Douglas Cobb remains wanted in the killing of Bruce Gress at the Route 37 Wawa as investigators say four people helped the accused gunman avoid capture or gave police false information.
TOMS RIVER, NJ — Nine days after Bruce Gress was shot in the head outside a busy Toms River Wawa, the man charged with killing him remains a fugitive despite an expanding search involving local, county and federal law enforcement.
Douglas Cobb, 51, of Toms River, has been wanted since investigators identified him as the man they allege shot and killed Gress, 42, on Sept. 18.
The manhunt has since widened considerably. Four people from Brick, Bayville, Howell and Lakewood are now charged with hindering Cobb’s apprehension, and one of those defendants is himself wanted by police.
Four accused of helping Cobb stay ahead of police
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Ronald Hagan, 50, of Brick Township; Sylvester Green, 43, of Bayville; Cherice Nicholson, 46, of Howell; and Jennifer Rizalvo, 48, of Lakewood were charged Sept. 24 with hindering the apprehension of another.
Investigators allege the four assisted Cobb in avoiding capture, provided false information about his whereabouts or did both.
“These arrests send a powerful message that anyone who intentionally aids Douglas Cobb evade law enforcement, will be held accountable and face consequences for their unlawful actions,” Billhimer said.
Green and Nicholson were taken into custody and sent to the Ocean County Jail pending detention hearings. Rizalvo was charged by summons and released pending court proceedings.
Hagan has not been arrested. A warrant has been issued for him, and authorities have entered his name into the National Crime Information Center database.
Cobb has now been missing for more than a week
Cobb has remained at large since the Sept. 18 shooting.
As Shore News Network previously reported during the early days of the manhunt, investigators searched Cobb’s McKinley Avenue home in Toms River but did not find him there. Authorities also worked to trace his movements as the search expanded beyond the immediate area of the Wawa.
The Prosecutor’s Office has since released a more recent photograph of Cobb taken from police body-worn camera footage recorded in June.
Authorities say Cobb also uses the name Douglas Green and the nickname “Bootknock.”
He was previously described as being associated with a black 2016 Acura MDX bearing New Jersey registration T93YJL.
Wawa shooting happened during morning rush
Toms River police were called to the Wawa at Route 37 and Garfield Avenue at approximately 7:20 a.m. Sept. 18.
Officers found Gress suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators later charged Cobb with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and being a certain person not to possess a weapon.
The shooting immediately triggered a multi-agency investigation involving the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.
Prosecutor says investigators working around the clock
The search now includes the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force as investigators continue pursuing leads on Cobb’s whereabouts.
“We are working round-the-clock to apprehend Cobb so that he may be brought to justice for the killing of Bruce Gress,” Billhimer said.
The arrests and hindering charges indicate investigators believe Cobb received assistance while avoiding law enforcement, although prosecutors have not publicly detailed exactly what each of the four defendants allegedly did or where Cobb may have traveled.
The search has now stretched into its second weekend with no announcement that Cobb has been captured.
Anyone with credible information about Cobb’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit at 732-929-2027 or the Toms River Township Police Department at 732-349-0150.