Disasters
February 15, 1846
The Wreck of the John Minturn: A Horrible Tragedy Implicates, but then Vindicates the Wreckers of Monmouth County and Inspires the First Federal Funding for Life-Saving Services
On February 15, 1846, a severe storm caused a number of horrifying shipwrecks along the northeast coast that were a shock even to a nation long accustomed to maritime disasters. One of these was the John Minturn, a three-masted packet...
November 7, 1888
E.C. Hazard’s State-of-the-Art Ketchup Factory is Destroyed by Fire
On November 7, 1888, the E.C. Hazard canning factory in Shrewsbury caught fire and was totally destroyed. The Red Bank Daily Register described the complex as "the most complete affair of its kind in the country," and estimated the loss...
July 12, 1916
The Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916
On July 12, 1916, three people were attacked by a shark in Matawan Creek, with two dying from their injuries. These attacks followed previous and unprecedented shark attacks off of Spring Lake beach on July 6, and Beach Haven, in...
June 11, 1929
The President of the Red Bank Aero Club Crashes His Plane into the Governor’s Residence
By Joseph G. Bilby ©2022 Oops. In the early evening of June 11, 1929, William Taft of Red Bank, New Jersey, “president of the Red Bank Aero Club,” decided to take a couple of friends, Mrs. William Jeanine and...
July 5, 1930
Explosion at Neptune Fireworks Plant Kills Four, Injures Four
On July 5, 1930, at 4:30 p.m., an explosion erupted at Frank Cimino’s fireworks factory in Neptune Township, killing four people and injuring four. The blast could be heard for miles and was followed immediately by a series of additional...
September 8, 1934
SS Morro Castle: An Inferno at Sea, a Burning Hulk on the Beach, and Many Unanswered Questions
On September 8, 1934, the luxury passenger liner SS Morro Castle caught fire and burned during a raging storm off the coast of New Jersey, killing 137 passengers and crew members. The ship, en route from Havana to New York...
September 8, 1934
The First Separate Battalion to the Rescue
Editor’s note: On September 8, 1934, one of the worst maritime disasters in Monmouth County history occurred when the S.S. Morro Castle, a luxury passenger liner, caught fire during a raging storm that turned the ship into an inferno. Award-winning...
September 11, 1934
Two Doofuses from Long Island Go Souvenir Hunting on the Wreck of the SS Morro Castle
Editor’s note: On September 11, 1934, the S.S. Morro Castle was a blackened hulk resting just off the beach at Asbury Park, three days after coming to a rest there after a horrific fire at sea. The site of numerous...
February 27, 1942
The Oil Tanker R.P. Resor is Torpedoed and Sunk by U-578
Editor’s note: The following story is reprinted with the permission of the authors of A History of Submarine Warfare along the Jersey Shore (The History Press, ©2016, available from retail booksellers everywhere). By Joseph G. Bilby & Harry Ziegler It...
April 30, 1946
Explosion Aboard the USS Solar Kills Seven Sailors, Injures 125 More
On April 30, 1946, the USS Solar, a U.S. Navy Buckley-class destroyer escort (DE 221), exploded at the Navy Pier in Leonardo, killing seven sailors and injuring 125 others. The Solar was refitted in 1946 to serve as a sonar...
June 20, 1956
The Crash of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253
On June 20, 1956, Linea Aeropostal Venezolana (LAV) Flight 253, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, caught fire and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean 32 miles off Asbury Park. Flight 253 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Idlewild International Airport,...
May 22, 1958
Middletown Nike Ajax Missile Explosion Kills 10
On May 22, 1958, a Nike Ajax missile exploded and detonated seven other missiles lined up at U.S. Army Battery B Base in the Chapel Hill section of Middletown. Six American servicemen and four civilians died. The accident happened while...