HACKENSACK, N.J., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's brother has profited from real estate transactions around a new commuter rail station backed by the governor, a report says.
The (Hackensack) Record said Todd Christie, working with two partners, has bought and sold lots next to the new Port Authority Trans-Hudson station in Harrison, N.J. In a report Tuesday, the newspaper said Christie and his partners sold three properties for triple their purchase price after building new homes on them.
Harrison, across the Passaic River from Newark, has been a densely populated blue-collar town for decades. But the new Red Bull arena has brought new visitors to town, overloading the train station when there are events there.
The governor was a strong advocate for a new station and joked that his father, who commuted into New York from the Harrison station for many years, was the family's biggest lobbyist for the project.
Todd Christie's partners were Nelson and Tony Ferreira. Tony Ferreira owns Ferreira Construction, which has done a lot of work for the state under the Christie administration.
"My brother and I were born and raised in Harrison. As a licensed Realtor I have worked buying and selling real estate in the Harrison market for over 20 years," Tony Ferreira said in a statement. "In 2011, we asked our friend, Todd, to partner with us and form West Hudson Properties. Through this entity we continued what we had been doing for over 10 years, purchasing and developing small parcels in Harrison."
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