Community rallies to help boy, grandmother whose Atlantic City home was burglarized during Hurricane Irene

ATLANTIC CITY — More than a dozen
people reached out Tuesday offering help to 13-year-old Charles
Carson and his grandmother, Patricia Hall, who evacuated during
Hurricane Irene and returned to a burglarized home.

Renee Stone, who lives in the Venice Park section of the city,
said she plans to donate school supplies to Carson because she
wants him to “know there is kindness and compassion in this city,
not just crime and selfishness.”

People also reported thefts and break-ins in Somers Point,
Pleasantville and Egg Harbor and Galloway townships. Police in Egg
Harbor Township and Atlantic City made several arrests during the
evacuation after catching people walking the street with stolen
items. Additional cases remain open.

Stone, 39, doesn’t know Carson or Hall, 59, who live in the
resort’s Back Maryland neighborhood. She learned about the dilemma
after it was featured in a story about crimes during the storm
published Tuesday in The Press of Atlantic City.

“I was nervous about leaving my home unattended during the
storm. I fared much better, but my heart actually hurt while I
looked at the young man’s photo,” said Stone, a mother of
three.

Carson, an eighth-grade student at Oceanside Charter School,
bought a new computer and backpack, plus clothes, three pairs of
shoes and other supplies, during a back-to-school shopping trip
less than a week before the items were stolen. The culprits also
grabbed his orientation packet.

Stone was among 11 readers who contacted The Press on Tuesday.
Hall said friends and strangers also inundated her with phone calls
about the stolen goods, worth about $5,000, according to her
estimates. Police responded immediately when Hall called after
returning from Pleasantville following the storm to find her duplex
ransacked.

“I just couldn’t believe it — I was overwhelmed,” Hall said. “It
was really heartfelt and appreciated.”

Contact Emily Previti:

609-272-7221

EPreviti@pressofac.com