Ex-Cons, Homeless Are Being Housed At 2 Piscataway Motels; Mayor Says It's Led To Crime, Drug Surge

PISCATAWAY, NJ — The town of Piscataway is cracking down on two motels in town, which Mayor Brian Wahler says have become a hotbed of crime, drugs and prostitution.

The two motels are the Motel 6 and the Extended Stay. Wahler said crime has steadily increased at those two motels for the past three to four years. But in the past year, it's skyrocketed.

"We've had almost 700 police, fire and EMS calls from the Motel 6 this year alone, and we are not even done with the year," Wahler said Wednesday. "That number of 911 calls is incredible."

Wahler said it's his understanding the state of New Jersey and various social service agencies are paying for the homeless to stay in the motels, as well as people newly released from prison; there is very little follow-up or oversight once they are housed there, he said.

"We know people just out of prison are being housed there. Somerset County Social Services is sending people there, and I believe Burlington County as well," he said. "There is no follow-up. It's become a petri dish of crime."

In the past two years, Piscataway Police have been called to those two motels for crime, including thefts and burglary, prostitution, drug sales and drug overdoses. People have turned rooms at the Extended Stay into makeshift meth labs, and there were two meth lab explosions at the Extended Stay in recent years. The people housed there have defecated in the streets and even in front of local ice cream shops. Also, the Piscataway Lowe's home improvement store, which is located nearby, now reports constant shoplifting, said the mayor.

He said the town has tried, and been unable to speak with the owners of those two motels.

"We have what you call absentee owners and absentee managers. They do not care. They absolutely do not care."

So what can Piscataway Twp. do?

"We are going to talk to the governor-elect (Mikie Sherrill) and county officials about this," said Wahler.

Also, the town is currently writing a new law that will allow it to more strictly enforce the 30-day limit at motels. Wahler said if people stay beyond the 30 days, the town will start issuing fines to the motel owners. The town will start strictly enforcing this in the new year.

He is not ready to reveal what the fines will be at this time, he said.

"This is not meant to be permanent housing," said Wahler. "There is a 30-day limit to when people can stay at these motels, and we are going to enforce it. It's not meant to be permanent housing."

Wahler said he's getting pushback from organizations that advocate for the homeless.

"I'm taken aback by some of these housing advocates who don't care about the crime issue. I've never once heard any of these housing advocates offer their own home to have these people come and stay with them. And you know why they don't? Because there are a lot of bad actors out there. Piscataway Twp. residents are shouldering this issue."

Staci Berger is the president of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. She also happens to live in Piscataway.

“I’m not sure why the mayor has chosen 30 days as a timeframe. It is not best practices. It is not something most housing providers recommend," Berger told News 12 NJ. "People stay in hotels and motels because they don’t have a place to go. I don’t know where Mayor Wahler thinks people will go after 30 days."

Wahler said the Embassy Suites and Holiday Inn in Piscataway have had "no issues. They are exemplary. It's only the Motel 6 and the Extended Stay that are causing these issues," said the mayor.