Boardwalk

One of two suspects was arrested in Camden yesterday in connection with the daytime heist of more than $500,000 in gems and cash Friday from a jewelry store on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. William Council, 38, of Deptford Township, was arrested at a residence in the 1100 block of South Fourth Street at noon yesterday by members of the Camden County Sheriff's Department, said a spokesman for Sheriff William Simon. Council was arrested in connection with the robbery of more than $500,000 in jewelry and $26,000 cash from the Naame and Biddle jewelry store on the first floor of the Ocean Club Condominiums on the Boardwalk, said John Mooney, a detective sergeant with the Atlantic City Police Department.

For the first time in the history of the Miss America Pageant, the pre-pageant parade of contestants before as many as 25,000 spectators along the Boardwalk, set for next Friday, was canceled yesterday. The reason: safety concerns after this week's terrorist attacks. No specific threats have been reported against the parade or the pageant, which will go on as scheduled next Saturday night, when a new Miss America will be crowned, said Robert Renneisen Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Miss America organization.

A blackout on the Ocean City, N.J., boardwalk Tuesday night resulted in several chaotic and scary minutes for Shore revelers. Atlantic City Electric reported more than 53,000 customers were without power across South Jersey around 10:50 p.m. Many outages were caused by last weekend's storm. There was no immediate information about how extensive the outage was in Ocean City. Frank Seravalli, the Flyers beat writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, said he was at Playland's Castaway Cove when, around 10:20 p.m., "all of the sudden the lights go out. " Small children started screaming while parents frantically tried to locate them.

In a storefront tucked between Abe's Antiques and Blatt Billiards, the sounds of Springsteen and reggae waft through air redolent of cotton candy and coconut. Beach balls loll near a mock boardwalk, and a sand castle rests in a corner, undisturbed by waves or flailing feet. Here, the Jersey Shore meets Manhattan, and bemused passersby on Broadway pause long enough to accept a piece of saltwater taffy and, maybe, an invitation to step inside. "Hi, welcome to the Jersey Shore Store!"

It isn't nostalgia for the grand old days of 1965, when they first played here at the Hamid family's Steel Pier, that's brought the Rolling Stones back to the Baghdad by the Boardwalk these cold December nights. Nor, to hear Mick Jagger and Keith Richards tell it yesterday, is it any abiding affection for their host, Donald Trump, or his $3.5 million or $4 million guarantee that's attracted the Stones here for the capper to their record-breaking U.S. tour. (The set includes last night's warm-up show; tomorrow's biggie to be carried live on ABC radio, WYSP-FM in Philadelphia, and to a potential 13 million pay-per-view customers; and Wednesday's grand finale, the show that Trump and band insiders swear is going to be the loosest and best.

A fast-moving fire yesterday caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage to several businesses on the Ocean City boardwalk, including a local landmark jewelry store. The fire appeared to have started before 6 a.m. in a new candle shop called Seaside Scentsations in the 1200 block of the boardwalk and then spread quickly to Duncan's beachwear store next door, said Ocean City Fire Chief Joe Foglio, who made the damage estimate. He said the blaze then burned Henry's, a jewelry store adjoining the candle shop, and moved into two apartments above the two stores.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. - When Hurricane Sandy washed over this popular Jersey Shore resort, water poured in through the heating vents and electrical outlets of Linda Polites' and Michael Riley's home. A 10-foot section of boardwalk slammed into the house as they fled to the attic. Hours later, they waded through armpit-deep water to a military truck, then headed to the first of five emergency shelters that have been their homes since. On Friday, while they awaited repairs to their house, they traveled from their shelter to see the start of the reconstruction of the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, a town known worldwide from the MTV reality show Jersey Shore . "You don't lose your memories.

Police in Wildwood, N.J., are trying to determine the identity and cause of death of a "probably hours old" baby boy whose frozen body was discovered wrapped in trash bags under a Boardwalk ramp. Police Chief Robert Davenport said house-to-house interviews were being conducted among residents in the vicinity of the Boardwalk and Garfield Avenue, where the baby's body was found by a couple walking on the beach about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Local schools, health service agencies and hospitals also were being contacted in an effort to gain information about any recent births, Davenport said.

For some, a boardwalk conjures up memories of summer afternoons running from beach to arcade and back again; for others, it brings to mind the chaotic nightlife chronicled in the reality show Jersey Shore . But for the summer towns that dot New Jersey's coast, boardwalks are an economic lifeline that they are rushing to rebuild before the summer season starts in just under six months. "The boardwalk will be back," vowed Seaside Heights Councilman Tony Vaz. "It has to be. We have to survive.

VENTNOR, N.J. - In this cozy Shore town sandwiched between Atlantic City and Margate, there's a newfound freedom in the boardwalk air. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, there's just a little less control in the controlled chaos that is the Ventnor boardwalk, where the high season of bicycles, strollers, walkers, joggers, and, most prominent, schmoozers kicked in Saturday morning in perfect sunshine and heat. But with one thing missing: the boardwalk cops, a.k.a.