSTELLO/STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHER

MANASQUAN A judge on Wednesday ordered a

trial for two Howell men accused of daring an autistic
teen to jump off the jetty here into the frigid ocean last
winter.
Municipal Judge Paul J. Capotorto refused to enforce a plea bargain that previously had been offered to
Nicholas Formica, 21, and Christopher Tilton, 20, and
said he will list the matter for trial.
Were absolutely thrilled, said Christine Marshall
of Howell, mother of 19-year-old Parker Drake, who has
autism and diabetes.
Formica and Tilton are charged with endangering
the welfare of a mentally incompetent person.
They are accused of offering Drake $20 and two
packs of cigarettes to jump off the jetty into the frigid
Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 25, during a winter cold snap.
They recorded a video of the ordeal, which they later
posted on the social media site SnapChat.
See TRIAL, Page 13A

Brick police thanked for Sandy help

AMANDA OGLESBY @OGLESBYAPP

BRICK Carol Soreca still remembers her devastation upon seeing the charred ruins of her Lyndhurst
Drive home days after superstorm Sandy triggered a
fire that burned Camp Osborn and her adjacent house
to the ground.
Soreca, 53, of Tuxedo, New York, also remembers
how Brick police officers dug their hands into the sand

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to help search for her belongings among the rubble.

Nearby, other officers pulled flood-soaked furniture
from neighbors homes.
I remember seeing them pulling out couches and
anything that was water-drenched, she recalled. That
was not their role, to carry furniture out or help me sift
through the sand.
See BRICK, Page 14A

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VOLUME 136
NUMBER 259

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