1. $1.00 | Saturday, July 2, 2011 Final Edition
NJ.COM
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The wad of cash Ivan Nova leads way
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On the hunt for a baboon in Jersey Christie’s
Search set to resume today for likely escapee from Great Adventure safari
The baboon, which appears to be
a 2-year-old male, should instinc- cuts draw
rapid blast
tively want to return to familiar
By Julia Terruso 42, of Buttonwood Drive in Jackson Great Adventure — who assume surroundings and other baboons,
and Kelly Heyboer Township. the primate is an escapee from the according to animal experts. But
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Over the next few hours, more Monkey Jungle exhibit in their Wild the adolescent appeared to be mov-
Stacey Murphy was in her kitch-
en yesterday morning when she
glanced through the glass back
than a dozen residents of the leafy
Ocean County neighborhood re-
ported seeing a baboon bounding
Safari park — came close to captur-
ing the baboon around 3:45 p.m. in
Jackson. A member of the search
ing farther and farther away from
Great Adventure. It traveled more
than 10 miles yesterday.
of anger
door and caught a glimpse of a pair down streets, lounging in trees near team shot a tranquilizer dart at the “I imagine it’s trying to get back.
of brown furry legs on the welcome Interstate 195 and ambling around 2- or 3-foot-tall animal near Met- But it’s going the wrong way,” Ben- Cities, nursing homes,
mat. an exclusive private golf course. edeconk National Golf Club, Great nett said. colleges assail budget
She assumed it was her neigh- As of last night, the elusive ba- Adventure officials said. But the Great Adventure, the sprawling
bor’s dog — until she spotted the boon remained on the lam in neigh- dart missed. amusement park with a 350-acre By Jarrett Renshaw
animal’s bulbous red butt. boring Freehold, in Monmouth “The animal took off into the drive-through wildlife preserve, STATEHoUSE BUREAU
“I saw the infamous red heinie County. The search is scheduled to woods,” Jackson Police Sgt. Edward first reported a possible baboon It didn’t take long for the outrage
and I yelled, ‘Oh my God, there’s a resume this morning. Bennett said. “I saw it. It’s quick, escape to state officials Thursday to bubble over.
baboon on the patio!’ ” said Murphy, Animal experts from Six Flags very fast.” SEE BaBoon, PAgE 6 From around the state, lawmak-
ers, child advocates, mayors and
college officials expressed anger
and disappointment yesterday
over Gov. Chris Christie’s liberal
adventure in the air
use of the line-item veto on the
budget enacted by the Democratic
Legislature.
Christie slashed almost a billion
dollars from the Democrats’ $30.6
billion budget that had restored
spending for education, health care
Roller coaster fans and tax credits for the working poor,
aid to the state’s struggling cities
find peace racing and — in what was widely viewed
as revenge for spurning his own
through the skies budget — cuts to the Legislature.
The governor then signed the
budget that he had trimmed to
$29.7 billion before the fiscal year
ended at midnight Thursday, and
Democratic hopes of overriding his
veto are seemingly slim.
“New Jersey should be working
harder to protect children from
abuse and neglect, not pulling the
plug on programs that work for
children,” said Nancy Erika Smith
of the Newark-based Wynona Lip-
man Child Advocacy Center, which
helps sexually and physically
abused children.
Christie cut $537,000, or 75 per-
Adam Revesz of Clifton and wife Ellen kiss cent, of the center’s financing,
at Six Flags Great Adventure. They met at a which Smith called “disgusting.”
roller coaster outing in Virginia. Christie introduced a $29.6 bil-
lion spending plan earlier this year
By Meredith Galante that provided modest increases
STAR-LEDGER STAFF in school financ-
O
nly when he’s plunging from the ing and property • Christie
height of a 23-story building at 80 tax rebates, while decides to
mph does Adam Revesz truly feel slashing Medic- close the
relaxed — and worry-free. aid and other pro- Hagedorn
While most people find respite from the grams aimed at the Psychiatric
Hospital in
sound of breaking waves at the Shore, a state’s most vul-
Hunterdon,
jog in the park or a glass of red wine with nerable residents. Jersey
friends, Revesz finds it while plummeting Democrats coun- lawmakers
from the top of a roller coaster catching “air tered this week said.
time” above the tracks. with their own ill- Page 6
And he does it all with his hands in the air fated proposal that
and a joyous scream. identified savings and increased
The 36-year-old architect from Clifton spending by nearly $1 billion.
is a roller coaster fanatic, and on a day like Christie and fellow Republicans
Coaster Celebration last month at Six Flags sharply criticized the Democrat-
Great Adventure in Jackson, he’s in his ic proposal as a political “Ponzi
element. scheme” built on fake revenue es-
“I love the thrill of a roller coaster,” he timates and bogus savings. He said
says. “When I first started, it was just about he had no choice but to cut about
the thrills. Now it’s just about letting it all $900 million from a budget that
go.” he said would be unbalanced and
Revesz has been addicted to roller coast- unconstitutional.
ers since he was 13. In high school, he joined State Sen. Loretta Weinberg
the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), a (D-Bergen) called Christie’s veto,
nationally recognized club that tries to pro- which trimmed not only the Dem-
mote enjoyment and knowledge of roller ocratic add-ons but parts of his
coasters. Today he’s the group’s New Jersey own budget, “cynical and overtly
representative, scheduling events for the political.”
state’s 300 members. “The only people that benefit in
When he’s riding the coasters, Revesz for- Photos by tony KurdzuK/the star-Ledger Chris Christie’s new normal are
gets the worries of his job as a senior project American Coaster Enthusiasts members, in front row from left, Shirley Sullivan of Old economically well-off, white and
manager at an architecture firm in Wayne. Bridge, Bret Volzas of Jackson, and Ellen and Adam Revesz of Clifton join fellow riders on male,” she said.
SEE Coaster, PAgE 4 the Green Lantern roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson last month. The governor’s office declined
to answer questions about specific
cuts yesterday, including why some
programs were chopped and others
were not.
Girl safe, arrests made in border-crossing kidnap scare “Now let’s not start going down
that road,” Christie said at a news
SEE Budget, PAgE 6
By Alex Zdan investigation that ended with the was met by two men demanding the final payment, police said.
TimES oF TRENToN safe return of the girl, the arrest of mother pay large sums of money “It was a sting,” police Lt. Steve in OThER nEWS
The woman sounded frantic. two men on extortion charges and over several days so her daughter Varn said yesterday.
She told Trenton police in a tele- the discovery of seven illegal immi- could be brought to Trenton, police Rios, Dellaira and Sgt. Rick Ri- Former leader of the IMF
phone call Tuesday evening that she grants in a truck along the New Jer- said. vera accompanied the mother to the is released from house arrest
believed her 15-year-old daughter sey Turnpike, police said. The mother made the payments drop-off point, as did agents from The sexual assault case against Do-
had been kidnapped in Texas and The Trenton woman had sev- out of fear for her daughter’s life, the Department of Homeland Secu- minique Strauss-Kahn takes another
the kidnappers were demanding eral telephone contacts with the but the girl was never delivered. rity’s Immigration Customs En- twist. Page 2
money for the girl’s safe return. alleged kidnappers, police said. As As the detectives, Sgt. Jim Dellai- forcement (ICE) office in Marlton.
“She also reported that her daugh- the investigation proceeded, detec- ra and Sgt. Robert Rios, interviewed Five miles south of the exit, au- A bloody month for U.S. forces
ter was being abused and was both tives learned the woman, who was the woman early Wednesday, the thorities watched as the payment in Iraq and Afghanistan
hungry and frightened,” Trenton not identified, had paid to have her kidnappers called again. The moth- was made, police said. Then they Sixty service members were killed in
police Sgt. Tom McDonough said daughter brought into the United er made plans to meet them at a moved in. the wars during June, from hostile
yesterday. States from Guatemala. Once the truck stop near Exit 7 on the Turn- Two men were taken into custody: and nonhostile incidents. Page 3
Thus began an intense, 18-hour girl arrived in Texas, however, she pike in Bordentown to make the SEE daughter, PAgE 6
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