Toms River shuts down hookah lounge that was site of weekend shooting
TOMS RIVER -- The township has shut down the Hooper Avenue hookah lounge where a triple shooting Aug. 27 left one man dead and two others injured, Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. said late Monday afternoon.
The township revoked the certificate of occupancy for Top Tier Hookah for multiple zoning, safety and code violations, the mayor said.
“This business has been under investigation by our Quality of Life Task Force due to multiple complaints,” Hill said in a prepared statement. “The task force found several violations and instructed the business owners to bring the establishment into compliance. Those instructions were ignored. The investigation into Saturday’s shooting confirmed that the business owners were operating in violation of their approved status as a retail-only establishment and likely made false or misleading statements on their zoning application. As a result their certificate of occupancy has been revoked today and they are no longer permitted to operate or do business."
The hookah lounge is located in the Anchorage Plaza shopping center in the 1700 block of Hooper Avenue.
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In addition to being shut down, the business owner and property owner have been issued a fine of $4,500 and a summons which is scheduled to be heard in Toms River municipal court on Sept. 12.
Three people were found suffering from gunshot wounds outside the Top Tier Hookah lounge at 1:20 a.m. Saturday, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Toms River Police Department said in a statement.
A 29-year-old man was transported to Community Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Another 29-year-old victim is in critical but stable condition, and a 25-year-old victim was treated for his injuries and released, police said.
Identities of the victims were not immediately released by law enforcement.
Jean Mikle: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River NJ shooting: Top Tier Hookah lounge shut down in wake
