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Police: Toms River Man Head-Butted, Spit Blood At Officers After Flooding Jail Cell

A 28-year-old man from Toms River facing multiple charges after assaulting police officers at Jackson Township police headquarters and an area hospital, authorities said. 

Ralph Lezin

Ralph Lezin

Photo Credit: Ocean County Jail

The mayhem began on Wednesday when Ralph Lezin is accused of repeatedly calling and then puncturing the tires of an ex-girlfriends tires at Pineview Apartments on West County Line Road, police said. 

Lezin reportedly became extremely uncooperative and combative with officers attempting to process him on the arrest, they said. 

He kicked at, and activated an emergency button in the processing area multiple times, turned over a table in the processing room and head butted the mug shot camera, damaging a bracket which holds it in place, police said.

After being placed in a holding cell, he then used the mattress from the cot and jammed it into the toilet and began flooding the cell, according to police. 

Upon being notified that he was being taken to the Ocean County Jail and while being prepared for transport, he head butted an officer in the face and began kicking and kneeing several other officers who were assisting, police said. 

A struggle ensued to control him and stop his assaultive actions at which time he began spitting blood onto several officers from an injury he received during the struggle, striking several of them in the face with the blood, police said.

Lezin was ultimately restrained and checked by Jackson First Aid. 

He was transported to an area hospital for treatment where he continued his aggressive behavior with transporting officers and hospital staff, police said. After being cleared from the hospital, he was then transported to the Ocean County Jail.

Lezin was charged with: criminal mischief (for the vehicle tire, damage to the mug shot camera, mattress and flooding the cell), obstruction by means of physical interference, aggravated assault on a police officer (for headbutting, kicking and kneeing mutliple officers) and aggravated assault/throwing bodily fluid (for spitting blood at multiple officers), according to police reports. 

 Additional charges for threats made toward the officers are pending. 

Multiple officers were treated for minor injuries received during this incident and for exposure to bodily fluids, police said.

The cellblock area and patrol vehicle used in the transport was secured until they could be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.

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