Superstorm’s Human Cost in Ocean County: Four Lives

Ocean County's fatality count resulting from Hurricane Sandy is four, according to county Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford.

All occurred on October 30 and 31, during the height of the storm. Two were victims of drowning, and two suffered hypothermia.

The victims officially identified are Celestine Kreitzer, 94, Forked River; George Tatay, 61, Brick Township; Erwin Bockhorn, 72, Little Egg Harbor; and Leonard Thompson, 71, Stafford.

"Our thoughts are with these families," Ford said.

During Sandy's onslaught, rumors of massive casualties spread nearly unchecked. Plunging temperatures as the tropical storm converted to a winter storm left many people vulnerable to exposure.