Photo by Allison Perrine
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – Shortly after the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial at Mount Mitchill in Atlantic Highlands was vandalized.
Four stones with cast bronze plaques sit on the ground along the timeline walkway that lays out the chronological events of that morning. In September, three of the four plaques were stolen in the night, ripped away from the stones that held them.
The theft stung a community which has vowed to never forget the 9/11 victims and heroes.
But now a donor has stepped forward to make things right again. Richard Baum of the W&E Baum Bronze Tablet Corp. said he will donate three new plaques replicating the ones that were taken. He could not say what it might cost, but he expects the plaques to be finished in six weeks.
“We are a 100-year-old firm and have done charitable contributions for many years,” said Baum of the three-generation family business based in Freehold. When an employee who lives in the Atlantic Highlands area informed him about the vandalism, he said he wanted to replace the plaques.
The new ones will be replicas of the stolen ones and will be made from cast bronze like the originals. Baum said the company is devising special measures to prevent future vandalism like creating special glues that would make the plaques harder to remove. The old plaques were attached to the stones with an adhesive and hardware.
News of the theft brought people “out of the woodwork” to voice their concerns, said Tom Fobes, superintendent of park operations in Monmouth County. “It was really something, I can say that. So, it really, to me, shows us how special it is, some of the things that we do and how important it is to the people we do it for,” he said. “It’s a special place and people took notice as to what happened.”
The stones are just one par t of the special memorial, located at 460 Ocean Blvd. The stones and the timeline walkway lead to a large eagle sculpture that sits on dark marble etched with the names, ages and hometowns of the Monmouth County residents who died Sept. 11. The eagle sculpture holds a beam from one of the fallen towers. A scenic view of the New York City skyline draws contemplation. There is a quiet, solemn air at the site.
At 266 feet, the overlook is the highest point on the Atlantic seaboard, excluding islands, from Maine to the Yucatan.
Every Sept. 11 since the attacks in 2001 the county has held a memorial ser vice at Mount Mitchill. “We put a lot of time and effort into this event, we’re very proud of this event,” said Fobes.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
