OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (VINnews) – A dispute over public comments at an Ocean Township Council meeting has escalated, with Mayor John Napolitani accusing a speaker of using antisemitic rhetoric and later making anti-Italian remarks in voicemail messages left on the mayor’s phone.

The allegations center on Jeff George, a Tinton Falls political influencer whose legal name is Jeffrey Walstein. George spoke during recent council meetings, including one on June 11, 2026, where he addressed the township’s deer population in comments that Napolitani and others interpreted as a coded metaphor targeting Jewish people.

In his June 14 Facebook statement, Napolitani strongly condemned the remarks and affirmed support for the township’s Jewish residents.

“Antisemitism, racism, and discrimination of any kind has no place in Ocean Township,” Napolitani wrote. “Not in our schools, not on our streets, not in our neighborhoods. … I want our Jewish neighbors, and every member of this community, to know: we stand with you.”

Councilman Robert Acerra echoed the condemnation, stating that the use of coded language to demean Jewish people is unacceptable.

George, who does not live in Ocean Township, had previously raised deer overpopulation concerns at a council meeting. His June 11 comments included references to the deer “taking over society,” reproducing at high rates, infiltrating communities, and carrying disease — language several residents and officials described as dehumanizing and antisemitic when viewed in context.

The controversy intensified after George was removed from a subsequent July 9, 2026, council meeting. Napolitani has also cited anti-Italian remarks allegedly made by George in messages left on the mayor’s phone.

George, active on social media under the handle @jerseygoy, has pushed back against the accusations, framing the removal as a First Amendment issue in videos posted online.

Ocean Township officials have emphasized that public meetings must maintain decorum and that reasonable restrictions on speech apply, while highlighting ing zero tolerance for hate. The incident has drawn community attention amid broader discussions of antisemitism in New Jersey’s Monmouth County area.