Some Long Branch residents claim a developer is stealing sand from a public beach to rebuild a dune for a private club.

Residents say they are upset about the so-called stealing of the sand because the federal government spends millions of taxpayer dollars each year to replenish the Jersey Shore. They feel the developer, the Applied Group of Hoboken, should be fined and required to put the sand back.

The Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection confirm they are investigating whether the developer broke the law.

?This is an active investigation. Our investigators have been on the scene and we hope to have a determination soon,? a DEP spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the developer issued a statement saying the company had proper approval from the DEP to build the beach club.

?Recently, emergency measures were put into place to repair the berms to ensure that furniture, palm trees and other debris would not be cast off into the surf,? the spokesperson said. ?The contractor was instructed to use sand from the private beach to repair the berms.