by KYW's David Madden
Investigators in New Jersey say they are offering a reward of $10,000 for information resulting in the arrest of whoever dumped medical waste that has been washing up along a mile-long stretch of beach in Avalon, NJ.
Beaches reopened again Wednesday morning after being closed three out of the previous four days (see related story).
Intravenous needles, needle caps, and cotton swabs have been found on the beach between 14th and 22nd Streets. Officials say some of those items have tracing numbers that have been helpful to the state attorney general's investigation.
Scott Wahl (right) is Avalon’s public information officer:
"The focus of the investigation is getting narrower, thanks to plenty of leads that came in early in the recovery of the medical waste."
Avalon's mayor thinks the waste on the beach may have been a deliberate act.
Attorney Anthony List of Newtown Square, Pa. has a beach house here. He won’t allow his grandchildren on the beach for now:
"Avalon was picked as being in the top 50 cities in the United States [related story], and the next day they’re closing the beaches."
Another Avalon vacationer Mark Ulrich, along with his wife and two kids, have simply moved to unaffected sections of the beach:
"I think they’ve handled it pretty well. They went and combed the beaches early in the morning before everybody got out."
The entire Avalon beach will be sifted through twice a day through Labor Day, and if any more waste is found beaches will be closed again.
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