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U.S. Marshals took 19-year-old Damian Bass into custody, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Friday, Sept. 6. Bass' last known address was in Fanwood.
Bass was charged with first-degree murder and two weapons offenses. He was accused of shooting and killing 43-year-old James Hailey of Newark.
Marshals from Brooklyn, NY, and Scranton captured Bass in Chestnuthill Township, PA, on Thursday, Sept. 5.
"We sincerely thank our various municipal, county, state, and federal partners who have worked with us so seamlessly in helping manage this investigation and making this arrest," Santiago said in a statement. "It was a prime example of well-coordinated, efficient, and thorough cooperative work involving many moving parts."
Long Branch police found Hailey with a gunshot wound on the New Jersey Transit station's platform at around 7:39 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 26. He was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead at 8:34 p.m.
Bass was charged as a fugitive the next day. Investigators haven't said what led up to the shooting.
U.S. Marshals confirmed to Daily Voice that Bass was also wanted in a home invasion in Nazareth, PA, on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. Investigators said Bass and a man named Jahqie Dorisme pulled a gun on the victims and stole electronics from the home.
According to court records, Bass was charged with assault, endangering another person, and making terroristic threats in the home invasion. Dorisme was still considered a fugitive.
Bass was awaiting extradition from Northampton County, PA, to New Jersey for future court appearances in Monmouth County.
"This arrest was made possible through close coordination between law enforcement agencies and good, solid police work," NJ Transit police Deputy Chief Andrew Crowe said in a statement. "I want to thank all of the agencies involved for their diligence on this investigation, which shows that those who commit acts of violence on our public transit network will be brought to justice."
Investigators haven't said if Hailey's killing was related to the home invasion. Hailey's funeral was scheduled for noon on Friday, Sept. 20, according to his obituary from Smith Funeral Home.
Anyone with information about the shooting should call the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 800-533-7443, NJ Transit police at 973-491-8952, or the Long Branch Police Department at 732-222-1000, ext. 1373.
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