Jackson Township councilman calls on Gov. Murphy to deploy National Guard to Ocean County

A Jackson Township councilman is calling on Gov. Phil Murphy to deploy the New Jersey National Guard to Ocean County.

Councilman Barry Calogero is calling for the extreme measure because of what he calls the “selfishness,” “irresponsibility” and “inability” of some people in the county to follow the governor’s social distancing orders.

"Unfortunately, there are groups of people who hide behind cultures and religious beliefs, and put first responders, and quite honestly all of Jackson and bordering towns at risk,” Calogero said at Tuesday night’s town council meeting

Ocean County is eighth on the list for most cases of COVID-19 in the state. Lakewood has over 1,000 cases, Toms River has 670 and Jackson Township is fourth in the county with over 300 cases.

The governor and State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan were asked about the possibility of deploying the National Guard to Ocean County during Thursday’s daily COVID-19 media briefing. Both said that they do not see a need for the National Guard at this time.

“We’re not seeing – here and there a store is open that has ‘X’ amount of people in it. But we’re not seeing the large gatherings. So, I would say, at this time…between local, county and state resources and law enforcement, that we would not need that National Guard to perform that role,” Callahan said.

Murphy chimed in to say, “That is something that is on the table and we reserve the right – but we haven’t had to.”

In addition to being a Jackson Township councilman, Calogero also serves as the state executive director for the USDA New Jersey Farm Service Agency. President Donald Trump appointed him to the position in 2017.

Photos: Countries Around the World Cope with COVID-19