FREEHOLD, N.J. — A juvenile and an 18-year-old Woodbridge man have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a North Brunswick teenager earlier this month at Pier Village in Long Branch, prosecutors announced Monday.
The juvenile, whose name is being withheld because of age, faces juvenile complaints including murder, conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon, and other related offenses in the killing of 18-year-old Chrystofer A. Whyte.
Dwayne Exilus, 18, of Woodbridge, was charged with second-degree conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a handgun, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree hindering, and fourth-degree possession of a prohibited weapon.
Police responded around 8:58 p.m. on June 12 to the beach area between the shoreline and boardwalk of Pier Village after receiving reports of shots fired. Officers found Whyte suffering from a single gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigation draws regional resources
Authorities credited the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and local departments in Woodbridge, Linden, and Metuchen for helping identify and apprehend the suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to contact MCPO Detective Thomas Manzo at 800-533-7443 or Long Branch Police Detective Joseph Spitale at 732-222-1000 Ext 1339.
Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner is overseeing the case, which remains under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Bureau and Long Branch Police Department.
No trial dates have been scheduled.
