Year in Review: Patch's Top 10 Stories of the Year in Little Silver and Oceanport

1. MegaMillion Ticket Sales Soar to $28,000 Per Minute Friday Afternoon

A $640 million jackpot for a MegaMillions drawing in May, which followed news that a $70 million Powerball jackpot ticket was purchased at the Little Silver Family Pharmacy a week earlier, sparked a surge in lottery ticket sales.

2. UPDATE: 'It Was My Worst Nightmare:' Horseshoe Crab Sculpture Destroyed

The snap of a support strap was all it took to end Chris Wojcik's dream of placing a giant sculpture on the Axel Carlson Reef -- southeast of the Manasquan Inlet -- in August.

The 47-foot sculpture of a horseshoe crab — representing more than a year's worth of work to construct it and raise funds — was smashed to pieces in 80 feet of water when support straps broke during the sinking process.

3. PHOTO GALLERY: Hurricane Destruction in Little Silver

A tour of some of the hardest hit areas of Little Silver following Superstorm Sandy.

4. Little Silver-Oceanport Pics & Clips

Patch readers took advantage of our Photo Gallery to share photos and video following Superstorm Sandy.

5. Monmouth Prosecutor's Office Busts Multimillion-Dollar Heroin Ring

A massive sweep of a multimillion-dollar heroin ring led to charges against 52 people, including a number of Little Silver and Oceanport residents.

6.

Monmouth County's electrical grid took a severe hit by Hurricane Sandy in October and Patch kept watch over who was without power and when they could hope to have it restored.

7.

The Red Bank Regional community was stunned when senior Albert Martin collapsed and died during a basketball scrimmage in December.

8.

A September car accident killed a Middletown man and his 6-year-old son and left his daughter and two others seriously injured.

9. Update: Boil Water Advisory Reduced to 22 Towns

Following a water main break at the Swimming River Reservoir in June, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders declared a state of emergency for all county residents. Eighteen towns with water service from New Jersey American Water were affected by three "large water mains," that collapsed. As a result, many residents saw either a loss or elimination of their water supply and were instructed to boil all drinking water.

10. Who's Getting Power Next in Little Silver

A message from Little Silver Mayor Robert C. Neff, Jr. that updated residents on progress being made on bringing back power to many neighborhoods that were in the dark for almost two weeks following Superstorm Sandy.