Toms Rivers Infamouse Private Island Mansion Being Torn Down
The massive structure nearly five thousand square feet, is located on Middle Sedge Island in Barnegat Bay. I always heard it referred to as Hankins Island by the locals who live in the nearby Chadwick Beach Neighborhood in the North Beach section owned by Toms River.
A Brief History Of The Island Mansion.
The mansion was built in 1991 by island owners Anthony and Joann Dellechiaie. It replaced several smaller homes that were built and owned by the famous New Jersey boat builder, Charlie Hankins. Hence the colloquial “Hankins Island”. The huge island mansion quickly became a must-see for boaters all summer long. Rumors and fairy tales abound about the goings on inside the secretive island mansion and the surrounding 14 acres it was built on.
The Island Mansion Today.
Since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the damaged island mansion has been in severe structural disrepair. For instance, birds can be seen flying in and out of gaping holes that were former windows. Large chunks of the island mansion’s roof are gone. The docks are destroyed. The bulkhead washed away. the building is covered in bird droppings. It is also believed that for a time, believe it or not, squatters were calling the secluded island mansion home.
Perhaps worst of all, vandals have spray-painted graffiti around portions of the once luxuriously landscaped property. Not it is set to be torn down. Toms River Township has issued violations to the current property owners. A demolition plan has been filed, and the demolition permit was issued on April 11th to the owner. There is no word whether a new structure or structures will be built on the Hankins Island site, however, it should be noted that today there are gas, electric, water, and sewer lines running to the island. Unlike the Charlie Hankins days, when a gas-powered generator was the sole source of power.
Check out this awesome first-person Jet Ski video of Hankins Island
DON’T MISS: Exclusive Look At The Toms River Island Mansion
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