The township shares its name with the Rockaway River and the neighboring borough. The name is derived from a Native American term, variously said to mean "place of sands",[25][26] "creek between two hills"[27] or "bushy" / "difficult to cross".[28]
A large part of the township consists of Picatinny Arsenal, a United States Army base that covers nearly 6,500 acres (2,600 ha) of the township (a portion of the facility is located in Jefferson Township), used mainly for the development of new weapons technologies, especially concerning anti-terrorism.[29]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 45.89 square miles (118.85 km2), including 41.73 square miles (108.09 km2) of land and 4.16 square miles (10.77 km2) of water (9.06%).[1][2]
Rockaway Township and its sister community, Rockaway Borough, and the area around the two municipalities are home to some scenic areas. These areas include lakes, rivers, and expansive ranges of mountains, covered with trees and wildlife and hiking trails, including Farny State Park,[30]Wildcat Ridge WMA,[31] Mount Hope Historical Park[32] and Splitrock Reservoir.[33][34]
Portions of the township are owned by the City of Newark, Essex County, for their Pequannock River Watershed, which provides water to the city from an area of 35,000 acres (14,000 ha) that also includes portions of Hardyston Township, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon, Vernon Township and West Milford.[35][36] Newark's Pequannock Watershed is administered by the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation.[37] The river keeper for the Pequannock River is the Pequannock River Coalition.[38]
Two sites on the National Register of Historic Places are in Rockaway Township.[39] Split Rock Furnace is a Civil War era iron ore furnace which is still intact.[40] The Ford-Faesch Manor House, is a 1768 stone mansion that figured prominently during the Revolutionary War and in the 250-year history of Morris County iron industry.[41][42]
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Beach Glen, Deer Pond, Denmark, Bowlbyville, Durham Pond, Foxs Pond, Green Pond (a lake and an accompanying residential community, though it uses a Newfoundland address in West Milford), Hibernia (site of the Hibernia mines), Hickory Hill, Hilltown, Lyonsville, Marcella, Meriden, Middle Forge, Middletown, Mount Hope, Picatinny, Spicertown and Split Rock.[48]
Splitrock Reservoir is 625 acres (2.53 km2) of wilderness in Rockaway Township that straddles the township's border with Kinnelon. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spent $3 million in 2015 to acquire a 1,500-acre (610 ha) buffer area around the reservoir, as part of an agreement under which Jersey City retains rights to use water from the reservoir and is responsible for maintenance of the dam at the site.[49]
Rockaway township, Morris County, New Jersey – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non-Hispanic) Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Of the 8,983 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18; 62.9% were married couples living together; 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.4% were non-families. Of all households, 21.3% were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.14.[19]
23.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.5 males.[19]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $95,530 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,122) and the median family income was $111,053 (+/− $5,557). Males had a median income of $75,475 (+/− $5,327) versus $52,586 (+/− $4,837) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $41,757 (+/− $1,898). About 0.8% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.[65]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 22,930 people, 8,108 households, and 6,380 families residing in the township. The population density was 535.5 inhabitants per square mile (206.8/km2). There were 8,506 housing units at an average density of 198.7 per square mile (76.7/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 88.86% White, 2.46% African American, 0.10% Native American, 5.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.60% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.28% of the population.[61][62]
There were 8,108 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.21.[61][62]
In the township the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.[61][62]
The median income for a household in the township was $80,939, and the median income for a family was $89,281. Males had a median income of $58,027 versus $40,038 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,184. About 1.4% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.[61][62]
Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, dates back to 1880 when it was established as the Dover Powder Depot, before being renamed just days later as the Picatinny Powder Depot.[67] With 5,000 employees and covering 6,500 acres (2,600 ha), Picatinny Arsenal is the Joint Center of Excellence for Armaments and Munitions for the United States Armed Forces.[68]
Sports
In 2011, the North Jersey Lakers began playing in the Eastern Basketball Alliance, a now-defunct semi-professional men's winter basketball league.[69]
Government
Local government
Rockaway Township is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government (Plan F), implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of January 1, 1968.[70][71] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[72] The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the township council. The mayor is directly elected by the voters. The township council is comprised of nine members, with one member elected from each of six wards and three elected on an at-large basis. The members of the governing body are elected to staggered four-year terms of office on a partisan basis in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election, with the six ward seats up for vote together and then the three at-large and the mayoral seat up for vote together two years later.[7][73]
As of 2023[update], the Mayor of Rockaway Township is Republican Joseph Jackson, who was elected to serve the balance of a term of office expiring December 31, 2023.[3] Members of the Township Council are Council President Howard Kritz (R, 2023; At-large), Council Vice President John J. Quinn Jr. (R, 2025; Ward 2), Douglas Brookes (R, 2025; Ward 3), Rachel Brookes (R, 2025; Ward 6), Emanuel "Manny" Friedlander (D, 2025; Ward 5), Mary Noon (R, 2025; Ward 1), Jonathan Sackett (D, 2025; Ward 4), Adam Salberg (R, 2023; At-large) and Pawel Wojtowicz (R, 2023; At-large - elected to serve an unexpired term).[74][75][76][77][78][79][80]
In January 2022, Joseph Jackson was selected as mayor following the resignation of Michael Puzio from the term expiring in December 2023. In March 2022, Pawel Wojtowicz was appointed to fill Jackson's vacated at-large council seat, also expiring in December 2023.[81][82] Jackson and Wojtowicz served on an interim basis until the November 2022 general election when voters elected them to serve the balance of the term of office for both seats.[78]
In July 2019, Republican Mary Noon was appointed to fill the Ward 1 seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by Victor Palumbo until he resigned from office the previous month in the face of a pending recall effort.[83] In September 2019, the township council appointed Douglas Brookes to fill the Ward 3 seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by Phyllis I. Smith until she resigned from office earlier that month; at the same meeting, the council removed Jeremy Jedynak from office due to excessive absence, after he had missed attending a string of meetings over a two-month period.[84]
Jedynak was designated as acting mayor after the death of Mayor Michael Dachisen of a cardiac arrest in August 2018, pending the selection of an interim successor.[85] At the appointment deadline in September 2018, Paul Minenna, a former councilmember, was selected to serve as mayor on an interim basis; the meeting had been pushed off and rescheduled for 10:30 PM after the site that had been originally designated for the special meeting was no longer available.[86] In October 2018, a Superior Court judge ruled that all of the actions taken at the late-night meeting in September at which Minenna had been appointed were null and void as they violated the terms of the state's Open Public Meetings Act; Adam Salberg was designated by the judge to fill the mayoral vacancy on an interim basis until the November 2018 general election, when voters will select a candidate to serve the balance of Dachisen's term of office.[87]
Michael Dachisen was selected to serve as mayor in June 2012 after Louis S. Sceusi stepped down to take a position as judge in New Jersey Superior Court,[88] and was sworn in as mayor in July 2012.[89] In November 2012, Dachisen won a special election to serve the balance of Sceusi's term through 2015.[90] Jeremy Jedynak took office in June 2013, filling the at-large seat held by John DiMaria, who left office to relocate outside of the state. The term expires in 2015 and the remaining two years of the seat were up for vote in the November 2013 general election.[91]
Federal, state, and county representation
Rockaway Township is located in the 11th Congressional District[92] and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district.[93]
Morris County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of seven members who are elected at-large in partisan elections to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with either one or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election.[98] Actual day-to-day operation of departments is supervised by County Administrator Deena Leary.[99]: 8 As of 2025[update], Morris County's Commissioners are:
As of March 2011, there were a total of 16,022 registered voters in Rockaway Township, of which 3,861 (24.1%) were registered as Democrats, 5,481 (34.2%) were registered as Republicans and 6,668 (41.6%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 12 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[113]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 52.9% of the vote (6,410 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 45.9% (5,562 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (153 votes), among the 12,198 ballots cast by the township's 16,865 registered voters (73 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 72.3%.[114][115] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 52.2% of the vote (6,770 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.3% (5,998 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (134 votes), among the 12,958 ballots cast by the township's 16,558 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.3%.[116] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 55.9% of the vote (6,934 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 43.3% (5,368 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (87 votes), among the 12,411 ballots cast by the township's 16,057 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 77.3.[117]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.7% of the vote (5,071 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 31.5% (2,396 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (137 votes), among the 7,726 ballots cast by the township's 16,708 registered voters (122 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.2%.[118][119] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 55.9% of the vote (4,855 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 33.8% (2,930 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 8.6% (750 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (53 votes), among the 8,681 ballots cast by the township's 16,190 registered voters, yielding a 53.6% turnout.[120]
Education
The Rockaway Township Public Schools serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.[121] As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 2,386 students and 248.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.6:1.[122] Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[123]) are
Birchwood Elementary School[124] with 279 students in grades K-5,
Catherine A. Dwyer Elementary School[125] with 322 students in grades K-5,
Katherine D. Malone Elementary School[126] with 259 students in grades K-5,
Dennis B. O'Brien Elementary School[127] with 275 students in grades PreK-5,
Stony Brook Elementary School[128] with 391 students in grades K-5 and
Copeland Middle School[129] with 853 students in grades 6-8.[130][131]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 122.69 miles (197.45 km) of roadways, of which 101.06 miles (162.64 km) were maintained by the municipality, 3.53 miles (5.68 km) by Morris County and 2.19 miles (3.52 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[137]
Interstate 80 passes through the township, including exits 35 and 37.[138]U.S. Route 46 cuts through the southernmost area of the township,[139] while Route 15 clips the southwestern portion of the township.[140]County Route 513 traverses a total of 14 miles (23 km) north-south across the township.[141]
There are five companies of the Rockaway Township Fire Department. Each company is all-volunteer and provides emergency medical services in addition to fire protection.[152][153] The five stations are:
Marcella Company #3, covering the northern portion of the township[156]
Birchwood Company #4 covers the area around the Rockaway Townsquare Mall[157]
White Meadow Lake Company #5, covers the southern portion of the township[158]
Popular culture
The 2003 independent film, The Station Agent, was filmed at various locations in the northern part of the township and elsewhere in the surrounding Morris County area.[159]
Clifford Meth (born 1961), author and editor, lived in Rockaway from 1963 to 1980 and often references the town as the home of his fictional character "Hank Magitz"[170]
Raymond T. Odierno (1954–2021), Lieutenant General, United States Army and Commander US III Corps. A key officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom[172] Former Chief of Staff of the Army.[173]
Robert A. Roe (1924–2014), politician who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1993[174]
^ abMayor, Rockaway Township. Accessed April 27, 2023. "The Township of Rockaway operates under the Mayor-Council Plan (NJSA 40:69A-31) of government. This form, also known as the 'strong mayor' form, provides for the direct election of the mayor, who serves a 4-year term."
^"Indian Place Names in New Jersey" from the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration 1938-1939 Series, Bulletin 12. Accessed September 24, 2015. "Rockaway - Possibly from Powawachne, creek between two hills"
^Izzo, Michael. "Paddling Splitrock Reservoir to take in fall's spectacular colors", Daily Record, October 25, 2013. Accessed November 4, 2013. "That was the only advice I got before heading onto the Splitrock Reservoir in Rockaway Township, a 625-acre preserve that borders Rockaway Township and Kinnelon, for a two-hour canoe paddle last week."
^Primerano, Jane. "Newark appealing watershed taxes against Jefferson", AIM Jefferson, May 8, 2015. Accessed July 2, 2015. "Besides West Milford and Jefferson, Newark owns watershed land in Hardyston, Vernon, and Rockaway Townships and Kinnelon Borough, Leach said."
^City of Newark v. Vernon Tp., Leagle from Tax Court of New Jersey, April 1, 1980. Accessed July 2, 2015. "Generally, the lands are part of the 35,000-acre Pequannock Watershed (approximately two times the size of Newark), which was purchased by Newark at the turn of the century to provide a water supply. The watershed, which contains five major bodies of water, is located in Vernon and Hardyston in Sussex County, Jefferson, Rockaway and Kinnelon in Morris County, and West Milford in Passaic County."
^About, Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation. Accessed July 2, 2015.
^Home page, Pequannock River Coalition. Accessed September 5, 2011.
^O'Dea, Colleen. "Highlands not just a water reserve; Region is a wonderland for those who love nature", Daily Record, July 1, 2004. Accessed July 13, 2012. "Below the dam, on land that Jersey City still owns outright, are the nearly intact remains of the Split Rock Furnace. The 32-foot tall, 22-foot wide stone chimney tower where magnetite ore was turned to iron has weeds growing out its top, but it still looks impressive."
^Erwood, Janet. "Saving an ironmaster's home", Daily Record, April 30, 2008. Accessed July 13, 2012. "The Ford-Faesch Manor House is an elegant Georgian style construction typical of its era, with 2- to 3-foot-thick walls built from native stone, eight English style fireplaces and high ceilings, all befitting of an ironmaster's mansion."
^Izzo, Michael. "State preserves Split Rock reservoir in Rockaway Twp.", Daily Record, January 5, 2015. Accessed August 5, 2015. "The state Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres program has finalized a $3.1 million purchase of 1,500 acres of watershed buffer land surrounding Split Rock Reservoir from Jersey City.... Under the terms of the agreement, Jersey City retains water rights to continue to use water resources from the northern Morris County reservoir, a supply source for the city's water system. Jersey City will also retain ownership, use and maintenance of the Split Rock dam and the road leading to the dam. The state will have access to the road and to the reservoir."
^History, Picatinny Arsenal. Accessed March 4, 2020. "On 6 September 1880, the War Department established the Dover Powder Depot. Four days later, it changed the name to Picatinny Powder Depot. In 1907, the Army altered the name to Picatinny Arsenal and established its first powder factory on the site."
^"Minor league basketball team to debut Feb. 4 in Rockaway", West Milford Messenger, September 29, 2011. Accessed March 11, 2020. "Rockaway Twp. - A brand new minor league basketball team called the North Jersey Lakers has just been created as an extension of the Eastern Basketball Alliance (EBA) and is scheduled to debut on February 4 at Green Pond Bible Chapel."
^Chapter II: Administrative Code, Rockaway Township Code. Accessed November 4, 2013. "Charter shall mean the provisions of the Optional Municipal Charter Law (P.L. 1950, Chapter 210, as amended) governing Mayor-Council Plan."
^Wildstein, David. "Rockaway mayor resigns; Special election for unexpired term will be held this year", New Jersey Globe, January 12, 2022. Accessed August 17, 2022. "Rockaway Township Mayor Michael Puzio has unexpectedly resigned to take a job with a pharmaceutical company causing a special elections for the second time in the last four years. Council President Joe Jackson will become acting mayor on January when Puzio’s resignation becomes effective."
^Condon, Mike. "Wojtowicz joins Rockaway Township Council", The Citizen of Morris County, March 9, 2022. Accessed August 17, 2022. "It wasn’t a traditional swearing-in, but Republican Pawel Wojtowicz is now a member of the Township Council. He joins the council as an at-large member, replacing GOP Councilman Joseph Jackson, who was appointed Mayor after Mayor Michael Puzio, also a Republican, resigned to accept a job in January."
^Cohen, Michael. "Noon named to Rockaway Township Council as lawsuits fly back and forth", The Citizen of Morris County, July 29, 2019. Accessed March 4, 2020. "The township’s Republican County Committee has named First Ward resident Mary Noon to the Township Council, replacing former Councilman Victor Palumbo who resigned in June."
^Myers, Gene. "Rockaway Township councilman voted out because of extended absence", Daily Record, September 25, 2019. Accessed March 4, 2020. "Jeremy Jedynak was voted off the Township Council on Tuesday night because of numerous unexcused absences, municipal leaders said.... The seat was vacated as a matter of necessity after an absence that lasted from June 11 through Sept. 9, said council President Jonathan Sackett.... The council also voted to accept Douglas Brookes as Ward 3 replacement for Councilwoman Phillis Smith, who resigned Sept. 8."
^Westhoven, William; and Wright, Peggy. "Rockaway Township Mayor Michael Dachisen dies suddenly at age 58", Daily Record, August 15, 2018. Accessed August 22, 2018. "Mayor Michael Dachisen died Wednesday evening of a heart attack, just days after he had a stress test and was cleared by a doctor to go home, two friends said Thursday morning.... Council President Jeremy Jedynak will be acting mayor for at least 30 days, said John Inglesino, a former township mayor and attorney representing Jedynak against a lawsuit filed by Dachisen."
^Myers, Gene. "Rockaway Twp. leaders fail to tamp things down at late Friday meeting", The Record, September 15, 2018. Accessed September 16, 2018. "Friday also was the deadline for the decision on interim mayor and former Councilman Paul Minenna was voted in.... Paul Minenna, who served 17 years on the Township Council, is sworn in as Rockaway Township's interim mayor until the November elections."
^Wright, Peggy. "Rockaway Township finally has official interim mayor after court decision", Daily Record, October 1, 2018. Accessed October 15, 2018. "The question of which of Rockaway Township's two interim mayors is the official one has been answered: It's Adam Salberg, the court ruled. A Superior Court judge found that the Sept. 14 special Rockaway Township Council meeting was "illegal," therefore voiding all actions taken, including the council's appointment of interim Mayor Paul Minenna and Township Attorney John Inglesino."
^Balbi, Amanda. "Dachisen moves up to Rockaway Township mayor's seat", Neighbor News, July 11, 2012. Accessed July 13, 2012. "Michael Dachisen, Rockaway Township Council president, sat through the June 26 Council meeting with a different perspective. Instead of being at the head of the class, he sat quietly to the side, interjecting when called on. Recently, Mayor Louis Sceusi was appointed a Superior Court Judge. Therefore, Dachisen has temporarily taken over the mayor's duties."
^Staff. "There's a new mayor in Rockaway Township: Michael Dachisen", Neighbor News, July 20, 2012. Accessed December 22, 2012. "With these words, "our work here is not over," President Michael Dachisen walked away from the Council and stepped into his new role as the mayor of Rockaway Township."
^Lusardi, Anthony. "Rockaway Township Council welcomes new member", The Citizen of Morris County, July 11, 2013. Accessed November 4, 2013. "When the Township Council met on Tuesday, June 25, new Councilman-at-Large Jeremy Jedynak was sworn into office.... He will have to run in November to fill the two-year unexpired term left when Councilman John DiMaria resigned. The term will expire at the end of 2015."
^Board of County Commissioners, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed June 1, 2022. "Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners, who serve three-year terms."
^Rockaway Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 -Identification, Rockaway Township Public Schools, last edited January 2013. Accessed September 27, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through eight in the Rockaway Township School District. Composition: The Rockaway Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Rockaway Township."
^About Us, Morris Hills Regional District. Accessed September 27, 2024. "Morris Hills High School receives students from Wharton, the southernmost portion of Rockaway Township.... and the White Meadow Lake portion of Rockaway Township; Rockaway Borough north of Route #46 as well as within the area of Rockaway Road, the Trailer Park behind the Boro Plaza (west of the railroad track) south of Route #46. Morris Knolls High School receives students from Denville, all of Rockaway Township with the exception of White Meadow Lake and the area described above in the southern part of Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough south of Route #46 with the exception of the area of Rockaway Road and the Trailer Park behind the Boro Plaza (west of the railroad track) south of Route #46".
^Home pageArchived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Morris Hills High School. Accessed March 6, 2015. "Morris Hills is home to the Academy of Mathematics, Science and Engineering, a partnership with Morris County School of Technology."
^Hibernia Company 1, Rockaway Township Fire Department. Accessed November 4, 2013.
^Mount Hope Fire Co 2, Rockaway Township Fire Department. Accessed November 4, 2013.
^Marcella Company 3, Rockaway Township Fire Department. Accessed November 4, 2013. "The Marcella Fire Company is our farthest north station. It covers from Lake Denmark Road north to the Township border with Jefferson Township. It covers from the Township border with Jefferson to the west and east to the Boonton Township line."
^Birchwood Company 4, Rockaway Township Fire Department. Accessed November 4, 2013. "They cover the area from the Dover border north to and including Route 80. They cover to the Rockaway border to the east and west to the Wharton border."
^Hibernia Company 1, Rockaway Township Fire Department. Accessed November 4, 2013. "The White Meadow Lake Fire Company is centrally located in southern area. It covers a densely populated residential lake community and is also responsible for portions of Route 80 and parts of the industrial area of Green Pond Road."
^Staff. "Miramax", Daily Record, September 24, 2003. Accessed November 4, 2013. "The movie, which won three awards at the Sundance Film Festival this year and will open nationwide in late October or early November, was filmed in Rockaway Township, Dover and other locations around Morris County."
^Lange, Randy. "Crushing Halt To Jets Career: Broken Neck KOs Benfatti", The Record, April 8, 1997. Accessed August 2, 2007. "Benfatti hides his turmoil well behind a calm demeanor that has been his trademark at Morris Knolls High School, at Penn State, and as a third-round draft pick of the Jets in 1994."
^"William E. Bishop Jr., 70, former state assemblyman", Daily Record, January 18, 2003. Accessed January 14, 2022. "William E. Bishop Jr. died suddenly Wednesday morning, Jan. 15, 2003, in Morristown Memorial Hospital. He was 70. Born Sept. 26, 1932, in Greenville, Tenn., he was formerly of Knoxville, Tenn., and was a resident of Rockaway Township since 1965, moving there from West New York."
^Johnson, Brent. "Interview: Neal Casal", PopBreak.com, April 6, 2012. Accessed December 22, 2012. "Pop-Break's Brent Johnson spoke with the Rockaway, N.J., native about his 15 years in the business, his second career as a photographer and why a certain Dr. John album deserves more attention."
^Lieutenant Silas Duncan, USS Duncan (DD-874). Accessed November 4, 2013. "Silas Duncan was born in Rockaway, New Jersey in 1788."
^DiIonno, Mark. "NJ life: 'Monuments Men' member tells his story", The Star-Ledger, March 4, 2014. Accessed October 23, 2018. "Harry Ettlinger is back home in his meticulous apartment in Rockaway Township, back from the movie premieres in Berlin, Milan, London, Paris and Washington.... The family settled in Newark, Ettlinger graduated from East Side High School, and when his draft notice came, the Navy was out of the question."
^Young, Alyssa. "Express-Times reporter's services set", The Patriot-News, February 7, 2008. Accessed June 4, 2018. "Flanagan, 33, is fondly remembered by family, co-workers and community members for his professionalism and his personality. Born in Denville, Flanagan had lived in Rockaway Township most of his life before moving to Whitehall Township five years ago."
^Ragonese, Lawrence. "Loophole lets Dem appoint official", Daily Record, June 19, 2009. Accessed November 4, 2013. "The pending appointment of Frank Herbert, who is retired and now lives in Rockaway Township, cannot be blocked by Senatorial courtesy -- an unofficial policy that allows sitting state senators to veto potential nominees to a variety of appointed posts."
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