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Philly Teachers, Principal Cheated on State Testing for Years: AG

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For five years, teachers and the principal of a Philadelphia elementary school allegedly engaged in an cheating operation to raise test scores for a state standardized exam, Pennsylvania's top prosecutor said on Thursday morning.

Now, they face criminal charges.

Five educators -- four teachers and their principal -- at Cayuga Elementary School in the Hunting Park section of the city allegedly changed or provided answers to students and reviewed test questions for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) before giving the exam, according to Pa. Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

"Cheating robs children of a good education and hurts kids and families," Kane said in a statement. "The alleged misconduct by these educators is an affront to the public's trust and will not be tolerated."

From 2007 through 2012, principal Evelyn Cortez and teachers Jennifer Hughes, Lorraine Vicente, Rita Wyszynski and Ary Sloane allegedly instructed students to record test answers on scrap paper so their work could be checked, a grand jury investigation found.

Cortez "blatantly promoted" the act over the PA system at the nearly 450 student school, the AG's Office said.

Prosecutors said the grand jury also found the principal allegedly walked through classrooms during the testing, looked over students' shoulders and tapped their test booklet to indicate the answer needed to be changed.

Testifying before the grand jury, one teacher said Wyszynski admitted she, Sloane and Cortez would at times come into school on Saturday and change test answers, a grand jury report stated.

The high test scores led to accolades from district officials and even a promotion for Sloan, who became the principal of another district school.

Once the alleged cheating stopped in 2012, prosecutors say the school's PSSA scores plummeted across all grades and subjects.

According to the School District of Philadelphia, math PSSA test scores for 3rd grade Cayuga students dropped from 63 percent to 30 percent from 2011 to 2012 -- when the alleged cheating ended. Reading scores for the same grade went from 60 percent to 27 percent in the same period.

In the 4th grade, math scores dropped from 77 percent to 39 percent and reading scores went from 42 percent to 19 percent, according to the records.


PHOTO: Cayuga Elementary School at 5th and W. Cayuga Streets was the scene of alleged prolonged cheating scandal perpetuated by educators.

School District of Philadelphia spokesman Fernando Gallard said the charges stem from 2011 investigation conducted by the Pa. Department of Education and state Inspector General. Officials looked at suspicious PSSA results at 11 district schools and 3 charter schools as well as other schools across the Commonwealth.

The grand jury presentment said the test results and number of answer changes were statistically improbable.

"The five individuals criminally charged today were immediately suspended from their current duties pending a disciplinary conference to be scheduled in the near future," Gallard said in a statement.

The district changed its test security procedures in early 2012, Gallard said.

Jerry Jordan, head of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said it was the teachers who blew the whistle on the problem. Still, he admonished their alleged actions.

"There is no place for cheating when it comes to educating our children. As educators we teach our students that they have to work hard to be successful," he said.

Cortez, 59, Vicente, 41, and Hughes, 59, have all been charged with felony Corrupt Organizations, Perjury, Tampering with Public Records or Information as well as several misdemeanors.

Wysznski, 65, and Sloane, 56, are charged with felony Tampering with Public Records or Information and misdemeanors including Forgery.

All five of the educators turned themselves in to Philadelphia Police's Northeast Detective Division on Thursday morning.

Cortez's attorney, Matthew Sedacca, told NBC10.com that his client contends "the charges are not true."

"She is denying these allegations and we are going to fight them. We have not seen any of the paperwork that has been presented by the Attorney General's Office," he said.

Hughes' attorney, Leno Thomas, said his client is innocent. "We look forward to defending in court vigorously."

Attorney information for the other teachers was not immediately available.

The AG's Office said their statewide investigation is ongoing signaling that more could be charged in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the future.

Gallard said the district disciplined or fired 15 employees earlier this year following a separate, unrelated internal investigation of test taking practices at 19 schools.

Philadelphia isn't the first major school district to be embroiled in a test cheating scandal. Districts in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Ga. and Houston, TX have all been under investigation for similar accusations.


Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.


Male Dance Teacher Charged with Rape, Child Porn

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A local dance teacher who has performed with Cyndi Lauper and taught in the region for 14 years is accused of engaging in sexual acts with a now 16-year-old former student at a Conshohocken studio.

The female victim contacted the Limerick Township Police to report a sexual relationship she said she had with 28-year-old Francis Laurenzi from August 2012 until March 2014, according to police records.

The victim told police the encounters occurred at the Urban Elegance Dance Club at 110 Fayette St., Conshohocken -- one of the two dance studios where Laurenzi taught, according to the police affidavit.

Official documents also show she emailed the suspect at least 25 nude photos of herself and the pair exchanged text messages.

One text Laurenzi sent the teen reads: "I felt an attraction between us...Are we going to do anything about it?"

Laurenzi faces multiple charges including statutory rape, possession of child pornography and manufacturing of child pornography.

The suspect also taught at the LeRoux School of Dance at 301 N. Lewis Rd., Limerick Township, according to police.

Both schools offer classes to adults and children, some as young as 18 months old. Leaders with Urban Elegance and LeRoux did not immediately return calls requesting comment.

Unable to post $10,000 bail, Laurenzi remains behind bars at Montgomery County Prison, according to court records. An attorney for Laurenzi was not listed.

Police ask anyone with information about other incidents involving Laurenzi to contact the Conshohocken Police Department at 610-8258-4032 or the Limerick Township Police Department at 610-495-7909.


Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.

13K Bags of Heroin Found in Car's Hidden Compartment

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A traffic stop in Delaware has led to the confiscation of more than 13,000 bags of heroin and thousands of dollars in cash -- a haul that state troopers say is one of the largest they've ever made.

Luis Garcia Valle, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was stopped by a Delaware State Trooper at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday along Naamans Road near Peachtree Road in Claymont, Delaware, Cpl. John Day told NBC10.com. Troopers said he was observed committing a number of moving violations.

Day said that Garcia Valle was acting suspiciously and that a drug detection K9 officer indicated there could be drugs in the rear of the man's 2000 Mercedes-Benz S340.

During an inspection, troopers found a hidden compartment in the backseat of the car and inside 13,006 bags of heroin and $6,900 in cash, Day said. The total drug haul equated to 325.15 grams of the illegal substance.

Day called the drug recovery was "unusually large" and one of the biggest confiscations in the agency's history.

Garcia Valle was arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver. He was booked on $1.3 million cash bail and remains in the county prison.


PHOTO: Delaware State Police say they found these drugs, 13,000 bags worth of heroin, and cash hidden in a compartment in a man's car.



Photo Credit: Delaware State Police

Fire Destroys Facility at NJ Chemical Maker

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Firefighters are still on the scene of a blaze at a Camden County, N.J. chemical manufacturer where several small explosions were reported inside a packaging facility.

The fire began around 1 p.m. on Thursday inside a large building for ResinTech, a resin maker and builder of water filtration equipment, along 160 Cooper Road in West Berlin, N.J., Berlin Township fire officials said.

William Duxes, West Berlin Fire Department Public Information Officer, said the building is where the company packages goods for shipment. A manufacturing facility is nearby and not involved. He said there have been no concerns about hazardous materials endangering the public.

"The water runoff has been monitored from the beginning by the hazardous materials team with negative readings," Duxes said.

Fire crews reported small explosions taking place inside the building during the beginning of the firefight. Duxes said officials believe propane tanks, attached to forklifts used in the facility, ignited causing the blasts.

Five fire companies from Berlin Township and surrounding towns responded to help fight the fire, Berlin Township Police Chief Leonard Check said.

Part of the building's roof collapsed as crews sprayed high-pressure water jets into the structure from above. The roof is lined with dozens of rows of solar panels, which could be an electrocution danger for firefighters.

"The solar panels, even though they're on the roof, when they receive any light at all, they still generate power," said Duxes.

Firefighters were forced to knock down an outer wall of the facility to expose the collapsed solar panels as well as to fight flare-ups.

Flames also spread into trucking trailers next to the building.

"I think if the buildings were closer, it could have been even worse," said witness Morgan Peacock.

Roughly two dozen people work inside the building and all have been safely evacuated, Check said.

Duxes said it took fire crews some time to get the adequate amount of water on the blaze because of long distances between the facility and other hydrants. He said once additional equipment arrived, that was no longer an issue.

Chris Peters, who handles public relations for nearby Sahara Sam's Oasis Water Park, said the fire has been contained to only one ResinTech building and that officials have not called for widespread evacuations. The water park and other surrounding businesses remained open.

Peters also said water park staffers, trained in firefighting, jumped in to help fight the blaze.

Firefighters remain on the scene in an effort to put out any hotspots.

ResinTech makes ion exchange resins which are used in water softening and water treatment to pull out impurities, according to the company's website. Their entire complex spans 75,000 square feet and includes offices, a manufacturing facility and warehouse.

Philly Walks into Top 10

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Philadelphia has walked its way – literally -- on to another top ten list. A recent report shows the city ranks sixth among the country’s 52 largest cities for the share of commuters who travel to work on foot.

"Philly, like a lot of cities on the East Coast, have some good bones since the city was built at a time when walking was the primary mode of transportation," said Jeffrey Miller, president of the Washington-based Alliance for Biking and Walking.

In Philly, 8.8 percent of commuters walk to work, putting the city ahead of the national average of 2.8 percent, but well behind top-ranked Boston, which has 15.0 percent of its commuters heading to the office by foot. 

The numbers come as no surprise to the Mayor’s office, which has been working for at least five years to encourage Philadelphians to improve their health by walking.

"We are a great city to take short trips in because we have lots of jobs, services and residences all within two miles of each other,” said Andrew Stober, spokeman for the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities. 

Both Stober and Miller say the figures likely underestimate the true number of pedestrians hitting the streets since the report used data that only tracked the mode of transportation to work.

"Trips to work only account for 20 percent of the trips people take each day," Stober explained. "Think of all the people who travel by other means to Center City who then use their feet for other trips throughout the day.”

Even though the city is doing better than the average, Miller says even more can be done to get more workers to walk.

"There are some really good pieces to the network that Philadelphia has in place," Miller said. "So the biggest bang for the buck is closing some of the gaps and making sure some other neighborhoods do connect to downtown and the financial districts.”

City officials do not have any campaigns planned to persuade more commuters to walk to work, but new efforts to better pedestrian safety will likely spur others to stretch their legs, Stober said.

"We are taking what is called a complete streets approach to all our projects," he said. "Every project is not just evaluated on its impact on cars, but also its impact on pedestrians."

Rounding out the list of the top five cities with the highest share of commuters who walk to work are Washington, New York City, San Francisco and Honolulu.


Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.



Photo Credit: AP

First Look at Psychylustro!

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Installation is underway for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program's massive public art project, Psychylustro. The colorful set of murals is being installed along the Northeast Corridor railway. The project is being led by Berlin-Based visual artist Katharina Grosse. Painting has been completed at three of seven sites between North Philadelphia and Amtrak's 30th Street Station. Installation at all seven sites will be completed by May 17.

113th PAFA Student Exhibit

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More than 1,000 pieces of art that will be on display and available for purchase at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) Annual Student Exhibition from May 9 to June 9.

Photo Credit: Diana Trevisani

More Arrests in Teen Funeral Shooting

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Police have made three more arrests in connection to a shooting at a teenager's funeral in Trenton, N.J. last month.

Alleged shooters Samier Vincent, Lawrence Sutphin, Samuel Vincent, and Terrance Maddox were taken into custody on April 28 -- a week after the shooting.

On April 22, during funeral services for 19-year-old Cagney Labon Roberts at the Galilee Baptist Church on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, police say gunfire erupted.

More than 1,000 people were inside the church at the time of the shooting. Two men were hit, one woman was grazed, and two other women were hurt following the shooting.

Trenton Police Lieutenant Mark Kieffer said that in his 22 years on the force, he's never seen a shooting like it in the city before.

"There were over 1,000 people inside and outside of the church, and there were people running all over. It was a mess," Kieffer said.

According to Kieffer, the mere fact that the shooting occurred in a church, led members of the community to come to police with information that led to the arrests.

"The church is supposed to be a safe haven. So when you're shooting in front of or inside of a church, once you do that, people are going to come forward," he said.

"This kind of thing doesn't happen in Trenton, so we kind of took it personal. It took a lot of man power and hours of investigation. The more people we talked to the more people we found were involved."

The newly implicated men face a slew of charges including possession of a firearm with purpose to use it unlawfully against the person or property of another, and possessing a handgun without a permit to carry.

Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera said five weapons were recovered from the church building and a parking lot adjacent to the church.

The day of the shooting, police arrested Lawrence Sutphin as he tried to drive away from the scene. Officers who were already gathered outside the church were able to apprehend him.

Police records indicate that, at the time of his arrest, Sutphin was in possession of a handgun that had been reported stolen in Falls Township. His bail has been set for $200,000.

In addition to other charges, Samuel Vincent and Samier Vincent were both charged with knowingly possessed a defaced firearm, where the serial number had been removed. Samuel Vincent's handgun was reportedly loaded with hollow point bullets. Bail has been set for more than $100,000 for both men.

According to police records, Terrance Maddox was previously convicted of burglary and possession of a firearm in N.J. Maddox was also charged with knowingly possessing a defaced firearm. His bail has been set for $150,000.

Kieffer said there may be additional arrests. The investigation of the shooting is ongoing.

"We believe there are additional people involved. We're working in conjunction with the Mercer County Prosecutor, the State Attorney General, along with community members and pastors, and we're gonna do our best to put these people in jail and put them away for a long time."



Photo Credit: Mercer County Prosecutor's Office

Teen Girl Shot in South Philly

New Website Spells Out Philly's Bike Rules

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A new website from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia aims to clarify the rules of the road for both bicyclists and motorists.

"We hear a lot of stories [from drivers] about bicyclists who are supposed to be in a bike lane,” said Nicholas Mirra, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia spokesman. 

"We want to demystify bicycling for as many people as possible,” he added. “Most bicyclists are drivers, most drivers are bicyclists, so the information on how bicyclists can use our streets safely and legally is useful to everybody.”

The organization spent about nine months redesigning its site, including adding a glossary on signs and symbols, to explain that the white bikes painted on the edges of city streets might mean the road has a lane dedicated exclusively to the two-wheeled travelers or it might not.

One marking that causes confusion is the sharrow – a white bike with two carets above it.

“Those symbols are just a visual reminder that bicyclists are frequently on that road,” Mirra explained. “They do not imply that bicyclists need to be in the lane with the sharrow.”

At least one driving group is a fan of the revamped site, which also includes tips on how to handle a crash or report damaged roadways.

"Because there are so many different kinds of markings, it can be confusing for the motorist,” said Jenny Robinson, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman. “But the important this is we all follow guidelines.”

While the information benefits drivers and bicyclists alike, Mirra says overhauling the nonprofit’s online presence was needed so it could truly serve as a resource to the biking community.

“Our old website was not the most intuitive place to hang out,” Mirra said. “The information we supplied to the public was frequently delivered via direct request – people would ask us questions via social media or email, and we’d write back.”

The old site will remain live so previous blog posts can be accessed, although Mirra encourages the public to explore the new site.

“Now we have an intuitive, clean, updated hub for information about both our programs and bicycling in our region generally.”


Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.



Photo Credit: Emma Lee/for NewsWorks

Accidents a Common Occurrence at Ship Bottom Intersection

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There's been nine accidents in just four months at the same Ship Bottom intersection. NBC10's Ted Greenberg has info on what's being done to help drivers.

Fire Damages Businesses, Shuts Down El

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A fire that began in a Kensington dollar store damaged surrounding businesses, shut down the Market-Frankford Line and gave firefighters a run for their money Thursday evening.

The fire broke out at Sophia's Gift and Dollar Store on the 2300 block of North Front Street around 5:30 p.m and quickly spread to surrounding businesses.

Firefighters ran into some trouble while trying to gain access to the dollar store and a second discount store, according to officials. Both buildings were closed and locked forcing firefighters to cut through gates.

Firefighters also had trouble fighting the fire inside a vacant store where they had to knock down boarded doors.

"We had a hard time gaining access to the buildings and there were a lot of combustibles in the buildings," said Deputy Fire Commission Derrick Sawyer.

All three stores have heavy fire, smoke and water damage.

The fire did not reach Kangs Jewelers, although the building did sustain smoke and water damage, according to fire officials.

The owner's son Jae Ma tells NBC10's Na'eem Douglas that he's just thankful that his family wasn't hurt.

In fact, no one was injured in the blaze.

A portion of SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line was shut-down because of the fire. Shuttle buses are operating in place of train between Allegheny and Spring Garden stations, according to SEPTA.

                                                                                                  Photo Credit: Jordan Baumgarten

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but the fire marshal is expected to launch a full investigation Friday. 

Student Art Exhibit Going Strong for 113 Years

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It takes an entire school year to create the more than 1,000 pieces of art on display and available for purchase at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) Annual Student Exhibition which starts tomorrow. 

"It was a long road," said Jude Martin, an East Falls native who has 10 colorful paintings in the show. "It's exciting to look at your art work and talk to people about it."

Martin had an interest in art at a young age. He recalls going to free children's art classes as a small child. But, art became a central part of his life after he dropped out of high school, went back to school at the Community College of Philadelphia and became a PAFA student.

"I don't have any one way for making art. My paintings are about human interaction with nature and the world. My style jumps around a bit," said Martin, who hopes to become a K-12 art teacher one day.  

This year marks the 113th annual show that highlights the work of 128 students. Art collectors flock to the annual PAFA student opening reception where students may provide oral insight into the work they painstakingly produced all year. The student art will hang from May 9 until June 9 at the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, 128 N. Broad St. PAFA chronicled the journey of six students as they worked to prepare for the exhibition via a blog.

Baltimore native Lauren Pellerito has just one piece in the show. But that one piece is a dynamic sculpture that is suspended off the ground 4 feet high by 9 feet high. The work is a root system titled "Reaching for Distant Land." The work seeks to make the connection between Tanzania and Philadelphia. Pellerito uses steel, an abrasive material, to represent Philadelphia and wood as a symbol for Tanzania which she described as having a slower way of life. 

The public reception takes place May 9 from 5-8 p.m.  Special recognition awards are presented to students. 

"Something I've learned from making art is the not knowing. Being comfortable with not know is like my lifestyle," said Pellerito.

PAFA offers an arts education in painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture on the bachelor's master's and certificate level. The school provides students with the opportunity to have their work exhibited in the adjacent world-class museum known for its 19th and 20th century American art. 


Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.



Photo Credit: Diana Trevisani

First Alert Weather: Big Warm-Up

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We're for a WARM weekend.

Photo Credit: Heather Filbeck

Boys and Girls Club Saved

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Less than 24 hours after NBC10 reported that the Atlantic City Boys and Girls Club would close, Ted Greenberg (and lots of kids) got great news.

Mayor Tours Bio-Fuels Facility

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Philadephia Mayor Michael Nutter will tour a facility in the southwest section of the city Friday that aims to help the environment and could save the city millions of dollars.

Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Drive-Up Shooting, Robbery

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A passenger got out of a car to rob and shoot a man walking home along a Philadelphia street overnight.

The sedan pulled up to the man as he walked down the 3100 block of C Street (near Allegheny Avenue) in the Kensington neighborhood just before 1:30 a.m. Friday.

“Upon police arrival they found a 23-year-old man lying on the sidewalk,” said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small. “He was suffering from two gunshot wounds to his hip and lower back.”

Small said officers rushed the unidentified victim to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.

The victim told investigators that he was walking down the sidewalk when the car, which appeared to be an older-model Jaguar, pulled up and a man with a sweatshirt wrapped around his face hopped out of the backseat and opened fire.

Small said the victim told police that “the shooter then stood over him, reached into his pocket and removed his wallet.”

The victim had about $250 cash and his identification in the wallet.

The vehicle then sped off south on C Street and turned onto Clearfield Street.

Small said investigators would pour over surveillance video from nearby businesses in hopes of getting more information.

Police asked anyone with information on this shooting to contact Philadelphia Police.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Former Athletes Gather to Help Mental Health

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To help current athletes who may have mental health issues, former athletes at the University of Pennsylvania met to train for a tutoring program that will launch this fall.

One of the Stranger Reasons to Delay School

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Teachers have heard all sorts of excuses before like the dog ate my homework or my little brother threw away my backpack but in this case the police were the ones telling teachers why kids wouldn’t be in class.

Phillipsburg High School in Warren County, N.J. opened 90 minutes late Friday morning after someone spotted a bear high up in a tree on the Hillcrest Boulevard campus.

Phillipsburg School District Officials told NBC10 that they received a tip around 5:45 a.m. that a black bear was up a tree above some school buildings in the area of Hillcrest and Route 22. A maintnence worker first spotted the animal in the area around midnight.

Phillipsburg Police said the bear spotting delayed the school opening as they tried to lure the bear from the tree. The district said the delay was "out of an abundance of caution."

It took about three and half hours for crews to tranquilize the bear and bring it down out of the tree. The bear was removed from the area as the school returned to its normal schedule.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

NJ Beach 2nd Best in US for...

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Looking for that perfect beach to take a dip this summer?

Look no further than Long Beach Island along the Jersey Shore.

A recent list of the Best Beaches for Swimming in America listed LBI at No. 2. The Men’s Journal survey was compiled by “Dr. Beach,” Florida International University Laboratory for Coastal Research professor and director Stephen Leatherman.

"Long Beach Island has some of the clearest water I've seen in New Jersey," said Leatherman.

Dr. Beach called the water temperature along the 18-mile-long barrier island ideal, especially for the Garden State.

"It's pretty much in the high 70s, maybe low 80s," he said.

Leatherman suggested taking a stop at nearby Barnegat Lighthouse for once you return to land.

Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce marketing director Lori Pepenella said the town is delighted with the news.

"The article fits in wonderfully with the effort of the entire Jersey Shore tourism community," she said.

Other top swimming beaches on the list include Main Beach, N.Y. -- which came in at No. 1 -- Siesta Beach, Fla.; Cronado Beach, Calif.; and Waimanalo Beach, Hawaii.



Photo Credit: MARIE TODD
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