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Sunday, apr 28
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Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office
Obituaries
'Kind And Generous' NJ Teen Whose Organs Were Donated After Deadly Crash Remembered
A Brick Township teen whose organs were donated after she died from car crash injuries is being remembered as a kind and generous young woman. Catalina Reinoso Arquero died on Friday, Apr. 19 at 18 years old, according to her obituary. She was a recent graduate of Brick Township High School and worked at the Marshall's department store in Brick. Reinoso's obituary said she was "always kind and generous with everyone." "She was liked by all who knew her," the obituary read. "She was a happy, friendly girl who loved music, pets, and being with her friends, her longtime boyfriend, Coty, …
News
Organs Of NJ Crash Victim Will Help 9 Others Live: Family
An Ocean County woman died from her injuries in a crash and donated her organs to potentially save several people's lives, her family said. Catalina Reinoso was declared "brain dead" at around 2:19 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 19, according to an update to Catalina's GoFundMe page posted by Valentina Reinoso on Monday, Apr. 22. Catalina was airlifted to a trauma center hospital after the crash on Lacey Road in Manchester Township at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 14. The Brick Township woman's family made a heartbreaking decision to donate Catalina's organs. Valentina Reinoso wrote that Catalin…
Police & Fire
Man Who Admitted To Selling Cocaine In Union, Ocean Counties Sentenced: Prosecutors
A Kenilworth man will spend several years in prison after admitting to selling cocaine throughout Ocean and Union counties, authorities said. Pedro Reyes-Sevilla, 32, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 19 to 10 years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. He pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 16 to possession of five ounces or more of cocaine with intent to distribute. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Lakewood police officers, and investigators from Union and Ocean counties conducted a two-week-long investigation in January…
Police & Fire
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Sentenced For Deadly Stabbing
An Ocean County ex-convict and parolee once featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" will spend more than a decade in prison after admitting to his role in the stabbing death of another man, authorities said. Angelo Grenci, 47, of Berkeley Township, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 19 to 20 years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to aggravated manslaughter in the killing of 50-year-old Carlton Williams of Seaside Heights. Toms River and Berkeley Township police responded to RWJBarnabas C…
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Woman Who Sold Opioids, Meth Across NJ Sentenced
An Ocean County woman will spend time in prison after admitting to selling opioids and methamphetamine across New Jersey, authorities said. Laurie Maxson, 54, of Barnegat, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 12 to three years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. She pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to conspiracy to distribute more than five ounces of methamphetamine. The county prosecutor's office received a tip on Thursday, July 15, 2021, from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to investigate narcotics being sold in Ocean County. D…
Police & Fire
Man Drove 100+ MPH While High On Marijuana In South Jersey Crash: Prosecutors
A Middlesex County man was accused of driving more than 100 miles per hour while high on marijuana during a crash in Jackson Township, authorities said. Nicholas Obrzut, 21, of Monroe Township, was charged on Wednesday, Apr. 3 with two counts of aggravated assault and three counts of assault by auto. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the charges in a news release on Monday, Apr. 8. Jackson Township police responded to the crash near the intersection of North County Line and Jackson Mills roads at around 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27. A 2020 BMW driven by Obrzut …
Police & Fire
Toms River Man Sentenced For Dealing Heroin Throughout Ocean County
A Toms River man was sentenced after admitting to selling heroin throughout Ocean County, authorities said. Zachary Lockwood, 25, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 5 to 10 years in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. He'll be eligible for parole after five years. Lockwood pleaded guilty to possession of one-half ounce or more of heroin with intent to distribute, being a certain person not to possess a weapon, and resisting arrest on Monday, Feb. 12. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated eluding charge from a second incident. Toms River…
Police & Fire
Teen Drove Tesla 88+ MPH During Deadly Crash In Lakewood: Prosecutors
An Ocean County teen was accused of driving nearly 90 miles per hour in a crash that killed a man, authorities said. Aryeh Bakst, 18, of Lakewood, was charged on Wednesday, Mar. 27 with vehicular homicide. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the charge in a news release on Thursday, Apr. 4. Lakewood police responded to the crash at the intersection of County Line Road and Laurelwood Avenue at around 9 a.m. on Sunday, Mar. 3. Bakst was driving a 2023 Tesla west on County Line Road when his car hit a 2013 Toyota Corolla driven by 82-year-old Jules Brotsky of Lakewood in the in…
Police & Fire
South Jersey Couple Accused Of Illegally Growing Marijuana To Stay In Jail Through Trials
A Lacey Township couple accused of illegally selling large amounts of marijuana and having assault weapons will stay in jail through their trials, authorities said. On Tuesday, Apr. 2, a judge ordered John and Karen Vincentini, both 64 years old, to remain detained in the Ocean County Jail through their trials. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the judge's orders in a news release. Lacey Township police received a report on Friday, Mar. 15 from someone who said a package of marijuana was delivered to their home in a repurposed Amazon box. Investigators deter…
Police & Fire
Couple Found With 10 Pounds Of Marijuana, Assault Weapons In South Jersey: Prosecutors
A Lacey Township couple was accused of illegally selling large amounts of marijuana and having assault weapons, authorities said. John and Karen Vincentini, both 64 years old, were arrested, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release on Friday, Mar. 22. They were given several drug and weapons charges. Lacey Township police received a report on Friday, Mar. 15 from someone who said a package of marijuana was delivered to their home in a repurposed Amazon box. Investigators determined that John Vincentini delivered the box. Police executed a search warrant on the Vince…
Police & Fire
Maintenance Worker Convicted Of Stealing $4,500, Smartwatch From Central Jersey Apartment
A maintenance worker at an Ocean County apartment complex was convicted of stealing more than $4,500 and a smartwatch from an apartment, authorities said. Troy Jones, 58, of Jackson Township, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday, Mar. 20, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He was convicted after a nearly two-week trial. Jackson Township police responded to a reported theft at an apartment in the Gardens at Jackson Twenty-One complex on Chatham Court West on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. Officers found that when the apartment's residents returned home f…
Police & Fire
Arsonists Break Into Jersey Shore Home, Start Living Room Fire: Prosecutor
A pair of men from Ocean County have been charged with setting a home on fire in Little Egg Harbor, authorities said. Thomas Lester, 20, of Tuckerton, and Ethan Salter, 19, of Little Egg Harbor Township, broke into a National Union Boulevard home on Jan. 8 around 2:15 p.m., then started a fire in the living room, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said on Friday, March 8. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze and about two months later, Lester and Salter were each arrested at their homes and charged with aggravated arson, arson, burglary, criminal misc…
Police & Fire
Cocaine Dealer Sentenced After Using Asbury Park Business To Sell: Prosecutors
An Ocean County man will spend more than a decade in prison after admitting to using an Asbury Park store and a Brick Township home to sell cocaine, authorities said. Henry Burns, 56, of Brick Township, was sentenced on Friday, Mar. 8 to 15 years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. Burns pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 22 to possession of cocaine in an amount greater than five ounces with intent to distribute and being a certain person not to possess a weapon. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), along with narcotics offic…
Police & Fire
Trenton Man Pleads Guilty In Fentanyl Overdose Death Of Jersey Shore Man
A Trenton man admitted to his role in the overdose death of a man in Ocean County, authorities said. Ryan Thompson, 35, pleaded guilty on Monday, Mar. 4 to manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced in a news release on Wednesday, Mar. 6. He was charged in the death of a 55-year-old man in Berkeley Township. Police responded to a report of an unresponsive man in a home on Torrey Pines Drive on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. When officers arrived, they found the man already dead from what the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed was a fentanyl overdose. I…
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors
A Plumsted Township man was accused of intentionally starting two fires in Ocean County, authorities said. Edward Petroni, 41, was charged on Monday, Mar. 4 with two counts of aggravated arson, burglary, and two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. The charges come from two fires in Plumsted and Jackson townships on Friday, Mar. 1. First responders were called to what was described as a "shed fire" near Maple Avenue and Brown Road in Plumsted at around 1:20 p.m. The structure was actually a bus stop …
Police & Fire
Fentanyl, Heroin, Ecstasy Seized In South Jersey Drug Bust, Four Arrested
Four people were accused of selling several drugs throughout Ocean County, including heroin and fentanyl, authorities said. The people arrested were 33-year-old Orthis Allen of Bayville, 33-year-old Ashley Banks of Brick, and two 23-year-olds from Toms River, Lauren Torres and Anthony Martinez. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the four arrests in a news release on Tuesday, Mar. 5. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents helped Ocean County investigators and local police in a two-month-long investigation into illegal drugs sold throughout Ocean County. The investi…
Police & Fire
Body Found In Trunk ID'd As Missing NJ Man
A missing Ocean County man was identified as the man whose body was found in a vehicle's trunk in Lakewood, authorities said. David Koscuik, 57, of Lakewood, was identified by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer in a news release on Friday, Mar. 1. Lakewood police found Koscuik's body in the trunk of a vehicle near Fairway Court at around 12:13 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The National Center For Missing and Endangered listed Koscuik as missing in a Facebook post on Friday, Feb. 16. He was last seen in Brooklyn, NY, on Thursday, Feb. 8. Manchester Township police said Kosc…
Police & Fire
Three Arrested For Robbing Boy In South Jersey: Police
A man and two boys were accused of robbing another boy late at night, authorities said. Little Egg Harbor police said officers responded to the robbery report at around 10:26 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. It happened near the 7-Eleven on Radio Road. When police arrived, they found out that 21-year-old Christian Heri of Brick Township and two boys stole several items from the victim. The suspects left the scene in a black minivan. Tuckerton police eventually stopped the minivan. The three suspects were arrested and officers found a 9mm handgun inside the vehicle. Heri was charged wi…
Police & Fire
Drug Dealer Admits To Selling Cocaine In Union, Ocean Counties: Prosecutors
A Kenilworth man admitted to selling cocaine throughout Ocean and Union counties, authorities said. Pedro Reyes-Sevilla, 32, pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 16 to possession of five ounces or more of cocaine with intent to distribute. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the guilty plea in a news release on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Lakewood police officers, and investigators from Union and Ocean counties conducted a two-week-long investigation in January 2021. Investigators said Reyes-Sevilla was distributing cocaine throughout Ocean Co…
Police & Fire
Ocean County Crack Dealer Found With Guns, Drugs: Police
A Jackson Township man was charged in an investigation into crack cocaine sold in Ocean County, authorities said. Justin Love, 25, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 14 after police searched a home and his vehicle, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Thursday, Feb. 15. His arrest came after a two-month-long investigation. U.S. Marshals, state police, and several township police departments began surveillance on Love in December 2023. Investigators said Love was using a home on Deer Path in Lakewood to store and sell crack cocaine. Lakewood Township police searched the …
Police & Fire
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Pleads Guilty In Deadly Stabbing
An Ocean County ex-convict and parolee once featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" admitted to his role in the stabbing death of a Seaside Heights man, authorities said. Angelo Grenci, 47, of Berkeley Township, pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to aggravated manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Grenci was charged in the killing of 50-year-old Carlton Williams. Prosecutors will pursue a prison sentence of 25 years for Grenci. He'd have to serve 85 percent of his term before being eligible for parole under the state's No Early Release…
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Woman Admits To Selling Opioids, Meth Across NJ: Prosecutors
An Ocean County woman admitted to selling opioids and methamphetamine across New Jersey after police found tens of thousands of pain medication pills in her home, authorities said. Laurie Maxson, 54, of Barnegat, pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to conspiracy to distribute more than five ounces of methamphetamine. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the plea on Tuesday, Jan. 30. The county prosecutor's office received a tip on Thursday, July 15, 2021, from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to investigate narcotics being sold in Ocean County. DEA agents helped county investig…
Police & Fire
NJ Dealer Who Sold Cocaine To Undercover Cop Sentenced: Prosecutors
A Monmouth County man will spend a dozen years in prison after pleading guilty to selling cocaine to an undercover police officer, authorities said. Tyheim McGhee, 29, of Asbury Park was sentenced on Monday, Jan. 29 to 12 years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced on Tuesday, Jan. 30. He entered a guilty plea on Monday, Nov. 6. McGhee was sentenced to 12 years for first-degree possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute in excess of five ounces, seven years for second-degree distribution of more than a half-ounce of cocaine, and…
Police & Fire
Update
: Gunman Killed In Confrontation With Police Was Married To Ocean Prosecutor's Detective
UPDATE: Authorities officially identified a 39-year-old man armed with a semi-automatic rifle who was shot and killed by police in Manchester Township last week as the husband of an Ocean County prosecutor's detective. Shannon “Shane” Rose, 39, encountered police responding to a 911 call on Elizabeth Avenue in the Ocean County township shortly before 8:30 p.m. Dec. 6, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Two of them fired their service weapons, fatally wounding Rose, the attorney general said. "A firearm was recovered near the subject," Platkin added. It was reportedly an AR-…
Police & Fire
Propane Tank Caused Home Explosion That Killed 45-Year-Old Jersey Shore Man: Prosecutor
A propane tank is to blame for the home explosion that killed a 45-year-old Jersey Shore man on Tuesday, Oct. 31, authorities said. Kevin Thomas, 45, was found on his front lawn of 253 Neptune Dr., with serious burns, and airlifted to Temple Burn Center in Philadelphia after the explosion that turned into a fire ravaged his house, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Thomas died at the hospital, said Billhimer alongside Stafford Township Police Chief Thomas Dellane. The origin of the explosion was the southwest corner bedroom of the home, and that the cause of …
Police & Fire
Teacher Had Sexual Contact With Student On Jersey Shore High School Property: Prosecutor
A middle school teacher and high school advisor has been charged with having sexual contact with a student, authorities said. Andrew Fantasia, 27, of Beachwood, was charged on Wednesday, Oct. 25 with aggravated criminal sexual contact, child endangerment and official misconduct, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Jackson Township Police Chief Matthew Kunz. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and Jackson Township Police Department determined that between February and June of this year, Fantasia — while employed in…
Police & Fire
SWAT Raid Turns Up Heroin, Meth, Ammo; 4 Arrested In Ocean County: Prosecutor
The raid of an Ocean County home turned up heroin, methamphetamine and ammunition, leading to the arrest of four people, authorities said. This investigation identified a residence in Berkeley Township as being utilized by Anthony Isola, 49, of Bayville, to store and sell drugs, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Based upon reliable information received, Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force and Berkeley Township Police Department initiated surveillance on the subject residence in Bayville on Tuesday, Oct. 24. That's when…
Police & Fire
NJ Driver Bailed In Crash That Left Passenger Dead: Prosecutor
A 26-year-old man has been arrested for leaving the scene of a crash that left his passenger dead in Ocean County, authorities said. Angel Garcia-Rodriguez, 26, of Lakewood, was behind the wheel of a 2007 Honda Civic when he lost control and struck a utility pole on James Street around 2:25 a.m. Saturday, July 22, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Officers found a critically injured male in the passenger seat of the vehicle. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he died, Billhimer said. Garcia-Rodriguez fled the scene before police a…
Police & Fire
These Are The Victims Of The Toms River Condo Fire
At least 37 people were left homeless by a weekend fire that gutted an apartment building in Toms River, authorities said. The three-alarm fire broke out at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 15 at 30 Inverness Drive, as reported here. At least nine GoFundMe campaigns have been started to help fire victims, including these: For Kasie Sullivan, For Josh Tafuri, For Casey and Eric, For Kendall Whitmeyer and her husband JR, For teacher Brian Strohmetz, and his girlfriend Julie, For Brittany and Raymond Jones, For Nico, Zack, Harley, and Lily, For&nbs…
Police & Fire
Predator Who Drove 2,700 Miles For Sex With Jersey Shore Girl, 14, Busted When He Returns: Feds
A predator from Louisiana who drove 2,700 miles roundtrip for sex with an underage Jersey Shore girl was captured when he flew back for more, federal authorities said. Spencer William-Wayne Caudle, 34, began grooming the 14-year-old victim through the Whisper app in April, a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Trenton alleges. Although he expressed concern about ending up on TV's “To Catch a Predator,” Caudle drove to Toms River and “committed sexual acts on the victim” on May 27, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Caudle left for home later that night, Seliling…
Police & Fire
Arsonist Targeted Jewish Residents In Fiery Anti-Semitic Rampage Across Jersey Shore Town: AG
A 34-year-old Jersey Shore man accused of spray-painting swastikas on several structures and causing a fire that gutted a house earlier this week was being held in a medical facility, authorities said. Ron Carr, 34, of Manchester, scrawled Nazi symbolism on more than a dozen homes, residential fences and elsewhere, targeting Jewish residents in the early hours of Wednesday, June 7, according to Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Carr damaged more than a dozen homes, and used an accelerant to set a fire that destroyed a house in the township…
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