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WEEKEND #6, 2010
(July 4th Weekend)
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
FIREFIGHTER COLLAPSES IN CARDIAC ARREST IN DEWEY BEACH
A firefighter collapsed in cardiac arrest in Dewey Beach as visitors were leaving the beaches in mass following the fireworks late Sunday.
Firefighters and Dewey Beach police had responded to Clayton Street for a possible structure fire around 11:05 p.m. Sunday after receiving a call for smoke coming from a residence.
After investigating, Sgt. Clifford Dempsey, police spokesman, says they discovered that fireworks had started a small brush fire.
Sgt. Dempsey says they put water on the brush. While at the incident, a firefighter collapsed at the feet of a seasonal police officer around 11:20 p.m. Sgt. Dempsey says they started CPR immediately and an automated external defibrillator (AED) was quickly utilized to shock him once while waiting for EMS to arrive.
The firefighter, described as a man around 60 years old, was among a contingent from Seaford who was assisting with the Rehoboth fireworks coverage. He had no complaints before he collapsed.
Sgt. Dempsey says “traffic was horrible” but the rescue efforts were well organized. Two Sussex County bike medics who were assigned to the fireworks arrived around 11:25 p.m. They determined he was in ventricular fibrillation (V-fib) cardiac arrest and shocked him a second time.
He regained a pulse! An ambulance was eventually able to make it through traffic (see photo from DelDOT traffic camera) and take him to Beebe Hospital with an escort from Dewey Beach and state police.
On the way to Beebe, the firefighter was somewhat responsive, but reported to have been combative with a high sugar level. Sgt. Dempsey said early Monday that “The only thing I know as of right now is he is hanging in there. We are just praying he makes it.”
Police arrested a man who has been accused of using the fireworks that started the fire. Sgt. Dempsey identified him as Patrick McCloskey, 27, of Baltimore. He has been charged with disorderly conduct, and Sgt. Dempsey says he plans to refer the case to the fire marshal for possible further charges.
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CREST CONDOS
Firefighters from across Sussex County responded to Rehoboth Beach Monday when fire broke out at the Crest Condos at 11 Virginia Avenue around 7:25 p.m.
Initial reports suggested that smoke was coming from the four-story building. Firefighters making a quick entry into the condo discovered a fire in unit #201. Police and firefighters evacuated the building while nearby streets filled with emergency vehicles.
Hundreds of spectators came from all over town and police had a challenging time keeping them out of the way.
According to an occupant in an adjacent unit on the second floor, she said she smelled a smoke odor for several hours before the fire. She says the occupant of the condo where the fire started dismissed the odor as ammonia in the sewer drain.
Hours later she heard alarm bells sounding, opened her door and the hallway was full of smoke. All occupants appear to have safely evacuated, but at least one was treated by EMS.
Around 7:42 p.m., the dark smoke was joined by flames pouring out the second-floor unit.
But firefighters had the fire knocked down by 7:52 p.m. The fire marshal and building inspector condemned the building for Monday night because of the damage and the lack of water and electric service.
PARKING METER BANDITS STRIKE FOR 7TH TIME!
For the seventh time in less than a week, a Duncan single-space parking meter has disappeared off its post.
A Rehoboth Beach ticket writer reported meter "D89" missing from its post in the ocean block of Delaware Avenue around 8:40 p.m. Friday. A meter tech promptly replaced the missing meter after police took a report.
The thieves are targeting the Duncan single-space parking meters that are typically mounted in pairs on a single post along the city’s back streets.
Three meters have been taken from Christian Street, two from the adjacent Martin's Lawn parking lot and two more from the ocean block of Delaware Avenue.
Police Chief Keith Banks says the bandits have been able to remove the meters with no obvious damage. He said it would take a meter tech about a minute to remove the meter.
The city’s techs unlock the meter’s door and use a ratchet tool to unscrew the bolt that holds the meter to the post. But police have not speculated on what tools and techniques the bandits are using.
The city valued the meters at about $250 each. The meters are emptied on a regular basis, so Chief Banks speculates that they are not stolen for the quarters, but perhaps souvenirs or sold as collectibles. Duncan Meters, especially older models, are sold on eBay.
Chief Banks asks residents to report suspicious activity and wants businesses to check their recent surveillance video of public parking areas. He said police are developing leads, but would not speculate further.
DEAD ENDANGERED RIGHT WHALE BROUGHT ASHORE SOUTH OF DEWEY BEACH
The Coast Guard, NOAA and a commercial towing firm brought a dead right whale to shore in the Delaware Seashore State Park on Thursday. A Coast Guard news release says the whale carcass was initially reported 46 miles off Cape May Tuesday by the crew of a Coast Guard cutter. A NOAA aircraft provided an updated position of the whale on Wednesday when the carcass was spotted 69 miles off Cape May.
On Friday, a half dozen organizations which specialize in marine mammals converged on the beach north of Keybox Road, south of Dewey to perform a necropsy on the 45-foot long male right whale. They brought along heavy machinery and an assortment of cutting tools.
David Morin from NOAA says the federal government was overseeing the operation because of the endangered status of the right whale. He was flown down just to assist with the necropsy. He is pictured below talking to beach goers about the whale.
Morin said the blubber, the layer of fat between the skin and the muscle layers of the whale, deteriorates rapidly once the whale is at surface temperature. The stench could be smelled more than a half mile away and that was one reason Morin said they chose this location to beach the carcass.
Workers spent much of Friday dissecting the whale. Morin said one museum had already requested the bones. Using heavy machinery, workers dug a grave near the dunes for the remaining portion of the whale.
For more news on the right whale, see the WRC-TV Website and the News Journal.
WINDS BLOW KITESURFER OFF REHOBOTH
This man, who says he has been kitesurfing for 11 years, got stuck when the wind shifted and blew him out to sea. He had been sailing from Keybox Road in the Delaware Seashore State Park to the Gordon's Pond area in the Cape Henlopen State Park. As he past Rehoboth Beach, wind sent him in the wrong direction.
Around 6 p.m., his kite was down in the water and he appeared to be floating off Brooklyn Avenue, perhaps unable to get up on his own. Fearing that he was in distress, a concerned observer called 9-1-1.
The Coast Guard, state police helicopter, firefighters, beach patrol, and a private boater came to offer assistance. The boater pulled him toward shore so he could more easily reach the beach. From there he eventually was able to pull his kite and board to the surf off Saint Lawrence Street where a bystander wearing the blue tank top and sunglasses swam out to help around 6:40 p.m.
REHOBOTH LANDMARK, LINGO'S MARKET, REOPENS FOR 112th SEASON!
Lingo's Market reopened Saturday. Based on the many shoppers, it looked as if it had been open all summer!
Lingo's Market, Rehoboth Beach's oldest continuously run family business, opened in 1898 and has been managed by Lingos ever since.
The property was placed on the auction block earlier this year as a result of a legal battle between Dinah Lingo and her brother, Archibald Lingo, over the estate and guardianship of their mother, Eleanor Lingo, who died in November.
Dinah purchased her family's market at auction on May 1. She decided to make improvements to the interior and hang historical photos.
ARRESTS MADE IN WORCESTER STREET FIGHT
Ocean City police made at least eight arrests and used horses to disperse the crowds after a fight broke out near the H2O Under 21 Dance Club around 12:05 a.m. Sunday on Worcester Street. Those arrested are between the ages of 17 and 21.
Here are some images from Ocean City's boardwalk camera.
HOOTERS CHARITY CAR WASH RETURNS FOR 2nd SEASON!
Rehoboth Beach firefighters along with the Hooters Bikini Girls held a benefit car wash on Wednesday. It got the attention of many who passed the firehouse. According to the fire department's Website, proceeds go to Hooters Breast Cancer Charity and the fire department's capital campaign fund.
HOLIDAY PARKING CHALLENGE
Rehoboth police respond to 15+ parking complaints
Parking was so precious this weekend. Some desperate visitors came up with creative solutions by parking in places where one would not ordinarily park. Some had friends try to hold a space for them if they were lucky to find one. Others parked in parking lots of unsuspecting local businesses, or they simply squeezed in anywhere the car would fit.
From Friday through Monday, Rehoboth Beach police responded to 16 parking complaints.
Most were for vehicles blocking or parked in the caller's driveway. The BMW
328i, shown below, was towed from a driveway on Delaware Avenue around 5 p.m.
Sunday.
Early Monday evening, three vehicles were parked so close together, one of the vehicles could not get out. Police ran the vehicle tags hoping to track down one of the owners.
REHOBOTH BEACH FIREWORKS
Rehoboth Beach's fireworks got underway at 9:22 p.m. and amused the crowds for 22 minutes.
After the show, the mass exodus began. Thousands of visitors who took the park & ride buses headed to the bus stop. An hour after the show ended, the line seemed to reach its maximum length -- perhaps the longest ever for Rehoboth Beach.
The bus line started west of city hall, ran east along the north side of Rehoboth Avenue, then cut across 2nd Street and all the way to the Oceanus Motel.
JULY 4TH BEACH TRASH PICK-UP
Perhaps not well publicized but one of the biggest tasks the city faces on holidays is trash removal. Public works crews kept busy on the beach, boardwalk and streets this weekend.
The customary mid-day holiday beach trash pickup was perhaps the most challenging for city workers.
Rehoboth Beach police, beach patrol and public works crews worked together to clear a path through the densely populated beach so the trash cans could be emptied into the trash tractor. They reached Rehoboth Avenue around 3:45 p.m.
Dr. Michael Trahos, who shot this photo of the procession passing the Greene Turtle, says he noted that "Beach goers were visibly upset at city workers and police! Many beach patrons were commenting that if this is the norm, then why does the city not cordon-off the path used by the trash tractor-trailer?" How the city would enforce a no-sunbathing zone for trash pickups may be a separate challenge as well.
WBOC-TV has a story on its Website about post-holiday cleanup in Rehoboth Beach.
NEW ROBINS IN REHOBOTH BEACH!
The robin family on Delaware Avenue in Rehoboth Beach has grown up quickly! Jerry Sipes says the parents have been keeping busy feeding the chicks. He last photographed the chicks on Sunday. The family appears to have left the nest on Monday.
Here they are on Saturday.
Just a week ago, they had few feathers and no eyes open!
Photos by Jerry Sipes, Lighthouse Inn Bed and Breakfast
OTHER NEWS:
REHOBOTH POLICE ATTEMPT TO TASER MAN DURING FOOT CHASE--- A man ran from police in the ocean block of Delaware Avenue around 3:44 p.m. Saturday. He ran through backyards and dropped items as he fled. The man was wanted for drug charges. He refused to comply with officers orders, and they attempted to taser him. But the electrodes did not make proper contact. He was able to pull the prongs out of his back as he fled over a fence. Police surrounded the area but the suspect got away. Police describe him as a black man wearing a white T-shirt and khaki pants.
REHOBOTH POLICE INVESTIGATE THEFT OF KAZAKHSTAN CURRENCY--- Police are searching for a man who was involved in a theft from a hotel room in the ocean block of Baltimore Avenue. Around 9:50 p.m. Sunday, a man was reported to have entered a guest's room on the fourth-floor. He supposedly fled with a large amount of currency from Kazakhstan. Police described the suspect as a well-built tall black man about 30 years old with short hair, wearing an orange T-shirt and beige shorts.
AVID PUNKIN CHUNKER KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH--- Police say Lawrence McLauglin, 58, of Lewes was driving a 2005 Harley Davidson northbound on Coastal Highway north of the Nassau bridge when he left the road and struck a tree around 6:10 p.m. Sunday. He was not wearing a helmet. He was taken to Beebe Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
McLaughlin was a long-time punkin chunker. Read more about him and the history of punkin chunkin on the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Website, or on the Discovery Science Website. For more details and the state police news release see the WGMD Website.
MAN FLOWN TO TRAUMA CENTER AFTER O.C. SURF INJURY--- A 46-year-old man suffered a back injury after he took a tumble in the surf. It happened around 4:40 p.m. Monday north of the Golden Sands in Ocean City. He suffered a bruise to his head and told a paramedic he could not remember the entire event. He also had a previous back injury. A state police helicopter flew him from Northside Park to a trauma center.
LATE-NIGHT FIRE ALARMS--- Amazingly only two early morning fire alarms to report this weekend in Ocean City. Around 1:45 a.m. Friday, the alarm sounded at the Lighthouse Club Hotel at 200 56th Street. The fire alarm was reportedly pulled by an intoxicated woman by accident because that is how she thought they called for the waitress.
Around 3:13 a.m. Monday, firefighters responded to the Excalibur condo on 132nd Street. The alarm was audible, but firefighters could not find anything wrong. They requested the alarm company to reset the system.
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
MILITARY ORDNANCE FOUND AT CAPE HENLOPEN STATE PARK (Monday)
WOMAN IMPALED BY BEACH UMBRELLA (O.C., last Monday)
SHALLOW SURF HAZARDS MAKE FOR BAD INJURIES (2 teens paralyzed in O.C. water accidents)
8 PIPING PLOVER CHICKS TAKE WING ON THE POINT AT CAPE HENLOPEN
TROOPERS ARREST 4 PEOPLE FOLLOWING RASH OF VEHICLE BREAK-INS AND THEFTS (Rehoboth-Lewes)
DOWNED POWER LINE SNARLS COASTAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, IGNITES BRUSH FIRE (near Bethany, Friday)
FOX5DC:
VACATION HOUSING RENTAL SCAMS (Rehoboth)
WBOC: DEWEY
BEACH PATROL TALKS ABOUT FIN SIGHTINGS
WBOC: REHOBOTH ACCUSED OF UNFAIR PARKING TICKET (refund promised)
DRUNK DRIVER INJURES 6 AFTER FLEEING POLICE ON RT.50 (Cambridge, Sunday)
MAN FLOWN TO TRAUMA CENTER AFTER RT.50 CRASH (Easton, Sunday)
8 INJURED IN 4-VEHICLE CRASH ON RT.90 (O.C., Monday)
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