newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ADELE SAMMARCO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

It was a beating that shocked the shore.

Two young men heartlessly videotaped an attack on a homeless man in Wall Township, N.J. and callously uploaded the disturbing assault on YouTube.

Police say 20 year old Taylor Giresi of Belmar and an unidentified 17-year-old from Lake Como are accused of beating the defenseless man on Dec. 11 until he bled. And then, if that wasn't enough for the pair, police say the duo went back the next day to maliciously beat the man again and then stole his bicycle.

50-year-old David Ivins suffered a seizure the following week and had to be rushed to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune after he went to the Belmar police station to pick up a bicycle that was donated to him by well-wishers.

The senseless incident has put a spotlight on the plight of homelessness in New Jersey.

In an interview with NJToday, Jeff Wild of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness, spoke about the rise of homelessness in the state calling the numbers quite “sobering.”

According to government statistics, Wild says there are more than 13,000 people suffering from homelessness each day in the Garden State.

Dispelling the stereotype that the average homeless person suffers from psychological issues, Wild added, “The reality for most of the homeless in New Jersey is that they could not make the rent or lost their homes due to foreclosure.”

The rise of homelessness has reached epidemic proportions, according to Wild, who points to the current economy and lack of affordable housing in New Jersey as the culprits.

“The most financially distressed New Jerseyans do not qualify for emergency assistance because they are considered ‘too rich’ if they make $7 per day or $210 per month,” explained Wild.