Obtaining Barnegat's Twin Towers Steel A Joint Effort, Not Work Of One Man

By Patricia A. Miller

Give credit where credit is due. And Charles Giles was not the person who brought a piece of the Twin Towers to Barnegat, Board of Education member Lisa Becker says.

Barnegat township and school officials had lobbied for a piece of steel for years.

"At the end of the day, we want to make it clear," she said. "It was a group effort. There was more than one person. The fire department, the police department, township, the schools."

Board members became increasingly disturbed by past media reports that Giles was instrumental in bring the steel to Barnegat, when they knew that wasn't the case, Becker said.

"Mr. Giles insinuated himself into the situation, but he was not the person who got the steel for Barnegat Township."

A 9-11 committee composed of fire, first aid, township and school officials was formed several years ago, with the goal of obtaining the steel and constructing an appropriate memorial for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

School officials originally began working with Giles because they thought he had a relationship with fire and first aid officials, said Becker, who served as board president for several years.

But as time went on, Giles began portraying himself as speaking for the school district and hogging the spotlight at 9-11 events, she said.

Barnegat school officials were advised to reach out to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and ask that a piece of Twin Towers steel be sent to Barnegat.

"We contacted the Port Authority for paperwork," she said. "We did see some of it. But we didn't get the second half of the paperwork. We had papers that were supposed to be delivered...and then it became this highly volatile situation."

Committee members had made arrangements to transport the steel to Barnegat after the Port Authority informed them Barnegat would be allowed to have a piece, Becker said.

But Giles told committee members he had already taken care of the transport.

That's when Thomas J. Scalgione, 40, of Manahawkin and Mark Anthony Niemczyk, 66, showed up with a truck painted with the names of first responders.

The Twin Towers steel was supposed to be delivered to Barnegat in a reverent manner, with little fanfare, Becker said.

But it wasn't.

"He (Giles) turned it into a media circus," she said. "We saw him throw himself on the piece of steel."

The nine-foot piece of steel was transported by Thomas J. Scalgione, 40, of Manahawkin and Mark Anthony Niemczyk, 66, of Tinton Falls. They were later accused of promoting a bogus 9/11 victims' charity  by driving around in a pickup truck painted with the names of first responders who perished.

"It is definitely the same truck that was used to bring the piece of steel," Bill Cox, - transportation coordinator for the Barnegat Township School District - told Patch last year. "Being a small community, we know the same cast of characters."

The state Attorney General's Office later sued Scalgione — who has had a long history of theft and sex offense convictions — and Niemczyk for allegedly operating an unregistered charity.

Board of Education Attorney Ben Montenegro later gave Giles a verbal warning to stop portraying himself as speaking on behalf of the school board. He stopped short of issuing a cease and desist order, Becker said.

"We didn't want something that was a positive turned into a negative," she said.
"We were trying to do it from an educational standpoint and as a memorial."

The 9-11 memorial is located at the Barnegat High School football field, Becker said.

"The project is still ongoing," she said. "We have longer ranger plans to enhance the area. Be reverent and be respectful. It was part of something that was a dark day. You don't want people to forget that."



The 9-11 memorial is located at the Barnegat High School football field, Becker said.