Investigators say the suspect opened fire on a car along the Garden State Parkway after a gas station argument.
TOMS RIVER, N.J. – More than four years after a man was shot while driving on the Garden State Parkway, prosecutors say investigators have identified the person accused of firing multiple rounds from another car following an argument at a Toms River gas station.
A juvenile delinquency complaint was filed Sept. 28 charging the individual with two counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The accused was a juvenile when the shooting happened on Jan. 12, 2022. Prosecutors are withholding additional identifying information because New Jersey law restricts disclosure in juvenile delinquency cases.
Gas Station Argument Allegedly Followed Victim Onto Parkway
The case began when New Jersey State Police responded to Community Medical Center after learning that a man had suffered a gunshot wound to his leg while traveling on the Garden State Parkway.
Investigators determined the victim had been involved in a verbal argument with another person at the Exxon Mobil station at Route 37 and Commonwealth Boulevard in Toms River.
After leaving the station, the victim headed south on the Garden State Parkway.
Prosecutors said a Dodge Charger followed the victim from the gas station. While both vehicles were traveling on the Parkway, the Charger’s driver allegedly fired multiple gunshots at the victim’s vehicle.
One round struck the victim in the leg, authorities said.
A passenger drove the wounded man to Community Medical Center. He was later transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was treated and eventually released.
Investigation Stayed Open for More Than Four Years
The shooting remained under investigation from January 2022 until detectives developed evidence identifying the person they now allege was driving the Dodge Charger and firing at the victim’s vehicle.
The investigation involved the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and High Tech Crime Squad, New Jersey State Police, Toms River Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
Prosecutors said the accused is already in custody on an unrelated matter.
Authorities did not disclose what new evidence led investigators to the suspect or when that person was identified.
Because the accused was a juvenile at the time of the shooting, prosecutors said state law prevents them from releasing additional information about the individual.
The attempted murder and weapons counts are allegations contained in a juvenile delinquency complaint and have not been proven in court.
