LAKEWOOD - For the second time in as many days, FBI investigators Thursday descended upon a township business and emerged hours later with stacked boxes of materials.

Investigators in FBI jackets entered a warehouse at 155 Oberlin Ave. North Thursday morning, but offered no explanation about their inquiry. They were later seen loading stacks of boxes into large trucks.

Several businesses are located at the address and it was unclear which was being targeted.

One business owner, who asked that his name not be used, said the FBI action was targeted at an enterprise that had only recently taken up occupancy.

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An unidentified employee at clothing manufacturer Murex Industries, another of the businesses, told the Press that the FBI action was "about masks."

Murex Vice President Nathan Zelikovitz later told the Press, “I believe they went to another unit at our address. In 155 Oberlin Ave. North there are four units and this had nothing to do with me.”

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Shortly before 2 p.m., three freight trucks arrived to transport the boxes. About 5 p.m. a fourth truck backed up to the loading dock and the loading resumed.

While officials on the scene were mum, Gov. Phil Murphy addressed the FBI action when asked during his daily press briefing with reporters.

Without divulging any details, Murphy said, “as a general matter, if someone is trying to hoard or price gouge in this hour of need, they deserve that special place in hell.”

Patty Hartman, an FBI spokesperson in the Newark office, declined to comment on any activity Thursday. FBI staff on the scene declined comment as well.

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Murphy said the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office were involved in the Lakewood inquiry. He added that the state Attorney General's Office may become involved as well.

The FBI action comes as the federal Department of Justice and Department of Human and Health Services have stepped up enforcement against companies engaged in the hoarding or price gouging of medical equipment.

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"If you are amassing critical medical equipment for the purpose of selling it at exorbitant prices, you can expect a knock at your door," Attorney General William Barr said in a statement earlier this month.

"The Department of Justice's COVID-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force is working tirelessly around the clock with all our law enforcement partners to ensure that bad actors cannot illicitly profit from the COVID-19 pandemic facing our nation," Barr said.

On Wednesday in Lakewood, investigators swooped in on a Swarthmore Avenue industrial park and were seen carrying boxes with "respirators" printed on the sides.

A reader alerted the Press to the law enforcement activity about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at 1980 Swarthmore Ave., a mixed-use facility with an office building in the front and a warehouse in the back.

ABC7 out of New York reported Thursday morning that the FBI was executing a search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation into businesses selling medical equipment.

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Officials on the Wednesday scene — home to businesses including a mattress company, a tile business and several others — declined to comment.

"We never confirm or deny the existence of any investigation," said Matthew Reilly, spokesman for the United States Attorney's Office in New Jersey.

Some two dozen or more investigators were seen milling about the property, clad in vests and jackets identifying them as FBI agents. All wore masks as well.

Lakewood police officers were on the scene, too. An officer told the Press, "It's not my investigation."

A small crowd gathered outside as the FBI agents carried boxes from inside the warehouse to a parking lot. Some of the boxes were labeled "respirators," which have been in high demand as health workers the world over fight the novel coronavirus.

Shortly before 6 p.m., about a dozen agents left the scene, while a small contingent remained inside.

Gustavo Martínez Contreras covers Lakewood. Contact him at gmartinez@gannettnj.com or at 732-643-4061.

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and Monmouth County for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of two books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 973-763-0361. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp