No Charges for Jim Dowd in Alleged Assault

Wall Township police have decided not to file criminal charges against former New Jersey Devils hockey player Jim Dowd over an allegation by a parent that he assaulted a member of the Manasquan High School boys’ ice hockey team he coaches.

Police initiated the investigation after a parent of a player on Saturday signed a private-citizen complaint against Dowd, 46, of Point Pleasant, alleging simple assault by kicking a juvenile in the back.

The alleged incident reportedly occurred on Jan. 7 at the Jersey Shore Ice Arena on Wyckoff Road in Wall while Dowd was acting in his capacity as a coach, Police Chief Robert L. Brice said.