The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office will once again join local law enforcement agencies across the county for a high-visibility traffic enforcement effort aimed at reducing roadway fatalities, officials announced Monday.
Ocean County Prosecutor Brad Billhimer said the initiative is part of the statewide Goal: Zero campaign, which focuses on aggressive enforcement and public awareness to combat dangerous driving behaviors.
The coordinated enforcement detail is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., with police departments throughout Ocean County participating.
The campaign comes as traffic deaths continue to climb across New Jersey. As of March 6, 73 people have died on roadways statewide, including eight fatalities in Ocean County, according to officials.
“This campaign is about one simple idea—no family should have to get the call that a loved one isn’t coming home because of a preventable crash,” Billhimer said in a statement. “Through enforcement, education, and community partnership, we are working every day to make our roads safer for everyone in Ocean County.”
This month’s enforcement detail, originally scheduled for February but postponed due to weather, is dedicated to the 10-year remembrance of Tim O’Donnell and his 5-year-old daughter, Bridget, who were killed on February 22, 2016, by an impaired driver on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Following the tragedy, Tim O’Donnell’s wife, Pam, founded the Catch You Later Foundation, which works to raise awareness about impaired and reckless driving and promote safer roadways.
The Goal: Zero campaign was launched in 2024 through the efforts of Matt Menosky, a Holmdel Township police officer who brought together 36 municipalities to participate in coordinated traffic safety enforcement.
The initiative’s bright green logo was chosen to represent high visibility and pedestrian and school safety, while a black bar incorporated into the design symbolizes mourning for lives lost in traffic crashes.
Officials say the campaign combines enforcement, public outreach, and partnerships with community organizations in an effort to reduce preventable traffic deaths and ultimately reach the campaign’s goal: zero fatalities on New Jersey roadways.