SEASHORE LINES CUSTOMER NOTICE
Cape May City Service ~ 2012
Dear Seashore Lines Customers:
The winter of 2011 / 2012 found us very busy performing inspections, maintenance and upgrades on the rail vehicles scheduled to be assigned to our Cape May City service for 2012. Unfortunately, fate has dealt us another temporary and frustrating setback.
On Thursday, March 1, 2012, the Seashore Lines received a telephone call from the New Jersey State Police (NJSP), advising us that a theft of track material had occurred on our Cape May Branch, in an area between Woodbine and Dennisville, NJ. For clarification, this is our Main Track between Tuckahoe and Cape May City. The investigating trooper informed us that several individuals associated with the theft had been arrested and charged with indictable offenses. Arrested on Monday, March 5, were a father and son team from the Villas section of Lower Township, along with a third individual from Rio Grande. The trooper also mentioned that the investigation was continuing, with the possibility of filing charges against additional individuals. Several days later, two Seashore Lines employees and myself, conducted a detailed / thorough track inspection of the entire area of the theft, which consisted primarily of the removal of tie plates and spikes, referred to as OTM (Other Track Material) in the rail transportation industry. The inspection was performed via track car / hi-rail truck, and, also by walking the track. Our inspection concluded that the area of the theft encompassed approximately 6,800 linear feet of our Main Track. The actual theft of the OTM represented 75% of the total amount of tie plates and spikes in that particular section of track. In their actions to remove the tie plates and spikes, the perpetrators also damaged and destroyed numerous cross ties. On Wednesday, March 28, I received a call from the NJSP, informing me that they had arrested the operating partner of a local scrap yard in conjunction with accepting the stolen OTM.
As a direct result of the theft of the OTM, the section of track where the theft occurred is not capable of handling any type of train movement or operation. As such, we are prohibited by Federal law in the movement of passenger equipment from our maintenance headquarters in Tuckahoe to Cape May City, mandatory for this season's planned rail operations in the southern portion of Cape May County. This is indeed frustrating for us, as we had developed an expanded schedule this summer.
We are presently working on establishing an estimate for our losses. Our legal team will assist the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office in the prosecution of the perpetrators. We will seek full restitution for these heinous, destructive and potentially deadly acts of vandalism. We will also also petition to impose the maximum penalties, including incarceration. Through our Web site, as well as facebook, I will keep you informed of further developments with the OTM theft as they transpire.
I want to take this opportunity to offer an expression of respect, gratitude and appreciation to the Troopers, Investigators and Staff of New Jersey State Police of Troop A - Woodbine Station, for their dedicated, untiring and selfless efforts during the intensive investigations, which ultimately led to the timely arrests.
If you have any questions regarding the theft of the OTM, or, any other Seashore Lines matter, please feel free to contact me at: acmacrie@capemayseashorelines.org. I will do my absolute best to answer all inquiries.
Thank you very much for your continued interest, support and patronage. It is greatly and graciously appreciated.
Sincerely,
A.C. "Tony" Macrie
President and General Manager
CAPE MAY SEASHORE LINES
