State investigating: Outrage over Jersey Shore bar’s links to multiple sex offenders

🔴 Keansburg residents outraged after discovering convicted sex offenders working at popular Jersey Shore restaurant.

🔴 Rumors in Keansburg include misinformation about the owner and teen nights

🔴 An active investigation connected to the restaurant may be underway

KEANSBURG — A high-end restaurant’s liquor license is under state investigation after online community groups recently revealed that the owner’s husband and two employees are all sex offenders.

The Beach Gallery opened last year as a proud woman-owned business in this Bayshore community, offering a rooftop bar with drag brunches and karaoke nights. Now, after learning about the state investigation and a firestorm of online comments denouncing the restaurant’s ties to no less than three men with sordid histories, a message post Thursday evening on The Beach Gallery website says the restaurant is closing permanently.

Not all of the comments on Facebook are true or accurate, said Janna Epstein-Jerinsky, who told New Jersey 101.5 that she is the sole owner of The Beach Gallery. Her husband, who was in fact convicted of sex crimes almost 15 years ago, is not involved in the business, she says.

Epstein-Jerinsky is also pushing back against the online mob. She defended the hiring of ex-cons as both a matter of law and a desire to give people second chances.

"I believe deeply that if someone has paid their debt to society, they deserve the opportunity to move on and build a new, productive life. The Beach Gallery was designed to be an example of a place that grants that chance, and I view this commitment to opportunity as a source of pride," she said Thursday.

Epstein-Jerinsky spoke to New Jersey 101.5 on Thursday afternoon, making no indication at the time that she would announce the permanent closure a few hours later.

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Owner of The Beach Gallery defends mission of second chances

Located on Beachway Avenue, The Beach Gallery sits on the Raritan Bay and across the street from the Keansburg Amusement Park, a popular spot during the summer for kids and families.

Epstein-Jerinsky is proud of her business mission to help homeless employees find housing, embrace all individuals regardless of background, and give second chances.

Perhaps that commitment — and the New Jersey's Opportunity to Compete Act, which prevents employers from asking if workers have criminal records —has landed her business in hot water.

Keansburg community alarm over sex offender hires

Several Keansburg residents discovered that the restaurant's general manager, director of operations, and Epstein-Jerinsky's husband are convicted sex offenders.

Mariah Richmond-Schembri, a former employee at the restaurant who quit around a year ago, claimed in a Facebook comment that all three men were regularly on the premises.

Epstein-Jerinsky said that isn't true, just like claims of teens being alone with staff aren't true.

"The facility was covered by security cameras, and there have been zero official police reports or confirmed allegations of misconduct or inappropriate behavior by any staff member on the premises," Epstein-Jerinsky said.

Despite claims that the restaurant hosted public social events for teens, Epstein-Jerinsky says they haven't hosted a single "Teen Night." One had been planned after being suggested by a community member. It was canceled due to scheduling conflicts and did not take place, Epstein-Jerinsky said.

Growing controversy around sex offender hires

State law prohibits people who serious criminal records from owning liquor licenses.

Allison Inserro, a spokeswoman for the state Attorney General's Office, which oversees the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, said this restaurant was under investigation but could not provide details.

Epstein-Jerinsky's husband, a former teacher, is also not an owner or manager at The Beach Gallery. But he is a convicted sex offender. He was sentenced to three years in state prison in 2011 after pleading guilty to child endangerment and admitting to inappropriate sexual touching and sexual conversations with eight female students.

It is also true that John Schulte, 49, of Winfield, is the director of operations at The Beach Gallery. He posed for photos and gave comments for a June 2024 story in the Asbury Park Press.

He is also a repetitive compulsive Tier 2 sex offender, according to the New Jersey Sex Offender Registry. He was convicted in Union County of sexually assaulting three boys under the age of 14 years old.

Richmond-Schembri, the former employee, also identified the restaurant's general manager as an individual who is a convicted sex offender.

In 2010, the man was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a teen, according to state court records. And in 2018, he was convicted of failure to register as a sex offender.

But Epstein-Jerinsky said she would not confirm the identities of any staff as they are private citizens. And no online records prove that the individual works at The Beach Gallery.

She said the business's hiring practices strictly follow state law, including "adherence to all State Probation and Parole requirements for any employee under supervision."

She said the online Facebook campaign led to an "overwhelming" amount of threats and harassment.

The Beach Gallery has also received supportive private messages from community members,. The messages included "anecdotes about their loved ones who made mistakes and found a second chance," she said.

"This support validates our belief that steady, legitimate employment is the most effective tool for reducing recidivism rates and increasing public safety," Epstein-Jerinsky said.

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