Cousins Beaten By ‘Walk Thugs, Crime Unsolved

WILDWOOD – For many, Memorial Day Weekend is the official kickoff to summer, a time to escape to the beach and spend time with family and friends, but that was far from the case for Wildwood resident Cecelia Rampolla. A vicious attack on her two grandsons left her family afraid to visit and left one grandson with serious facial injuries.
Robert Gavin, 21, was unable to recall any details about the attack that took place on that holiday weekend 2013 but his younger cousin, 18-year-old Jonathan Herring’s memory was a little clearer.
According to him the pair was walking home on the boardwalk late at night when a group of men began asking them strange questions. When they tried to walk away they were attacked. Herring recalled seeing a group of people walking toward them which he believes scared their attackers allowing the cousins to get away.
Gavin and Herring finally made it home around 2 a.m. Rampolla recalled being awakened to check on her grandsons; Herring had a bump on his head but told his grandmother he was fine. Gavin appeared to be in worse condition with a swollen face and bloody nose, but the extent of his injuries wouldn’t be known until he visited a doctor the next day.
Gavin had 11 fractures on his face plus an eye injury that required surgery, “Now his eye is all sunk in, it’s sitting back further and there’s nothing else they can do about it,” said Rampolla.
Looking for justice, Rampolla took Herring to the Wildwood Police Department to file a report. The case was assigned to a detective who eventually told the family that he reviewed surveillance video from the boardwalk that night but was unable to find the fight.
Rampolla feels the police department isn’t doing everything it can, and said, “I’m sure if this happened to one of their family members it would all be resolved.”
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano wasn’t able to comment on specifics of the case, but was upset to hear about the attack. However, Troiano does not believe the city is at fault. “I’m not happy about this situation, but this happens in every neighborhood,” the mayor said.
He then went on to say that there is upwards of 250,000 people on the boardwalk at any given time, and unfortunately there are some “punks” out there as well. The fact that the two men were walking home so late didn’t help their situation. “The police department isn’t at full force at 2 a.m.” explained Troiano.
Another of Rampolla’s complaints has to do with the accessibility of the police. Herring offered to go into the police department to look at the tapes with the detective but was never called back.
While specific members of the police department may be hard to get in touch with, Troiano said either him or Commissioner of Public safety Anthony Leonetti, are always accessible by phone or by going to a commission meeting.
For the present the case remains unsolved. The attackers are still free and Rampolla’s family is left feeling unsafe and unwilling to visit.
“That’s why we’re here, for them to come down and spend a couple of days and they are very appreciative of it. One of the things they all want to do is go on the boardwalk, now that it’s unsafe up there they won’t go on the boardwalk anymore,” said Rampolla. She is considering taking her concerns to the next commission meeting.
As for Gavin, he is left with upwards of $100,000 in medical bills and no way to pay for them.
Anyone having information on the attack should contact Wildwood Police Department at (609) 522-0222.