TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A 30-year-old Toms River man has been charged with multiple weapons offenses stemming from a violent altercation that left one man dead and another injured on May 9, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Roderick Seward faces charges of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose after investigators determined he fired a gun during the fight on Adams Avenue.
That same altercation resulted in the fatal stabbing of 34-year-old Raniek Mendez of Brick Township. Another suspect, McNeill, was previously charged with murder and is in custody awaiting trial.
Seward, who had also suffered a stab wound during the incident, turned himself in to Toms River Police on July 1 and is being held at the Ocean County Jail.
Cocaine charges also filed
Authorities had earlier charged Seward with cocaine possession and possession with intent to distribute after finding drugs in his backpack at the scene.
Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Toms River Police, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit collaborated on the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027.