FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago is appealing to the public for any information related to the 1996 murder of a Neptune City business owner, Smita Amin Patel.
Patel, a 35-year-old resident of Tinton Falls, was killed inside her convenience store, the Little Brown Jug, located at 2040 Highway 33, Neptune City, on the morning of March 22, 1996. She was alone in the store, co-owned with her husband, during the attack that occurred between 9:50 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. A customer who found Patel initiated the police investigation.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Neptune City Police Department are urgently requesting anyone present at the Gables shopping center during the incident to come forward. Prosecutor Santiago emphasized the importance of community cooperation to provide closure and justice for Patel’s husband, family, and friends after 28 years without answers.
Neptune City Police Chief Matthew J. Quagliato reiterated the commitment to solving this case, reminding that no case is considered hopeless and every victim deserves justice. To share information, contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Sergeant Christopher Guy at 800-533-7443 or Neptune City Detective James VanEtten at 732-455-0117.