NJ oddity of chair on roof brings thousands together online: "I couldn't believe it was still there"
CAPE MAY COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- A local oddity along one of the back roads to the Jersey Shore is bringing thousands of people together online. Along Highway 47 in Dennis Township stands a house with its roof torn off by straight-line winds during a 2020 storm.
Despite the storm's damage, several pieces of furniture remain strewn atop the home, including a chair situated precariously close to the edge.
In the years since the roof was torn off, the chair has remained in place.
"It's not screwed there or anything," Mike, the home's owner, who declined to give his last name, said. "It's just sitting there so it's hard to imagine that it's been through all the hurricanes and the storms and the straight-line wind that literally took the roof off."
Tony DiMeglio would often drive by the house on the way to the shore and would stare at the chair in wonder.
"Every time I was driving to the shore, and every time I looked at the chair, I couldn't believe it was still there," DiMeglio said. "Eventually, I was like, 'I wonder how many other people are looking at this thing too?'"
It's why he started a Facebook group with more than 6,000 members posting pictures and memes of the chair hanging over the house.
"This is insane that things are going the way they're going," DiMeglio said. "I can't believe there are so many people looking at this like they are."
Mike said the house was remodeled in the 1970s after a fire tore through its upper floor. He believes the ghost of a woman who was in the fire is watching over the chair.
He said he'll eventually tear the house down, but he'll do it with a frown.
"All good things come out of that where people will see some good positive things when they talk about it," Mike said. "So, I keep the positive going on it."
Until he raises money for demolition, the chair will remain atop its perch.