Foundation named for slain Freehold woman sets up sanctuaries for domestic violence victims
The sites are called “Stephanie’s Sanctuaries.” They are named for Stephani Parze, a Freehold woman who was killed in 2019.
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The Stephanie Nicole Parze Foundation will be launching a new initiative this spring. It is aimed at ensuring that victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse have a safe place to go at police departments and other facilities across the state.
They are calling the sites “Stephanie ’s Sanctuaries.” The Freehold Township Police headquarters will serve as the pilot space.
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“This room represents a calming facility for them to come to. Brings them calm, brings them peace and safe space where they can de-escalate from the ordeal they’ve just been through,” says Ed Parze, Stephanie’s father. "The true point of the whole thing is to make sure these police departments and these agencies have a space, because a lot of them don't."
The next “Stephanie’s Sanctuary” location is set for Manalapan.
Stephanie Parze died in 2019. Authorities say she was killed by John Ozbilgen, an abusive ex-boyfriend who later died by suicide.
