By Stephanie Faughnan and Chris Lundy
TOMS RIVER – A rally to demand justice following the death of a young Barnegat boy is being held in front of the State Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), located at 1510 Hooper Avenue in Toms River, at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, July 30.
Corey Micciolo was just 6 years old when he died of what doctors said was a “heart contusion.” His mother, Breanna Micciolo, blames the boy’s father as well as the DCPP for allowing him to have partial custody.
Corey died suddenly on April 2, 2021, at the Southern Ocean County Medical Center.
Christopher Gregor, the father, was charged with second degree child endangerment for an incident that occurred on March 20, 2021.
There is video of Gregor placing the boy on a treadmill in the gym of the complex where he lived in Barnegat. Police who reviewed the video said it shows the suspect speeding up the treadmill, causing the boy to fall. He then puts Corey back on a few times as the boy kept falling off. Court papers also refer to Gregor biting Corey on the head during the incident.
The boy’s mother had alleged that DCPP bears some of the blame for the child’s death for ignoring signs of abuse and continuing to allow custody.
Gregor has not been charged with anything more than child endangerment. He was released from jail until his hearing on September 15. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said the boy’s death remains under investigation.
A Facebook page entitled Justice for Corey now has almost 10,000 followers.
