TOMS RIVER – The Americana Motel is no more.
The buildings themselves still stand, but the road sign was torn by state road crews earlier today. Businessman Larry Schuster took video of it being torn down.
Toms River officials confirmed that the state had paid for a new sign and re-branding of the motel, due to the ongoing Routes 166/37/9 road project. The motel will be called the Parkway Motel, and a new sign will be up in a few weeks.
Jersey Shore Online reached out to New Jersey Department of Transportation officials several times today, with no response by press time.
Ten people were arrested on various drug and contempt of court charges back in November. The motel was also cited for several code violations.
The motel’s owner back in 2016, Sandipkumar Patel, was sentenced to three years in prison for falsely claiming $81,000 in aid, claiming the motel had housed Hurricane Sandy victims. Patel did make restitution to the state in full. It’s unclear if Patel or his wife still own the motel today.
