Travelers trying to assess Silverton neighborhoods east of Brand Road, or head east past Merrimac in Snug Harbor, must wait to give Toms River Police an identification card showing they live in the area.

This situation unfolded yesterday afternoon, as heavily armed police were stationed on such places at Kettle Creek Road and Brand, and stopped each vehicle to make sure they lived nearby.

The Silverton Fire Department signed flashed "Reisdents Only," "Police Ahead," and "Please Be Patient," to help manage the influx of cars headed down Kettle Creek as traffic backed up.

The police stationed there said the ID checks were to prevent looting, residents reported. Residents reported to Toms River Patch multiple reports of looters or pickers roaming town in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

One resident reported to Toms River Patch on Maritime Drive that a truck with two men rolled up to a home, emptied their truck bed of scrap metal and took a curbside appliance Wednesday evening.

Down Bayshore Drive, another residents reported to Toms River Patch that a Casino Pier sign had washed onto the streets there. It was gone, as "there are a lot of pickers going through, trying to find stuff."

Toms River Office of Emergency Management said that police headquarters have received multiple calls from residents reporting suspicious behavior and looting, but that in most cases the incidents were minor or not looting.

"Police are investigating and find out it is nothing," Daley said at 4 p.m. "Police Chief Mastronardy said widespread looting is not an issue as you would imagine."

Daley said many neighborhoods continue to be threats because flooding, live wires, debris and broken gas lines are creating dangerous situations. Residents need to avoid these areas and patrols are necessary.

There's no curfew but Daley advised residents who could safely do so to remain inside their homes. Road conditions, fallen debris, flooding and widespread power outages are creating dangerous areas throughout Toms River still, he said.

Mastronardy said Friday morning he'd provide another report this afternoon regarding looting questions from Toms River Patch.

Residents continue to be vigilant against potential looting. The Huffington Post reported one man had kept watch along his devastated road, blocking it with plywood and directing onlookers away.

"On a narrow street coated with mud and strewn with debris, Pat Shields stood at a makeshift barrier of scrap metal and plywood, tattooed arms crossed over his burly chest. He turned away strangers headed toward the nearby water's edge," reported the Huffington Post.

"This neighborhood, a few hundred yards from a bay opening into the Atlantic, was battered by surging water from Hurricane Sandy, which flowed into living rooms and floated cars and trucks down the street like toys.

"But as the water receded, a new threat emerged: looters.

"'People are just walking into people's yards and taking stuff,' said Shields, 53. 'This is a crime scene. It's a catastrophe.'" reported the Huffington Post.

Places such as Atlantic City are reporting widespread looting into Friday as many evacuated homes and stores sit vacant and damaged.

In Belmar and Berkeley Township, the potential for looting also appeared to be a concern.

Berkeley Township police will be scouring some sections of Bayvile for looters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Looters are “coming out of the woodwork now,” Berkeley Township Council President James J. Byrnes said.

Anyone without identification in those areas will be asked to leave, he said.

Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday announced that the State Police will be deploying troopers to the barrier islands hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy to work with local and county agencies to ensure safety and security for those communities, according to a release from the governor's office.

"The State Police will provide an enhanced law enforcement presence to protect the property of residents and merchants against potential looting or other crimes, while also providing additional resources and personnel if needed for any rescue and recovery operations," the release says.

Patrols continue, and the National Guard is in the area to assist. Fire personnel — some assisting from places as far away as Gloucester and Bergen counties — are going door to door in devastated neighborhoods to check that homes are secure and residents are safe.

Spraying letters on each window yesterday at 3 p.m., Mantua fire department was in the Pine Terrace section of Toms River checking on gas line security, electrical issues, and whether homes were occupied with residents safely.

Nearby, Toms River Regional buses began to be parked at intersections along Brand Road, purposefully blocking roadways leading into the devastated neighborhoods.

Daley said crime reports and injuries remain minor. No deaths have been confirmed in Toms River though statewide the number grew to eight deaths on Thursday.

Patch editors Charlie LaPlaca and Pat Miller contributed to this report.

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For the latest Hurricane Sandy coverage from Toms River Patch visit our topic page here.

To contact township personnel and police for Hurricane Sandy concerns call 732-349-0150.

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