New Jersey’s sprawling 4,866-square-foot mansion on Middle Sedge Island in Barnegat Bay, once listed for more than $8 million, is no more.
After years of legal battles and destruction from Superstorm Sandy, demolition crews have finally torn down the beleaguered estate, The Post has learned.
“It’s down now and we’ve already begun taking the debris off the island and loading it into dumpsters,” Michele Kremer, of Kremer Contractors, told The Post.
“This is going to sound weird, but it’s been such a landmark that it kind of feels like how people felt about the skyline when the Twin Towers went down, because you’re used to seeing something there and now it’s gone,” Kremer shared. “It was just like a landmark. It was just always something you looked at.”
The residence, also known as the Hankins Island home, captivated Jersey Shore boaters and visitors since its construction in 1991 by lifeboat builder Charles Hankins. However, the property has been abandoned since the 2012 storm, leaving it to rot and fall prey to trespassers and graffiti artists.
“The house was in such shambles. It was really in bad shape. The birds overtook it,” Kremer said. “That was disgusting. It was just really bad. The windows were smashed. It was really not good anymore, and there was graffiti inside. It is sad.”
Mayor Dan Rodrick told Toms River Shoreboat: “I’m a free market capitalist. If someone wants to tear it down, have at it. If someone wants to rebuild it, I’m okay with that too.”
Recent aerial footage revealed a grim picture of the mansion’s remains: gaping holes, missing windows, a destroyed roof, ruined docks and a pool severed from the ground. It was also covered in bird droppings.
At one point, it was believed squatters had briefly occupied the island, adding to its list of woes, sources told the outlet.
The mansion’s descent into disrepair was marked by over a decade of federal litigation between its owner and an insurance carrier, and a separate bankruptcy case. Public records filed with the Ocean County Clerk’s office show a flood of foreclosure notices, deed transfers and other legal instruments attached to the property.
The island was sold in 1991 to Anthony and Joann Dellechiaie, who built the current home there. In 2005, it ended up in the hands of Zero Barnegat Bay LLC, owned by Robert Lyon of Towaco, NJ. Efforts to contact Lyon for comment were unsuccessful.
Despite its luxurious amenities, including a helipad, a heated pool, a guest house and an outdoor kitchen, the mansion never found a new owner. Its 2006 price tag dropped from $8.5 million to $6.5 million in 2015 before being taken off the market altogether.
Today, the property is valued at $1.42 million, mainly for the land itself, which accounts for just under $1 million.
The demolition plan, filed on March 3, 2024, was initially rejected but later approved on April 11. Since then, equipment from Kremer Contractors has been actively dismantling the once-opulent home.
But it was the owner of the property, not the township, that is behind the demolition. To date, township records show no new plans indicating what the future of the island may hold or whether a new home will be built there.
The home was once powered by a diesel generator before being supplanted by electric, gas and water-sewer utilities, which remain on the island today. The original home was moved by barge to a new location after the property was sold in the 1990s.
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