Jenkinson's Says Fire-Damaged Tiki Hut Will Be Ready for Easter Weekend

A tiki hut and wooden flooring damaged in a fire on the rear deck of Jenkinson's North Pavilion will be rebuilt for Easter weekend.

The hut and boardwalk around it will be fixed in time for the entertainment company's promotions and special events running during Easter weekend, said Marilou Halvorsen, Jenkinson's Boardwalk Director of Marketing, on Thursday.

Easter weekend is a crucial kick-off time for Jenkinson's, which offers a two-for-one sale on amusement ride tickets from Good Friday through Easter and an Easter parade on Easter Sunday.

Two Bergen County men were charged with criminal mischief for at Jenkinson's at 22 Boardwalk near Broadway, early Sunday morning, police said.

Andrew Lupino, 19, and Steven Hammett, 19, both of Oakland, were each charged with criminal mischief in the third degree at about noon Sunday by Officer Kyle Grace, said Point Pleasant Beach Detective Clint Daniel.

Daniel said the men may have used lighters to start the fire, which was reported to police at 4:41 a.m.

The blaze was contained to the tiki hut and did not spread to the main restaurant building about five feet away, said Point Pleasant Beach Fire Chief Mark Drew.

A second tiki hut on the back deck was not damaged.

Lupino was lodged in Ocean County jail on $50,000, no 10 percent option, and Hammett was released on a summons, as ordered by Superior Court Judge Ronald Hoffman, sitting in Toms River.

Daniel said he did not know why the judge ordered bail for one suspect and a release for the other.

Ocean Fire Company 1 and Point Pleasant Beach Fire Company 2, led by Fire Capt. John Pasola, the incident commander at the scene, were dispatched by the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department.

All equipment was cleared from the scene at about 6:25 a.m., authorities said.

The Ocean County Fire Marshal, the county Prosecutor's office and county Sheriff's Department assisted the Point Pleasant Beach police department in the investigation, said Daniel, adding that business owners were notified. 

Daniel said a third suspect, who had been staying overnight at a summer house with the other two suspects, was also charged with criminal mischief, but not in connection with the fire.

Joseph C. Werba, 19, of Oakland, was charged and released on a summons in connection with a variety of criminal mischief complaints reported by property owners. Werba was charged by Grace for allegedly kicking over and breaking flower pots and other minor incidents, Daniel said.